Source: Paras Griffin / Getty The concept of legacy is nothing new to Laz Alonso . The seasoned actor who has starred in films like Jumping The Broom and Just Wright has been forced to think apart from his own financial future from the start of his career. He revealed his first major purchase when Hollywood came calling on the red carpet for the Prudential documentary Legacy Lives On . “I bought my mom a house,” said the actor. He made the purchase with his check from 2005’s Jarhead . Many would have used their windfall from the popcorn flick to splurge on something selfish, but Alonso had one agenda protecting his mother from falling victim to gun violence . “This was D.C. in the eighties,” he explained. “My mother used to park her car in this lady’s house, and she rented rooms too.” His mother routinely parked her car at the woman’s home to prevent it from being broken into or stolen at the height of the city’s crack epidemic. “She went inside and had tea with the old lady every day after work,” he said. “One day my mother got there and there was police tape around the house. One of the rooms was rented to a drug dealer and one day they came in the house and shot the old lady, the drug dealer and the drug dealer’s kids,” he continued somberly. “She had stayed at work a little late this one particular day. Otherwise she would have been there at the table.” Seeing how close his mother had come to losing her life forced Alonso to focus on how money could be a tool to provide for him and his loved ones. “I was like ‘I gotta get my mother out of here. I don’t care how much debt it’s gonna put me in.’” A consistent fixture on the large and small screens he has used his money to invest in not only real estate but projects that afford him the luxuries accompanied by ownership . He praised the documentary for offering what he called “practical tips not vague information,” on how to save and invest. He also expressed a desire to make an “investment in the community,” with the funds from his current projects including an Amazon Prime TV Show called The Boys where he will work with Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba. He advises younger actors coming into the industry as streaming services threaten to dismantle traditional business models to do the same. “Create, create create,” he said. “You should be creating. Your intellectual property is your real estate.” DON’T MISS: This Black Financial Blogger Helped Create A Bill To Teach Middle Schoolers Money Management Will Rihanna’s Deal With LVMH Be The Key To More Black Women In Fashion? MODEL MONDAY: Tanya Angelique Talks Perseverance And Getting Her Start Through A Black Designer [ione_media_gallery src=”https://hellobeautiful.com” id=”3028802″ overlay=”true”]
Source: Dave Bedrosian/Future Image/WENN.com / WENN Tyra Banks To Executive Produce Body Positive Mini-Series Tyra Banks has her next creation in the works. The America’s Next Top Model creator is set to star in and executive produce Beauty, a new docuseries for Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman’s short-form video platform Quibi. According to reports from Deadline , Beauty “is going to serve as a mirror for us to question societal standards that have defined us – going deep to tackle compelling topics head on in every episode, making you question everything you ever thought was beautiful… nothing will be off limits. Beauty ‘s mission is to break down barriers and challenge traditional notions, all while captivating, inspiring and exploring beauty revolutions and evolutions across the globe.” Banks also spoke about the project, saying, “As I look into the future, I see radical changes in both how people ‘attain beauty,’ and how the world perceives beauty.” She continued, “Our docu-series aims to expand and redefine the definition of beauty as we know it, challenging why we accept certain beauty parameters and reject others, and examining the beliefs behind those judgments.” Tyra will both star in and executive produce the series, which is produced by Network Entertainment for Quibi. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tyra Banks (@tyrabanks) on Jun 14, 2019 at 4:22pm PDT
Source: Chris Mitchell and Datrick Davis for OWN / OWN “Ambitions” Cast Celebrates Premiere With Star Studded Party Monday night, BOSSIP had the pleasure of attending an OWN celebration for the premiere of its new drama series “Ambitions,” from Will Packer Productions , at a splashy Atlanta screening and party at The Gathering Spot. Source: Chris Mitchell and Datrick Davis for OWN / OWN Attending from the cast were Robin Givens, Essence Atkins, Brian White, Kendrick Cross, Brely Evans, Erica Page and Mara Hall. Also in attendance were OWN president Tina Perry, executive producer Will Packer, show creator Jamey Giddens, executive producer Sheila Ducksworth, line producer Dianne Ashford and Will Packer Media president Alix Baudin. Source: Chris Mitchell and Datrick Davis for OWN / OWN Various VIPs came out to support the new show including former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed; “Greenleaf” actress Merle Dandridge; “Real Housewives of Atlanta” stars Cynthia Bailey, Marlo Hampton and Tanya Sam; singer/tv personality Tameka “Tiny” Harris; xoNecole founder Necole Kane; actress Terri J. Vaughn; “Married to Medicine” stars Drs. Scott & Contessa Metcalfe; “If Loving You is Wrong” actor Joel Rush; “Empire” actor Morocco Omari and many more. #Ambitions premieres TONIGHT, Tuesday June 18 at 10/9c on OWN ABOUT THE SERIES Robin Givens is the sophisticated ‘Stephanie Lancaster. Hailing from a long line of distinguished attorneys, Stephanie desperately wants to be in charge of her family’s prestigious law firm and will stop at nothing to get it. Brian White is ‘Evan Lancaster,’ the Mayor of Atlanta, who is married to attorney Stephanie Carlisle (Robin Givens). Evan’s dream is to be the first African-American governor of Georgia and there’s no line he won’t cross to get there. Kendrick Cross stars as ‘Titus Hughes,’ a passionate attorney and dedicated husband to Amara (Essence Atkins). Titus has accepted the challenge of being in-house counsel for a big pharma company run by Hunter Purifoy (Brian Bosworth) to fight a class action suit brought by the powerful Carlisle family. Brely Evans stars as ‘Rondell Lancaster,’ the sister of Atlanta Mayor Evan Lancaster and manager of the Thelma’s Place restaurant. As the new face of an anti-gentrification campaign, she never thought she’d become a crusader for the people, but it’s a badge she wears with pride – and nobody is removing it. Erica Page plays the role of ‘Bella (Tru) Trujillo,’ Atlanta’s newest and trendiest fashion designer. She’s the exclusive dress designer for First Lady Stephanie Lancaster, but has set her sights much higher. Essence Atkins plays the role of ‘Amara Hughes,’ a lawyer in the U.S. Attorney’s Office who has newly arrived in Atlanta with her husband, Titus (Kendrick Cross). Originally from Texas, she is quickly gaining attention from the U.S. Attorney’s Office as a diligent investigator and prosecutor. In addition, Brian Bosworth (“What Men Want”), Matt Cedeño (“Power”), Deena Dill (“Conrad & Michelle”), Gino Anthony Pesi (“Shades of Blue”) and Kayla Smith (“Star”) will appear in recurring roles. Check out a first look at the show below: Connect with the series on social media using the @AmbitionsOWN handle.
Source: Chris Mitchell and Datrick Davis for OWN / OWN “Ambitions” Cast Celebrates Premiere With Star Studded Party Monday night, BOSSIP had the pleasure of attending an OWN celebration for the premiere of its new drama series “Ambitions,” from Will Packer Productions , at a splashy Atlanta screening and party at The Gathering Spot. Source: Chris Mitchell and Datrick Davis for OWN / OWN Attending from the cast were Robin Givens, Essence Atkins, Brian White, Kendrick Cross, Brely Evans, Erica Page and Mara Hall. Also in attendance were OWN president Tina Perry, executive producer Will Packer, show creator Jamey Giddens, executive producer Sheila Ducksworth, line producer Dianne Ashford and Will Packer Media president Alix Baudin. Source: Chris Mitchell and Datrick Davis for OWN / OWN Various VIPs came out to support the new show including former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed; “Greenleaf” actress Merle Dandridge; “Real Housewives of Atlanta” stars Cynthia Bailey, Marlo Hampton and Tanya Sam; singer/tv personality Tameka “Tiny” Harris; xoNecole founder Necole Kane; actress Terri J. Vaughn; “Married to Medicine” stars Drs. Scott & Contessa Metcalfe; “If Loving You is Wrong” actor Joel Rush; “Empire” actor Morocco Omari and many more. #Ambitions premieres TONIGHT, Tuesday June 18 at 10/9c on OWN ABOUT THE SERIES Robin Givens is the sophisticated ‘Stephanie Lancaster. Hailing from a long line of distinguished attorneys, Stephanie desperately wants to be in charge of her family’s prestigious law firm and will stop at nothing to get it. Brian White is ‘Evan Lancaster,’ the Mayor of Atlanta, who is married to attorney Stephanie Carlisle (Robin Givens). Evan’s dream is to be the first African-American governor of Georgia and there’s no line he won’t cross to get there. Kendrick Cross stars as ‘Titus Hughes,’ a passionate attorney and dedicated husband to Amara (Essence Atkins). Titus has accepted the challenge of being in-house counsel for a big pharma company run by Hunter Purifoy (Brian Bosworth) to fight a class action suit brought by the powerful Carlisle family. Brely Evans stars as ‘Rondell Lancaster,’ the sister of Atlanta Mayor Evan Lancaster and manager of the Thelma’s Place restaurant. As the new face of an anti-gentrification campaign, she never thought she’d become a crusader for the people, but it’s a badge she wears with pride – and nobody is removing it. Erica Page plays the role of ‘Bella (Tru) Trujillo,’ Atlanta’s newest and trendiest fashion designer. She’s the exclusive dress designer for First Lady Stephanie Lancaster, but has set her sights much higher. Essence Atkins plays the role of ‘Amara Hughes,’ a lawyer in the U.S. Attorney’s Office who has newly arrived in Atlanta with her husband, Titus (Kendrick Cross). Originally from Texas, she is quickly gaining attention from the U.S. Attorney’s Office as a diligent investigator and prosecutor. In addition, Brian Bosworth (“What Men Want”), Matt Cedeño (“Power”), Deena Dill (“Conrad & Michelle”), Gino Anthony Pesi (“Shades of Blue”) and Kayla Smith (“Star”) will appear in recurring roles. Check out a first look at the show below: Connect with the series on social media using the @AmbitionsOWN handle.
Source: Sporting News Archive / Getty Football Player “He Hate Me” Missing Some of you may remember the electrifying football player known by many as “He Hate Me”. Rod Smart spend years in the both the NFL and XFL running by defenders and juking them out of their cleats. Sadly, the NYPost is reporting that Smart is currently missing. He was last seen last Wednesday in Indian Land, South Carolina. “It is unusual for him to be out of touch for this long,” deputies wrote in a missing person advisory. “Mr. Smart’s family is worried about his safety and well-being.” We’re actually very shocked to hear this and we hope that nothing terrible has happened to Rod. If you or anyone you know has information about his whereabouts please contact Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office at (803) 283-3388.
Dreezy Signs With PUMA And Stars In New Campaign ‘CALI Bold’ Puma PUMA announced that it has tapped Interscope recording artist, Dreezy to join its growing roster ! Making her debut in the brand’s new CALI Bold campaign, PUMA selected the hip-hop star as the energetic new face of its campaign due in-part to her incredible fashion sense as well as further integrating music with fashion and sports, a hybrid culture PUMA has become known for. After releasing her new album Big Dreez earlier this year, Dreezy joins the PUMA team alongside fellow musicians Selena Gomez, Meek Mill, Big Sean, G-Eazy, Yo Gotti, and YBN Cordae, among others. Source: Puma / PUMA “I’m so excited to work with a genuine brand like PUMA, that matches my style and energy!” says Dreezy. An evolution from PUMA’s signature California silhouette, the women’s-specific CALI Bold is an all-white sneaker with contrasting bold PUMA branding on the outsole. Bound to be a staple this summer, the CALI Bold retails for $80 and will be available in-stores and online at PUMA.com starting June 20 th
Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Ciara didn’t mince words on Monday after a fan tried to blast her over her role in playing a wedding officiant at a gay wedding in Taylor Swift ’s most recent video. Ciara was one of many celeb guest appearances in a video for Swift’s new song You Need To Calm Down , among them include Ellen DeGeneres, RuPaul, Katy Perry, Laverne Cox and Billy Porter. Text “RICKEY” to 71007 to join the Rickey Smiley Morning Show mobile club for exclusive news. ( Terms and conditions ). The video is a call to action for Taylor and her fans to support the Equality Act, a piece of legislation which if passed, would prohibit discrimination based on gender and sexual identity. The Equality Act would amend the Civil Rights to include protections for employment, public housing and federal funding, just to name a few of the areas affected. “Let’s show our pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly treat all our citizens equally,” reads a message that appears at the end of the video “Please sign my petition for Senate support of the Equality Act on Change.org.” Sign Up For Our Newsletter! Close Thank you for subscribing! Please be sure to open and click your first newsletter so we can confirm your subscription. Email Submit Ciara’s cameo seemed to rub a few people the wrong way, who felt it “necessary” to remind Ciara of her Christian faith. View this post on Instagram #TSRClapbackSeason: #Ciara had to get a fan together in the most pleasant way possible, okay!! A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom) on Jun 17, 2019 at 8:41am PDT “Ciara. You shouldn’t be doing this. We respect [you] too much, Being at a gay wedding is one thing [but] joining them together is even more a greater sin,” wrote lucas_norton101. “We love you but this is wrong,” he continued. But the singer had the perfect comeback, reminding her critics that she will do what she so pleases. “First, Christians don’t judge. Secondly, #YouNeedToCalm Down,” Ciara wrote. [ione_media_gallery src=”https://rickeysmileymorningshow.com” id=”2008002″ overlay=”true”] This story was originally published on MadameNoire.com . ALSO TRENDING ON RICKEYSMILEYMORNINGSHOW.COM : Sasha Obama Graduates High School [PHOTOS] Tami Ever After: Tami Roman Lands ‘Basketball Wives’ Spinoff Show Aoki Lee Simmons Stuns At Senior Prom [PHOTOS] Follow @TheRSMS
Source: Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty On the most recent episode of “Red Table Talk,” musician and actor Common sat down with Jada Pinkett-Smith , Gammy and Willow to discuss the tension that existed between him and his daughter Omoye, learning his triggers in romantic relationships and his relationship with Angela Rye these days. Check out the highlights below. — Jada : I was really moved by your book in terms of you repairing your relationship with your daughter. Because we had a little bit of that in our house. Will just thought that winning, he thought providing was enough. Until one day, Willow was like, ‘This is hurting me.’ Willow : I don’t even think it was a conversation. It was just me choosing to be like ‘No.’ Jada : This was during the “Whip the Hair.” It took her and that relationship for him to stop and reevaluate what is love. Common : My daughter Omoye confronted me. It was a late-night call so I thought I was getting a call like, ‘I’m a cool dad.’ It was 2 in the morning. I had to start a film the next day so I said, ‘Ima call you back. Let’s talk tomorrow.’ And she called me right back like, ‘Yo, you don’t even care. You ain’t even see where I was at.’ And it really, it shook me for a minute. I was like, ‘What are you talking about? I do care.’ And her mother and I weren’t together. Eventually, that conversation turned into her saying you weren’t there for me, you didn’t fight for me as a father. It made me feel defensive. I was hurt and I was mad too. I was like, ‘You really believe some of this stuff.’ What I really learned, after I got past my own ego, I said, ‘Look, you right, I didn’t fight.’ And I had to acknowledge that. I just need to listen to her because this is what she’s feeling. No matter what I think I’ve done and this and that, this is how she feels. And that was one of those the heavens open moments and how to apply love more. Jada : In the way it looked for her. You probably thought you were doing your thing. Common : I didn’t grow necessarily with my father, right? So a lot of ways I learned to be a man is from my homies and other father figures. And the provide and protect are the two most important things we learn. And I’m a caring individual but I had to get past just providing and protecting because love is a action word. That type of understanding and just paying attention is what we weren’t equipped with… When you put the truth on the table, it strengthens the relationship. Omoye was harboring those feelings. She felt like, ‘I didn’t always have my dad here so if I tell him some stuff he did wrong, I’ll have him less.’ Once she was able to put it out, she felt liberated and free. And now, she’s more secure in the fact that you can tell your dad whatever you need to tell him and the love is going to be there. We had our own therapy session together. And she was smart about it. She was like, ‘Dad, before this book come out we need to resolve this.’ We’re doing great overall, she just graduated from Howard University. Text “RICKEY” to 71007 to join the Rickey Smiley Morning Show mobile club for exclusive news. ( Terms and conditions ). His daughter’s reaction to learning he had been molested. Common : She was like did this really happen to you? I was like, ‘Yeah.’ And that’s when she started processing. and she said, ‘I really am proud of you.’ When your daughter tell you she’s proud of you, you feel that. His relationship with his mother affecting his romantic relationships with women Common : My mother gave me all the love she could but some of that love was even pain because of her and my father not being together and that struggle. A single mother sometimes will put the responsibility of a husband on a young boy. And the child is like, he’s trying to do his best but he can’t do what a husband can do, just providing the emotional energy and love. And that eventually transfers into an intimacy avoidance. So anytime that show up in a [romantic] relationship, you’re like no. You’re like this feels familiar in a bad way. And the mothers they don’t know they’re doing that. They’re just trying to offer their love. I’ve been in situations where I’ve been in a good relationship but the woman, she needed certain things and I felt like it was being too much. It reminded me of my mother. I need to identify is this really happening and if it is, I should be able to communicate that and say the things I need. And that’s what the therapy has helped me with. And I’m like, ‘Black people, let’s use therapy, man.’ From a personal level to a generational level, we can use it to heal. Jada : There was a line in the book where you thought love was desire. Common : Men really identify this yearning for this person being a love thing. When that in love, honeymoon phase goes, I would go, ‘This don’t feel as good.’ I would start coming up with excuses on why the relationship is not gon work. ‘When I’m in relationships, I don’t do work as well.’ My albums are not as good or I don’t focus. And I really believed that. Sign Up For Our Newsletter! Close Thank you for subscribing! Please be sure to open and click your first newsletter so we can confirm your subscription. Email Submit Wanting to be a husband Common : For a long time, I was in and out with that. Do I really wanna be a husband or am I doing this because this is what society says to. Now, I just want that partnership to be able to experience life, where I’m growing as a human being and it’s fun too. I know it’s hard at times. Whether or not he’s dating Angela Rye again? I am dating and I have a great companion and that companion could be that person right there. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1381799071971109 This story was originally published on MadameNoire.com . ALSO TRENDING ON RICKEYSMILEYMORNINGSHOW.COM : Sasha Obama Graduates High School [PHOTOS] Tami Ever After: Tami Roman Lands ‘Basketball Wives’ Spinoff Show Aoki Lee Simmons Stuns At Senior Prom [PHOTOS] Follow @TheRSMS
Source: Emma McIntyre/VMN19 / Getty It Looks Like Tessa Thompson Loved Brie Larson’s Speech As Much As The Rest Of Us The 2019 MTV Movie & TV Awards took place on Monday evening, sparking some commentary, memes, and a lot of opinions about how the night went down. One of the moments that has people talking is Brie Larson’s much-deserved victory, ta king home the award for “Best Fight” for her work in Captain Marvel . It was a tough category to win, beating out some serious contenders like her fellow Marvel pals Chris Evans and Josh Brolin for their fight in Avengers: End Game , along with Maisie Williams for her fight against the White Walkers in Game of Thrones . Out of all the contenders, Brie took home the big prize for her incredible show of strength throughout Marvel’s first female-led film–and what’s even more amazing than her accomplishment alone is how she chose to accept the award. The actress ended up bringing her Captain Marvel stunt doubles, Joanna Bennett and Renae Moneymaker , on stage to accept the award. She introduced both ladies, saying, “I could not have made this film without them. They are really the baseline of who she is. They are the living embodiment of Captain Marvel .” After that, the star stepped aside to give the other women their shine, letting them give their own respective speeches about what it was like to work on this film together. YES! Girl Power!! @brielarson #MTVAwards pic.twitter.com/QHBKbpNJe0 — MTV (@MTV) June 18, 2019 Joanna and Renae spoke on their experiences in the industry and how much of an honor it was to work on a film like captain Marvel, bringing strong female characters to the forefront. They ended their acceptance speech thanking Brie for acknowledging their role in the film and the work of stunt doubles in general, which is often overlooked. Fans all over the world have been praising Larson since last night for her generosity in making sure her stunt doubles get their shine, making everyone even more in love with the star. “Brie Larson lied about doing all of her stunts” She did all the stunts she was ALLOWED to do. ANYWAY, here’s her PROFESSIONAL stunt doubles and she brought them with her after winning the Best Fight award. Your faves could never. pic.twitter.com/YKfJry0RcX — ︽✵︽
Source: Emma McIntyre/VMN19 / Getty It Looks Like Tessa Thompson Loved Brie Larson’s Speech As Much As The Rest Of Us The 2019 MTV Movie & TV Awards took place on Monday evening, sparking some commentary, memes, and a lot of opinions about how the night went down. One of the moments that has people talking is Brie Larson’s much-deserved victory, ta king home the award for “Best Fight” for her work in Captain Marvel . It was a tough category to win, beating out some serious contenders like her fellow Marvel pals Chris Evans and Josh Brolin for their fight in Avengers: End Game , along with Maisie Williams for her fight against the White Walkers in Game of Thrones . Out of all the contenders, Brie took home the big prize for her incredible show of strength throughout Marvel’s first female-led film–and what’s even more amazing than her accomplishment alone is how she chose to accept the award. The actress ended up bringing her Captain Marvel stunt doubles, Joanna Bennett and Renae Moneymaker , on stage to accept the award. She introduced both ladies, saying, “I could not have made this film without them. They are really the baseline of who she is. They are the living embodiment of Captain Marvel .” After that, the star stepped aside to give the other women their shine, letting them give their own respective speeches about what it was like to work on this film together. YES! Girl Power!! @brielarson #MTVAwards pic.twitter.com/QHBKbpNJe0 — MTV (@MTV) June 18, 2019 Joanna and Renae spoke on their experiences in the industry and how much of an honor it was to work on a film like captain Marvel, bringing strong female characters to the forefront. They ended their acceptance speech thanking Brie for acknowledging their role in the film and the work of stunt doubles in general, which is often overlooked. Fans all over the world have been praising Larson since last night for her generosity in making sure her stunt doubles get their shine, making everyone even more in love with the star. “Brie Larson lied about doing all of her stunts” She did all the stunts she was ALLOWED to do. ANYWAY, here’s her PROFESSIONAL stunt doubles and she brought them with her after winning the Best Fight award. Your faves could never. pic.twitter.com/YKfJry0RcX — ︽✵︽
