Khadeen Ellis & Krystal Lee Speak On Faith, Family & Life At Champagne Conversations Presented By St. Jude Source: LaSondra Spears / LaSondra Spears Lifestyle Influencer Khadeen Ellis and Radio One personality of the Willie Moore, Jr. Show, Krystal Lee teamed up with St. Jude to host Champagne Conversations during the Summit 21 weekend. The intimate mixer featured candid and transparent conversations around faith, family and wellness. Krystal Lee Source: LaSondra Spears / LaSondra Spears Visual Artist and Fashion Designer, Kris Keys showcased original art and design pieces from her newly launched ‘Hematology Collection’. Inspired by her relentless fight with Sickle Cell, Keys’ who is also a former St. Jude patient, shared her survivor story and how she transformed her experience living with a blood disorder into a literal work of art. Source: LaSondra Spears / LaSondra Spears Attendees enjoyed an evening of mingling, small bites, complimentary cocktails and an electric ambiance of black girl magic throughout the night. See more pics by hitting the flip!
Kody Brown and his four sister wives thought they’d found paradise when they decided to move the whole family to Flagstaff, Arizona . But paradise came with its share of troubles. In addition to the usual drama and fueds, the polygamous family has struggled financially ever since the move. The struggle got even more intense this month, as even more interest piles up on the Browns’ unpaid property taxes. Last year, Kody spent $820,000 on a 15-acre plot of land in Flagstaff. This is a huge amount of space, even if you do have four wives and 18 children. The property is divided into four parcels, each requiring separate payments. Arizona law forbids polygamous co-habitation. Because of this, the plan was to build several houses on the property. This way the family could keep each other close and hopefully avoid breaking that pesky law. But, as a Radar Online report reveals, the plan has encountered major setbacks. A year later, the Browns have yet to break ground on a single house, and they still owe property taxes that were due in December. According to Radar Online , tax payments are only past due on two of the four plots. Kody, Christine and Robyn own one plot together, and initially failed to pay the amount of $2,063.70. After the latest round of interest, they now owe $2,201.28 The second plot is co-owned by Kody (again), Janelle and Meri. They originally owed $1,990.82, but now that’s increased to $2,123.54, Radar Online reports. That’s a total of $4,324.82 just to get caught up on taxes. And obviously, it’s going to cost a lot more than that to build multiple houses for the Browns’ enormous family. To make matters worse, Radar Online now claims that the family hasn’t received any payment for Christine Brown’s former house in Las Vegas. Prior reports seemed to indicate the family had found a buyer, but the house is still listed on the market for the lowest price yet, $574,990. Meri’s Las Vegas house also failed to sell, even after multiple price cuts. Ultimately, it was taken off the market. That must be disappointing for the Browns, who were counting on adding another half a million dollars to their housing budget in Arizona. But we have a hunch that Meri might find having a back-up house useful when she finally decides she’s had enough of Kody and the other wives. Over the past year, it’s been rumored, and even apparent on the show, that Meri isn’t feeling the love anymore. Fans believes that she may leave the flock . Meanwhile, the many stars of Sister Wives are paying rent on no fewer than four separate dwellings and a commercial building in Flagstaff. That’s an incredibly expensive feat for a family that’s already pressed for funds. (Moving isn’t cheap, folks) It all makes one wonder if perhaps this move wasn’t very thoroughly thought out. But the news isn’t all bad. A new season of Sister Wives has begun filming, which means more money is on the way for the Brown family. Will it be enough to square up the taxes, build several homes and feed 18 children? Will the whole family even stick around to find out? It’s too early to say, but it’s clear that Kody and the Sister Wives may have bitten off more than they can chew. View Slideshow: Kody Brown: Sorry, Sister Wives, I’m a One-Woman Man Now!
Source: filo/Getty Images Memphis Protests Erupt After Brandon Webber Shooting Outrage erupted in Memphis, Tennessee last night over the shooting of a black man. Brandon Webber, 20, was gunned by down by US Marshalls Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force Wednesday after The Tennessee Burea of Investigation said he “rammed his vehicle into the officers’ vehicles multiple times before exiting with a weapon.” The 20-year-old father was reportedly wanted by authorities on multiple unspecified warrants. “Preliminary information indicates that at approximately 7 p.m., multiple officers with the United States Marshals Service – Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force encountered a male, wanted on multiple warrants, outside of a home in the 2700 block of Durham Street as he was getting into a vehicle. While attempting to stop the individual, he reportedly rammed his vehicle into the officers’ vehicles multiple times before exiting with a weapon. The officers fired striking and killing the individual. No officers were injured.” Despite his alleged warrants, Webber’s family is wondering why so much brute force was used. They tell local publications that he was shot between 16-20 times by authorities. There are also reports that his body was left out in the street drawing comparisons to Michael Brown whose lifeless body laid in the street for hours. After news broke about Webber’s death, a crowd gathered around the scene in Memphis’ Frayser neighborhood and police brought out batons and shields before dispersing tear gas. Memphis’ Mayor Jim Strickland said at least 24 law enforcement officers were injured and added that windows and police cars were damaged. He also praised the police for their response to the “riots” which sound more like a community in mourning and upset that Webber’s death marks the 22nd Tennessean shot by police this year. Community leaders like Tami Sawyer, Shelby County Commissioner and a candidate for mayor of Memphis, asked for a thorough investigation into the shooting and asked onlookers to be considerate of protestors’ feelings. Don’t judge Frayser without asking a community how it feels to mourn their youth over and over again. What do people do with their pain and trauma when it gets to be too much, when a city has ignored them, when their loss is too great and they can no longer yell at the sky? — Tami Sawyer (@tamisawyer) June 13, 2019 I was in Frayser tonight because Brandon Webber was shot 16-20 times in his family’s front yard on the same day as the Pulse nightclub shooting anniversary and on the same day that the DA chose not to charge another police officer for murdering a civilian. — Tami Sawyer (@tamisawyer) June 13, 2019 Our thoughts and prayers are with Brandon Webber’s family and the people of Memphis. #DontEvenTrip #BrandonWebber pic.twitter.com/7wnAVVI1Nb — Jojo (@a1josa_) June 13, 2019
Source: filo/Getty Images Memphis Protests Erupt After Brandon Webber Shooting Outrage erupted in Memphis, Tennessee last night over the shooting of a black man. Brandon Webber, 20, was gunned by down by US Marshalls Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force Wednesday after The Tennessee Burea of Investigation said he “rammed his vehicle into the officers’ vehicles multiple times before exiting with a weapon.” The 20-year-old father was reportedly wanted by authorities on multiple unspecified warrants. “Preliminary information indicates that at approximately 7 p.m., multiple officers with the United States Marshals Service – Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force encountered a male, wanted on multiple warrants, outside of a home in the 2700 block of Durham Street as he was getting into a vehicle. While attempting to stop the individual, he reportedly rammed his vehicle into the officers’ vehicles multiple times before exiting with a weapon. The officers fired striking and killing the individual. No officers were injured.” Despite his alleged warrants, Webber’s family is wondering why so much brute force was used. They tell local publications that he was shot between 16-20 times by authorities. There are also reports that his body was left out in the street drawing comparisons to Michael Brown whose lifeless body laid in the street for hours. After news broke about Webber’s death, a crowd gathered around the scene in Memphis’ Frayser neighborhood and police brought out batons and shields before dispersing tear gas. Memphis’ Mayor Jim Strickland said at least 24 law enforcement officers were injured and added that windows and police cars were damaged. He also praised the police for their response to the “riots” which sound more like a community in mourning and upset that Webber’s death marks the 22nd Tennessean shot by police this year. Community leaders like Tami Sawyer, Shelby County Commissioner and a candidate for mayor of Memphis, asked for a thorough investigation into the shooting and asked onlookers to be considerate of protestors’ feelings. Don’t judge Frayser without asking a community how it feels to mourn their youth over and over again. What do people do with their pain and trauma when it gets to be too much, when a city has ignored them, when their loss is too great and they can no longer yell at the sky? — Tami Sawyer (@tamisawyer) June 13, 2019 I was in Frayser tonight because Brandon Webber was shot 16-20 times in his family’s front yard on the same day as the Pulse nightclub shooting anniversary and on the same day that the DA chose not to charge another police officer for murdering a civilian. — Tami Sawyer (@tamisawyer) June 13, 2019 Our thoughts and prayers are with Brandon Webber’s family and the people of Memphis. #DontEvenTrip #BrandonWebber pic.twitter.com/7wnAVVI1Nb — Jojo (@a1josa_) June 13, 2019
How much would you pay to make sure your ex stays single? Whatever the amount, Tristan Thompson probably has you beat. A steady drip of details from recently-revealed court documents are reinforcing what we all kind of knew about Khloe Kardashian’s ex: Tristan is a total deadbeat dad . The same documents are now alleging that Tristan paid ex-girlfriend and baby mama Jordan Craig over $100,000 not to date other men. This is some wildly hypocritical behavior, as Tristan was already dating Khloe when this alleged transaction went down. The court documents show that the 28-year old NBA player was locked in a child support battle with Jordan, 27, earlier this year. RadarOnline reports that during her deposition on January 31, Jordan claimed Tristan paid her $112,000 in November of 2017. “That was part of a bribe,” Jordan stated, when asked why Tristan gave her the money. When asked to clarify, Jordan added, “He would help me if I wasn’t like, dating anybody or talking to anybody, and that I would have to come see him.” It’s not unusual for vast sums of money to change hands when celebrities split up, especially when the couple shared a child together. But bribing your ex in order to control their dating life is a total creep move. After all, Tristan was already hooking up with Khloe Kardashian, and whoever else he wanted. Tristan cheated on Jordan with Khloe back in 2016, which came to light just after Jordan became pregnant with Prince. The revelation was a bombshell for Jordan. After all, Tristan had pushed so hard to start a family with Jordan despite their fertility issues. The stress of the betryal, and its intense media coverage, caused complications with the pregnancy and forced Jordan into bed rest for her health. Thankfully, Prince was born in good health in December 2016. But Khloe should have seen Tristan’s capricious desertion for the red flag that it was. Just two years later, Tristan famously pulled the same stunt again with her. This time, Tristan was caught cheating just days before Khloe gave birth to their daughter True in 2018. Khloe tried to make the relationship work for the family’s sake, but finally left Tristan in February when he hooked up with her sister’s friend Jordyn Woods. After Prince was born, Tristan said he wanted to stay close with Jordan for the sake of their son. According to her affidavit, he even made an effort for the first few months. But, as Jordan wrote: “He eventually made it clear that he did not want me to ‘see’ or date anyone. I could not agree to this.” As a result, Jordan wrote that “He became completely absent in Tristan’s life.” Tristan disputes this of course, stating in his own deposition that he never said she couldn’t date anyone, per se. “If [she’s] a single woman,” he clarified, “I wanted to request her not to have random men around my child.” Yes Tristan, we’re all sure you’re very concerned about your child that you’ve only seen nine times since he was born. It seems Jordan didn’t intend to go celibate, even though she took the money. According to Radar Online , she only accepted the bribe because she needed help taking care of her family. View Slideshow: Tristan Thompson: CAUGHT with Two New Women! Jordan and Prince moved to a new house in Los Angeles in 2017, which has to be expensive for a single mother. She used some of the money to help pay back her mother and sister, who helped finance the new home. Jordan also spent $20,000 installing a pool for Prince, and another $16,000 remodeling his room to look like a castle. Extravagant, yes. Adorable? Also yes. But why not, right? When your cheating celebrity baby daddy is making NBA money, you can go big and go home.
Source: Sheri Determan/WENN.com / WENN Barbara Corcoran’s Brother Died At A Dominican Republic Hotel Back In April Shark Tank star Barbara Corcoran’s brother, John, was found dead in his Dominican Republic hotel room while on vacation with a friend back in April, according to reports from TMZ . While an autopsy was not performed, Barbara and her family were told that her brother suddenly died of a heart attack. If true, this story coincides with the scary string of American tourist deaths that have occurred in similar circumstances on the island over the past couple months. Within the last year, six Americans have died at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana, and Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts, all showing nearly identical causes of death. Miranda Schaup-Werner was celebrating her wedding anniversary at the Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville hotel last month when she suddenly died after having a drink from the mini-bar. Her death came just five days before an American couple from Maryland was found dead at the same resort. As of now, it’s unclear what hotel Corcoran’s brother was staying in the Dominican Republic when he was found dead and it’s also unknown if he had a drink from the mini-bar prior. Kaylynn Knull and Tom Schwander filed a lawsuit against the Grand Bahia Principe Hotel La Romana resort earlier this year after becoming sick during their stay in 2018. The Colorado couple suspects that the release of insecticides into the central air conditioning system led to their sickness. Our condolences go out to Barbara Corcoran and the whole family. Hopefully, this eerie situation taking the lives of those visiting the Dominican Republic gets solved sooner than later.
Source: @ishineink / Instagram #BlackInkCHI: Charmaine Tries To Woo Shine’s Customers After He Quits, But New Guys Ruin It The old 9MAG shop just keeps taking Ls! The OG crew actually had some potential customers after starting over from scratch with Van as the new boss. Two ladies walked in, looking to get work done by Shine, who worked at the shop during the first half of the season. Unfortunately, Shine QUIT before they came in. Shine already had a huge social media following because of his impeccable skills before 9MAG and felt he had to break out after just a few episodes. Here is a peek at his beautiful tattoo style: View this post on Instagram A father, a mother, and 2 sons.. One of his sons has a disorder, which is why one of the cubs is kind of tucked away.. 1 or 2 more sessions on this one. • Would you get a backpiece if it was for your family???? • #PROLIFIC • +Email my manager @nikki_attheshop at +shinetattoostudio@gmail.com Made with +@intenzetattooink +@axysrotary +@mdwipeoutz +@cheyennetattoo – #tattoo #tattooartist #sleevetattoos #intenzepride #tattoosleeve #besttattoos #blackandgreytattoo #bng A post shared by Shine (@ishineink) on Jun 2, 2019 at 2:47pm PDT With Shine gone, Charmaine does exactly what she needed to do here to sell the ladies on one of the other “artists” — but the men get RUDE when the ladies bring up Shine’s tattoo style. WTH? Do you think this behavior is professional at all??? In related news, Shine details why he quit 9MAG after the flip.
We have an update on the very sad death of Mary Duggar. As previously reported, the beloved matriarch of this famous family died on Sunday at her home in Arkansas. She was 78 years old. At the time this tragic news was broken, Duggar’s cause of death was unknown. But People Magazine and Radar Online have now confirmed that the mother of Jim Bob passed away due to an accidental drowning. On Wednesday evening, the latter outlet reported that a 911 call was made on Sunday for a “possible drowning” at Mary’s home in Springdale. The website writes that the call came in at 4:37 p.m. and emergency assistance was requested because a woman was said to be “unconscious” at the scene, based on a recording of this emergency message. This is all the information we have right now, but an investigation has been opened to uncover more of what led to this awful incident. The TLC stars announced the sudden death of their loved on Facebook earlier this week. “We are so sad to share that Grandma Duggar (Mary) passed away Sunday afternoon, June 9th, 2019. Mary Lester Duggar grew up in Farmington, Arkansas and was married almost 50 years to J.L. (Jimmy Lee) Duggar who preceded her in death,” the announcement opened. It continued as follows: “Mary found great joy in sharing her love for Jesus and her own story of how at age 15 she asked Christ to forgive her for her sins. It was at that time she committed the rest of her life to live for Him, a commitment she kept with devotion. “Grandma Mary Duggar has been on the TLC shows, 19 Kids & Counting and Counting On with her family for over 15 years. “She is greatly loved and will be missed so very much! “She lived a tremendous life as a follower of Christ, a wife, a devoted mother, a loving mother-in-law, and a much-loved grandmother.” Since this initial confirmation went public, multiple Duggar family members have also shared their own personal tributes and messages. Here are a few examples… Anna Duggar : Great-Grandma Duggar went to heaven today to be with Jesus! What an awesome woman of faith and such a loving example of God’s love. She was a true soul-winner and loved everyone she met, telling them to turn from sin and trust Jesus for salvation! Miss her soooo much and we cherish each moment we were blessed to spend together! Lots of tears being shed here — grateful for all the prayers. Jill Duggar : My heart breaks. My grandma died suddenly today! She was an amazing woman of God and such a great example to so many! Grandma, you are greatly missed by all who knew you! Austin and Joy-Anna Duggar : Grandma Duggar… She was a strong woman, role model, godly counselor…and my favorite person to watch ‘The Price is Right’ show with. She is GREATLY loved & missed! Thank you all for your kind words and prayers for our family. Amy Duggar : My best friend passed away yesterday afternoon. Jesus sure took home a treasure. I’m at a loss for words, shaking as I even type this out. I loved her so much. She helped raise me, we did everything together. We’ve been on countless trips, we had lunch together 3 times a week, and if we weren’t together we were either texting or calling each other. I know you are in perfect peace and we will see you again. Jessa Duggar : We will keep her stories and memories alive for these little ones, but we’re sad that they will not have the blessing of knowing her in person as we have… As we look back and reflect on the gift God gave us in Grandma Duggar, we are so grateful. How we wish we would’ve hugged her more, said ‘I love you’ more, and spoken more of these sentiments to her while she was here with us. She was deeply loved, and she impacted the lives of so many people. While we weep over our loss, we realize that she has been united with the person she loved more than anyone here on this earth. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. We love you, Grandma. Mary is survived by her daughter, Deanna, her son, Jim Bob, along with 21 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. May she rest in peace. View Slideshow: The Duggars: Who’s Courting? Pregnant? Next In Line? [UPDATED]
Earlier this week, we reported on the sad news that Mary Duggar has passed away . The mother of Jim Bob Duggar was beloved by family and fans alike, and her death has been a devastating blow to the entirety of Duggar nation. All week, Mary’s descendants have been taking to social media to eulogize the late 78-year-old for their millions of followers. On Tuesday, Jill Duggar paid tribute to Mary in a moving blog post. Her words were mostly met with praise and sympathy, but some fans criticized her for monetizing the death by forcing fans to follow a link from her social media pages to her personal website in order to read the piece. It was the latest in a series of bizarre controversies for the Duggars — but it seems Jessa Duggar was undeterred by the controversy. Jessa followed suit today and posted a tribute to Mary on the website she runs with her husband, Ben Seewald. “It didn’t matter who you were, she was ‘Grandma’ to you,” she wrote. “That’s most often how she would introduce herself. ‘Hi, I’m Grandma!’ Everybody called her Grandma. “She took a genuine interest in people. She would converse with you in a way that made you feel special and loved and cared about,” she continued. “She had a knack for remembering details, and the next time she saw you, she would inquire about things told to her in past conversations.” Jessa went on to reiterate an observation shared by so many others — Mary’s greatest joy in life was her ever-expanding family: “She welcomed each new baby with joy and would hold them with such tenderness and delight,” the 26-year-old wrote. “We will keep her stories and memories alive for these little ones, but we’re sad that they will not have the blessing of knowing her in person as we have.” Jessa stressed that her grandmother was neither a shrinking violet nor a stay-at-home mom, but an “exhorter” and “successful businesswoman,” who remained active until her final days. “As we look back and reflect on the gift God gave us in Grandma Duggar, we are so grateful. How we wish we would’ve hugged her more, said ‘I love you’ more, and spoken more of these sentiments to her while she was here with us,” she wrote. “She was deeply loved, and she impacted the lives of so many people.” Jessa concluded with a poignant statement of grief and undying affection: “While we weep over our loss, we realize that she has been united with the person she loved more than anyone here on this earth. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord,” she concluded. “We love you, Grandma.” Fans may take issue with Jessa making money from her eulogy — but there’s no doubting the sincerity of her words. View Slideshow: The Duggars: Who’s Courting? Pregnant? Next In Line? [UPDATED]
Source: David Livingston / Getty Producers, students, and crew members alike flocked to Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California for the Producer Guild of America’s ProducedBy Conference. The two-day event featured discussions from prominent filmmakers, producers, and TV execs. Sunday, June 9 hosted Ava DuVernay and her brilliant team (Netflix VP Cindy Holland, founder of Tribeca Enterprises Jane Rosenthal, and executive producers Jonathan King and Berry Welsh) behind When They See Us, the four-part Netflix series surrounding the controversial case of the Central Park Five. For anyone who is unfamiliar, five innocent black and brown males (Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Raymond Santana Jr., Korey Wise and Yusef Salaam) were unjustly convicted of beating and raping a white woman in Central Park. DuVernay aimed to h During the panel, DuVernay said she was very grateful to be a filmmaker at a time when she can approach Netflix with an idea for four films, and even more so a company that allowed her to fly out Richardson, McCray, Santana Jr., Wise and Salaam to watch all four films together in what was a very emotional moment for everyone involved. “I remember the first frame of the episode came up and my stomach just dropped I said, ‘God please, please… please let them feel like this is right and they were honored here and that their stories were told and their families were depicted in the right way,’” revealed DuVernay. As for the men, they re-lived their entire journey over again. “ Imagine seeing yourself at the moment your whole life changed. The life of your family changed forever 30 years ago. They cried. They wept. The held onto each other. They wailed,” added DuVernay. “ I could see the light on their faces and there are just tears. I never thought I could see that many tears come out of a human being for five hours.” The incomparable @ava DuVernay talks the emotional moment screening “When The See Us” with the real life exonerated five at #Producedby2019 #Whentheyseeus #CentralPark5 pic.twitter.com/EzYkoj2Jvu — Sade A Spence (@SadeASpence) June 10, 2019 DuVernay and her team also discussed the challenges of bringing the 1989 court case back to the forefront and using it as means of highlighting America’s incredibly flawed justice system. “The first episode will be about this portion of the case, but also show everyone what it feels like to be arrested as a young black boy,” said DuVernay. “How it feels to be in a precinct and precinct behavior, the kinds of behavior we are hearing are happening in precincts around the country as it relates to black and brown people.” DuVernay also explained with great detail the plan she proposed for films two through four: “The second episode we are going to talk about bail and the fact that we have a debtor’s prison in this country. The fact that there are ppl in prison who are poor and innocent and there are people who are not in prison who are rich and guilty. We’ll talk about judges and juries and district attorneys and prosecutors. The third episode, we will talk about juvenile detention… How we’re locking up children in this country and putting them with adults and walking away in this country and then we will talk about the horrors of incarceration. And folks won’t even know we are talking about this because we are talking about this very famous case.” When They See Us is currently airing on Netflix. RELATED STORIES: After Watching ‘When They See Us,’ Black Twitter Wants To Know Why Linda Fairstein Isn’t Locked Up Blair Underwood: Ava Duvernay Made A Grief Counselor Available On The Set Of ‘When They See Us’ [ione_media_gallery src=”https://hellobeautiful.com” id=”3028253″ overlay=”true”]
