Month: January 2016

  • Oscars Boycott 2016

    Oscars Boycott 2016
    Jada Pinkett Smith and Spike Lee are leading the Oscar Boycott 2016.  The two say they will boycott the Oscars over a lack of diversity among nominees.

    The boycott reminds us of Lee Daniels’ reaction after Empire was not nominated for an Emmy despite the show’s record breaking stats.

    Kevin Hart It’s About To Go Down

    The Oscars received a large amount of criticism after announcing an all-white slate of major nominees.  Last year the Oscars also featured an all-white slate of nominees in the major award categories and Spike/Jada are no longer gonna take it!

    Lee took to Instagram asking, “How is it possible for the second consecutive year all 20 contenders under the acting category are white?”

    #OscarsSoWhite… Again. I Would Like To Thank President Cheryl Boone Isaacs And The Board Of Governors Of The Academy Of Motion Pictures Arts And Sciences For Awarding Me an Honorary Oscar This Past November. I Am Most Appreciative. However My Wife, Mrs. Tonya Lewis Lee And I Will Not Be Attending The Oscar Ceremony This Coming February. We Cannot Support It And Mean No Disrespect To My Friends, Host Chris Rock and Producer Reggie Hudlin, President Isaacs And The Academy. But, How Is It Possible For The 2nd Consecutive Year All 20 Contenders Under The Actor Category Are White? And Let’s Not Even Get Into The Other Branches. 40 White Actors In 2 Years And No Flava At All. We Can’t Act?! WTF!! It’s No Coincidence I’m Writing This As We Celebrate The 30th Anniversary Of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Birthday. Dr. King Said “There Comes A Time When One Must Take A Position That Is Neither Safe, Nor Politic, Nor Popular But He Must Take It Because Conscience Tells Him It’s Right”. For Too Many Years When The Oscars Nominations Are Revealed, My Office Phone Rings Off The Hook With The Media Asking Me My Opinion About The Lack Of African-Americans And This Year Was No Different. For Once, (Maybe) I Would Like The Media To Ask All The White Nominees And Studio Heads How They Feel About Another All White Ballot. If Someone Has Addressed This And I Missed It Then I Stand Mistaken. As I See It, The Academy Awards Is Not Where The “Real” Battle Is. It’s In The Executive Office Of The Hollywood Studios And TV And Cable Networks. This Is Where The Gate Keepers Decide What Gets Made And What Gets Jettisoned To “Turnaround” Or Scrap Heap. This Is What’s Important. The Gate Keepers. Those With “The Green Light” Vote. As The Great Actor Leslie Odom Jr. Sings And Dances In The Game Changing Broadway Musical HAMILTON, “I WANNA BE IN THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENS”. People, The Truth Is We Ain’t In Those Rooms And Until Minorities Are, The Oscar Nominees Will Remain Lilly White. (Cont’d)
    A photo posted by Spike Lee (@officialspikelee) on Jan 18, 2016 at 5:03am PST



    Jada Pinkett Smith Boycott Oscars Video
    In Jada Pinkett Smith’s boycott Oscars video the actress explains that she would not be attending the award show nor would she be watching at home.  Her husband, Will Smith, delivered an Oscar-worthy performance in “Concussion” yet he was not nominated.

    (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3”; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));

    We must stand in our power!
    We must stand in our power.
    Posted by Jada Pinkett Smith on Monday, January 18, 2016

    Viola Davis shared the following statement regarding the matter:
    Viola Davis Academy Awards

    Racism in Hollywood

    So why did Spike and Jada all of a sudden decide to boycott the Oscars!? Racism in Hollywood is not a new issue.

    The following video shows Eddie Murphy at the 60th Academy Awards in 1988.  The award-winning actor explains that he almost rejected the offer to present the award because the academy had consistently failed to recognize black actors.

    Racism will divide and destroy us.  We must stand united as we are certain to fall divided.
  • Top 10 Tupac Songs

    Tupac Back! A Christmas carol service printed out Tupac’s “Hail Mary” lyrics instead of the lyrics to the prayer.  The incident occurred in South Asia during the 2016 Catholic Joy to the World Festival.  Check out the video at the bottom of this post for more information!

    Tupac All Eyez On Me Movie

    Variety reports that the “All Eyez on Me” trailer was released on what would have been the rapper’s 45th birthday.  Demetrius Shipp Jr. plays Tupac and Jamal Woolard will play The Notorious B.I.G.  Woolard is the same actor who played Biggie in the film Notorious.  The film is set to release on November 11, 2016.


    In this article we’ll present our top 10 Tupac songs.  It is difficult to believe that the talented rapper would be 44, 2 years younger than Jay-Z.  Shakur was murdered in 1996 when he was only 25 years old.

    Tupac’s Bodyguard

    Before we get into the list it’s important to remember the life of one of Shakur’s closest friends.  Tupac’s former bodyguard, Frank Alexander, believed that Orlando Anderson is the person that killed Tupac.  Anderson is a member of the Crips who had beef with numerous Death Row artists.

    Tupac asked Alexander aka “Big Frank” to be his bodyguard after Big Frank saved Snoop Dogg from being shot in New York.  In 2013 Big Frank was found dead in his Murrieta, CA home.  The 54 year old was found with a gunshot wound to the head.  The death was deemed a suicide.

    Tupac Forever

    Creating this 2pac songs list was difficult considering the numerous classics he released in his short career.  I can only imagine how much more difficult creating a 2pac best songs list would be if he would have been able to share more of his talent with the world.

    Empire paid homage to one of the best 2pac songs of all time as Hakeem and Jamal joined forces to create the video for ‘Ain’t About the Money‘.

    Empire Ain’t About the Money

    Who can forget Tupac and Dr. Dre’s video for ‘California Love‘ featuring the iconic Mad Max inspired death cage!?

    Tupac Dr. Dre California Love

    The best 2pac songs featured on this list are timeless classics.  Any 2pac songs list should certainly include the tracks we have listed below.  

    Without further ado, enjoy our 2pac best songs list:
    10. Ghetto Gospel
    Tupac Ghetto Gospel
    9. I Get Around
    Tupac I Get Around
    8. To Live & Die in L.A.
    Tupac To Live and Die in LA
    7. Hail Mary
    Tupac Hail Mary
    6. Hit ‘Em Up
    Tupac Hit Em Up
    5. How Do U Want It
    Tupac How Do U Want It
    4. Dear Mama
    Tupac Dear Mama
    3. Changes
    Tupac Changes
    2. California Love
    Tupac California Love
    1. Keep Ya Head Up
    Tupac Keep Ya Head Up

    Tupac lyrics published at a Christmas service in South Asia:

  • Sarah Palin Endorses Donald Trump, Cookie Lyon’s Reaction

    There’s never a dull moment when it comes to Donald Trump.  A man recently threatened to kill him because he’s scared that Trump will take away food stamps:



    Sarah Palin endorses Donald Trump which could certainly help him win Iowa.  Palin’s support is the highest-profile for a Republican thus far.

    Sarah Palin Endorses Donald Trump

    Sarah Palin and Donald Trump have similar views on immigration.  Palin recently shared her belief that immigrants should speak English.

    Sarah Palin and Donald Trump

    Sarah Palin and Donald Trump met in Iowa on Tuesday to show the world that they are on the same team.  Sarah Palin endorsing Donald Trump 13 days prior to the state’s caucuses could give Trump a substantial boost in the presidential race.

    Sarah Palin Donald Trump Video
    Here is the Sarah Palin Donald Trump video showing the former vice president candidate praising Trump’s success in the private sector in announcing her support for him.


    Sarah Palin endorsing Donald Trump could be the final piece to Trump’s presidential puzzle.  Senator Ted Cruz will need to counter strong if he hopes to defeat Trump.
    What does Cookie Lyon think about Trump’s power move? Lets compare the two to see who is better fit to be the next President of the United States.
    Campaign Ads
    Similar to Trump, Cookie Lyon is a marketing genius! She certainly would defeat Trump when it comes to commercials.  While Trump’s ads are serious, Cookie knows how to make us smile! Her personality speaks for itself:
    Cookie Lyon for President

    Donald Trump for President

    The Fallon Effect

    Both Donald Trump and Cookie Lyon have used The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in their marketing efforts:
    Cookie Lyon Jimmy Fallon
    Donald Trump Jimmy Fallon
    Hotline Bling
    Both candidates understand the importance of collaborating with Drake:
    Cookie Lyon Hotline Bling
    Donald Trump Hotline Bling

    Vivica A. Fox
    Vivica has stated that she won’t be voting for Trump because of his disrespectful comments.  Considering they can’t agree on anything, we are guessing that Candace won’t be voting for Cookie!

    Cookie Lyon Candace

    Donald Trump Vivica A. Fox
    Palin v. Porsha
    One thing we can learn from Donald Trump and Cookie Lyon is the importance of team work.  Trump may have Palin but Cookie has Porsha! Need we say more?
    Porsha Hot Dogs Sausages Polishes
    Sarah Palin Raising the Roof

    Immigration

    Both Donald Trump and Cookie Lyon lose when it comes to immigration! I guess they say I’d rather be honest than be impressive. 

    Donald Trump on Immigration
    Cookie Lyon on Immigration
    Cookie Lyon on Immigration

    Cookie Lyon on Immigration

    Hair

    Cookie’s hair is always on point while we can’t say the same for Mr. Trump:
    Cookie Lyon Hair 

    Donald Trump Hair

    Homeland Security

    We know Cookie will be able to protect our country with broom in hand.  Donald showed how tough he was in WrestleMania 23:
    Cookie Lyon Broom

    Donald Trump WrestleMania

    Rosie O’Donnell

    Speaking of WrestleMania, Trump defeated Rosie O’Donnell at the event.  O’Donnell aka Pepper go way back.
    Cookie Lyon Pepper

    Donald Trump Rosie O’Donnell
    We have certainly over-analyzed this one! You decide:

  • Famous Dynamic Duos, Top 20 Countdown

    Famous Dynamic Duos
    Donald Trump is using Sarah Palin to show us exactly how beneficial teamwork can be!

    Donald Trump Sarah Palin

    This article will provide a list of our Top 20 famous dynamic duos! Two of Empire’s leading stars can be found near the top of any list of famous movie duos considering their epic performance in ‘Hustle & Flow‘.

    Hustle and Flow Terrence Howard Taraji P. Henson

    There are some actors that were made to work together.  In the past few decades famous movie duos like Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci have kept us at the edge of our seats while famous female duos like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler have ensured that we are always smiling especially when they showed us the what it takes to be a Baby Mama!

    Best On Screen Duo MTV Movie Awards
    This years Best On Screen Duo, MTV Movie Awards, went to Zac Efron and Dave Franco this year for their unforgettable performances in ‘Neighbors’.  This dynamic duos list does not include the two as this is our collection of famous duos in history.


    Famous female duos (or trios) have also won the award with Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu taking home the gold in 2001 for their phenomenal performance in Charlie’s Angels.  This list of famous duos in history proves that team work makes the dream work!


    Without further ado, here is our top 10 dynamic duos list:

    20. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence

    Will Smith Martin Lawrence

    19. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover

    Mel Gibson Danny Glover

    18. Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta

    Samuel L. Jackson John Travolta

    17. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly

    Will Ferrell John C. Reilly

    16. Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill

    Channing Tatum Jonah Hill

    15. Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele

    Keegan-Michael Key Jordan Peele

    14. Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder

    Richard Pryor Gene Wilder
    13. Will Smith and Alfonso Ribeiro
    Will Smith Alfonso Ribeiro

    12. Ice Cube and Mike Epps

    Ice Cube Mike Epps
    11. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson
    Vince Vaughn Owen Wilson

    10. Tyrese Gibson and Taraji P. Henson

    Tyrese Gibson Taraji P. Henson

    9. Ice Cube and Chris Tucker

    Ice Cube Chris Tucker

    8. Seth Rogan and James Franco

    Seth Rogan James Franco


    7. Ice Cube and Kevin Hart
    Ice Cube Kevin Hart

    6. Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson

    Ben Stiller Owen Wilson

    5. Jerry Seinfeld and Jason Alexander

    Jerry Seinfeld Jason Alexander

    4. Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci

    Robert De Niro Joe Pesci

    3. Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan

    Chris Tucker Jackie Chan

    2. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler

    Tina Fey Amy Poehler

    1. Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson
    Terrence Howard Taraji P. Henson
  • Top 10 Drake Songs of All Time

    This article will provide our choices for the top 10 Drake songs of all time.  While it may not seem difficult, creating a list of Drake’s best songs can be quite challenging considering the number of unforgettable tracks the young rapper has recorded.

    Then there is the fact that some of Drake’s best songs only feature one verse from the award-winning rapper.  With some of his absolute best work appearing on tracks that aren’t exactly his, the more appropriate title of this post is ‘Drake’s best verses’.

    Drake Taraji P. Henson

    Any accurate list of Drake’s top songs must be updated on a consistent basis considering how often the Toronto-rapper drops classics.  The following list of Drake’s top songs will be updated on a consistent basis as we are certain that Drizzy is just getting started!

    From ‘Best I Ever Had‘ to ‘Hotline Bling’ Drake has been putting in work over the past decade and this post salutes his dedication.  Whether you love him or hate him we can all agree that Aubrey Drake Graham is one of the hardest working people in the game! Drizzy shows us that dreams don’t work unless you do.

    Without further ado, enjoy our list of Drake’s top 10 tracks:
    10. Moment 4 Life
    Drake Moment 4 Life
    9. Blessings
    Drake Blessings
    8. Take Care
    Drake Take Care
    7. Come My Way
    Drake Come My Way
    6. Only
    Drake Only
    5. What’s My Name
    Drake What’s My Name
    4. Where Ya At
    Drake Where Ya At
    3. Tuesday
    Drake Tuesday

    2. Started From the Bottom
    Drake Started From the Bottom
    1. Hotline Bling
    Drake Hotline Bling
  • ‘Empire’ Snubbed At Critics Choice Awards

    The Critics Choice Awards aired on Sunday night, but sadly, Empire did not take a single trophy in the three categories it was nominated in. The Lyons were totally snubbed at the awards’ show, in which the Broadcast Film Critics Association and Broadcast Television Journalists Association picks the winners. Come on!



    Empire was nominated for Best Drama Series (but USA’s Mr. Robot won), Taraji P. Henson was up for Best Actress in a Drama Series (but she lost to Carrie Coon from HBO’s The Leftovers), and Marisa Tomei was nominated for Best Guest Actor/Actress in a Drama Series (which went to Margo Martindale from CBS’ The Good Wife). It’s too bad, because Empire is generally loved by critics, but hey, Taraji since has her Golden Globe, right? And it’s technically a way more prestigious award, since it comes with cookies (right).

    Not only did Taraji P. Henson take home a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama last week, Empire is nominated for a Grammy! That’s right, a Grammy for the Empire Season 1 soundtrack in the category Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media! So we can look forward to Lyons potentially winning on more award when the ceremony airs in February. 

    And then in March, Empire returns, which will be the best reward of all for all of our patient waiting during this long, long hiatus.


    via GIPHY

  • Halle v. Taraji: Don’t Hate the Cookie Hate the Game

    Halle Berry recently decided to part ways with her manager of 20 years, Vincent Cirrincione and it is due to the fact that Cirrincione has been focusing his attention on Taraji P. Henson’s blossoming career over the past few years.

    Cookie Lyon Halle Berry

    In 2002 Berry won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in ‘Monster’s Ball’ produced by Lee Daniels.  The award made her the only woman of color to ever win a Best Actress Academy Award to date.

    Since then Berry’s career has been average, at best, and she clearly blames Cirrincione.  Page Six reports that Berry was upset about how much attention has been devoted to Henson’s career.  Although the split (Berry/Cirrincione) occurred about a year ago a Page Six source has revealed that Berry was angered by Henson’s success:

    “Taraji’s on a hit show and it’s her moment right now. Halle has had a bad run with films, and her TV show was canceled.”

    Halle Berry Movies and TV Shows

    Halle Berry Movies and TV Shows
    Berry has been in the game for a very long time.  Some of her best work includes:

    • Executive Decision, 1996
    • Bulworth, 1998
    • Monster’s Ball, 2001
    • Swordfish, 2001
    • Die Another Day, 2002
    • Gothika, 2003
    • X2, 2003
    • X-Men: The Last Stand, 2006
    • Things We Lost in the Fire, 2007
    • Cloud Atlas, 2012
    • The Call, 2013
    • X-Men: Days of Future Past, 2014

    Halle Berry’s movies and TV shows haven’t been what they once were.  Halle Berry’s TV show, ‘Extant’ was axed after two short seasons.

    Halle Berry’s TV show ‘Living Dolls‘ was the first television appearance she made back in 1989.  Some of her additional television appearances include:

    • Amen, 1991
    • A Different World, 1991
    • They Came from Outer Space, 1991
    • Fraiser, 1998
    • Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, 1999
    • Their Eyes Were Watching God, 2005
    • Extant, 2014-15

    The following clip shows Halle Berry suggesting that Henson’s Oscar nomination for ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ should satisfy her.  Berry further explains that Taraji has already won by being nominated considering the high level of competition.

  • ‘Empire’ Will Return For Season 3 — But What About Mariah & Oprah’s Guest Appearances?

    Rejoice! Empire has been officially renewed for a third season, as if there was any doubt the Lyons wouldn’t be back on Fox. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the renewal was announced at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour. Show co-creator and executive producer Danny Strong said that conversations about Season 3 haven’t happened just yet, but it sounds like the season will be 18 episodes, just like Season 2 is set to be.

    “I don’t really want to do more,” he said to the press. “It’s hard to pull the show off.” And what he means is that the show is lots of work for the cast, crew, and behind-the-scenes music folks who produce original songs for every episode.

    Strong also answered questions about a few rumored guest stars that have yet to surface in the Lyon’s den: Mariah Carey and Oprah Winfrey. This is where the bad news comes in. Mariah Carey and Oprah Winfrey won’t be guest stars. Sorry, folks.


    via GIPHY

    “None of those people are going to actually be on the show so I can’t control what names all of a sudden take off as being guest stars because they’re not,” Strong told the press.

    At one point, co-creator and exec producer Lee Daniels had announced that both big names were due to guest on Empire, but it sounds like Oprah wasn’t able to fit an appearance on her schedule. Daniels worked with Oprah on the movie The Butler and worked with Carey on The Butler and Precious


    via GIPHY

    In general, Strong told the press we can count on seeing more of the Lyons and less guest stars in the second half of Empire‘s second season, which premieres in March,
Exit mobile version