by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

August 14, 2020

Dwayne Johnson Stays on Top As Hollywood’s Highest-Paid Actor for Second Year in a Row

Former wrestling heavyweight and current actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is the world’s highest-paid actor according to Variety.

This makes two straight years Johnson has nabbed the title according to Forbes. He tops the list thanks to a $23.5 million check from Netflix for his upcoming film Red Notice and his successful Under Armour line, Project Rock. Between June 2019 and June 2020, Johnson pocketed $87.5 million.

Although he topped this year’s list, this is a slight decrease from 2019, in which Johnson took home $89.4 million from his starring role in the sequel to Jumani, Jumanji: The Next Level, among his other projects. Johnson first topped the list in 2016 with a comparatively puny $64.5 million. 

Following on the heels of Johnson, his Red Notice co-star Ryan Reynolds came in second making $71.5 million. Former rapper turned actor Marky Mark, now better known as Mark Wahlberg, came in third with $58 million. He starred in the action-comedy Spenser Confidential, as well as having production roles on documentaries like McMillions and Wahl Street.

Rounding out the rest of the top five, Ben Affleck comes in just $3 million below Wahlberg with $55 million in earnings from his return to the big screen in The Way Back and The Last Thing He Wanted.

Action star Vin Diesel rolls in at No. 5 as he made $54 million despite the release date of Fast and Furious 9 being pushed back. He also had a production role on Netflix’s animated spin-off, Fast and Furious Spy Races.

The remaining actors in the top 10 are Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, Will Smith, Adam Sandler, and Jackie Chan.

Below, find the 10 highest-paid actors of 2020:

  1. Dwayne Johnson – $87.5 million
  2. Ryan Reynolds – $71.5 million
  3. Mark Wahlberg – $58 million
  4. Ben Affleck – $55 million
  5. Vin Diesel – $54 million
  6. Akshay Kumar – $48.5 million
  7. Lin-Manuel Miranda – $45.5 million
  8. Will Smith – $44.5 million
  9. Adam Sandler – $41 million
  10. Jackie Chan – $40 million
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

August 14, 2020

Country Music Legend Dolly Parton: ‘Of Course Black Lives Matter’

Dolly Parton has come out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in a Billboard cover story. 

“Of course Black lives matter,” she told the venerable music industry publication. 

Despite never attending any protests or speaking out publicly, until now, the buxom blonde country legend is voicing her support for the peaceful protestors and the Black Lives Matter movement.

 “I understand people having to make themselves known and felt and seen,” she said. “And of course Black lives matter. Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!”  

Parton has shown that she is definitely sensitive to people’s feelings and concerns and will make a change when necessary. In 2018 she renamed her Dixie Stampede dinner attraction to Dolly Parton’s Stampede after being made more aware of how hurtful the term “Dixie” and its associations with the Confederacy and the racism were.

“There’s such a thing as innocent ignorance, and so many of us are guilty of that,” she said. “When they said ‘Dixie’ was an offensive word, I thought, ‘Well, I don’t want to offend anybody. This is a business. We’ll just call it The Stampede.’ As soon as you realize that [something] is a problem, you should fix it. Don’t be a dumbass. That’s where my heart is. I would never dream of hurting anybody on purpose.”

Parton, who in 1999 was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame as a songwriter, has composed more than 3,000 songs, including “I Will Always Love You” (the Whitney Houston remake became one of Houston’s biggest hits), “Jolene,” and “9 to 5.” She is also part of a select group of people to have received at least one nomination from the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, Tony Awards, and Emmy Awards. She also has has her own theme park: Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. 

by Selena Hill

August 14, 2020

Debra Lee, Former CEO of BET Networks, Appointed to Board of Procter & Gamble

Debra L. Lee, the former chairman and CEO of Black Entertainment Television (BET), has been appointed to the board of directors at the Procter & Gamble Company (P&G), a multinational consumer goods company that manufactures brands like Always, Bounty, Charmin, Crest, Dawn, Febreze, Gillette, Tide, and Vicks. Her appointment began Wednesday.

“We are delighted to welcome Debra to the board,” said P&G Chairman, President, and CEO David Taylor in a news release.

Lee served in various C-suite roles at BET Networks, a media and entertainment subsidiary of ViacomCBS, throughout her three-decade tenure. She joined the company in 1986 as the executive vice president and general counsel. In 1995, she was appointed as the media company’s president and chief operating officer before being promoted to president and chief executive officer in 2005. The next year she was tapped to serve as chairman and CEO. She held that position until 2018.

“She has distinguished herself as a leader in the media industry for more than 30 years and brings broad, deep knowledge ranging from media strategy and programming to corporate risk oversight,” added Taylor. “Her experience, expertise, and guidance will further strengthen our efforts to better serve consumers and a broad range of stakeholders.”

Under her leadership, BET created original programming like The Game, Being Mary Jane, and The New Edition Story. Lee also focused on live events and award shows like the Hip Hop Awards, BET Experience, and The BET Awards. A staunch advocate for equality, inclusion, and women’s empowerment, BET launched Black Girls Rock!. Furthermore, in 2009, Lee created Leading Women Defined, Inc., an organization of strategic thought leaders that strives to engage in constructive dialogue that will positively impact the Black community.

Outside of P&G, Lee sits on the boards of Marriott International, Inc., Burberry Group PLC, and AT&T, Inc. The Brown University and Harvard Law School graduate previously served as a director of Revlon, Inc., WGL Holdings, Inc., and Twitter, Inc.

Lee received a Legacy Award at the BLACK ENTERPRISE 2020 Women of Power Awards and was named one of BE’s Most Powerful Women in Business in 2017.

 

by Dana Givens

August 14, 2020

This Entrepreneur Created A Natural Beauty Brand Inspired By Her Bahamian Roots

As health and wellness become increasingly bigger markets within the U.S., more and more consumers are looking for beauty and hair products free of toxic chemicals that harm their hair. One Bahamian native used her natural journey to create her line of hair and beauty products inspired by her island culture.

Candera Thompson created Bask & Bloom Essentials after she found herself making her own products by looking up different DIY remedies online. “After experiencing postpartum shedding and researching ways to nurture my hair, I started sharing the results from my DIY recipes in various natural hair Facebook groups,” said Thompson in an email interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE.

“I noticed a lot of women were experiencing similar issues, and many of them were struggling to maintain moisture in their hair—which also leads to dryness and breakage. It inspired me to look further into creating a full line of products that would help solve these issues and maintain healthy, flourishing hair.”

Thompson used her Bahamian culture as an influence when it came to sourcing her ingredients for her products. “There’s a joke in the Caribbean community that if you have any type of illness, your parents will tell you to drink some tea and lay down. Tea is the answer for everything, and we aren’t strangers to bush medicine and other natural remedies stemming from plants,” Thompson said.

“The island I grew up on doesn’t have a major hospital, so it was common for my parents to use traditional recipes when my siblings and I were sick with common colds, etc. When I started using herbal tea rinses for my hair, I came across many of the ones that I drank as a kid and found they had multiple benefits. My goal was to find a way to include some of these herbs into hair product formulas, as there weren’t many on the market that catered to the specific issues I experienced.”

Meet The Man Who Opened A Restaurant After Learning To Cook From YouTube
by Dana Givens

August 14, 2020

Meet The Man Who Opened A Restaurant After Learning To Cook From YouTube

It’s common for people to search videos when they need to learn new skills. One entrepreneur wanted to learn how to be more helpful around the kitchen. Instead, he took things a step further and opened a restaurant.

Octavius “Tay” Nelson grew up in South Carolina where he watched his dad cook regularly but it wasn’t until his wife was pregnant with their first child that he decided to start teaching himself how to cook through tutorials on YouTube.

“My wife had gone to Atlanta for a baby shower, so I had the whole day to myself and I decided I wanted to surprise her with a great meal when she returned,” Nelson says in an email interview with BLACK ENTERPRISE.

“I dove into YouTube and started watching all kinds of BBQ videos online when I came across one by Aaron Franklin that really resonated with me….I made my very first ribs after watching a video on YouTube and then just started watching every video I could find about BBQ on YouTube! My wife would wake up at 3 o’clock in the morning and roll over and see me on my phone and tell me I HAD to stop watching/learning and to get to bed!”

He opened Bobby’s BBQ as a tribute to his love of the food. In a time of uncertainty with the COVID-19 pandemic, his establishment has become a blessing for both him and his community.

“I grew up working in the restaurant with my dad and really wanted no part of one myself after watching him work so hard six days a week. I fought it for a long time, but eventually, I kept getting that nudge from God to go forward with it and start the restaurant,” he explained.

“We now are open on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, so we can live out this passion for BBQ, but also have a solid family life and work-life balance for us and our employees.The restaurant has been a blessing for my family, but it’s also had a positive impact for our entire community. Because of this passion that started on YouTube, we’ve been able to build a restaurant that has brought more than 60 jobs to our community and we’re really proud of that.”

by Dana Givens

August 14, 2020

Congress Calls On Postmaster General To Reverse Policies That Are Slowing USPS Down

With COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, pandemic putting the world in quarantine to combat the spread of the virus, many have wondered what this means for the upcoming election in November. There has been growing concern about the United States Postal Service staying afloat as President Donald Trump refuses to sign off on providing more aid to the public service.

Now a group of more than 100 members of Congress, led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, is calling for the Postmaster General to reverse new Trump policies causing issues within the postal service.

Since the appointment of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, the organization has undergone a series a changes—from having mail sorting machines removed at various locations to instituting a hiring freeze that has slowed down overall operations.

“We believe these changes, made during the middle of a once-in-a-century pandemic, now threaten the timely delivery of mail—including medicines for seniors, paychecks for workers, and absentee ballots for voters that is essential to millions of Americans,” wrote the members of Congress in a letter to DeJoy, calling the cost-cutting measures “counterproductive and unacceptable.”

“It is always essential that the Postal Service be able to deliver mail in a timely and effective manner,” the letter continued. “During the once-in-a-century health and economic crisis of COVID-19, the Postal Service’s smooth functioning is a matter of life-or-death, and is critical for protecting lives, livelihoods and the life of our American Democracy.”

DeJoy, who has been revealed to be a major Trump donor, has responded by stating the policies were put in place to make operations more effective.

“This organizational change will capture operating efficiencies by providing clarity and economies of scale that will allow us to reduce our cost base and capture new revenue,” said DeJoy in a statement.

“It is crucial that we do what is within our control to help us successfully complete our mission to serve the American people and, through the universal service obligation, bind our nation together by maintaining and operating our unique, vital, and resilient infrastructure.”

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

August 13, 2020

Herman Cain Sends Tweets From Beyond the Grave to Attack Joe Biden and Kamala Harris

The coronavirus took the life of Herman Cain, but it left his Twitter account behind! Successful businessman and former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain lost his battle with COVID-19 on July 30. On Wednesday, a message appeared on his Twitter account after Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, announced Tuesday afternoon that Sen. Kamala Harris is his running mate.

After the eerie Twitter post appeared, it caught people by surprise.


But, alas! Quickly after Twitter started responding to the use of a dead man’s Twitter account being used for political purposes, Cain’s daughter wrote a post on her father’s website.

“Hello. I’m Dr. Melanie Cain Gallo, and I am proud to say that Herman Cain was my dad. He believed in using his voice to teach, enlighten and give hope. It’s one of the ways he used this web site every day, and he wouldn’t have wanted that work to stop with his passing.

“First, the site and our social media platforms will now go under the name The Cain Gang. Dad came up with this name himself. He truly valued the sharp, creative, insightful minds of his editorial team and he would not want them to stop doing what they do best! As usual, he had the best branding ideas and we see no reason to try to improve on it.”

17-Year-Old Chili’s Hostess Attacked For Enforcing COVID-19 Guidelines
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

August 13, 2020

17-Year-Old Chili’s Hostess Attacked For Enforcing COVID-19 Guidelines

In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a 17-year-old Chili’s hostess said she was attacked by a group of customers because she tried to enforce social distancing guidelines, according to WBRZ.

This incident took place last weekend when the hostess, Kelsy Wallace, refused to seat a large group of 13 people at one table, which is against the restaurant’s COVID-19 policies.

“My general manager tells us we’re not supposed to sit a table over six because of the coronavirus,” Wallace said.

The teenager was attacked after she sat six people down at one table. Since she could not seat the rest of the party at the same table, she went to seat them at another one. She said the group got upset. Before she could get her manager, they attacked her, according to Baton Rouge police.

“She pushed me. And when she pushed me, all I knew was to push her back. I reacted. That’s when her and her daughters, they all came. And they’re grown women. I’m 17-years-old. They’re like, 20, 30, and the woman that pushed me looked like she was 40. So I’m standing there, they’re on me, beating me. I’m standing there trying to hit them, trying to get all of them off me. And the lady she takes a wet floor sign and slams it in my eye. And I had blood rushing everywhere,” Wallace said.

Wallace is also perplexed as to why no one came to help her and why the managers allowed them to leave the restaurant.

“The managers let them walk out. Like, how y’all let them leave like that? I mean, they could have locked the doors until the police came.”
Police obtained surveillance footage of the attack and a report was filed by Wallace.
“I want them in jail. I don’t think they should get away with this,” Wallace said, adding that though she technically still works at Chili’s but has no intention of returning.
by Derek Major

August 13, 2020

Trump Admits He’s Sabotaging The USPS To Hurt The Election

President Donald Trump admitted he’s intentionally withholding money from the U.S. Postal Service in order to affect the 2020 election.

“They need that money in order to make the Post Office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots,” Trump said on Fox Business Thursday morning, according to Vice. “But if they don’t get those two items, that means you can’t have universal mail-in voting, because they’re not equipped to have it.”

The comments explain why Trump and congressional Republicans have steadfastly refused to grant the Post Office additional funds in the latest round of negotiations over another coronavirus stimulus package. Trump, who has used mail-in voting for multiple elections, has spent months attacking mail-in voting, even as states have expanded it citing there’s little evidence showing fraud.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, is not only a supporter and friend of President Trump, but has donated between $30 million and $75 million in assets in postal service competitors or contractors. Dejoy has slowed down mail delivery considerably in at least 19 states.

Additionally, DeJjoy’s changes to the USPS have included overhauling the service’s senior leadership and directing carriers to leave on time immediately in the morning, resulting in them only delivering packages and letters sorted the prior night.

Trump made similar comments about the destruction of the USPS in recent White House press briefings.

“They don’t have the money to do the universal mail-in voting,” Trump said of the Post Office, which has requested billions in emergency funding. “So, therefore, they can’t do it, I guess. Are they going to do it even if they don’t have the money?”

Democrats have tried to fight back against the plan. Joe Biden campaign spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement, “The President of the United States is sabotaging a basic service that hundreds of millions of people rely upon, cutting a critical lifeline for rural economies and for delivery of medicines, because he wants to deprive Americans of their fundamental right to vote safely during the most catastrophic public health crisis in over 100 years.”

Democratic leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and others have sent a letter to Dejoy demanding a reversal of the recent changes at the USPS, saying the changes “threaten the timely delivery of mail—including medicines for seniors, paychecks for workers, and absentee ballots for voters—that is essential to millions of Americans.”

Iowa Governor Signs Executive Orders Restoring Felon Voting Rights
by Derek Major

August 13, 2020

Iowa Governor Signs Executive Orders Restoring Felon Voting Rights

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed an executive order granting convicted felons their voting rights after they complete their sentences.

Reynolds signed the order August 6, which removes Iowa as the only remaining state to broadly deny voting rights to felons. In signing the order Reynolds, a Republican, fulfilled a promise she made in June to issue the order.

Reynolds added she will keep pushing the state legislature to pass a constitutional amendment to prevent future governors from overturning the order.

Under the order, felons convicted of first- and second-degree murder, attempted murder, fetal homicide, and some sex offenses will not have their voting rights automatically restored. Instead, felons convicted of those crimes will have to petition the governor to restore their voting rights.

Betty Andrews, president of the Iowa-Nebraska NAACP, said the order will restore the voting rights of 40,000 former felons who have completed their prison sentences, probation, and parole.

“We absolutely encourage people to take this day and register,” Andrews said. “Now our work is to make sure that people are registered and understand as of today they don’t need to do paperwork, they don’t need to do anything like that. As of today they are allowed to vote.”

Felons will not have to make financial restitution to the state before being eligible to vote, a requirement opposed by the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa.

Mark Stringer, the executive director of the ACLU of Iowa, called the move to restore voting rights, a victory for the state.

“Iowa no longer is the only state in the country to permanently and for life ban its citizens from voting following any felony conviction,” Stringer said in a news release. “We’re relieved that the Governor’s order does not make eligibility to vote dependent on how much money a person has, that is, it’s not contingent on paying off fees and fines or other associated debts.”

Critics of the move, including many of Reynolds fellow Republicans, opposed the move, saying felons who owe restitution to victims must pay it before getting back their ability to vote. Voting rights advocates say such repayment schemes equate to a poll tax that would affect those who cannot afford it.

After recent changes made in Kentucky, Virginia, and Florida, Iowa was the only state to have broad constitutional language that revoked felons’ voting rights. Sixteen states restore the right to vote upon release and another 21 automatically restore it after the sentence is served, including parole and probation.

Florida added an amendment to its rule, forcing felons to pay a fee to restore their voting rights. Former Miami Heat forward LeBron James’ More Than A Vote Initiative has donated $100,000 to help former Florida felons vote in the 2020 election.

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