Black History continues to happen everyday. This month, we decided create a Superhero Guide To Black History Month highlighting musicians, politicians, actors and athletes of influence who are not only dominating in their crafts, but are also helping shape culture in unforgettable ways. Below is a character guide to one of our featured heroes, Andrew Gillum . Sign Up For Our Newsletter! Close Thank you for subscribing! Please be sure to open and click your first newsletter so we can confirm your subscription. Email Submit Civilian Name : Andrew Gillum Super Name : Golem Gillum Superpower : Courage Origin : Florida politics Conquered Territory : It takes a lot of courage to run for governor in Florida. Had he won in the 2018 election, he would’ve been the state’s first. Even still, at only age 39, he’s already held the titles of city commissioner and mayor. As former mayor of Tallahassee, Gillum strived to make decisions that were in the best interest of Florida. Using his influence for the greater good, he made headlines when he defeated the National Rifle Association (NRA), which sued Tallahassee over an ordinance that outlawed firearm use in public parks. And he was also the only Democrat in the governor’s race to call for the impeachment of President Donald Trump. Andrew Gillum’s political revolution is far from over… Click HERE to See More Character Guides — ALSO TRENDING ON RICKEYSMILEYMORNINGSHOW.COM : Vintage Photos Of Black History Being Made In America “Black Panther” Returns To Theaters For Free In Honor Of Black History Month These Teachers Have The Most Inspiring Black History Month Decorations We’ve Ever Seen! Follow @TheRSMS PHOTO: Creative Services – iOne/Getty
Source: Scott Dudelson / Getty Jussie Smollett has returned to Chicago after a weekend in Los Angeles and in the wake of the alleged vicious attack he suffered. The Empire actor is back in town to complete shooting for the series, and police still have questions for him regarding the assault. TMZ reports : A production source tells us Smollett flew back into the Windy City Sunday, after his weekend show in Los Angeles. We’re told Smollett shot scenes for one of the final episodes of the season Monday and did a table read with the cast Tuesday … security was present the entire time. Law enforcement sources tell us cops want to speak with Jussie while he’s in town as part of their ongoing investigation. As for where he’s staying while in town … a source close to Jussie tells us he’s back at the same apartment complex where he was living at the time of the attack. The outlet adds in its report that Chicago authorities have more video footage of the area where the attack allegedly happened according to sources but has not yet released the images to the public. — Photo: Getty
Source: Paul Zimmerman / Getty Stacey Abrams gave the democratic response to President Donald Trump’s second State Of The Union Address . Abrams is the first African-American woman to give a response to a presidential address. One of the biggest lines of the night was when she challenged Trump and said she didn’t want him to fail, she just wanted him to tell the truth. Even though Abrams lost her race for Governor of Georgia amid many stories of voter suppression , she’s primed to have an amazing career in politics. RELATED: 700 Wrapped Voting Machines Found In A Georgia Warehouse Check out her Democratic Response to Trump’s State Of the Union right here. RELATED: H ow Stacey Abrams Is Taking A Stand To Make Sure Voter Suppression Never Happens Again [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]
Source: Mark Wilson / Getty VA Gov. Ralph Northam Apologizes For Racist Photo Then Reneges What in the crooked commonwealth is going on in Virginia ?!? Democratic Governor Ralph Northam was put on blast by a right-wing website Big League Politics that is run by former Roy Moore campaign official. You remember Roy Moore, right? The alleged pedo-perv who ran for governor and is said to have hung out at Alabama shopping malls to meet young girls back in his 30s. We digress, but it was worth noting. Anyway, BLP published a photo from Northam’s medical school year book that shows two men, one of which is him, standing side-by-side wearing Blackface and a KKK outfit respectively. Obviously Democrats from all corners of the party are calling for him to resign immediately. Northam has no plans on tendering one, instead, he offered this “apology” via Twitter Friday night. In his statement Friday, Northam apologized for the “decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now.” “This behavior is not in keeping with who I am today and the values I have fought for throughout my career in the military, in medicine, and in public service,” he said. Today, in a weird turn-of-events, Northam is doing a complete about-face. According to CNN , he’s now unsure that it is him inthe photograph because he doesn’t remember taking it. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has told a source he now believes it is not him in a racist yearbook photo and that he has no recollection of taking the photo, according a top Virginia Democratic source who spoke to the governor on Saturday. Northam told the source he was in touch with some of his former Eastern Virginia Medical School colleagues, who said they believed many of the pictures in the yearbook were mixed up. Sir, if you don’t get the entire f**k out of here. You went on the internet and admitted it was you! This Trump era got political gaslighting at an all-time high.
Source: Richard Cartwright / Getty Annalise is now roped into Nate’s plan to pin his father’s murder on the governor. Tonight’s episode of How to Get Away With Murder finds her trying to keep him out of jail. The feds have him pegged as a suspect, especially since he is unhinged and acting erratically. Things get worse when Asher tells Annalise that he’s not the only one who knows that Nate killed Ron. In other words, her kids know too since Asher’s punk arse snitched. Nate has been doing his own sleuthing, as we know. He meets with one of the jurors from his father’s death case to get the scoop. The juror tells him they made a ruling based on evidence they got in a packet from the bailiff. Shady boots. Basically, Miller may have given the jury fake evidence and Nate got a copy of it. Gabe ends up getting questioned about the voicemail he left for Miller. You remember the whole, “I screwed up, they found out who I am” bit. He claims he was helping Miller investigate Annalise because they thought she was involved in a lot of criminal activity. He says he hadn’t seen Miller in two months. The examiner then specifically asks, “So you didn’t see him at the wedding?” and he lies. This is not going to go well. Hold that thought. Nate presents the potentially fake evidence to Annalise and the theory that Miller tampered with it. Annalise tells him he doesn’t have concrete proof and that he’s digging his own grave as a suspect. Nate tells her to either have his back or get out. What do you think she did? Meanwhile, Bonnie is struggling with her guilt over helping to kill Miller. Like, struggling struggling, to the point where she tries to kill herself. She sits in her car in a garage and tries to let the carbon monoxide take her out. Luckily Frank finds her, realizes what’s going on and stops it. Finally, we get to the moment when Nate is questioned by the feds. Annalise calls him to see where he is. She offers to come down to help but he tells her not to because she can’t come near this. Annalise implores him not to answer their questions but this is part of his master plan. He let them take his DNA so that they can run it against the gun they claim had his father’s DNA—you know, the gun they said his dad tried to grab. Fast forward a bit, and we find out that the feds investigating Nate gave Tegan an immunity deal for..we don’t know but she’s up to something too. Finally, we cut to Annalise telling her kids that Nate had a smart plan to pin the crime on the gov and that she needs them on board. Annalise deciding to go along with Nate’s plan might have something to do with the next scene. It’s Nate meeting with the feds again. This time they tell him that he was right because his DNA doesn’t match that on the gun so someone did tamper with evidence! Then they say they have someone in custody in connection with the crime. Now we cut back to Annalise. She gets a call from prison saying they have someone in custody who claims she’s their lawyer. You guessed it, it’s Gabriel. He got himself in a world of trouble. Next week we find out exactly why he was arrested. Because you know there’s always twists and turns. RELATED POSTS ‘HTGAWM’ Recap: Gabriel Makes A Critical Mistake ‘HTGAWM’ Recap: In Case You Didn’t Know How Toxic Sam Was
Source: The Washington Post / Getty Stacey Abrams To Deliver Democratic SOTU Response Oh yeah, we like this. According to CNN , cheated former Georgia gubernatorial hopefully Stacey Abrams will deliver the Democratic response to Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address. Now that Trump has ended his petulant government shutdown, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is allowing him to give his lil’ speech on February 5. It is reported that Senator Chuck Shumer called Abrams to ask if she would be willing to speak for the party about three weeks ago. At a moment when our nation needs to hear from leaders who can unite for a common purpose, I am honored to be delivering the Democratic State of the Union response. https://t.co/0dpA3lJZpS — Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) January 29, 2019 Stacey might have gotten robbed of the Governor’s mansion, but she sure as hell won’t be robbed of the spotlight.
Source: WB Games / NetherRealm Studios It’s pretty safe to say since its big reveal back in December last year, Mortal Kombat 11 is one of if not the most anticipated game of 2019. Today during the games reveal event in Los Angeles we learned even more about the 11th game in the iconic video game franchise. Mortal Kombat 11: The Reveal – THIS LIVE STREAM MAY INCLUDE CONTENT INAPPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN https://t.co/ia3MaLSXbm — Mortal Kombat 11 (@MortalKombat) January 17, 2019 We are still a ways away from Mortal Kombat 11’s April 23 launch on Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC but today’s reveal event gave us a healthy idea of what to look forward to when the game finally arrives. Guests and fans streaming all over the world got a glimpse of Mortal Kombat 11’s new game engine in action, new characters, the story, character customization and more. Here is what we learned from after watching the reveal event. The New Graphics Engine If you thought Mortal Kombat X was the ceiling for the franchise graphically, you were dead wrong. After viewing Mortal Kombat 11’s reveal trailer, it’s clear that the vicious fades, bone-crushing action, level design, and character detail takes the game to another level. Thanks to the improvements in graphics and gameplay we can now customize the characters more than ever before down to the slightest detail like changing Scorpion’s spear. With Mortal Kombat 11 the goal is to make the player feel as if they are in the arena up close experiencing the action in real life. Based on the gameplay reveal trailer below mission accomplished.
Source: Nicole Wilder / Getty How to Get Away With Murder is back from winter break, and tonight’s episode is depressing, but what else is new? Anyway, we revisit Annalise’s trauma from losing her baby. Last season ended with Nate beating Miller to death and Bonnie finishing the job by smothering him as he tried to cling to consciousness. Bonnie is distraught and the only person comforting her right now is Frank. Frank mentions that Gabriel knows her ex is dead and they need to figure something out. Of course, Frank calls Annalise to ask her to talk him through the whole thing and Annalise basically tells him, “Nope!” She has a whole ‘nother demon to deal with. Gabriel broke into her house demanding answers about Sam. Annalise pours him a drink and tells him everything. She tells him that she’s not the reason his mom and Sam broke up, that Sam abandoned his mother before he was born (and lied to Annalsie), and then she reveals that Wes killed Sam and even plays what’s supposed to be an audio confession. Gabriel doesn’t seem to want to let it go. Throughout the episode, Annalise convinces him to move on from the past and even says, “It’s better to have a dead father than a bad one.” Ouch But you can’t blame her. Because this entire episode incorporates flashbacks of Sam being awful, but hold that thought. Laurel informs the crew that Gabriel is Sam’s son. They’re all disturbed by this revelation because they think he’s investigating Sam’s death so they’re trying to figure out what to do. But of course, they jump to conclusions and assume he’s dead already, especially when Michaela mentions seeing blood on Bonnie’s leg at the wedding, and the fact that they haven’t seen him in a while (but we know where he is). Later on, they reach out to Frank to see if he killed Gabe, but Frank tells them to stop panicking and that he’ll probably turn up in the morning. Then we flashback to Annalise and Sam returning from the hospital after her c-section. Sam helps her get in bed and pretty much abandons her. He looks up a Vivian Maddox in Chicago and gives her a call. In case you haven’t figured it out, that’s the woman he abandoned. She doesn’t answer the phone but he leaves an apology message, talmbout how he wants to meet his son and how he misses her and how they were together and how he never stopped loving her. Later on, Annalise tells Frank she wants to adopt a baby and he’s adamantly against it. They get into a screaming match and Sam says she won’t adopt if she wants to stay married to him. Annalise says she’s going through with it with or without him. He says then it will be without him and leaves. He was going to leave anyway, but being an emotionally abusive prick makes it easier for him to storm off. This fool actually goes to Chicago. He lies and tells Annalise that he’s going to spend some time with his sister. Vivian’s mom greets him after he knocks on the door and tells him to go away if he really wants to do what’s right, but on his way out he runs into 11-year-old Gabriel coming back from playing outside. He’s holding his basketball and the only exchange they have is Sam asking if he’s a Bulls fan. The answer is yes. Hopefully, that was the day Gabe learned to be like Mike, not Sam. Annalise’s kids know by now that Gabriel is alive but they’re concerned that he’s trying to find new evidence in the Sam case that he can bring to the DA. Asher says they’ll be okay because they have friends in the da’s office, specifically citing Miller…who they don’t know is dead. Of course, they have good reason to be suspicious of Gabe! Hold that thought. Annalise tries to kill herself after learning that her bid for adoption didn’t go through. She calls Frank, who doesn’t answer the phone, surprise, and begs him to come home, but he’s trash. It’s actually Bonnie who finds her unconscious from an overdose on pain pills and subsequently saves her life. Frank confronts Sam when he finally returns home and gives him a piece of paper. Sam wants to know how Frank got ahold of if and Frank says he knows all about Sam’s Lying King shenanigans and tells him to just get rid of it and be the husband Annalise needs. Sam finds Annalise and pretends to care. The episode ends with us hearing Sam’s voice reading an email, the same email that Frank printed out and handed to him. It’s an apology letter to Vivian for abandoning she and her son and all that jazz. He basically repeats all the stuff he said about still loving her, etc. Nate finally reappears during this montage. He heads to Bonnie’s house and tells her not to feel bad—that Miller’s death is his fault. Next, Gabriel calls someone and says he screwed up because they found out who he is. But again, we knew he was the ops. Now it’s a matter of figuring out who he’s working for. Finally, Annalise’s ex-girlfriend, Eve, comes to visit Frank in the past, hands him the email and says she needs his help. We have no idea how she got it, but then we cut to the future where Eve has given Annalise the email and says Sam never deserved her. I mean, she’s not wrong. RELATED POSTS ‘HTGAWM’ Recap: The Big Death Day Belongs To [Redacted] ‘HTGAWM’ Recap: Annalise’s Beef With The Governor Is Officially On Sight
Source: Michael Lavine/ FOX / Michael Lavine/ FOX “The Passage” Actress Caroline Chikezie Says The Show Is Full Of Black Girl Magic Tonight FOX is set to air their new show “THE PASSAGE.” which focuses on Project NOAH, a secret medical facility where scientists are experimenting with a dangerous virus that could lead to the cure for all disease, but also carries the potential to wipe out the human race. When a young girl, Amy Bellafonte (played by Saniyya Sidney, who was in Fences’ and ‘Hidden Figures’) is chosen as a test subject, Federal agent Brad Wolgast (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) is tasked with bringing her to Project NOAH, but ultimately becomes her surrogate father who does everything in his power to protect her. The show also stars British actress Caroline Chikezie who also appeared on the cable series “The Shannara Chronicles,” the streaming series “The Governor,” which was filmed in Nigeria and in the award-winning film ‘Babymother.’ Chikezie was also featured in “Eragon,” “Aeon Flux,” “Breaking and Entering” and “The Sweeney.” We spoke with Caroline about her role as Major Nichole Sykes, the many instances of black girl magic on “The Passage” and filming in Atlanta vs. filming in Nigeria. Check out our interview below. Source: Michael Lavine/ FOX / Michael Lavine/ FOX BOSSIP: Tell us about what drew you to this show and this role? Caroline Chikezie: It all started when I got the script for the pilot. I loved it and as I read it I could just see myself being Dr. Sykes, so that’s always a good thing. I just auditioned and got to be the last woman standing. My character is a very complicated individual. She’s a King because she commands men, and is fearless. Very fearless. The type of person you’d want to have on your side in a crisis situation, she’s very cool under pressure. She understands that there will be consequences for decisions she makes and is willing and capable to accept whatever fallout comes from her decisions. She’s a bad a**. A strong, black woman unapologetically. BOSSIP: Black girl magic was such a big thing in 2018. Could we touch a little on that and how the show taps into it with your character and Saniyya Sidney’s character Amy Bellafonte? CC: First of all, Saniyya is a movie star. I wouldn’t even call her a princess, I’d call her a queen. She’s so mature. Acting is just so effortless to her. It’s just awesome to watch her grow and when you think black girl magic there’s nothing more magical than Saniyya Sidney as the lead role Amy and my role as Major Nichole Sykes. For young girls watching we’re giving the opportunity to show that we are capable of anything. When I was growing up, we could only get the best friend role, or the role where we are killed, or hurt, or a lowly girl. Not that any role is lowly, because it is an honor to be cast when working as an actress, but just like finally we get to be represented as strong woman roles because that’s our rightful pace. We should be celebrating it, so I’m grateful. Source: Michael Lavine/ FOX / Michael Lavine/ FOX BOSSIP: Why should Bossip readers be interested in watching “The Passage”? CC: It’s got something for everybody! You’ve got the big heart, you’ve got a love triangle. My character is involved in a love triangle — we’ll see how that unfolds. There are a lot of characters I feel like your readers can connect with. Like mine and her journey through the show. How she handles being in an interracial relationship, how she navigates being a boss lady in a white environment. There’s loads of issues I think readers can relate to. BOSSIP: Is there anything you’ve learned that would be useful in an apocalyptic event? CC: I had to do some shooting practice, because my character uses guns, so I’ve learned that. Also, my character is a runner so if there’s ever an apocalypse I’ll be able to run! Source: Michael Lavine/ FOX / Michael Lavine/ FOX BOSSIP: What are the pros and cons of shooting in Atlanta vs. filming in Nigeria? CC: I love shooting in Nigeria, because of the food mostly. I’m British-Nigerian. The closest I’ll get to feeling like I’m home in America is shooting in Atlanta. I love Atlanta, in fact, I plan to move there. I was born and raised in the UK. Check out a fun video of Caroline and her costars from “The Passage” below: “The Passage” airs tonight Monday, January 14 on FOX. Will you be watching?
Source: Chip Somodevilla / Getty After surviving and resisting a broken system, Cyntoia Brown is finally on her way to freedom. Back in 2004, Brown killed 43-year-old Johnny Allen, a man who reportedly solicited Brown as a child sex slave when she was just 16 years old. According to The New York Times , Brown shot and killed Allen at his place when she believed her life was in danger. She was charged as an adult and eventually convicted, resulting in a life prison sentence. However, after 15 years in prison, Cyntoia is being granted clemency by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. “This decision comes after careful consideration of what is a tragic and complex case,” Haslam said in a statement. “Cyntoia Brown committed, by her own admission, a horrific crime at the age of 16. Yet, imposing a life sentence on a juvenile that would require her to serve at least 51 years before even being eligible for parole consideration is too harsh, especially in light of the extraordinary steps Ms. Brown has taken to rebuild her life.” Since her time in prison, Brown has obtained her GED and she’s expected to get her bachelor’s degree this year. Brown’s story was covered in a 2011 documentary called Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story and in 2017, she gained major attention from celebrities speaking out on her story, including Rihanna , T.I., and Kim Kardashian West. Lawmakers and criminal justice reform advocates have been fighting for Cyntoia for a while now, and the governor’s clemency serves as a big win in the larger issue of incarceration. Brown will be eligible for release from prison on August 7, but unfortunately, she won’t be completely free until 2029. According to ABC13 , Brown will be under parole supervision for ten years on the condition that she doesn’t violate any federal or state laws. She also will have to hold a job down and participate in regular counseling sessions. Despite all this Cyntonia is still thrilled with the decision. “Thank you, Governor Haslam, for your act of mercy in giving me a second chance,” Brown said in a statement. “I will do everything I can to justify your faith in me.” Meanwhile, some major celebrities are celebrating Cyntonia’s projected release. Hit the next pages to find out who’s giving Cyntonia their full support!
