Source: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty The hardest working man at ESPN just got rewarded mightily. The New York Post is reporting that Stephen A. Smith is now the highest-paid sportscaster at the Disney owned sports network. According to The Post , Smith’s tireless work at ESPN is paying off big time. The network is reportedly tossing damn near $8 million of them thangs at him a year over the next five years. According to the reports, ESPN offered the 51-year-old living meme some of that salary upfront to get him to negotiating table. Smith now moves past Mike Greenberg, who was making $6.5 million, which earned him the honor of having the highest salary at the network at the time. As part of his new deal, Smith will continue to host his popular debate show alongside co-host and frequent sports troll Max Kellerman and moderator Molly Qerim. He will also continue to head up his own edition Sportscenter at 7 pm on Wednesdays before NBA Games. ESPN is also looking for a way to maximize their dollars by including him in its subscription service ESPN+. Smith has been a staple at ESPN since 2005, but he hit his stride when he sat across from now FOX Sport’s analyst Skip Bayless on ESPN First Take , who was subsequently replaced by Kellerman following his departure. View this post on Instagram I said it years ago. I say it now. I will forever say this: A post shared by Stephen A. Smith (@stephenasmith) on Nov 8, 2019 at 10:25am PST If there is any question as to why ESPN is backing up the brinks truck for Smith, look no further than him hilariously going in on his beloved New York Knicks. If there was ever a time where I wish I WASN'T restricted by FCC airwaves, it would be RIGHT NOW, DAMNIT! pic.twitter.com/ONWejT3zST — Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) November 11, 2019 ESPN would be crazy to let this man go, congrats to Stephen A.Smith. — Photo: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty
Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty Chicago rapper Lil Reese , born Tavares Taylor, was shot in the neck Monday (Nov. 11) afternoon. After being rushed to the hospital, he is in critical condition. Reese was reportedly shot in the neck while in his car about 40 or so minutes outside of Chicago in Illinois. Per WGNTV , the incident occurred at a busy intersection in Markham and Country Club Hills at 167 th Street and Pulaski Road. Cops responded at about 2:30pm. Reese has been listed as in critical condition at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. According to witnesses, Reese was being pursued by another driver during a car chase. Reportedly up to a dozen gunshots were heard during the chase. According to witnesses, the driver in pursuit got out of his car and shot Reese with what appeared to be a small rifle before fleeing. According to the police, blood was spotted on the driver’s side of a car. However, someone had transported Reese to a hospital in Hazel Crest, where he was stabilized before being transferred to Advocate Christ. Police are still trying to locate the car—a Chevy Malibu with Wisconsin license plate. Prayers up to Lil Reese. — Photo: Getty
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire , Nat King Cole’s famous Christmas anthem proclaims. While it perfectly captures the spirit of the holidays, it can’t always be easily replicated at home, especially if you’re living without the luxury of a fireplace. Luckily, there’s the 3-Quartz Infrared Space Heater to give you a similar experience. When you feel Jack Frost tormenting you with unforgiving chills, this heater comes to the rescue. It uses three powerful infrared quartz elements to pump lasting heat throughout your living space. It comes with two heat settings — 1,4000W and 1,000W — that you can toy around with to match your preference. But what really sets it apart from traditional heaters is that it’s designed with an adjustable LED flame that lights up with or without heat. Using it will make you feel like you have your very own fireplace, giving off the warmth you need without actually building a fire (just, don’t expect it to toast marshmallows.) To grant you peace of mind, it also has a tip-over safety feature, ensuring that it will automatically turn off once it’s moved at a risky angle. It’s cool to the touch, too, despite emitting comfortable heat. Don’t deprive yourself of the cozy vibe of a fireplace. The 3-Quartz Infrared Space Heater usually retails for $89.99, but you can take it home on sale now for only $63.74 with code BFSAVE15. 3-Quartz Infrared Space Heater – $74.99 See Deal Don’t wait for Black Friday — you can get these top-sellers at deep discounts today ! Prices are subject to change. Bossip has teamed up with StackCommerce to bring you the best deals on the web. We may get a share of the revenue from your purchase.
On this side of the pond, few public figures are as popular and well-liked as Meghan Markle. But for reasons that defy explanation, many Brits don’t share our objectively-correct positive opinion of the former Suits star, Last month, a documentary about Meghan and Prince Harry’s trip to Africa made its television debut and offered a far more intmate look into the lives of the Royals than the public is accustomed to receiving. The doc came on the heels of Harry’s lawsuit against a handful of British media outlets whom he accused of bullying Meghan in their coverage. Brits and Americans reacted very differently to these developments. In the US, the couple was widely praised for their efforts to curb the more slanderous tendencies of the infamous British tabloid press. And while many, many UK citizens expressed their support for Meghan — including female members of parliament who did so with an open letter addressed to the Duchess — she was also received a fair amount of flak from prominent public figures who accused her of conduct unbecoming a royal. Some of these critics are easily dismissed — after all Piers Morgan attacks Megha n every chance he gets, seemingly because they had a drink together like a decade ago, and he thought they were gonna get married. But some of them have real clout and when they speak, and their opinions can’t be ignored. And it seems Queen Elizabeth II might be the most prominent of the Meghan skeptics. To be clear, the Queen has not breathed a word against Meghan publicly. In fact, she’s kept mum (Queen mum, if you will) about the Sussexes conflict with the media, as well as their unexpectedly candid documentary interviews. Nothing unusual there, as the Queen typically remains tight-lipped about family matters. But some royal watchers have suggested that when she looks at the events of 2019, the Queen sees Kate Middleton as a paragon of royal values, and she believes that Meghan could learn from Kate’s example. “The Queen is a fan,” a source close to the situation tells Vanity Fair. “Kate is unflappable. Her mantra is very like the Queen’s keep calm and carry on approach in life, and she has the added benefit of making the Royal Family seem almost normal and in touch.” Yes, unflappability is big in the Queen’s book. When Meghan remarked on the “stiff upper lip” mentality that’s so prized among the royals, many suspected she was subtly rebuffing instruction or advice she had received from her in-laws. We may never know if that’s true, but we do know that the Queen is not big on public displays of emotion. And when it comes to keeping a tight lid on her feelings, Kate has Meghan beat. Of course, Kate is British, and prior to becoming a duchess, she spent several years in close association with the royals as William’s girlfriend. She was groomed for this life in a way that Meghan simply wasn’t. But apparently, the Queen feels that Kate has Meghan bested in another area, as well. According to insiders, QE2 feels that Kate is more in touch with the common folk than Meghan, which comes as a surprise. After all, early in her relationship with Harry, Meg’s commoner status — Hollywoodn couldn’t get much further from Buckingham Palace, culturally or geographically — was often cited as the thing that made stodgy royal traditionalists most nervous. But these days, the Queen feels that her family has a public image issue — and she sees Kate as the person who can best demonstrate to her fellow Brits that the royals are people, too. “It feels very much like this has been Kate’s year,” biographer Claudia Joseph tells Vanity Fair. “She looks happy, in control and there’s a new confidence about her. I think Kate seems much happier than a year ago,” Josaph adds. “She has three lovely children, has been honored by the Queen for her hard work and is really well liked not just here but around the world.” Joseph says many of Kate’s recent activities — such as drinking in a pub with some of the parents of her kids’ classmates — have endeared her to a public that’s increasingly wary of the Royals. Sounds like Meghan might have some work to do in regaining the Queen’s favor — fortunately, that work seems to involve sipping pints with the locals, so we imagine she’s up to the task. View Slideshow: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Documentary: All the Juiciest Reveals!
Last week, the world learned the real, sinister reason Sean Spicer is still on Dancing With The Stars despite his abysmal dancing. Fans and judges alike are frustrated that the season has been effectively rigged when other, talented dancers have gone home. But one extremely talented dancer, former Bachelorette Hannah Brown, is actually defending the polarizing politician. Hannah Brown spoke to Us Weekly about her weakest competitor, Sean Spicer. “I think everybody works really hard,” Hannah characterizes. Oh, she’s being very diplomatic. She accurately describes: “and the fans vote for who they want to be in the competition.” Sticking to facts, Hannah adds: “and that is how this is going to go.” “We all just have to continue to work hard and do our best,” Hannah expresses. “And,” she adds. “I don’t think Sean is any different than that.” “I think he is working hard and doing his best as well,” Hannah politely says. We’re sure that he’s doing his best. it’s just that his best, you know, sucks. Fans and viewers have been left scratching their heads for weeks now. How in the world did Sean Spicer manage to stay afloat for so many episodes? Things came to a head on November 4, when one of the season’s most promising dancers, Kate Flannery, was eliminated. It was enough for Carrie Ann Inaba to say: “I’m absolutely confused and in fact a little irritated.” “It’s frustrating,” Inaba expressed. She continued: “There are really great dancers being sent home, but that is part of our show.” “It’s always been the audience and the judges’ perspective,” Inaba acknowledged. She admitted: “I can’t be so mad at it, but it’s frustrating” “I would like to beg the public to remember that this is a dance competition,” Inaba expressed. “Of course, vote with your heart,” she added. Inaba then suggested: “But also take a moment to consider everybody else in the competition.” She concluded: “And are you voting for the right person?” Fellow judge Bruno Tonioli had similar feelings. “They have to vote [and] make the vote based on actual achievement,” he said. “Know what people are giving to you within the competition,” Tonioli suggested. “‘Oh, he’s so nice, he’s just such a nice person.’ Well, yeah, I agree,” he said. “But come on.” Len Goodman chimed in and spoke about Sean Spicer directly. “He’s very popular with a certain element of the viewers, not the real dance fans,” Goodman correctly stated. He added: “You haven’t got to be a weatherman to see which way the wind blows.” “He should have gone three weeks ago before Sailor [Brinkley-Cook] went!” Goodman acknowledged. “But it is what it is.” He concluded: “The judges say this and the viewers say that and then it all comes out as it is.” Is Sean Spicer a good dancer? No. But is he a good person who deserves his time in the carefree spotlight of a dancing competition? Also no. Sean Spicer is a bad person who used his career to help a criminal administration harm the strength and reputation of the United States of America. He should never have been given this opportunity. ABC created this situation for publicity and now they’re reaping the resulting disaster. View Slideshow: Dancing With the Stars: Who Will Win Season 28?
Source: Rodin Eckenroth / Getty Kelly Rowland attended the 45th annual E! People’s Choice Awards and undoubtedly shut.it.down. She showed up to make a statement in style. The beauty wore Dutch fashion designer Iris Van Herpen, who is known for her forward thinking fashion designs. The 38-year-old singer was an absolute sheer delight in the dress from van Herpen’s Fall/Winter 2019 Couture collection. Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty The high neck, sleeveless gown was gorgeous with nude black overlay. It complimented her Brown skin. Sis looked stunning! She wore white toe nails and had a nude manicure which truly complimented the look. She paired the dress with gold one strap heels. Source: Jon Kopaloff / Getty She wore her hair in a long, sleek ponytail and served in the makeup department! Source: Rodin Eckenroth / Getty Kelly Rowland served a silvery eye with long lashes and a red lip . Her skin looked absolutely flawless! Rowland was in attendance at the 2019 E! People’s Choice Awards and was seen inside taking pictures with fashion designer Jeremy Scott as well as the Kardashian-Jenner family. While on the red carpet she revealed that she has a Christmas song coming out as well as a new Lifetime project! We love to see it! She shared with E!, “I do have a Christmas song coming out. Of course I just did a movie – I created, produced and starred in a movie, a Christmas movie that I did for Lifetime. I’m really excited about it.” Rowland is talking about her role in Merry Liddle Christmas . She stars as Jacquie, a successful tech entrepreneur who has her dysfunctional family in her new home for the holidays. Apparently the story was inspired from her own holiday experience. Oh! Tell us more. We stan a queen who is about her business but can also make a show stopping entrance on the red carpet. Beauties, what do you think of Kelly Rowland’s look? Sound off in the comment section. DON’T MISS: 10 Hershey Drippin’ Pics To Remind You That Kelly Rowland Is So Fine Kelly Rowland’s Family Photos Are Black Family Goals EXCLUSIVE: Kelly Rowland On The Power Of Loving Your ‘Crown And Glory’ [ione_media_gallery src=”https://hellobeautiful.com” id=”3053615″ overlay=”true”]
Source: Atlantic Records Florida Rapper Admitted He Lied To Obtain Firearms Following Rape Charges Kodak Black has begged a federal judge to go easy on him ahead of his sentencing this week for lying in order to buy a semiautomatic gun , BOSSIP has learned. Lawyers for the incarcerated rapper filed court papers last week saying that a lowball sentence of three to three and a half years in prison would be appropriate for his admitted crime of lying on a gun sales application even though he was banned from purchasing firearms because he’s out on bond for rape charges involving a high school student. The 22-year-old artist pled guilty over the summer to one count of making a false statement in connection with the acquisition or attempted acquisition of a firearm. The maximum sentence for the crime is 10 years. Black’s legal team argued that their client’s gun charge was a crime of deception rather than possession and that he took full responsibility once he was arrested. They said gang members had been making death threats against him and his staff were so fearful that they started ferrying him around in a bulletproof car. Black’s lawyers also cited his poverty-stricken upbringing in the projects, the fact that he’s supporting and parenting his toddler son, King and his charitable work for children in his native South Florida. The judge will sentence the “Tunnel Vision” rapper later this week.
With two kids at home and a husband in law school , we think it’s safe to say Jill Duggar has a lot on her plate these days. Unfortunately, her kids can’t say the same, because Jill keeps burning their meals! We kid Jill, of course. We’re sure that on her best days, she’s perfectly capable of conjuring one of those bizarre Duggar specialties like tater tot casserole or “the chickennetti,” which In Touch describes as “spaghetti, chicken, broth, canned tomatoes, cream of chicken soup, Velveeta cheese.” Perhaps not surprisingly, that particular atrocity is Josh’s favorite. Anyway, Jill was cooking a more traditional “meal” earlier this week when things went horribly awry in a hilarious way. According to her Instagram Story, Jill attempted to prepare a mac and cheese cup for her youngest son, Sam, but she missed a crucial step in the process. “Can’t really see it here but it’s a little bit smokey in here because yours truly was a little bit distracted while making mac ‘n’ cheese,” Jill said, while showing off the burned cup. “Those little mac ‘n’ cheese cups, this is what’s left of Sam’s mac ‘n’ cheese. I forgot to add water to it,” she added. “So it started smoking and I was like, standing there looking. I was like, ‘Oh that’s interesting.’” Interesting, indeed. To her credit, Jill is offering up this story as a relatable mom moment. Self-deprecation is not exactly the Duggars’ strong suit, and it took guts for Jill to break from the family norm like this. “I didn’t notice there was any kind of smoke, it must be really hot coming out of top of the thing here.’ I was like, ‘Oh it looks a little smokey up here like, pouring across the ceiling,’” the mother of two continued. “And I was like, ‘What’s that?’ And then I was like, ‘Uhhh,’ and I checked the microwave. I opened the microwave and I’m like ‘Ooh, I forgot to add water,’” “Note to everyone … you have to add water to mac ‘n’ cheese or it will turn into a black noodle melted mess LOL.” Fortunatelly, the story had a happy ending, as it was later updated with a short clip of a very eager Sam accepting Jill’s successful second attempt — an un-burnt offering of mac and cheese. There’s a joke to be made here about the link between the Kraft corporation and happy endings , but it would be inappropriate for an article about a family so chaste as the Duggars. So you’ll just have to imagine it for yourself. Feel free to involve Tom Brady. View Slideshow: Jill Duggar & Derick Dillard: Here’s Why Fans Think They’re Getting Divorced
Audrey Roloff does her best to maintain perspective at all times. This is someone who nearly always mentions God in her social media posts and who can’t ever be accused of not seeing the bigger picture in life. Except, well… she’s just been accused of this. In one of her latest Instagram posts, Audrey shared a few gorgeous photos. As you can see above and below, they feature her, her very large baby bump and her precious two-year old daughter, Ember. They also feature a heartfelt caption that outlines what Audrey’s life has been like of late — how, despite her glowing appearance in these snapshots, Roloff is actually struggling a bit. And she’s here to explain why. “It’s been a tough week,” Audrey wrote simply, prior to delving into how Jeremy Roloff just underwent hernia surgery and adding: “Taking care of a husband who is recovering from surgery and can hardly get up out of bed, potty training and cleaning up lots of poop and pee, working late nights/early mornings because that’s my only time, some very emotional decisions and conversations weighing heavy on my heart, on top of being 32 weeks pregnant…” That sounds like a lot. For real. Audrey continued as follows: “Although I absolutely love these photos this past week has looked a lot more like chasing a naked toddler around a messy house, little kid potties in our living room, helping either Jeremy or Ember go to the bathroom, scrubbing carpets and crayon-stained floors, all while wearing the same oatmeal-stained pajamas that I haven’t changed in two days.” Roloff was actually making a legitimate point here. She was saying that social media can be a deceptive world and that you should always remember that EVERYone — yes, even famous people — struggles at times. In conclusion, Audrey sent a message to users, writing: Rolling all the valor and stress away on my chest, listening to Phil Wickham’s new Christmas album, and continuing to remind myself that His past faithfulness demands my present trust. So if you’ve had one of those weeks where you’ve both laughed and cried hysterically… hey you’re not alone. Pretty nice message, right? Nope, WRONG, some readers clapped back. One follower told Audrey that she really need to relax and appreciate her relatively stress-free life, writing as a remark: Do all that and work a forty hour week driving a bus. Ur a stay at home mom. Another, meanwhile, took things in an entirely different and sort of wild direction. “Audrey, this is life,” wrote someone with the handle “dcypl2,” who then continued by telling this story: “It goes too fast, and you just do not have any idea how blessed your week sounds to me. My daughter and son in law had to make the horrifying decision of when to pull the respirator from their one month old only son. “We only wish we could potty train him and chase him around the house. “But they never will. “They are working on his obituary, and deciding on an urn for his ashes. I know it is hard for you… but count your blessings and thank the lord for your trials…and pray for others who may have worse.” Ummm… wow, huh? Audrey is in her third trimester of pregnancy, which messes with one’s hormones and also with one physically in many different ways. She’s also caring for a two-year old, which is not an easy task on a daily basis. Her husband just underwent a serious surgery and cannot help around the house — and while, yes, it would be incredible for everyone to have some sort of global perspective at all times… … come on now. That’s just not realistic. We feel awful for the couple cited in the comment/story above, but their tragedy doesn’t mean that Audrey isn’t also going through a tough time. Everyone should just try to be sympathetic to everyone else at all times. That’s our main takeaway here. View Slideshow: Audrey Roloff: How Much Do You Know About My Marriage?
