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PRIYANKA CHOPRA AND NICK JONAS PICK WEDDING DATE

Hollywood/Bollywood actress, Priyanka Chopra and singer Nick Jonas who announced their engagement in July, have finally picked their wedding date.

According to Us Weekly the lovebirds will be getting married in December and the wedding will take place in India.

36-year-old Priyanka and 26-year-old Nick have reportedly booked the Umaid Bhawan for the grand wedding, a place described as their “dream wedding venue.”

The source also revealed that Priyanka is having fun planning the wedding, blending together traditions from both their cultures.

They really want to blend wedding traditions from both of their cultures that are important to them.

Priyanka is having a really good time planning the wedding because it’s a mix of Indian and American styles and customs, which she knows so much about.

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JANET JACKSON TO BE HONOURED WITH GLOBAL ICON AWARD AT MTV’S EUROPEAN MUSIC AWARDS

Janet Jackson will be honoured with this year’s Global Icon Award at MTV’s European Music Awards.

The ceremony, which is set to take place in Bilbao, will see the 52-year-old star, take to the stage to perform a medley of her greatest hits, including her recent hit single Made For Now.

She joins an elite list of artists and bands who have won the trophy before her, including Whitney Houston, Eminem, Bon Jovi, Queen and U2.

Championing Jackson as this year’s Global Icon, Bruce Gillmer – global head of music and talent at Viacom said: ‘Janet is without question one of the world’s biggest stars.

Credit: stargist.com
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LADY GAGA OPENS UP ABOUT BEING SEXUALLY ASSAULTED AND MENTAL ILLNESS IN MOVING SPEECH AT ELLE’S ‘WOMEN IN HOLLYWOOD’ EVENT

On Tuesday, October 16, 2018, in Los Angeles, top singer and actress Lady Gaga was honoured as one of Elle’s Women In Hollywood.

Gaga delivered her Women in Hollywood acceptance speech from an extremely vulnerable and honest place. She opened up about her sexual assault, mental illness, and a plea for women to lift up each other’s voices and “beckon the world towards kindness.” “I wanted to take the power back,” she said.

And part of reclaiming that power had to do with what she wore. While promoting A Star Is Born, Gaga has worn dramatic, glamorous, Old Hollywood gowns.

At ELLE’s Women in Hollywood event, she wore an oversized Marc Jacobs suit, her hair in a low bun. For Gaga, it was stripped down.

25th Annual ELLE Women In Hollywood Celebration - Arrivals

Here, an extended excerpt from Gaga’s moving acceptance speech:

“I tried on dress after dress today getting ready for this event, one tight corset after another, one heel after another, a diamond, a feather, thousands of beaded fabrics and the most beautiful silks in the world. To be honest, I felt sick to my stomach. And I asked myself: What does it really mean to be a woman in Hollywood? We are not just objects to entertain the world. We are not simply images to bring smiles or grimaces to people’s faces. We are not members of a giant beauty pageant meant to be pit against one another for the pleasure of the public. We women in Hollywood, we are voices. We have deep thoughts and ideas and beliefs and values about the world and we have the power to speak and be heard and fight back when we are silenced.

So, after trying 10 or so dresses, with a sad feeling in my heart, that all that would matter was what I wore to this red carpet, I saw an oversized Marc Jacobs suit buried quietly in the corner. I put it on to a resounding view of eyes glaring at me in confusion. But the Rodarte was so beautiful! one said. But the Raf Simons for Calvin Klein was so stunning on you! said another. But what about the Brandon Maxwell? What about the Dior? Lots of questions. They were all dresses. This was an oversized men’s suit made for a woman. Not a gown. And then I began to cry. In this suit, I felt like me today. In this suit, I felt the truth of who I am well up in my gut. And then wondering what I wanted to say tonight become very clear to me.

As a sexual assault survivor by someone in the entertainment industry, as a woman who is still not brave enough to say his name, as a woman who lives with chronic pain, as a woman who was conditioned at a very young age to listen to what men told me to do, I decided today I wanted to take the power back. Today I wear the pants.

In an age where I can barely watch the news, I gasped at the unjust men, and some women quite frankly, that I see running this country. I had a revelation that I had to be empowered to be myself today more than ever. To resist the standards of Hollywood, whatever that means. To resist the standards of dressing to impress. To use what really matters: my voice.

After I was assaulted when I was 19 I changed forever. Part of me shut down for many years. I didn’t tell anyone. I avoided it myself. And felt shame even still today standing in front of you. I feel shame for what happened to me. I still have days where I feel like it was my fault. After I shared what happened to me with very powerful men in this industry, nobody helped me. No one offered my guidance or a helping hand to lead me to a place where I felt justice, they didn’t even point me in the direction of the mental health assistance I was in dire need of. Those men hid because they were afraid of losing their power. And because they hid, I began to hide.

I hid for a long time until I started to feel physical pain. Then I had to go to the doctor because I didn’t know what was wrong with me. And then I was diagnosed with PTSD and Fibromyalgia, which many people don’t think is real, and I don’t even know what the fuck to say about that. But I’ll tell you what it is. It’s a syndrome that is essentially a cyclone of stress induced pain. And I really wish my friend Lena Dunham was here tonight because I think she could probably articulate this much better than me. And I hope we can all agree that she’s a remarkable woman.

Depression, anxiety, eating disorders, trauma—these are just a few examples of the forces that can lead to this tornado of pain. So what I would like to say in this room of powerful women and men today is let’s work together to beckon the world towards kindness. I’m fortunate enough now to have the resources to help me. But for many, the resources either don’t exist or people don’t have the ability to pay for or access them. I want to see mental health become a global priority. We’re not able to control all of the challenges and tragedies that life throws our way. But we can work together. This room can work together to heal each other. And we can also try to find the strength in the best way that we can to ask for help if we need it.
…
It is my personal dream that there would be a mental health expert teacher or therapist in every school in this nation and hopefully one day around the world. Let’s lift our voices. I know we are, but let’s get louder. And not just as women. But as humans. And see that there are great men in the world. And ask them to hold our hands. For justice. That our voices be heard. Whatever our story may be. For an equal standing. We will fight for justice for women and men and those with other sexual identities. For me, this is what it means to be a woman in Hollywood. It means, I have a platform. I have a chance to make a change. I pray we listen and believe and pay closer attention to those around us to those in need….Be a helping hand. Be a force for change”.

Culled from Elle
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“FOR A LONG TIME, MY OLDEST DAUGHTER THOUGHT I WAS A DOCTOR BECAUSE I WAS ALWAYS AT WORK”…SHONDA RHIMES REVEALS AS SHE COVERS ELLE MAGAZINE’S ‘WOMEN IN HOLLYWOOD’ ISSUE

Shonda Rhimes is on one of the eight covers for Elle‘s Women in Hollywood issue and the television producer – who is behind shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal – spoke about how she’s making TV that represents everyone, talking to her daughters about success and more.

Read excerpts below.

On her deal with Netflix: I keep hearing about how I got lured away as if somebody wagged a piece of candy in front of me. But really, it was me deciding I had a vision, and [Netflix’s chief content officer] Ted Sarandos shared that vision. I wanted to be able to decide what kind of shows we were going to make and how we were going to make them. So to have that kind of power has been an amazing experience so far. It’s also a little bit like Christmas because there’s a very ‘Yes, we can’ attitude. Almost so much that we have to be careful what we ask for, like, ‘Don’t ask for the moon, because they will build you the moon.’

On making shows with representation:It’s hugely important, but I didn’t know how conscious it was until I was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. I was trying to figure out my speech, and I realized it was about how you cannot be what you cannot see. I talked about having grown up watching Oprah every single day of my life. How this was a woman of color, who did not look a certain way, who was [based in] Chicago, and who took over the world through television, basically. When I started writing TV shows, I wanted to represent everybody, because it should look like the real world. It should feel normal when you turn on the television and see people who look like you.

On what she tells her daughters about success: For a long time, my oldest daughter thought I was a doctor, because I was always at work, and it was a hospital. Now she’s 16, so she doesn’t think that anymore. My little ones are six and four and think there’s a land called Shonda. They don’t really understand how it relates to their mother, but it’s nice that they understand that women go to work and enjoy it and that you can have a business and be in charge.

For more from Shonda, visit  Elle.com!

Credit: Bella Naija
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CAMEROONIAN DESIGNER, CLAUDE KAMENI IS GRADUALLY TAKING OVER THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE WITH HER DESIGNS

Lavie By CK founder, Claude Kameni was raised in Cameroon, where her passion for fashion was cultivated. Upon moving to the United States, she was able to hone her skills and build her brand, which successfully fuses her experiences from both cultural backgrounds.

Lavie By CK, is known for creating lavish and instantly eye-catching designs, using structured silhouettes and dramatic flares and pleats

Hollywood actress, Tracee Ellis Ross hosted the 2018 AMAs, and she worn a piece by the Cameroonian designer.

Tracee Ellis Ross is not the only big celebrity who has been seen in one of Claude’s designs, as she also dressed Janet Jackson in the video for ‘Made For Now’s.

Check out more Lavie By CK designs right here:

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MEET NKECHI OKORO CARROLL, THE SHOW-RUNNER BEHIND ‘ALL AMERICAN’, THE CW’S NEW DRAMA

Nigerian-American, Nkechi Okoro Carroll is the showrunner of All American, the CW acclaimed new teen drama.

Nkechi Okoro Carroll took over as showrunner after the show’s creator, April Blair stepped aside last week for personal reasons. Nkechi plans to take charge of the storytelling by getting the show to tackle serious issues, ranging from gang violence to NFL protests.

Nkechi grew up in four different countries, Nigeria, Cote D’Ivoire, England and the US. She created several short films that were featured in film festivals on multiple continents, including Africa, Europe and North America.

The success of her short films caught the attention of certain executives in Hollywood, which moved her from working as a senior trader and analyst to taking on several roles at the Fox Broadcasting Company — from story editor for Bones to producer of Rosewood and The Resident.

According to her, when she read the script for All American, she believed in it and wanted to see it through:

“As the mother of two black boys, I want to see this show on television. So I’ve been involved since the start, and when April stepped down and Greg asked if I would be interested in stepping up into the showrunner position, I was happy and excited to do it.

We’ve got an amazing creative team here, and we look forward to continuing to tell these stories that I think haven’t really been told on network TV.”

Daniel Ezra and Samantha Logan in ‘All American’(Photo: Jesse Giddings/The CW)

All American is based on the real events of former pro football player, Spencer Paysinger’s life, and the show follows Spencer (Daniel Ezra), a rising football star from who is recruited by the football coach at a prestigious high school, introducing him to a world vastly different from his.

But Spencer isn’t leaving his home behind ­– he’ll live and study in Beverly Hills during the week, then go home to Crenshaw on weekends, creating a more complex fish-out-of-water story, in which they show the ups and downs of both worlds.

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WAKANDA FOREVER: LUPITA NYONG’O, DANAI GURIRA, AND ANGELA BASSETT COVER THE LATEST ISSUE OF ELLE MAGAZINE

On the cover of Elle USA November issue, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, and Angela Bassett are part of the eleven honorees of 2018 as the magazine marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of Women in Hollywood.

These black women all played important roles in the hit movie, Black Panther.

Danai Gurira displayed strength in her character in the movie and as Clover Hope Of Elle interviews the trio, Danai speaks on their role in the blockbuster.

 

Read excerpts from the interview below.

Angela on black female representation in Black Panther:

The women were integral to the storytelling and the wisdom that the main character possessed. It was really important in terms of the representation of black feminine strength.

Danai on her wig-snatching scene:

I loved doing that, from the minute she’s wearing that wig and complaining about it, to the minute she gets rid of it very pragmatically. That spoke to so many things about feminine aesthetics.

Lupita on relating to her character:

Nakia was a departure from the character you see in the comic books. She is an independent woman and a bit of a rebel but also a loyalist to her country. I am also someone who depends on my family and friends and feels a connection to my people, and maybe has a sense of responsibility to make them proud. So I really related to that balancing act within oneself.

Photo Credit: Elle

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“MY CHILDREN ARE MY TEACHERS”, SAYS KERRY WASHINGTON AS SHE COVERS MARIE CLAIRE’S POWER ISSUE

Kerry Washington is the latest cover star for Marie Claire‘s Power Issue. For the cover feature, she talks life after tv series Scandal, heading back to Broadway, motherhood, and the Time Up movement.

Read excerpts below:

On the word Power: Honestly, I think about power as more of an internal phenomenon, I tend to think about empowerment for myself so that I have the courage and ability to act on the ideologies and priorities that resonate with me. I’ve always wanted to cultivate a sense of empowerment within myself without seeking approval from outside sources, which is hard to do as an actor, which is part of why producing is so important and which is where some of my freedom, or learning, to take that sense of freedom and bring it to a larger audience and larger space has a lot to do with having my employer be a black woman.

On working on Broadway:  Theater is a big part of why I fell in love with storytelling and with acting and I hadn’t been able to do it for the whole life of Scandal. I love being in the room with your audience. There’s something very meditative and monastic to me about theatre because on TV, every single day is different. To commit yourself to go to the same place and saying the same words and walking the same path, it’s almost like a labyrinth in a monastery or a walking meditation, where the world around you changes but you don’t. You commit to the same task at hand, and in doing that, you learn so much. The last time I did theater, it completely transformed my life. That’s where I met my husband.

On what Motherhood has taught her: Everything. My children are my teachers. There’s a writer that I love, Dr Shefali Tsabary. She writes about conscious parenting, and her paradigm is that we think about it all wrong. We think children come into the world and it’s our job to mold them and create them and teach them who to be so that they can be the best version of themselves, but it’s actually completely upside down. We get sent by God the kids we need so we can grow in order to be the parents they need us to be. The children I got sent came in perfect, and I have to figure out how to grow and evolve so that I can support the truth of them. I’m in a constant state of learning and challenging myself to make room for their perfection and beauty.

On the disparities in representation and action for women of colour in the industry and beyond: It’s complicated to be a woman of colour doing this work because I remember the first time I talked about it in a meeting. I said to the white women in the room, ‘You all roll your eyes when they call it a witch hunt, but for black women in this country, we’ve had our men hung from trees for whistling at white women when they did no wrong. The false accusation of sexual assault is a very real danger for us in a way that doesn’t resonate for you, and so when you wonder why there aren’t more of us in the room, that might be part of it.

It was in that meeting that we were talking about how one of our members got word that there was a powerful exposé being developed around R. Kelly and said, ‘Do we want to get ahead of this?’ It was like, ‘Of course we do.’ It can’t be only the Angelina Jolies and the Gwyneth Paltrows, that we prioritize their pain and ignore all of these underage black women who for decades have been saying, ‘Help me.’ We came forward for them in a statement about R. Kelly, and it was Time’s Up WOC’s first big public action.

Click here for more on Kerry.

Credit: BN
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GENEVIEVE NNAJI SIGNS REPRESENTATION DEAL WITH AGENCY REPRESENTING ANGELINA JOLIE AND JOHNNY DEPP

The Nigerian star actress signed the deal with UTA for representation in film, TV, and production recently, Deadline reports.

The agency also represents Gwyneth Paltrow, Channing Tatum, Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor, Kim Soo Hyun and Liv Tyler.

The deal, it is also been suspected, will see the actress collaborating with top Hollywood filmmakers to produce movies from African and Nigerian stories.

UTA is one of the biggest talent agencies in the world that represents many of the world’s most acclaimed figures in every current and emerging area of entertainment and media, including motion pictures, television, music, digital, broadcast news, books, theatre, video games, fine art and live entertainment.

The agency is also globally recognized in the areas of film finance, film packaging, branding, licensing, endorsements and representation of production talent.

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JANELLE MONAE TO STAR IN NEW DISNEY’S LIVE-ACTION ADAPTATION, ‘LADY AND THE TRAMP’

In the last few months, American singer and songwriter, Janelle Monae has been cast in no less that three screenplays. Most recent of all is her new role in new Disney‘s live-action adaptation Lady and the Tramp.

According to Chicago Tribune, Monae will voice the character Peg, one of the dogs Lady meets when she is taken to the pound.

Lady and the Tramp tells the tale of an American Cocker Spaniel named Lady who becomes separated from her upper-middle-class family. The movie follows the journey of Lady finding love and more.

Janelle Monae will also appear in the Harriet Tubman biopic UglyDolls animated movie, and Welcome to Marwen.

 

 

Credit: BN

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