Here’s what’s trending today in news and entertainment!
Tiffany Haddish says she turned down a chance to audition for Get Out because she didn’t “need no extra demon curses.” On Late Night with Seth Meyers, the actress explained why she doesn’t do scary movies, telling Meyers, “That’s demonized kind of stuff. That’s the white man trying to take people’s souls out their body and opening up brains. That sounds like some demon stuff to me.”(YouTube)
Nicki Minaj is dropping two new songs on Thursday and fans are counting down. The rapper has been MIA for quite some time, but is set to make her return with “Barbie Tingz” and “Chun-Li.” Minaj shared the single art for the new songs along with the time of the drop. (Twitter)
BET has ordered a reboot of Eddie Murphy’s Boomerang, which will be adapted into a series. The film will be reimagined as a half-hour comedy. No news on who is attached to the project, but we’re hoping there will be cameos from the film’s original stars. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Samuel L. Jackson is skeptical that Black Panther will change Black storytelling. In a recent interview, the actor said, “I’m not positive that Black Panther is going to change the dynamic of black stories being told in Hollywood and being accepted all over the world.” The actor added that the film’s genre helped propel it, but “a drama about somebody’s life experience” may not get the same shine. Jackson said that once Black storylines are considered an enigma, then real influence may happen. (Vogue Arabia)
Sanaa Lathan is joining Ashton Sanders for the adaptation of Richard Wright’s Native Son. Lathan will play Trudy Thomas, a widow struggling to raise three children in Chicago. (Deadline)
Master P has Lamar Odom to thank for stepping in between him and Kobe Bryant. The rapper says he and Bryant nearly come to blows in the Lakers facility years ago, but Odom stepped in to play peacemaker. Master P didn’t go into detail about what led to the fight. (TMZ)
Maryland has passed a law that prohibits sex between officers and detainees. While the state’s law isn’t as exacting as the one recently passed in New York, Maryland Delegate Brooke Lierman said passing the bill “was a first step” in getting more “comprehensive protections.” (BuzzFeed News)
A new study has found that trans kids face lower rates of depression and suicide when allowed to use their chosen name. A study from the University of Texas at Austin surveyed 129 transgender young people and found that kids who could use their chosen name experienced 71 percent less symptoms of severe depression and a 65 percent reduction in suicidal attempts. (HuffPost)