The only thing worse than waking up in the morning and heading to work at an ungodly hour is leaving your pet at home. No matter how many times you do it, it’s always hard and guilt-inducing, especially when their face turns droopy and they hit you with those puppy-dog (or kitty) eyes. It’s not like you can quit your job just to be with them the whole day. You still need to work to be able to provide them all the treats they want in the world. While you can’t exactly clone yourself to keep them company, the least you could do is have something like the PetBot with them when you’re gone. Synonymous to hiring a pet sitter (albeit a robotic one), this robot allows you to interact with your pet when you’re away. With the app, you can launch a treat, take a photo or video, play some laser toy fun, and even communicate with them wherever you may be. It has a built-in HD camera and two-way audio, allowing you to see, hear, and talk to your furry pal whenever you wish. It even has highly-durable wheels so you can drive and control the PetBot from the app. With the PetBot, your pet will never feel alone again. Grab it on sale for $194.99 — 22 percent off the usual $249.99. Petbot App-Controlled Robot – $194.99 See Deal 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.
F or the first time in its 136-year history, New York’s Metropolitan Opera will host an opera created by a Black composer, The Hill reported. The Met to stage its first opera by a black composer https://t.co/NijtLp8Dqo pic.twitter.com/ggb4I0W8br — The Hill (@thehill) September 20, 2019 As part of its upcoming programming the opera house will feature Fire Shut Up in My Bones ; a piece created by Grammy-winning jazz musician Terence Blanchard . Blanchard’s project was inspired by a memoir penned by journalist Charles M. Blow . The book captures Blow’s coming-of-age journey as a Black man in America. It details the traumatic experiences that he endured as a child and explores topics like racism, poverty, sexuality and spirituality. “There is a level of you never really know yourself until you write about yourself. You also don’t fully know the people around you until you have to examine them. I had always been angry about my father’s alcoholism. I felt sympathy after writing the book, because I had to explore it in a way that I hadn’t thought about it before,” Blow told The St. Louis American . “One thing I’ve learned as a journalist is that if you tell your own story, then it belongs to you. If somebody finds something out about you and they tell it, it belongs to them.” The opera made its debut in June at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Blanchard is beyond excited to bring it to New York City and make history. “I wish my father was alive,” he told the New York Times. “He was an avid opera fanatic.” For decades Blanchard has composed the musical scores for several pivotal films. The Louisiana native—who launched his career with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra—has worked on the music for Spike Lee films including Mo’ Better Blues , Do the Right Thing , Malcolm X , BlacKkKlansman , Inside Man , When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts and others. He’s garnered many awards for his work including six Grammys. Fire Shut Up in My Bones is slated to premiere at the Metropolitan Opera house during its 2021-22 season. SEE ALSO: ‘Bolden’ Movie Review: ‘Beautiful Story About A Forgotten Pioneer Of Jazz Music’ Pharrell Williams Launches Music Education Program In Partnership With Verizon [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3887442″ overlay=”true”]
Source: Xinyu Cui / Getty Kobe Bryant Teaches Us Some Italian Slang Kobe Bryant is a man of many talents, and beyond that, he’s a man of many languages–and he’s been gracious enough to let us in on the secret to some of his favorite Italian slang. The retired baller sat down with Vanity Fair and Flula Borg as they both test their knowledge of Italian and German slang. From “A fagiolio” and “bho” to “hackfresse” and “prost,” check out the video down below to see both of these amazing talents take you through some of their favorite Italian and German phrases.
T wo Black women entrepreneurs paid it forward by giving back to students in need at their alma mater. Pinky Cole , the creator of the plant-based burger restaurant Slutty Vegan, and Harlem Hops owner Stacey Lee —both alums of Clark Atlanta University—helped 30 seniors who attend the historically Black college pay off their debt, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. These two women went back to their alma mater and asked for a list of seniors who wouldn’t be able to graduate due to outstanding balances. Then they partnered to clear them. https://t.co/UmdvX9MfAp — #becauseofthemwecan (@Becauseofthem) September 12, 2019 Lee, who founded Harlem’s first-ever Black-owned beer bar, was determined to find a way to assist students who are struggling with the cost of tuition. She contacted Cole to explore ways they could join forces and eliminate financial burdens for students so they’d be able to walk across the graduation stage. Cognizant of how the student debt crisis has hit HBCUs the hardest, the women were motivated to utilize their resources to make a difference in the lives of students of color. Cole and Lee—who are members of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated—connected with the school and asked for a list of seniors who needed to pay off debt so they would be able to graduate. They randomly chose 30 students to help and surprised them on campus to let them know that their outstanding balances have been handled. “God has been so good to us both. It just felt right,” Cold told Because of Them We Can . “Growing up in a single-family household, and being the first to go to college, I know what it feels like to not know where the money is coming from. But there were people who believed in me despite my circumstances and I wanted to be that person for someone else.” Since the inception of her fast-growing business, which has evolved into a staple in Atlanta, she has donated over $100,000 towards the education of college students in need. Entrepreneurs are stepping up to help students of different ages tackle their debt. In June, a Black-owned barbershop in North Carolina raised money to help high school seniors pay off their debt so they would be able to graduate. SEE ALSO: Black-Owned Barbershop Pays Off Debt For Students In Charlotte Billionaire Robert F. Smith Pledges To Eliminate Student Loan Debt For Morehouse’s Class Of 2019 [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3039818″ overlay=”true”]
Source: Courtesy Netflix / Courtesy Netflix “Styling Hollywood” Is A Netflix Classic Last month Netflix debuted “Styling Hollywood ,” an ultra chic, but proudly black docuseries, following the lives of Jason Bolden and Adair Curtis, an insanely talented couple who run the JSN Studios design company — where Bolden styles Hollywood celebs including Mindy Kaling, Ava Duvernay, Taraji P. Henson, Yara Shahidi, Storm Reid and a gang of other lovely leading ladies and Curtis oversees interior design projects for stars like Dulé Hill and Sanaa Lathan. Our Senior Director of Content Janeé Bolden binged the entire series the weekend it was released and sat down with the happy couple to discuss. Check out her interview below! Janeé Bolden: How you decided who to actually feature on the show?(Henson, Shahidi, Reid, Duvernay, Lathan and the Hills all make appearances, while some clients were mentioned via photos or video b-roll) Jason Bolden: It was the middle of the awards season and a lot of people were working or traveling, so a lot of it was the people who had a window of time and were available. Everything was happening in real time. Seeing Taraji the day of the Emmys was happening in real time. View this post on Instagram Mid sentence per use…Milano nights w/ my 1&Only + our @prada family A post shared by Adair Curtis (@adair_curtis) on Sep 18, 2019 at 12:37pm PDT Janeé: You guys are an African-American gay couple, not exactly what we see on TV much at all. How did that factor into you guys wanting to tell your story? Jason: Hashtag #DoubleBlack! Adair: In the beginning, and even up until we started doing press, it’s always in the back of your mind, you’re cognizant of it, that it is not often that you see yourself represented, or scenarios of people who look like you so much or have backgrounds like you, so much. So it was important to us to be portrayed in our truest form, in our truest light and to give audiences a glimpse of what our life is like. We’re just like everyone else. Janeé: Yes you are, but way more fabulous! Better access, better cars, way cuter dog, way more access to dope closets and interiors as well. All that aside, you’re both very busy… How did you make time for production? Video production is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a production… That part didn’t get frustrating at all? Adair: Yeah that part was hard. It was something we had to adjust to, because our work schedules are very hectic and we work around the clock. Sometimes I had to film by myself because Jason was working, he had to be on location somewhere or on a set with somebody or at a fitting. And then even vice versa. Jason had to film while I was at a site meeting or I may have been in meetings or designing … It was something we had to adjust to but the family just got used to it. Janeé: If you guys get to do another season, and I hope you do, will we get to see more of your job Adair? I feel like the Hill house took up the bulk of the season in terms of what we saw of your work. We saw Sanaa’s Air BnB, we saw you furniture shopping with Gabrielle Union, but outside of that we saw a lot of Jason during awards season. Adair: Yeah it’s hard to please everybody the crazy thing, or the factual thing about interiors is that things take a long time. Renovations take a long time. While Jason could outfit someone quickly and you can get this on film quickly, we can start a renovation in December and not finish until the next December and when you have a window to fit something in that’s what you do. If we get a second season. we will show the interior work, because Jason is involved in that too and you don’t get to see that so much. Our dynamic of how we work together on interiors. I’m hoping we get to show more of that too. Hit the flip to continue.
Source: Boston Globe / Getty Antonio Brown Released By New England Patriots Antonio Brown ‘s time with the New England Patriots is over. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, he has officially been released from the team. Patriots released Antonio Brown. His stay in New England lasted one game. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 20, 2019 Patriots’ statement: “The New England Patriots are releasing Antonio Brown. We appreciate the hard work of many people over the past 11 days, but we feel that it is best to move in a different direction at this time.” — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 20, 2019 Earlier today we reported on the intimidating text messages that Antonio *allegedly* sent to his most recent sexual harassment accuser. We knew it was just a matter of time before either the team or the league stepped in to say “enough”. View this post on Instagram Love ya champ that was fun ! #GoWinIt #DoitforMe A post shared by Boomin (@ab) on Sep 20, 2019 at 1:08pm PDT View this post on Instagram Appreciate ya A post shared by Boomin (@ab) on Sep 20, 2019 at 1:05pm PDT View this post on Instagram One lucky fan can win this comment below A post shared by Boomin (@ab) on Sep 20, 2019 at 1:44pm PDT Looks like Bill Belichick tried to get whatever he could out of Brown before it was too late. Turns out too late was exactly ONE game. Statement from a #Patriots spokesperson: https://t.co/c98rNDX9QG pic.twitter.com/DAohupBLHo — New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 20, 2019 Reporter: Will you guys miss Antonio Brown? Patriot's Organization: pic.twitter.com/KE1pp1MYQO — JamakeComedy (@Jamake0602) September 20, 2019 SMH @ the Patriots and Antonio Brown. Clowns.
If you’ve been keeping up with the increasingly bizarre saga of rapper Tekashi69 — real name, Daniel Hernandez — you know the face-tatted rapper will soon present a considerable challenge to the fine folks at the Witness Protection Program. It all started back in November, when Tekashi was arrested for a list of crimes that seemed likely to put him behiund bars for the rest of his natural life. Fortunately for Hernandez, he had a plan to escape that unpleasant fate — snitching. And while his hip hop career may have been a disappointment, Tekashi has since proven himself to be the Jay Z of naming names. All this week, Tekashi has been testifying in the trial of Aljermiah “Nuke” Mack and Anthony “Harv” Ellison, who, like him, are alleged former memers of the Nine Trey Bloods. Hernandez says he met Mack, Ellison and other members of the Nine Treys on the set of his first music video. Apparently, he had the idea of making the clip for “Gummo” a gang-themed production, and within a few months, he was living the life himself as a full-fledged member of the gang. Or at least that’s what the Nine Treys told him. Over the course of his time with the gang, Hernandez shelled out more than $85,000 in protection money — but what he really needed protection from was his own security detail. Eventually, the Nine Treys kidnapped Tekashi, pistol-whipped him, and robbed him of jewelery worth more than $50,000. We guess it’s not surprising that he’s eager to squeal now that he’s facing life in prison as a result of his involvement with the gang. Tekashi has mentioned several other rappers during his time on the stand — identifying Jim Jones as a fellow Nine Trey and admitting to putting out a hit on rival Chief Keef. But no of his industry insider talk has garnered more attention than the claims he made yesterday abotu Cardi B. Tekashi claims that Cardi is also a Nine Trey, who — like him — used the gang as protection and enforcement early in her career. “I knew who she was,” he said when prosecutors asked about Cardi’s alleged gang activity. “I didn’t pay attention.” Cardi has admitted in the past to involvement with the Bloods: “I used to pop off with my homies. And they’d say, ‘Yo, you really get it poppin’. You should come home. You should turn Blood,’” she told GQ last year. “And I did. Yes, I did. And something that — it’s not like, oh, you leave. You don’t leave.” But apparently, she draws the line at being lumped in with the ultra-violent Nine Treys. “You just said it yourself… Brin not 9 Trey,” Cardi tweeted on Thursday after catching wind of Tekashi’s allegations. “I never been 9 Trey or associated with them.” So his testimony against Cardi might not help Hernandez secure a lighter sentence — but he’s succeeded in making one more enemy on the outside.
Back in July, Amber Portwood was arrested after allegedly assaulting boyfriend Andrew Glennon. The details of the incident were brutal — according to the police report, Amber attacked Andrew with a machete and struck him while he held the couple's 1-year-old son — and things only got worse from there. At this point, several audio recordings have emerged in which Amber threatens to kill Andrew and can be heard assaulting him in the presence of their baby. Fans assumed such horrific abuse would result in Amber being fired from Teen Mom OG — but according to a new report from The Ashley's Reality Roundup , Portwood still has her job at MTV. Here's what we know about the situation thus far: 1. Unscathed Amber Portwood has been accused of truly horrific acts of abuse, and there’s a mountain of evidence pointing to her guilt. Despite this, it seems she has not been fired from Teen Mom OG. 2. Getting Away With It In a shocking new report from The Ashley’s Reality roundup, a production insider confirms that Portwood still has a job, and will continue to appear on new episodes of Teen Mom OG. 3. A Baffling Decision “Amber has 100 percent filmed for the new season,” says the source. “She is not being fired by MTV.” 4. Letting It Ride It seems insane that MTV and parent company Viacom would risk so much by continuing to employ someone who is quite clearly guilty of domestic abuse. 5. Ratings Rule But it seems the powers that be believe Portwood’s story will continue to attract viewers. And with ratings at an all-time low, TMOG needs all the help it can get. 6. Courtoom Drama “[The producers] plan to film with Amber through her court trial [for the domestic battery charges],” says the insider. View Slideshow
