Source: Alexander Tamargo / Getty Mariah Carey has been in the game for over 30 years now and some folks still don’t know that the Queen had a gangster side. “IDC what the anyone says.. MARIAH CAREY IS that hood chick. Rich af, but still hood. I love it”. -@Gallyo To most people’s surprise, the pop diva didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in her her mouth. Back in 2018 MC, whose mother is Irish and father is Black and Afro-Venezuelan, opened up to Pitchfork about her early struggles growing up as an impoverished biracial kid and how it was difficult to fit in. “Somebody once said in the hallway to me at school, ‘Oh, she got three shirts in rotation.’ It was mortifying. But that’s because my mom chose to live in predominantly white neighborhoods, where people had more money than us, and I didn’t fit in there. Or in an all black neighborhood when my parents were together; as a mixed couple, they had problems there. So there was not one safe place.”- Mariah Carey One thing about Mariah is that no matter how Hollywood she got, she always managed to keep it a lil hood. “She invented pop artists collabing with rappers lol fantasy ft ODB. She’s the queen of that. Known, unknown, gangsta rap, commercial.. she don’t care lol.”- @RihJLaw If you don’t acknowledge Mariah as the lovely, gangsta, diva angel that she is, it just means you’re slacking on your MiMi knowledge. If you watch very closely, you’ll see when the Hollywood Diva goes from Mariah to Mimi who doesn’t take crap from anyone and knows how to have a simple, good time. Like the time she went to the hood to drink wine and hang out with Dame Dash and Noreaga. Classic: Or when she and Lee Daniels put Wendy Williams in her place: Hit the flip to see more times Mariah Carey’s inner (confident, unapologetic, laid back, tell-it-like-it-is) hood goddess came out and shut ish down.
Teen Mom OG has gone through so many changes recently. Sometimes it barely even seems like the show we've watched for years now. Farrah Abraham and Ryan Edwards both left, and Bristol Palin and Cheyenne Floyd joined the cast. Gone are the days of keeping up with those four girls from the first season of 16 and Pregnant. Like, Sarah Palin was featured on the last season. That's how weird things have gotten. But as bizarre as things are now on our beloved reality show, things might be getting even worse by the time the next season rolls around. Because Amber Portwood really might be quitting. 1. Oh, Honey … Amber had a very, very hard time last season. Worse than usual, even. 2. On the Bright Side … Sure, she wasn’t high out of her mind like she was in the old days, and she didn’t commit any felonies on camera, either. 3. Yay? Actually, now that she’s with Andrew and they share precious little baby James, she’s really seemed to calm down a lot. 4. Uh Oh No, Amber’s most recent issues have been very different: she’s been suffering from postpartum depression. 5. Mental Health That’s on top of her previously diagnosed bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder. 6. Fair Enough As you can imagine, she was in a really bad place. View Slideshow
Jussie Smollett was violently and brutally attacked by two men on the streets of Chicago early on the morning of January 29. Or was he , a bunch of very dumb and cruel and cynical people are now asking?!? As you’ve very likely heard about and/or read all about by now, the Empire star was harassed by a pair of assailants late last month on his way home from getting a late-night snack. These individuals allegedly screamed homophobic and racist epithets at the actor, prior to tying a rope around his neck and dumping bleach all over him. It was the epitome of a hate crime. It was a modern-day lynching. It was truly horrible. And yet… despite police confirming the assault… and despite Smollett certainly having no reason to lie about such a thing… a handful of people out there somehow don’t believe this heinous incident actually took place. “I don’t believe it happened the way he said it did,” said Agin Muhammad, who lives in the same high-rise near the Navy Pier as Smollett. On what is he basing this strong allegation? “I’ve been in this neighborhood five years. I don’t believe it, not around here … Half the people are gay and the other half are black,” Muhammad explained to Page Six . Elsewhere, a patron at Lizzie McNeill’s Irish Pub – located approximately a block from the scene of the alleged assault – said Smollett’s story “doesn’t really make sense,” expounding as follows: “It’s a lie, because Chicago is the most liberal city around,” said this unnamed man. “They have cameras everywhere … Why can’t they find the attack?” This is quite the take. For starters, there is surveillance footage (below) of two men spotted right around the time and right around the place Smollett says he was attacked. Secondly, yes, Hillary Clinton won Cook County (which includes Chicago) with 75% of the vote in the 2016 Presidential campaign. That’s a huge margin of victory over Donald Trump. But it still means 25% of residents voted to Make America Great Again, making it mathmatically very plausible that two of those people screamed that Smollett is in “MAGA Country” while they pummelled him, which is what the actor has claimed. Smollett will soon start filming episodes of Empire once again, while he returned to the stage for a live singing performance just days after the incident. “I am not fully healed yet, but I’m going to, and I’m gonna stand strong with ya’ll,” the actor/singer said during a concert at the Troubadour club on the Sunset Strip. He added at the time: “I had to be here tonight, y’all. I couldn’t let those motherf-ckers win. So I will always stand for love. “I will never stand for anything other than that. Regardless of what anyone else says, I will only stand for love and I hope that you all stand with me.” Elsewhere, Smollett has been asked to turn over his phone records to the police because he has said he was on the phone with his manager at the time of his assault. Authorities therefore consider these records important evidence for the case. However, TMZ reports that Smollett has responded by turning over a redacted PDF of his phone bill. And police have requested the full , actual phone bill — or a download of Jussie’s phone; they say a PDF can be manipulated and cannot be used as any sort of evidence. “We have no reason to doubt the statements, but for a criminal investigation, we need to independently confirm the phone records,” Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi says. As for those who are casting doubt on Smollet’s story? His spokesperson says the following: Jussie is the victim here, which has been slated by the Superintendent of Police. Jussie has voluntarily provided his phone records from within an hour of the attack and given multiple statements to police. Chicago PD has repeatedly informed us that they find Jussie’s account of what happened that night consistent and credible. Superintendent Johnson has been clear from day one that Jussie is a victim. We are continuing to work closely with the Chicago PD and remain confident that they will find Jussie’s attackers and bring them to justice.
For decades, Liam Neeson has enjoyed a place as one of Hollywood’s most beloved and bankable stars. But the Taken star may have just done irreparable damage to his reputation with one appalling comment. Neeson has been on a promotional tour for his new film, Cold Pursuit , which — like most of his recent projects — finds the Irish actor on a bloody quest for revenge after one of his loved ones is victimized. The plot of the film prompted Neeson to reflect on a time when he had been driven mad by a thirst for vengeance in his real life. He recalled an instance that occurred in his youth, in which a close friend of his was raped. “God forbid you’ve ever had a member of your family hurt under criminal conditions,” Neeson told The Independent . “She handled the situation of the rape in the most extraordinary way,” he added. “But my immediate reaction was … I asked, did she know who it was? No. What color were they? She said it was a black person.” Neeson went on to shock fans by revealing that he fantasized about exacting some sort of race-based violence. “I went up and down areas with a cosh [bludgeon], hoping I’d be approached by somebody — I’m ashamed to say that … hoping some ‘black bastard’ would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could … kill him,” Neeson recalled. Neeson went on to reveal that he behaved in this fashion for “a week, maybe a week and a half … [My friend] would say, ‘Where are you going?’ and I would say, ‘I’m just going out for a walk.’ ‘What’s wrong?’ ‘No, no, nothing’s wrong.’ ” “It was horrible, horrible, when I think back, that I did that. And I’ve never admitted that, and I’m saying it to a journalist. God forbid,” he added. “It’s awful. But I did learn a lesson from it, when I eventually thought, ‘What the f—k are you doing?’ “ We think it’s safe to say the whole world was happier not knowing about Liam’s past tendencies toward violent racism — and yet at the same time, maybe it’s a good thing he foolishly shared this story with the world. It’s a reminder of the sad fact that even seemingly progressive-minded longtime public figures like Liam Neeson are capable of shocking bigotry. Starring in Schindler’s List is apparently no guarantee that a person never harbored race-based violent fantasies. The actions that Neeson describes here are unforgivable, but if there’s a mitigating circumstance to be found, it’s that he may have suffered some sort of trauma as a result of his friend’s rape. The Independent consulted with an expert in rape and trauma, who revealed that it’s not uncommon for loved ones of victims to lash out and project in the fashion Neeson described: “Often it is less obvious to the loved ones of survivors that they might actually need support in dealing with their emotions themselves, just like the survivors,” she told the paper. “They experience a secondary form of trauma, she explains. Some start thinking about what they could have done differently, and they may contemplate seeking retribution.” Obviously, none of that makes it okay that Neeson stalked the streets of Dublin hoping to bludgeon a black man, but at least it’s a step toward understanding how such thinking might be possible. Perhaps anticipating the backlash to his insane remarks, Neeson went on to reveal that he had been desensitized to violence “I knew a couple of guys that died on hunger strike, and I had acquaintances who were very caught up in the Troubles, and I understand that need for revenge, but it just leads to more revenge, to more killing and more killing, and Northern Ireland’s proof of that,” he said. “All this stuff that’s happening in the world, the violence, is proof of that. But that primal need, I understand.” Neeson and his reps have not commented on this story.
Selection Sunday took place last night and your probably wondering if your favorite Indy team made it into the NCAA Tourney this year! Well have no fear because we are here to give you the breakdown. Who’s In Purdue and Butler are in! Purdue The Boilermakers as expected earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. They received the No. 2 seed in the East Region of the bracket and will the No. 15 seed Cal State Fullerton in Detroit on Friday at 12:40 p.m. (Tru). Butler The Bulldogs also earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. They are also in the East Region of the bracket with a No. 10 seed matching them up with No. 7 seed Arkansas in Detroit on Friday at 3:10 p.m. (Tru). If thats not enough, if both Purdue and Butler win and advance, we will actually see the two match up in the second round. The two teams matched-up back in December during the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and now we may see that showdown again. Who’s Out Indiana and Notre Dame are both out! Indiana The Hoosiers weren’t invited to the NCAA Tournament or the NIT, which is the first time since the 2013-14 season that Indiana did not compete in any post season tournaments after the Big Ten conference tournament, according to The Daily Hoosier . Notre Dame The Irish didn’t get invited to the NCAA Tournament but they did receive an invite to the NIT, where they received a No. 1 seed and will play Hampton in the first round.
Selection Sunday took place last night and your probably wondering if your favorite Indy team made it into the NCAA Tourney this year! Well have no fear because we are here to give you the breakdown. Who’s In Purdue and Butler are in! Purdue The Boilermakers as expected earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. They received the No. 2 seed in the East Region of the bracket and will the No. 15 seed Cal State Fullerton in Detroit on Friday at 12:40 p.m. (Tru). Butler The Bulldogs also earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. They are also in the East Region of the bracket with a No. 10 seed matching them up with No. 7 seed Arkansas in Detroit on Friday at 3:10 p.m. (Tru). If thats not enough, if both Purdue and Butler win and advance, we will actually see the two match up in the second round. The two teams matched-up back in December during the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and now we may see that showdown again. Who’s Out Indiana and Notre Dame are both out! Indiana The Hoosiers weren’t invited to the NCAA Tournament or the NIT, which is the first time since the 2013-14 season that Indiana did not compete in any post season tournaments after the Big Ten conference tournament, according to The Daily Hoosier . Notre Dame The Irish didn’t get invited to the NCAA Tournament but they did receive an invite to the NIT, where they received a No. 1 seed and will play Hampton in the first round.
Dolores O’Riordan, lead singer of the popular Irish rock band the Cranberries, has passed away at the age of 46. Reps for O’ Riordan confirmed the news of her death just moments ago. O’Riordan’s passing has been described as “sudden,” and the cause of death is currently unknown to the public. The singer was reportedly in London for a recording session and was rushed to a local hospital, where medical staff were unable to resuscitate her. Known for her distinctive mezzo-soprano voice, O’Riordan replaced the Cranberries original lead singer after a successful audition in 1990. During her time as frontwoman, the band enjoyed tremendous commercial success and rose to international fame. O’Riordan and her bandmates recorded 8 top-20 hits, including such perennially popular tunes as “Linger,” “Zombie,” and “Dreams.” The band split up in 2003 but reunited after a several-year hiatus, during which O’Riordan recorded two solo albums. O’Riordan’s frequently-changing style made her a ’90s style icon, and the Cranberries were often name-checked in the pop culture of the time, including a memorable mention in the comedy classic Clueless . In recent years, the singer made tabloid headlines several times as a result of her tumultuous personal life. In 2014, O’Riordan was arrested for assaulting a stewardess and a police officer aboard an Aer Lingus flight to New York. That same year, she split from her husband after 20 years of marriage. In 2017, the Cranberries released an acoustic album and embarked on an intercontinental tour that was cut short due to O’Riordan’s persistent back problems. While her band’s popularity peaked in the 1990s, O’Riordan remained an in-demand performer and a popular figure in Ireland until her death. She was invited to perform at the Vatican on several occasions, and in 2006, she was listed as one of the ten richest women in Ireland. Loving tributes from friends and fans made O’Riordan a top trending topic on Twitter within minutes of when news of her death went public. She is survived by two children. Our thoughts go out to O’Riordan’s family during this difficult time.
