Sofia Vergara Shuns Stereotype Fears Claiming She Bases Characters On Real Family Members If you’re waiting for Sofia Vergara to start shedding her thick Colombian accent and rejecting stereotypical roles — don’t hold your breath. In an interview with HOLA today she said her “Modern Family” character is based on her experiences with her mom and aunt and she feels gratitude for being able to find work despite her heavy accent. Via US Weekly: “What’s wrong with being a stereotype?” she responded when Hola! USA asked about fans who criticize her Latina character as playing into stereotypes. “Gloria’s character is inspired by my mom and my aunt. They are both Latin women who grew up in Colombia, like me. They love color, prints and shoes. … It upsets me when Latinos complain about Gloria. I am grateful for the opportunity because the gringos have let me in with this strong accent I have. Eight years ago nobody had an accent like this on television.” What do you think about Vergara’s perspective on the subject? We can see on one hand how it can be a good thing that she can find work, the issue is when non-Latinos meet Latina women and expect them ALL to be just like Gloria. Another quote we found interesting was that Vergara was hesitant to bring any men into her home until her son Manolo (who is 24) left for college: “Partly because I hadn’t found the right person and I knew that if I moved in with someone, it would have a psychological effect on my son,” she said. “I wasn’t going to bring a man into my son’s home. I think that’s why I always wanted long-distance relationships, with men in other countries.” Do you think she did the right thing? WENN
Is It Wrong For Kim Kardashian To Market Products Using Photos Of Her Children Kim Kardashian is putting out a new edition of her ‘Selfie’ book and just this weekend she shared one of the photos from it — a rare photo of baby Saint with Kim and North West. Super cute right? But we noticed a few people commenting that she’s treating her kids like accessories. Ouch. We can’t help but wonder how much strategy goes into every Saint West appearance . Anyway we thought it would make a good question of the day. What do you think about Kim using her kids to promote her projects and products? On the one hand, isn’t it the very thing that every Mommy blogger does? On the other, you have people saying she’s exploiting her kids. What do you think?
Convicted Woman Beater Greg Hardy Cracks Jokes About Tom Brady’s Wife Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy was convicted of domestic abuse in 2014, upon appeal, the woman he “allegedly” beat, refused to show up to testify and thus, had all charges dropped against him. The NFL suspended Hardy for the first 4-games of the season, but this week he will be making his return against shady Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Reporters surrounded his locker yesterday after practice for comments and what Hardy said is undoubtedly going to rub a LOT of women the wrong way. According to the Dallas Morning News : “I love seeing Tom Brady, he’s cool as crap,” Hardy said, according to the Dallas Morning News. “Have you seen his wife? I hope she comes to the game. I hope her sister comes to the game, all her friends come to the game. One of my favorite games of the year, guys.” (Brady responded Wednesday by saying “I don’t care about his personal feelings.”) That’s right. A convicted domestic abuser decided that it would be a good idea to make wisecracks about women. He wasn’t done yet, however… After, a reporter reportedly said the wife of Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles was also attractive. “Is she?” Hardy replied. “this kind of information is important. That’s how I select my Pro Bowls.” HAHAHA! What a funny woman-beater this Greg Hardy is! Maybe he could perform some of his inappropriate jokes at halftime of the Super Bowl where he won’t be playing! What do you think about Greg Hardy’s comments? In bounds or out of bounds? Image via AP/Splash
Game Of Thrones Actress Says She “Really Liked” Shooting Controversial Rape Scene How much have you been desensitized to the violence portrayed on TV and in movies? Do you flinch when zombies eat your favorite Walking Dead character? Do you even bat an eyelid when a person is brutally strangled in a crime drama? Does the rape of women and/or children in movies make you feel ANY type of way? Via NYDailyNews Actress Sophie Turner is defending “Game of Thrones” writers’ decision to include a shocking rape scene involving her character amid rising backlash over Sunday’s episode. In the controversial ending to the episode, Turner’s Sansa Stark, a fan favorite who has been victimized in many ways over the HBO fantasy series’ five-season run, is brutalized by her new husband, Ramsey Bolton (Iwan Rheon). Making the scene from “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken” more traumatic is the presence of her father’s former ward Theon (Alfie Allen), who is forced to watch. It’s an even tougher scene to watch than it is to read in George R.R. Martin’s original novel, since the horror unfolds instead upon a more minor character, Jeyne. “When I read that scene, I kinda loved it,” the British actress told Entertainment Weekly. “I love the way Ramsay had Theon watching. It was all so messed up. “It’s also so daunting for me to do it. I’ve been making (producer Bryan Cogman) feel so bad for writing that scene: “I can’t believe you’re doing this to me!” But I secretly loved it.” Well, a lot of people didn’t love it. Including Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill… Feminist pop culture site The Mary Sue announced that it would no longer cover the series, slamming show-runners David Benioff and Dan Weiss for their decisions concerning onscreen depictions of sexual violence against women. “Rape is not a necessary plot device,” Editor in Chief Jill Pantozzi wrote. “Really think about that before shouting ‘creative freedom’ in our direction, please. What say you? Is it “just a TV show”, or do the producers of our entertainment have a responsibility to walk delicately around the public’s delicate sensibilities? Image via HBO
Kanye West Says John Legend Is The Next Stevie Wonder Hyperbole much, Mr. West ? Via PageSix Kanye West toasted John Legend during the latter’s 36th birthday bash at Catch on Thursday in front of a room that included their respective wives Kim Kardashian and Chrissy Teigen, plus Robert De Niro, Katie Couric, Estelle and Michael Strahan. “A gentleman, a very well-mannered human being right here,” West said of Legend, who was also celebrating the 10th anniversary of his debut album, “Get Lifted.” “I’m trying to get some pointers from him,” West continued. “I don’t want to be the Phil Spector of hip-hop or anything.” Legend, who met and started working with West in 2001, took over the microphone to thank him. “People were skeptical about us, they didn’t know if we had what it takes to be successful,” Legend said. “Kanye would take me to these meetings and jump on the table and tell people I was the next Stevie Wonder.” What say you? Can John Legend walk in Stevie’s shoes? Image via WENN
Adult Swim Show Features Vulgar “Black Jesus” A new Adult Swim show is facing an equal amount of backlash and praise from the religious and African-American communities. Among other things, the show which is titled “Black Jesus” features Jesus living as a hood fab Black man living in Compton, CA who smokes kush, is involved with drug dealers and curses on the regular. via TIME Magazine In John 20:29, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” This was an issue with Doubting Thomas; it is not the problem that Black Jesus has. Like many shows with controversial concepts, the Adult Swim sitcom from Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder has no lack of detractors who have not yet seen it, yet still believe it is blasphemy. Granted, Adult Swim has already given them fodder, in the form of ads and trailers. And the bullet-point highlights of the first two episodes probably won’t do much to quiet the outcry among Christian groups who argue that it mocks their savior and their faith. The show puts the Son of God in modern-day Compton, where he curses, hangs out with drug dealers, changes bottled water into cognac, and smokes blunts. So what’s your take on this show so far, Bossip fam? Do you find “Black Jesus” offensive or funny?
What constitutes an “Uncle Tom” in today’s society? Is There Such A Thing As “Acting White?” Is there a way to be “authentically Black?” What behaviors, language cues, social skills, or cultural knowledge make a person truly Black? Peep this opinion piece from conservative blogger Crystal Wright. Via CNN : There’s no “authentic” way to be black, President Barack Obama told a group. For once, I agree with the President. Speaking at a town hall event this week about his “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative, the President gave blacks permission to be individuals, rejecting the idiotic notion that speaking proper English and being successful in life is “acting white.” As if any person of any race with two grains of sense would think this is logical. During the event, Obama was asked by a young Native American man, “How is the United States government helping American Indian people revitalize their language and culture?” Obama responded: “What’s great about America is the way that we all take these different cultures and we make one culture out of it.” Obama said that it is important for Americans to know their roots and where they come from, but not be held hostage by our cultures from advancing in life. Then, Obama got real. He talked about how black Americans use this “group think” psychology to bully other blacks, keep them from expressing themselves as individuals and stop them from assimilating into the broader culture of America. “Sometimes African-Americans, in communities where I’ve worked, there’s been the notion of ‘acting white’ — which sometimes is overstated,” he told the group. “But there’s an element of truth to it, where, OK, if boys are reading too much, then, well, why are you doing that? Or why are you speaking so properly? And the notion that there’s some authentic way of being black, that if you’re going to be black you have to act a certain way and wear a certain kind of clothes, that has to go. There are many different ways for African-American men to be authentic.” He went on to use his wife, first lady Michelle Obama, as an example. “If you look at Michelle, she grew up South Side. And her mom still lives in a neighborhood where gunshots go off, and it can be rough where Michelle grew up. But she’ll talk proper when she needs to. Now, you also don’t want to get on her wrong side, because she can translate that into a different vernacular. But my point is, is that you don’t have to act a certain way to be authentic.” I rolled my eyes in disgust, remembering all the times in my life that phrase has been hurled at me from other blacks. Growing up, I wasn’t raised in a home where we “talked or acted black” — speaking broken English, neck jerking and behaving like the black stereotypes we see in some of the Tyler Perry movies. So, I was shocked to encounter such nonsense when I attended Georgetown University as an undergraduate. Most of the black students — who generally all hung out in the same pack, eating, studying and socializing exclusively together — informed me I was an “Uncle Tom,” not really black because I chose to have an integrated experience at Georgetown. One of the biggest sins I committed was refusing to eat at the all-black cafeteria tables in the various dorms. I would wonder, if you only want to socialize with black students, then why not just attend a predominantly black college? My freshman year, I went to a dance with a white guy from my class. When he came by my dorm room to pick me up, two black girls from across the hall stared and snickered, uttering something along the lines that I wanted to be white so bad. Really? The next day the same girls heckled me again about my date. Tired of dealing with their stupidity, I walked over and told them I would continue to do whatever I wanted. Instead of being so concerned with my life and who I was dating, they should be concerned with their own. I have never been counseled on how to act black. And I never will. Hmm…what do you think of what the author is saying? We’d agree that there’s no right way to be a Black person, but her language regarding broken English, Tyler Perry characters, and her conscious choice to avoid other Blacks makes it seem like she herself has a rather narrow view of what “traditional Blackness” is and purposely aims to be the opposite. We seriously doubt that her Black peers at Georgetown behaved like neck-jerking stereotypes… What do you think? Does “acting White” exist?
Did Draya’s words chase the chubbiness out of the newest basketball wife? Brittish Williams Showcases Dramatic Weight Loss Teased on the show as “the chubby one” for most of the season, Brittish Williams has been spotted out and about looking quite a bit slimmer than we last saw her during the BBWLA reunion special. She told us exclusively that she feels Draya’s whole obsession with taking her down a notch stems from the fact that she’s the new young Basketball Wife on the court…perhaps this weight loss in an attempt to come for “the top spot” on the show? Check out her new figure in this before and after pic: We’ll let you be the judge. What do you think? Did Brittish pull a Shekinah Jo and slice away the pounds in an effort to dethrone Draya next season?
Here is Sandra Bullock’s son Louis Bardo spotted leaving school holding a babydoll, and by the looks of things it seems like this might be one of his favorite toys. What are your thoughts on boys playing with dolls? Sidenote: Little cutiebear Louis is getting so big!!! FameFlynet
Jaden Smith is letting the whole world know he thinks his relationship with Kylie Jenner is pretty awesome. The young rapper/actor is the subject of a new interview with Wonderland Magazine where he discusses his music, why he believes in Aliens, how he feels about his weird sister Willow, his friendship with Justin Bieber and the relationship with Jenner. Check out the photos and excerpts form the interview below: On His Friendship/Touring with Justin Bieber: He’s in London to open for his best friend, Justin Bieber, at the O2 arena and two shows in, he’s experienced the force of his fans. “They go crazy every time we put on a hype track. It’s awesome.” But it’s a tour that has become infamous following Bieber’s peculiar behavior: prowling shirtless through chilly London, arriving on stage two hours late, a hospitalisation suffering from breathing difficulties and scuffles with the paparazzi. Worst of all was the evening that will now be referred to as “Bieber’s botched birthday”. The Canadian star’s 19th celebrations were scuppered when his friends were turned away from the Cirque du Soir club. But Jaden missed out on all the controversy-courting shenanigans, he says. “I went to his hotel. I gave him his Cartier. And then I went to see Kanye West perform,” he says. “I got him the Love Bangle, not the watch. It cut him, but yeah, he thought it was cool.” On His Relationship With Kylie Jenner: “I was in LA, we were all hanging out. Then I went to New York and she came too, and then she came here and surprised me, so that’s pretty baller. She’s one of my best friends. It’s pretty awesome.” Hmmmm one of his best friends eh? Jaden is likely gettin’ that becky. Word to Plies. What do you think about Jaden and Kylie’s “relationship”? Hit the flip for more Photo Credit: Wonderland/Rory van Millingen
