News Stories

*Intelligent, beautiful, and talented are words that are frequently used when describing glamorous Florence LaRue, the original member of the legendary 5^th Dimension.

Whether on stage performing, lecturing, or serving as a celebrity judge for beauty pageants, such as Miss Universe, Miss LaRue juggles her roles as mother, grandmother, speaker, actress, vocalist, and humanitarian with the same electric perfection that she devotes to ballads such as “One Less Bell” which bears The 5^th Dimension trademark.

“I give my best to whatever I am involved with,” explains the concerned citizen, who is also a six-time GRAMMY® winning star.

Although she plans to continue with The 5^th Dimension, Miss LaRue is excited about the new direction her career has taken as a solo artist. She has added two titles behind her name: After writing the lyrics to the beautiful ballad, “Say,” recorded by The 5^th Dimension, Florence was inspired to continue her song writing. She is also in the process of completing a soon to be published book, “Let YOUR Light Shine,” “The Physical, Mental and Spiritual Dimensions of Beauty.”

Florence is also excited about her one woman show, “Just As I Am,” which has received rave reviews. Mrs. Mary Sias, president of the Kentucky State University where Miss LaRue presented her show stated: “While the music was uplifting and exciting and delivered with an amazing energy, it was the story interwoven between the songs that was spellbinding.”

Miss LaRue will perform a few specially selected songs at 1:30pm followed by a meet and greet with fans.

About Make It Mar Vista + Mar Vista Art Walk: For the fifth consecutive year, Mar Vista will be celebrating the Shop Local, Shop Small movement.  Sponsored by American Express Small Business Saturday®, this year’s theme is a WINTER WONDERLAND – complete with falling snow and an ice skating rink – and is partnered with the Winter Holiday edition of the Mar Vista Art Walk.

When/Where:  Saturday, November 24, 2018 from 12pm to 10pm on Venice Blvd in Mar Vista

About Small Business Saturday®:  Dedicated to supporting the diverse range of local businesses that create jobs, help boost the economy, and enhance neighborhoods around the country, Small Business Saturday was created by American Express in 2010 in response to small business owners’ most pressing need: getting more customers. To learn more at and connect:  ShopSmall.com, instagram.com/shopsmall, facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday.

About Mar Vista Chamber of Commerce:

The Mar Vista Chamber of Commerce is an alliance of local business owners that provides advocacy, education, inspiration and support to increase revenue for and awareness of local businesses by promoting Mar Vista as a desirable place to live, work and shop, allowing these businesses to contribute to the prosperity of our community.

Source: https://www.eurweb.com/2018/11/florence-larue-singer-actor-and-humanitarian-to-perform-at-make-it-mar-vista-event/

*“Whenever we make a movie we use real issues,” said Sean Anders (Horrible Bosses), director and co-writer of the new Paramount Picture presentation of Instant Family starring Academy Award nominated Mark Wahlberg (Transformers) and based loosely on Sean’s own life experience adopting siblings arriving in theatres November 16, 2018. When asked why he put that experience on screen Sanders said, “It had been a few years since we adopted the kids…thought it kind of funny.”

Instant Family, arriving in theatres November 16, 2018, was indeed funny in fact it was beyond funny it was hilarious. It follows Pete (Wahlberg) and his wife Ellie, played by Emmy nominated Rose Byrne (“Neighbors”), a childless couple realizing their need to nurture a baby. They decide to adopted and care for the innocent and orphaned.

They go through all the classes, meetings and finally reach the end of the program where they can attend an event where available children are present. They meet a strong willed teenager and decide she really needs them, and surprisingly they discover she has two young siblings. How they form a bond with the three siblings – a strong willed teenager, an abused preteen and a needed baby sister – is warming to the heart and funny to the bone.

Anders, Wahlberg John Morris and Steve Levinson are producers on the Rated PG – 13 family project. It also stars Isabela Moner (Transformers: The Last Knight); Emmy nominated Tig Notaro (“Fresh Off the Boat”); Emmy winner Margo Martindale (“The Good Wife”); Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer (The Help), Julianna Gamiz, and Gustavo Quiroz. www.InstantFamilyMovie.com

The wizard tale birthed from the Harry Potter saga called Fantastic Beasts returns with a second take on the story with the Warner Bros. Pictures presentation of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald arriving in theatres November 16, 2018. Fantastic Beasts 2 is the 10^th installation of the wizard world franchise. Eddie Redmayne returns as Newt Scamander the Minister of Magic with Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean) starring as Dark Wizard Grindelwald and Jude Law as Dumbledore the professor of wizardry who hires Redmayne to take care of the dark wizard problem, a task only he is qualified for.

The Rated PG-13 drama/fantasy is a mystical cliff-hanger that will keep you on the edge of your seats and it has an ending that will leave you wanting more. It follows Eddie’s attempt at finding Grindelwald with his friends in tow that include Jacob Kowalski (Dan Folgler), Tina (Katherine Waterston) Newts love interest and Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz) as Newts’ brother’s love interest and Theseus Scamander (Callum Turner) Newts brother – a wizard law office also on the hunt for Grindelwald.

Grindelwald is building a team of pure wizards and the last is Credence (Ezra Miller) an orphaned baby he believes to be the poor blood Wizard he needs to finally rule the world of non-wizards. Credence is on the search for his heritage and Jacob is also on the search for Queenie (Alison Sudol) his love interest who is on the run. He broke the law; she fell in love with a non-wizard – Jacob Kowalski.

Fantastic Beast 2 is directed by David Yates and is a British/American production filmed in London, Switzerland and Paris. It is produced by David Heyman, J. K. Rowling, Steve Kloves and Lionel Wigram. www.FantasticBeasts2Full.org

SYNDICATED COLUMN: Eunice Moseley, has an estimated weekly readership of over ¼ million with The Pulse of Entertainment. She is also a Public Relations Strategist and Business Management Consultant at Freelance Associates, and is Promotions Director (at-large) for The Baltimore Times. www.ThePulseofEntertainment.com. EVENT: “Uplifting Minds II” Free Entertainment Conference annually in Baltimore (Saturday April 21, 2019) and Los Angeles (October/TBD). Offering Entertainment Business panel and a talent showcase and competition (vocal, songwriting, dance and acting) with over $15,000 valued in prizes.  www.UpliftingMinds2.com.

Source: https://www.eurweb.com/2018/11/the-pulse-of-entertainment-instant-family-is-hilarious-fantastic-beasts-2-is-a-mystical-cliff-hanger/

*The prominent Chicago pastor has come under fire for kicking a cross-dressing male out of his church Sunday night.

Pastor Antonio Rocquemore of Power House International Ministries is speaking out about the incident after advocates of the LGBTQ came for his head.

In response, Rocquemore said the male member had been repeatedly warned that he would not be allowed to dress like a female during service.

As reported by christianpost.com, a clip showing Rocquemore rebuking the church member was first highlighted by Christian James Lhuillier.

“Some of y’all are going to have to excuse my language but I am tired of this sh*t. In a place that is supposed to be a place of change, a place of deliverance, whatever you want to call it why would you destroy someone in front of a room full of people?” Lhuillier asked.

“This is the kind of bullsh*t that causes people to go home and commit suicide. Sh*t like this is the reason that the church has no power in 2018 because they are so worried about the wrong things. I know drag queens and transsexuals that can pray you out of sickness faster and some of these preachers that collect your love offerings every Sunday,” he continued.

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“I would have turned that church clean out do you hear me!!!!!!!!! It’s time for us to stand up for what we believe and stand in our truth and walk away from these ministries that bash who we are. Too many illegitimate relationships have been created trying to conform to a mold you were never meant to fit. I have a great deal of respect for the house of God. But I wish upon wishes upon wishes that had been me. The city of Chicago would never forget my name!” Lhuillier ended.

In the complete recording of the service on the church’s Facebook page, Rocquemore warns his members to guard their minds before calling out the drag queen.

“Can you leave my church and go put on man clothes?” he asked firmly.

“And don’t come here like that no more,” he continued as someone can be heard in the video declaring “thank you Jesus!”

“I hold a standard in here. Whatever you do on the outside is your business, but I will not let drag queens come in here. And if you’re gonna come in here you’re gonna come in here dressed like a man …. If you’re a man, dress like a man. If you’re a woman, dress like a woman. I’m not going to allow it. My salvation is more important and God is holding me accountable,” he added. “… you will not be wearing weaves and heels and fooling people up in here.”

In a follow-up response to the criticism, the pastor explained that the young man has been a church member for several months and had expressed a desire to embrace his manhood. He said the church had also been working privately with him and warned him several times that he couldn’t “dress like a female” during worship, the report states. 

“He was not put out the church because he was gay. First of all I don’t bash nothing. I don’t separate sin. Sin is sin. There is no need to bash one or the other if you’re preaching the word,” Rocquemore said.

“… When you join my church, all the rules and regulations is told to you then. If you ever slip up [on the rules] we would still take you privately and go over them again. This particular situation, this young man was told several times in private. I went to him personally myself,” the pastor said.

On that Sunday night, when he challenged the pastor during service, Rocquemore said he had no choice but to rebuke him publicly.

“He challenged me publicly and I challenged him back publicly. I asked the young man to leave. There was no security taking him out … sir can you please change clothes,” he said.

 Source: https://www.eurweb.com/2018/11/pastor-under-fire-for-kicking-cross-dressing-male-member-out-of-church-service-watch/

*Idris Elba has been named People’s 2018 Sexiest Man Alive and while many women agree that the magazine finally got it right (after naming Blake Shelton the sexist last year), decider.com contributor Claire Spellberg has noted that “I’m not sure Idris Elba knows how to make out.”

Spellberg breaks down her reasoning using gifs to support her theory about Elba’s kissing skills… get into it below.

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Spellberg writes:

As Stringer Bell in The Wire, Elba kisses with so much tongue that you’d think he’s a dog trying to get the last bit of peanut butter out of a jar. We’re talking full-on licking, plus some slurping noises that definitely did not deserve to make it into the final sound mix.

While Stringer Bell’s friends (and enemies) got to bone like 24/7 on The Wire, old man String didn’t get his chance until Season 2, when he started dating Donette (Shamyl Brown) while her boyfriend, D’Angelo Barksdale, was in prison. When they hit it off, I was super excited. But alas, that excitement quickly faded when I saw that Stringer kisses like a seventh grader. Stringer goes in IMMEDIATELY with his tongue, and it would be generous to say that he sticks the landing. Instead of making out with Donette’s mouth, his tongue kind of catches on her chin, and he’s forced to (or wants to?) lick his way up until he hits her lips.

While many adoring fans would love to be licked by Mr. Elba, some might agree with Spellberg that all his extra tongue action is a deal breaker. 

pellberg writes:

I get it: people french in different ways. But you cannot — I repeat, CANNOT — tell me that I should be able to see your tongue before it makes it into someone else’s mouth. Elba goes tip-first (obviously I’m referring to the tip of his tongue) in each of his sex scenes in The Wire, practically all of which were with Brown’s Donette. Here’s Stringer grossly kissing Donnette in Season 2 Episode 3, “Hot Shots”:

Elba shows off his tongue once again in Season 3 Episode 4, “Amsterdam.” This time, String lands a little closer to Donette’s mouth, but there’s still an unsettling moment where his tongue leads the charge in their kiss, effectively negating anything sexy about the moment.

Meanwhile, this writer can’t help but think how lucky the actress was to have her mouth molested by Idris’ tongue.

pellberg ends her piece with: The verdict? Idris Elba may be the Sexiest Man Alive, but he’s still a gross kisser.

Source: https://www.eurweb.com/2018/11/idris-elba-may-be-the-sexiest-man-alive-but-for-some-hes-a-gross-kisser/

*Before the orange a-hole came along, the prior residents of the White House, both the president and the first lady, were expected to NOT say stuff that was “unpresidential.”

Fast forward to now as Michelle Obama isn’t the First Lady anymore. With that in mind during her visit to  Jimmy Kimmel Live, the late-night host gave her a stack of cards so she can finally say things she couldn’t say while in the White House and they are a collective hoot.

“I’ve never eaten a vegetable,” Obama read, even though we know that’s not true of the First Lady who launched the Let’s Move! health campaign.

Obama said so many other un-First-Lady like things, such as, “The whole 8 years we were in the White House, we used Laura Bush’s Netflix password.” The only one that seems to hold any truth is, “I’m not sure which one’s Sasha and which one’s Malia.”

“They agree,” she said of her kids. “They get so mad every time I mess their names up. I’m like, ‘Who are you?’ The game that Sasha plays with me is that, when we’re with a lot of people, she’ll call me, ‘Mom. Mom. Mom.’ I don’t hear her and she’s like, ‘Michelle. Michelle Obama.’”

Jimmy Kimmel capped off the segment with something many of us can relate to: he gave Obama a card that read, “Clooney is my freebie.” Accurate.

Source: https://www.eurweb.com/2018/11/jimmy-kimmel-gets-michelle-obama-to-say-crazy-stuff-she-couldnt-as-first-lady-watch/

*A Brooklyn lawmaker is on a mission to protect Black minors from false accusations made by racists who lack evidence to backup their claims.

Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte, who represents the 42nd District of New York has proposed a bill called “Jeremiah’s law” after a white woman called 911 on a 9-year-old boy and falsely accused him of groping her inside a Brooklyn convenience store.

The bill is named for Jeremiah Harvey, who made headlines last week after Teresa Klein, dubbed “Cornerstore Caroline” by social media, claimed he grabbed her buttocks.

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“It’s still hard because lately on my mind, like, I can’t think nothing but this,” Harvey told “Good Morning America” in an interview that aired last Friday morning. “I felt humiliated because of the way she was acting. I started to tear up.”

After watching the clip, Klein apologized and claimed she only called police because Harvey’s mom “was very aggressive” and had threatened her.

Harvey told “GMA” he cried that night out of fear that he or his mom would be taken away by police. When the family spoke out for the first time during a community meeting in Brooklyn, he tearful explained why he couldn’t forgive Klein. Days later, after viewing her on-camera apology, the kid had a change of heart.

Bicochette said Jeremiah’s Law will protect young children of color who are falsely accused.

“A situation like that with no camera, that boy, who could not even defend himself, would have probably been picked up and be detained in the juvenile system,” Bicochette said.

The bill would punish people like Klein who make false accusations about black youth without evidence.

“If it were not for the surveillance camera, Jeremiah who was with his mother, might have been arrested and detained in the Juvenile Court,” Bicochette says in her bill. “Ms. Klein’s behavior echoes an ugly past in our country’s history going back to the brutal torture and murder of Emmett Till. This provides a clear and tragic example of what can happen to children of color when they are presumed guilty by our society.”

Source: https://www.eurweb.com/2018/11/lawmaker-proposes-jeremiahs-law-to-protect-black-children-from-white-lies/

*Tennis champ Serena Williams graces the cover of GQ’s annual “Men of the Year” issue and in a feature for the magazine, she recalls her spar with the U.S. Open chair umpire at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York, where she lost to Naomi Osaka after an altercation that made international headlines.

Williams calls her experience at the U.S. Open a “trigger moment.” According to the publication, she feels remorseful about the incident with chair umpire Carlos Ramos, in which she argued with him about a second “coaching” code violation and demanded an apology.

“There are men out here that do a lot worse, but because I’m a woman, because I’m a woman, you’re going to take this away from me?” she told him after receiving a third violation for arguing.

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“I think a person can be a little bit more sensitive to anything in that moment,” Williams told GQ. “You know, it becomes a trigger moment. When you go through a really extreme ordeal not once, not twice, not three times, it becomes a trigger moment.”

Many on Twitter noted how differently the situation would have been handled if she were a man in the same situation disagreeing with a call.

“Especially a black woman,” Williams said in the GQ profile. “You do research on how black women, you know, in the workforce are, there’s literally papers about it, how black women are treated if they’re angry, as opposed to white women, white men, black men. It is bottom of the bottom of the totem pole.”

Media outlets cited some of those studies and compared the public reaction to Williams’ anger and Judge Brett Kavanaugh teary-eyed rage when he was up for U.S. Supreme Court nomination.

From GQ:

“Kavanaugh’s a white man,” Serena says, when asked about anger and who’s allowed to express it. “I’m a black woman. His limit is higher. My limit is way lower. And that’s where we stand right now in this world. And it’s a fact. It is literally a fact. If you don’t believe anything I say, just look at those two examples.”

Source: https://www.eurweb.com/2018/11/serena-williams-recalls-outburst-at-u-s-open-calls-it-a-trigger-moment/

*Tessa Thompson is currently making promo rounds for “Creed II” and speaking to Jimmy Kimmel this week, the 35-year-old beauty revealed what really happened during her chemistry test with Michael B Jordan for the first installment hit film back in 2015.

Thompson played Jordan’s love interest in “Creed,” which is both a spin-off and sequel in the “Rocky” film series, and the actress says there certainly was chemistry between she and the film’s star. So much so that Jordan was caught looking at her butt during their chemistry test ahead of production.

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“Apparently there’s a part of the footage where he’s caught looking at my butt,” she said, adding that she was already uncomfortable with the meeting prior to production, so the video footage made it “even more awkward.”

“Creed II” follows Adonis Creed training in order to defeat the son of Ivan Drago, the powerful athlete who killed his father in the ring more than 33 years prior.·

It’s scheduled for release on November 21.

Meanwhile, Tessa also currently has the starring role in the ‘Men In Black” spin-off “MIB” opposite Chris Hemsworth.

Earlier in the year, Thompson came out as bisexual following rumors and speculation that she’s dating singer Janelle Monáe.

“In my family, you can be anything you want to be. I’m attracted to men and also to women. If I bring a woman home, or a man, we don’t even have to have the discussion,” she told Porter magazine.  “Janelle and I love each other deeply. We’re so close, we vibrate on the same frequency. If people want to speculate about what we are, it doesn’t bother me.”

Source:https://www.eurweb.com/2018/11/tessa-thompson-says-she-caught-creed-star-michael-b-jordan-looking-at-my-butt-during-chemistry-test-watch/

*Unlike anything ever seen before, singer, songwriter and harpist, Tulani rocks out on the harp as she wails her bluesy, powerful voice while singing, dancing and moving across the stage.

Tulani, who has been mesmerizing audiences across the country, kicks off her “Unscripted” Tour and is bringing her “One Night Only” show to LA on December 1st at the Peppermint Club at 8pm (for more, scroll down for her LA show poster/promo).

Tulani has toured internationally with Lady Gaga and has opened up for Chaka Khan, CeeLo Green, Andra Day, Wyclef Jean, Jill Scott, Bobby Caldwell, Outkast, Erykah Badu and even George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic. This unique artist is blowing people away with music that is a blend of Pop, Funk and Soul and has been referred to as “New Century Groove.” Her sound is nostalgic and new, retro and fresh, fun and soulful. Her album “Unscripted” was released this summer and is receiving rave reviews.

Tulani has appeared on TV programs including: FOX, ABC and CBS. In print, she has been featured in Marie Claire Magazine, Sheen Magazine, and Rolling Out Magazine. Her radio coverage includes V103, Sirius XM, and MAJIC 107.5 fm.

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The Peppermint Club presents Tulani with Symphani Soto
Doors open at 8 pm.
General Admission: $15 advance tickets, $20 at the door.
Standing Room Only, Seating Upon Availability
VIP Table Packages ($400) and Super VIP Table Packages ($800) Available (click ticket link for further details)

For larger groups of 10+, please contact info@peppermintclub.com for pricing
21+. Please bring ID. Proper Dress Required

Link to get advance tickets is:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tulani-with-symphani-soto-at-the-peppermint-club-tickets-49394890447?fbclid=IwAR2m6cdLo7moiSGMhq_Gg2qe5dSl98rQeTxfQVEI3a5lt0qeJXQQkCFQjcY

Below are links to her sizzle reel/performances, a performance review, music and social media.

Link to Sizzle Reel/Performances:
https://youtu.be/KI5JdQrxGew

Link to Website:
http://www.tulanionline.com/

Link to Music:
https://www.soundcloud.com/iamtulani

Link to Review:
http://rollingout.com/2016/09/11/tulanis-performance-one-musicfest-described-epic/#1

Social Media:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/iamtulani
Twitter: www.twitter.com/iamtulani
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamtulani/

Source: https://www.eurweb.com/2018/11/funky-harpist-singer-tulani-brings-innovative-show-to-las-peppermint-club-dec-1/

*The Starry comedy awards were set to honor the Black star power of folks such as Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Nick Cannon and Tracy Morgan. But the day the event was planned to go down, it was canceled.

Luenell was meant to MC the second-annual LOL Comedy Honors show, which was slated to take place Thursday at Gotham Hall. But as reported by Page Six, on the day of, organizers posted on Instagram: “Due to circumstances beyond our control, we must regrettably postpone the event.”

The event’s creator, Marsha Taylor, posted online, “Unfortunately, after over a year of hard work, all of the pieces, in the final hours, did not come together,” and, “I fought like hell to make it happen.”

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Taylor told Page Six that she revealed the bad news at an intimate get-to-know-you dinner the night before and a subsequent statement said, “We are . . . working overtime to ensure success. Dates in April/May are being considered so that the event won’t conflict with any holidays and the weather won’t be terribly cold.”

Taylor also shared: “It looked like a really big, grand production, but in truth, it’s just me . . . I did not expect it to get so big so quickly.”

The lack of sponsorship reportedly played a part in the cancellation, as “commitments don’t always come through.”

One commenter said online, “I actually flew in from Cleveland . . . to volunteer for this event and got a hotel room!” Another added, “How does this happen the day of the event . . . This is absolutely ridiculous!”

Others came to the defense of Taylor, such as Comic Nikki Carr, who posted, “We’ll be commending you for not giving up.”

An after-party reportedly still went down and said a source, “The only thing that was missing was the event itself.”

Taylor said: “refunds, we are working on processing.”

Source: https://www.eurweb.com/2018/11/lol-comedy-honors-cancelled-at-last-minute/

*Tennis champ Serena Williams graces the cover of GQ’s annual “Men of the Year” issue and in a feature for the magazine, she recalls her spar with the U.S. Open chair umpire at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York, where she lost to Naomi Osaka after an altercation that made international headlines.

Williams calls her experience at the U.S. Open a “trigger moment.” According to the publication, she feels remorseful about the incident with chair umpire Carlos Ramos, in which she argued with him about a second “coaching” code violation and demanded an apology.

“There are men out here that do a lot worse, but because I’m a woman, because I’m a woman, you’re going to take this away from me?” she told him after receiving a third violation for arguing.

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“I think a person can be a little bit more sensitive to anything in that moment,” Williams told GQ. “You know, it becomes a trigger moment. When you go through a really extreme ordeal not once, not twice, not three times, it becomes a trigger moment.”

Many on Twitter noted how differently the situation would have been handled if she were a man in the same situation disagreeing with a call.

“Especially a black woman,” Williams said in the GQ profile. “You do research on how black women, you know, in the workforce are, there’s literally papers about it, how black women are treated if they’re angry, as opposed to white women, white men, black men. It is bottom of the bottom of the totem pole.”

Media outlets cited some of those studies and compared the public reaction to Williams’ anger and Judge Brett Kavanaugh teary-eyed rage when he was up for U.S. Supreme Court nomination.

From GQ:

“Kavanaugh’s a white man,” Serena says, when asked about anger and who’s allowed to express it. “I’m a black woman. His limit is higher. My limit is way lower. And that’s where we stand right now in this world. And it’s a fact. It is literally a fact. If you don’t believe anything I say, just look at those two examples.”

*Tessa Thompson is currently making promo rounds for “Creed II” and speaking to Jimmy Kimmel this week, the 35-year-old beauty revealed what really happened during her chemistry test with Michael B Jordan for the first installment hit film back in 2015.

Thompson played Jordan’s love interest in “Creed,” which is both a spin-off and sequel in the “Rocky” film series, and the actress says there certainly was chemistry between she and the film’s star. So much so that Jordan was caught looking at her butt during their chemistry test ahead of production.

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“Apparently there’s a part of the footage where he’s caught looking at my butt,” she said, adding that she was already uncomfortable with the meeting prior to production, so the video footage made it “even more awkward.”

“Creed II” follows Adonis Creed training in order to defeat the son of Ivan Drago, the powerful athlete who killed his father in the ring more than 33 years prior.·

It’s scheduled for release on November 21.

Meanwhile, Tessa also currently has the starring role in the ‘Men In Black” spin-off “MIB” opposite Chris Hemsworth.

Earlier in the year, Thompson came out as bisexual following rumors and speculation that she’s dating singer Janelle Monáe.

“In my family, you can be anything you want to be. I’m attracted to men and also to women. If I bring a woman home, or a man, we don’t even have to have the discussion,” she told Porter magazine.  “Janelle and I love each other deeply. We’re so close, we vibrate on the same frequency. If people want to speculate about what we are, it doesn’t bother me.”

*Unlike anything ever seen before, singer, songwriter and harpist, Tulani rocks out on the harp as she wails her bluesy, powerful voice while singing, dancing and moving across the stage.

Tulani, who has been mesmerizing audiences across the country, kicks off her “Unscripted” Tour and is bringing her “One Night Only” show to LA on December 1st at the Peppermint Club at 8pm (for more, scroll down for her LA show poster/promo).

Tulani has toured internationally with Lady Gaga and has opened up for Chaka Khan, CeeLo Green, Andra Day, Wyclef Jean, Jill Scott, Bobby Caldwell, Outkast, Erykah Badu and even George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic. This unique artist is blowing people away with music that is a blend of Pop, Funk and Soul and has been referred to as “New Century Groove.” Her sound is nostalgic and new, retro and fresh, fun and soulful. Her album “Unscripted” was released this summer and is receiving rave reviews.

Tulani has appeared on TV programs including: FOX, ABC and CBS. In print, she has been featured in Marie Claire Magazine, Sheen Magazine, and Rolling Out Magazine. Her radio coverage includes V103, Sirius XM, and MAJIC 107.5 fm.

MORE NEWS: SEAN COMBS FINALLY SPEAKS ON DEATH OF KIM PORTER: ‘WE WERE MORE THAN SOULMATES’

The Peppermint Club presents Tulani with Symphani Soto
Doors open at 8 pm.
General Admission: $15 advance tickets, $20 at the door.
Standing Room Only, Seating Upon Availability
VIP Table Packages ($400) and Super VIP Table Packages ($800) Available (click ticket link for further details)

For larger groups of 10+, please contact info@peppermintclub.com for pricing
21+. Please bring ID. Proper Dress Required

Link to get advance tickets is:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tulani-with-symphani-soto-at-the-peppermint-club-tickets-49394890447?fbclid=IwAR2m6cdLo7moiSGMhq_Gg2qe5dSl98rQeTxfQVEI3a5lt0qeJXQQkCFQjcY

Below are links to her sizzle reel/performances, a performance review, music and social media.

Link to Sizzle Reel/Performances:
https://youtu.be/KI5JdQrxGew

Link to Website:
http://www.tulanionline.com/

Link to Music:
https://www.soundcloud.com/iamtulani

Link to Review:
http://rollingout.com/2016/09/11/tulanis-performance-one-musicfest-described-epic/#1

Social Media:
Instagram: www.instagram.com/iamtulani
Twitter: www.twitter.com/iamtulani
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamtulani/

*The Starry comedy awards were set to honor the Black star power of folks such as Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Nick Cannon and Tracy Morgan. But the day the event was planned to go down, it was canceled.

Luenell was meant to MC the second-annual LOL Comedy Honors show, which was slated to take place Thursday at Gotham Hall. But as reported by Page Six, on the day of, organizers posted on Instagram: “Due to circumstances beyond our control, we must regrettably postpone the event.”

The event’s creator, Marsha Taylor, posted online, “Unfortunately, after over a year of hard work, all of the pieces, in the final hours, did not come together,” and, “I fought like hell to make it happen.”

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Taylor told Page Six that she revealed the bad news at an intimate get-to-know-you dinner the night before and a subsequent statement said, “We are . . . working overtime to ensure success. Dates in April/May are being considered so that the event won’t conflict with any holidays and the weather won’t be terribly cold.”

Taylor also shared: “It looked like a really big, grand production, but in truth, it’s just me . . . I did not expect it to get so big so quickly.”

The lack of sponsorship reportedly played a part in the cancellation, as “commitments don’t always come through.”

One commenter said online, “I actually flew in from Cleveland . . . to volunteer for this event and got a hotel room!” Another added, “How does this happen the day of the event . . . This is absolutely ridiculous!”

Others came to the defense of Taylor, such as Comic Nikki Carr, who posted, “We’ll be commending you for not giving up.”

An after-party reportedly still went down and said a source, “The only thing that was missing was the event itself.”

Taylor said: “refunds, we are working on processing.”

*At least 1000 members of Delta Sigma Theta sorority held a separate memorial ceremony for soror Aretha Franklin during her public viewing Tuesday at Detroit’s Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

Per sorority tradition, the ladies took part in an Omega Omega ceremony, which lasted nearly an hour and is traditionally performed for any member before her funeral. Standing in a semicircle surrounding Franklin’s family, the women filed in for nearly 10 minutes wearing black dresses, pearl necklaces, and corsages of African violets, the sorority’s official flower.

“She loved Delta and its ideals … she looked for the best in others. Her life was an inspiration,” said U.S. House Rep. Brenda Lawrence, a member of the sorority who was elected the first black mayor of Southfield, Michigan, in 2001.

Sorors saluted Franklin with words, scripture and songs, including the Delta Prayer, which filled the rotunda as Franklin’s sisters serenaded her in unison, notes The Associated Press.

Watch below:

Franklin was inducted as an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta in 1992.

Source: https://www.eurweb.com/2018/08/delta-sigma-theta-members-mourn-soror-aretha-franklin-in-omega-omega-service-watch/

*At least 1000 members of Delta Sigma Theta sorority held a separate memorial ceremony for soror Aretha Franklin during her public viewing Tuesday at Detroit’s Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

Per sorority tradition, the ladies took part in an Omega Omega ceremony, which lasted nearly an hour and is traditionally performed for any member before her funeral. Standing in a semicircle surrounding Franklin’s family, the women filed in for nearly 10 minutes wearing black dresses, pearl necklaces, and corsages of African violets, the sorority’s official flower.

“She loved Delta and its ideals … she looked for the best in others. Her life was an inspiration,” said U.S. House Rep. Brenda Lawrence, a member of the sorority who was elected the first black mayor of Southfield, Michigan, in 2001.

Sorors saluted Franklin with words, scripture and songs, including the Delta Prayer, which filled the rotunda as Franklin’s sisters serenaded her in unison, notes The Associated Press.

Watch below:

Franklin was inducted as an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta in 1992.

Source: https://www.eurweb.com/2018/08/delta-sigma-theta-members-mourn-soror-aretha-franklin-in-omega-omega-service-watch/

*Wendell Pierce says he gave his former “Suits” co-star Meghan Markle some advice before she officially became the Duchess of Sussex.

The actor, who played Markle’s dad on the USA series, told British newspaper The Daily Telegraph about a moment he shared with her while they prepared to shoot her TV wedding.

Explaining he could see her relationship with Prince Harry was getting serious, he reassured his on-screen daughter that she could call him “if the fishbowl ever starts getting to you.”

“We had a moment I cherish,” he told the paper. “I was sitting with Meghan in her wedding dress, as we waited for a set-up. We were alone. I said to her, ‘Your life is going to change. It’s going to be amazing and I’m very happy for you but I want you to know that I’m your friend, and no matter where you are or what’s going on – if the fishbowl that you’re in ever starts getting to you – you can call me’.”

During the interview, Wendell also weighed in on the antics of Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, who gave a tell-all interview to TV show “Good Morning Britain” in June.

“If you care about Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, then that should be first and foremost in your mind before you say anything,” he sighed. “If you love your daughter, just love your daughter. It’s not for public consumption.”

While the 54-year-old, who will next be seen in Amazon’s “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” didn’t attend the royal wedding, he admitted tearing up during the ceremony while watching from home.

“I got into the details,” he smiled. “Meghan’s veil embroidered with flowers representing all the countries of the Commonwealth – that was cool. And, yeah, I shed a tear. It was a beautiful wedding, with a wonderful amalgam of cultures on a beautiful day.”

Source: https://www.eurweb.com/2018/08/wendell-pierce-told-meghan-markle-to-call-him-if-the-fishbowl-got-too-much/

*TLC’s former manager Perri “Pebbles” Reid filed a defamation lawsuit against Viacom in 2014, claiming VH1’s 2013 TLC biopic “CrazySexyCool” portrayed her as a “conniving and dishonest businesswoman” who exploited the group for her own personal gain.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the case was set to go to trial September 24, but now is closed, as both parties have reached a settlement in the $40 million defamation case.

The exact terms of the settlement were not revealed.

As noted by The Muse, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozanda “Chilli” Thomas cooperated with the filmmakers in the dramatized portrayal of their rise to fame; this helped convince the judge of the possibility of bias, as alleged by Pebbles’s complaint.

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Viacom attempted to get the case dismissed but the court did allow the former singer to sue over “scenes where she was shown pressuring the group’s members to sign contracts without sufficient time, for scenes showing Reid exerting control over lawyers for the group’s members, for scenes that conveyed the idea that Reid improperly deducted expenses and only paid TLC $25 a week, and for a scene conveying that it was Reid’s decision to remove Chilli from TLC,” according to THR.

TLC was formed by Pebbles in 1991, and details of their deal with her production company, Pebbitone, were detailed in an episode of VH1’s “Behind the Music,” which alleged that the group owed the label approximately $500,000 when it filed for bankruptcy in 1995.

“The deal that we signed with Pebbles, it wasn’t a good or a bad deal,” Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes explained in the doc. “It’s the type of deal that new artists get. The bad thing about the deal was that Pebbles had us signed to so many deals. She just had her fingers in the pot all across the board.”

In a 2013 interview on The Wendy Williams Show, Pebbles was asked if she made TLC buy their name back from her for $1 million per letter, she refused to go into detail, citing a confidentiality agreement, but stated: “It was my name, not theirs. I created that name.”

Source: https://www.eurweb.com/2018/08/pebbles-reid-and-viacom-settle-defamation-suit-over-vh1s-tlc-biopic/

*A mystery has surrounded the tragic case of Emmett Till for more than six decades and it centers on a photo of his white classmates, particularly a white girl, who Till joked was his “girlfriend” when he visited Mississippi back in 1955.

Sixty-three years later, that girl, Joan Brody, is telling her story publicly for the first time.

Till, 14, was abducted Aug. 28, 1955, and murdered after supposedly whistling at a white woman, Carolyn Bryant, in a grocery store in Money, Mississippi.

J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant were acquitted in his murder but later confessed in a 1956 Look magazine story by journalist William Bradford Huie, USA Today noted.

Till’s murderers “killed him because he boasted of having a white girl and showed them the picture of a white girl in Chicago,” Huie told filmmakers for the 1987 documentary  “Eyes on the Prize.”

OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: Delta Sigma Theta Members Mourn Soror Aretha Franklin in ‘Omega Omega Service’ (Watch)

In the doc, Till’s cousin Curtis Jones mentioned that Till had a “picture of some white kids that he had graduated from elementary school with … female and male.”

The girl in the photo has long been an enigma… but now, 63 years later, she has been identified as Joan Brody, who gave her first interview to the Clarion-Ledger about her relationship with Till.

The documentary’s producer, Henry Hampton, told NPR that Till showed this school photo to his folks in Mississippi, pointing to a white girl and saying she was “his girlfriend. In fact, it was his classmate.”

Upon hearing the audio interview, Brody said, “That had to be me.”

She was the only white girl in Till’s class.

“He had beautiful eyes,” she recalled while confirming that the two had quite the friendly relationship. It was at their graduation where the photo was apparently taken, but Brody said, “I had no interest in it.”

She never saw Till again…but would eventually learn about the circumstances surrounding his tragic death.

“He wasn’t a smart-alecky kid,” she said. “He wasn’t a person to smart off to a white woman or any woman.”

Source: https://www.eurweb.com/2018/08/emmett-till-reportedly-had-a-white-girlfriend-and-shes-speaking-out-for-the-first-time-watch/

“Last year was the first time I had a summer off, so I didn’t shave. I grew a beard out,” he shared. “But last year there wasn’t enough grey in the mustache yet. It looked like I had stuff in it. So I had to wait another year.”

He continued: “This year, when I didn’t color it, it was a lot more grey so I’m flipping the script. I’m gonna see how the beard game go… I’m gonna just do something different. I’m gonna stay fly till I die.”

On whether or not he continues to sport the beard… 

“I might keep it, I might not, I don’t know, man. It’s really up to the wife,” Harvey said, referring to his wife of seven years, Marjorie. “The woman you sleepin’ with determines what you do.”

And right now, he’s staying busy by hosting “Celebrity Family Feud” and serving as host and producer on “Little Big Shots.”

“I get the same 24 hours that everybody else get, God don’t give no more hours, but I pack ’em in, man,” Harvey explained. “I care about every minute of the day. You’ll be successful if you get control of your time.”

He added: “If you take every minute of the day and monitor every single minute of the day, you’d be stunned at what you can accomplish. But you gotta cut the BS out of your life. You can’t be at the club every time it open, you can’t make all the happy hours.”

The new season of “Steve” premieres Sept. 4 on NBC.

Source: https://www.eurweb.com/2018/08/steve-harvey-is-flipping-the-script-on-the-beard-game-watch/