Of the roughly 9 million likes Beyonce’s pregnancy announcement has received on Instagram, there are few that like the picture more than those in the maternity photography business.
People around the country (and probably world) took a hiatus from the headline-dominating political arguments Wednesday when they heard the news, announced via Instagram: Beyonce and Jay Z are having twins, making daughter Blue Ivy Carter an older sister times two.
Then on Thursday, the “Formation” singer unleashed the mother load: A whole album of maternity photos, titled “I have three hearts.” She was underwater in some, nude in others, on top of a flower-covered car in one, and a few featured Blue Ivy.
With her worldwide trendsetting powers, Queen Bey has the ability to awaken a whole new crowd to the pregnancy photo industry with one post. But that power could quickly turn sour if it causes moms-to-be to set their expectations too high, and leave maternity photographers with the task of explaining artistic differences.
Rolling Out Magazine highlights the start of the Chris Stokes Movie Training Workshop. For more information about the workshop and how you can be a part of it click here.
For more information on Chris Stokes go to All Music.
Just days after the season three premiere aired, the rapper took to Instagram where he shared a screenshot of Taraji P. Henson and a headline claiming Empire’s ratings were down.
“Well look at the bright side at least. You can eat your trophies,” 50 Cent wrote on Instagram. “I was talking to old girl but you felt like you had to respond. SMH you know I love you cookie. I got a new show for you BMF COMING SOON !!!#EFFENVODKA.”
As it turns out, Taraji saw the message and decided to speak up with her own message.
“For the confused ppl. Do REAL research!!! Loose change makes sooooooo much UNNECESSARY NOISE,” she shared on Instagram Saturday afternoon. “STILL LOOKING FOR THAT DAMN CENT SIGN!!! I guess it’s obsolete. AGAIN CONGRATS ON YOUR SUCCESS BLACK MAN!!! @50cent.”
She later included a screengrab from a recent story that said Empire remains the No. 1 scripted show on broadcast TV.
Ultimately, 50 Cent wasn’t done just yet. After reading Taraji’s response, he went back to social media where the digs kept coming.
“All this back and forth s–t is starting to turning me on cookie, LMAO I ran into Lee Daniels at the gym on Sunset Blvd. he asked why I didn’t except his offer to be on EMPIRE. I told him I have a lot going on, I’m actually working on the show FOX is gonna replace EMPIRE with, he looked at me like…why the f–k are you doing that?” he wrote. “It’s because I’m a drug dealer, and I was taught to get in, get your weight up, then take over. So that’s the deal #EFFENVODKA #smsaudio #FRIGO.”
Reports have also circulated that Empire co-star Jussie Smollett may have joined in on the conversation. A post has surfaced on social media where the actor appears to respond to 50’s Cent’s original post.
“So here we go…I’ve always taken the high road when you’ve said our show was too gay, was stealing the word ‘power’ in our marketing from your show, or was too whatever you felt like saying at the moment,” he wrote in the now deleted post. “But now you’re messing with @TarajiPHenson.”
Speaking of Taraji, even though she has some disagreements with a certain Power star, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t support the cast especially Naturi Naughton.
“Sooooooooo proud of you @naturi4real I WANT YOU TO KNOW I will NEVER let any NEGATIVITY come between the LOVE I have for my sisters!!!” Taraji shared while supporting Power. “As women we put up with enough BS. I will NEVER add to that stress and heartache!!! YOU ARE DOPE on #Power and in life!!! #BlackGirlMagic SHINE BABY SHINE.”
I am casting for actors to fill the few remaining roles in his next feature film. If you are a professional actor that is serious about your career, submit your headshot and resume, to http://chrisstokesent.com/contact.html This is NOT A COMPETITION. This is a casting call to find actors for the remaining roles in my next movie.
I look forward to receiving your headshot and resumes!!
Bobbi Kristina died on Sunday at Peachtree Christian Hospice in Duluth, Georgia, about six months after she was found face-down and unresponsive in a bathtub in the suburban Atlanta townhome she shared with Nick Gordon, the man she called her husband. She was 22-years-old.
“Bobbi Kristina Brown passed away July, 26 2015, surrounded by her family. She is finally at peace in the arms of God. We want to again thank everyone for their tremendous amount of love and support during these last few months,” Kristen Foster, a representative for the Houston family said Sunday.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Bobbi Kristina’s death Sunday night and will issue a news release on Monday.
Police said she was found Jan. 31. A police report described it as a “drowning.”
Bobbi Kristina was the only child between Houston and Brown.
She was hospitalized for months in Atlanta — eventually being placed in hospice care — after being found in a manner grimly similar to the way her megastar mother died three years earlier. Gordon said at the time it seemed Bobbi Kristina wasn’t breathing and lacked a pulse before help arrived.
Brown — the sole heir of her mother’s estate — did have dreams.
She identified herself on Twitter as “Daughter of Queen WH,” ”Entertainer/Actress” with William Morris & Co., and “LAST of a dying breed.” She told Oprah Winfrey shortly after her mother’s death in 2012 that she wanted to carry on her mother’s legacy by singing, acting and dancing. But her career never took off. Actor and producer Tyler Perry said she had a future as an actress after her debut on his TV show “For Better or Worse” in 2012, but she only appeared in one episode. Aside from two ill-fated reality TV shows and the occasional paparazzi video, her image mostly showed up in the “selfies” she posted online.
She attended award shows and appeared on red carpets with her mother and father. She performed a duet with her mother in 2009, singing “My Love Is Your Love” in New York’s Central Park. She became social media sensation, sending more than 11,000 tweets and attracting 164,000 followers.
As the news of her death spread across social media, several celebrities tweeted their condolences.
Grammy-winning performer Missy Elliot tweeted, “My heart is truly heavy. May u rest in peace with your mommy #BobbiKristina sending prayers 2 the Brown/Houston family.”
“Empire” star Taraji P. Henson tweeted, “Rest in heaven.”
“RIP #BobbiKristina My deepest sympathies 2 your father #BobbyBrown n your GrandMa #CissyHouston We will miss ya 4sho darling 😉 Actress Vivica A. Fox said on Twitter.
And Winfrey tweeted, “Peace at Last!”
Whitney Houston, known as “America’s Sweetheart,” was an impossible act to follow.
The late singer sold more than 50 million records in the United States alone during her career. Her voice, an ideal blend of power, grace and beauty, made classics out of songs like “Saving All My Love For You,” ”I Will Always Love You” and “The Greatest Love of All.” She earned six Grammys and starred in the films “The Bodyguard” and “The Preacher’s Wife.”
Bobby Brown, who had a bad-boy image, also became a huge star, selling platinum records with New Edition and going solo before drugs and legal woes derailed his career.
Bobbi Kristina appeared alongside both parents in 2005 on the Bravo reality show “Being Bobby Brown,” which captured her parents fighting, swearing and appearing in court. The Hollywood Reporter said it revealed that Brown was “even more vulgar than the tabloids suggest,” and managed “to rob Houston of any last shreds of dignity.”
Years earlier, as Houston was preparing to give birth to Bobbi Kristina, she expressly left Bobby Brown out of her will, putting everything in a trust “for the benefit of her children and more remote descendants,” according to the Houstons’ 2012 petition.
After their divorce in 2007, Houston kept custody of Bobbi Kristina and raised her alongside Gordon, an orphan three years older than her daughter. Houston brought Gordon into her family, and while she never formally adopted him or included him in the will, both teenagers called her “mom.”
The threesome’s tight bond was shattered when Houston’s assistant found the singer’s lifeless body face-down in a foot of water in her bathtub at the Beverly Hilton just before the Grammy Awards in 2012. Authorities found prescription drugs in the suite, and evidence of heart disease and cocaine in her body, but determined her death was an accidental drowning.
Bobbi Kristina, then 18, was at the hotel and became so hysterical she had to be hospitalized. “She wasn’t only a mother, she was a best friend,” she told Winfrey.
She and Gordon then went public with their romance, posting defiant messages online after the tabloids accused them of incest.
The Houstons tolerated their relationship, appearing with them on television that year in Lifetime’s reality show “The Houstons: On Our Own.”
But in one telling episode, the late singer’s relatives lectured the pair about drinking after they show up in an obviously altered state, and accused Gordon of failing to take care of the grieving girl.
Relations between Gordon and some other relatives continued to sour over the past year after Bobbi Kristina was hospitalized. A protective order barred him from being within 200 feet of Pat Houston, Bobbi Kristina’s aunt. A feud erupted over whether Gordon could visit Bobbi Kristina while she stayed in the hospital.
On June 24, Bobbi Kristina’s court-appointed representative sued Gordon, accusing him of misrepresenting his relationship with Bobbi Kristina. The complaint accused him of being violent toward her and taking more than $11,000 from her account while she was in a medically induced coma after the Jan. 31 tragedy.
The lawsuit also accused Gordon of assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, unjust enrichment and conversion.
Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard said he and his office are interested in reviewing the investigative file to determine whether any charges will be filed.
Also on June 24, Pat Houston said Bobbi Kristina had been placed in hospice care.
Bobbi Kristina was fabulously wealthy for a teenager, but her money was in a spendthrift trust, designed to keep creditors and predators from taking advantage of people who can’t manage their money. Bobbi Kristina’s grandmother, Cissy Houston, and aunt, Pat Houston, eventually took over control of the trust and then took Bobbi Kristina to court to protect the estate.
The Houstons called Bobbi Kristina “a highly visible target for those who would exercise undue influence over her inheritance and/or seek to benefit from (her) resources and celebrity,” and urged a judge to delay how quickly she could control the money.
Bobbi Kristina agreed to the delay, and the judge granted their request to seal the case.
The size of Houston’s estate is a privately held secret.
In May, a judge appointed Bobby Brown and Pat Houston as co-guardians of Bobbi Kristina, giving them joint responsibility in decisions related to her care and medical needs. Lawyer Bedelia Hargrove was appointed conservator to oversee Bobbi Kristina’s assets, including her rights and legal claims.
Houston signed a $100 million record deal in 2001, but failed to deliver, and lost two homes to foreclosure toward the end of her life. But her untimely death revived a hunger for her music, and her name and likeness generated revenue that became part of Bobbi Kristina’s inheritance.
By January 2014, the young couple who grew up as brother and sister were sharing a townhome in Roswell, Georgia, and calling themselves husband and wife.
They posted images of their hands wearing wedding rings, with the caption “#HappilyMarried. So #InLove. If you didn’t get it the first time that is.” They got identical “WH” tattoos with flying doves on their wrists, and Gordon added a large portrait of Houston’s face on his arm.
Their marriage announcement troubled Pat Houston, who obtained a restraining order against Gordon two months later.
“Damn, lol, it’s incredible how the world will judge you 4ANY&EVERYthing,” Bobbi Kristina tweeted at the time.
By last September, Pat Houston said she was “very proud of Krissy.”
“Young people today are up against so much with social media and everything else that presents itself to them,” Pat Houston told The Associated Press. “We try to be there for her, just to try to guide and direct her.”
Judging from her postings online, Bobbi Kristina was focused on the approaching anniversary of her mother’s death. In one of her last tweets, she said, “Littlelady&yourgrowing young man @nickdgordon miss you mommy ..:’) SOmuch.. loving you more every sec. #Anniversary!”
Make sure you tune in Saturday June 27th to see the world premiere of Will To Love on TV One. It airs at 8pm est/ 5pm pst. Don’t miss it. It’s starring Marques Houston, Keshia Knight Pulliam and Draya Michele and directed by yours truly!! Don’t miss it. It’s a movie I’m sure you will enjoy.
Download the soundtrack to my new movie “Will To Love” below for free on Soundcloud. Take a listen and make sure you tune in to watch the premiere of “Will To Love” this Saturday June 27th at 8pm EST. Watch it and let me know what you think. Don’t forget to listen and download the soundtrack.
The “Will” To Love Synopsis
Jamal Hawkins is a handsome bachelor who will soon be a very wealthy man. As the primary heir to the “Let It Roll” toilet paper corporation, Jamal is set to inherit his grandfather’s empire. Jamal’s world comes crashing down when he discovers that his grandfather has placed a stipulation on his inheritance. The bachelor must find a wife before his grandfather passes away within the next 90 days. As a man who doesn’t believe in marriage, Jamal is lost on what to do. Matters are further exasperated by Jamal’s conniving half sister, Monica, who calculates a way to steal the corporation right from under her sibling’s nose. In an effort to help, Jamal’s best friend, Danny, devises a plan to fool the Jamal’s family and find a suitable wife as soon as possible. With the aid of his new secretary, Rachel, Danny’s one time fling, the trio comes together to hold a casting call for women of all shapes, types, colors and creeds, that might meet his grandfather’s high standards.
Complications arise when Rachel begins to develop feelings for her debonair boss. Realizing that a relationship with Jamal is a long shot, due to Danny’s continuous unwavering sexual advances, Rachel can’t help but to feel envious of the women she is presenting to her employer. So, it is at Rachel’s dismay when Danny locates the perfect woman for Jamal in the form of Candice, a savvy and seductive businesswoman who is up for the task.
At Jamal’s request, Danny and Rachel attempt to prepare Candice for the looming nuptials by taking her through a rigorous crash course to get to know everything about him. Soon, Jamal and Candice appear to be the perfect couple. That is until it is revealed that in actuality, Candice is working for Monica in an effort to disrupt the bachelor’s plans. After Candice’s appalling revelation, Jamal finds comfort in the arm of the woman who has been by his side through the whole ordeal, Rachel. Discovering his hidden feelings for his secretary and what true happiness can be, but with little time left to convince his grandfather, Jamal comes to terms with the possibility of losing his inheritance.
That is until Candice propositions Jamal for marriage one last time, without Monica, as a means of financial gain for both parties. Now Jamal has to chose what it is that he really wants in life. On one hand there’s Candice and his grandfather’s empire and on the other is Rachel and true happiness. With everything on the line, Jamal chooses the life that he ultimately never knew he wanted, and that is to be with Rachel and forgo his grandfather’s millions. To his surprise, Jamal inherits the family business anyway after it is revealed that his grandfather only wanted him to find true love.
According to Lamar Odom, there might be a chance for him to save his marriage to Khloe Kardashian.
Odom told a reporter that he believes there is still a chance he will get back together with estranged wife Khloé Kardashian. When asked whether or not he thinks it could happen, he replied, “Of course.” He also added that KoKo is still his “girl” even though she has been trying to go through divorce proceedings.
“That’s my wife,” he declared.
Shortly after the video surfaced, the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star posted a lengthy quote to Instagram about broken hearts. Although it could merely be a coincidence, the timing is definitely questionable.
Regardless, Lamar’s hopes and dreams might be crushed upon reading this message. “I know you’ve lost someone and it hurts,” the quote begins. “You may have lost them suddenly, unexpectedly…You cannot control the depth of a wound another soul inflicts upon you.”
Kim Kardashian and husband Kanye West visited a centuries-old Armenian church in Jerusalem on Monday for the baptism of their daughter, North West.
The Kardashians fended off swooning fans as they entered the Saint James Cathedral in Jerusalem’s Old City. Kardashian, appearing overwhelmed, clutched the tiny girl as she was escorted by West, her sister Khloe and hooded clergymen
“Stop,” Kim Kardashian shouted to the crowd. “Stop! It’s not safe for the baby,” her sister added.
Archbishop Aris Shirvanian, an Armenian church official, said the family had arrived for a baptism ceremony.
“Kim Kardashian’s daughter will be baptized and become a Christian officially and a member of the Armenian church,” Shirvanian said, slightly perplexed by all the commotion. “All I know is that she’s a famous personality. I don’t know her in person. In any case she is welcome with her family.”
There were no details on the ceremony, and the family left the church without speaking to reporters.
The members of reality TV’s first family arrived in a private jet at Israel’s international airport on Monday for what was described as a private two-day visit.
All were captured on camera disembarking their plane and the images featured prominently on Israeli websites. They were quickly whisked away in a dark black SUV to a hotel in Jerusalem. Paparazzi did their best to keep up with their movements.
The celebrities arrived from a high-profile visit to Armenia, where the Kardashian family traces its roots.
They are expected to shoot some footage for their reality show in Jerusalem before moving on to Jordan.
