News

*Former ESPN “SportsCenter” anchor Jemele Hill will launch a podcast exclusively on Spotify, titled “Unbothered.”

“I have a lot of things to say, and there’s not a lot of platforms that give you the freedom to not just be thoughtful but to come with a realness that not everyone is prepared to accept,” said Hill in remarks at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The Emmy Award-winning journalist spent 12 years at ESPN before she announced her departure in September. She pissed off many on the right when she tweeted that “Donald Trump is a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists.” Two days later, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders called the remarks “a fireable offense” and “one of the more outrageous comments that anyone could make.”

KEYSHIA COLE’S DIVORCE FROM DANIEL ‘BOOBY’ GIBSON IN DANGER OF BEING DISMISSED

Spotify’s Studios head Courtney Courtney Holt isn’t worried about any potential controversy.

“At the end of the day, we want to enable creators to have a platform to speak their minds,” he said. “It’s about enabling creators like Jemele to do what they do best. It’s not an effort to go after controversial topics. It’s making sure it’s an authentic voice that wants to be heard.”

Hill plans to tackle sports and entertainment news with her podcast.

“Spotify and I are very like-minded,” Hill said in a statement. “We both believe in being bold and authentic. I am thrilled to get the opportunity to stretch myself in a much different way, with a support system that I believe will bring out the best in me. I look forward to sharing my perspective and experience with Spotify’s many listeners across the world.”

And and she promises to be even more provocative than she is on social media.

“Probably more so, because I get to curse,” said Hill, who joined The Atlantic in October as a senior staff writer covering race, politics and culture.  “It’ll be an opportunity for me to be more unfiltered and more thoughtful about some things, and cover a wide variety of topics.”

Hill’s podcast will air twice a week, starting in March.

“Jemele is an important voice in sports, race, culture and politics, and their intersection in media,” said Holt. “She will bring her unique point of view to our platform with Unbothered, which is sure to be a favorite of listeners with diverse interests and viewpoints.”

Source Link: https://www.eurweb.com/2019/01/jemele-hill-is-very-excited-to-launch-podcast-partnership-with-spotify/

*As the new year rolls onward, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who is now the first Black and the first woman to chair the House Financial Services Committee, is not holding back on her criticism of Donald Trump.

On Sunday, Waters took to Twitter to warn 45 that “even your most vocal defenders will turn on you w/ your shutdown when there’s no food on the table, the rent is not paid, the car is repossessed, & the childrenTru need shoes.”

“No American who works for our govt should be treated this way while you are living off the govt,” she added.

Trump and Congress, meanwhile, continue to make history for all the wrong reasons as we enter the 24th day of the partial government shutdown.

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“Trump, you didn’t get $5 billion to carry out your ill advised election promise & now you want to declare an emergency. The only emergency facing our country is the need to impeach you before you destroy our country, our ideals, & leadership in the world. Trump, go home. Bye bye!”

According to The Washington Post “Trump’s advisers are scrambling to build an exit ramp while also bracing for the shutdown to last weeks longer. Current and former aides said there is little strategy in the White House; people are frustrated and, in the words of one, ‘freaking. out.'”

Auntie Maxine also read Trump for filth over his alleged ties to Russia, writing: “Please. No one should wonder why Manafort gave polling data to Russians. The only reason Russians wanted this info was to use it against H. Clinton in support of Trump. Why do you think Manafort w/ all his ties to Russia & Ukraine was in the campaign to begin with? Stay woke!”

FBI officials questioned whether Trump was “acting at the behest of” Russia after he fired former FBI director James Comey in 2017, The Hill reports.

“No surprise the FBI questioned Trump’s allegiance to US! He meets w/ Putin 5 times in secret w/ no readout; gave Russians classified info in WH; disregarded US intel on Russia; praised Putin’s election; lies abt his deals in Russia. Is there any question Trump is a Russian agent?,” Waters wrote.

The congresswoman has also asked regulators to consider the consumers who may experience financial hardship in meeting credit obligations as a result of the #Trumpshutdown.

Source Link: https://www.eurweb.com/2019/01/maxine-waters-warns-trump-even-your-most-vocal-defenders-will-turn-on-your-shutdown/

*A 51-year-old white male from Black Mountain, North Carolina, has gone viral in a disturbing video showing him assaulting a 12-year-old Black girl at the Asheville Mall.

David Steven Bell was arrested Saturday after punching the child in the face, sending her to the ground outside the mall. Bell was taken into custody by the Asheville Police Department and charged with assault on a female under the age of 12 and two counts of assault on a female, according to records and the Asheville Citizen-Times. The girl, who has not been identified, declined medical treatment and was not taken to the hospital. Bell, meanwhile, has been released from custody.

Video of the incident was posted on Instagram and Facebook on Saturday and quickly went viral on Sunday. In the video, Bell can be heard yelling to the girls to “break it up.” As other girls yell at him, one can be heard asking, “who is he?” What caused the argument remains unclear but at one point, one girl pushes Bell in the back.

The Asheville Mall said in a statement that the incident remains under investigation.

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Journalist and activist Shaun King captioned the above clip of the incident on Instagram: “David Steven Bell, listed as 6 foot 5 inches tall, and 250 pounds, first shoved, then knocked out an 11 year old girl with a closed fist punch right to her face. Mall cops hardly took the thing seriously and local police charged the man with a damn misdemeanor. He’s already out. A misdemeanor. I’m furious.”

User lanreakinola replied: “@shaunking I am totally disgusted and this white man should never have punched the 11yr old girl with that force. On that note, why are our black children going out in public acting like they have no home training, disrespectful and unruly? What would have made her be in his face and physically charged a man (black or white) that size? This behavior is unacceptable and it speaks volume on the lack of home training, and decency our children need to emulate in public. The force used was too much but black or white, the man has a right to defend himself too.”

Another IG commenter, user yourmindmatters, wrote: “Everyone out there should have tore his azz up. Straight up. I don’t care what they had to use but his head should have got cracked. It’s a misdemeanor because she’s black and he’s white; had it been the other way around the black man would have gotten shot on site and that’s a fact. This world is just jacked up……”

According to heavy.com, after his arrest, Bell deleted a Facebook page for his piano teaching business.

Source Link: https://www.eurweb.com/2019/01/white-north-carolina-male-faces-assault-charges-after-punching-young-black-girl-outside-mall-video/

*A photograph of an egg has topped Kylie Jenner as the most-liked post ever on Instagram.

The account, “@world_record_egg,” was on a mission to beat #KylieJenner, who was holding the “most-liked”
title until this weekend.

Kylie’s photo from last year of her thumb wrapped around her newborn baby daughter’s fingers nearly broke the social media site, with 18.2 million likes.

The egg picture currently has almost 25 million likes. “Let’s set a world record together and get the most like post on Instagram,” the post read. “Beating current world record held by Kylie Jenner (18 million). We got this!

The record-breaking picture was posted on January 4. The account itself has 2.5 million followers.

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In response to becoming the new record holder, the owners of the egg account responded to the victory on Instagram stories:

“This is a madness. What a time to be alive. Thank you so much for all of your support and messages, I’m gonna try and get back to as many of you as possible. But for now I need to sleep. It doesn’t end here though, we’re only just getting started. #EggGang. Mic drop.”

The Shade Room joked that “#KrisJenner’s somewhere working hard to fix this”

Jenner took the loss all in fun, responding with a post on Instagram, in which she cracked an egg onto a hot road. “Take that little egg,” she captioned the clip, which quickly racked up over 2 million views.

Source Link: https://www.eurweb.com/2019/01/an-egg-has-broken-kylie-jenners-instagram-record-of-most-liked-post-watch-her-response-video/

*French Montana has clarified his comments about R Kelly after initially appearing to support the R&B singer by saying he should be “allowed to enjoy his legacy”.

Since the broadcast of Lifetime’s “Surviving R. Kelly” documentary, criticism of Kelly has intensified as he continues to deny allegations of sexual assault and holding women hostage.

Speaking to TMZ, Montana said fans refuse to let controversial stars be great and “have their legendary moments.”

“They did Michael Jackson like that, they did R Kelly like that. All the greats went down like that. Let somebody enjoy their legacy. Whatever happened, happened, man.”

*Serena Williams took to Instagram over the weekend to share an adorable photo of her 8-week-old daughter Alexis Olympia, documenting her baby’s most recent bath on Instagram.

In the picture, Williams’ husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, is seen holding their child — who appears to be wrapped up in a green frog towel.

“We love bath time,” Williams captioned the photo. 

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By the way, back in October, Williams and Ohanian dressed up their newborn as Batman to celebrate her first Halloween, sharing a photo of the precious moment on the baby’s Instagram page “When you realize you’re the hero Gotham needs,” the proud parents captioned the snap. See pic below.

As noted by E! News, Williams described finding out that she was expecting her first child during a home pregnancy test, telling Vanity Fair, “[I thought] I’ll take it just because (a) to prove you wrong and (b) because it’s fun, whatever. It’s like a joke, why not? An hour and a half later, I went back to the bathroom and I totally forgot about it because it was impossible for me…So I went back to get dressed and I went back in the bathroom and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that test.'”

She explained her initial reaction upon seeing the test results by revealing “My heart dropped. Like it literally dropped.”

Last summer, Ohanian opened up about how he knew motherhood would come easily to Serena.

“She’s very good at a lot of things and well on her way to being an awesome mom too,” he told CNBC’s Squawk Box before noting that he will be going on paternity leave from the company.

“I’ll be taking off for six weeks myself and trying to do the best job possible as a new dad, a first-time dad.”

Source Link: https://www.eurweb.com/2019/01/serena-williams-loves-bath-time-with-daughter-alexis-olympia/

*The woman known for fixing folk’s lives apparently wants no parts of R. Kelly’s. Iyanla Vanzant says she gave a big NO to the troubled singer when he asked her to on her OWN show “Iyanla: Fix My Life.”

According to Vanzant, Kelly – who’s dealing with  allegations of predatory and sexually abusive behavior with women and underage girls – wasn’t ready for her help. Vanzant spoke to ABC News about dealing with him ahead of this past weekend’s season six premiere of her show.

The noted motivational speaker said R. Kelly reached out to her well before the Lifetime docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly.”

RCA SAYS ‘NO’ TO NEW R. KELLY MUSIC; FRENCH MONTANA DEFENDS SINGER’S ‘LEGACY’

“He didn’t meet one of the criteria that we had for guests,” she said. “Are they willing? Are they ready? Do they have the capacity to do the work? He didn’t have it, the emotional capacity. He just didn’t have it, and I knew, based on what I was looking at — the paces I would have had to take him though — it would have been brutal. He didn’t have the capacity because he hasn’t done the work.”

Vanzant, who said she’s experienced sexual violence herself, said that Kelly would need to own up to what he’s done for any healing to happen, but she said that prison isn’t the answer, either.

“I would never, ever condone or justify anything that he’s been accused of doing,” she said. “But locking him up in jail is not the answer … he’s sick … Just like the people he allegedly committed these acts with — they’re sick. This needs to be massive healing — them, him all of them.

“But I do know, without some long-term intervention, he doesn’t have the capacity. Just wouldn’t be able to hear it, receive it. Classic thing is that he’s not telling the truth about it.”

Watch what Vanzant has to say about R. Kelly in the player above.

Source Link: https://www.eurweb.com/2019/01/iyanla-vanzant-rejects-r-kelly-for-fix-my-life-but-doesnt-think-he-should-be-jailed/

*Nearly 1,200 people signed an online petition last week demanding the organizers of DreamVoice disinviteRachel Dolezal, the white woman who made headlines in 2016 for lying about her European heritage and served as Spokane President for the NAACP.

“We take tremendous issue with Dolezal being given both an audience and opportunity to further monetize her exploitation of Black women and the community at large,” read the statement on Change.org.

DreamVoice had invited Dolezal to the event to participate in a Q&A after a screening of “The Rachel Divide,” a documentary about the impact her #whitelies had on her family. However, according to an Express-News report, after President Shokare Nakpodia met with the petition’s author and Dolezal opponents, organizers ultimately decided to uninvite her.

They agreed that her “presence here is going to be a distraction from the over 150 partners and 170 plus events that we have lined up,” Nakpodia said.

*The movie ‘Night School’ starring Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish and directed by Malcolm D. Lee, grossed $103 million worldwide.  Do you know why?  It is because it was silly enough to be funny.  I can say that, now that I have seen the movie three times.  I get the appeal.  There are times when I watch a movie, I want to be entertained and I do not want to think too much. This movie was light enough for me to be entertained and I am pretty sure I am not alone, after all, like I said, it grossed $103 million.  Not only was it funny, but the messages of not giving up, having second chances and if at first you don’t succeed, came through loud and clear.

I can admit the first time I saw ‘Night School,’ although I chuckled at some parts, I did not laugh from my gut…and I love to laugh.  However, the more I watched it, the more I laughed.  To be honest, although Kevin and Tiffany had lines that made me chuckle, most of my laughs came from people other than Kevin and Tiffany, like when Fat Joe’s character, a prisoner attending night school via skype, hauled off on prisoners who were preventing him from learning about the pythgorem theory.

‘Night School’ is about a high school dropout name Teddy Walker (Kevin Hart) who goes back to school nearly twenty years later to get his GED, the teacher, Carrie (Tiffany Haddish), who is tasked with getting him to the GED finish line, despite obstacles and the collection of misfit type classmates.  It does not take a genius to figure out that the night school gang will get their GED’s in the end, but there was a lot going on in between points A and Z.

Let’s see …Teddy is a successful bar-b-q grill salesman, that is until he accidentally blows up the place.  Teddy has a successful and well-off girlfriend who does not know he is a high school dropout, living paycheck to paycheck.  Teddy’s teacher Carrie has Teddy tested and learns he has a truckload of learning disabilities.  Someone Teddy bullied in high school is now the Principal of the high school and wants to get back at Teddy and goes a tad too far in the process.  If Teddy can pass the GED he can get a job as a financial analyst, however until then, he is hawking chicken.  His classmates resemble something from the Bad News Bears, Little Giants, Mighty Ducks, Cool Runnings or any other misfits make good movie you can think of.  I liked all those movies too.

IYANLA VANZANT REJECTS R. KELLY FOR ‘FIX MY LIFE’ (BUT DOESN’T THINK HE DESERVES JAIL)

Night School’s director, Malcolm D. Lee, has been directing movies for twenty years, beginning with one of my favorites, ‘The Best Man,’ which was produced by his cousin Spike Lee.  Since then, he has gone on to direct ten films and become one of the highest grossing black directors in Hollywood.  I had a telephone interview with Mr.  Lee and we discussed working with Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish, what he’s learned since his early days of directing, what’s going on with the next Best Man installment and what’s next, overall,  for Malcolm D. Lee.

According to Lee, making Night School was, “tough, because we were rewriting the script as we were prepping the movie and that is never easy and always a challenge.”  Well then I guess it is a good thing that he had Tiffany and Kevin to work with him, both of whom he gave high marks.  I have wondered how it is working with various actors and about some of the horror stories you hear and read about.  Fear not Tiffany and Kevin fans, Malcolm does not have a horror stories about them and enjoyed working with both Kevin and Tiffany, saying about Tiffany, “she is always positive and a pleasure to work with.”  Considering Night School was his second go around with Tiffany, I believe him.

Kevin Hart and Malcolm D. Lee had never worked together; however, if the praise Malcolm gave Kevin is any indication, they will be pairing up again.  According to Lee, Kevin is a “consummate professional and works extremely hard.”  He went on to say, “he’s really funny.  He’s the kind of guy that can help you on set.”  Malcolm recounted a conversation he had with comedian Chris Rock, who told him to get someone who would be able to help him.  Although he admitted he did not know what Chris meant at the time, he does now and Kevin Hart is that guy.  According to Malcolm, “If something is not working, the rhythm is off or something like that, he can energize a scene in a way the good ones can really do and help you on set.”  That’s high praise from someone who directed nine movies and a ton of actors prior to connecting with Kevin Hart.  There are talks of an “Uptown Saturday Night” remake starring Kevin Hart, with Malcolm D. Lee directing, so if everything lines up, they may be paired again sooner rather than later.

Malcolm D. Lee and his production company Blackmaled Productions have a myriad of projects on their plate and I for one cannot wait to see what is next for the super director.  Since I am a fan of the Best Man series, I had to ask what is going on with Best Man Wedding, which was scheduled to be released in 2017.   According to Mr. Lee, everyone is working and it is hard for schedules to line up to make the movie, but there are still plans to make it.  I am keeping hope alive.   Whatever he chooses to do next, in light of the fact that Malcolm D. Lee’s last two projects (‘Night School’ and ‘Girls Trip’) grossed a combined $218 million, this underrated director will continue to make his mark.  I see why he made IMDB’s list of the Top 10 Highest Grossing Black Directors…and that was before Night School and Girl’s Trip were even made.

Source Link: https://www.eurweb.com/2019/01/eur-exclusive-malcolm-d-lees-night-school-silly-enough-to-be-funny/

*Kerry Washington, Congresswoman Maxine Waters and many social media users have slammed CBS News for its lack of Black journalists covering the 2020 election.

When the network recently announced its lineup of reporters and producers that will cover the campaign trail, one Twitter user noted what many agreed with: “It lacks representation from the largest minority group in the nation.”

The former “Scandal” actress took to Twitter to voice her frustration with the lack of representation. She wrote:

“Dear @CBS News, I am encouraged by the diversity you DID include. But when it comes time to discuss the inevitable role that race and racism will play in the election, who will you turn to for a perspective with nuanced & personal understanding of the African American experience?”

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The lineup of eight campaign reporters and four producers does not have any Black journalists. There are, however, several other minorities represented.

“Wow. I’m sure some exec somewhere looked at this and thought, “Hey! We’ve got a guy with an Arab name, a woman with a Latinx name, and an Asian! How diverse!” That exec is wrong,” wrote Twitter user N. K. Jemison.

User @Lexialex said: “If we have to get some non-whites, make them men. A couple of Asians and one of them A-rabs. That should do.”

And Auntie Maxine wrote: “CBS, the efforts on your website about your support for diversity flies in the face of your display of all of the reporters you’ve selected for the 2020 campaign. Not one black. What’s up with this? An explanation is needed.”

Many others agreed with Waters and Washington:

As reported by Yahoo, this isn’t the first time Washington has called out CBS News about its lack of diversity.

Back in December, she mentioned the network during a speaking engagement at The Wing. “Come along for the ride, CBS,” she said, encouraging the news team to embrace a woman of color.

Meanwhile, Twitter user @kiesehansen said of the mostly white team of newly assembled reporters that will be covering the 2020 election:

“A lot of these comments say “you couldn’t find one?” but we really should be asking, you couldn’t find at least two?? & I say that for all demographics that need to be represented. It’s 2019. No more being the ONLY one on a team, in the room, etc.”

Another commenter tweeted the network directly asked, “Does CBS stand for Caucasian Broadcasting Service now? Did we miss the memo?”

Source Link: https://www.eurweb.com/2019/01/kerry-washington-slams-cbs-news-for-not-hiring-black-journalists-to-cover-2020-election/

*A white writer for the Federalist, a conservative publication, has sparked outrage across social media with her essay about why she is raising her adopted African daughters as Americans — not “Black” girls or “African-American.”

Jenni White used the death of McKenzie Adams, a fourth-grader who committed suicide after she was bullied in a predominantly white school, to justify raising her daughters without knowledge of or their culture, per diversityinc.com.

In her article, titled “The Worst Racism My Children Have Experienced Came From Black Peers,” White writes: “Why would I raise them to identify with a specific race as if being members of the human race weren’t enough?”

SERENA WILLIAMS ‘LOVES BATH TIME’ WITH DAUGHTER ALEXIS OLYMPIA

“Yes, my daughters are from Africa, and they communicate with their family there regularly, but once we adopted them and landed in America together, they became Americans. Not African-Americans, not Black girls, but girls who would grow up in a nation where they were afforded the opportunity to become anything they wanted to become.”

She also reveals a conversation with her Black pastor 12 years ago, who encouraged her to teach the girls, then ages 4 and 9, about the Black experience in America. She replied to the pastor that her family doesn’t “see color.”

White claims to be a supporter of Martin Luther King Jr. and she follows Candace Owens’ Blexit movement AKA the “Black exit” from the Democratic Party.

Activist Tariq Nasheed noted of Jenni White on Twitter:

“If you have any doubt that these white supremacists go over Africa and adopt children, bring them back to the US, brainwash the kids, and use them as sleeper cells against Black American society, read this. I have been telling people this for years”

Source Link: https://www.eurweb.com/2019/01/white-conservative-woman-explains-why-shes-teaching-her-african-daughters-to-not-be-black/

*Will Luke Cage graduate from the small screen to a feature film? Mike Colter says it’s a possibility he would love to explore.

“Yeah, sure”, said the veteran actor, who has played the legendary black superhero icon for 2 seasons on Netflix – which recently canceled the show. “If the storyline makes sense, of course.”

“It (a film) is above my pay grade”, Colter laughed during an exclusive interview with EURweb during a convention earlier this month in New Orleans. “These guys up there have a bigger understanding of the big picture (and) it’s completely up to them. But yeah, I would love for that to happen! I think he would do well on the big screen.”

While the future of Colter playing Luke Cage is in doubt, the veteran actor has numerous projects coming up in the near future.

OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: Kerry Washington Slams CBS News for Not Hiring Black Journalists to Cover 2020 Election

Later this month will see the release of the film “Before You Know It”, a more light turn for Colter that also includes stars like Alec Baldwin, Mandy Patinkin and Judith Light in the cast.

” ‘Before You Know It’ is a character-driven comedy that was shot in New York City”, said Colter. “We’ve got a great cast – and it was a fun departure for me to do a film that appealed to a different demographic.”

“To sum it up, these people…their dad passes away and they find out that their dad – who they thought was dead! – is alive and well and a soap opera actress! She’s on television every single day – and they didn’t even know that!  It sets up some nice comedy”, he said.

Colter said the project he has coming out after that, a film titled “Breakthrough”, is him shifting gears yet again.

“It comes out this Easter and is a faith-based film”, said Colter. “It’s about life and miracles and faith and God and asks, ‘What do things mean?’.”

“I think spiritual-based films are good because it’s something you can take your family to – not just believers, but non-believers as well,” he emphasizes. “I think it will do well and people will respond to it. It’s also got a great cast, including Topher Grace and Chrissy Metz.”

Another project Colter is involved in that us due out this year is the thriller “Fatale”, which is headed by Hillary Swank.

“It’s sexy and it’s shot in Los Angeles”, said Colter. “It’s a cool movie (that) people will respond to…It’s visually stimulating and the storyline is something that will have you on the edge of your seat. I’m looking to do things that are different and this is a project that I feel is very different.”

Colter said he feels he is getting more offers because of his being the lead in a high-profile series like “Luke Cage” and it’s fan base.

“Sure,” he admits. Interest is definitely driven by exposure, but a lot of times that exposure won’t get you offers that are different to what you’ve done. So, with that I have had to decide if I want to do things that are the same (as “Luke Cage”) or depart from that. For a lot of people, it’s just easier to keep doing the same thing. But as an artist or actor, I’m always looking to prove people wrong and do something different.”

“For me, that’s what gets me excited about coming into work”, said Colter. “You know? If it’s something I haven’t done or at least done recently, I’m always a little nervous – and that’s what gets me going!”

Having said all that, Colter is grateful for the break he got being cast as Cage, the first black American superhero in the history of Marvel Comics to carry his own title.

“Well, it was a breakthrough”, the 42-year-old thespian said. “Because what happens as an actor, there’s two realms you live in. There’s a realm of working actor, where people know your face, but they don’t quite remember from where. But you’re working and that’s a good thing. That’s one realm.”

“The second realm as a working actor – because of course there’s the realm of the nonworking actor, and no one wants to be there – is a role that sort of pops and you get an opportunity where people pay attention to you.”

“It’s a good thing and a bad thing”, Colter continued. “Why? Because once people focus on you for a certain role, then obviously they associate you with the role – and you just have to shake it up again.”

Colter admits to not being very familiar with the character of Luke Cage when it was offered.

“Not really”, he said. “I had heard of him, but didn’t know much about him.”

Colter feels there are some basic reasons that Cage resonates with all audiences and the black community in particular.

“I think the character has multiple meanings for different people”, said Colter. “I think it resonated with the black community in a very specific way. That is, if you weren’t a black person living in this time, or any time, you wouldn’t quite get it.”

Colter specifically cited Cage’s bulletproof skin.

“You know, if there’s a superpower that many in the community would want, that would be it”, he continued. “Not to get political, but that struck a chord. When it debuted, Trayvon Martin had just happened. Eric garner had just happened. Michael Brown. Things were happening and they were getting a lot of attention, so whether people want to recognize it or not, ‘Luke Cage’ debuting when it did was a timely situation.”

“As as the character making his live-action debut on Netflix, that was sort of going to give people a place to go and get respite, to have a departure. a fantasy. A little break. It was a fantasy that resonated with people in the real world.”

One of the things Colter said he cherishes about his experience so far as Luke Cage is being able to mingle with Cage’s creators on the comic book page, like Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas and John Romita, Sr.

“It’s great, because for them it’s a resurgence of a character they created”, Colter said. “They have a library of characters that have been done and this character, if they have involvement in it, it’s sort of a resurgence for them as well. So, it’s good to see them get a sort of reawakening in their careers.”

As for the future of his cage, Colter said that if Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige sat him down and said he wanted to do a “Luke Cage” movie, he’d be game.

“Sure. Why not?”              

As for Colter’s future, he said he feels the massive success of “Black Panther” will offer him and others more opportunities to play a black heroic lead in films.

“It’s always opportunity meets preparedness”, Colter said. “Sure. I think we’re always trying to diversify what we’re looking at onscreen that mirrors what we see in society. I think there’s a lot of content out right now. I think there’s a lot more opportunities.”

“I think everybody should be excited about it, because everybody is getting a chance to see themselves be represented onscreen and that’s important for young people.”

So what, to Colter, is the best thing about being cast as Luke Cage?

“The coolest thing about playing Cage is that I’m the first to play a character that means a lot to a lot of people”, Colter concluded. “I think it’s really cool to be the first to do something, so I’m very happy about that.”

Source Link: https://www.eurweb.com/2019/01/eur-exclusive-mike-colter-on-luke-cage-film-i-would-love-for-that-to-happen/

*When DJ Vlad penned a tribute post on Instagram which highligted AIDS Awareness, he did so at the expense of late rapper Eazy E, who allegedly died from complications related to the disease.

Many fans and his family have refuted his official cause of death. Rumors have long persistented that Eazy-E was killed by either Suge Knight or the CIA. Eazy’s daughter, Ree, took issue with Vlad’s post and she put the journalist on blast for suggesting her father died from AIDS.

“Rest In Peace #eazye. #hiv and #aids are real. Use a condom,”Vlad wrote. “Get yourself and your partner tested.”
In a video posted to her Instagram account, Ree slammed Vlad for using her father’s death to promote AIDS awareness.

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“In reference to that post that lame a** dude posted. For you to post my dad’s obituary, and say ‘rest in peace’, but to follow after talking about some AIDS is real, use a condom. He knows because he’s spoken to a few members of my family, in reference to my dad, and knows that it’s not AIDS that killed my father. That sh*t pisses me off.”

DJ Vlad responded by noting the many theories about how the co-founder of NWA died: “Suge Knight or the CIA secretly killed Eazy, I do not subscribe to this theory,” he wrote.

He concluded: “It’s been almost 25 years since Eazy’s passing and there’s still no cure for AIDS. Let’s make sure that his very important words have a positive effect on people’s lives and aren’t overshadowed by conspiracy theories.”

Eazy, whose real name is Eric Wright, died of AIDS-related pneumonia on March 26, 1995 at age 31.

Source Link: https://www.eurweb.com/2019/01/eazy-es-daughter-slams-dj-vlad-for-saying-rapper-died-of-aids-my-daddy-was-murdered/

*On Monday, Jan. 14, the hosts of The Real remind everyone that they’re giving Dry January a try this week! They also talk about Jeff Bezos’ impending divorce, and co-host Loni Love performs a dramatic reading of his texts to his girlfriend to see if they can be considered “racy.” Also, does CBS News need to add African-American reporters to its roster of those covering the 2020 Presidential Election?

Then The Real reaches out to a TSA worker and his family who have been affected by the recent government shutdown, and lends them a helping hand. The show will be reaching out to people in similar situations during the rest of the week.

Later, actor Russell Hornsby visits to discuss his new series Proven Innocent, and shares why projects like his movie The Hate U Give are so important to provoke discussion.

Loni’s Dramatic Reading of Jeff Bezos’ “Racy” Texts

Loni’s Dramatic Reading of Jeff Bezos’ “Racy” Texts

Loni Love: He’s been getting roasted on social media due to the corniness of his texts.

Adrienne Houghton: I liked some of them!

Loni: But are they really corny? OK? So, I will do a dramatic reading of them, and you’ll be the judge.

[The Real audience applauds]

Loni: Let’s set the mood! Lights, please! Lights. [THE LIGHTS DIM]

Adrienne: This is what she was sending her friends.

[MOOD MUSIC BEGINS TO PLAY]

Tamera Mowry-Houghton: Ooh.

Jeannie Mai: Oh god.

Loni: “I want to smell you. I want to breathe you in. I want to hold you tight. I want to kiss your… lips. I love you. I’m in love with you. I miss you. I want to kiss you right now, and tuck… you in, slowly and gently and maybe in the morning, wake you up and not be so quite gentle with you. You know what I want? I want to get a little drunk with you tonight. Not falling down, no, just a little drunk. I want to talk to you, and plan with you, listen and laugh. I basically want to be! With! You! When I want to fall asleep with you and wake up tomorrow and read the paper with you and have coffee with you!”

Adrienne: Yes! Read the paper!

Loni: And SCENE!

[The Real audience applauds]

Adrienne: I’m here for it.

Loni: Lights!

Website: thereal.com

Twitter: @TheRealDaytime

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therealdaytime

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/therealdaytime

Instagram: http://instagram.com/therealdaytime

Photo credit: Robert Voets/Warner Bros. Television

About The Real

Led by bold, diverse and outspoken Emmy Award-winning hosts, Adrienne Houghton, Loni Love, Jeannie Mai and Tamera Mowry-Housley all frankly say what women are actually thinking. THE REAL is a live daily, one-hour NAACP Image Award-winning and Emmy-nominated talk show on Fox Television Stations and in national syndication (check local listings), with a rebroadcast on cable network Bounce. The hosts’ unique perspectives are brought to life through candid conversations about their personal lives, current events, beauty, fashion and relationships (nothing is off limits). Unlike other talk shows, THE REAL hosts are admittedly a “work in progress,” and fearlessly invite viewers to reflect on their own lives and opinions. Fresh points of view, youthful energy and passion have made THE REAL a platform for multicultural women. Produced by Telepictures Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, The Real is led by Executive Producer, Rachel Miskowiec (Good Morning America, Katie, The Tyra Banks Show, Judge Hatchett, The Ricki Lake Show) and shot in Los Angeles, California.

Source Link: https://www.eurweb.com/2019/01/the-real-helps-out-a-tsa-worker-and-russell-hornsby-stops-by-watch/

*As you probably know, the movie “Green Book” is all the rage. The film is the true story of Don Shirley, a queer black classical musician  (played by Mahershala Ali) and his Italian-American chauffeur, Tony “Lip” Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen). Recently, the film a great evening at the Golden Globes and this past weekend, Ali won a Critics Choice Award for his portrayal of Don Shirley.

However, behind the scenes, there’s a big problem. You see, Shirley’s family is calling the movie as a “symphony of lies” and condemns its rosy portrayal of Shirley and Vallelonga’s relationship. The family insists that Shirley and Vallelonga had an “employer-employee” relationship, not a friendship.

After the Golden Globes ceremony, the movie’s stars were forced to contend with the film’s reputation. Backstage, Ali was asked to respond to Shirley’s family’s allegations.

“I will say that my job is always the same, and I have to look at what I’m responsible for doing and all the prayers, the energy, the time, the work, I am not one who is going to necessarily throw all that away over things I had no control over and had nothing to do with,” he said.

“I respect the family, I respect Dr. Shirley and his family, and I wish them well. I have a job to do, and I have to continue to do my job as I move on to my next project and treat everyone I work with respect. In this case I didn’t know they were around. I made contact, and I’ve spoken to the studio. I have to move on at this point.”

EUR EXCLUSIVE: MIKE COLTER ON ‘LUKE CAGE’ FILM: ‘I WOULD LOVE FOR THAT TO HAPPEN’

Technically, Ali has been addressing this controversy for some time now. After the Shirley family came forward with their complaints, Ali called Shirley’s brother, Maurice, personally. Recounting the call to Shadow and Act, Shirley’s nephew Edwin said, “What he said was, ‘If I have offended you, I am so, so terribly sorry. I did the best I could with the material I had. I was not aware that there were close relatives with whom I could have consulted to add some nuance to the character.’”

Stop right there. the fact that the Shirley family was not consulted during the film is a problem.

Al,so backstage at the “GGs,” Octavia Spencer, who also stars in “Green Book” was asked as well to speak about the issue the Shirley family is concerned with. Spencer is also the movie’s executive producer. However, unlike Ali, who answered head-on, Spencer pivoted the question back to what the movie meant to her.

“I’m a little troubled that answering that question could cause them any more distress. What I’d like to say in lieu of anything directed to the Shirley family is what it meant to me,” Spencer deflected. “I have been a part of four films from this era, and it was the firs time I saw a person of color with agency. This is a guy whose story needs to be out there.”

It doesn’t sound good to say, but at this point it appears that The Shirley family will just have to deal with the situation as it is: the movie portrays Don Shirley as a secondary figure in Vallelonga’s story when it should be the other way around.

Damn, that sucks. But what else is new in Hollywood?

Meanwhile, don’t expect the family’s criticism of the film to impede it’s progress during award season in Hollywood. As Refinery 29 states it, if the Golden Globes victory sweep is anything to go by, “Green Book” could still have a big night at the Academy Awards.

Source Link: https://www.eurweb.com/2019/01/marhershala-ali-octavia-spencer-respond-to-green-book-controversy/

*Fans of Wendy Williams’ talk show were surprised to see Don Lemon filling in for her on Monday. The daytime diva is taking another week off as she recoups from a shoulder injury.

Lemon joined a trio of notable women who held it down for Williams because “it takes four people to make up” for her absence.

Wendy was scheduled to return from holiday break on January 7, but the talk show was delayed another week, as explained on the show’s official Instagram account:

“Wendy Williams will be returning with all-new episodes of The Wendy Williams Show on Monday, January 14, 2019. After fracturing her shoulder, Wendy is on the mend and wants to return pain-free and be 200%, delivering the best show that millions of viewers tune-in to watch,” the post read.

OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: Wendy Williams Delays Return to Talk Show, Husband Kevin Slams Staff Over Leaks to Media

Don was on a guest hosting panel that included Elizabeth Wagmeister from Variety and Page Six TV, actor/comedian Heather McDonald, and Judge Faith Jenkins.

“Wendy is on the mend. She will be back next Monday,” said Lemon. “We love you Wendy, we’re rooting for you, we want you to be back, we want you to be 400 percent.”

Fans previously took to social media to voice concern for Williams after she was slurred her speech on the December 20 episode of her show. She blamed it on the pain meds she had taken for her shoulder injury.

“As I reported earlier in the week, I have a hairline fracture on my upper arm, which hurts like hell. I’ve never broken a bone or experienced a fracture in my life,” she wrote. “In the key place where the fracture is, and trying to scurry around and do too much, I am now paying the price. I’ve never taken a pain medication in my life (except when I got snatched over 20 years ago) until this week.”

Watch Don Lemon announce the cast of “Celebrity Big Brother.”

Source Link: https://www.eurweb.com/2019/01/wendy-williams-show-returns-with-don-lemon-as-host-video/

*Kanye West was so inspired by the light-infused installations of artist James Turrell at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, that on Monday, the rap star announced plans to gift $10 million to the Turrell Art Foundation to help fund Roden Crater Project in an extinct volcano in Arizona.  

Turrell has been transforming the land into a series of rooms and tunnels since the ’70s. Kanye visited Roden Crater on Dec. 11. Days later he tweeted that the experience was “life-changing,” adding that one day “we will all live in Turrell spaces.” 

*A new day brings more new R. Kelly criticism, and this time in the form of a newly surfaced clip that appears to debunk earlier claims that the singer was unaware Aaliyah was underage when they illegally married.

Kelly’s camp has in the past denied that he knew the late pop star was just 15 when they wed in secret in 1994.

However, a documentary filmed that same year has the controversial R&B crooner discussing Aaliyah’s age as he worked on her debut album.

“Right now I’m producing a very talented lady – a young lady. She’s 14, Aaliyah. She’s real street,” Kelly says in the clip above.

*One Ohio father is being called a hero after he shared photos of the igloo be built out of snow for his disableddaughter.

Gregg Eichhorn’s actions have been hailed as “heart-warming” with social media users encouraging each other to “be like Gregg.”

But the father of nine insisted: “I’m not that special.”

“I just thought it was cool,” the said.

“My buddy Gregg built this handicap accessible snow fort for his daughter” said Daniel Thoms in a Reddit post, which gained more than 70,000 upvotes in 24 hours, per msn.com.

Gregg was stunned that his daughter’s igloo received so much attention from social media users.

“I just thought it was a cool snow fort” he said. “I enjoyed creating it with my other children.”

Gregg and his wife Katie have adopted eight children (with one adoption reportedly pending), six of whom were born with medical problems ranging from heart failure to developmental disabilities.

Gregg said the kids helped him build the igloo, which took four hours in total.

“What an awesome Dad” said one Reddit user.

“This is a special moment and very heart warming. The amount of joy on her face is making me tear up”commented another.

“Be like Gregg” one social media user told another.

“This is really amazing. My little sister is also in a wheelchair and I would love to do something like this for her!”writes Aesonn88.

Source Link: https://www.eurweb.com/2019/01/social-media-users-praise-ohio-dad-for-building-disabled-daughter-a-igloo/

*Women’s March leader Tamika Mallory was grilled by Sunny Hostin and Meghan McCain on “The View” over her ties to Louis Farrakhan, and the conversation left many viewers riled up.

Things got heated because Mallory refused to condemn Farrakhan’s past remarks about Jewish people. She also, apparently, offended many when she previously said that the controversial Nation of Islam leader is the “greatest of all time because of what he’s done in black communities.”

“Tamika, you came under some fire for your relationship with Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam,” Hostin said. “He’s known for being anti-Semitic, for being homophobic, but you do attend his events and you posted… a photo calling him the G.O.A.T., which means the greatest of all time. You are running an organization that says it fights bigotry. Do you understand why your association with him is quite problematic?”