50 Cent headed to court to testify about his bankruptcy filing in Manhattan today. Check out pics of Fif making his way inside the courthouse and find out his reasons as to why he can't cough up $5 million for that sex tape lawsuit inside….
After hitting the red carpet at the Southpaw NYC premiere last night, 50 Cent made his way to the Manhattan Supreme Court today to testify about his recent bankruptcy filing. You’ll recall, Fif filed Chapter 11 just days after a judge awarded Rick Ross’ baby mama Lastonia Leviston $5 million in punitive damages over Fif posting up an incriminating sex tape on his social media accounts without her consent.
The EFFEN Vodka ambassador has been pulling out all types of tricks to keep from coughing up the cash he now owes. On Friday, he tried to get the lawsuit thrown out, laying out his whole life in court -- including his top creditors and total liabilities in hopes of convincing the judge to not go forward with the lawsuit. Well, that didn’t work.
Yesterday morning, the Queens native had his lawyer James Renard request a mistrial on the basis of media attention swaying the jurors, according to PageSix. He said,
“My concern is there might have been exposure to media that might have influenced the jurors.”
Well, Judge Paul Wooten wasn’t buying it and rejected the claim. He said the media coverage “is traceable primarily to the defendant, who has been on all sorts of media outlets.” Bloop! And with that, the trial will continue.
Today, all those pics of Fif decked out in gold chains and riding around in fancy luxury vehicles? He claims he returns them when he’s finished with them! In court he said,
“I take the jewelry and the cars back to the stores.” Ha!
So what about the money he’s earned for the two films (Southpaw & Spy) he’s currently in? He claims he has only made $100,000 total for both films. As for executive producing and starring in the hit STARZ series “Power,” he claims he has only made $150,000 for both seasons. And when asked about his 38 million in record sales he responded, "I make ten cents a record."
During his testimony, he did offer up a weak apology to Rick Ross’ baby mama saying, "I'm sorry if you feel like I hurt you."
And the kicker?
He said, "Now that I filed for bankruptcy, I’m not as cool as I was last week."
Shaq and Scottie Pippen are involved in an epic Instagram feud. And it’s bringing the afternoon funnies. More inside…
When celebs get involved in social media feuds, it usually comes with much entertainment. And the latest Instagram feud between future NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal and NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen is no different.
It all started out with Shaq posting up a collage of arguably the five greatest Bulls players and the five greatest Lakers ballers and he asks his fans who would win. Of course, Shaq had his money on the Lakers, saying they would blow them out by fifty points:
He captioned,"Sorry @shaq but I don't get caught up in hypotheticals. All I know is we won 6 titles, twice the amount you claimed while in LA..."
BLOOP!
Not to be outdone, Shaq clapped back at Scottie saying the only reason he won that many championship rings was because of the legendary Michael Jordan:
Shaq wrote,"Sorry @scottiepippen I don't believe in hypotheticals either, but I seen most of those final you did ok , but this guy did most the work . #youwereok steve kerr and Ron harper deserve more credit than you , remember I WAS BATMAN YOU WAS ROBIN , I was PUFFY YOU WAS MASE...
Scottie then fired shots at Shaq's free throw capabilities. We all know Shaq can't shoot a free throw to save his life:
He captioned, "@scottiepippen yes THE GREAT MICHAEL JORDAN GOT YOU SIX RINGS , but you will always be remembered as MR 2nd FIDDLE. SECOND BEHIND HIM AND SECOND BEHIND ME. GAME AINT OVER TIL I SAY SO. stay in yo place. 6 time nba CHUMPION".
We've got a little YBF Eyecandy to top off your day. It IS #NationalJunkFoodDay after all. Find out what the sexy Pacers baller George Hill is revealing and what the hot "Hit The Floor" star Rob Riley is up to inside...
Oh, heyyyy George Hill. Today, the high scoring 29-year-old baller revealed brand new team uniforms that will bring a little history to the NBA court. He tweeted out pics of the Pacers' "NBA Pride Collection" uniforms they will rock at special games as a salute to the Hoosiers story.
Now that that's out of the way, take in a couple more pics of this cutie:
And speaking of basketball playing hotties who made big Twitter reveals today:
Yes GAWDT Rob Riley. The 34-year-old "Hit The Floor" star who plays a professional baller on TV posted up these steamy pics. If you need the reason why, he's promoting his upcoming photography project. Yep, he also has talents behind the lens.
Thank us later.
EXTRAS:
1. Nicole Ari Parker has been cast in a recurring role on Fox’s new fall drama series Rosewood, starring the sexy Morris Chestnut as famous Miami private pathologist Dr. Beaumont Rosewood Jr. Nicole will play Morris/Rosewood’s attractive and successful new girlfriend Kat Crawford, a highly sought-after psychologist specializing in PTSD who often counsels police, soldiers and others who regularly encounter violence.
Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson and Brandy were all spotted out and about around NYC today. Find out what they were up to inside….
Beyonce trekked through the streets of NYC today in the nude. Ok, not really in the nude, per se. But, she was flossing her curves in a long sleeved nude high slit dress, serving a little leg action. It appears she has really taken a liking to this "high slit" trend lately. And apparently she's unbothered by the NYC heat wave.
The “Feelin’ Myself” singer was seen arriving at her midtown Manhattan office, likely to work on whatever she has been cooking up recently. We’ve spotted Bey making multiple trips to her NYC officein the last few weeks, one time toting her MacBook inside.
Hmm…can we expect a new surprise soon? Something to the tune of that alleged joint album with her husband Jay Z? Time will tell….
Whatever she eventually releases will likely end up nabbing her a few Award nominations like her “7/11” visuals. The GoPro laced vid racked up 5 MTV Video Music Awards nominations, including Video of the Year. Snaps for the kid.
Elsewhere....
Fab chick Jennifer Hudson was spotted making an arrival at the “TODAY” show studio in NYC.
The upcoming Broadway star stopped by the show to dish about her debut role as Shug Avery in “The Color Purple” this Fall. She says she’s super excited about it and hopes to do it some justice.
JHud also gushed about her 5-year-old David Daniel Otunga Jr. Apparently, watching his mom wow audiences night after night with her powerful vocals, little David has caught the singing bug. His mom proudly declares, “Oh, he got the gene!" Aww…
She later talked about her new gig as the new face of New York & Company’s Soho Jeans Collection (which she was rocking) and more. Check it below:
Afterwards...
She stopped to sign a few autographs for her adoring fans.
Also visiting the "TODAY" show....
Brandy gave us our entire life in this vibrant, printed VONE frock and Alexandre Birman sandals as she arrived at the “TODAY” show studio this morning.
FLAWLESS!
The gorgeous Broadway star appeared on the morning show to talk about her life transforming after landing the gig as Roxie Hart in the "Chicago" musical, she talked about the video she posted singing on a subway going viral and her upcoming BET series "Zoe Moon."
The 2015 MTV VMA nominations have brewed up some social media drama between America’s sweetheart Taylor Swift and the Pop raptress Nicki Minaj. Peep their tweets and find out why Taylor possibly popped off at Nicki when you read on.
Also, Tinashe, Azealia Banks and Dawn Richard join the discussion. Get it all inside…
Well, well, well! The 2015 MTV Video Music Award nominations have certainly caused some controversy on Twitter.
Earlier today, Nicki took to her Twitter account to air out her frustrations about her video “Feelin’ Myself” with Beyonce being snubbed and “Anaconda” being shut out of the Video of the Year category and Best Choreography category. She also addressed when “other" girls who are said to have an impact on the "culture," they get nominated. Hmph. Peep those tweets HERE.
Following her rant, Taylor Swift took it upon herself to respond to Nicki via Twitter. While Nicki never dropped in any names, maybe Taylor felt she was included in the “other girls” category (or it could possibly be another reason which we will get into in a second), so she decided to respond. And Nicki popped back.
Peep their exchange below:
It didn't end there.
The Young Money star then went on to BLAST white media for their trolling antics. She tweeted:
Good points.
While we’re not exactly sure why Taylor decided to come for Nicki, we have a few ideas. Outside of the “other girls” comment, Nicki went on a “favoriting” spree on Twitter, clicking stars on tweets that blasted Kendrick Lamar’s nominations. K-Dot nabbed 4 nominations of his own for "Alright” (including Video of the Year) and 9 nominations for his joint track “Bad Blood” with Taylor (also including Video of the Year). So maybe Taylor was trying to take up for a friend? *shrugs*
Here are a few tweets she favorited about Kendrick:
Or maybe she responded after seeing these tweets:
So if Taylor wins an award, Nicki is going to be on her Kanye West"I'm gone let you finish" ish! HA!
Co-signing the "All Eyes On Me" raptress....
R&B newcomer Tinashe offered her support. She wasn't nominated for any awards this year.
Harlem raptress Azealia Banks said her piece about being snubbed in all categories:
And then Dawn Richard (aka D∆WN) also aired out her frustrations for not landing any nominations:
Rihanna's got another fragrance on deck...and she's serving up doll baby behavior for the new promo pic. Check it inside, plus Trina's brand new "Real One" video....
How gorge is Rihanna's new fragrance promo pic! The pop diva who just landed an MTV VMA nomination (and is one of the only ones NOT beefing about it) just announced her next fragrance: RiRi by Rihanna.
She posted the above pic saying:
Excited to announce my newest fragrance "RiRi"... coming soon! #ThisIsRiRi
On the heels of a busy week with a performance in NYC and talking ish about her ex French Montana, Trina just released a brand new video. The single is called "Real One" and it features Rico Love.
Trina's talking about big stacks, lame dudes (but she uses another word), and being the diamond princess that she is. Check out the visuals below:
While Meek Mill is sitting pretty atop his new gold toy he just copped, he has zero chill over on Twitter right now. Check out how he blasted everybody from rappers (Drake& Safaree) to Hot 97 to MTV inside...
It's Meek Mill vs. Everybody tonight over on the Twitter. Apparently, Meek turned off his chill button and he has some ish to get off his chest. Now that his new album Dreams Worth More than Money has sold over 240,000 copies, he's catching heat from folks saying it's all because of his "relationship" with Nicki Minaj that they promote constantly.
That seems to have hit a nerve on Mr. Mill, because he's going in on EVERYBODY tonight. Late Tuesday night, Meek kicked things off saying:
Twerking where, you ask? Well, we were sent the below video a few days ago...but it's impossible to verify just from this video if it's actually Safaree. So we held off on reposting until we had some receipts. It's still unclear, but check it below:
In case you missed it, we've got Azealia Banks leaving her record label AND calling out the VMAs for snubbing her, while Tamar Braxton tells the #truth #facts about the state of R&B music. More inside....
llll
While promoting her sizzling single "If I Don't Have You", Tamar Braxton stopped by Angie Martinez's show to run down all the beefs her job on "The Real" has gotten her into (Chris Brown, Kylie Jenner, K. Michelle) and to talk about the state of R&B. While Tamar didn't co-sign Tyrese'sentire rant about the R&B music dying out, she did agree that R&B musicians don't get the love and support they deserve.
It's a short and entertaining interview, but here's where it gets messy. On social media, Rihanna's Navy is coming for Tamar and the Tamartians. Here's why...
When talking about crossover artists like Sam Smith, Adele, and even Rihanna (all of whom have been nominated for awards in the R&B category), Tamar said:
“[Rihanna] doesn’t sing R&B music. She’s a pop star. I had an issue with Rihanna being nominated at the Grammys for Best R&B Album. I love her [though]. Glad she won.”
When she was asked to clarify what R&B is if it’s not what Rihanna is singing, she explained, “It’s called Rhythm and Blues. Ribs and Barbecue. It’s not pop pop pop tat uh tat tat tat. It’s soulful. That’s R&B. Every song of hers I’ve gotten my complete and utter life to… twerking. I’m just saying. I love her; I’m one of her biggest fans period, but that’s not R&B music.”
Well, we agree with Tamar. We love "Diamonds" and "Pour It Up" but it ain't R&B! Rihanna has been known to say so herself as well.
In other music shakeups.....
A little over a year ago, Azealia Banks was released from her recording contract with Universal Records, then she linked up with indie label Prospect Park who handled the surprise release of her critically-acclaimed full length debut Broke With Expensive Taste. And now, she's left them too!
Ms. Banks announced the end of their relationship by tweeting yesterday, "I'm leaving Prospect Park guys. AB is back on the market!"
There was no shade or ill-intent present.
A Prospect Park spokesman confirmed the split to Billboard saying,“We chose to terminate our management relationship with Azealia Banks... she’s one of the most talented artists in the world and are very proud of the work we did on her behalf. We wish her all the best.”
But now that Azealia is back on Twitter regularly, she's bound to shake it up. In the past 24-hours she's come for the VMAs (who UNRIGHTFULLY snubbed all her stellar videos) and Action Bronson (who popped off on her a few months ago, but got chin-checked by Ghostface Killah).
On the VMAs/GRAMMYS:
On Action Bronson vs. Ghostface Killah:
On men who troll her and the disrespect of Black women:
What's AB up to now? She's filming the RZA film Coco, which also stars Jill Scott and Common.
Photos via Azealia's Instagram/Twitter/Tamar's Instagram
Yesterday, Joan Smalls got to work on a new commercial on location in NYC. Then, the supermodel put on her best model behavior as she posed it up on the red carpet of the Paper Towns premiere. Pics inside….
Looks like the true Puerto Rican Princess, Joan Smalls, will be featured in an upcoming Fall campaign.
The new face of Calvin Klein was spotted in NYC yesterday shooting for a new commercial and it appears to be for some sort of fall/winter campaign. She kept it simple rocking a pair of low-cut boots, steel colored denim and a long sleeved shirt.
Hmm…can’t say this outfit is one of our favorites, but she looks gorgeous nonetheless.
Guess we will find out what the shoot is for soon...and when we do, we'll keep you posted.
After work....
The supermodel stunna strutted to the red carpet of the Paper Towns premiere at AMC Loews Lincoln Square to support her model friend Cara Delevingne who stars in the film. And chick was serving major leg in a floral mini that we love as she made her way down the carpet.
And she has perfected her "smize."
In fashion news, Joan and her sister Erika Smalls slayed a Balmain ad campaign recently. Who knew she had a sister? And one as equally as gorgeous as her at that! Check it out here.
"The View" co-host Raven Symone was also at the premiere, popping up on the carpet in all black and shades.
We've spotted Tyga and Jason Momoa on the set of their new film Going Under and the rapper's face "tatt" will have you (and Blac Chyna) doing a double take. Watch art imitate life inside....
You already know that the pic above is already Blac Chyna's iPhone screen saver!
We'll explain....we spotted her baby's daddy on the set of his latest project, an action flick starring movie vet Bruce Willis (see more pics of Tyga with Bruce here) and Lisa Bonet's fine a$$ husband Jason Momoa (below).
The film, Going Under, is a comedy about an L.A. detective who seeks out the ruthless gang that stole his dog. And based on the face tatt that Tyga's sporting ("ASSHOLE") we think he might be one of the culprits! Mind you....this was his FIRST day on the set. What an introduction!
#Noshade - We're sure he knew this pic was gonna go viral while they were painting his face. We can't wait to see what Amber Rose says about it!
The film also stars "Game Of Thrones" star Jason Momoa. Let's all inhale those pecs, that 'stache and and those arms. Lisa Bonet is a lucky lady...
In case you didn't know, Jason has been cast to star as Aquaman in the big screen adaptation of the comic. Um.....so we will get to see him in a tight swimsuit? We're HERE for it!
Chris Brown is always caught up in some ish....but this time, it really may not be his fault. Find out the latest on him being barred from leaving the Philippines today inside...
While Breezy travels the world performing before his One Hell Of A Night tour kicks off here in the States, his stop in Manila last night indeed ended up being one hell of a night.
Chris Brown did a Live In Manila concert at the Mall of Asia Arena, but leaving the Philippines today was damn near impossible. CNN, via the Philippines News Agency, claims the singer was barred from leaving the Philippines because of a contract dispute. He attempted to high tail it to his next stop via his private jet, but was stopped by The Philippine Department of Justice.
The reason is all because of money. While Chris performed as scheduled last night, a promoter claimed Chris owed him money from not showing up to perform at a New Year's Eve show LAST YEAR . CNN reports:
Brown performed a concert that evening as planned, but the order was put in place to compel him to pay back money that promoters said was owed to them after he failed to appear for a previous appearance scheduled for last New Year's Eve.
That concert was supposed to take place at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, north of Manila.
The Bureau of Immigration said Brown and his promoter John Michael Pio Roda were both subject to an immigration lookout bulletin, but they could seek a clearance certificate that could allow them to leave if the Department of Justice consented.
But all has been clear and was found to be a problem between two promoters, and Chris was simply stuck in the middle.
TMZ confirms he's currently in the air headed to his next concert in Hong Kong....that has technically already started. Hope his fans wait for him so that he doesn't owe ANOTHER promoter for being a no-show...
BONUS: Breezy posted this video of him flossing his gymnastics skills on stage last night:
She was snubbed by the VMAs....but she's LOVED by PETA and vegans around the country! Check out Dawn Richard's shoot for PETA inside and find out why she's giving up meat...
If you've ever wanted a reason for "body envy" just have a quick look at Dawn Richard's Instagram. Her body is ON POINT. Now here's the next question....how'd she get so fit? Her secret (at least in part) is the VEGAN life. In a video shared by PETA, Dawn talks about making the switch.
“I was devastated to find out that the food I was eating was so processed and so bad, and the animals were so mistreated and I was not happy and it made me immediately … go cold turkey.”
If you're unfamiliar with Dawn's background, it's interesting to note that she's from New Orleans. So how does a country gal from the South turn her back on meat and seafood? Well.....there's a reason.
As PETA revealed, vegans are less prone to developing heart disease, strokes, diabetes, cancer, and obesity than meat-eaters and Dawn's father has been diagnosed with cancer. She said,
“[M]y whole life has changed. I get up earlier, I want to exercise, I feel better, my skin feels better —and these are things I didn’t even know [about vegan eating], coming from the south, coming from New Orleans.”
Well...now that she's learned about "the life," Dawn says she now an "avocado junkie." Watch it all go down here:
Celebrity publicist Kita Williams is gearing up to be a first time mother! And over the weekend, she celebrated the coming of her new bundle of joy with an all white baby shower surrounded by her fiancé Joe Hardy and friends. Peep the baby shower pics inside…
Oh baby!
Celebrity publicist and former “T.O. Show” star Kita Williams (who also served as Terrell Owens' publicist) is still in love. She's set to get married AND she’s soon to become a first time mother! Life definitely has changed since her days on reality television.
Over the weekend, Kita and her fiancé Joe Hardy (whom she met while doing the show years ago) celebrated with their close celeb friends and family with an all white baby shower soiree at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills.
Girlfriends Getaway star Garcelle Beauvais attended the all white affair to show her love and rub Kita’s growing belly. That glow is real.
“Basketball Wives: L.A.” star Malaysia also came out to celebrate the couple’s bundle of joy.
Former “Hollywood Exes” stars Sheree Fletcher and Shamicka Lawrence were all smiles as they partied with the mother-to-be.
“Hollywood Divas” star Elise Neal was also in the mix. She's currently starring on Season 2 of "Hollywood Divas" that premiered July 15th.
Kita's client and friend Johnny Gill was in attendance to laugh it up with the mom-to-be.
Other notables at the party included EMMY nominated actress Niecy Nash, WNBA Hall of Famer (and Kita’s client) Lisa Leslie, "The Soul Man” actress Kellee Stewart & Napoleon Dynamite star Shondrella Avery.
Remember Kita's bestie and business partner Monique Jackson?
Of course she was there to cheer on her friend and celebrate the happy occasion.
The highlight was the surprise gender reveal. Kita and Joe are having a…..
BOY! The couple learned the gender of their baby with everyone else in the room. Aww…
Baby Boy Hardy is expected to make his arrival late August/early September. Congrats to the couple!
Kelly Rowland was spotted rocking her bestie Beyonce’s “Bey Good” t-shirt while on a retail run with her son Titan. Peep her pics inside….
Who says you can’t stan for your bestie while on mom duty?
Kelly Rowland was spotted strolling through Beverly Hills with her 8-month-old son Titan yesterday.
The R&B songstress enjoyed a little retail therapy while reppin’ for her BFF and former Destiny's Child groupmate Beyonce. She was seen enjoying her afternoon in a laid back look, rocking a “Bey Good” t-shirt, in support of Mrs. Carter’s philanthropic initiative, styled with a pair of cutoffs to show off those killer legs she's been working so hard on with herfitness trainers.
Aww...look at Baby Titan's adorable face.
And like all moms, everything stops when baby is hungry. Kellz paused her retail run to feed Baby Titan his bottle.
In music news, the 34-year-old singer, who’s guest starring on the upcoming season of “Empire,” appears to be gearing up to drop some new music. And hopefully it's soon. On her Instagram, she's been posting up mini listening sessions for her fans to get a feel on what she’s been cooking up in the studio.
The gang's all here. Get the very first look at "Empire" season 2 inside...
Oh, this should be good. The "Empire" cast has been hard at work in Chicago getting ready for another season full of celebrity cameos, family, backstabbing, sex scenes and everything else.
In the very first promo for the upcoming second season of "Empire," we see Cookie and Boo Boo Kitty walking next to each other while entering the house that Lucious (and Cookie) Lyon built.
But that's not all: Hakeem & Anika are still being super suspect, a Free Lucious concert goes down, and Lucious tip toes out of jail with a baldie...with Cookie right there to meet him.
Check it out below for a hint of what to expect next season:
The fab and foolery return September 23rd on Fox.
EXTRAS:
1. LeBron James' SpringHill Productions Co. just inked a film deal with Warner Brothers around the same they filed for SPace Jame trademarks. Hmmm... STORY
The August 2015 issue of W Magazine features a "must-see" pictorial of Fall fashions modeled by an all-Black cast. Come inside and see the pure slayage....
For W Magazine's August 2015 issue, renowned fashion stylist Edward Enninful, who's also W’s current fashion and style director, teamed with photographer Emma Summerton for a photo spread that had us flipping the pages....with our mouths wide open.
Shot in upstate New York, the pictorial shows off Fall trends set against several shades of brown, caramel, and dark chocolate. The slayage stars fabulous models Ajak Deng, Amilna Estevao, Anais Mali, Aya Jones, Binx Walton and Tami Williams.
This definitely doesn't happen everyday. And the imagery, which gives us 70's steez, is powerful. Get into it......
Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and the cast of the upcoming biopic Straight Outta Compton have landed the newest cover of The Hollywood Reporter. And the guys are breaking their silence on the fatal hit & run incident (allegedly) caused by Suge Knight on the set. Also, Cube’s son O'Shea Jackson Jr. reveals what it was like to portray his pops Lots more inside...
We’re less than a month away before one of the biggest movies of the year hits theaters. And before the guys of N.W.A. give us a backstage pass at how they became the most controversial rap groups of all time, the fellas sat down to chop it up with The Hollywood Reporter about their upcoming blockbuster.
Former N.W.A. members Dr. Dre and Ice Cube grace the cover with the film’s lead stars Corey Hawkins (who plays young Dr. Dre and is a classically trained Juilliard actor), O'Shea Jackson Jr. (Cube's sonwho plays Young Cube) and Jason Mitchell (as Eazy-E). They talk about the 13-year journey it took to get Straight Outta Compton in theaters (overcoming countless re-writes and squashing old feuds), that infamous and fatal hit-and-run incident involving Suge Knight and highlighting the ongoing problem of police brutality, which still rings true today.
SIDEBAR- Aldis Hodge will star as MC Ren and Neil Brown Jr. will portray DJ Yella.
For the first time, Dre and Cube open up about the hit-and-run incident allegedly carried out by Suge Knight, leaving one man critically injured and another dead. Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight is currently behind bars awaiting trial on murder and attempted murder charges after he allegedly ran over two men on the set of Straight Outta Compton back in January. (SIDEBAR- A judge denied lowring his bail from $10 million on July 17th and he’s set for another hearing September 17th. No trail date has been set.)
The Beats by Dre co-founder tells the magazine where he was during the incident and how he found out about it saying,
"I was there. But I was just leaving, so I didn't know what happened until I was halfway home," says Dre, who shares his Brentwood mansion with his wife of 19 years, Nicole Young. "I heard about it over the phone. Everybody was supportive everywhere we went, and we didn't have one issue throughout the entire filming of the movie. It's crazy that this happened during the f—ing filming of the commercial."
"It's just a really unfortunate incident," says Dre. "Maybe [Knight] was looking for trouble. I don't know."
While Cube wasn’t on the set the day ish went totally left, he offered up a philosophical view on what went down:
"It's the dangerous part of living in South Central," he says. "Some people don't care if you're making a movie or not. It's unfortunate because the movie is so good, so creative, so many talented people involved."
Shifting gears, Cube’s son O'Shea, opened up about how he prepared to play his father in the film:
“My father would call me before each scene to let me know what he was thinking. A lot of it was getting me to not act. I have so much of his mannerisms and things already in me that I wouldn't want to be onscreen doing an impersonation. You can do an impersonation or you could become the character. I really was trying to break down those acting walls and just let everything flow."
And if you thought O’Shea was cast to play his pops simply because he’s his son…you’re wrong! Cube said,
"I know a lot of people thought I was just throwing him in there 'cause I could," says Cube of the casting of his 24-year-old son. "But that wasn't the case. I knew he was right for this."
If you’re familiar with N.W.A., then you know Dr. Dre up and left Death Row Records in 1996, leaving a reported $50 million on the table as he walked away from his stake in the company. This had Suge Knight extra tight and it was the beginning of the demise of their relationship. While the movie tried to cram in three decades worth of memories in a 2-hour film, test audiences who viewed the film we’re confused as to why Dre ultimately washed his hands with the label.
THR reports:
Why did Dre leave Death Row and spark the historic, still lingering feud? It was not made clear. So, in late June, with two weeks before the movie had to be locked for its August release, Gray filmed a scene in which Dre walks into a room and witnesses Knight (played by R. Marcos Taylor, a stunt man turned actor with a strong resemblance to the real Knight) calmly smoking a cigar as he uses a vicious pit bull to terrorize a cowering man in his underwear. "I was like, 'What the f— is going on?' " recalls Dre of the actual event that inspired that last-minute scene. "I was ready to leave anyways. This was the extra push. The guy in the underwear — all this shit actually happened."
Wow. We can’t wait to see how that scene unfolds in the film.
While the flick is set in the 80s, many of the same issues N.W.A. dealt with back then, black men across the nation are STILL dealing with now. Cube expained,
“This movie will keep shining a light on the problem, especially because of all the situations that are happening in Ferguson and here in Los Angeles. It’s definitely going to keep this situation in people’s minds and make sure that everyone out there knows that this is a problem that keeps happening still today."
Asked if members of law enforcement will find the film controversial, Cube responds sarcastically, “Oh, they're gonna love it. True story. Inspired by them. I mean, why wouldn't they love it? It's what they do. They're not misrepresented. True that.”
And guess what? N.W.A. is supposedly working on reuniting for a European tour to promote the movie that will include Eminem and west coast rapper Kendrick Lamar. Sucks for us here in the U.S., but it would be nice to see if they can put all their ongoing feuds aside again to make it happen.
The Soledad O’Brien & Brad Raymond Starfish Foundation's PowHERful Summit published its conversation with principal dancer Misty Copeland who opened up about balancing her love life with the focus on her career. Watch it inside...
Over the weekend The Soledad O’Brien & Brad Raymond Starfish Foundation's PowHERful Summit brought together 250 young women for a full day of empowerment. The Summit aims to foster educational, professional and personal development through breakout sessions and workshops that build confidence.
One of the key moments at the PowHERful Summit was a dialogue between news personality Soledad O'Brien and American ballet dancer, as well as the first African-American female promoted to principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre, Misty Copeland.
Misty, who delivered the afternoon's keynote “HERE’S HOW: Dance to Your Own Beat,” encouraged young women to keep pushing and persevere despite obstacles they may face. She was one of the event's glowing inspirations. She told the young ladies,
“I was the only black woman in a company of 80+ dancers for a decade and I felt like I didn’t belong. I heard I wasn’t right for the company, I wasn’t right for ballet. My skin was too dark, I was too muscular, my bust was too big,” said Copeland. But clearly, she didn't let it stop her.
There was also an interesting dialogue about romance and career. At one point, Soledad asked her about having a partner she could rely on (at 06:05:26 mark) and Misty said:
"It took me finding a person that respected me, that allowed me to still fulfill what i wanted in my career. That was most important to me. I always said "no man is coming in and taking me away from ballet." And that was so important to me that the person I ended up with was going to support me in every way, because my career is so important to me.
And I knew immediately when he wasn't afraid of hearing or seeing me so damaged - and that he wanted to help because he cared about me as a person."
The boyfriend chat starts at 06:04:50:
Also, Misty is set to make her Broadway debut in “On the Town.” She'll join the cast of the musical revival for two weeks, starting August 25 and ending September 6.
EXTRAS:
1. Nicki Minaj's ex Safaree Samuels shoots down Meek Mill's verbal assault - saying he's not gay - and he drops a bombshell saying Nicki still reaches out to him from time to time. Story.
Good news coming out of Atlanta today....Kandi Burruss and her husband Todd Tucker are expecting their first child together! More inside....
"RHOA" fans may recall that a huge chunk of Kandi Burruss' post-wedding storyline was her attempt to get pregnant with she and Todd Tucker's first child together. Well....we can now confirm that the two have conceived! The official confirmation was delivered via E! News who reported a joyous statement from Kandi,
"We're so thrilled to announce the news of our bundle of joy, it's a dream come true." Todd added,"Our daughters, Kaela and Riley, couldn't be happier about becoming big sisters."
The Tuckers married in April 2014 after a bitter battle with Kandi's mom Mama Joyce and a few hiccups concerning their pre-nup. But it all worked out!
In addition to the baby, Kandi recently "birthed" a new record label dubbed Kandi Koated, and she's already signed two acts: the girl group Glamour and the band Loud. She told E!,
"Glamour and Loud are about to take the world by storm! Not only do they have great vocals, their stage presence is amazing, It was a no brainer for me to sign them up to represent the next generation of artists on Kandi Koated Entertainment."
Meanwhile, Todd is bringing in coins as the executive producer of the TV ONE hit "Hollywood Divas." Congrats to the Tucker family! Looks like Kandi's got her storyline for next season on lock....
We knew that pop-up at J.Cole's concertJanet Jackson recently did meant something was in the works. And it was. Check out Janet's remix to "No Sleeep" ft. Mr. Cole inside....
Janet teamed up with Jermaine...the other Jermaine...to remix her new single that's already #5 on the Billboard charts. Ms. Jackson's "No Sleeep" got the remix treatment and it will no doubt create even more buzz for her upcoming album and tour.
Until September rolls around when Janet takes over, check out the below remix:
