Your browser does not support iframes. Chrisette Michele has been through a lot in 2017, and she wasn’t too shy to talk about it at Blitz 2017. After the singer shared some thoughts about the importance of showcases, hew single “Strong Black Woman” and her new album Out Of Control , she opened up about the backlash she received for performing at Donald Trump ‘s Inauguration. “It was scary. I got up and I sang a song about love and about everything is gonna be OK. I didn’t vote for Trump, I made that so clear, and I felt like nobody heard me,” she tells us. “So there was a crazy backlash in the online space, and a lot of bullying.” She also came clean about how much she was paid to perform: “Well, apparently, I got some taxpayers’ money. So I don’t know how his money and tax money go together, but I don’t think I got a large chunk of a hundred million dollars, at all… At the end of the day, those types of celebrations are run by the public.” She then went off on a bit of a tangent: “I don’t even know if we realize it, because how many of us know where our tax dollars really go? But it was a party, run by taxpayers’ dollars. So he wasn’t there, I don’t know that you could say it’s for Trump, so much as it was a celebration around the event.” Well, sis, it’s clear you want to leave this behind you and that’s totally understandable. Check out the rest of the interview with Chrisette, above.
Your browser does not support iframes. Idris Elba and Kate Winslet’s new film The Mountain Between Us tells the story of a couple that falls in love against all the odds. When the lead characters Ben and Alex survive a plane crash, they find themselves completely alone and need to depend on each other to survive. The film’s dramatic premise got us thinking about some of our favorite couples in Hollywood whose love has survived some of life’s biggest hurdles. #TeamBeautiful’s own Shamika Sanders and Allison McGevna got together to count them down. See our picks in the video above and be sure to check out The Mountain Between Us when it hits theaters nationwide on Friday, October 6. DON’T MISS: Loni Love Was All Of Us When She Finally Met Idris Elba Blue Ivy Is Dripping Swagoo In A Grey Sweatsuit I Love My Sister, But…: Erica Campbell Does Not Support Donald Trump [ione_media_gallery src=”https://hellobeautiful.com” id=”2957505″ overlay=”true”]
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A federal judge says he intends to dismiss a lawsuit that accuses Black Lives Matter and several movement leaders of inciting violence that led to a gunman’s deadly ambush of law enforcement officers in Baton Rouge last year. U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson issued that warning in an order Wednesday, less than a week after ruling Black Lives Matter is a social movement and therefore can’t be sued. Last Thursday, Jackson threw out a police officer’s lawsuit blaming Black Lives Matter and movement leader DeRay Mckesson for injuries he sustained during a protest over a deadly police shooting in Baton Rouge last year. The officer’s lawyer also attempted to add “#BlackLivesMatter” as a defendant, but Jackson ruled a hashtag can’t be sued either. Now the judge is vowing to dismiss a separate suit filed on behalf of a sheriff’s deputy wounded in the July 2016 attack that killed three other officers in Baton Rouge. The same Baton Rouge-based attorney, Donna Grodner, filed both suits. The judge is giving her until Oct. 13 to respond to his order and present arguments why the deputy’s case shouldn’t be dismissed. Grodner declined to comment Thursday on the judge’s order or say whether she plans to appeal last week’s ruling. Mckesson, a Baltimore, Maryland, resident and four other Black Lives Matter leaders were named as defendants in the suit that Grodner filed on behalf of one of the officers wounded in the July 17, 2016, attack by Gavin Long, a black military veteran from Kansas City, Missouri. The suit doesn’t name the plaintiff, but its description of the wounded officer matches East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Deputy Nicholas Tullier, who was has been at a Houston rehabilitation hospital since November. Long, a 29-year-old former Marine, was armed with a semi-automatic rifle when he killed three officers and wounded three others outside a convenience store and car wash near Baton Rouge police headquarters before he was shot dead. Long had posted rambling internet videos calling for violence in response to police treatment of African-Americans, which he said constituted “oppression.” He apparently posted a YouTube video from Dallas on July 10, three days after a sniper killed five officers and wounded nine others there. The attack came less than two weeks after a white Baton Rouge police officer shot and killed Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man. Mckesson was one of nearly 200 people arrested in Louisiana’s capital at nightly protests after Sterling’s death. The wounded deputy’s lawsuit claimed Mckesson was “in charge of” a July 9 protest that “turned into a riot” and described Long as an “activist whose actions followed and mimicked those of” the sniper who killed officers in Dallas, But the judge said that latter claim is “not altogether relevant.” Otherwise, the judge wrote, the lawsuit is “devoid of any facts that tend to demonstrate that any of the named Defendants, in particular, are liable for the alleged injuries suffered by Plaintiff, even assuming that those Defendants have the capacity to be sued.” Later Thursday, Mckesson tweeted a link to The Associated Press story on the judge’s order, saying “I’m happy to get both of these lawsuits behind me as I did nothing wrong in either case.” Like BlackAmericaWeb.com on Facebook . Follow us on Twitter and Instagram Share your email below to receive our daily newsletter! Close Thank you for subscribing! Please be sure to open and click your first newsletter so we can confirm your subscription. Email Submit Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
Source: Hot 1079 In this edition of Word On The Streetz Weekly Wrap Up, Mz Shyneka gives the rundown on Donald Trump finally visiting Puerto Rico, Jay Z’s Hurricane Relief efforts, Nene Leakes vs. Kim Zolciak, Tyrese going after the Rock, and Stevie J & Joseline being ordered to take drug tests. [Sorry. This video cannot be displayed in this feed. View your video here.] [Sorry. This video cannot be displayed in this feed. View your video here.]
Source: Jamie McCarthy / Getty The Autobiography Of Gucci Mane is moving big units, just like Gucci’s records. In its first week out, the critically acclaimed book reached number four on The New York Times hardcover nonfiction list and number four on the combined print and e-book nonfiction list. Get it on Amazon and send love to Gucci and co-writer Neil Martinez-Belkin for the huge win.
Source: Taylor Hill / Getty Desus Nice and The Kid Mero came from the mud; but their crazy come-up story doesn’t even scratch the surface of why they are not only so likable, but prevalent in today’s world inundated with commentary. With social media, everybody with a phone can–and usually does–put in their 2 cents on everything that comes across their screen. It becomes hard to weed out what consumers themselves actually want to see, and whose takes are important enough to seek out on the regular. Though Desus and Mero got their start as those same social media warriors, they’ve risen to boast resumes that include their TV show (already renewed for a second season) Desus & Mero , their weekly Redbull-sponsored podcast The Bodega Boys , a sold-out line of merchandise, and a plethora of live appearances throughout the US and Canada both at huge comedy festivals and on their own headlining bills. Because these Bronx, NY natives’ claim to their most mainstream fame is a late night television show, a logical comparison would be to the other players in that genre like Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel . The truth remains, however, that with a network like Viceland and personalities like Desus and Mero, the only place their show compares to the others is on paper. Featuring both smaller guests and people like Diddy , and almost completely off-the-dome narrations, the only gripe most viewers have with the show is that it should be longer than half an hour. The most refreshing part of watching these two is the stark contrast from the political correctness of a show on a major network. Hosts like Jimmy Fallon and James Corden saw endless backlash over humanizing Donald Trump and his former press secretary Sean Spicer , and that’s something fans of Desus and Mero never have to worry about. Though they’ve mentioned many times before (possibly in jest) that they can’t wait to be sell-outs later on in their career–we all have our price!–the compromising of their own ideals would make the entire shtick they’ve mastered obsolete. Fans who have had the pleasure of seeing this rise to stardom from their Twitter roots, to their year-long stint on Complex while they juggled their day jobs, have no choice but to be die-hards. No matter how big Desus and Mero get in their career, they’ll always maintain an intimate fan relationship that feels like those same underground podcasters you heroically put all of your friends onto. In a world that’s growing more cynical as each day passes, it’s important to find and champion those who help you get through those days–and Desus and Mero continue to be the best medicine for all of life’s ailments.
This might be the most random feud that we’ve ever seen. But it’s 2017 and nothing makes sense anymore. The horrific shooting Las Vegas that left nearly 60 people dead and more than 500 injured has engendered a lot of conversations about gun control, public safety, and terrorism. But it’s also prompted this weird feud. This is not the time, guys. Dakota Meyer has military experience, but his role in the armed forces isn’t why he’s famous. He’s the husband to Bristol Palin, which makes him Sarah Palin’s son-in-law. (Seriously … he wasn’t born into the Palin clan — he willingly married into it. Can you imagine ?!) And then there’s Dan Bilzerian. The professional poker player got rich by gambling and now he shows off his wealth by, well, owning a lot of guns, parading a lot of hot women around him in various states of undress, and being an internet personality. Basically, Bilzerian is cashing in on hypermasculine fantasies by living out the dreams of your average male failure and, therefore, earning their respect and admiration. (Well … at least he appears to live it out. It might be a bit much to suggest that Bilzerian actually has sex with every hot model featured in his very staged-looking photos) Bilzerian also makes a habit of making anti-feminist statements, associating with truly terrible people like Floyd Mayweather, and generally coming across as a huge douche. You’d think that, as different as their lifestyles might be, politics alone would put Dan Bilzerian and Dakota Meyer on the same side. But not this time. Dan Bilzerian filmed the mass shooting in Las Vegas . Or, at least, what he experienced of it. In the (very upsetting — there are no “good” videos from that event) video, Dan describes his experience as he flees the massacre. “A girl just got shot in the head. This is so crazy.” Horrific. Dan claims that he is headed to retrieve one of his guns, which would be almost comical if this weren’t such a serious subject. “Had to go grab a gun. I’m f—ing heading back. [Expletive] it’s so crazy — some kind of mass shooting. [Explective] guy had a heavy caliber weapon for sure. Saw some girl f—ing get shot in the face right next to me, her brains f—ing hanging out. Stupid-a– me didn’t bring a gun.” The self-proclaimed King of Instagram then updated his followers. “They got one of the guys. I’m headed back. I don’t think there’s much I can do.” There was never anything that Dan could do, of course. Even if he were as badass as he’d like his followers to believe. The shooter was in a hotel room. Did Dan intend to just start shooting into windows of the Mandalay Bay? There’s a lot to criticize there. Care to see what struck a nerve with Dakota Meyer? Meyer took to Instagram to vent his frustration with the man. “This is why children shouldn’t classify heroes by their followers or their photos. @danbilzerian this is what kills me about people like you. Always playing ‘operator dress up’ and so so tough when the cameras are on.” That is fair. Dan got rich gambling and it’s not inaccurate to describe so much of what Dan does as playing dress-up. Having a sizable gun collection is a sign of all sorts of issues and insecurities, but it’s not an indication of military prowess. “A woman just got shot in the head and you are running away filming that’s not what operators do. Please stop trying to be someone your not. People are dying, you’re running away not helping them and pretending it’s worthy of a video is disgusting.” We do have an issue with that last bit. In that … most people absolutely should run away from a shooting in most situations. Staying in the area will just make you another person for law enforcement to need to protect. Even if you die, law enforcement will need to determine that you’re dead or they will very likely want to treat you as an injured person who is in danger of being shot again or injured in a crossfire. But Dan Bilzerian’s brand means that he has to pretend, to his followers, to be a brave, manly hero or he’ll majorly lose face with them. His lame excuses in the video are fairly self-evident. The fact that he felt a need to broadcast them at all is, honestly, a little sad. So we are, against our will, forced to agree with Dakota Meyer, here. Mostly. View Slideshow: Las Vegas Shooting: Celebrities React to Terrorist Attack
Source: JIM WATSON / Getty On Tuesday, Donald Trump finally took a trip to Puerto Rico after the island was devastated by Hurricane Maria leaving millions without power and many without supplies or water. How did 45 decide to greet a small group of Puerto Ricans in need? He gave away paper towels. Oh yea, and he didn’t just hand it to them like a normal human being — he had to show off his jump shot by throwing it to them. You can check out the clip for yourself below. The video of Trump throwing out paper towels in Puerto Rico is even worse than I imagined pic.twitter.com/gBK9MQ0YmE — Roland Scahill (@rolandscahill) October 3, 2017 The shenanigans continue.
Source: JIM WATSON / Getty On Tuesday, Donald Trump finally took a trip to Puerto Rico after the island was devastated by Hurricane Maria leaving millions without power and many without supplies or water. How did 45 decide to greet a small group of Puerto Ricans in need? He gave away paper towels. Oh yea, and he didn’t just hand it to them like a normal human being — he had to show off his jump shot by throwing it to them. You can check out the clip for yourself below. The video of Trump throwing out paper towels in Puerto Rico is even worse than I imagined pic.twitter.com/gBK9MQ0YmE — Roland Scahill (@rolandscahill) October 3, 2017 The shenanigans continue.
