*Following the premiere of “Surviving R. Kelly,” many celebs took to social media to slam the artist, including John Legend, Chance The Rapper, Meek Mill and Omarion – but fans weren’t exactly feeling his statement.

The B2K singer said he’s ready to strike all the songs that R. Kelly wrote for the group … but only AFTER they profit from performing the tracks on their upcoming Millennium Tour.

“While I know our fans would be greatly disappointed if we didn’t perform those songs on #TheMillennoumTour, after the tour I am retiring those songs from my set list,” he tweeted. “I too am raising a future queen.”

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Kelly penned the track “Bump Bump Bump” for B2K which peaked at number one on the Billboard charts for a week straight. He also wrote and produced “What a Girl Wants,” and “Girlfriend.”

The group announced a reunion tour back in December, but now many fans are wondering why they won’t retire R. Kelly’s songs before the tour ends.

“Unbelievable so you gone profit off the mans work what type of stance is that?” one person tweeted in response to Omarion.

“‘But first I’m gonna get this bag’ is basically what he’s saying,” wrote another.

“Nope! Disappointed. I was so excited to see this tour. But absolutely not supporting your ‘get money and THEN I’ll give a hell no’,” said one fan.

“This is a (expletive) joke! Make money off the songs R Kelly wrote, first, then join the movement?!?! So you sir are also part of the problem. Pick a stance and be courageous enough to stick to it,” one person wrote on Instagram.

Source Link: https://www.eurweb.com/2019/01/fans-slam-omarion-for-not-removing-r-kellys-songs-from-b2k-reunion-tour-setlist/

*Regarding our earlier story today  about Keyshia Cole needing to finalize her divorce from Daniel Gibson before it gets dismissed, Cole is reacting.

The singer says she’s ready. Been ready … to pull the trigger. However, she says, Gibson is the problem. She claims he is deliberately making things difficult for her.

It seems she has yet to reach an agreement with her estranged husband since October 2017. A month earlier, she had filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.

Via a post on The Shade Room, Cole notes that Gibson is requesting spousal support and also full custody of their child together. This, as far as she’s concerned, is a non-starter. Period

“I am not giving him full custody nor no damn spousal support! And I’ve asked him over and over to do so, the ball is in his court,” Cole responded.

OK, so we guess that means she is not going to finalize the divorce and will remain married to Gibson.

And your thoughts on this matter are?

Moving along … in other news regarding Madame Cole, she is basically agreeing with Master P’s statements with regard to the sex allegations against R. Kelly. And that is … hold the parents responsible, too.

in a series of tweets, she made clear that she wasn’t dismissing Kelly’s actions, but there needs to be some accountability held up against his victims’ parents as well. Her priority (at least until the child turns 18) is protecting her own, something she suggests the parents fell short of. After getting negative feedback from her comments/posts on the on IG in The Shade Room, she’s not backing down to those coming at her on Twitter, either.

Source Link:https://www.eurweb.com/2019/01/keyshia-cole-speaks-singer-tells-why-she-has-yet-to-finalize-divorce-from-booby-gibson/

*Following the premiere of “Surviving R. Kelly,” many celebs took to social media to slam or distance themselves from the artist, including Lady Gaga John Legend, Chance The Rapper, Meek Mill, Omarion and most recently Mathew Knowles.

The former manager of Destiny’s Child says he and ex-wife Tina refused to let the girl group work with R. Kelly, as they were aware of the rumors and sexual assault allegations.

via Metro:

The 67-year-old, the father of Beyonce and Solange, told us: ‘I was there, and my former wife Tina was there. The thing with R Kelly was, he liked to record late at night, around midnight. And what was different with his studio was that one room had a recording suite, and next door was a club, with 40 or 50 people dancing.

‘R Kelly was managed by Sony, by someone I won’t name, and at that time, they would almost force you to record with [their] artists. ‘And R Kelly wasn’t cheap – it was $75,000, plus travel costs, so we’re talking $100,000 for a song.

‘I personally rejected the song, because I didn’t think it was a good song. Not just because of [his] reputation – this was around 1998, we had just begun to hear some of those things.’

More from the publication:

However, when we asked Mathew if the rumours surrounding R Kelly played a role in his decisions from then on, he said ‘certainly, it was both of those things’.

The music manager said: ‘The girls were 15, 16. When they went to the bathroom, Tina would go with them. They did not leave our eyes.’

A source told Metro.co.uk: “Record labels would ask R Kelly to write songs for emerging artists as a way to help them break into the industry and he made several requests for Destiny’s Child. Mathew and Tina rejected all of them because they didn’t want him anywhere near the band which is why they are one of the few acts to debut in the 90s without an R Kelly song in its official discography.”

R Kelly wrote one song for Destiny’s Child, “Stimulate Me,” which appeared on the soundtrack for the 1999 Eddie Murphy film “Life.”

However, according to the report, Kelly was not in the studio when the girls were recording with producer Jermaine Dupri. Said a source: “Mathew didn’t want it on any official Destiny’s Child’s albums so it didn’t appear.”

Source Link: https://www.eurweb.com/2019/01/mathew-knowles-never-let-destinys-child-work-alone-with-r-kelly/

*While accepting her best supporting actress Golden Globe on Sunday night, Regina King vowed to give women in Hollywood more opportunities to share their voices.

She made clear her mission to only work on projects going forward where at least half the crew are women.

The Emmy winner has now revealed that multiple industry players, including Tyler Perry, have reached out and praised her acceptance speech and her new Hollywood goals.

“[Producer] Bert Salke has [reached out], Tyler Perry, immediately, and those are just a couple of the men,” King told ET. “I haven’t even finished going through all my congratulations emails, so I’m sure there’s a couple of others.”

She also admitted to ET that some folks tried to convince her to pump the breaks on the speech because it was too bold.

“[People have told me] that to take the risk of saying something like that and putting something on myself [like] that was too big,” King said. “I don’t feel like it is. I feel like it’s possible, and the reality is all I had to do was say it.”

OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: Black Twitter Slams Marvin Sapp Over Relationship with ‘Abuser’ R. Kelly

According to the report, she then compared it to her directing career, which includes helming episodes of “Southland,” “The Catch,” “Scandal,” “Being Mary Jane” and “Greenleaf.”

“All I had to do was start saying it out loud, and the amount of support I got and people that helped find workshops and programs for me to go through to hone those directing skills, it happened as soon as I said it,” she explained.

“In the next two years, and it’s going to be hard, I’m making a vow that every thing I produce…[will be] 50 percent women,” she said. “And I challenge everyone out there who is in a position of power, in all industries, I challenge you to challenge yourself and stand with us in solidarity and do the same.”

The actress can currently be seen in Barry Jenkins’ adaption of the 1970s James “If Beale Street Could Talk,” for which she has received several nominations and multiple smaller critics association awards, including in New York and Los Angeles, per PEOPLE.

Source Link: https://www.eurweb.com/2019/01/tyler-perry-reaches-out-to-regina-king-after-her-vow-to-hire-women/

*(Los Angeles, CA) – The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) and Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) announced the winners of the 24th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards tonight, live from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. Hollywood’s brightest shined at the gala event, which aired on The CW Network and was hosted by acclaimed film, television, and stage star Taye Diggs.

In the film categories, “Roma” took home four awards, the most of the night, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Cinematography for Alfonso Cuarón, and Best Foreign Language Film. “Black Panther” and “Vice” followed close behind, each winning in three categories.

The top film acting awards resulted in a tie for Best Actress between Glenn Close for “The Wife” and Lady Gaga for “A Star Is Born,” while Best Actor was bestowed upon Christian Bale for his transformative performance in “Vice.” Best Supporting Actor went to Mahershala Ali for “Green Book” and Regina King took home the Best Supporting Actress award for her work in “If Beale Street Could Talk.”

“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” took home three awards, including Best Comedy Series for the second consecutive year. Its leading lady, Rachel Brosnahan, was also a repeat winner for Best Actress in a Comedy Series, and Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series went to Alex Borstein. “The Americans” earned three trophies as well including Best Drama Series, Best Actor in A Drama Series for Matthew Rhys, and Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Noah Emmerich. Sandra Oh received Best Actress in a Drama Series honors for “Killing Eve,” with Best Actor in a Comedy Series going to Bill Hader for “Barry.”

As previously announced, Best Supporting Actress nominee Claire Foy received the Critics’ Choice #SeeHer Award, which was presented by former #SeeHer Award recipient Viola Davis. Chuck Lorre, creator of such acclaimed TV comedies as “The Big Bang Theory,” “Mom,” “Young Sheldon,” and “The Kominsky Method” (which all received Critics’ Choice Award nominations this year), was honored with the Critics’ Choice Creative Achievement Award. The cast of “The Big Bang Theory,” including Mayim Bialik, Kaley Cuoco, Johnny Galecki, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Jim Parsons, and Melissa Rauch, was on hand to recognize Lorre, just in time to celebrate the show’s final season.

Other major winners on the film side included Elsie Fisher for Best Young Actor/Actress in “Eighth Grade,” “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” for Best Action Movie, “Crazy Rich Asians” for Best Comedy, “A Quiet Place” for Best Sci-Fi/Horror Film, and “Shallow” from “A Star Is Born” for Best Song.

Source Link: https://www.eurweb.com/2019/01/critics-choice-awards-roma-black-panther-and-vice-are-top-winners/

*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.

OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:  Jemele Hill is ‘Very Excited’ to Launch Podcast – She Also Speaks on Addicted Parents! (WATCH)

“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.

OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: Jermaine Dupri Defends Super Bowl Appearance; Speaks on ‘The Rap Game’ & R. Kelly (EUR Exclusive – WATCH!)

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/

*Although he’s an NFL quarterback, Jameis Winston still has a tendency to act like an immature idiot at the wrong time. One of those wrong times netted him a sexual battery lawsuit lawsuit from an Uber driver.

Well, it looks like Winston has “reached an agreement” to settle the  lawsuit, which was filed in Arizona, according to court docs filed in U.S. District Court.

As previously reported, the Uber driver claimed she picked up a drunk Winston from the Scottsdale bar scene in 2016 … and during the ride, he reached over and grabbed her vagina over her yoga pants.

Two years later, the woman — who goes by “Kate P.” in legal docs — filed suit against the Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback.

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In new docs filed in federal court in Arizona on Nov. 26, the woman’s lawyer says “Plaintiff has reached an agreement with Defendant to resolve her claims.”

“The parties are in the process of finalizing a settlement agreement but need approximately 10 days to complete this process.”

The terms of the settlement were not disclosed in the court docs, reports TMZ.  The site says it reached out to Winston’s camp for comment, so far no word back.

For his part, Jameis has previously publicly apologized to the Uber driver and claims he has “eliminated alcohol from my life.”

The news of the settlement was first reported by the Tampa Bay Times.

Source Link: https://www.eurweb.com/2018/11/nfl-qb-jameis-winston-settles-uber-driver-sexual-battery-lawsuit/

*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.

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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/

*The man responsible for a racist Facebook post suggesting FSU coach Willie Taggart should be lynched has been fired from his job at Hilton Grand Vacations, the company said in a statement Monday.

Social Media user Tom Shand allegedly wrote the offending comments posted using a Facebook account featuring his name.

Florida State president John Thrasher condemned the post on Sunday, calling it “ignorant and despicable,” and said the FSU attorney is investigating.

“Our concern regarding this situation has been a top priority. The person responsible for posting this information has been terminated,” Hilton Grand Vacations spokeswoman Lauren George said via email Monday. “His behavior was in violation of multiple company policies and the furthest example from being a reflection of our company’s values.”

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State attorney Jack Campbell also confirmed his office received word of the post and is looking into the matter.

“The nature of anybody being lynched in the Second Judicial Circuit is of grave concern to this office,” Campbell said in an interview with the Sentinel. “Any time a threat or lynching or any other things like that are made against one in our community, we’re going to look into it and if there’s a crime there, we’re going to prosecute it.”

As reported by nydailynews.com, the racist post was made in a Florida State fan group on Facebook on Saturday, shortly after the Seminoles lost to rival Florida 41-14 to finish a 5-7 season. The meme showed Taggart’s head edited onto an image of a man being lynched with the words “Believe in Something Even If It Means Sacrificing Your Rep,” referring to the Nike ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick.

Taggart, the first black football head coach in Florida State history, was hired last December from Oregon.

Source Link: https://www.eurweb.com/2018/11/florida-state-fan-fired-by-his-company-for-postng-racist-meme-of-coach-willie-taggart-being-lynched/

*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/