Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s divorce still isn’t over. She filed for divorce in September 2016, immediately following some kind of incident on a private plane. There was a federal investigation, but no charges were filed. Angelina has never detailed exactly what happened on the plane and neither has Brad. What we know of it mostly comes from the aftermath – a year of Brad working his way through treatment, Angelina seemingly having primary custody of the kids, the kids not wanting to see much of their father and the two oldest boys (Maddox and Pax) completely refusing to see Brad. We also know that Angelina was extremely pissed at Brad for what went down and we know Brad has been eager to smear her at every opportunity. Everything has had a really weird, hostile energy. Well, now their divorce trial is coming up and Angelina is prepared to provide proof of Brad’s domestic violence.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are approaching a long-awaited trial in their divorce that could include testimony from their three minor children as well as testimony regarding allegations of domestic violence.

According to court records, obtained by The Blast, Angelina Jolie has filed several documents making it clear that she is ready and willing to offer “proof and authority in support” of alleged domestic violence during her divorce trial against Brad Pitt. Along with Angelina’s testimony, there is a separate document filing concerning the testimony from the former couple’s minor children. Both Brad and Angelina must grant permission from the court to involve, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne, in their divorce proceedings.

Maddox, Zahara, and Pax, could also potentially testify in the trial, however, they are all adults and would not need parental consent.

A formal custody agreement and a final judgment in their divorce have yet to be determined, and the ex-power couple is soon set to face off in court.

Soon after Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from Brad Pitt, it was widely reported that Brad was under investigation for alleged child abuse after an incident involving Brad and their son Maddox while aboard a private jet. The LAPD and Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services were notified and a formal investigation was launched, that eventually ended with Pitt being cleared of any criminal wrongdoing. Although there was never any official action taken against Pitt over the allegations, they could still be rehashed in court as Angelina Jolie continues to negotiate the terms of their divorce.

[From The Blast]

I guess I’ll note the fact that domestic violence can also describe a parent abusing children. It’s not clear if Angelina has documentation about Brad being violent towards her or towards the kids. Or both. Since it was never clear what exactly happened on the plane, we gathered from TMZ and People’s reporting that something went down between Brad and Maddox. Did Brad strike Maddox? Or did Brad strike Angelina and Maddox got in between them? This makes me sick to my stomach, especially considering the gleeful way Brad and his team were trying to slime Angie for YEARS.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

One of the absolutely strangest moments of 2021 so far was the entirely inappropriate Death Watch around the Duke of Edinburgh during his four-week hospitalization. Every single part of it was inappropriate, including the widespread reports that Philip had “already died” and the family was “waiting to announce it.” Also inappropriate: Philip’s very sudden hospitalization within hours of the family finding out that Harry and Meghan would sit down for an interview, almost as if Buckingham Palace had that contingency plan in place to lay down a huge guilt-trip on H&M. And let’s not forget how deeply weird it was that Poor Hospitalized Philip was then utterly forgotten as three royal courts behaved like utter clownshows in the wake of the interview. In any case, Philip left the hospital on Monday and all is (relatively) well now. As it turns out, Meghan and Harry did have their own contingency plan: they would ask to have the Oprah interview delayed if Philip kicked the royal bucket.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry reportedly had plans in place to postpone the broadcast of their interview with Oprah Winfrey if Harry’s grandfather, Prince Philip, had died. Gayle King, who is friends with Oprah and the Duchess of Sussex, revealed on her SiriusXM radio show, Gayle King in the House, on Wednesday that the couple, who filmed the interview before Philip was admitted into the hospital on Feb. 16, never intended to have their sit-down air if the Duke of Edinburgh passed away.

“Well, just so you know, they had done that interview before Prince Phillip went into the hospital,” King said. “If something, God forbid, had happened to him, the interview would not have run at this particular time. But the interview was done and was scheduled before he went into the hospital. But a lot of people have raised that point.”

Philip returned home to Windsor Castle on Tuesday after spending four weeks in the hospital following treatment for an infection and a successful procedure for a pre-existing condition.

On the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s decision to speak out publicly about their experiences as senior working royals and why they decided to step back from their royal roles, King added, “I think that Harry and Meghan both have been through so much for the past three years and they really have tried to work it out privately. They really have tried to get help, and nothing was working. So I think they wanted people to have some understanding about why they made the decision that they made and what they’ve been going through, and I do think that they accomplished that. I do. I think it was very brave of her and Harry to reveal what they did. It’s unheard of, and it certainly has been a ‘bombshell’, is the word.”

“‘There were six or seven that night,” she added. “I stopped counting at six. It was bombshell after bombshell after bombshell, but I do believe it was an honest conversation. I’m hoping it will lead to change.”

[From People]

For whatever record, Philip went into the hospital hours AFTER the Sussexes confirmed their plans to sit down with Oprah. They actually recorded the interview a few days after Philip entered the hospital. And for whatever record, I doubt CBS would have pulled the interview even if Philip died, even at Harry and Meghan’s request.

As for the other stuff Tea-Spiller Gayle King says… “Harry and Meghan both have been through so much for the past three years and they really have tried to work it out privately. They really have tried to get help, and nothing was working.” I do think that they tried to deal with a lot of stuff privately, a lot of stuff internally in the Firm. And clearly, Meghan has the paper trail to prove as much. Which is why the royal jesters – aka the communications offices – are running around like their hair is on fire.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red, CBS.

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Sharon Osbourne is still on her “I’m the real victim here” tour and it is going over like a lead balloon. It would seem that Sharon is incapable of self reflection. Now that The Talk is on hiatus pending an investigation, Sharon has decided to take this time to continue to gaslight Black women by saying she was set up. Of course the resident Black person is key in making every racist or racist adjacent sympathetic. In walks Kevin Frazier of Entertainment Tonight. Kevin interviewed Sharon, during which she predictably blamed CBS, cited “cancel culture” and claimed she was thrown under the bus. Sharon claimed that CBS is using Sheryl to get rid of her. She said she wants to have a summit around racism with her co-hosts Sheryl and Elaine Welteroth. Sharon also claimed to have apologized to Sheryl privately, and said Sheryl hasn’t responded to her alleged apology. I’ll save my ire for later. In the meantime here are a few excerpts from the interview:

After the show started, Osbourne recalls, “Sheryl turns around and asks me this question and….she was reading it off a card. It wasn’t on my cards. And then Elaine [Welteroth]‘s reading her questions and I’m like, ‘I’ve been set up.’ They’re setting me up. My anger was like, I cannot believe this, I’m your sacrificial lamb.”

The Talk has been on hiatus this week and will continue to be until next Tuesday. Osbourne tells ET she’s unsure what will happen to the show and whether or not she’ll return.

“I wish we could go on and have a adult conversation calmly and work it out but I don’t know whether we can,” she says. “I don’t know whether it’s gone past that. I would love to but I don’t know whether I even want to go back. … I don’t know whether I’m wanted there.”

Osbourne shared that she is willing to have an on-air conversation to further the conversation about race and make the whole controversy a teachable moment. She said that one of her newest co-hosts, 34-year-old Welteroth, especially wants to make this happen.

“I very much want to listen to the youth,” Osbourne notes. “Do I have my finger on the pulse of what’s going on, with the Black situation in this country? No…. The ins and the outs of the way the younger generation feel right now, I don’t have my finger on the pulse. Elaine does and Elaine very much wants to make this better and to have a conversation come out of this that will help other people and probably people of my age too that would help them.”

“I own up to what I did,” she adds. “I can’t not own up. I said what I said. I got too personal with Sheryl. I should’ve never said stop her tears. She was hurting as I was hurting.”

Osbourne acknowledged that when it comes to her tense exchange with Underwood, she handled the situation badly. “I love Sheryl, I’ve apologized to Sheryl, she’s not gotten back and I can understand. Sheryl needs her time.”

“I am not a racist and if you can’t have a go at your friend who happens to be Black, does that make me racist because I said certain things to my friend, but I said them on camera?” she asks. “I will keep on apologizing to Sheryl, even if I decide not to go back, I will still keep apologizing to Sheryl. I have nothing but respect and so much affection for Sheryl. I don’t want to hurt her.”

On the goal of allegedly blindsiding her with questions
“I think that CBS was so horrified with Piers. Remember that Harry and Meghan [it’s] a CBS interview. I had sided with Piers. It’s the cancel culture isn’t it. Throw her under the bus. Our two showrunners were crying. They said we were told to ask these questions from the executives. They wouldn’t give me names.”

[From ET Online, additional quotes added]

First of all, I am tired of white people expecting BIPOC to do the free labor to educate them about a system that was created by their ancestors in which they continue to benefit from. I don’t mind having a conversation about racism, however it is not my job to educate you when Google is free. Secondly, I am also tired of people like Sharon who have been caught out doing or saying racist sh*t using Black people as props or shields in their image rehabilitation campaigns (we see you Windsors and Chris Harrison). The most infuriating thing about this entire situation is how CBS would rather get rid of an entire show than cancel Sharon. Again this is racism on full display. Sharon was not set-up, she is not a victim. Being blindsided or caught off guard only emphasizes Sharon’s internal thoughts. Sharon is mad that she was unable to use carefully constructed responses to hide how she really felt. In fact, being supposedly caught off guard, Sharon’s racism was exposed for the world to see. Not only in her words or deeds but in her actions towards Sheryl. Telling a Black woman not to cry was not it. Talking disrespectfully to your Black colleague while deploying white tears and playing the victim is indeed racist. Calling your ex co-hosts racially insensitive and homophobic names is indeed racist. Getting your ex cohosts fired because they were, insert racially charged word, is indeed racist. Not being willing to acknowledge how racist and violent your behavior has been and being unwilling to apologize without excuses to your Black coworkers is racist.

I hope CBS fires Sharon and gets a new host that is less problematic, more respectful, and more aware of social issues. Only then can they have authentic conversations. But I have the feeling that is not what these networks want. They want the controversy until it is no longer lucrative for them. In this case, I feel that it is the audience’s responsibility to boycott these networks and shows until there is real change in all levels of society, specifically media. Sharon may be right, she is a sacrificial lamb in this new movement of societal equity. However, by refusing to evolve and grow, Sharon was the one to put her head on the chopping block.

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Donald Trump really exposed the asinine stupidity of racism. Trump never met a racist stereotype that he didn’t gleefully embrace, and he was always happy to go down every racist path he could find. When the pandemic hit, Trump made it clear that Covid-19 was “China’s fault,” and throughout 2020, his anti-Asian racism was omnipresent in speeches and tweets. This hate speech was mirrored in society, as hate crimes against the Asian-American community spiked. While Trump wasn’t the start of racism against Asian-American people, he took it to bold new social acceptance.

Obviously, we’ve been thinking about all of that and even more in the wake of the terrorist hate crime in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday. Robert Aaron Long, a 21-year-old mass shooter, murdered eight people (and wounded others) in three massage parlors in Atlanta. Four of eight murder victims are Asian women. Long has been arrested and he apparently admitted to the murders as soon as he was detained. He also claimed to have some kind of sexual addiction. There are those who seem to think that if this was about misogyny and sexual dysfunction, it can’t also be about racism against Asian women. It can be about both. Pathology can be intersectional too.

After the Atlanta police arrested Long, a Georgia sheriff’s official did part of the big press conference on Wednesday to talk about the mass shooting and the arrest. The guy is Cherokee County Sheriff’s Capt. Jay Baker (seen in the photos in this post) and during the press conference, he said: “He was pretty much fed up and kind of at the end of his rope. Yesterday was a really bad day for him and this is what he did.” It was a bad day… for the mass shooter. The mass shooter who targeted Asian women in a psychosexual racist hate crime. That guy had a “bad day.” As you can imagine, everyone was absolutely disgusted. Internet sleuths did some digging on Baker’s social media and would you know, Baker had proudly shown off his racist t-shirts which (as you can see below) read “Covid 19 IMPORTED VIRUS FROM CHY-NA.” Baker wrote on the Facebook post: “Love my shirt. Get yours while they last.” That’s the guy leading the investigation into one of the worst hate crimes targeting the Asian-American community in the history of this country.

Hey Captain Jay Baker with Cherokee Country Sheriff’s Office… this you? pic.twitter.com/1pTlwSlYZQ

— Rich Phelps (@RichPhelps) March 17, 2021

The delicate way white cishet male murderers are handled, as though they are precious children who simply made an oopsie, is among the most egregious acts of white supremacy at work.

— Courtney Enlow (@courtenlow) March 17, 2021

My wish is for everyone to see and humanize these women. They were working so hard to survive and provide for their families and loved ones. They were someone’s mother or aunt or daughter or niece….and loved.

It breaks me that we have to ask for others to see us as human.

— Yuh-Line Niou (@yuhline) March 17, 2021

Sympathetic Police Know What It’s Like To Have A Bad Day And Kill 8 People https://t.co/O6MCzgA4Ii pic.twitter.com/agbbcv3S1h

— The Onion (@TheOnion) March 17, 2021

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Photos courtesy of Getty.

We often joke about Prince William being “incandescent with rage,” but that whole thing started in the fall of 2019, when there were genuine, concrete, not-tabloid reports that William was incandescent with rage at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s ITV documentary about their tour in Africa. Meghan teared up on-camera about the ordeal they had survived over the course of the year, and Harry was quite raw and emotional about the media and seeing history repeat itself with his wife. And William’s response was: rage. Abject, unconscionable, vehement rage. Ever since then, it’s been something of a code within a lot of royal reporting. Some reporters pass it off as “oh, William has a terrible temper, it is widely known.” But what’s bizarre is how often rage, anger and contempt are his default emotions. He was “full of rage” about his nephew’s christening, for God’s sake. Every story about William’s reaction to *anything* about the Sussexes for two years includes something about how angry he was and is. So, um… yeah, even People Mag is talking about it.

Prince William is supporting wife Kate Middleton in the wake of brother Prince Harry and sister-in-law Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah Winfrey. During the couple’s sit-down, Meghan addressed reports that she made Kate cry over a disagreement regarding bridesmaid dresses for Meghan and Harry’s wedding.

“The reverse happened,” Meghan told Oprah, revealing that Meghan was the one who cried. (A source told PEOPLE that both women were in tears over the incident.)

“William is very protective of Kate and can get very angry,” says Penny Junor, a respected biographer of both Prince William and Prince Harry, tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. “For Meghan to name Kate in a negative light is worse than being attacked himself.”

In the interview, Meghan, 39, clarified that Kate, 39, later apologized.

“And I don’t say that to be disparaging to anyone, because it was a really hard week of the wedding, and she was upset about something,” Meghan said. “But she owned it, and she apologized and she brought me flowers and a note apologizing.”

[From People]

I simply don’t get it. Why u mad bro? Is he big mad that his insipid wife was outed as a Mean Girl? Is he engorged with rage that his 28-month campaign to smear his sister-in-law blew up in his face? And why is it necessary for royal reporters – many of whom are being briefed by Mr. Incandescent himself – to lead every story with his anger? Are those reporters purposefully taking a swipe at him? Or are we, the peasants, supposed to be frightened of Workshy Willy’s wrath? What is the actual subtext of all of this? Incidentally, somebody briefed Entertainment Tonight as well, only they didn’t use the words “angry” or “rage.”

Now a source tells ET that Prince William is “deeply distressed with Harry and Meghan’s decision to share private family conversations” with King. ET has also learned that Harry and Meghan had hoped that discussions with the royal family would lead to the beginning of a process of healing.

The source also adds that in the wake of the Winfrey interview William is “fiercely protective” of Kate and was “unhappy” with Meghan’s decisions to draw Kate into the interview.

[From ET]

He “was ‘unhappy’ with Meghan’s decisions to draw Kate into the interview.” Unlike the absolute mountain of press clippings where the Keenbridges gleefully dragged Meghan into every conversation. Remember that, Will? Remember when you were caught with your pants around your ankles in the middle of some rose bushes? You were happy to draw Meghan into your obvious little scheme to distract from Rose Hanbury. William’s wife is always happy to drag Meghan into all of her preening keenness too. But when Meghan corrects one stupid story about Kate being a Karen, suddenly all hell breaks loose and William is punching walls.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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For as long as Billie Eilish has been super-famous, she’s dyed her hair various ombre shades of green and black. I remember seeing photos of her when she was a young teenager where she had kind of washed-out strawberry-blonde hair. Still, Billie exists in the cultural zeitgeist as a somewhat surly teenager with green and black hair. NO MORE! Billie debuted her new blonde hair on Wednesday and this was one of the reasons why “Scarlett Johansson” was trending on social media. Because Blondie Eilish = Young ScarJo. It’s uncanny!!

It’s the end of an era. Billie Eilish may have broken an Instagram record debuting a completely different look on Wednesday — showcasing a blonde bombshell hairstyle that instantly won over social media. The look, complete with a tight-fitting sweater, appears to be part of a new project. A video posted to the “bad guy” singer’s Instagram shows film equipment in the background with the caption “did you guess correctly?”

Fans speculated that she may have been referring to her new hair color, which she previously teased following the release of her documentary “Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry.” Early pictures from her youth show that the 19-year-old’s natural hair color is actually blonde. Back in December, the Grammy-winner said she was planning on changing her signature green and black hairstyle to signal the “end of era.”

“I’m gonna give you a new era,” she continued. “I have announcements to make, I’ve got some s – – t to put out.”

[From The NY Post]

Billie has already released one single (“Therefore I Am”) from her forthcoming sophomore studio album, but that’s about all anyone knows. We don’t even have the name of the album, or a release date. Allegedly, she’s giving her fans 16 new songs and she recorded the whole album during lockdown, in her childhood room in her childhood home (which is where she recorded the first album). So, judging solely from the change in hair, I would say the album is probably coming out sooner rather than later. Unless she wanted to change her hair for all of the publicity and promotional photos, in which case it could be a lot longer. Anyway, I love this for her. What a bombshell!

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Photos courtesy of Billie’s IG.

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Danielle Bradbery won season four of The Voice when she was only 16 years old. Since then, she has become a successful country music recording artist. Unfortunately, fame isn’t the only thing that found Danielle in her young adult life. Danielle’s recently joined the ranked of the 35 million Americans who experience migraines. It was just in the last year that she suffered her first debilitating headache and since, she’s progressed to migraines that can last up to two or three days. Desperate for relief, Danielle reached out to fans on social media for homeopathic remedies for her pain and symptoms. Thankfully, her fans responded. But Danielle’s always looking for new and more effective answers she can pass on to others.

About a year ago, Danielle Bradbery woke up feeling like she had the worst hangover of her life.

But the country singer hadn’t had anything to drink the night before.

“It’s the worst, confusing feeling,” the 24-year-old star tells PEOPLE. “I remember sitting up and just my eyes and my head, my ears were throbbing and I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m going to lay back down. And have it really dark in here.’ That was the beginning.”

She knew right away that wasn’t a normal headache — but the first of her now frequent migraines. In the last year, Bradbery says she’s suffered from more than 20 migraines — each lasting two or three days. She usually gets them twice a month.

Looking to find all-natural, home remedies, Bradbery turned to her fans on social media — twice she’s posted a question on her Instagram Story asking for migraine recommendations.

“I used my platform to reach out to my fans and be like, ‘Hey, you might need me sometimes with my music — but right now, I need you,’” she says. “It’s super awesome and helpful.”

To stave off migraines she drinks a lot of water, uses peppermint essential oils, alternates hot and cold compresses, drinks ginger shots and takes Vitamin C and Zinc. She’s also started yoga and massage therapy.

“It seems like the remedies and recommendations are endless,” she says.

[From People]

Danielle said she is committed to natural remedies and wants to avoid medication. The article also said she has a 3-year-old registered support dog named Kaya who can tell when Danielle is in pain and lays on top of her, acting as a weight. I’ve never heard of a support animal for migraines. The article doesn’t state that is Kaya’s function, but I’m glad she helps Danielle in that capacity.

My migraine journey began similar to Danielle’s, from thinking it was a hangover to reaching out to others to learn how to manage them. Mine began a few decades ago but we’ve discussed how people are suffering much more during the pandemic. People are either having them for the first time or their regular treatments are failing them. It’s hell, I don’t know how else to say it. I’ve never been so much at the mercy of my body. I mentioned that I was hospitalized in October. I’d had a persistent migraine and I simply couldn’t take it anymore. They gave me a “migraine cocktail” via IV but the first didn’t take and that night, I was back in the ER. The second finally gave me full relief once I’d returned home, at 11:30 that night. It had been nine days since the migraine began.

All the remedies Danielle mentioned are great. Hydration is essential. The peppermint essential oil works wonders, I highly recommend the Migraine Stick that CB suggested. I am never without one. Zinc is very good for daily maintenance. I am not familiar with ginger shots or Vitamin C as remedies but will try them now that I am. While having a migraine, cold compresses do work. I suggest frozen corn or peas on the back of your neck. Yoga, massage and acupressure are all wonderful, especially for your neck and shoulders but also your lower back, if that’s where you keep your stress.

Know your migraine trigger spot. Mine used to be my left temple but now it’s my left ear. When that spot pricks, respond immediately. I’m not able to manage on natural remedies alone. I have a neurologist and when the pandemic is over, we will probably begin Botox injections. I take a beta blocker and the birth control pill, skipping the sugar pill week. I also have Excedrin migraine and Ibuprofen on hand at all times. If those fail me, I have Imitrex. Danielle spoke to People Health because she didn’t want people to feel alone, and she wanted to share what worked for her. I do too. If any of this helps, fantastic. If you have any questions, let me know.

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Photo credit: People and Instagram

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In the lead up to the mediocre Golden Globes we learned that not one of their 87 member voting block of journalists, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, was Black. In fact they haven’t had a Black member in about 20 years. That goes a long way toward explaining why Black artists, like Michaela Coel and Spike Lee, were all but shut out of the nominations this year. Several Black creators have since spoken out about their experiences with the HFPA. Shonda Rhimes tweeted that the HFPA rejected her press conferences with all of her shows (Grey’s, Scandal, even Bridgerton) until they were hits. Ava Duvernay also called out the HFPA, stating that only 20 of the 87 members came to the HFPA press conference for When They See Us, but none of them watched it. Ava added that the members were more excited about pushing their own scripts and taking pics for photo ops. Publicists are threatening to boycott the Globes by not sending their clients if the HFPA doesn’t make some changes. In response, the HFPA has promised to make 13% of its members Black by the next ceremony. I think they are wholly missing the point, which I will get to in a moment. Below are a few details on this story, from Yahoo!:

Rhimes, DuVernay and others like the Black List founder Franklin Leonard responded to a Tuesday report from TheWrap about how the organization rejected studio and network requests for press conferences on multiple Black-led projects, including “Girls Trip,” “Queen & Slim” and Rhimes’ hit Netflix series “Bridgerton” — all of which were later overlooked for Globes nominations.

“HFPA rejected our press conference,” Rhimes tweeted to her 1.9 million followers on Tuesday. “Until it was a ‘surprise hit’ (Grey’s, Scandal, Murder -SURPRISE!) And yet they STILL asked me to show up in person to present at the Globes. We’re not the only ones. This is why HFPA’s house is on fire.They lit the flame w/their own ignorance.”

DuVernay recalled her own experience promoting her acclaimed 2019 Netflix limited series “When They See Us” — which earned 16 Emmy nominations (and won two) but was completely snubbed by the Globes. “For the WHEN THEY SEE US/ HFPA press conference, less than 20 of them showed up,” DuVernay recalled in a tweet to her 2.7 million followers. “Based on the quality of their questions, I jokingly asked ‘Have any of you seen the series?’ Crickets.”

She also called out the 87 members of the group for being more interested in snapping selfies with stars and promoting their own careers. “More came in the room when the pix were to be taken, at which time two peddled their scripts,” she wrote.

As TheWrap reported earlier on Tuesday, an individual close to “Bridgerton” said the HFPA initially declined Netflix’s request for a press conference last December and suddenly asked for one a few weeks later — just days before the deadline for Golden Globes ballots. An HFPA insider said the group held a press conference with stars Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor on Jan. 8, just before nomination ballots were due.

In the end, “Bridgerton” was completely snubbed for Globes nominations. The show received two nominations for next month’s Screen Actors Guild Awards, for best ensemble in a drama series and Regé-Jean Page as lead actor in a drama series.

[From Yahoo!]

It is progress that the HFPA plans to add 13 Black members. My issue is that it has taken this long to diversify. I also feel that HFPA is missing the point. Shonda, Ava and others are not just calling for more Black members. The are asking the HFPA to look the way the world looks. Add 13 Black members but make sure you also add Asian members, including South Asian, Pacific Islander etc., and Latinx members. It is time that the press and Hollywood adjust to the times. The world is a diverse place that needs diverse storytelling. That diversity must begin with the gatekeepers. Hollywood loses out on $10 billion a year by undervaluing Black talent. Is Hollywood in the business of storytelling and making money or the business of upholding white supremacy? The industry has been slow to change. If more people boycott their movies, organizations, and awards show I believe Hollywood will begrudgingly change.

It trips me out that, despite Shonda Rhimes’s shows being the biggest hits on network television, the HFPA still rejected her press conference. Bridgerton became the #1 show on Netflix and the buzz before it premiered was huge. The system is definitely broken if this is how things are being handled. I celebrate and support BIPOC creators calling out Hollywood’s discriminatory practices. Perhaps if people like Shonda and Ava continue to hold these gatekeepers’ feet to the fire, more opportunities will be made available to BIPOC.

HFPA rejected our press conference. Until it was a “surprise hit” (Grey’s, Scandal, Murder -SURPRISE!) And yet they STILL asked me to show up in person to present at the Globes. We’re not the only ones. This is why HFPA’s house is on fire.They lit the flame w/their own ignorance. https://t.co/RPZaCa4ty3

— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) March 16, 2021

For the WHEN THEY SEE US/ HFPA press conference, less than 20 of them showed up. Based on the quality of their questions, I jokingly asked “Have any of you seen the series?” Crickets. More came in the room when the pix were to be taken, at which time two peddled their scripts. https://t.co/pBWbUz2FZ3 pic.twitter.com/5XbiSeOBDz

— Ava DuVernay (@ava) March 16, 2021

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photos credit: Getty and Netflix

I’m always so delighted to talk about Yara Shahidi. She is such an engaging young woman. When I listen to her interviews, I feel like I’d be that annoying friend of her mom’s who would always be asking her, “what’s next for you, Yara?” I also think she’d always have some amazing answer. Yara appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers via Zoom. She was calling from her trailer because she’s currently navigating her successful spinoff shown, grown-ish, which she both stars in and executive produces. She’s also attending Harvard University and just started a production company with her mother. Having only just turned 21, what is left for her to conquer? According to Yara, it’s about time she took over the Marvel universe. And she’s written a one sheet proposing how she’ll do it.

Her parents didn’t let her watch TV during the week
We were the kids listening to audiobooks and stuff. It wasn’t until I became a series regular on a show that TV started happening on Wednesdays.

Her life is like her Grown-ish storyline
This season Zoey’s going between work and school and that’s literally what I’ve been doing, flying back and forth.

Season three I was flying back and forth twice a week [to school]. Got so many miles. Everything is on Zoom now. I’ve been to a total of 12 different school programs, so I’ve done distance learning before.

She wants to be in the Marvel universe
I have storylines as to why I belong in the Marvel comic universe that I made up. I was in 12 seconds of a movie as Samuel L. Jackson’s kid at the age of 13 and I was like “if this is not an in, then I don’t know what is.” I should be Nicole Fury because Nick Fury has a son. I wrote a page for it, a one sheet. Marvel studios has a headquarters right where we shoot Black-ish and Grown-ish. This is perfect they should green screen me in.

[From YouTube]

I love the shifting priorities – alright, TV’s okay on Wednesday now that Yara’s on it. That’s like when I, a UCLA diehard, bought a USC t-shirt after my husband started working there. Yes, my allegiance can be bought when you pay my mortgage. Yara’s life exhausts me just listening to it. She’s been juggling school and work for so long, clearly, she has a handle on everything. She just keeps thriving. And her family is a solid support network, so I expect she’ll achieve every goal she sets for herself. Season three of grown-ish, whose finale airs tonight, was shot in 2019, thus all the flying back and forth. But she’s grounded currently due to COVID so she’s doing classes virtually and filming in person.

As for Marvel, if Yara wants to be a part of their world, they’d be lucky to have her. Apparently, she’s a huge comic book fan so I won’t cast her in any projected role, she already knows what she wants. Nicole Fury works for me. Or anyone else she proposes. She’s already at ABC, it’s a short jump to Marvel. Kevin Feige is no fool. If he’s caught wind of Yara’s interest, he’s already commissioned that script.

Photo credit: Instagram

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