by Stacy Jackson

June 26, 2023

Ayesha Curry’s $20M Net-Worth Just Shot Up As She Secures Major Deal With Major Wine Company

Ayesha Curry has shown the world repeatedly that she has what it takes to be a successful career-oriented woman, all while being a supportive wife to NBA player Stephen Curry and mother to their three children.

The Canadian-American cookbook author, television personality, restauranteur, and actress sold her wine brand, Domaine Curry, to Constellation Brands, one of the largest wine companies in the U.S. Prisoner Wine Co., owned by Constellation Brands, acquired the luxury wine. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Curry announced the news on her Instagram story but did not disclose the sale amount.

San Francisco Chronicle reported, “The Domaine Curry brand will now be nestled within the Prisoner Wine Co. umbrella [owned by Constellation Brands], which includes the brands the Prisoner, Saldo, Blindfold, and Unshackled.” “Going forward, Domaine Curry wines will be produced by the Prisoner’s winemaker Chrissy Wittman, served at its tasting room in St. Helena, and sold to its mailing list.”

James Suckling sums it up if you’re wondering what a glass of the Napa Valley luxury wine brand has to offer. According to The Prisoner Wine Co.’s website, Suckling gave the wine 94 points and called it “A beautiful red that offers plenty now with berries, chocolate, and hazelnut. Freshly cut flowers. Peaches and orange peel. Full to medium body with round tannins and a creamy and delicious finish. This is mostly cabernet franc with the rest in cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and petit verdot.”

The restaurateur created the wine to honor the women in her family alongside her sister-in-law Sydel Curry-Lee. In a video on The Prisoner Wine Co.’s YouTube channel, she said, “The way that Sydel and I wanted to honor the strong women in our family, we felt like that embodied a big, beautiful, bold wine.” Curry first announced the brand in 2018 in an Instagram post. Congrats to the Currys on solidifying yet another boss move. 

Twitter Side-Eyes The ‘Honorary’ Oscar Angela Bassett Is About To Receive
by Atiya Jordan

June 26, 2023

Twitter Side-Eyes The ‘Honorary’ Oscar Angela Bassett Is About To Receive

For the incomparable Angela Bassett, it is a new day and a new dawn. She is finally getting her Oscar amid the 30th anniversary of the Tina Turner biopic What’s Love Got to Do With It? 

Bassett was disappointed at the 95th annual Academy Awards when she didn’t go home with the best-supporting actress Oscar for her role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever this spring. But, the energy hits differently now that Queen Ramonda, who is crowned as the first actor to receive an Oscar nomination for a Marvel movie, can add the coveted honorary Academy Award to her shelf after her official induction in a fall ceremony.

The annual event, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will be held on Nov. 18 at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, Variety reported. The 9-1-1 actress is among other recipients, including Mel Brooks and editor Carol Littleton, who will be celebrated for leading a lifetime of achievements.

In a statement, Academy President Janet Yang glorified Bassett’s decades-long career and her perseverance in delivering “transcendent performances that set new standards in acting,” per Vanity Fair.

Indeed, Bassett’s first Oscar comes not only after an abundant and successful career in Hollywood but after a powerful performance in the sequel to Black Panther. She is regarded as a brilliant actress deserving of an EGOT and a “real Oscar.”

Most recently, Bassett took home a 2023 NAACP Image Award for Entertainer of the Year, a 2023 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, and a 2023 Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress — all for Wakanda Forever. 

From 10-hour dance rehearsals and a fractured hand to a trip to the chiropractor and even mastering how the Queen of Rock & Roll breathed, Angela Bassett committed herself fully to playing Tina Turner. But her Oscar nomination in 1993 for that role did not stick.

And yet the marathon continues in this business. In 2021, the 64-year-old Bassett negotiated and secured a major pay increase per episode as an LAPD crime-fighting series regular on Fox’s flagship drama 9-1-1. Raking in $450,000 per episode, Deadline reported that Bassett was believed to be “among the top salaries on network television for any actor—male or female—and could be the highest ever for an actress of color on a broadcast drama series.”

Before the great Tina Turner passed away last month, Bassett was named one of the most influential people of 2023 for TIME magazine’s annual “TIME100” list, and the star’s dedication was written by the one and only “Queen of Rock ‘N’ Roll,” Tina Turner. BE reported that Turner praised Bassett for her hard work in portraying her.

“‘She’s perfect,’ I said, and I was right,” Turner added, per BE. “You never mimicked me. Instead, you reached deep into your soul, found your inner Tina, and showed her to the world.”

Twitter is torn with the Academy’s decision. One perspective argues that Bassett’s Oscar is long overdue and well-deserved, and others don’t buy into the honorary Oscars.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

June 26, 2023

Dennis Rodman Claps Back At Critics Who Spoke On The Skirt He Wore to Houston Pride

Dennis Rodman is not new to this, he’s true to this! The NBA champion stepped out in a little skirt to attend Houston’s Pride Parade, and some people are bothered.

The basketball hall of famer took to Instagram on Sunday, June 25 to share a post of his attendance at Houston Pride. The former Chicago Bulls player wore a green skirt, a black t-shirt that read “Love & Love”, and a hat with a smiley face on it.

“Love will Always Win🌈Happy Pride #gaypride #loveislove #pridemonth,” Rodman captioned the post.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by DENNIS RODMAN (@dennisrodman)

NBA fans of yesteryear are well aware that Rodman’s attendance at Pride in a skirt is nothing out of the ordinary for the former NBA star who once married himself and wore a wedding dress with full hair and makeup.

But that didn’t stop Rodman from facing criticism from many who were bothered by his support of Pride.

“Use this as the dislike button,” one person wrote.

“instant respect loss and unfollow,” added someone else.

There were many others who defended Rodman and reminded the critics the sports legend was only staying true to his brand.

“Some of yall are too young to remember when this man literally MARRIED himself in full makeup and a wedding dress lol #icon,” one fan wrote.

“Dennis Rodman has been like this since the 90s idk why y’all are surprised , let the man live,” added another.

After receiving a number of negative responses to his post, Rodman took to his Instagram Story to shut down the naysayers.

“”Do your research guys,” he wrote, “#beenhim.”

He wrote the message over a photo collage of old photos showing him wearing a wedding dress and other attire deemed controversial at the time. Back in 2019, Rodman opened up about dressing in drag for a Sports Illustrated cover in 1995.

“They didn’t know the fact that when [they] shot that cover for the Sports Illustrated that that was the best-selling Sports Illustrated ever,” Rodman said, as noted by Fox News. “And then the gay community started to reach out to me and said, ‘Wow, we never knew that our community can be represented like that in sports.’ And people didn’t know at the time that I was doing that.”

The cover helped Rodman gain favor in the LGBTQ+ community and it’s clearly a relationship he has maintained over the years.

“I was, you know, doing all the drag clubs, I was dressing in drag. I was dressing in women’s clothes. I was doing lingerie and stuff like that and people in the gay community started embracing me,” he said.

RELATED CONTENT: ‘Pride Strong’: GLAAD Launches Inaugural Black Queer Creative Summit For LGBTQ+ Creatives

Mom And Son Will No Longer Face Murder Charges For Deadly Chicago Shooting
by Atiya Jordan

June 26, 2023

Mom And Son Will No Longer Face Murder Charges For Deadly Chicago Shooting

On Father’s Day, June 18, an altercation in Chicago turned fatal when a mother reportedly enlisted her 14-year-old son to shoot a man she was arguing and fighting with at a restaurant. They were both charged with first-degree murder until the State Attorney’s Office dismissed all charges based on facts and additional evidence.

According to NBC News, 35-year-old Carlishia Hood waited in line for food at a Maxwell Street Express at 11656 S. Halsted Street while her son sat in their blue Lincoln Nautilus. Cook County prosecutors identified Jeremy Brown, 32, as the man who was also in the establishment and had words with Hood.

A circulating clip posted via Instagram showed Brown, in a white t-shirt and jeans, yelling at Hood at the counter. “Lady, get your food!” Brown demanded, adding, “Say one more thing; I’m going to knock you out!”

Brown’s girlfriend allegedly laughed and provoked his behavior, per the news outlet. Surveillance cameras captured Hood in a striped maxi dress and a head wrap. After the incident went from words to blows, Hood suffered punches to her head and sent a text message to her son to come to her aid in the restaurant, prosecutors said.

An additional video clip showed Hood’s son stopping at the fast-food restaurant’s doorway, observing the incident, and going for a handgun in the pocket of his white hoodie. The teen allegedly shot Brown in the back twice. In cell phone footage obtained by CBS 2 Chicago, Brown is seen punching Hood three times before her son shot him.

Other portions of the recordings released by the Chicago Police Department on Tuesday followed Hood and her son in the parking lot. Prosecutors argued that the pair ran after Brown, with Hood instructing her son to shoot and kill the wounded man. Brown was pronounced dead at the scene.

With that, Cook County Judge Barbara Dawkins ruled that Brown was shot as he attempted to flee the restaurant after punching Hood.

“Things can bear themselves out differently at trial, but that, at that point, was not the defense of others. That was first-degree murder,” Dawkins said during a court hearing on June 22, per The Messenger.

In another clip, Hood can be seen without the headwrap running back into the Express before she attempts to grab the gun from her son. But her son dodged her and returned to the vehicle. Moments later, Hood met her son at the car and drove home.

It was reported that Hood and her son turned themselves in on Wednesday, June 21. Chicago PD seized an “unloaded, unregistered handgun” and an empty magazine, as per Fox 32. Both suspects were charged with first-degree murder.

During the investigation, it was revealed that Hood, who has no prior arrest record, has a valid gun owner’s license. The mom was also facing a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Her son was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm. The youngster appeared in juvenile court and was ordered held without bail.

Christopher Tru Hood previously created a GoFundMe campaign to help the Hood family with legal and attorney fees. The page has since been taken down. The monetary goal was $50,000. Many donations flooded in, along with comments supporting her son’s actions to rescue his mother.

According to CBS Chicago, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office said in a statement that the decision was made after “continued review and in light of emerging evidence.”

“Based upon the facts, evidence, and the law we are unable to meet our burden of proof in the prosecution of these cases,” the statement added.

 

Entrepreneurs Hope To Shake Up The Industry Through Black Winery Ownership
by Iman Milner

June 26, 2023

Entrepreneurs Hope To Shake Up The Industry Through Black Winery Ownership

On Friday, June 16, 2023, the “Black on Black” dinner at the annual Food & Wine Classic brought together Black wine entrepreneurs nationwide to push for more diversity in the white- and male-dominated industry.

Guests—including former and current NBA players Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Channing Frye, along with rapper E-40 and celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson—came to Aspen, Colorado, to discuss solutions to the surprising lack of Black-owned wineries in the industry.

According to CNN, less than 1% of the total 11,500 wineries in the United States are owned by Black people.

“The energy in the room: I wish we could have bottled it. It’s important for those people to tell their stories,” Wine Unify Executive Director and owner of Towns Wine Co. Alicia Towns Franken said. Though the energy couldn’t be imbibed, guests were treated to the first sip of Franken’s South African pinot noir aptly named Inkwell, an homage to the Martha’s Vineyard’s beach where Black families often make lifetime memories.

Through her work at Wine Unify, a nonprofit that focuses on bringing minorities into the industry via educational and career opportunities, Franken is committed to expanding accessibility.

“I wanted to help bring more people [of color] in, because that diversity of thought improves everything,” she said. “What we’re trying to do is change what leadership looks like and bring more people into the wine industry. So many people have thought that [this] has not been for them.”

Ikimi Dubose-Woodson, co-founder and CEO of The Roots Fund, believes that deep damage to the relationship between Black people and the earth happened during slavery, something she’s working to mend.

“It’s never been corrected that the land provides and the land feeds, despite the negative connotation that goes with it,” she said. “[Land] was a big part of Black wealth 200 years ago—so it’s [about] making a good connection back to it.”

For wine brand La Fête’s founder and CEO, Donae Burston, it’s about the possibilities the industry holds for Black people. “The amount of money and wealth that’s generated in the wine and spirits industry is never talked about,” he said. “Those stories have to get out there for Black people to say this is a real career.”

NBA champion and owner of Chosen Family Wines Channing Frye echoed the sentiments of Burston and Dubose-Woodson in working to emphasize the opportunities available to minorities in the industry.

“If people don’t think a career in wine is an option, we’re missing out on somebody transforming this industry for the better,” he said. Frye believes that shortening the communication gap between the wine industry and Black communities could be a crucial first step to increased diversity.

“This is the honest truth: They don’t know how to talk to us. It’s as simple as that,” he said.

Activist Nikkolas Smith Unveils New Artwork On Racial Health Disparities And Sickle Cell Disease
by Lauren Nutall

June 26, 2023

Activist Nikkolas Smith Unveils New Artwork On Racial Health Disparities And Sickle Cell Disease

Artist and activist Nikkolas Smith has released a series of digital portraits, illustrating the importance of blood donation for those living with sickle cell disease. Smith unveiled the collection, titled Transfusion, on June 19, on commission from the American Red Cross. This is part of a long-standing initiative by the organization to increase the amount of Black blood donors and minimize disparities within the health field. 

According to the National Library of Medicine, sickle cell disease most commonly impacts Black Americans. It occurs when red blood cells harden and change shape, making blood flow difficult and causing excruciating pain. Though it is an invisible disease, the harm it imposes is not any less significant than those that aren’t. Those living with it find themselves affected by the disease in daily life and Smith’s artwork aims to highlight these lived experiences.

In the series, Smith tells the stories of four individuals suffering from the disease, all at different stages of their lives. He shows a 12-year-old boy named Dreylan Holmes, whose disease keeps him isolated from his peers. He also portrays an epidemiologist, Tiereny Bell, whose pain interferes with her work. “People will sometimes say to me, you don’t look sick,” Bell said. “And I respond, well, what does sick look like?”

He also portrays Dr. Rubin Beaufort, a retired mechanical engineer and Erica Hunter, a retired microbiologist. Beaufort has been the recipient of over 240 blood transfusions in his lifetime. Despite this, he still experiences agonizing pain regularly. Hunter, who is 41 years old and has received more than 50 blood transfusions, was forced into an early retirement because of struggles with the disease. 

Smith spoke to the Red Cross about his experience creating the artwork and what it meant to see so his subjects living with the blood disorder. “What stood out to me the most when speaking with these incredibly brave sickle cell warriors is how much constant pain they endure due to the malfunctioning cells in their body, but also the level of determination they have to maintain in order to push through until their next blood transfusion,” Smith said.

Patients can grow immune to certain donors following frequent blood transfusions if they are not closely matched. Because of this, blood donation from specific demographics are vital, especially African Americans. Dr. Yvette Miller, the executive medical director of the Red Cross, discussed this, saying, “Sickle cell disease can be inherited by anyone of any race and ethnicity, but in the U.S., the great majority of individuals who have the disease are of African descent.” 

Smith’s work addresses health disparities in regards to the disorder. He wants to do that by increasing blood donation among the Black community so that people like ones he’s depicted can have access to more compatible blood products. 

RELATED CONTENT:  Faces of Sickle Cell: NFL Player Tevin Coleman and Wife Akilah Connects Black Community With Sickle Cell Resources

 

This LA-Based Private Pilot Shows Her Daughter The World Through Aviation
by Iman Milner

June 26, 2023

This LA-Based Private Pilot Shows Her Daughter The World Through Aviation

Maria Alejandra is a private pilot who began sharing aviation content on social media in 2020 when she was  flying alongside an instructor. After taking her first solo flight and testing out her skills on various aircrafts, Alejandra has turned to aviation as a way to spend quality time with her daughter, Gabby.

@Pilot.Alejandra Took my daughter flying for the first time and let’s just say she loved it 💕 #womanpower #supermom #privatepilot #godisgood #godisgoodallthetime #womanpilot #femalepilot #mommydaughter #mommyandme #colombianpilot #fy #fyp #fypシ #fypage #fypシ゚viral #viral #viralvideo #viraltiktok ♬ original sound – Maria Alejandra

In one of her most popular posts on TikTok, Alejandra is seen buckling Gabby in for her first flight. “Took my daughter flying for the first time and let’s just say she loved it,” the caption read. In the video, she explains flight prepping to her daughter and gives her a tour of the aircraft before the two prepare for takeoff.

“Wow…you got it, Mommy,” Gabby can be heard saying while she wears a headset in the back of the plane.

@pilot.alejandra #womanpilot #fyp #fy #privatepilot #womeninaviation #femalepilot #pilot #pilotsoftiktok #pilotlife #pilotlifestyle #pilotviews #colombianpilot #femalepilots #viral #femalepilotsrock #viral #womeninaviation #colombiana #colombia ♬ original sound – Maria Alejandra

In another TikTok, Alejandra walks Gabby through flight patterns and lets her assist as a co-pilot. “She’s getting so good at these pre-flights, just like her Mommy. I love it,” Alejandra says in the video.

As an ambassador for Women Rock Wings, the LA native uses her skills to drive home the importance of diversity in the aviation industry as Black women remain in the margins as pilots.

She also has raked up 200,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok . Standing on the shoulders of giants like Bessie Coleman, Maria Alejandra is an inspiration for the next generation of Black women and men in aviation.

by Sharelle Burt

June 26, 2023

Jamie Foxx’s Co-Star Porscha Coleman Shares Health Update, Says Actor Is ‘Doing Well’

One of Jamie Foxx’s former costars provided a positive update on the actor’s health.

Porscha Coleman, who starred with Foxx on the 2021 Netflix series, Dad, Stop Embarrassing Me, told Entertainment Tonight‘s Kevin Frazier that the comedian is doing just fine.

“I’ve talked to people very close to Foxx; he is doing well,” Coleman said. “I hate that the media outlets kept running with the narrative of what was going on without having the proper information.”

In May, Foxx’s daughter, Corinne, wrote on Instagram that her famous dad has been out of the hospital for weeks and was home, a rebuke to the rampant claims that her father was in poor health.

“Sad to see how the media runs wild. My Dad has been out of the hospital for weeks, recuperating,” Corinne Foxx wrote. “In fact, he was playing pickleball yesterday! Thanks for everyone’s prayers and support!”

Coleman said she isn’t surprised that the Oscar winner and his family are keeping things quiet in regards to health updates. “One thing about Jamie is that he’s always valued his privacy. If you’ve noticed, Jamie Foxx has always been on the low,” Coleman said. “Even when it came to dating, Jamie’s always been private, so it never surprised me.”

Foxx has been MIA since allegedly suffering a “medical complication” in April while filming a new Netflix action comedy, Back in Action, in Atlanta. According to Page Six, family members close to Foxx say they think the silence on his health status may affect his career prospects. Foxx has done everything from TV to music to movies to stand-up comedy.

The status of Back in Action is still up in the air. In the meantime, cast members for his upcoming Netflix movie, They Cloned Tyrone, are doing press for the movie, which is scheduled for a July 21, 2023 release.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

June 26, 2023

Busta Rhymes Gets All Emotional As He Accepts BET ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’

Busta Rhymes didn’t hold back his emotions in accepting the “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the 2023 BET Awards.

The “Touch It” rapper teared up while finally receiving his flowers for his 30-year contribution to hip-hop and the entertainment industry. The award was presented by actor and comedian Marlon Wayans and award-winning producer and songwriter Swizz Beatz.

Busta said he only had “two minutes” but proceeded to pour his heart out while reflecting back on his start with Leaders of the New School in the early ’90s and explaining how he maintained top contender status over the next three decades.

Speaking on his career, the Brooklyn native took the audience back to how he found his sound after getting kicked out of Leaders of the New School.

“I pioneered the feature,” Busta declared while recalling his start as a solo artist.

He credited his natural “passion” for music and how it allowed him to get into the studio and “collab with whoever,” for getting him to his legendary status today.

“It’s just me trying to do my duty to continue to advance the culture and continue to contribute in a significant way,” Busta said.

“I see so many people in here that I have known and grown with for a long time, you’re watching me grow and I love y’all and I know y’all love me.”

Busta made sure to hug and thank his “best friend” Spliff Star and his DJ, Scratchator, whom he grew up with in Brooklyn. The trio stuck together for 30 years. He also called for an end to “petty beef” in hip-hop and asked for rappers to “love each other” and “get to this money.”

He gave his speech ahead of tearing down the stage, performing a 10-minute set of some of his biggest hits that included features from veterans like M.O.P., Remy Ma, and his Flip Mode squad, and appearances from upcoming hip-hop stars like Scar Lip and Coi Leray.

 

RELATED CONTENT: Why Black Twitter Is Shading Tyler Perry’s Reported BET Deal

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

June 26, 2023

Could This Be The End Of The Cardi B And Offset Era, As Cheating Rumors Hit The Internet?

Cardi B didn’t cheat on Offset but is jokingly singing about how she “should have cheated” on her husband considering his adulterous past.

The rapper took to Twitter Spaces on Monday, June 26, 2023, to clear up cheating rumors ignited by her husband. While Offset was preparing for his Migos reunion performance with Quavo at the BET Awards, he was also stressing about his marriage with Cardi.

It all started Friday when Offset sent out an Instagram Story message calling out an unnamed someone he allegedly caught sending Cardi DMs, as captured by XXL.

“I seen them dm to my wife ima run into you [blowing smoking emoji] b***h,” Offset wrote.

In a second post, Offset shared a screenshot of the message the alleged culprit sent to his wife on her birthday.

“Happy B day !! Enjoy your day … don’t let none throw you off !!” the message read. “Somebody sent me invitation ion no if it’s real or not ! An I be hearing s**t but from me to you 1000 on every aspect from the biggest s**t down to me even dm you !!”

The message continued. “I’ll ever do no cornball s**t r even do none to make your people mad etc !! I hate when a mf think ima f*** n***a cause I Really come from a genuine place.”

Things continued to escalate going into Sunday when Offset and Quavo stole the show by reuniting on stage after feuding in the wake of Takeoff’s death. Offset returned to his Instagram Story on Monday, June 26, to accuse Cardi B of cheating on him.

“My wife fu*ked a ni**a on me gang y’all ni**as know how I come,” he wrote in the since-deleted post.

If fans were thinking the post was just a hacked account gone wrong, Cardi B hopped on Twitter Spaces to respond to her husband’s claims and confirm their marital woes. In a video clip circulating online, Cardi can be heard singing Keyshia Cole’s 2005 R&B hit “I Should Have Cheated.”

https://twitter.com/ThePopTings/status/1673387309750951936?s=20

She went on to tell her fans not to listen “to that country man,” and denied the claims he made against her.

“Don’t pay attention that country man. That Spaces the other day got motherfu**ers spiraling and thinking sh*t,” she explained.

“Come on now. I’m fu*king Cardi B, n***a. I think sometimes motherfu**ers forget. I’m Cardi B. If I was giving this p*ssy to anybody it be not just anybody. Can’t f*ck regular-degular-shmegular, ’cause they gonna tell the world. And I can’t f*ck anybody in the industry, ’cause they gonna tell too.”

The Grammy award-winning rapper continued by referencing a fellow female rapper and told her husband to “stop acting stupid” on social media.

“Y’all ever heard that Rubi Rose where she says ‘got a big a** mouth?’ So please boy, stop acting stupid. Stop acting Stupid,” she said.

“Going crazy over a f*cking space. Don’t play with me. What the f*ck. Stop playing. Thats all I’m gonna motherfu*kng say.”

Things have been going well for Offset and Cardi B up until recently. But fans can remember when the two almost called it quits due to Offset cheating on Cardi back in 2018, BLACK ENTERPRISE covered.

Cardi B and Offset have been married since 2017 and share two children—daughter Kulture, 5, and son Wave. Hopefully, all is well in the Cephus household and the latest quarrel just needs some “straightening.”

RELATED CONTENT: Cardi B and Offset Fiasco Sparks Discussion on Workplace Safety for Women

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