‘Insecure’ Actress Claims She’d Cancel Her Own Show If Melania Trump Liked It. Melania Calls Her Bluff.
Actress Issa Rae, who writes and stars in the hit HBO comedy, “Insecure,” told Glamour magazine this week that she was thrilled to find out Michelle Obama watched (and liked) her show, but, Rae added, she’d be less than thrilled to find out the current First Lady, Melania Trump, was a fan.
“You really watch it?’ She was like, ‘Yes. Sasha and Malia put me on to it,’” Rae recalled about her conversation with the former First Lady. “It was like talking to my auntie. It bums me out that I will never have that feeling again of the First Family f**king with us so hard and getting us.”
“If Melania [Trump] said that to me, I would be like, ‘Well, I guess it’s canceled. We’re not making this show. It’s not ours anymore,” Rae added.
It turns out, not only does Melania watch the show, she also saw Rae’s interview, and her office fired back, calling Rae’s bluff.
Obviously Rae isn’t going to cancel her hit HBO show in the middle of its run just because its available on cable to anyone with a television and a credit card and she shouldn’t. It would be silly for Rae to punish herself because someone who thinks “the wrong way” enjoys some comedy.
Fortunately, the actress and comedian has a sense of humor, and played along with Grisham, referencing a joke-conspiracy theory about Melania Trump hiring a stand-in.
Melania may not be the most beloved First Lady of all time — at least by the Left — but she might actually be the sharpest. Nothing gets past her.
Read more via: ‘Insecure’ Actress Claims She’d Cancel Her Own Show If Melania Trump Liked It. Melania Calls Her Bluff.
Minnesota State Fair announces $14 million expansion
Because the best way to deal with regular record-breaking numbers (and the increased congestion and longer lines that come with them)?
Get even bigger. Like, $14 million bigger. Which the folks behind the fair have announced they plan to do.
MPR reports that they’ll break ground on the expansion next month, in the northwest corner of the grounds. New attractions will include a performing arts space—which could mean even more than the 900 performances the fair hosted this year. (Deputy general manager Renee Alexander tells MPR that they’ve doubled the free entertainment budget over the last 12 years.)
The revamp will also introduce a traveling exhibit hall, which will be almost as big as the Dairy Building. And it should all be ready in time for next year’s fair, which kicks off August 22.
“You know, even on our biggest days, there’s plenty of room for people,” general manager Jerry Hammer—whose name sounds like it could be a State Fair show-of-strength game—tells MPR.
It’s why they’ve spent the last decade carefully making the grounds over: updating old buildings, re-imagining existing layouts, and adding new food and events spaces like the Hangar, which just debuted this year. Crucially, they’ve also added more bathrooms.
Hammer adds: “The fair was more crowded 30 years ago, 35 years ago.”
Painful to imagine—especially if you waited in this year’s record-setting lines for some of the new foods like we did.
Article via: Minnesota State Fair announces $14 million expansion
Woman Now Regrets Sharing Photo Of ‘Cosby Show’ Actor Geoffrey Owens Working At Trader Joe’s
A photograph of a former Cosby Show cast member working at a New Jersey Trader Joe’s—which was published in the Daily Mail and on FoxNews.com—sparked outrage from people who believed that the amateur photographer (and the media) was job-shaming the actor, Geoffrey Owens.
Shopper Karma Lawrence, who took the picture, told the Daily Mail at the time, “I used to watch The Cosby Show all the time; it was my favorite show. It was definitely him. I would have thought after The Cosby Show he would maybe be doing something different. It was a shock to see him working there and looking the way he did. It made me feel really bad. I was like, ‘Wow, all those years of doing the show and you ended up as a cashier.’ Other fans would be surprised for sure as well.”
Now, after many people shared their disgust that Owens was being judged negatively for having a job, Lawrence feels bad about her decision. In an interview with NJ.com, she explained, “I don’t know why I snuck a picture. I figured everybody does it. I don’t know what possessed me. I just did it. I didn’t even think about it. I just kind of did it on impulse and it was a bad impulse.”
Lawrence also insisted, “It wasn’t malicious. That’s on my kids, my grandkids, my parents. I’m not that type of a person. I’m not the monster they’re making me out to be,” and lamented the backlash she’s received: “So much hate. So much nastiness. Oh, it’s been terrible. They write Karma’s a b****. It’s bad.”
Owens, for his part, said he took the job at Trader Joe’s because his teaching and acting gigs just weren’t adding up to enough for himself and his family. And he wasn’t ashamed of working there. “There’s no job that’s better than another job,” Owens said on Good Morning America. “It might pay better, it might have better benefits, look better on a resume or on paper, but actually it’s not better. Every job is worthwhile and valuable.”
Lawrence, who says she thought that he was working at the grocery store because his Cosby Show residuals were cut in the wake of Bill Cosby’s predatory behavior being publicized, had this message for Owens, “I would tell him, ‘I am extremely, extremely apologetic about what has happened.’ And if I could take it back, I would.”
Article via: Woman Now Regrets Sharing Photo Of ‘Cosby Show’ Actor Geoffrey Owens Working At Trader Joe’s
20th Century Fox Deletes The Predator Scene Featuring Registered Sex Offender
There’s helping out a friend, there’s forgiving a man who’s served his time, and then there’s describing the crimes for which that time was served—risk of injury to a child and enticing a minor by computer, both felonies—as the product of someone who was “caught up in a bad situation versus [doing] something lecherous.” Shane Black, who wrote the original Lethal Weapon and wrote/directed Iron Man 3, did all three of those things when he cast his friend Steven Wilder Striegel in a small role in his upcoming movie The Predator, and then explained this decision to press. Striegel was arrested in 2009 and pleaded guilty to the two felonies mentioned above—risk of injury to a child and enticing a minor by computer, both felonies—for which he served six months in prison.
The Los Angeles Times’ Amy Kaufman reports that The Predator star Olivia Munn discovered the information about Striegel’s convictions. In the movie, she shares a scene with Striegel. She contacted 20th Century Fox, the studio releasing The Predator, which ordered the excision of said scene. In a statement, a 20th Century Fox spokesperson said of Striegel: “We were not aware of his background during the casting process due to legal limitations that impede studios from running background checks on actors.”
Black told the Times in a written statement, “I personally chose to help a friend. I can understand others might disapprove, as his conviction was on a sensitive charge and not to be taken lightly.” Striegel told the Times he’s known Black for 14 years.
Read more via: 20th Century Fox Deletes The Predator Scene Featuring Registered Sex Offender
Rapper Ty Dolla $ign arrested on drug charges in Atlanta
Atlanta police Officer Stephanie Brown tells news outlets that seven people were stopped late Wednesday afternoon when police smelled marijuana coming from a car near downtown Atlanta.
A search of the vehicle yielded marijuana and cocaine. The 33-year-old born Tyrone William Griffin Jr. was arrested, but the other six were released without charges. It’s unclear why Griffin was the only one arrested.
According to Fulton County jail records, Griffin is charged with possessing cocaine and less than 1 ounce of marijuana, as well as obstruction.
The musician was scheduled to perform in Atlanta on Wednesday as part of G-Eazy’s The Endless Summer Tour. Reports didn’t include comment from him or representation.
Article via: Rapper Ty Dolla $ign arrested on drug charges in Atlanta
Beyoncé Just Shared 169 Outfit Pics With Jay-Z and Blue Ivy on Her Site
Beyoncé is the kind of celebrity who keeps a low profile most of the time, but every now and then, she’ll pop on her site and share a generous, intimate look at her life with her fans. Last night, she did just that, uploading a year’s worth of outfit photos on her site—her gift on her birthday to all of us. There’s shots of her, Jay Z, and her oldest daughter Blue Ivy Carter. There are many, many designer outfits. Miu Miu is featured! Dolce & Gabbana! It’s truly a lot to take in.
Bey started her photo spam with an honest reflection on her last year:
At 36, I became a new mother of 3. I breastfed twins. I renewed my vows with my husband of 10 years. I came back home to the stage of Coachella, after pregnancy. Then my husband and I released our album together, Everything Is Love. And we’ve been touring with our family around the world and loving it. This year has been monumental for me. I thank God for everyone in my life. Thank you for all the positivity and for the beautiful birthday wishes. I’m looking forward to continuing to learn from my past, living in the present, and surrendering to the future. I love you, Hive. B.
From there, she posted outfit after outfit shot, including a couple photos of her 37th birthday celebration in Italy. Here, a compilation of some of the best looks. They’re all spectacular though, so see every one in its full glory on her site here.
A couple rare shots of her and Jay Z being affectionate:
Look at more via: Beyoncé Just Shared 169 Outfit Pics With Jay-Z and Blue Ivy on Her Site
Police search home of couple who raised $400,000 for homeless man
Police executed a search warrant Thursday morning to comb through the home of the couple who raised $400,000 for a homeless Philadelphia man.
Article via: Police search home of couple who raised $400,000 for homeless man
India throws out ban on gay sex, but challenges remain
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s top court scrapped a colonial-era ban on gay sex on Thursday, in a landmark judgment that sparked celebrations across India and elsewhere in South Asia, where activists hope to push for similar reform.
Gay sex is considered taboo by many in socially conservative India, as well as in neighboring Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. It was reinstated as a criminal offense in India in 2013, punishable up to 10 years in prison, after four years of decriminalization.
A five-judge bench in India’s Supreme Court was unanimous in overturning the ban. But the ruling could face a legal challenge from groups that say gay sex erodes traditional values.
“Any consensual sexual relationship between two consenting adults – homosexuals, heterosexuals or lesbians – cannot be said to be unconstitutional,” said the Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra, as he read out the judgment.
Read more via: India throws out ban on gay sex, but challenges remain