Girls Trip just jetted to another level with their raw and un-cut trailer. Check it out inside, plus get the details on Kerry Washington's newest gig inside...

A week after the first Girls Trip trailer dropped, a new UN-CUT version has been released. And it’s MANY things.

Now, we really get to see what stars Tiffany Haddis, Jada Pinkett Smith, Regina Hall and Queen Latifah are up to on their girls trip to the ESSENCE Festival in New Orleans. We knew some foolywang material was going to go down, and the new redband trailer confirms it.

While your faves are serving up all the laughs on-screen, several of your faves are behind the project. Famed film producer Will Packer produced the chick flick and “black•ish” creator Kenya Barris teamed up with Barbershop 3 writer Tracy Oliver for the script. The film also stars “Queen Sugar” hottie Kofi Siriboe, “House of Lies” star Larenz Tate, “Luke Cage” star Mike Colter and “Private Practice” actress Kate Walsh.

Peep the uncensored trailer above.

It's going to be a super hot summer. Girls Trip hits theaters July 21, 2017.

In other new movie news....

Kerry Washington gave birth to baby #2 about four months ago. And now, she’s back to work.

The “Scandal” star is gearing up to produce and star in The Perfect Mother, a thriller novel by Aimee Molloy. TriStar acquired the rights in a seven-figure HarperCollins publishing deal.

The EMMY nominated actress will produce the film through her Simpon Street production company joining lead producer Amy Pascal.

Below is a synopsis of the film (via Deadline):

The novel revolves around a Brooklyn group called May Mothers, a group of moms who meet up to socialize and relish a couple hours away from their babies. The evening takes a tragic turn when Winnie, the single mother of the group, learns that her 6-week-old son, Midas, has been abducted from his crib. Over the course of 13 days, three new moms go to increasingly desperate lengths to find Midas alive. In the process, damaging secrets are revealed, marriages are tested, and friendships are created and destroyed.

Sounds interesting. Kerry should have no problem playing the role after becoming a mom two times over.  Chick STAYS working.

Photos: Universal Pictures/Getty

This chick never fails.  Like, ever.  Solange Knowles is ELLE magazine's March 2017 cover girl, and she's seeing red, dishing on rearing chil'ren and that epic album of hers.

Rocking pants and a stole by Pleats Please Issey Mikaye and a seriously puffy Norma Kamali fiery red coat, Solange Knowles is the epitome of making originality a high fashion hit.

Red eye shadow too?  Yes please!

In her cover story, the married mom-of-one dishes on the loneliness of raising Julez as a teen mom, growing up in a house full of Destiny's Children and how she used A Seat At The Table to find the peace we all (very much) needed.

On growing up in a house with two of the three Destiny's Child members:

"My sister and Kelly [Rowland] were the same age, which is like a built-in best friend in the house; they were extremely close," Solange recalls. "Writing felt like this insular thing that I could go back in my room and express all that I would observe, all the emotions that would arise. It felt like mine, my little thing."

 

On raising her son in Moscow, Idaho, while still in her teens:

"It was one of the most bittersweet moments of my life," Solange says, "because I was so in love with Julez, and having spent a lot of time on the road, I yearned to be in one place, to have the opportunity to really ground myself with him. But it was isolating and lonely, and so cold and dark. And it was just Julez and me most of the time. It was hard to imagine being able to progress in my career in any way."

 

On her album, Seat at the Table:

"I did want to create this juxtaposition, politically, of having these very hard, messy conversations but having them stylistically in a way that you can really hear me, and not the yelling, the rage," she ruminates. "I wanted to project in my delivery what I was not achieving at all: peace and having a certain lightness and airiness that could maybe help me get closer to having more light and airiness in my life."

 

Photog: Terry Tsiolis

Naomi Campbell honored designer Donatella Versace last night, donning one of her designs at the 19th Annual amfAR New York Gala. Iman and Zoe Kravitz also stepped out. Peep their pics, plus who won what at the 2017 African American Film Critics Awards inside…

Supermodel Naomi Campbell always keeps her best model foot forward when it comes to a red carpet. And last night, on the eve of New York Fashion Week, was no different. The 46-year-old worked an orange high slit Versace couture gown from the SS16 collection at the 19th Annual amfAR New York Gala at Cipriani Wall Street in NYC.

The runway slayer joined fashion designer Donatella Versace on the carpet before the designer was honored at the soiree. The Italian designer dug deep into her pockets at the AIDS charity event, spending a total of $40,000 during the auction.

Another model-designer duo hitting the carpet: 

Legendary model Iman WOWED in a red hot Zac Posen gown. She brought the designer along with her as her date for the evening. THIS is what 60+ looks like. Black don’t crack!

“Big Little Lies” star Zoe Kravitz went for a semi risqué look in a white Versace couture gown. She brought her boyfriend Karl Glusman along as her date.

By the way, "Big Little Lies" debuts on Sunday, February 19th at 9pm EST on HBO.

Inside...

Iman and Naomi took the stage to present Donatella with her award:

In the audience:

Naomi caught up with Iman and snapped selfies with her friends:

Naomi also got kissy with her model friend Heidi Klum.

At an awards event...

It’s awards season!

The 2017 African American Film Critics Awards went down in L.A. last night to honor the black creators and actors in the film industry. WONDALAND honcho Janelle Monae was in the mix to celebrate excellence. She was awarded the Best Breakout Performance for her debut performance in the critically acclaimed film Moonlight.

Moonlight racked up a total of five awards, including Best Independent Film, Best Director for Barry Jenkins, and Best Supporting actor for Mahershala Ali.

“Empire” and “STAR” creator Lee Daniels was recognized with the Cinema Vanguard Award. Daniels has found major success with both of his FOX series.

“Shots Fired” star Sanaa Lathan hit the stage to present Marhershala his award, whom she met about 20 years ago. “All the girls used to call him Hershey bar,” she said. “Lucky for us, he is finally getting the spotlight he deserves in ‘Moonlight.'”

Get ready! "Shots Fired" will premiere on March 22nd on FOX.

“Moesha” alum Sheryl Lee Ralph was SNATCHED to the high heavens in this red number. On the carpet, she reacted to the confirmation of Trump’s nominee Jeff Sessions the new U.S. attorney general. She told the L.A. Times:

“We have been blinded by the reality show. We are getting the politics we voted for -- or didn’t vote for. We are getting exactly what we thought we needed when we found it so easy to turn our noses up at peace, kindness and decency, the way we saw it in the White House the past eight years. So, you like what you got now? Is that who you really are?” she said, addressing the American people.

She leaned in closer. “We’re in bad shape, baby.”

We sure are. SMH.

WERK Wendy Raquel Robinson! 

Model/reality star Eva Marcille served up an interesting look on the carpet.

“Queen Sugar” actors Dawn Lynn Gardner, Dondre Whitfield and his wife/producer Salli Richardson-Whitfield and Timon Kyle Durrett came out to accept the Best Drama TV Show Award.

"Scandal" star Joe Morton, “black•ish” sta Marcus Scribner, "Being Mary Jane" star Stephen Bishop and "The Mysteries of Laura" star Laz Alonso held it down for the fellas:

Fun times.

Below is the full list of 2017 AAFCA winners:

Cinema Vanguard: Lee Daniels

Icon Award: Sidney Poitier

Horizon Award: Director-producer Anthony Hemingway (“Underground”)

Legacy Award: Disney animator Floyd Norman

Best Picture: “Moonlight” (A24)

Best Director: Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight” (A24)

Best Actor: Denzel Washington, “Fences” (Paramount)

Best Actress: Ruth Negga, “Loving” (Focus Features)

Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight” – (A24)

Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis, “Fences” (Paramount)

Best Ensemble: The cast of “Hidden Figures” (20th Century Fox)

Breakout Performance 2017 – Janelle Monae for “Moonlight” and “Hidden Figures”

Best Independent Film: “Moonlight” (A24)

Best Animation Film: “Zootopia” (Disney)

Best Song – “Victory” from “Hidden Figures” (20th Century Fox)

Best Documentary – “13th” (Netflix)

Best Foreign Film – “Tanna” (Lightyear Entertainment)

Best Screenplay – August Wilson, “Fences” (Paramount)

Best TV Show (Drama) – “Queen Sugar” (OWN)

Best TV Show (Comedy) – “Atlanta” (FX)

Best TV Show (Cable/New Media) – “Underground” (WGN America)

Best TV Show (Special/Limited Series) – “Lemonade” (HBO)

Congrats to everyone!

Photos: Getty/WENN/Paras Griffin

It’s that time of year again. NYFW 2017 has just kicked off and the YBF celebrities are trickling in on the scene. Peep Joan Smalls ripping the Tommy Hilfiger runway with Serayah and Justine Skye in attendance. Plus, NeNe Leakes kicks off NYFW 2017 inside...

Calling all fashionistas! It’s your favorite time of year. New York Fashion Week 2017 has officially kicked off and the YBFers are trickling in for the fashion shows.

Before we head over to NYC, let’s get into this runway action in L.A.

Last night, supermodel Joan Smalls stripped down to a one-piece bathing suit at the TommyLand Tommy Hilfiger Spring 2017 fashion show. The Victoria’s Secret model worked her model magic in two different looks:

We see you Joan! 

On the scene:

Braided up beauty Serayah was decked out in her Tommy Hilfiger threads to peep the designer’s newest threads.

Loving this look on the "Empire" beauty.  She also posed it up with her stylists Micah + Wayman.

"Empire" makes its Spring premiere on March 22nd.

R&B singer Justine Skye braved the rain and made her way to the fashion show to peep the designer's newest threads. 

Formula 1 racecar driver and fashion show regular Lewis Hamilton was in the mix.

Before the show, Joan and her model friends were spotted at rehearsals:

On the east coast...

Reality star NeNe Leakes, who's rumored to be returning for the 10th season, attended the New York Fashion Week Kick-Off Event, hosted by the ELLE, E! and IMG. NeNe's fremeny Kim Zolciak is also rumored to be joining the new season. That should be interesting.

Miss USA Deshauna Barber served up printed pieces for the fashion soiree.

Celebrity stylist Ty Hunter and E! News correspondent Zuri Hall struck a pose before getting to the festivities: 

Stay locked to TheYBF.com for all of the YBF NYFW coverage!

Photos: FameFlynet/Getty

NYFW 2017 is in full swing and the YBF models are hard at work. Go inside to peep pics of Naomi Campbell and Joan Smalls killing the La Perla runway, plus shots of Teyana Taylor serving up a few hot looks….

New York Fashion Week 2017 is in full swing with runway shows popping up all over the Big Apple. It started off with a snowy bang, but it didn't stop nan a show.

Last night, two YBF chicks and runway slayers took over the La Perla Fall/Winter 2017 RTW Show at SIR Stage 37.

The legendary Naomi Campbell made her way on the runway to show these young models a thing or two. She’s a vet in the game, but she hardly looks it. The 46-year-old model hit the catwalk in a navy silk and lace lingerie mini topped with a matching jacket. 

The British beauty also posed it up with other models who walked in the show on stage in front of framed paintings.

Joan Smalls stole the show as she hit the catwalk in a black romper with lace detailing down the sides paired with platform sandals. 

Killed it! 

While hot mom Teyana Taylor didn’t rip the runway, she modeled a look that looked like it came straight off the catwalk. The singer kept it stylish in a floral number that gave off spring vibes.

 

A photo posted by TeyanaTaylorpedia fanpage (@teyanatdaily) on Feb 9, 2017 at 8:45pm PST

 

A photo posted by TeyanaTaylorpedia fanpage (@teyanatdaily) on Feb 9, 2017 at 8:42pm PST

As she continued to make her rounds...

The “FADE” star changed into a head-to-toe pink Duckie Confetti ensemble while celebrating Vogue Magazine's 125th birthday in NYC.

 

A video posted by Vogue (@voguemagazine) on Feb 9, 2017 at 3:10pm PST

Back at the La Perla show, YBF models Naomia Campbell and Joan Smalls were spotted leaving the venue after heating up the runway:

Model Jourdan Dunn, who also walked in the show, was also seen leaving the studio after the show.

Photos: FameFlynet/Getty/StarTraks/Mehdi Lacoste/Teyana’s IG

Drake and J.Lo have cooled off, and Aretha Franklin is throwing deuces and retiring. Deets inside...

Multiple sources say J.Lo and Drake have split up...for now.  Jennifer had already introduced her twins to Drake after dating for bout a month.

Us Weekly says:

 Their relationship “died down a bit,” one insider told Us. Another source added that the couple are done “for now.” According to both sources, it’s likely that the the “Hotline Bling” rapper, 30, will pursue the 47-year-old Shades of Blue actress again when he returns to L.A. next month after his European tour.

It's also being said their schedules are just "getting insane."

Mmhmm.

Jenny also posted a cryptic message on IG about timing...and if something is meant to be, it'll happen.

This may be for the best, sometimes a chick needs to be alone for a while.  *clears throat* Mariah.

We wonder if Drake being spotted with an alleged porn star wining and dining had anything to do with it.  Or if it was all temporary to begin with as they both have projects to promote.  Y'all know how folks do....

But the singer/actress is just fine, especially since she just re-launched her Vegas residency: 

 

Lil' bit of tonights show...

A video posted by Jennifer Lopez (@jlo) on Feb 9, 2017 at 3:31am PST

 

A video posted by Jennifer Lopez (@jlo) on Feb 9, 2017 at 3:55pm PST

Meanwhile, Drake is also on his own tour and flossing his Obama memorabilia:

 

Got off stage and saw this in my email  Hope you are somewhere at peace with the family. We miss ya g

A photo posted by champagnepapi (@champagnepapi) on Feb 9, 2017 at 4:14pm PST

Interesting timing.  We guess if they actually come out with a video treatment togetehr, we'll be seeing them conveniently heat up all over again.

In other "I'm done" news:

The Queen of Soul announced her retirement from music.  Well, mostly.  She's got personal ish he wants to do, so that will now be her focus.

She recently called into Detroit news station Local 4 to talk all about it:

"This will be my last year," Franklin said. "I will be recording, but this will be my last year in concert. This is it."

The 56-year-old revealed her grandchildren are headed off to college and she wants to spend more time with them.  But she's not going ALL the way away.  She still wants to record new music with Stevie Wonder before she totally closes up shop.

"I feel very, very enriched and satisfied with respect to where my career came from, and where it is now," Franklin said. "I'll be pretty much satisfied, but I'm not going to go anywhere and just sit down and do nothing. That wouldn't be good either."

Sounds like she will still be dibbling and dabbling in other things even after that Stevie project.

Good luck 'Retha!

Photos: Getty

After Trump tried his damndest to drag Nordstrom this week for dropping his daughter Ivanka Trump's collection, his plan to discredit them backfired.  Deets on how protestors with wallets are winning inside...

My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person -- always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 8, 2017

So, that tweet above set off a firestorm of ish this week.  It was 45's response when Nordstrom made it known they were dropping Ivanka's clothing and shoes.  The official statement from the retailer was that it was al due to underperformance, but the rest of America know the real deal.

Since election day, folks have been protesting Trump and his family -- who have arguably an ish load of conflicts of interests with their personal businesses being promoted by and tied to the White House -- and everything they stand for.  This includes their personal businesses.

The #GrabYourWallet campaign started when celebs and influencers made boycotting Trump businesses into trending topics.  We highly doubt it's simply a coincidence that Ivanka's collection started to tank at Nordstorm (and now other stores from what we hear).

Despite Nordstrom tweeting out that they aren't getting political, America sees it differently.  So differently that celebs and influencers then started to tell folks to go spend some coin at Nordstrom, to show Trump can't bully folks into bankruptcy.

In the two days following Trump’s Twitter outburst, Nordstrom’s stock rose by nearly 7%.

Bloop.

Chelsea Handler, one of the ringleaders, is ecstatic:

Nordstrom stock had a record day after getting rid of Trump merchandise, the government should follow suit. Also, unfollow trump on twitter.

— Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) February 10, 2017

Other celebs like Aisha Tyler and Ru Paul (and ton of others)joined in on the reverse boycott this week and encouraged others to do so as well::

Been shopping at @Nordstromhttps://t.co/ZARY7vzS9Npic.twitter.com/HnJh9gD7JD

— RuPaul (@RuPaul) February 10, 2017

Just dropped a giant pile of money with @Nordstrom. Happy to spend my money with you. Off to @starbucks now! #grabyourwallet

— Aisha Tyler (@aishatyler) February 9, 2017

And then there's this: The private heirs of Nordstrom also made a ridiculous windfall.  And it makes us go "hmmm..."   Forbes reports:

Their eponymous clothing chain is in the midst of a difficult stretch; shares have fallen by more than a quarter since early December, and the stock has roughly halved since hitting a record high in March 2015. At that time, Gittinger and Nordstrom were each worth over $1.8 billion. Their net worths have since fallen to $1.2 billion and $1.15 billion, respectively, according to FORBES’ real-time rankings of the planet’s wealthiest people.

So either way, they'll be fine. And while they SURELY don't NEED a sudden influx of coinage to survive, the act of a company like Nordstrom standing up and keeping to their word followed Americans supporting them is a great precedent. It does have a trickle down effect for those smaller companies who WILL need an influx of coinage to survive if Trump attacks them.

George Takei said it best:

When Uber, Starbucks and Nordstrom take a stand, it gives courage to others to also walk away, to reject "do business with Trump or else."

— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) February 10, 2017

Touché.

Photo: Getty

ESSENCE kicks off GRAMMY weekend celebrating black women in music and the YBF star took over the red carpet with their stunning looks. Get into the flawlessness inside…

When you’re being honored for your contributions to the music game, THIS is how you make an entrance.

Erykah Badu had everyone on notice when she popped up on the carpet at the 8th Annual Essence Black Women In Music Event held at NeueHouse Hollywood in L.A. last night.

The honoree pushed through in a black Ashi Studio Fall/Winter couture gown topped with her signature top hat to match.

On the eve of her 17th birthday, “black•ish” starlet Yara Shahidi dazzled in a blue Greta Constantine frock and fuchsia sandals accessorizing with SOON drop earrings. Happy Birthday Yara!

With Hidden Figures and Moonlight taking over the movie world, Janelle Monae has been everywhere lately. But last night was all about the music. The Wondaland honcho made sure she was in the mix, rocking her signature black-and-white, to celebrate black women in music.

We don’t see R&B singer Mya much, but when we do, she’s always keeping it stylishly HOT.

Raptress Remy Ma, who has been co-hosting on “The Real” all week, sparkled in an OTT robe dress and Gucci shoes.

Remy's bestie and singer Keyshia Cole, who's gearing up to drop a new album, looked comfortably cute in a black and gold jumpsuit.

Speaking of gold...

“Empire” starlet Serayah was laced in a metallic gold Faith Connexion romper and black thigh high Le Silla boots. By the way, the spring premiere of “Empire” debuts March 22nd on FOX.

Does Chloe x Halle EVER have an off day? These singing sisters are always on POINT! They rocked Uel Camilo Official ensembles.

Lil Mama bossed up in a navy trench coat Antidote LA dress with a high slit, showing off some leg action on the carpet, while teetering on YSL sandals.

Not our favorite look from LeToya Luckett, but she’s gorgeous as ever. She rocked a beaded Sherri Hill frock and sandals.

Here's another interesting look brought to you by Faith Evans.

"Empire" star Tasha Smith served up floral vibes for the music celebration. She just wrapped up filming for Star Jones’ upcoming series, “Daytime Divas.”

“RHOA” star Kandi Buruss played it safe in a pink and black Dolce & Gabbana lace mini dress. While she and her co-stars have been duking it out lately, she recently made peace with her daughter Riley's father. Catch the deets HERE.

DOPE actress Kiersey Clemons was BACK on her Diana Ross steez.  We're obsessed.

We’re saying YES to “Luke Cage” star Simone Missick’s floral frock.

It's a hair flip! And she did it herself! "The People vs. O.J. Simpson" star Keesha Sharp struck a pose on the carpet.

Model/reality star Eva Marcille was busy flipping her hair on the carpet as well while flossing in a Mistress Rocks faux fur coat.

Master P was his daughter Cymphonique Miller's date for soiree. She's a singer-songwriter looking to make a lane in the music biz for herself.

Well here's a surprise. Macy Gray was all smiles on the carpet. We don't get much music from Macy, but she stays booked for an acting role.

“The Real” co-host Loni Love, who has a new activewear line out, worked a black jumpsuit for the night.

Songbird Keke Wyatt flossed her teal faux locs with a smile.

Singer Estelle Darlings rocked a futuristic look.

New mom and singer Melanie Fiona left her son Cameron at home for a night out on the town.

"Love & Hip Hop" creator Mona Scott-Young strutted her stuff on the carpet.

Hey guys! New Edition Story stars Keith Powers, Luke James, Woody McClain and Elijah Kelley were in the mix.

R&B singer Mario (who's set to drop a new album soon) and Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am came out to show their support.

"The Game" alum Pooch Hall brought his wife/realtor Linda Hall along as his date to celebrate.

See 'em in action!  Take a peek at our red carpet footage of Erykah Badu and all of the celebs who worked the carpet below:

We've got lots more flicks from inside the ESSENCE Black Women In Music event in the gallery below!

Photos: Slate PR/ Aaron J. via RedCarpetImages.net

Queen Latifah is opening up about something pretty interesting -- her toughest role she's played.  Find out why she says playing a gay character was one of her toughest career decisions inside...

Queen Latifah on one of her toughest career decisions: “When I got the role of amateur bank robber Cleo Sims in Set It Off, I sat down with my younger siblings and told them, ‘Listen, I’m playing a gay character. Your classmates might tease you or say negative things about it. But I’m doing it because I believe I can bring positive attention to the gay African-American community, and I believe that I can do a great job as an actor.’”

 

Queen Latifah on the key to living a magical life: “I used to get caught up in comparing myself, especially in terms of body type, but I realized that often the people I envied were missing important things that I had in abundance…It’s great to have plans and a vision for your life, but it’s more important to be open to the unexpected.

 

Queen Latifah on today’s pop-culture royalty: “I’ve been a fan of Solange Knowles from the beginning. The biggest artist in the world is her older sister, yet she never relied on that.”

 

One time for the shared Solange love!

Queen also talks to Tracee about reinvention and coming home to yourself in the full interview.  Plus, check out the video below to find out what Latifah would do if she were a traditional Queen for a day.  Chick said she's designing a sex palace! Oh, and there would be a National Mac & Cheese Day where no one would gain a pound.

Somebody crown her already.

The pre-GRAMMY festivities are poppin’ up all over L.A. and the celebs are soaking up every minute of it. Go inside for flicks of Gabby Douglas and more taking flight, plus watch how Lauryn Hill keeps her cool while a drunk fan gets the boot....

Delta Airlines, the official airline of the Grammys, kicked off the fun-filled weekend with a star-studded bash at the luxe Beauty & Essex to celebrate the 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards. Everyone is in L.A. living it up before the biggest night in music takes place.

Olympic gold gymnast Gabby Douglas is one celebrity who’s having a ball in Hollywood before the Grammys. The YBF superstar had some fun on the carpet posing in her powder pink frock topped with a sheer cape.

By the way, she revealed she's releasing a makeup collection soon.  Nice!
 

With so many events going on, celebrities will hit up one spot then trek it to another. “Empire” star Serayah, R&B singer Mya and “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kandi Burruss made their way to this event before hitting up ESSENCE’s Black Women In Music event:

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"American Crime" hottie Trevor Jackson was also in the mix.

If you haven't heard, Trevor is also a singer. Be on the look out for him nabbing up Grammy nominations in the future.

At a concert last night...

Lauryn Hill hit the stage at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN last night. Apparently, a guy in the audience was super wasted and caused some commotion in the crowd. But, L. Boogie just kept on singing, instructing security to “be easy” with him during her set.

Spies on the scene tell TMZ a man was harassing a woman and security came to kick him out. He was eventually arrested for public intoxication, resisting arrest, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct. It’s unclear if his charges stemmed from the incident inside.

Watch L. Boogie handle it like a pro above.

Glad she wasn't extremely late for the show like she's notoriously known for.  At least we haven't heard that she was...

Photos: Getty

TGIT fans rejoice! ABC just renewed “Scandal,” “How To Get Away With Murder” and “Grey’s Anatomy” for new seasons. In movie news, Taraji P. Henson is set to join forces with a dope director for her new film Proud Mary. Deets inside…

Shonda Rhimes and her highly popular TGIT line up isn’t going anywhere soon. There’s still much to do and more crazy rollercoasters for her characters to take us on. 

ABC just picked up new seasons of “Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal” and “How To Get Away With Murder.”  Yep, the entire TGIT line up is coming with new heat.  Can we get a handclap for Shondaland?!

Shonda herself responded on Twitter with all the praises to the fans:

“Grey’s” will go into its 14th season, “Scandal” for its 7th season and “HTGAWM” with its fourth. Woot!

Go ahead and stock up on your popcorn and wine. There's more sexcapades, murders and whodunnits to come!

In movie news...

We told you Taraji P. Henson landed a kick a** role in Proud Mary, following her SAG Award winning feature in Hidden Figures. Now, she’s about to be directed by a man who is just as kick a** as she is.

Baback Najafi, who helmed last year’s London Has Fallen to a $205.7M worldwide box office total, is reportedly in negoiations to helm the Screen Gems project.

The Golden Globe winner will play a ruthless hit woman whose life is completely changed after she meets a young boy who awakens a maternal instinct she never knew she had.

John Stewart Newman and Christian Swegal penned the script, and Paul Schiff and Tai Duncan are producing the film. Taraji and co. will start shooting in April in Boston, Massachusetts.

We're here for it.

Photos: ABC/Getty

Erykah Badu was honored at ESSENCE’s Black Women In Music event and Solange gave her the sweetest salute. More inside…

It’s always nice to give folks their flowers while they’re still alive! And that’s exactly what went down at the 8th Annual Essence Black Women In Music Event held at NeueHouse Hollywood last night.

She sings the soundtracks to our lives in every magical black girl way there is....including handing out lessons on how to keep these men out here WHIPPED.

And now, Erykah Badu’s getting showered with all the love.  The soulful songstress was honored on the 20th anniversary of her debut album Baduizm at the last night's event. Solange was tapped to present her an award, and it was perfect.

Solo hit the stage to introduce the iconic singer saying:

“She is mother, she is sister, she is friend, she is auntie, she is chief, she is warrior of many tribes,” Solo said. “Empress of the mystic women, ruler of the free. ... And she has been that for 20 years. She is a beautiful reminder that you cannot put us in the box."

Then she quoted Badu:"Look, I choose peace but say, ‘Don’t walk up on me wrong, because this tea and incense can turn into a Colt 45 and Newports if need be.”

Ha!

#BlackGirlMagic indeed.

Peep clips from Solo's speech and Erykah rocking the stage below:

 

A video posted by Ray (@notabasicbit) on Feb 9, 2017 at 10:28pm PST

Also, check out a clip of celebs -- from Yara Shahidi to Janelle Monae to Keyshia Cole and more -- stanning out over Erykah on the carpet:

Be sure to click through our gallery of flicks from last night's epic event below!

Photos: Getty

Well, that de-esclataed quickly.  Amber Rose just suffered another breakup, and we've got the details inside...

Amber Rose is officially single again, this according to E! News.  The model & MILF has reportedly split from her pro-dancer boyfriend Val Chmerkovskiy after dating less than 5 months.

The twosome met while on "DWTS" this past season, and their love seemed to have taken off immediately.

Amber was in pretty tight with the fam as Val's brother Maks was her dance partner, and the couple attended his and fellow dancer Petra's baby shower together recently.

They were first spotted out together hand in hand at a Halloween party in October, then they took their love to the Gram after Amber gushed about "being in love" just last month on her "Loveline" radio show:

They haven't shared anything about each other in the past 3 weeks, and E! News says they've for sure split.

Amber hit the red carpet for the Lego Batman movie this past weekend with her baby boy Sebastian, but remained mum about her relationship status.

Val posted this cryptic message though:

 

A photo posted by Valentin (@iamvalc) on Feb 10, 2017 at 10:32am PST

When his fans asked him if this had to do with his breakup, he responded:

"...this is more pertaining to the material world compared to the intrinsic composition of your mind, body, soul... I think sharing, service, and being mindful of the outside world is key in this as well, but it's the need to reach outside of yourself by consuming, etc... to feel whole or fulfilled is what sometimes misleads people."

Oh. 

Photos: Instagram/Getty

Kerry Washington had late night television on fire with her leathered down look. Get into her post-baby fab and find out what she said about gaining weight, her popcorn obsession and more inside…

Yes, she had a baby four months ago, but you can hardly tell it.

Kerry Washington, who gave birth to baby Caleb in October, is looking H.O.T. as EVER! It's only been four months since she and her husband Nnamdi Asomugha welcomed their second child and she’s already red carpet ready.

The mother-of-two turned up the heat in a black leather dress midi dress that she set off with a fire red lippie for her appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” last night.

The “Scandal” starlet recently celebrated her 40th birthday and her co-stars surprised her with a HUGE birthday to celebrate. She posted a picture of it on Instagram too. She said everyone ate ALL of the cake. Every last piece. Then, she broke down that the cast doesn’t really watch their figures because of how successful the wardrobe department was able to hide two of her pregnancies.

“We can gain as much weight as we want. Just hold a Prada bag.” Ha!

Check it:

The 40-year-old actress is totally obsessed with popcorn and has NO problem eating so much of it on the set of “Scandal.” She said she thought Shonda Rhimes was psychic because she eats popcorn on her couch when she’s alone just like Olivia Pope. And she never told Shonda that until after she read the script.

“I love popcorn so much! We can have an 8-hour scene and if I have to eat popcorn the whole time, I’m thrilled.”

She also gushed about why she loves R&B singer Alicia Keys and how her dog Josie took over one of her headshot shoots. Peep the clips below:

That Josie is a trip.

Backstage...

The Golden Globe nominee gave her glam squad -- hairstylist Ursula Stephen, stylist Jospeh Cassell Falconer and make up artist Carola Gonzalez -- some social media shine.

And after the show...

She snapped this selfie with a few of her fans.

CHick even looked cute making her way inside the studio before the show:

BONUS:

Alicia Keys performed her new track "Illusion of Bliss" from her new album HERE. Check out her performance above.

Photos: Instar Images/Kerry's IG/Kimmel's IG/ABC

The Charles Oakley vs. The Knicks situation just got worse.  Get the latest inside, plus Troy Ave's latest bullet proof vest foolery....

Charles Oakley now is banned from Madison Square Garden all together.  For life.  Yup, the Knicks owner Jim Dolan basically ran some executive powers of his to shut him out of the entire arena, even if he buys a ticket.

The Knicks just released several recounts of what THEY say happened on Wednesday night during the intense altercation between Oakley and Dolan that led to Oakley's arrest.  It's all pretty much in complete conflict with Oakley's recap of events where he said he didn't provoke anyone.

Yahoo reports:

At one point in the scuffle, Oakley is alleged to have yelled: “All of you suck Dolan’s d–k!” […]

 

In addition, employees in the VIP areas of the Garden say Oakley tried to access an off-limits area of the arena in apparent effort to see Dolan, and a seat order taker also noticed Oakley muttering about Dolan.

 

A VIP escort described Oakley and his group as being “antsy … and strange.” A concierge labeled him “very vocal … and extremely pushy.” […]

“You got all those f—ing security people over them looking at me. I don’t know what the f— they’re looking at, but they’re getting on my f—ing nerves,” Oakley allegedly said.

Dolan not only fired the head of security, but he doubled down on ousting Oakley from the arena for the rest of his life.

Late last night, after getting dragged on Twitter for their first statement saying Oakley "needed to get help," the Knicks organization issued a new satement calling him a liar.  They said:

"There are dozens of security staff, employees and NYPD that witnessed Oakley's abusive behavior." "It started when he entered the building and continued until he was arrested and left the building. Every single statement we have received is consistent in describing his actions." "Everything [Oakley] said since the incident is pure fiction."

Charles' wife Angela is defending her man.  She said earlier today that despite him admitting to drinking before the game, the altercation had nothing to do with that:

"He doesn't have a drinking problem. It would've come out a long time ago if he did."

"He does not need medical help and he does not need a psychiatric evaluation. He was just showing the same passion he did when he was a player."

"He's in awe of the love he's received."

"He's happy people saw that he's been trying to keep a relationship with the team, but they're forcing him away."

This is all a mess.

In other messy news, rapper Troy Ave appeared in court today like this:

Troy Ave appears in court wearing bulletproof vest, Trump-inspired baseball cap promoting crack cocaine https://t.co/LLNmA8bzWMpic.twitter.com/PMIFlrjty3

— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) February 10, 2017

He was shot while in his car on Christmas Eve, so dude is taking no chances. 

Troy and his floor length fur coat were in Manhattan Criminal Court today for a pre-trial appearance for his arrest on attempted murder charges for his involvement in that Irving Plaza shooting (where he himself was shot and charged for firing a weapon that killed someone else).  He's been out on a $500K bail.  He went to court to get a travel ban listed so he could go on tour, and apparently it worked.

EXTRAS:

1.  The founder of Little Ceaser's Pizza, and owner of the Detroit Tigers, has died.  STORY

Nick Cannon is gearing up to welcome baby #3. Meanwhile, DJ Khaled’s son Asahd Khaled just got a major key in life. Get it all inside…

Baby #3 is on the way!

Nick Cannon joined his son’s mother Brittney Bell for an intimate baby shower yesterday. The “America’s Got Talent” star was all smiles as he rubbed Brittney’s growing baby in front of the lavish decorations to celebrate their new baby boy.

Although they aren’t a couple, Brittany gushed about her love for Nick and their new baby saying,“I love the both of them beyond words. So many reasons to be joyful!! But last night was one of my favorite. Our little light was showered with love.. and lots of dancing.”

Nick told us he has no plans to get married again, or even get into another relationship again, but these two seem committed to successfully co-parenting their new baby. Baby Cannon will join big brother Moroccan and big sister Monroe, whom he shares with ex-wife Mariah Carey.

Speaking of YBF dads...

DJ Khaled’s ridiculously cute son Asahd Khaled is only 3-months old and he’s already set to make BANK for the rest of his life. Yep, he's been alive for 3 months and is already richer than most.

His pops named him an executive producer of his forthcoming album Grateful. That means baby Asahd will receive royalties for the rest of his life. Smart move.

During a press conference at the Beverly Hills Hotel to celebrate his Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album, Khaled held his son and announced:

“By the way, my son is the executive producer of my new album. I’m for real about that. He’s signing off with everything with [Epic Records CEO] LA Reid.”

Then, he announced the title of his new album. He said, “The title of my new album coming out this year, my best work ever, on my momma, on my son, the title is: Grateful.”

Peep a clip from Khaled’s announcement below:

Following the success of Major Key, if this album finds the momentum his last album did (which hit the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200), then Asahd is sure to be rolling in the dough.

In legal news...

Khaled is being SUED by a producer named Chris Hill over the beat to "I Got The Keys."

The producer tells TMZ he met Khaled in an Atlanta nightclub in October 2008 and handed him a CD titled “Chris Hill Beats (Gangsta Boogie Vol 2)" with the beat on it.

He said he never heard back from Khaled. Then, “I Got The Keys,” featuring Jay Z and Future dropped and he knew instantly it was his beat.

Now he’s suing for his cut of the platinum track. He’s suing Khlad, the three producers and Sony Music Entertainment for what he believes to be his share of profits.

Hope this guy isn't playing himself.

Photo: Khaled's IG

With the GRAMMYS right around the corner, everyone is making rounds in L.A. Check out candids of Chrissy Teigen, John Legend and baby Luna making a retail run, plus flicks of Chris Brown hanging out with Scott Disick, Wale grabbing dinner and more….

The Legends takeover!

John Legend and his wife Chrissy Teigen took baby Luna out for some laid back family fun. The trio hit the retail scene hitting up The Row in West Hollywood before the crazy Grammy weekend. The 10-month-old stole the attention from her famous parents in a striped pink and white romper.  We want her!

Shopping clearly builds up an appetite, so the family stopped for lunch at Au Fudge before doing some shopping at Oscar De La Renta.

Those cheeks!  We can't even....

Luna is the absolute cutest!

Since giving birth, Chrissy is getting back to her first love: modeling. She returns to Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue this year to floss her post-baby bod.

Peep the steamy behind-the-scenes video below:

OK Chrissy!

Back on the L.A. scene...

Chris Brown’s bromance with reality star/Kourtney Kardashian's babies' daddy Scott Disick is still in tact. The duo was spotted catching up at celeb hotspot CATCH restaurant. The guys partied together there before making their way to 1OAK.

Let's keep our fingers crossed these two stay out of trouble.

For your chocolate fix...

Hottie Thomas Q. Jones was also spotted leaving CATCH. Lawd he's fine.

Smile Wale!

The DC rapper is in L.A. for the Grammys and was spotted leaving the Nice Guy.

TMZ photogs caught up with the MMG rapper and they asked him how he felt about Donald Trump’s presidency.“I don’t think they’re really interested in unity. I don’t think they really care,” he shared.

He said he feels Trump and his administration will cause people to unite anyway.

“I think right now is the time when we need each other. I think if there’s any silver lining in this sh*t, it’s that people of all walks of life are coming together. And that sh*t makes me feel proud of humanity. We got a wild person in charge right now. But what I see happening is less hate amongst different creeds and walks of life. The Muslims, the Jews, the gays, the transgender…There’s a bigger enemy.”

Facts.

Elsewhere...

TV personality Rocsi Diaz is busy working different events in L.A. for GRAMMY weekend. But she found some down time to throw on her spandex and grab dinner at Craig’s.

Photos: Splash/WENN/FameFlynet

Mariah Carey offers up advice on how to get over a bad breakup after her high-profile uncoupling from ex-James Packer. Catch those gems, plus what Danielle Brooks says about how TV should revolutionize female roles inside…

Mariah Carey suffered a high-profile breakup when she and her former Australian billionaire fiancé James Packer decided to call it quits. They broke up while making wedding plans after the two got together in June 2015. Things got messy when the 46-year-old singer demanded $50 million dollars from James after he decided he no longer wanted to be in a relationship with her.

Now, the Elusive Chanteuse singer is serving up advice on how to get over a bad breakup.

In an interview with Refinery29, the “I Don’t singer” said you must let go of any anger you have harboring over the relationship to truly get over it.

“I think before you can really move on you just have to really be able to let go of the anger, and then you focus on yourself and do you, and then look to someone else for whatever you’re looking for. But you just have to focus on you and just know that you didn’t do anything wrong.”

Then she joked, “And if you did do something wrong, blame it on the other person! [Laughs]"

At least she can laugh about it now.

Like we said, when singers go through a bad breakup, most times they drop some fire new music. And MiMi seems to have followed that blueprint. She dropped “I Don’t” featuring YG where she sings about the anger she felt following her recent uncoupling.

“I have so many songs that can take you through every stage of those emotions! But I think that a song like "I Don’t" brings out a little bit of the angry side, you know? It’s not just like, ‘Oh woe is me, I’m sad, we broke up, somebody please I can’t handle it anymore, give me the alcohol so I can lay down on this sofa and die!’ It’s not that.”

Since calling it quits with James, Mariah has been “rebounding” with her backup dancer Bryan Tanaka. We’re not sure how “serious” that relationship it, but she appears to be having fun. And it’s definitely a distraction from James.

In TV news...

“Orange Is The New Black” Danielle Brooks wants TV to change up the female lead game. On a Netflix panel with several Netflix stars, the 27-year-old star said she hopes TV shows will start to “expand the definition of what it is to be female” especially since the “definition of female and male is starting to shift.”

"I know that we're talking about cisgendered women right now, but I feel like there's an array of people that are gender fluid," she said. I hope in the months to come that we really expand what it is to be female and what that means. Because there are people out there that identify in different ways, so if we hit on that as well, that would be really cool storytelling, and people would see themselves in a lot more characters."

Danielle said representation is extremely important and uses “OITNB” as an example of changing the game.

"There’s not one formula of what beauty is," she says about the series. "People are seeing themselves on TV finally. Because of that, they are changing not just how they feel about beauty, but how they feel about people who are incarcerated. They're [changing their minds] about the system and how broken it is, changing their minds on religion, or what it means to be transgender…. This show has really hit it when it comes to dealing with female [characters] in television."

She said growing up she looked to actresses like Countess Vaughn and Natalie Desselle because they looked like her.

“I was drawn to anybody that looked like me and that meant fat and curvy...it wasn't many because at the time everyone that was plus-size was of a different age group. 'They looked like me and they could sing, they were chocolate and they had curly hair and for me I was like ‘I want to find a way to do what they're doing,’” she said.

We agree. Peep the panel discussion above.

Photo: Getty

Cardi B is winning y’all! She was tapped to perform live for VFILES during New York Fashion Week and it streamed in Times Squares. More inside…

Cardi B is building her own empire and she took her talents to Times Square. Major!

The “Love & Hip Hop: New York” star was tapped to perform for VFILES before the runway show and her performance steamed live in Times Square.

The reality star/rapper performed tracks from her newly released mixtape Gangsta B*tch Music Vol 2 and she didn’t hold back with the raunchiness.

Check it below:

 

A video posted by VFILES (@vfiles) on Feb 10, 2017 at 12:14pm PST

After her performance...

The rap star changed out of her performance attire and slipped into a comfortable oversized VETEMENTS x Champion sweatsuit to check out VFILES runway show.

Continuing her NYFW rounds...

Braving the blistering cold, the "Gangsta B*tch" rapper showed off some skin last night in a checkered crop top and skirt topped with a white fur as she made her way to the V magazine party at the company's SoHo headquarters yesterday.

By the way, Cardi is Gypsy Sport's newest muse.  She's getting that "shmoney!"

Click through our NYFW 2017 gallery of YBF celebs taking over the fashion event below! 

Photos: Getty/WENN/Cardi's IG

Netflix recently released the first trailer for the “Dear White People” series and white folks are mad. See the backlash inside…

The Dear White People movie has been turned into a Netflix original series set to debut April 28th. But, the video streaming platform is catching heat from white people who are pissed over the new series.

Netflix released the first trailer of the new show on its YouTube page and the comments section is lit up with comments from angry customers. Many of them are threatening to cancel their subscription because of the show. Not only that, the trailer received over 250,000 dislikes 24 hours after it was released.

As of the time of this post, the trailer has over 3 million views.

Here’s why they’re mad:

The YouTube comments section is littered with people threatening to cancel the their subscriptions:

Where was this "outrage" when the movie dropped back in 2014?

“Dear White People” creator/head writer/director Justin Simien responded to the backlash via Twitter with some truth serum.

He said in a series of tweets,

“We live in a world of cognitive dissonance. Post-facts is possible because we are terrified we'll die if we are wrong, even when we know it. I think what pisses people off is seeing a woman of color refer to white people en masse. Something she'd not dare be allowed in decades past. Equality feels like oppression to the privileged and thus three benign words send them into a fight for their very existence. Which happens to it actually not be in any real danger. This is how a minute long date announcement becomes a distorted call for white genocide in the minds of some people. Despite all signs to the contrary.”

He continued,

“Dear White People was a widely reviewed film three years ago. A cursory google search would confirm it has no racist intent. But that google search is not embarked upon because they NEED it to be hate speech. They NEED to fight an enemy, lest they sit alone in their own pain. Feelings of being past over by an evolving society."

“I’m not the first artist to use a misnomer as a title and I reject any notion of ‘causing a divide’ simply by stating that one exists. Which is my role as artist. To state what is. But if facts and common sense can not wake us up from our delusions and distorted ways of seeing, what can?” he asked. “Stories. Stories teach us empathy. They reveal to us ourselves in the skins of others. Our entire concept of reality is stories. So tell your story. Come out of the closet. Write your thesis. Make your film. But do it honestly. Tell the inconvenient truth. It is the only thing that has ever saved us. So while it was fun engaging the trolls but it’s like shooting fish in a barrel. The harder thing is to listen and present what is.”

So yeah, the show is still going to premiere, and they'll deal.

Photos: Netflix