To help get fans into the holiday spirit, the self-professed Queen of Christmas, aka Mariah Carey, has revealed the movies that make her feel extra festive.
Speaking to USA Today, the “Fantasy” singer revealed that she’s a fan of the stop-motion animated Rankin/Bass classics Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town.
“There’s something nostalgic about it. I watch those every year with the kids,” Mariah said. And while she does love the oldies, there is one more recent holiday movie that is also near and dear to her heart. “You gotta love Elf,” she decreed.
Mariah is now furiously preparing for the holidays because, as she tells USA Today, “I go all=out every year, darling.”
The Grammy winner recently released the ballad “Fall in Love at Christmas” — a collaboration with Khalid and Kirk Franklin — and is weeks away from releasing her Apple TV+ special Mariah’s Christmas: The Magic Continues, the sequel to last year’s Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special.
In addition, she’s stocked up her online store and teamed with major retailers to help release her Mariah Carey Holiday Collection, which is packed with cozy essentials that will make it easier to wait up for Ol’ Saint Nick.
As for why Mariah aims to be practically synonymous with Christmas, she explains, “I love the holidays. It’s just my thing. I just have a special connection with Christmas.”
In fact, she admits the celebration doesn’t stop after December 25, and will shamelessly blast Christmas tunes until people start begging, “Can we put (any other music) back on?”
Queen Sugar creator Ava DuVernay has announced that her OWN series will end after its next season. The finale of season six aired Tuesday night.
“Queen Sugar being my first series where I’ve had to consider when I’m done, I’ve had to push myself to say, ‘Do you have anything more to say that needs to be said with these characters?'” the two-time Emmy winner told Deadline. “I’m so proud of what we’ve done and I’m proud that I’m brave enough to walk away.”
In other news, Halle Berry revealed that she shot the fighting scenes in her new movie Bruised with broken ribs. In the film, which marks her directorial debut, the Oscar winner portrays MMA fighter Jackie Justice.
“I knew if I told [producers] this happened, they would shut down and I would probably lose my funding,” the 55-year-old actress told USA Today. “I took a bunch of Advil and I just acted as if it wasn’t happening.” When Halle broke her ribs while shooting John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum in 2019, production shut down for eight weeks. Bruised streams November 24 on Netflix.
Finally, former Basketball Wives star Tami Roman said Wednesday on The Real that she’s willing to allow her husband, Reggie Youngblood, to father a child with another woman.
“A baby for me right now would just not be the thing to do,” she said. “So what I offered him was an opportunity for us to take a break for a year or two and let him go find someone to have a child with. And then when he has his bab, we could get back together.”
Tami continued, “He’s an only child, and he does not have any children, so it’s really more for him than it is for me.”
Rich the Kid is returning to the New York City neighborhood where he grew up to feed the needy for Thanksgiving.
The “Plug Walk” rapper was born in the Queens section of The Big Apple, where LL Cool J, Run-DMC, Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, 50 Cent and other hip hop stars began their careers. He’s partnering with the #HashtagLunchbag nonprofit mobile food mission to distribute free dinners on Saturday, according to HipHopDX. #HashtagLunchbag is celebrating their one millionth meal milestone.
Rich, who dropped the Trust Fund Babies mixtape with Lil Wayne in October, also spread good will earlier this month in Atlanta. He gifted 104 families at the Nicholas House homeless shelter with food, new Nike sneakers, and school supplies.
“I set up this giveback for the homeless shelter because I felt in need to give back in any way,” the 29-year-old MC told The Shade Room. “God had been blessing me so I’d like to give back to others in any way. This is only the beginning of what I would like to be doing. I’m thankful for Indigo & everyone who came to support.”
Billie Eilish is taking over Saturday Night Live next month.
The singer announced that she’ll be hosting and performing on the December 11 episode of the show. It marks her first time hosting and her second time as the musical guest.
Billie took to social media to express her excitement, writing, “AHHHHHH!!! I’M HOSTING AND PERFORMING ON SNL!!! CRAAAAZY I COULD SCREAM! @nbcsnl on december 11th!! see you then!!”
SNL also announced that the December 18 show will be hosted by Paul Rudd, with musical guest Charli XCX.
What seemed apparent — albeit no less confusing — has “officially” come to be: Page Six says Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson are “officially dating.”
The publication had initially said a connection “sparked” between the pair when she hosted Saturday Night Live in October.
Since then, the 41-year-old entrepreneur reality star and the 28-year-old tattooed SNL funnyman had been spotted out together in New York City — and, yes, even on Staten Island, where Davidson lives.
Page Six reports that Davidson traveled to Los Angeles on Tuesday to celebrate his birthday with Kim, and he also hung out with Kim’s momager, Kris Jenner, and Flavor Flav, who posted pics of a get-together on his Instagram.
Oh, and Kim, Pete and Kris were wearing matching outfits in one of the photos — from Kim’s SKIMS leisure line, with Davidson rocking some of Flav’s trademark neckwear.
In an accompanying caption, the hip hop legend referred to Davidson as his “adopted son,” and wrote to the birthday boy, “I never took a clock off my neck to give to someone and you will be the last person I do this for.” Flav added, “it lookz real good on you.”
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation
DJ Cassidy is celebrating the first anniversary of Pass the Mic on BET with a star-studded show immediately following the Soul Train Awards on Sunday, November 28.
Charlie Wilson, Stephanie Mills, Kurtis Blow, Melle Mel, Jeffrey Osborne and Gloria Gaynor will be among the artists performing on his show.
“One year after partnering with BET to Pass the Mic in celebration of Soul, I remain more honored than ever to join forces with this iconic network to celebrate my musical heroes in honor of 50 years of Soul Train,” Cassidy said in a statement “This installment of DJ Cassidy’s Pass the Mic spotlights artists who shifted the culture and their prolific records that defined generations.”
Some 190 artists have appeared on Pass the Mic over the past eight years.
“I am so truly grateful for and honored by all the many legends that have taken part in the festivities and the millions of viewers around the globe who have sang along with us since July 2020,” the 40-year-old DJ adds in an Instagram post. “This time, I’ll be passing the mic to 15 icons in 30 minutes for a superstar celebration of a truly culturally defining, pivotal period in music. You have my word, this will be one for the history books.”
DJ Cassidy’s Pass the Mic: BET Soul Train Edition will premiere on Sunday, November 28 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT, immediately following the 2021 Soul Train Awards which airs Sunday, November 28 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET and BET Her.
As previously reported, Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold from Martin will host the Soul Train Awards for the fourth years in a row, this time from the iconic Apollo Theater in New York City.
(BRUNSWICK, Ga.) — Hundreds of pastors gathered and prayed Thursday outside the Georgia courthouse where the trial over Ahmaud Arbery’s killing is underway, a week after a defense attorney said there shouldn’t be “any more Black pastors” in the courtroom.
Rev. Al Sharpton, whose presence in the courtroom prompted the attorney’s denied request to prevent pastors from sitting with Arbery’s family during the trial, called on clergy “across ecumenical lines” to join him outside the Glynn County Courthouse for a “power of prayer vigil” in solidarity with the family.
“No lawyer can knock us out. Because wherever you are, God is always there,” Sharpton told the crowd. “I’m here this week. … And we’re going to keep coming until we get justice.”
Judge in trial over death of Ahmaud Arbery admonishes defense attorney over his comments about Rev. Al Sharpton’s presence in courtroom gallery, after the attorney said, “We don’t want any more black pastors coming in here.” https://t.co/XIbLQnBhwYpic.twitter.com/8NBnKzL3XP
Arbery’s parents thanked the pastors for their support.
“My heart is full of just joy in the midst of this broken heart,” his mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, told the crowd.
Sharpton said he was joined in Brunswick by hundreds of Black pastors from “all over the world,” shouting out Seattle, Philadelphia and New York City. Also in attendance were human rights advocate Martin Luther King III, the son of slain civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and the Arbery family’s attorneys.
Protesters also gathered alongside the clergy, holding signs that said “Black pastors matter” and “Justice for Ahmaud.”
The rally was announced last Friday, a day after defense attorney Kevin Gough told Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley that he took major offense over the fact that Sharpton had been in the courtroom with Arbery’s family that week. Gough called Sharpton’s presence “improper,” “intimidating to the jury” and “an attempt to influence.”
“We have all kinds of pastors in this town, over 100. And the idea that we’re going to be serially bringing these people in to sit with the victim’s family, one after another, obviously there’s only so many pastors they can have,” Gough said. “If their pastor’s Al Sharpton right now, that’s fine. But then that’s it. We don’t want any more Black pastors coming in here.”
Gough later apologized, saying in court that his statements had been “overly broad.”
“My apologies to anyone who might’ve been inadvertently offended,” he said.
In an interview with ABC News’ Linsey Davis this week, Sharpton said the comments were “one of the more outrageous things I’ve ever heard.”
“He didn’t just say, ‘We don’t want ministers,’ or, ‘We don’t want civil rights leaders’ — ‘We don’t want Black pastors,'” he said. “And I think that that is one of the most bigoted and biased things I’ve heard.”
Gough is representing William “Roddie” Bryan, who filmed Gregory McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael, chasing down Arbery while the 25-year-old Black man was out for a jog last year. Arbery was fatally shot during the confrontation.
The three defendants have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, aggravated assault and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.
The high-profile trial entered its 10th day Thursday, with Travis McMichael taking to the stand for the second time to testify as the defense’s first witness. The defense rested its case in the afternoon, and court is adjourned until Monday morning.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden will issue the first pardons of his presidency Friday to some lucky turkeys named Peanut Butter and Jelly.
In a ceremony at the White House, Biden will spare the poultry pair from becoming Thanksgiving dinner this year.
With the National Turkey Federation pledging that there are plenty of turkeys to gobble up during this year’s celebration — when more Americans will gather than in 2020 — Biden stuck to tradition, sparing two turkeys from the dinner table this year.
The White House selected the names Peanut Butter and Jelly from a list of options submitted by students in Indiana.
Peanut Butter, and his alternate, Jelly, traveled to the White House from Jasper, Indiana, early Wednesday, driven in a minivan outfitted as a “mini-barn” to the nation’s capital.
The responsibility of deciding which farm will supply the birds each year falls to the chairman of the National Turkey Federation — a process that Phil Seager, this year’s chair, began in July, when he asked turkey grower Andrea Welp if she would accept the challenge.
“That turkey needs to kind of learn to sit, stay, and in a perfect world, kind of strut a little bit and look good for the cameras,” Segar said.
Welp worked with a small flock to try to prep them for this process in the last six weeks, with Peanut Butter and Jelly last week being deemed the turkeys with the best temperament to handle the big moment, according to Segar.
Welp, a third-generation farmer from Indiana, said raising the presidential flock has been a lot of fun for her and her family and a highlight of her career.
“With another year of uncertainties with the pandemic, this project has really been something to look forward to, and has been a joy to be able to participate in. I know the kids have really had a lot of fun raising the birds, especially dancing to loud music to get them ready for all the media attention on the big day,” Welp said at a news conference Thursday, where the turkeys were first trotted out before the public.
After arriving in D.C., the two turkeys spent the day ahead of the pardoning having their feathers fluffed at the nearby five-star Willard Hotel.
“We do some extra prep to the room to make sure it’s comfortable for them, putting down shavings and making sure their food and water is accessible,” Beth Breeding, the spokesperson for the National Turkey Federation, told ABC News.
“We do our best to make sure that we leave the room cleaner than we even found it. We clean up afterwards and then we also work with the hotel to make sure the room is cleaned,” she added.
History of Poultry Pardons
The origin of the presidential turkey pardons is a bit fuzzy. Unofficially, reports point all the way back to President Abraham Lincoln, who spared a bird from its fowl demise at the urging of his son, Tad. However, White House Historical Association Historian Lina Mann warns the story may be more folklore than fact.
Following Lincoln’s time in office, the White House was often gifted a bird for the holidays from Horace Vose, the “turkey king” of Rhode Island, sending his top turkey to 11 presidents over four decades — though these turkeys were already slaughtered and dressed for the president’s table, Mann says.
The true start of what has evolved into the current tradition has its roots in politics and dates back to the Truman presidency in 1947.
“There had been this government-led initiative called “poultry-less Thursdays” to try and conserve various foods in the aftermath of World War II,” Mann said.
“But the poultry industry balked because Thursday was the day of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s and those were the big turkey holidays. So they were outraged,” she added.
After the White House was inundated with live birds sent as part of a “Hens for Harry” counterinitiative, the National Turkey Federation and the Poultry and Egg National Board presented Truman with a turkey to smooth the ruffled feathers and highlight the turkey industry — although the turkey was not saved from the holiday fest.
Instead, President John F. Kennedy began the trend of publicly sparing a turkey given to the White House in November 1963, just days before his assassination. In the years following, Mann says the event became a bit more sporadic, with even some first ladies like Pat Nixon and Rosalynn Carter stepping in to accept the guests of honor on their husband’s behalf.
The tradition of the public sparing returned in earnest under the Reagan administration, but the official tradition of the poultry pardoning at the White House started in 1989, when President George H.W. Bush offered the first official presidential pardon.
“Let me assure you and this fine Tom Turkey that he will not end up on anyone’s dinner table — not this guy,” Bush said on Nov. 17, 1989.
“He’s granted a presidential pardon as of right now and … allow him to live out his days on a children’s farm not far from here,” he added.
In the 32 years since, at least one lucky bird has gotten some extra gobbles each year.
After they receive the first pardons of Biden’s presidency, Peanut Butter and Jelly will head back to Indiana to live out the rest of their lives at the Animal Sciences Research and Education Farm at Purdue University.
“Those folks who are going to be the next generation of leaders in our industry, so we’re really excited to partner with Purdue on that and to make sure that the turkeys have a home where they’re going to receive the highest quality of care,” Breeding said.
The Simpsons is the longest-running scripted show on U.S. television, and while it’s been renewed for two more seasons, longtime showrunner and executive producer Al Jean has been thinking about the end.
Deep breath, Simpsons fans: “Nobody’s going, ‘Let’s wrap it up,” Jean tells Digital Spy. “No one.”
That said, Jean explained setting the final episode where the first one took place, at a school Christmas pageant, would be the “perfect” capper. “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire,” the series’ first full-length episode, aired December 17, 1989.
“I just thought that the beautiful thing about that would be that the whole show would never have an end. It would be a loop, and you’d never go,” said Jean, explaining, “In animation, you don’t want characters to age and grow. You want them to be the same, you know, Bugs Bunny that he always was. So, I thought that would be a perfect end to the show.”
Jean says, “Fortunately, we are not tasked with coming up with an ending any time soon.”
He also allows of his ideal closer, “[I]t might be like the ‘Heisenberg principle‘, in that now that I’ve stated it, it’s less likely to happen.”
