You may remember an incident in 2013 when Kanye West attacked a photographer named Daniel Ramos outside of the Los Angeles airport. The case was scheduled to go to court next week but Ramos’ attorney, Gloria Allred, says they’ve reached a settlement and West has apologized. No word yet on the terms of the settlement but Ramos and Allred still consider this a victory.
“Celebrities are not above the law, and they have no right to physically attack someone simply because they were asked a question,” Allred wrote in a statement. [Yahoo! News]
Maya Angelou’s official U.S. Forever Stamp was revealed yesterday featuring the beloved poet’s smiling face and the quote: “A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” There’s just one problem. Apparently, that’s not a Maya Angelou quote.
Poet Joan Walsh Anglund confirmed to the Washington Post that that’s a verse taken from a previously published book of her poetry. Well, that’s embarrassing. No word yet on if they’ll revise the stamp. [Jezebel]
Every year after Black Girls Rock! airs, certain people cry foul and express offense at the award show dedicated to celebrating Black womanhood. The hashtag #WhiteGirlsRock quickly started trending on Twitter following the show and creator Beverly Bond was quick to respond.
“When I heard about the ‘#whitegirlsrock’ hashtag that trended on Twitter, my immediate reaction was, ‘Well, duh! Of course white girls rock. Are they unaware?’” Bond wrote in an op-ed for The Root. “White women’s beauty, talent, diversity and worldly contributions are affirmed everywhere.”
“The affirmation Black Girls Rock! does not mean other girls don’t rock,” she added. “Saying that we rock is a response to the tremendous neglect that Black girls feel.” Well said, Beverly!
[The Root]
Blues legend B.B. King was hospitalized over the weekend reportedly due to dehydration. King, who also suffers from Type II diabetes, posted a message on his Facebook yesterday assuring his fans that he is A-Okay.
“I want to thank everyone for their concern and good wishes. I’m feeling much better and am leaving the hospital today,” he wrote. [People]
Today at 10pm, Jazmine Sullivan will be performing at Iron City in Birmingham, Alabama. Can’t make it to see the show in person? Good news. Yahoo and Live Nation are live streaming her performance so J-Sullivan fans can get the front row seat experience directly from their laptops. Click here to catch the concert.
The fact that Sasha and Malia Obama are listed among TIME’s Most Influential Teens is news to their mother. First Lady Michelle Obama says with a smile that her teenage daughters have done little to nothing to deserve that title.
“Yeah, I don’t know why they’re on the list,” she joked on Live With Kelly and Michael. “They’re not influential. They just live here [In the White House]. They have done nothing to gain influence.” [Necole Bitchie]
