Source: Prince Williams / Getty Video: Riley Burruss Gets Ready For Prom It’s already prom time for our girl Riley Burruss . After dropping a whopping 52 pounds last year, Riley Burruss is a whole new young lady. On her personal Youtube channel, Riley showed everyone how she got ready for the big day. The teen had her own glam team as well as her mama Kandi there. Kandi made sure her baby girl had some extra deodorant for the night; it was a family affair! HIt play to see Riley’s final look! Kandi also shared pics of Riley pre-pom on Instagram. View this post on Instagram My baby @rileyburruss A post shared by Kandi Burruss (@kandi) on Apr 14, 2019 at 7:28am PDT Isn’t she stunning??? View this post on Instagram I look a mess in these pics but I had to get a picture with my baby @rileyburruss for her first prom! I rushed back from Thailand to make sure we were here for it. (Riley just decided a week ago that she was going…). Thank you @beeombi for making this beautiful dress for her so fast! & of course thank you @therealnoigjeremy @sewjodie & @taetv for getting her together today! @morrisde A post shared by Kandi Burruss (@kandi) on Apr 13, 2019 at 8:26pm PDT
Source: Daniel Zuchnik / Getty Lee Daniels Says There Is Deliberation About Jussie Smollett’s ‘Empire’ Future It looks like Jussie Smollett’s future on Empire is hanging in the balance. According to TMZ , Adam Glyn caught up with Lee Daniels on the streets of NYC and he revealed that he’s literally in the middle of a discussion about whether or not to permanently cut Jussie from the show. There appears to be a lot of waffling about if Empire can still afford to keep him public relations-wise and character-wise. To make matters even more tenuous, Fox has not greenlit season 6 yet.
Source: Hal Bergmann Photography / Getty Nigel Shelby Commits Suicide Over Bullying Another teen has unfortunately taken their own life over bullying. 15-year-old Nigel Shelby of Huntsville Alabama’s Huntsville High School died by suicide April 18 after he was reportedly bullied for being gay. The news was first spread on Facebook by Rocket City Pride, a local LGBTQ+ Pride group. “We are heartbroken over the death of Nigel Shelby, a 15-year-old freshman at Huntsville High School,” said Rocket City Pride in a statement. “Nigel took his life because he was bullied for being gay. There are no words that can be said to make sense of this devastating news.” Rockey City Pride’s GoFundMe for Nigel’s mother had a goal of $10,000. As of now, the donations are over $15,000. Huntsville City Schools Superintendent Christie Finley also addressed Nigel’s suicide at a school board meeting and implored people to be kind and use the “Golden Rule” when dealing with each other . “I want to take a brief moment to speak about the recent loss of a Huntsville high school student, Nigel Shelby,” she said. “I spent most of the weekend really processing this loss and I’m sure many of you have as well. And we will for a while to come. It’s clear to me that the simple word of the golden rule has really become more difficult for many to understand and to practice and it is time as a society to value, respect and uplift one another.” Nigel’s suicide comes after 9-year-old McKenzie Adams of Alabama killed herself after racist bulliyng and after 10-year-old Seven Bridges committed suicide because he was bullied over his colostomy bag. We are praying for the families of these children who cut their own lives far too short.
Source: Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/ K Muzur / Getty Robyn Crawford Releasing Book About Whitney Houston Relationship Nearly a decade after legendary singer Whitney Houston ‘s tragic death, the woman who was by her side for most of her rise is ready to spill the beans on their relationship. Do you remember Robyn Crawford, who was famously disliked by Whitney’s husband Bobby Brown? In a recent biopic movie for BET, Bobby revealed her fought with Robyn over her strange attachment to Whitney, giving his wife an ultimatum to cut her off completely at one point. Robyn was rumored to have had a sexual affair with Whitney that lasted throughout her relationship with Bobby Brown. Robyn promises to “set the record straight” about her relationship with Whitney in the description of her yet to be released memoir, “A Song For You.” Since Whitney’s death in 2012, that trusted and loyal friend, Robyn Crawford, has stayed out of the limelight and held the great joys, wild adventures, and hard truths of her life with Whitney close to her heart. In A Song for You, Robyn breaks her silence to share the moving and often complicated story of her life and relationship with Whitney. With warmth, candor, and an impressive recall of detail, Robyn gives readers insight into Whitney’s life and career. She traces the years from when she and Whitney first met as teenagers in the 1980s to the recording of Whitney’s first album and the infinite success that followed. From countless sold-out world tours to her epic rendition of the US national anthem to the set of The Bodyguard , her tempestuous marriage, and the birth of her only child, Robyn was there. Deeply personal and heartfelt, A Song for You is the vital, honest, and previously untold story that provides an understanding of the complex life of Whitney Houston. Finally, the person who knew her best sets the record straight. The book is set to hit shelves November 2019. Will YOU be reading?
The death toll has soared in Sri Lanka. Nearly 300 people killed, about 500 injured in coordinated bombings at churches and hotels on Easter Sunday. @IvanCNN is live from Colombo, Sri Lanka with the latest: https://t.co/IOhEzeQ5lX pic.twitter.com/qmfFVgzxkh — CNN (@CNN) April 22, 2019 Sri Lanka Death Toll Reaches 290 More details have been released about the Easter Sunday terror attacks in Sri Lanka. As previously reported a wave of bombings struck hotels and churches where suicide bombers detonated explosives. BBC reports that the government has blamed a little-known local jihadist group, National Thowheed Jamath for the attacks. So far 24 people have been arrested in connection with the attacks. Police now report that 500 people were injured. Sri Lankan authorities confirmed that they were warned about a bomb threat from National Thowheed Jamath two weeks ago. BBC also spoke with Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando who told them that the intelligence “never indicated it was going to be an attack of this magnitude”. “They were talking about isolated, one or two incidents. Not like this,” he said. He said, “all important departments of the police” were informed about the warning, but acknowledged that no action was taken. Of the 290 dead, three of them are the children of billionaire Danish fashion mogul Anders Holch Povlsen. CNN reports that Povlsen who owns Bestseller, an international clothing chain, and is the largest shareholder of the online clothing retailer Asos, lost three of his four children in Sunday’s attacks. “We can confirm that Anders lost three children in the attack,” Jesper Stubkier, Bestseller’s communications manager, told CNN . The family is asking for privacy at this time. Three children of retail billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen were killed in the attacks in Sri Lanka on Sunday, according to a spokesperson for his company https://t.co/rqUMhwNbw8 pic.twitter.com/PKlgVJ0ByK — CNN (@CNN) April 22, 2019 Such sad, sad, news. We’re thinking of Povlsen and the people of Sri Lanka.
Source: Black Ink Chicago / VH1 9 Mag Shows Off Their Mom Tattoo Tributes Mother’s Day is just around the corner, so what better time is there for the cast of “Black Ink Chicago” to reflect on the love for their mothers? Charmaine , Ryan, and the rest of the crew show off their mom tattoos and share the stories behind their very special ink. Charmain went for a simple tattoo with a complex meaning. Ryan chose to commemorate his mom in a place he sees everything. Don and Van also chime in with there mother-loving ink. How would you rate some of these tributes?
Source: Paras Griffin / Getty T.I., Scrapp De Leon Help Raise Money To Release Prisoners A little positivity! Over 20 people were angle bonded out of jail this weekend with the help of T.I. and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta. According to 11alive , those bailed out were first-time nonviolent offenders in DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett and Rockdale counties. The church said the kind gesture started as a $40,000 local challenge within the New Birth congregation quickly grew into a $120,000 regional movement. Eventually T.I. and Scrapp DeLeon from VH1’s Love and Hip Hop partnered with a local church, helping them exceed their goal. Reportedly, the Bail Out program will continue to assist the development and reform of the beneficiaries, with each scheduled to attend a meeting every week. Some of the money raised has also been put aside to help their children attend college. T.I. was jailed twice in Atlanta: on a federal weapons charge and for violating probation. Scrapp DeLeon was recently released from jail after two years for allegedly trafficking marijuana. Good for them!
Source: Splash News / Splash News Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky Becomes New President Of Ukraine We’ve truly reached the times were anyone can become president, regardless of your political experience. According to ABC News , a Ukrainian comedian proved this to be true when he was elected as the president of Ukraine by a landslide. According to a national exit poll, Volodymyr Zelensky received 73% of the vote, knocking out the country’s incumbent president Petro Poroshenko , who conceded defeat. Zelensky will now lead one of the poorest countries in Europe which is still in a war with Russia that has killed 13,000 people since 2014. The 41-year-old presidential elect called his win a symbol for political change for other countries in the region. “I’m not yet officially the president, but as a citizen of Ukraine, I can say to all countries in the post-Soviet Union, look at us. Anything is possible!” No lies here. Zelensky’s win comes in the midst of deep dissatisfaction among Ukrainians with their political establishment, and weariness with the war. He ran on a platform of fighting corruption and upending the political elite, which is viewed as corrupt and indifferent to the concerns of everyday Ukrainians. Zelensky’s opponent, Poroshenko, is a 53-year-old billionaire confectionary tycoon who came to power on the back of mass protests in 2014 that toppled the country’s then-Russian-backed president, Viktor Yanukovych. He was one politician who couldn’t shake the perception that he supported corruption, thus Zelensky seemed like the better choice for many. “On the one hand, it’s not the best president for me, but at least he has no experience in corruption or all the things that our politicians have,” said Anna Dysheleva, a marketing executive. Despite promising to root out corrupted officials and end the war, Zelensky has barely made any detailed policy proposals. He’s also avoided the media and refused interviews. He mostly campaigned as a version of his on-screen persona, and instead of political rallies, he held stand-up comedy shows. Smh. On Zelensky’s T.V. show Servant of the People , Zelensky plays a schoolteacher who gets catapulted into the presidency when his rant about corruption goes viral. Once president, he dodges the traditional perks of his office and battles oligarchs who usually direct Ukrainian politics. Ironically, Zelensky came to power in spite of his relationship to one of Ukraine’s most controversial oligarchs, Ihor Kolomoisky, whose television channel, 1+1, airs Zelensky’s show. Kolomoisky has been in effective exile ever since Ukrainian authorities nationalized his bank, Privat Bank, accusing him and his colleagues of stealing billions of dollars from its account-holders. Some folks now fear Kolomoisky will follow Zelensky into power. Regardless, there are still some citizens and activists who support Zelensky. Prominent liberal journalist and member of parliament, Serhi Leshchenko said, “There is huge room for people to join his team with reform-minded orientation. I believe that he is a responsible, reliable person.” Mhm. We’ll wait and find out.
Source: Birdie Thompson/AdMedia / Splash News Pharrell Williams and his oldest child, son Rocket , were among the celebrities who volunteered for the Los Angeles Mission Hosts Easter For The Homeless event held at the LA Mission this week. We love that Rocket is learning to give back at such a young age. Isn’t he adorable? Source: Birdie Thompson/AdMedia / Splash News One of our favorite journalists Michaela Pereira was also at the event, as well as fellow celebs David Ramsey and PJ Byrne. Check out more photos below:
Source: Ben & Jerry's/ SplashNews / Splash News Ben & Jerry’s Keeps It Real About Color & Cannabis On 4/20 We love Ben & Jerry’s and not just because they make delicious ice cream! Back in October the brand launched their delicious ‘Pecan Resist’ ice-cream flavor a tasty anti-Trump treat that consists of chocolate ice cream with white and dark fudge chunks, pecans, walnuts and fudge-covered almonds. The new flavor was launched in Washington D.C. close to the White House. At the time, B&J’s said: “This flavor supports groups creating a more just and equitable nation for us all, and who are fighting President Trump’s regressive agenda.” Reps also told how they could not be silent in the face of POTUS’s policies which attack and attempt to roll back decades of progress on racial and gender equity. This weekend, while weed lovers around the world were enjoying 4/20 Ben & Jerry’s made sure to remind folks that people of color aren’t treated equally when it comes to cannabis and cannabis legalization. Watch the dope message below: It’s hard to celebrate 4/20 when so many people of color are still being arrested for pot. We have to do better. Learn more: https://t.co/DPCcqND0SI pic.twitter.com/fLsngGteOF — Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) April 20, 2019 They also shined a light on Gocaliva’s and Code for America’s efforts to expunge cannabis records with the Clear My Record program! Our friends at @gocaliva will be donating 4.20% of their profits on 4/20 to @codeforamerica in recognition of their project Clear My Record, which works to give people a second chance by clearing cannabis records. All the more reason to celebrate the holidays! pic.twitter.com/wSDDrejoq1 — Ben & Jerry's (@benandjerrys) April 20, 2019 Love the wokeness on weed’s highest holiday!
