T here is power that lies in the cultural influence of barbershops; especially within the Black community. These establishments have become far more than places where folks come to get their haircut; they’ve evolved into safe spaces where everything from political and social issues to health are discussed. A group of students from Hampton University is tapping into the impact of Black barbershops by utilizing them as an avenue to spread awareness about cancer prevention within the African American community, Southside Daily reported. Nursing professor pilots black men’s health screening program in a Hampton barbershop https://t.co/JASIj7V18s — Daily Press (@Daily_Press) October 18, 2019 The HBCU students teamed up with Hampton University nursing professor Jonathan Romero to launch an initiative called the “Barbershop Outreach Project” which was designed to address the disproportionate survival rates amongst men after they are diagnosed with cancer. Romero and the students—who are all pursuing nursing and pre-med degrees—teamed up with the Hampton-based barbershop BK’s Barbershop to provide health screenings for Black men. The project was created to cultivate a stronger relationship between Black men and the health system and to insert the importance of health screenings into barbershop conversations. “We set up right at the side of the building and we just asked ‘would you be interested in talking to us about your health?’” Romero told the news outlet. “Machismo or masculinity stubbornness will kill you in our community and has killed people in our community. People don’t seek out care so others won’t think they’re weak.” He hopes that Hampton University will be the leading force of change when it comes to Black health in the local community. As far as what’s on the horizon for the Barbershop Outreach Project, the organizers are planning to host more health-focused events at other barbershops. Black barbershops have become vessels for social change on many fronts. Through his program Barbershop Books , entrepreneur Alvin Irby is bringing literature to barbershops across the country to inspire young African American boys to read. SEE ALSO: ‘You Next’ Project Illustrates The Impact And Influence Of Black Barbershops Barbershop Books Empowers Black Boys To Read [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3892124″ overlay=”true”]
Source: Sasha Nialla / Courtesy of NABU We all know that reading is fundamental; however, it’s also important for children to see themselves in the stories that they read. In 2017, only 7% of children’s books were published by Black, LatinX or indigenous authors. As we move towards a more diverse population, the lack of representation across the diaspora in books is appalling. Non-profit organization NABU saw this inconsistency and decided to help close the diversity gap with NABU Publishing. Source: NABU Team Photo / Courtesy of NABU NABU Publishing is founded by Taniya Benedict, Tanyella Evans, and Isabel Shein. Together these women are making sure that reading is not only accessible but also representative of marginalized communities. Benedict who is the Director of Global Operations and Programs shared, “The significance of seeing one’s reality in a storybook, should not be taken lightly. When you grow up reading in your mother-tongue, and actively seeing yourself represented in illustrations, you develop self-confidence that is unbound and powerful. You begin to believe that you are the creator of your own destiny, and this intrinsic belief ultimately leads to self-actualization.” Currently, only 13% of children’s books published in the US in the last 25 years contain any kind of multicultural content. NABU publishing is actively changing this. The publishing company was birthed when the co-creators of NABU realized how much talent was in Haiti and Rwanda. They created a network of authors and illustrators who are creating engaging children’s stories for their respective local markets (and in their local languages) to help increase and encourage literacy amongst children. NABU Publishing is helping to take this a step further by translating the stories into bilingual English editions for the US children’s book market. This is incredible for second generation children and parents who want to make sure their children have diverse books or books with characters represented from their home country. Source: NABU Book / Courtesy of NABU Every month, they will be releasing two new children’s books from up and coming authors and illustrators. To launch their program, today, on International Day Of The Girl, NABU Publishing chose two stories from their Haitian collection: Princess Maniya and Lila Plays Soccer. The books feature the original Haitian Creole and English translation side by side and strong girl protagonists. What a way to promote and encourage bilingual behavior amongst children! Given that NABU is a non-profit, the proceed from the books will fund NABU’s early childhood literacy work in Haiti as well as enable them to commission more creatives to create books in their language. Source: NABU Book / Courtesy of NABU The organization is even going a step further by utilizing a one-to-one model. For each book that is sold, NABU will give a free digital copy to children in Haiti who are reading on tablets and smartphones. If you look on the back of each book, you’ll find a QR code and readers can see a live tracking of how many pages children in the NABU programs have read! So cool. There are over 7,000 languages spoken in the world today and almost half of them are in danger of extinction. For Black communities, story telling has often been a way of passing down traditions, history and more. This is the direct way that culture survives. By creating NABU Publishing, the organization is encouraging the preservation of languages, traditions, and overall culture so that the next generation can benefit and thrive. While your children may have access to books, there are many that do not. Purchase a copy for your child here and a digital copy will be sent to a child in Haiti. If you want to go a step further, you can donate $50.00 to NABU and it gives one child and their family access to reading materials in their mother tongue. If $50.00 is too much at the moment, you can donate $7.00 a month (that’s less than your Spotify subscription), which will give one hour of reading a day for a child. Click here to donate . We love organizations that support young Black girls to see themselves, their strength, and their potential. Learning fundamental life skills and resilience through reading is an easy way to build our next doctors, lawyers, engineers, CEO’s and Presidents. You can find out more information at www.nabu.org . DON’T MISS: Artist Lawrence Lindell’s Love Letter To Women Of Color, ‘From Black Boy With Love’ This 6th Grade Class Turned Themselves Into Iconic Book Covers For Black History Month Michelle Obama’s Memoir Has Officially Become 2018’s Best-Selling Book [ione_media_gallery src=”https://hellobeautiful.com” id=”2958408″ overlay=”true”]
Source: Shutter King Images @shutterkingimages / Shutter King Images @shutterkingimages Dee “lilD” Porter ‘s New Book “Route 2” Is Out Oct. 10 Her infectious voice has entertained scores of listeners over the years. But 97.9 The Beat’s Dee “lilD” Porter’s rise to fame on the radio airwaves was anything but smooth. The Dallas, TX radio personality, who endured poverty and homelessness in her quest for success on the air, has written about her struggle to succeed on the radio in her new memoir, “Route 2,” which is out this week. In it, the Louisiana native and self-proclaimed “Mouth of the South” recalls the three months she spent homeless and working two jobs in order to break into radio. The book, out Oct. 10, includes a forward from “The Breakfast Club” host Charlemagne Tha God and chronicles her grinding for low wages, going hungry and struggling to fill her car with gas for the two hour trip for her part-time radio gig. lilD said she promised herself that if she made it, she would write about her experience to help others. Source: Shutter King Images @shutterkingimages / Shutter King Images @shutterkingimages “It was a Wednesday and I was sitting in that motel room,” lilD recalled in a recent interview with BOSSIP. “I knew I wasn’t going to eat until Friday, and I thought if I make it through this…I realized that so many people are going through a struggle right now. I want them to know that this isn’t the end of the road, it’s the beginning.” lilD said she hopes the book will show readers the real deal about breaking into the radio industry while illustrating that people coming into it can be successful if they are willing to work hard and stick it out. “I want people to get a realistic vibe,” she said. “This industry is very tough. You don’t just come in one day, be a jock and make $80,000.” But “I want them to understand that if you believe in yourself, the risk will pay off.” She also hopes that “Route 2” will help counter the stigma around homelessness. “Your co-workers could be homeless, because I was and nobody knew,” lilD said. “Homelessness isn’t just that you chose to smoke your rent away. Homelessness has a face and it was my face at some point…You never know what’s going on.”
Source: Power / Starz P reviously on Power , Riq got in way over his head with Vincent thinking he can hoodwink and bamboozle the seasoned gangster. He learned quickly that Vincent isn’t the one to play with and got his ass kidnapped. This happened immediately after he delivered Proctor’s daughter to her Uncle Benny’s house. Speaking of Proctor, we lost a real one last week. With some help from annoying “nephew” Tommy shows up at the penthouse, guns blazing…literally. After wasting a ridiculous amount of ammo, he finally catches up with Ghost’s favorite attorney and kills him. Riq’s “Kidnapping” Isn’t What It Seems To Be Source: Power / Starz A s mentioned in the brief recap above, Riq’s failed attempt at being a hustler got himself kidnapped by Vincent. The episode picks right back up at Coney Island, but we learn quickly that this situation isn’t what it seems. Riq is using his kidnapping to basically extort his dad and Uncle Tommy. He thinks it will help pay back the money he owes to Vincent and get a 50/50 cut in the process. What he doesn’t know is Vincent doesn’t plan on paying him a damn cent and will kill all of them in the process. Meanwhile, Ghost and Tommy are now scrambling to get enough product together to so they can get the $2 million that Vincent is requesting in exchange for Riq’s life. After a bit of a squabble, the two finally decide to put their minds together to formulate a plan that will help secure that incredible amount of money. Tommy agrees to acquire an insane amount of product to push, and Ghost will use his connections to help pay for it. Ghost runs to Rashad Tate to ask him for a cool $1 million out of his campaign funs, and Tate hit him with the “n**** what?” Tate can’t stand Ghost’s ass, but unfortunately for him, the ever so slick former drug dealer has some dirt on him, so he has no choice but to give James the money. Ghost promises to hand over the recording to Tate and return the money in 24 hours. Tommy is handling business on his end and secures the ridiculous amount of drugs from Jason. Of course, Tommy’s drug connect is very curious as to why his distro needs so much weight. Tommy manages to quell Jason’s curiosity by basically telling him hey you got your money, now mind your business. While Ghost and Tommy are getting their plan together, Riq and Vincent are making sure their “kidnapping” is going down without a hitch. Vincent runs up on Tasha to break the bad news to her just to see if she knew anything about what was going down. Like Riq explained to his “kidnapper,” he was well aware Ghost would have not told his mother, and he was correct. After finding out what is going on, Tasha runs straight to Tommy’s crib to voice her frustration with Ghost. She learns that Ghost is now unwillingly back in the drug game and demands to help and offers to clean money through her daycare and help with the books. That’s all good, BUT Keisha who just became hip to drug game is not onboard with the idea. How are you gonna tell Tasha she can’t help get her own son back though? Source: Power / Starz Anyway, Tommy gets Holly 2.0 to calm down and accept the fact she is not in control of the decisions around the matter, and now everything is set. Tommy manages to get 2-Bit and Spank onboard with the plan to help move the product after Black Grimace shows he is down for the cause. Ghost recruits Dre by convincing the worried goon he’ll help find his daughter with some help from Tate plus in the process will help him become Jason’s new distro. Ghost still doesn’t trust Dre and reveals to him that he will be working with Alfonse to help him move the drugs. The plan goes off without a hitch, and they manage to get the money, and now it’s time to pay Vincent and get Riq back. Jason Is Right On Time To Ruin Everything Source: Power / Starz O n this show, you should have already known that nothing goes as plan. On the way to the drop off the money, Ghost and Tommy are ambushed by Jason and his crew. It would appear that Jason was watching them move the entire time, and he is not happy to learn of himself being out of the loop. To make up for the money the two former friends owe him, he decides to take half of the $2 million ransom request much to the dismay of Tommy and Ghost. Knowing they dodged a severe bullet, Ghost and Tommy are now $1 million in the hole and don’t know what to do. The only logical thing they can think of is to go to Vincent with what they have and explain to him what happened. If you said to yourself that idea wasn’t going to work, then you were 100% correct. Vincent did not care and to let them know he wasn’t playing whooped Riq’s ass with a sack of oranges. Secretly we were here for it, but Ghost wasn’t, and we understand, who wants to see their son get brutalized with fruit? After Vincent goes ham ono Riq’s stomach, he tells Ghost and Tommy they got another 24 hours to get the rest of the money or Riq is dead. Jason isn’t their only problem, the feds led by Blanca and her terrible fake Rosie Perez detective voice trying to get to the bottom of Proctors murder. The whole incident seemed quite fishy to them with the backdoor being left open and no sign of forced entry. They want to question Riq about Proctor’s murder, but unfortunately, he’s currently being held “hostage” at the moment and can’t talk to anyone. Tasha To The Rescue Source: Power / Starz G host and Tommy return to Keisha and Tasha with the bad news about the drop. All hope seems lost, but Tasha comes through in the clutch. Now granted it only happened because Keisha opened her big mouth about Tasha’s side hustle at the daycare, leaving her no choice but to spill the beans. Ghost is livid at first to find out that Tasha has been hustling without his knowledge and wants to meet her connect. She, of course, says no but after some convincing from Tommy, he gets down with the plan. Keisha then points out that they need a plan B and Tasha then comes up with another idea, they should hit club Truth. The plan is to rob all the rich folks who in the building for the fundraiser event for Tate. Ghost with the help of his potential new replacement for Angela, Romana came up with the idea to help Tate raise cash. James thinks it’s a good idea and Tommy recruits 2-Bit, Spank, Black Grimace while Ghost adds Alfonse to the mix. Tasha also suggests that it would be a good idea that Ghost tells Vincent that he needs to allow Riq to talk to the cops, Ghost agrees because he knows Vincent wouldn’t want the heat surrounding him during this extortion scheme. Vincent agrees to let Riq meet with Blanca and the detective on the case. Can we add how terrible both of them are at playing cops? Anyway, Riq puts on his scared young teen act telling them he left to get some hot chocolate, and the only reason he went through the back door was to avoid a “racist neighbor.” He sealed his story with the ultimate kiss by claiming how tired he was of seeing people die and that he was sorry to hear about Proctor’s death and as far as we know both detectives ate it up. Once outside Tasha pulls her son to the side to ask him why did he make up such a bullshit story and he explains that he knows that Vincent is going to kill them all after he gets the money. When Tasha touches his stomach area, he winces in pain, and she discovers the bruises from Vincent beating him with the oranges. Source: Power / Starz Before the plan to rob Truth goes into effect, Ghost links up with Uncle Benny to speak with him in person about Proctor’s death and extend his condolences. He also wanted to share some information on who could have done it mentioning the name his now-former attorney said to him the last time he spoke with him. Benny is grateful for the tip and promises to repay Ghost if he needs anything. Ghost decides to call in that favor now asking for some help from Benny’s men. Run The Jewels Source: Power / Starz I t’s time for the big heist. Everyone is playing their part, Dre is moving the new product Tasha supplied through the club while her stripper accomplice from last week is making good on her end at the strip club. Tate approached Ghost about the money and revealed to him that somehow someway the all of it was returned when the accountants checked the books. While everyone was sipping on expensive champagne and hob-knobbing, they had no idea they were about to be jacked by 2-Bit, Spank, Black Grimace, and Alfonse. Dre who doesn’t know about the plan sees his former associates 2-Bit and Spank puts on his best confused but scared look. 2-Bit who was tasked to kill Dre before spots him and decides this would be a good time finish the job he started. Dre somehow manages to slip, and 2-Bit goes back to the matters at hand. Once they are all dressed up in the heist drip, they bust in the party demanding everyone to give up their jewelry and money. They quickly relieve everyone of their possessions and 2-Bit, Spank and Black Grimace leave. Alfonse for whatever reason decides to be extra and bother Ramona. Tate immediately recognizes Alfonse and tells James. Ghost recognizing that this could mess up the plan gives Tate his gun and decides to try and convince Alfonse to just leave. For whatever reason, Alfonse decides nah and hits Ghost in the stomach with his shotgun, Tate being a former police officer shoots and kills Alfonse. Source: Power / Starz After the dust settled, Tate now looks like a crime-fighting hero, the money he stole is insured so it will still come back. Ramona is pleased with all that goes down; you can tell she wants to give Ghost the business for what just went down. Source: Power / Starz Could she also be onto Ghost as well? Time will only tell. Ghost Knows Tommy’s Dirty Little Secret Source: Power / Starz W ith all the money secured, it’s time for the drop off part 2. Ghost and Tommy arrived with the cash and one of Vincent’s men they kidnapped as bonus insurance. Vincent and his cronies come with Riq, Tommy drops off the money, and the exchange is made. Vincent immediately shows his hand revealing his plot to kill all of them. Ghost came prepared, and signals for Benny and his crew to show up. The two mobsters know each other and Benny tells Vincent that since Riq kept his niece safe during her father’s murder, he is protected for life. If he kills Riq or anyone associated with him, there will be an all-out war between the two families. Vincent decides to take his money and back off. Source: Power / Starz While thanking Benny for his services, Ghost notices Tommy’s reaction towards him, while Tommy notices that Benny only did what he did because Ghost told him who Proctor’s killer was. After Benny leaves, the two former friends and business partners have one last moment together before parting ways. While at Source: Power / Starz Tasha’s new digs, Ghost has an epiphany and realizes that Tommy killed his attorney and Riq helped him do it. Meanwhile, Tommy knows that Ghost is well aware that he killed Proctor. Keisha pledges her allegiance to Tommy vowing to kill anyone who tries to hurt her man (yeah right). Tommy tells her to chill he got this, and the war between the two of them is back on. Well so much for that truce. [ione_media_gallery src=”https://cassiuslife.com” id=”96691″ overlay=”true”] Photos: Power / Starz
S torytelling has long since been a rich tradition in the Black community. From the folktales shared by ancestors that have been passed down for generations to the new generation of musicians, poets, and writers, who are capturing their experiences through their artistry; oral traditions within Black culture have been instrumental in the preservation of our narratives. Entrepreneur Mike Coles is on a mission to elevate the storytelling experience, build community and preserve legacies through his app Choose Your Reader . For Coles—a lawyer, screenwriter, and author who was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio—books were often used as an escape. He grew up in a town that was segregated and as a result was bussed to a school on the other side of town during his grade school years. He says that experience forced him to level up and sparked a passion for education. It was during this time in his life where Coles fell in love with reading and storytelling. Amongst some of the earliest books he read—which were given to him by his mother who earned a master’s degree in child psychology—were the Big Red series penned by author Jim Kjelgaard and the books The Call of the Wild and White Fang by Jack London . During his teenage years, he started reading comic books and collected hundreds of them. Fast forward decades later and the passion for stories is something that has been passed down to his son. One evening, while getting his son ready for bed the 3-year-old child asked that Coles tell him a story. While Coles was headed to the bookshelf to grab a book, his son told him that he wanted him to make the story up off the top of his head. His son shared three things that he wanted to be included in the story—a baseball, softball, and golf ball. Coles’ improvisational skills led to the creation of a compelling story; so compelling that his son wanted the same story repeated the following three nights. Then his son began to ask that he add other elements to the story including illustrations. While struggling to find content to bring the story to life, Coles discovered there was a need for apps that featured stories which merged engaging narratives with good illustrations. He then developed the concept for Choose Your Reader in 2016 and decided to move forward with bringing the app to fruition. Choose Your Reader gives individuals the ability to create and voice record stories to share with the children in their lives. Coles started out with the stories that he created for his son and now there are a total of 20 stories on the app; half a dozen of which are in different languages. The app features stories in English, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, Arabic, and Hindi. Choose Your Reader was created to build a stronger sense of community. “People are becoming less connected and informed,” he told NewsOne. “Thinking about the legacy that individuals can leave behind, we can continue to build upon an oral tradition that is strong within the Black community. We have the ability to leverage the platform to create content and archive it for generations to come.” Source: Mike Coles For Coles, Choose Your Reader is also about bringing diverse narratives to the forefront. He plans on launching a section of the app that will highlight writers of color. Through the app, he’s also helping writers lower the cost of distributing and promoting their content. He says a lot of content creators of color are locked out of the publishing industry due to a flawed economic structure and he wants to change that narrative. Coles is also adamant about increasing the representation of Black protagonists in children’s stories. “Our stories have diversity and importance and are not monolithic. We tell the illustrators that diversity is important. We want to incorporate people of color into nursery rhymes and other stories that have been around for a long time. Nobody said what Little Jack Horner looked like, why can’t he be Black?” As for what’s on the horizon for Choose Your Reader, Coles says he wants to work with schools in underserved communities so they can aid teachers in cutting the costs for schoolbooks and sharing compelling content with students to spark their interest in different fields. The app will also have the capability to track the progression of a reader. He’s aiming to have 100 books available on the app by the end of the year. The app is free through December. SEE ALSO: Pharrell Williams Launches Music Education Program In Partnership With Verizon Family Of Authors To Launch Animated Travel Adventure Series [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3881733″ overlay=”true”]
Chicago Police have released an audio recording of the 911 call made on behalf of Jussie Smollett back in late January. The call was placed by Smollett’s manager, Frank Gatson … who reported that the Empire star had been the victim of a racist, homophobic assault after leaving a Subway restaurant in the Windy City. This, of course, is what Smollett has alleged the very beginning of this crazy saga. “I just need the police to come by. I work for an artist. I don’t really want to say his name,” Gatson tells a 911 dispatcher at 2:22 a.m., adding: “He states he went to Subway … and two guys – somebody jumped him or something like that. I just want to report it and make sure he’s alright.” A little odd, right? Gatson doesn’t sound especially panicked in the call, but he does sound as if he’s relaying the story that Smollett has spelled out for him. Gatson goes on to claim Smollett “was cool” and “didn’t want me to call you guys,” only for the operator to say that Smollett had to report the alleged crime himself, not Gatson. “He’s definitely gonna make the report. I’m gonna make him make the report,” Gatson says. He proceeds to talk about the “attackers” and how “they put a noose around his neck” and says the entire situation is “really f-cked up.” Police had said the 911 call was made 40 minutes after Smollett got back to his Chicago apartment. “I just think he’s startled. I’m scared and I don’t know what it is,” Gatson adds in the video below. “They put a noose around his neck. They didn’t do anything with it, but put it around his neck. That’s pretty f-cked up to me. Sorry for saying it like that.” Jussie Smollett 911 Call: Released! Again: HUH?!? This is a major reason why Smollett’s description of what transpired on the street that night many months ago has never really added up. He has alleged that he was beaten up by two white men who screamed about “MAGA Country” and who trashed him for being black and gay — and yet he had no wounds from the incident? A noose was simply placed gently around his neck? He didn’t need to be rushed to the hospital? Smollett was arrested several weeks after the supposed assault went down because police were convinced he falsified his official report. He was then cleared of all charges in late March and, to the total shock of many observers, set free. Many members of the Chicago police force, along with the city’a mayor, railed against this decision, however. “This is a whitewash of justice,” a visibly angry Rahm Emanuel told reporters after Smollett was released and cleared. He then laid hard into Smollett for allegedly lying about being the victim of a hate crime: “You have a person using hate crime laws that are on the books to protect people who are minorities from violence to then turn around and use those laws to advance your career and your financial reward. “Is there no decency in this man?” Smollett stands by his original story. He maintains that he was attacked for his race and his sexuality and has thanked the supporters who have stood by him this whole time, which includes a handful of Empire cast members. Does this mean Jussie may someday return to the Fox drama? No, never, we can now confirm .
Beth Chapman has taken a break from feuding with her stepdaughter to promote a new trailer for Dog's Most Wanted . In the new promo, Duane “Dog The Bounty Hunter” Chapman acknowledges his wife's cancer. In fact, it's relevant to the message that he wants to send to fugitives. Take a look: “Duane ‘Dog’ Chapman here,” Duane begins in this new clip shared by WGN. He stands before the camera, framed by darkness n a way that makes his nearly platinum hair seem brighter and his skin seem pinker. Beside him, Beth stands in an intense wig that forms a mane around her as they both stare at viewers. “My wife, the love of my life, is fighting for her life,” Duane shares. “Instead of being at home helping her,” he says. “I’m out here looking for you.” Duane hopes that any fugitives who happen to for some reason be watching this promo take his warning to heart. “I’m warning you in advance,” he cautions. “May God have mercy on you when I get you,” He doubles down on his warning: “because I won’t.” The implication here is that he will take out his frustrations over his wife's horrific cancer battle upon any fugitives he encounters. “You've been warned,” Beth chimes in. Beth Chapman is grappling with throat cancer which, once in remission, has returned and spread. “I don’t go to God and go, ‘Why did I get cancer?’” Beth shared earlier this year. “He’ll roll his eyes at me again,” Beth predicted. “Because I know why.” Beth explained that she believes that she has cancer “because this is the ultimate test of faith.” Whatever opinions any of us may have about that, theologically or medically, we don't feel the need to debate a cancer patient. “It is the evidence of things hoped for,” Beth expressed. “And it is the substance of things not known.” We think that she's describing faith, there, not cancer itself. Beth also explained why she was happier on the road, filming with her family, than receiving treatments that might prolong or even save her life. “Chemotherapy is not my bag, people,” Beth stated. “Sorry, that’s not for me.” “So for me, this is the ultimate test of faith,” she explained. “This is my ultimate lesson.” “And it will either be taught to me or to you,” Beth shared. We suppose that who learns the lesson is contingent upon Beth's ultimate fate. “And I am fine with taking the hit for everyone else,” Beth expressed. “Because,” she explained. “I think I know another guy who did the same thing.” Some might have gone with a Job analogy for Beth's suffering, but she skipped right to Jesus. Some may question why Beth would spend what may be her final months filming a show that some consider clownish or embarrassing. We would point out that, perhaps accidentally, Dog's Most Wanted has helped to highlight some real problems in our justice system. Almost all laws related to bounty hunters have been on the books since the 1800s. Though Duane is more careful (and, of course, on camera), some bounty hunters barge into the wrong house. People have died. Something has to change. But that's not why Beth is staying on the show. She wants to be with the people she loves, doing what she loves, for as long as she can.
In the end, it was just time. After 16 seasons as an entertaining, talented and devilishly handsome coach on The Voice, Adam Levine has decided to hang up his red chair. Carson Daly confirmed on Friday morning that the Maroon 5 frontman is leaving this beloved NBC competition. Insiders say the singer was annoyed by the rule change this season that did NOT guarantee at least one performer from each coach’s squad advance to the Live Playoffs — and was also irritated he didn’t have a member in the finals. He didn’t hide this irritation, either, when singing with very little passion in front of potential advertisers in New York City at the NBC Upfront Presentation on May 13. Such a lethargic performance sparked anger among network higher-ups, some of whom TV Line claims wanted Levine fired immediately. Instead, both sides appear to have arrived at a mutual decision that Levine’s time on the program had finally come to an end. Levine paid tribute to his lengthy run on the series via a lengthy Instagram caption this afternoon. “About 8 years ago, Mark Burnett convinced us to sign up for this show where you sit in a big red chair with your back turned away from the singers on the stage,” he said to open a message that accompanied an old Rolling Stone cover. “First thank you must go to Mark. We had no idea what we were doing or where it was going. After the first day of shooting, I sat there, stunned. I said to myself ‘Theres [sic] some magic here. Something is definitely happening.’ “It went on to be a life shaping experience that will be close to my heart forever. “Thank you NBC for signing me up. I am truly honored to have been a part of something I’ll always cherish for the rest of my life.” After doling out praise to some of the folks behind the scenes at The Voice, as well as host Carson Daly, Levine went on to single out this past season’s panelists. He started, of course, with the other half of television’s favorite bromance. Thank you to the people behind the scenes who do the real work and make this machine hum. To the amazingly talented vocalists who competed on the show and blew my mind on a daily basis. And, BLAKE F—KIN’ SHELTON. I couldn’t hide my love for you if I tried. Seriously. I tried. Can’t do it. Our friendship is and always will be one for the books. Whatever this whole surreal experience was, Im [sic] just happy I got to experience it with you. You’re my brother for life. Kelly and John, take care of the cowboy and I’m sure I’ll be back to say hi very very soon. So much love to you both. And lastly, to all of the loyal [V]oice fans, there’s literally no show without you guys. For me, it was time to move on. Your support has meant EVERYTHING. And Lastly, I’d like to thank my manager Jordan for convincing me to take that meeting. What an amazing ride. Thank you all so much. As for who will be taking Levine’s spot? Former coach and ongoing Blake Shelton lover Gwen Stefani has landed the gig. She has previously been a chair-sitter on the show across three separate seasons, but no Team Stefani team member has ever captured The Voice crown. Will that change on Season 17? Tune in to find out!
Source: Tim Mosenfelder / Getty Tyler, The Creator Taps Tracee Ellis Ross For His New Video Today has been one for the books when it comes to music videos. On top of Lil Nas X’s long-awaited “Old Town Road” visual and DJ Khaled dropping several from his album, Tyler, The Creator has given us a video from his new project IGOR . Tyler got some help from the one-and-only Tracee Ellis Ross for his “Earfquake” video, playing the host of The Pearl Edwards Show . The Black-ish star proceeds to introduce the audience to her “special guest” played by Tyler, who has as awkward of a haircut as Tracee’s character. Check out the video for yourself down below:
