“Brangelina” divorce after child abuse allegations

On Monday, Sept. 19, actress Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from actor Brad Pit.

This news comes shortly after the couple’s two-year wedding anniversary. The couple formally known as, Brangelina, has been together for a total of 12 years and has six kids together.

A source close to actor Brad Pit stated, “He got a heads-up two days before, and he was appealing to her to do this quietly – not to save the marriage but to consider the well -being of the children – and it was ignored. He is just wrecked by this.”

Pit is reportedly under investigation for child abuse by the L.A. County Department of Children and Family services. According to TMZ, there was an incident in which Pitt reportedly got verbally and physically abusive with the couple’s eldest child, Maddox, 15.

Hollywood Life states that Jolie wants full custody of the couple’s six kids; three biological and three adopted.

TMZ is claiming the reasoning of the divorce was because of Pit’s anger issues, rumors of infidelity, smoking marijuana, and overly drinking alcohol.

Mary J. Blige files for divorce from husband and manager

In other news, singer Mary J. Blige also files for divorce from husband/manager Martin “Kendu” Isaacs; ending their 13 year marriage.

According to In Touch Weekly, Blige cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split.

A rep for Blige tells TMZ, “Ms. Blige is saddened to say it is true that she has filed for divorce saying sometimes things don’t work how we hoped they would…but, there is a divine plan and a reason for everything. Mary will continue writing and working on her album which is due to come out later this year along with her world tour. She thanks and appreciates her fans for their support and love through this very difficult emotional time.”

Kendu recently responded to Blige’s divorce appeal and is reportedly asking for spousal support and wants Blige to pay for all of his lawyer’s fees.

Ex-wife of legendary singer, Prince, reveals Prince’s drug usage in book

In the meantime, the ex-wife of the late Prince is planning to write a tell all book about the couple’s relationship.

Prince’s ex-wife, Mayte Garcia, has confirmed that she will write a book about her time with the legendary singer.

The couple was married for four years in the 90s and allegedly had a son in 1996 who was born with Pfeiffer syndrome, a rare genetic disorder, who later died. Garcia was also Prince’s first wife.

“I want to share our love story, and with it the highs and lows – always coming from a loving place, as this man is still part of my family and always will be,” said Garcia; in an interview with Metro blog.

The memoir is set to be released in April on the anniversary of Prince’s death; the book is titled “The Most Beautiful.”

“Prince was loved all throughout the world but few knew him intimately. And ours was a rare, almost otherworldly connection.” Matye explained according to the daily mail.

Allegedly, this book will not only contain the highs and lows of Garcia and Prince’s four-year relationship, but it will also reveal drug usage in the 90s and the singer’s thoughts on some of the biggest names in music.

New Orleans Saints football player killed

The NFL community was rocked to its core with the fatal shooting of former Saints player, Will Smith. The defensive end was shot and killed because of an apparent road rage incident in New Orlean’s upscale Lower Garden District.

According to New Orleans police, Smith’s Mercedes Benz SUV was rear-ended by an H2 Hummer driven by suspected shooter Cardell Hayes, which caused the SUV to crash into another car. The two got into a verbal altercation when Hayes’ reportedly shot both Smith and Smith’s wife Raquel, who was wounded in the leg.

According to Hayes’ attorney, he ran into the back of Smith’s car after trying to chase down a hit-and-run driver who had rear-ended his Hummer just moments before.

After the shooting, Hayes stayed on the scene and even called 911. Once police arrived, he was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. He is currently being held on a $1 million bond.

Gap receives backlash for children’s ad

Popular clothing company, The Gap, is receiving a ton of backlash for an advertisement that people are calling racially insensitive. Last week, Gap released advertisements for a new kid’s line in partnership with talk show host Ellen DeGeneres called Le PeTiT CiRque.

Gap took to twitter to introduce the line, uploading an advertisement picture with a caption that said, “Meet the girls who are proving that girls can do anything.” However, it wasn’t the caption that turned people off, it was the advertisement.

The picture features four little girls, three white and one black. While two of the girls are striking a pose, the other child is using the black child’s head as a prop to rest her arm on. In addition, in the advertisement video, while the other three girls had speaking roles, the black child remained silent.

The image caused the users of Twitter to erupt in anger.

“@GapKids What is the message for Black girls? Are they meant to be seen as subordinate? Shame on you, Gap!” -@VeganWhileBlack

“@GapKids proving girls can do anything… unless she’s Black. Then all she can do is bear the weight of White girls. #EpicFail” -@TheTherapyDiva

All of the controversy surrounding the picture turned out to be a big misunderstanding. The two girls centered around the controversy are adoptive sisters, daughters of “Grey’s Anatomy” actor Brooke Smith.

Smith went on Twitter to clear the air by saying:

“Girl with arm resting on her shoulder is her sister. She didn’t talk in video because she was 2 shy. Everyone needs to calm down.”

Gap Founder Nathalie Yves Gaulthier released the following statement via ABC News:

“The child in the ad is not an “armrest,” she’s the other girl’s little sister. Our company is deeply saddened by some people misconstruing this as racist, and are keeping the children out of this at the moment to protect their beautiful feelings, but we are extremely supportive of dialogue in our country to move past any racial barriers. We stand by Gap Kids and Ellen DeGeneres.”

The like button on Facebook gets an upgrade

On last Wednesday, Feb. 24, Facebook unveiled its new update where users can now do more than just like a post. With the new “reactions” feature, users can now react to a post with a variety of emotions.

Users are now able to select emoji-based reactions to like posts such as “love” “haha” “wow” “sad” and “angry”. To do this on the mobile app, hold down the like button and the variety of emotion emoji’s will pop up. For desktop, simply hover the mouse over the like button.

According to TheNextWeb.com, Facebook said that after more than a year of testing and research, the reactions are now ready for prime time. Also, users can expect to see more reactions being added in the future.

#FreeKesha

Last week, a New York judge ruled against a court injunction that would get pop singer Kesha out of her six-album contract with Sony Music. The “Tik Tok” singers number one reason for wanting to end her contract is to get away from producer Dr. Luke, who Kesha has accused of sexually, physically, and verbally abusing her for over 10 years.

According to NY Daily News, Sony says that they have offered to let Kesha work with another producer, but the she fears that they won’t promote her music.

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich refused to let the singer out of her contract stating that Sony would suffer “irreparable harm” and it would undermine the s

tate’s law governing contracts and the court couldn’t do that.

Since the ruling, Kesha has received an outpouring of support from fans. Fans held a protest outside of Sony Headquarters and started the #FreeKesha movement, which has been trending on social media for over a week.

Tons of celebrities have shown their support for Kesha as well, including Lady Gaga, Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande, and Taylor Swift, who donated $250,000.

Kelly Clarkson tweeted, “Trying to not say anything since I can’t say anything nice about a person. So this is me not talking about Dr. Luke.”

Lady Gaga tweeted, “There are people all over the world who love you @KeshaRose. And I can say truly I am in awe of your bravery.”

Fans have started a GoFundMe to help raise money to buy the singer out of her contract with Sony.

ABC gets first African-American president

ABC has made history by naming Channing Dungey the new president of the network, making her the first African-American to run a major network.

Dungey replaced Paul Lee, who stepped down from the position because of differences with Ben Sherwood, co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney/ABC Television Group.

Before becoming president, Dungey was the executive vice president of ABC drama developments overseeing popular ABC shows including “Scandal”, “How to Get Away with Murder” and “Criminal Minds”. She has been working for ABC for seven years.

In response to her historical appointment, Dungey expressed her gratitude.

“I’m thrilled and humbled that Ben has entrusted me with this tremendous opportunity,” said Dungey. “I’ve had the great honor of working alongside the talented team at ABC for many years and look forward to starting this new chapter with them.”

Kanye West releases new album

After much anticipation, more than a year of teases, and three name changes, rapper Kanye West finally released his 7th studio album, “The Life of Pablo”, on Feb. 13 on Tidal.

Fans were able to have a first listen of the album on Thursday, Feb. 11 as it premiered during West’s fashion show for his new clothing line, Yeezy Season 3, at Madison Square Garden. The album was initially supposed to release the following day but was pushed back a day due to last minute changes.

The 18 track album features Rihanna, Frank Ocean, Chris Brown, Kendrick Lamar and many more.

So far, “The Life of Pablo” has received positive reviews. Metacritic gave the album a high score of 8.7 while Spin Magazine gave it a 7.6.

West’s feels as if this is his best album to date, declaring it to be “the best album of all time.” He also describes the album as “a gospel album with a lot of cursing in it.”

The album is currently streaming exclusively on Tidal and will be available for purchase next week.

Ciara slaps Future with $15 million lawsuit

Things are not looking too good between R&B singer Ciara and her rapper ex-fiancé Future. According to TMZ, Ciara filed a defamation lawsuit against Future in January claiming that he is trying to ruin her career with false statements and accusations.

The two have been involved in an on-going custody battle over their 2-year-old son. Future blasted the singer on Twitter last month for supposedly keeping their son away from him and accusing her of having control issues.

Ciara claims that the rappers accusations are false. In the lawsuit, she states that Future has seen their son a total of 19 times since Dec. 2014 with occasional visits being several days. According to TheYBF.com, the singer also feels that the rapper is exploiting her relationship with Seahawk baller Russel Wilson to help promote his music.

According to TMZ, Future later responded to the lawsuit calling it “absurd” and is considering a countersuit.

Taraji P. Henson lands movie role as NASA Mathematician

Actress Taraji P. Henson will be coming back to the big screen to portray NASA scientist and mathematician Katherine Johnson in the film “Hidden Figures”.

According to ABC 13 News, Katherine Johnson worked as a research mathematician and physicist at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia for 33 years.

The story is an adaptation of the Margot Lee Shetterly book “Hidden Figures: The Story of the African-American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race”.

According to Variety.com, the story will center on Johnson, who along with her colleagues Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Jackson, served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in U.S. history – the momentous launch of astronaut John Glen to orbit, and his safe return.

The “Empire” star says that this project is important and that she is honored to portray Johnson.

Production is set to begin in March and the film is expected to release in January 2017 according to Shadow & Act.

DeRay McKesson runs for mayor

DeRay McKesson, a leading figure in the Black Lives Matter movement, has entered the race to become the mayor of Baltimore. The Baltimore native decided to run for mayor just 10 minutes before the deadline on, Feb. 4, according to the Washington Post.

The 30-year-old is most known for his works of activism in the Ferguson, Mo. and Baltimore, Md. protests.

McKesson, who is running as a Democrat, took to his blog to formally announce his candidacy.

“I have come to realize that the traditional pathway to politics, and the traditional politicians who follow these well-worn paths, will not lead us to the transformational change our city needs,” said McKesson.

He plans to release his policy platform and a plan for Baltimore in the upcoming week.

#BeingBlackAtLSU

Last Wednesday, African-American students at LSU took to Twitter to discuss the daily struggles they face at the predominately white university.

According to LSU Now, the conversation started after a white LSU student made a post on Facebook suggesting that the university should start a White

Student Union. In response to this, the Black Student Union started the hashtag  #BeingBlackatLSU.

Some of the comments found on Twitter included:

“Being called “sensitive” because you call out the micro-aggressions expressed by classmates #BeingBlackatLSU” @JonathanRBrown

“#BeingBlackatLSU was not created to bash our institution. The school is not the problem. People’s actions are the problem.” @groovytishaaa

The University president, F. King Alexander, quickly took to Twitter to respond to the hashtag.

“While #BeingBlackatLSU demonstrates that we have some areas that need work, I’m proud of our students for sharing their experiences,” said Alexander. He continued, “LSU is committed to providing a welcoming learning environment for all students.”

Beyoncé releases new single “Formation”

Singer superstar Beyoncé had the internet going wild Saturday evening after the surprise release of her new single, “Formation” with a video to go with it.

“Formation”, produced by Mike Will Made It, is a gritty up-tempo with catchy lyrics that embraces the singers Louisiana roots.

In the music video, shot in New Orleans, she owns her blackness by showing portraits of famous Civil Rights activists and making several references to the Black Lives Matters movement and police brutality.

In the opening of the video, Beyoncé sits atop a sinking police car. The video also shows the image of a graffiti wall with the words “stop shooting us” spray painted on it. You also see a chilling scene where a young black boy dances in front of a SWAT Team.

The surprise release of her single and video sent waves through the internet. Fans took to twitter to give their opinions on the video.

“Beyoncé sat on top of a police car and sank it. During #BlackHistoryMonth. I have chills.” @beneviera

“Sinking a police car, young & older black girls rocking their afros, portraits of African ancestors, the police surrendering. I. Am. Living.” @mistysknight

“There’s a message in Formation, listen closely.” @TerryThierry

According to Billboard, “Formation” No. 1 on the real-time Billboard + Twitter Trending 140 chart is. The single and video are currently only available through Tidal as both a free download and a stream.

#OscarsSoWhite

Nominations for the 88th Academy Awards, aka The Oscars, were announced last Tuesday leaving the African-American community outraged. For the second year in a row, there has not been a single black person nominated for an Oscar.

The year of 2015 was filled with African-American actors and actresses taking on ground-breaking roles in critically acclaimed movies such as “Creed”, “Straight Outta Compton”, and “Beasts of No Nation”.

The African-American community, including Al Sharpton and Octavia Spencer took to Twitter to express their frustrations, creating the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite.

“I thought for sure #IdrisElba would get a nom for that brilliant performance in #BeastsofNoNation,” tweeted Spencer.

Sharpton followed with his own outrage.

“All white Oscar nominations are another example of the lack of diversity in Hollywood. Like the Rocky Mts. The higher you climb, the whiter,” tweeted Sharpton.

“Michael B Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Idris Elba, Abraham Attah, Samuel L Jackson, Mya Taylor, Teyonah Parris – no excuses. #OscarsSoWhite” @Sam_McCosh

“There’s no possible way that only white actors are good enough to get nominated. Don’t say this isn’t a racial issue. #OscarsSoWhite” @culturedyouthco

“Unless you’re portraying a stereotypical role, chances are you won’t get nominated. #OscarsSoWhite” @urblacknan

As a result of the outrage, Academy president, Cheryl Boone Isaacs addressed the awards lack of diversity:

“Of course I am disappointed, but is not to take away the greatness of the films nominated. This has been a great year in film, it really has across the board. You are never going to know what is going to appear on the sheet of paper until you see it,” Isaacs said. “We have got to speed it up.”

The Oscars, hosted by Chris Rock, will take place on Feb. 28, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Calif.

ABC Family renamed Freeform

Television network ABC Family was officially rebranded as Freeform on Jan. 12. The transition left many viewers confused and wondering what will happen next.

Freeform President, Tom Ascheim, assured viewers that they had nothing to worry about.

“We’re not recruiting a new audience, we’re building on a really strong audience,” Ascheim told TheWrap.com “We’re not doing a new kind of content, we can draw upon the strengths of who we are and what we are.”

Freeform is the home to successful shows such as “Pretty Little Liars” and “The Fosters” drawing an average of 1.087 million viewers according to Nielsen ratings. New shows will also be premiering this spring such as “Shadowhunters” and “Recovery Road.”

Céline Dion’s husband passes away

René Angélil, 73, passed away on Jan. 14 after a long battle with throat cancer.

Angélil was the manager-turned-husband to singer Céline Dion. He is credited for making Dion into the mega-star that she is today.

Angélil was diagnosed with throat cancer 1998 and beat the illness twice. In September of 2015, Dion announced that Angélil had become extremely ill from cancer and only had months to live.

He is survived by his wife, ex-wife, six children, and seven grandchildren. According to People Magazine, he was laid to rest on Jan. 22 at Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal. Further devastating the star, her brother passed two days after her husband.

Howard University Marching Band protests after not receiving scholarships

Howard University’s S.H.O.W.T.I.M.E. Marching Band wants their money.

At halftime, at Howard’s football game on last Saturday, the band staged a “silent showtime”, announcing that they will no longer perform until they receive answers from the administration about why they have yet to receive their scholarships.

“As a band, we decided to wear all black for the lack of a budget, more specifically scholarships for the band program, and to shed light on the lack of financial support for the student body,” a band member told the crowd. “Until the university addresses these issues, we will not support this university with our musicianship.”

Band members told TheeTru1Project blog that not one member of the band has received any scholarship money. When the students tried to reach out to administration, they received no answers. As a result of no answers, the band will remain silent until they get them.

Band members took to Twitter to voice their concerns using the hashtag #SilentShowtime:

@PaidInFull_3: “#SilentShowtime When you love something so much it hurts when it becomes bad for you. No Scholarships-No Sound”

@LoveKissKY_: “Graduating seniors couldn’t register because they have not received their scholarships, still praying for my fellow band family #SilentShowtime”

@love_casualty: “Practicing everyday regardless of weather conditions in order to support our university while they refuse to support us #SilentShowtime”

Howard University released the following statement apologizing to band members:

“Howard University strongly supports the Showtime Marching Band and Concert Band and apologizes for any inconvenience caused by the recent delay of marching band scholarship applications. The Howard University Showtime Marching Band and Concert Band both have a rich legacy at the institution and university officials met with students to understand their concerns.   The University will honor all scholarship commitments made to currently enrolled participants and is actively working to apply these awards as soon as possible.”

Spike Lee reveals “Chi-raq” trailer

Legendary movie director Spike Lee has everyone talking about his new film, “Chi-raq”. The trailer for the film hit the net last week and instantly went viral.

The satirical film focuses on the gang violence in Chicago and is inspired by the Greek comedy, Lysistrata.  In the film, the women of Chicago will withhold sex from men in order to stop the violence.

The movie trailer sparked controversy. Although some critics called the film “genius,” other critics and many of the citizens in Chicago accused Lee of making a mockery out of Chicago. They are upset at Lee for taking a comedic approach to addressing Chicago’s gun violence problems.

The people of Chicago were also turned off by films title. “Chi-raq” is a slang term that combines Chicago and Iraq, comparing the city to a war zone because of its violence.

Lee responded to all of the criticism behind the film in a clip posted on his 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks Vimeo channel.

“Some people are getting it twisted, and thinking this is a comedy. ‘Chi-raq’ is not a comedy. ‘Chi-raq’ is a satire, said Lee. In no way, shape or form are we not respectful of the situation that’s happening in ‘Chi-Raq’. In no way, shape or form are we making light of the lives that have been murdered in this senseless violence. People, don’t get it twisted. This film is about serious business.”

“Chi-raq” will hit movie theaters on Dec. 4.

Simone Biles makes history at World Championship
Simone Biles competed last week at the World Gymnastics Championship in Glasgow, Scotland and won big.

Biles, 18, made history by being the first woman to win three world all-around titles in a row.

Biles expressed her gratitude to reporters after her big win:

“Everyone wanted the three-peat and I wanted it, so tonight I felt the pressure and it wasn’t my best meet,” said Biles. “What surprises me is that it was a bad meet for me and to still come out on top with the largest margin of victory was really crazy because I could have done so much better.”

Olympic gold medalist, Gabby Douglas, followed closely behind her teammate coming in second place nabbing the silver medal.

In the 2012 Olympics, Douglas made history by becoming the first African-American to receive the all-around title.

Black girls rock!

Rihanna signs $25 million Samsung deal
It looks like Rihanna will be releasing her new album, “Anti”, in a non-traditional way.

The New York Post revealed that the singer signed a $25 million sponsorship deal with Samsung sponsoring her upcoming album and tour.

According to the New York Post, Samsung will use Rihanna to help promote its line of Galaxy phones, and in return, release her new album and exclusive content to all Samsung users via its Milk Music radio app.

Although a release date has yet to be revealed, it is speculated that Rihanna will be releasing “Anti” within the next few weeks.

A violent arrest at a South Carolina high school causes controversy
Last week, a video of a police officer violently yanking a female student from her desk and arresting her hit the net and quickly went viral.

The incident took place at Spring Valley High School in Columbia, S.C. In the video, Officer Ben Fields, the high school resource officer, is seen yanking the student from her seat, causing the girl and the desk to flip over, and dragging her several feet across the room and arresting her.

According to school officials, Fields was called into the classroom after the student refused to leave after being caught on her cellphone. When she refused to get up after being told to do so by the officer, he proceeded to throw her out of her desk and arrest her.

The video sparked national outrage making headlines on major new outlets. Many people were upset at how the officer handled the situation. The video gained millions of views on Facebook and the hashtag, #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh, trended at number one on Twitter for two days in a row.

Some of the tweets included:

“Stop excusing brutality with “she deserved it.” She didn’t. Nobody does. She deserves respect, not violence. #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh”

“And again our young black girls are literally tossed around like rag dolls. #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh”

“Just saw the #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh. Deplorable & disturbing on many levels. A firing and an apology is not enough here.”

As a result of the incident, Fields was placed on administrative leave on last Monday and fired on Wednesday.

Adele releases new single

After a four year hiatus, singer superstar Adele has returned to the music scene with her new single, “Hello”.

The Grammy and Oscar-winning singer first teased fans with the new song during an episode of “The X-Factor”. “Hello” was released as a single on iTunes last Friday along with an accompanying music video.

“Hello” is an emotional breakup song where the singer apologizes to an ex-boyfriend.

“I tried to tell you I’m sorry for breaking your heart. But it don’t matter. It clearly doesn’t tear you apart anymore,” sang Adele.

The single is currently number one on iTunes and surged to number one on the Billboard Twitter Trending 140 chart. In addition to releasing a new song, Adele is also set to release her long awaited new album, “25”. The singer revealed the news about her new album in an open letter to her fans.

My last record was a break-up record and if I had to label this one I would call it a make-up record. I’m making up with myself,” said Adele. “25” is about getting to know who I’ve become without realizing. And I’m sorry it took so long, but you know, life happened, said Adele in the letter.

The album is set to be released on Nov. 20.

Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom call off divorce

After Lamar Odom’s near death experience, he and estranged wife Khloe Kardashian decide to give their marriage a second chance.

After four years of marriage, Khloe Kardashian filed for divorce in December of 2013, but the case was never finalized because it was never processed by a judge. Therefore, the two were never officially divorced.

According to TMZ, on last Wednesday, Kardashian’s lawyer went before a judge asking that their divorced papers be withdrawn. Both Lamar and Khloe signed the document requesting for their divorce case to be dismissed. The judge obliged.

The reality star vows to stay by Odom’s side during his long road of recovery.

Oklahoma State suffers deadly car crash at Homecoming parade

An Oklahoma parade turned deadly last Saturday as a result of a car plowing through the audience during the Oklahoma State University Homecoming parade. As a result, four people were killed and 47 were injured.

Victims of the crash range from 2-years-old to 65. The car was not a part of the parade and was traveling at a high rate of speed.

The driver was identified as Adacia Chambers, 25, of Stillwater, Oklahoma. According to CNN, Chambers was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and later charged with second degree murder.

OSU released a statement on Twitter giving their condolences:

“Oklahoma State University is saddened by the tragic parade incident earlier this morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected.”