After being snubbed in the Academy Award race, Selma was the clear-cut winner in the film categories, snagging the award for Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture (David Oyelowo), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Common) and Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture (Carmen Ejogo).
“We did this movie because we wanted to tell their story—our story,” said Selma producer Oprah Winfrey in her acceptance speech.
Meanwhile, “Blackish” swept the television categories, taking home all the top honors for comedy series, beating out shows like “Orange is the New Black” and “House of Lies.” The show won Best Comedy Series as well as the awards for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series (Anthony Anderson), Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (Tracee Ellis Ross), Oustanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy (Laurence Fishburne) and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Yara Shahidi).
Shonda Rhimes‘ “How to Get Away with Murder” won for Outstanding Drama Series, and its star, Viola Davis, won for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series.
In the music categories, Pharrell Williams won for Outstanding Male Artist while Beyoncé won for Outstanding Female Artist. Taraji P. Henson took home the Image Award for Oustanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her role in No Good Deed, and Belle won for Outstanding Independent Motion Picture.
For a full list, visit www.naacpimageawards.net.
article by Taylor Lewis via essence.com
Posts tagged as “Beyoncé”
The company is called 22 Days Nutrition, after the belief that it takes 21 days to break a bad habit.
All meals will be 100% plant-based and delivered once a week. All ingredients will be non-GMO, gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free and organic. What’s more, compared to many other meal delivery services, prices will be affordable, ranging from $9.76 to $16.50 each.
“All you have to do is try. If I can do it, anyone can,” Bey, who went vegan with her husband Jay Z last year, said in a press release.
“We all know the importance and value of eating plant-based foods but often times find ourselves trapped in a series of bad habits that sabotage optimum wellness,” says co-founder Borges. “The Vegan Meal Delivery program makes it easier to reset your habits with healthy and delicious plant-based foods.”
22 Days Nutrition dishes include a sesame cabbage lentil bowl, ratatouille pasta with pesto, curried fried rice with vegetables and an almond blueberry breakfast loaf. Click here to get more information on the service (Beyoncé-like results not guaranteed).
article by Evelyn Diaz via bet.com
New York-based Sovereign Brands said Wednesday it sold its interest in — better known as Ace of Spades after the image on its bottle — to a new unnamed company led by Jay Z. “We are proud to announce that Sovereign Brands, a New York-based wine and spirits company owned by the Berish family, has sold its interest in the Armand de Brignac (‘Ace of Spades’) Champagne brand to a new company led by the globally renowned Shawn ‘Jay Z’ Carter,” the company said in a statement.
The bubby, which starts at $300 a bottle, is served in the luxury suites at the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets (Jay used to be a co-owner of the NBA team). The Roc Nation boss and his wife, Beyoncé, also had a custom-designed, 18-foot-tall tower of the champagne served at a 2012 fundraiser for President Obama that took place at Jay’s 40/40 Club.
Jay got behind Ace of Spades after he boycotted rival Cristal over its decision to distance itself from its hip hop clientele.
article by Evelyn Diaz via bet.com
Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas has launched the #MJWeAreOne campaign in conjunction with MichaelJackson.com.
Fans worldwide are urged to use Instagram by sharing videos — using the hashtag #MJWeAreOne — honoring MJ and sharing ideas of how to make the world a better place.
The MJ Global Party has fans celebrating Jackson’s birthday in live-time around the world using the hashtag #MJGBP2014. Check out the website here.
The fifth annual Michael Jackson Tribute Festival of the Arts is underway in Jackson’s birth home of Gary, Indiana. The three-day festival celebrates Jackson’s life and career while helping revitalize part of Gary.
So on this day, remember the King of Pop in your own way. Listen to your favorite MJ song. Watch your favorite Michael video for the thousandth time.
Below I’m posting one of my all-time favorite Jackson songs and videos, the John Singleton-directed “Remember The Time” and I know I’m going to shake my head (for the thousandth time) when Magic Johnson says “Behold, great Pharoah Ramses!”, laugh (for the thousandth time) when Eddie Murphy’s eyes bug out at Iman crushing on Michael, stare in awe (for the thousandth time) at the dance moves, and lose it (for the thousandth time) when Michael sings the “Rah dah /dah dah dah / What about us, girl?!” part because it is just so uniquely Michael, uniquely musical and uniquely inspiring.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)
NEW YORK (AP) – A fashion exhibit centered on Beyoncé will debut at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in a section previously featuring only Hall of Famers. The Rock Hall announced today that outfits from Beyoncé’s Super Bowl performance and music videos will debut Tuesday in the Ahmet Ertegun Main Exhibit Hall in its Legends of Rock section, next to iconic pieces from Michael Jackson, David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen.
The 32-year-old Beyoncé would be eligible for induction into the Rock Hall as a member of Destiny’s Child in 2022 and as a solo artist in 2027. The exhibit in Cleveland, Ohio, will feature Beyonce’s ubiquitous black leotard from her “Single Ladies” music video, as well as her body suit, skirt and jacket from her Super Bowl performance last year in New Orleans.
Rock Hall curator Meredith Rutledge-Borger said they have been trying to court Beyonce “for a really long time.” “When we looked at the depth of the amount of stuff that she was willing to send, we just thought, ‘The only way we can really showcase these items is to put them in the Legends of Rock area in the museum,’ which really is the spot that we have to pay tribute to legends of rock, which Beyonce has proven herself to be,” she said in an interview.
Lee Anne Callahan-Longo, the general manager of Beyonce’s production house, Parkwood Entertainment, said the singer was honored and humbled by the opportunity to have her personal items in the museum.
Missed Bey and Jay in concert? Not to worry, you can watch them on HBO. Beyoncé and Jay Z will perform over 40 songs for their first HBO concert event, the premium cable network announced Thursday. HBO will tape the pair’s September 12 and 13 performances in Paris, the only international stop on their “On the Run” Tour.
The event builds on the power couple’s extensive partnership with HBO. The 17-time Grammy winner is currently appearing on HBO in Beyoncé: X10, a ten-episode miniseries featuring 2-minute clips from concert performances every sunday night. In February 2013, HBO aired the Beyoncé documentary, Life Is But a Dream. Jay Z’s Picasso Baby: A Performance Art Film also premiered on the cable network in August 2013.
As a proud native of Houston, Texas, Beyoncé is leaving her mark on the city that groomed her to become an international star. The singer’s hometown pastor says the star has donated millions to his church to help the homeless and feed the poor.
In a recent interview with KHOU 11, Rev. Rudy Rasmus said St. Johns Downtown has benefited from Beyoncé’s $7 million gift to the establishment. Despite her superstar status, the pastor explained the Grammy award-winning artist still has a heart of gold.
“She has a global platform and is doing some amazing work and I’m glad she’s a friend of mine,” Rasmus said. “[…] She’s an incredible human being. Has an incredible heart and has been extremely helpful in our mission and our ministry here.”
Rasmus said Beyoncé has kept the ministry near and dear to her heart because she grew up at that very church and entertained the congregation with her musical talents.
“She used to sing right here,” he pointed out. “I don’t remember the song but I do remember she had long braids, tennis shoes and jeans on. A far cry from what she is today.”
article by Camille Travis via uptownmagazine.com
According to MTV Act, Beyoncé is donating $125,000 to Embrace Innovations, an organization that gives out little “sleeping bags” to keep alive underweight infants whose parents can’t afford (or don’t have access to) an incubator.
They aren’t actually sleeping bags, but they look like them, and they are lifesaving and easy to use. Thanks to Beyoncé, there will be pilot testing with these inventions in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda, and Beyoncé could be saving at least two thousand infants via her contribution. The baby warmers have already been used in some areas of the world, but this will ensure more parents are able to get them.
Beyoncé announced her donation while at Gucci’s Chime for Change anniversary party. Since Chime for Change is dedicated to helping women, it was great timing. Jane Chen, the TED Fellow and TED speaker behind the baby warmers, was thrilled by the support.
“She [Beyoncé] told me how incredible she thought the innovation was,” Jane said. “I think what struck me was how sweet and genuine she was—and just so excited about our work. One of my most memorable moments was getting to dance with her after we spoke.” Beyoncé’s publicist, who had given birth to a premature baby, also fully understood the importance of this invention.
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson)
She may not carry the hard power of her husband but there’s arguably no one who makes better use of the world stage. The Harvard grad and former corporate attorney (she was Barack Obama’s boss) actively uses her platform as first lady to fight childhood obesity and promote healthier eating and lifestyles. With approval ratings at 66%, she’s more popular than her husband by far (44%) — likely because she spends more time laughing on TV than running the country. In 2013, Obama announced the Academy Award for Best Picture, mock “mom dancing” with Jimmy Fallon (18 million views on YouTube) and launched an initiative aimed at increasing the number of low-income students who go to college. This year she’s been extremely visible globally, taking a trip to China in March, where she met with her Chinese counterpart and fellow Power Woman Peng Liyuan.#14 Oprah Winfrey
Though she turned 60 in January, Winfrey is still going at a furious pace. She’s been a red carpet staple this past year thanks to a host of nominations for her role in acclaimed historical drama “Lee Daniels’ The Butler.” She also appears to have reversed the fortunes of her once-struggling network OWN, which finally became cash-flow positive in 2013. The first quarter of 2014 was the networks most-watched to date, with double-digit growth across all demographics and bragging rights as the fastest growing cable network among women between the ages of 25 and 54. OWN’s success looks set to continue this year, with a much-anticipated reality show about troubled starlet Lindsay Lohan making headlines and producer Tyler Perry set to helm a talk show on the channel. Winfrey was FORBES’ highest-earning celebrity of 2013 (her haul: $77 million); the majority of her net worth still stems from 25 years of her profitable daytime TV show, plus earnings from her Harpo production company, which has a hand in the Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray and Dr. Oz shows. She continues to support educational causes and has spent more than $100 million on the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa.
Beyonce is a woman who’s had no shortage of big years, but 2013 was one for the record books. The 32-year-old superstar capped off a banner year that included singing for the president, performing at the Super Bowl, and headlining the most profitable tour of the year by shocking the world with a surprise “visual album” in December. The album is iTunes’ fastest-selling album ever, moving 828,773 units in the first three days. She wrapped up the “Mrs. Carter” world tour in the spring, and will hit the road again this summer — this time joined by Mr. Carter, husband Jay Z. The duo topped Forbes list of the highest-earning celebrity couples last year, with Beyonce out-earning the hip-hop mogul by $11 million. The singer is also embracing her role as an icon of women’s empowerment, declaring that “gender equality is a myth” in an essay for The Shriver Report, throwing her weight behind Sheryl Sandberg’s campaign to “Ban Bossy,” and sampling author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED talk, “We should all be feminists,” on her new album.#22 Ursula Burns Chair-CEO, Xerox
The world is headed into a paperless future. And yet in her five years as CEO, Ursula Burns has managed to make Xerox–once only known for its carbon copies–a viable and profitable company. This past year, Burns helped Xerox generate adjusted earnings per share of $1.09, up from $1.02 in 2012, and post $21.4 billion in full-year revenue. She recently told shareholders that she would continue to sharpen the company’s technology-driven, services-led portfolio. Services represents 57% of the company’s total revenue and is expected to grow to two-thirds by 2017. Burns is a Xerox lifer, beginning her career in 1980 as a summer intern.#40 Joyce Banda President, Malawi
Malawi’s first female president (and second on the African continent) narrowly won a second term this May after originally assuming office in 2012. However, she ordered that the results of the May elections be nullified and the elections be held in 90 days due to electoral irregularities; spectators say it is a desperate attempt to stay in power. Her time so far has been marred by financial scandals, arrests and prosecutions in her own government. But Banda’s most brazen decisions have been for austerity’s sake. She sold off a $15 million presidential jet, cut her own salary by 30 percent and dismissed her cabinet in the midst of corruption allegations. Her bookkeeping measures have helped lift monetary suspensions from Western donors to Malawi and restore cash injections from the IMF.
#44 Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Minister of Finance, Nigeria
Nigerian economist Okonjo-Iweala didn’t let her failed 2012 bid to become president of the World Bank slow her down. In 2011, she received her second appointment as finance minister of Nigeria. Since then, the country’s GDP has displayed robust growth — 6.87% growth between 2012 and 2013 — especially given the relatively sluggish global recovery. Okonjo-Iweala was key to developing the reform programs that helped stabilize Nigeria’s economy and improve governmental transparency. She has now turned her attention to Nigeria’s 14% unemployment rate. The Harvard- and M.I.T.-trained Okonjo-Iweala spent 21 years as a development economist at the World Bank.
#45 Ertharin Cousin Executive Director, World Food Programme, United Nations
Cousin has fed 177 million people since taking the helm of world’s largest hunger-fighting organization two years ago. Under Cousin’s leadership WFP increased donations from individuals by 17% last year bringing in $4.3 billion in contributions from 30,000 donors. The funding growth will allow Cousins’ 13,500 strong staff to work in 83 countries this year while focusing on fighting hunger brought on by drought and civil war is Syria, as well as by violent conflicts in South Sudan and the Central African Republic. WFP has airdropped food to support 335,000 people in South Sudan who would otherwise be unreachable because of flooding and security concerns. In 2014 she will launch FoodSECuRE, a program to tackle climate-change-related food insecurity. Looking ahead, Cousin is also focused on transitioning parts of the organization from food aid to food assistance in an attempt to shift from handouts to self-sustenance.
#70 Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf President, Liberia
Liberia recently marked ten years of peace and eight years of leadership by Africa’s first female head of state. Johnson-Sirleaf, a Nobel laureate and former World Bank officer, has become an icon since her days fighting against dictators and corruption in Liberia. Today she is ramping up efforts to bring foreign investment to her impoverished nation ($700 GDP per capita and an estimated 64% of its population live below poverty line). The president says her No. 1 priority is infrastructure but is dogged by accusations of corruption, nepotism and failing the nation’s poor.
#78 Helene Gayle President-CEO, CARE
When Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines in November 2013 CARE was on the ground within days providing food, shelter and supplies. Within three months the anti-poverty organization had raised $20 million toward assisting the storm ravaged nation and within six months had helped 300,000 people. Under Gayle’s leadership CARE total program activities budget is $529 million (from 2012) and will complete over 900 projects in 87 countries this year.
#96 Folorunsho Alakija
Folorunsho Alakija’s winding path to becoming one of the richest woman in Africa began in London, where she pursued secretarial studies and fashion design as a young woman. After returning to Nigeria to work as an executive secretary, she founded her own tailoring company, Supreme Stitches. With clients such as former first lady Maryam Babandiga, her company quickly rose to prominence among Nigeria’s high society. Her closeness with Babandiga proved even more valuable when the Ministry of Energy approved her oil prospecting license in 1993, granting her a lucrative block in Nigeria’s coastal waters. Famfa Oil, which she controls, now holds a 60% stake in the oil field. It pumps about 200,000 barrels a day. In 2008, she founded The Rose of Sharon Foundation, which works to help widows and orphans. And in 2013, she was appointed the vice chair of Nigeria’s National Heritage Council and Endowment for the Arts.