Comedians Kevin Hart and Chris Rock are household names after their decades-long careers, now giving fans a tour they didn’t know they needed.

The comic powerhouses announced their joint summer tour on Monday via Twitter, aptly named “Rock Hart: Only Headliners Allowed.” The comedy tour will span across five days, exclusively in cities all over New Jersey and New York. 

Expected to be a sold-out event, the famed Hollywood comedians will start the Live Nation-produced tour on July 21 on Long Island, New York, before concluding the set in Brooklyn on July 25.

According to ABC News, Hart revealed in a statement, “When Chris and I realized we were both going to be on tour this year we immediately knew we needed to do something special. We have been friends and mentors to each other for 20 years, but we have never shared a headlining stage together – until now!!!”

He continued, “I cannot think of a better way to celebrate the return of live comedy than to co-headline a show with my brother Chris Rock. This is a major moment in comedy and one for the history books.”

The announcement comes on the heels of Chris Rock’s own announcement for his worldwide “Ego Death” tour, slated to begin April 2. This will be the 57-year-old comic’s first tour in five years. He’s been booked and busy however, having recently wrapped on the late civil rights activist Bayard Rustin biopic, “Rustin,” and set to direct an Untitled Chris Rock project in 2023, per Live Nation.

Hart, named the highest-earning stand-up comedian in 2019 by Forbes magazine, has broken record after record, selling out over 100 arenas across the globe, selling over one million tickets during his 2018 “Irresponsible” tour, and selling out an NFL stadium in his hometown during his “What Now” tour. He also announced his upcoming “Reality Check” tour for the summer.

Tickets for “Rock Hart: Only Headliners Allowed” are now on sale at Ticketmaster.com.

On March 4, Maralee Nichols allegedly dropped receipts in court documents that may prove claims that Chicago Bulls player Tristan Thompson wanted nothing to do with the woman or their son, Theo, and that she may not have known that he was engaged. 

US Weekly reported that the fitness trainer shared Snapchat messages that suggested that Tristan admitted to Maralee that he was engaged to Khloe Kardashian. The alleged statements also implied that he continuously tried to persuade Maralee not to go through the pregnancy, referring to his unborn child as a “mistake.”

“I’m engaged, but I will be married soon. I told you I won’t and can’t be in the child life at all by no means … Why not wait till yoj [sic] find the right person to have a family with,” the alleged communication read. “Why would you want a baby with a man that’s engaged? You wanna keep a mistake.”

Last April, Maralee reportedly went off on Tristan, responding in messages, “You literally just told me you are engaged and are trying to be with your family. I didn’t even know you were engaged. You have a record of treating me like absolutely crap, and this whole situation has been upsetting.”

Other information disclosed in court documents suggested that Tristan allegedly spent a whopping $2 million for an engagement ring for Khloe. The filing also revealed that the baller reportedly told Maralee, in May 2021, that the couple was packing up and leaving the United States with their daughter, True. 

Khloe was seen sporting a massive rock on her ring finger in 2020.

“Just a heads up, me and my fiancè [sic] gonna announce publicly about out [sic] marriage,” he reportedly penned in the Snapchat message. “Just a heads up. We probably moving out the country in September and live either in Europe or Caribbean. Better living for us and our family away from the bs of America.”

In February, Maralee divulged that the 30-year-old basketball player still hadn’t seen their son, Theo – nor offered any financial assistance. 

“Despite news reports stating otherwise, Tristan Thompson has done nothing to support his son. He has not made any attempt to meet their son, nor has he provided any financial assistance,” Nichol’s rep, Harvey Englander, said.

The real victim in this situation is the pair’s son, Theo. Although Maralee allegedly didn’t know about Tristan’s supposed engagement to the reality star, she didn’t suggest that she didn’t know about their high-profile relationship. 

Without seemingly using a condom, Tristan’s philandering ways caught up with him, and it appears that his son is paying for it. 

• Celebrity News

by Wendy Medina

March 12, 2022

You’ve Been Served: Kanye West To Testify At Former Employee’s $250K Fraud Trial

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The artist formerly known as Kanye West is making headlines once more, however finally for something other than harassing his soon-to-be ex-wife and Pete Davidson. Ye has allegedly been subpoenaed to testify in federal court for the fraud trial of a former employee, reports the Chicago Tribune. 

Arjun Dhillon was an ex-employee of the 44-year-old rapper, who used West’s name to steal a quarter of a million dollars from an online charity run by a rich philanthropist in 2019, court records reveal. West must now stand witness at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago to provide his testimony, although not directly involved. 

While Dhillon’s indictment has been ongoing since January 2020, it was just recently that the Donda 2 rapper’s name was revealed, having referred to him only as “Musician A.” This was done so in order to prevent any conflicts of interest for the jurors and secure proper security measures for the rap star’s appearance, according to iHeartRadio, with jury selection for the trial fast approaching on April 4. The prosecution will have until March 24 to submit their witness list and questions for potential jurors.

The law firms representing West have refused to be served papers, something one cannot do in the state of California, where he currently resides. It is reported that the rapper himself has not been given notice of the of the court papers, to which the U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin said “it’s just a matter of time” before West is served by either a process server or federal marshal.

However, Durkin told one of Ye’s attorneys that it would be beneficial for his counsel to simply accept a receipt of the subpoena and file a motion to quash it if required.

The victim, named only as “Victim A,” is said to be Bill Pulte, grandson of the late founder of Detroit home-building company, PulteGroup.

• Education

by Wendy Medina

March 12, 2022

Dallas Substitute Teacher Left Bloody After Student Throws Metal Chair At His Face

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In a video that has swept the internet, sparking outrage at how a substitute teacher in Dallas, Texas was treated A student is seen throwing a heavy classroom metal chair and striking him on the head. 

A letter from Dr. Larry Lewis, interim superintendent of schools at the DeSoto Independent School District of Texas, confirmed the DeSoto West Middle School altercation that occurred on Wednesday between several students and the substitute teacher. 

Video and pictures are making their rounds on social media of the incident, where after the chair is thrown at the teacher’s head, he retaliates by throwing two chairs of his own, both missing the student, MEAAWW reports.

The teacher then goes to sit down while the students attacking him leave, to wipe the blood streaming down his face. Amidst the chaos, the rest of the kids in the classroom are heard screaming and laughing. 

INSANE: A teacher and students get into a fight in a Dallas middle school and throw chairs at each other pic.twitter.com/fhaqgEzIu9

— Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) March 11, 2022

In a Facebook post by the DeSoto Police Department, they said, “All sides of the incident are currently under investigation. In response to the videos, tomorrow there will be a larger police presence at Desoto West to prevent any further incidents. The safety and security of the children and staff members is a top priority.”

Per a DeSoto ISD representative, the students initiated the attack, and injured the sub to the point of paramedics being called to the scene. Besides what is seen in the video, the district did not further comment on the reason for the argument, punishment for the students, or if any students were held by police.

Many commented on social media that parents of the unruly students should be charged on behalf of their child to have some sort of repercussion for this type of behavior. Another user commented, “He’ll get fired and chargers pressed. Kid will get 3 days of suspension and 10 days ISS. He’s definitely wrong but these kids are out of control man. There’s no true consequences for their actions.”

• Celebrity News

by Wendy Medina

March 12, 2022

Grandparents Of Astroworld Victim Condemn Travis Scott’s New Project HEAL, ‘It’s A PR Stunt’

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As previously reported, Travis Scott announced Project HEAL on Tuesday, in an effort to focus on community philanthropy and investment.

On Wednesday, the grandparents of Astroworld victim Ezra Blount called out the safety initiative as a PR stunt, with Ezra’s dad filing an emergency motion reportedly violating a Feb. 15 gag order placed on the rapper after the hundreds of lawsuits following the music festival tragedy.

According to Rolling Stone, on Thursday, Scott’s lawyers filed new paperwork defending his right to “make public statements about his ongoing philanthropic work.”

Tericia Blount, the grandmother of 9-year-old Ezra who died from injuries sustained in the Astroworld stampede, was shocked to hear that the $5 million Project HEAL included funding for the U.S. Conference of Mayors Task Force on Event Safety and a “tech-driven solution” to prevent anything like the Astroworld tragedy from occurring again.

“It’s a PR stunt. He’s pretty much trying to sway the jurors before they’re even assembled,” the Texas grandmother told Rolling Stone. “He’s trying to make himself look good, but it doesn’t look that way to someone with our eyes. What we’re seeing is that he’s done wrong, and now he’s trying to be the good guy and trying to give his own verdict on safety.”

In the emergency filing by the lawyer representing Ezra’s dad, Treston Blount, the announcement of the Cactus Jack rapper’s philanthropy was “designed to gain goodwill and prejudice Blount and the other plaintiffs’ ability to obtain a fair trial in this case.”

The gag order was signed by presiding Judge Kristen Hawkins of the 11th District Court of Harris County after nearly 500 lawsuits pertaining to the Astroworld Festival were consolidated into one. 

While a spokesperson for Scott, Stephanie Rawlings Blake, called the emergency motion “shameful and beyond cynical,” Ezra’s grandfather Bernon Blount said on Wednesday, “Every time he does something like this, it’s an ongoing reminder.”

The judge did not immediately rule on the emergency motion.

by Yolanda Baruch

March 12, 2022

Five Florida Middle School Students Face Hate Crime Charges After Attacking Students and Yelling ‘Brown Power!’

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Five Lyons Creek Middle School students are facing hate crime charges for allegedly assaulting a group of their peers, NBC reports.

The police labeled the incident a “racially motivated crime.”  The five students are charged with battery and evidence of prejudice while committing a battery, a third-degree felony, and a hate crime in Florida.

On Wednesday, a group of kids comprised of sixth to eighth graders, yelling “it’s opposite day” and “brown power,” attacked four white children from the ages 11 to 12-years old, said the Coconut Creek police, according to WFLA.

The event transpired at the Coconut Creek Recreation Center. One of the alleged victims said someone tackled him to the ground and struck him with their feet, hands, and phone charges, according to the police documentation, NBC Reports.

“I put my hands up, so they don’t whack my face,” said the victim, who did reveal his identity at the request of his father. “After they jumped me, they said, this is, like, revenge for what they did in the 1700s for slavery,” leading the victim to believe the attack was motivated by the color of his skin; he is white, according to NBC.

“We are disappointed to take law enforcement action in response to a racially-motivated crime by school-aged children within the City of Coconut Creek,” said Butch Arenal, the Coconut Creek Police Chief, in a Facebook post.

Arenal’s statement assured that the suspects will face appropriate consequences, “As always, we will work closely with our school officials to see that the suspects are appropriately dealt with, the victims receive appropriate services, and that the incident doesn’t manifest into further conflict.”

“Finally, we will take appropriate action to ensure that all of our kids are safe before, during, and after school throughout Coconut Creek,” Arenal concluded.

• Entertainment

by Wendy Medina

March 12, 2022

Nicki Minaj Blames Lil Wayne For The Reason Why She Got Butt Injections

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In a new interview released on Wednesday, Nicki Minaj joined the Joe Budden Podcast to talk about the inception of her career, in which her butt injections shifted to the topic of discussion.

“I was a lot of people’s guinea pig… ‘Til this day I realize even what I did, and even with not consulting with anyone to do something like that, how insane that was,” she starts off the episode. She explains how she did not go to a doctor or a medical professional, but the injections were done by “some random person” in Atlanta.

After signing with Lil Wayne‘s Young Money Record label in 2009, voluptuous butts would be all she would be surrounded by, eventually taking a toll on her self-image. 

“Wayne, he was always talking about big booties. Wayne would have a new chick in the studio every session. It was always a new big booty there. They were his muses,” the rap star said. 

She continues to detail how that is the type of image rap culture demands and how she didn’t look like that. Wayne and his YMCMB crew would say things to her jokingly about her physique, but being a young aspiring rapper, when it’s from someone like Wayne, the jokes matter and ultimately it wasn’t a joke to her.

“A lot of times, you don’t know how insecure a person is or what their insecurities are. So when you say certain things, around women especially, you can never take them back,” Minaj said. “So where they might have been playing with me probably thinking ‘she’s confident, she’s good in her own skin,’ they don’t know that I always had that insecurity.”

Budden goes on to ask the Super Bass rapper if she feels accountable for this trend, to which she responds that she does, looking at it from a different point of view now. 

“Because superstars inadvertently become role models no matter what,” Minaj said.

In a bizarre turn of events, former Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner admitted he impersonated his then-wife, Chinese heiress Judy Chan to convince his now estranged wife, businesswoman Kimora Lee Simmons, that his marriage to Chan was over, Bloomberg reports.

The German-born investment banker testified under oath on Tuesday as a witness against former Goldman banker Roger Ng, who is on trial for his involvement in the 1MDB scandal.

Leissner corroborated that NG conspired with him to assist Malaysian financier Jho Low to launder billions of dollars from the Malaysian government into a fraudulent government development 1MDB fund, according to Bloomberg.

Leissner revealed in court how he created a fake email account using Chan, his ex-wife’s, name to court Simmons and convince the former model and reality star that he was divorced. His duplicitous actions paid off when he eventually married Simmons.

Simmons even invited the wine heiress Chan on vacation with her. However, Leissner electronically posing as his ex-wife, declined, TMZ reports.

Leissner, while portraying Chan in an email, told Simmons that a car accident prevented her from visiting, according to Bloomberg.

Marc Agnifilo, Ng’s lawyer, wanted the jury to question Leissner’s trustworthiness by showing he’s a “rare cunning liar,” Agnifilo said to the judge.

“It was an entire life you completely falsified because you made the whole thing up?” said Agnifilo accusing the 52-year old banker.

“The correspondence, yes,” Leissner confirmed. “But an entire life may be too far.”

On Thursday, the two-time bigamist also admitted in a Brooklyn federal court that he forged divorce documents twice, from Chan and another unidentified woman, to marry Simmons. At the same time, he was still legally married to Chan, according to the New York Post.

Leissner also confessed he used a fake email address to communicate with Low when the financier contacted Chan in 2016 to sell fine art to her family, he said, according to Bloomberg.

“Jho was trying to monetize the painting and several others, and he wanted to see if Judy or her family could be of help,” recalled Leissner.

Agnifilo pressed Simmons’ estranged husband and asked why he pretended to be Chan while corresponding with Low.

“I wanted to protect Judy from him,” Leissner said. “I wanted to pacify him or be friends. I wanted to make an effort or appear I was attempting to help him.”

• Women

by Yolanda Baruch

March 12, 2022

Traci Braxton Passes Away At 50 From Cancer

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Traci Braxton, younger sister of Toni Braxton has died, according to TMZ.

Traci was living with cancer for a year and never made her illness public. She succumbed to the disease on Saturday morning according to her sister Toni Braxton.

“We have come to a time where we must inform the public that after a year of privately undergoing a series of treatments for Esophageal cancer our beloved Traci Braxton has gone on to glory.”

She is best known for appearing on the family’s reality show, “Braxton Family Values” and recorded a song “Broken Things” with her sisters, Toni, Towanda, and Trina.

Traci’s sister, singer Toni released a heartfelt statement confirming her dear sister’s untimely death.

 

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A post shared by Toni Braxton (@tonibraxton)

Jodie Turner-Smith gave a raw interview with Refinery 29 and dropped f-bombs as she discussed the issue of colorism in Hollywood. 

Smith is currently promoting her newest A24 film, After Yang.

 

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A post shared by Jodie Turner-Smith (@jodiesmith)

During the interview, Thandiwe Newton’s viral video of her expressing her thoughts on how Hollywood prefers her over darker skin actresses opened a deluge of opinions from the Queen & Slim actress. 

Smith said she watched Newton’s interview and sympathized with her pain. However, she also noted some areas were not helpful to further the conversation about colorism.

“I love Thandiwe… I think that it’s unfortunate that she chose this medium to work through what she’s working through,” said Smith regarding Newton’s take on the preferential treatment she receives in Hollywood because she is light-skinned.  

“She’s talked about [colorism] many times. She’s talked about what seeing me on screen means to her and so on and so forth. I think colorism hurts all of us, and we all have a lot of stuff to work on,” 

“At the end of the day, I am raising a biracial daughter. I’m raising a girl who does not look exactly like me, who is lighter than me. I want to figure out how I can raise her to have an understanding of white supremacy, of colorism, of how she benefits from that, of how she does not benefit from that…,” said Smith.

She continues: “I hate to be that person who’s like, “she has good intentions,” but I think that she is on a healing journey. She has a lot more healing to do, as we all do,” said the British-born star.

Unlike Newton when Smith spoke about colorism in Hollywood, people tried to mute her and accused the former model of lying. 

“When I did Queen & Slim and tried to talk about colorism, people told me to sit the f*ck down and that I didn’t know what I was talking about and that I was lying. When I said, ‘This is how I’ve been perceived in life as a dark-skinned Black woman,’ people literally told me that I was lying. So, you don’t want to hear it from dark-skinned women. You don’t want to hear it from light-skinned women. When do we get to have a conversation about it? Without people telling us to sit down and shut up?” said a furious Smith. 

She also pointed out that colorism affects mixed-race people even if they possess European phenotypes like lighter skin, straighter hair, and Euro-centric features like Megan Markle.

“It’s like, sis, what do you mean? She wasn’t aware of the experience that she was having because of her proximity to whiteness. She thought that because of that proximity to whiteness and being one of the “good Negroes,” they wouldn’t treat her like that. And then she found out,” Smith says, taking issue with Markle’s Oprah interview. 

In the end, Smith said everyone must work together to get out of the “quagmire that is white supremacy and its effects.”