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https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2020/12/22/3-characters-lauren-mary-kim-stunt-the-mandalorian-season-2/
WARNING: The following contains spoilers from the second season of The Mandalorian. Lauren Mary Kim, a seasoned stunt actor and martial artist, has been making waves this past year for her work in two Star Wars productions. She did motion capture for the character of Ahsoka Tano in the series finale of The Clone Wars […]
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Many of us are unable to be with our family members this holiday season in attempt to protect them and ourselves from exposure to COVID-19. Other people are unable to be with their family members because more than 300,000 people have already died from the virus in the United States.
But for Tamika Palmer, she’ll be spending her first Christmas away from her daughter Breonna Taylor, because her life was taken from her when police officers erroneously raided the home where she and her boyfriend Kenneth Walker slept.
Recently, Palmer spoke to the ABC News podcast, Start Here about spending her first Christmas without her daughter.
Breonna loved Christmas. Breonna loved any holiday, really. She wanted everybody to come together.”
“She was just definitely always big on getting a family together and trying to have Christmas dinner, party game night, something. So here we are trying to put this together and she’s not here, and it’s so unreal because she’s the person that does that. She’s the person that everybody counts [on] because everybody wants to see Breonna. I’m not looking forward to it, I’ll say that.”
You can listen to Palmer in the clip below.
The full interview with Palmer will air on December 29. You can listen here.
The partnership between Taika Waititi and FX has given viewers something special. He brought his mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows to the small screen, where it has become one of our favorite shows on television. Now he’ll try to do it again with another comedy for the network. FX has announced that it has picked up his new series Reservation Dogs. It’s about a group of Native teens in Oklahoma who—since this is still a Taika Waititi we’re talking about—will both commit crimes and fight them.
Oooooh. Now we get the name of the show:
FX
The half-hour comedy (which we first heard about at Variety) will follow a group of Native teenagers in rural Oklahoma. Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok) is teaming with Seminole nation writer and director Sterlin Harjo (Mekko, Barking Water) on the series. Harjo also directed the pilot, filmed on location in Okmulgee, Oklahoma.
“As longtime friends, it was only natural that Taika and I found a project together, and what better than a show that celebrates the complementary storytelling styles of our indigenous communities—mine in Oklahoma and Taika’s in Aotearoa?” said Harjo in a statement.
Marvel
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Devery Jacobs, Paulina Alexis, and Lane Factor star as the four teenage stars. Tamara Podemski, Zahn McClarnon, Macon Blair, Kirk Fox, Matty Cardarople, Dallas Goldtooth, Lil Mike, and Funny Bone also appear in the first episode.
“Sterlin Harjo draws deeply on his experiences as a Native Oklahoman to make Reservation Dogs a true-to-life and incredibly funny story of youth, courage and misadventures,” said Nick Grad, President, Original Programming, FX Entertainment, in a release. “Taika Waititi lends his considerable talents to the series, helping Sterlin and their creative partner Garrett Basch produce a unique and original series we can’t wait for audiences to see.”
Considering we feel the same way about What We Do in the Shadows, we can’t wait either.
The post FX Orders Taika Waititi Comedy Series RESERVATION DOGS appeared first on Nerdist.
By Charli Penn ·December 22, 2020December 22, 2020
While so many things have changed in 2020, there are still some familiar things that remained the same—like, celebrities making headlines left and right, even from home.
This year, we celebrated celebrity nuptials, gasped at shocking splits and watched along as major relationship drama unfolded right before our eyes. From the entanglement heard ‘round the world that left us worried about one of our most beloved Black Hollywood couples to the heartbreak we shared with John Legend and Chrissy Teigen after they announced the loss of their child, this year was quite an emotional roller coaster and we’re still recovering.
Here we list the most talked about celebrity couples and news of 2020 and why we were invested.
01Will Smith and Jada Pinkett SmithIt was the “entanglement” heard round the world! After rumors began swirling that Pinkett Smith had stepped out on husband Will Smith with singer August Alsina, the actress brought herself to the table on her hit Facebook Watch show Red Table Talk to set the record straight. She confirmed that she had begun a relationship with Alsina while separated from Smith, who joined her on the show to share his thoughts on what happened too. The couple kept a united front and appeared to not only have worked through the difficult time in their marriage but to have come out of it stronger than ever before. Their real talk sit down on the show sparked countless memes after Pinkett-Smith referred to her relationship with Alsina as an “entanglement” and fans couldn’t stop talking about the bombshell reveal and episode.
Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic 02Taraji P. Henson and Kelvin HaydenAfter Taraji P. Henson postponed her spring wedding plans due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fans began speculating that she and her then-fiancé Kelvin Hayden may have called it quits, and it turns out they were right. The couple ended their engagement and Henson confirmed the news during an interview on The Breakfast Club in October. “I’m dedicated to the black man, y’all. I just turned 50 and I mean, I hadn’t said it yet, but it didn’t work out,” Henson said. “I tried. I was, like, therapy. Let’s do the therapy thing, but if you’re both not on the same page with that then you feel like, you’re taking it on yourself, and that’s not a fair position for anybody to play in a relationship.” In September, newly single Henson celebrated her 50th birthday in Cabo San Lucas with friends and went viral after showing off her fit bikini-clad physique. 
Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation 03John Legend and Chrissy TeigenIt was a heartbreaking year for the Legend family. Just one month after John Legend and wife Chrissy Teigen’s surprise announcement that they were expecting their third child, the couple shared the sad news that they’d lost their baby. Teigen suffered pregnancy complications that resulted in the loss of their unborn child and revealed the heartbreaking news to their fans via Instagram. Teigen went on to pen an op-ed on Medium about why she chose to share her pain publicly, addressing some of the concerns raised by those who didn’t support that she shared photos from such an intimate moment on social media. “I cannot express how little I care that you hate the photos. How little I care that it’s something you wouldn’t have done,” she wrote. “I lived it, I chose to do it, and more than anything, these photos aren’t for anyone but the people who have lived this or are curious enough to wonder what something like this is like. These photos are only for the people who need them.” 
Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Netflix 04Niecy Nash and Jessica BettsSurprise! In 2020 Niecy Nash took the internet by storm, announcing that she’d married singer Jessica Betts in a private ceremony. It was the third marriage for Nash, who was previously married to Don Nash (2004-2007) and Jay Tucker (2011-2020). By coming out and revealing she’d tied the knot at the same time, the newlyweds were trending for days as fans celebrated the actress finding true love and standing in her truth. 
Courtesy of Niecy Nash 05Barack Obama and Michelle ObamaFollowing on the heels of his wife and our forever FLOTUS Michelle Obama’s wildly successful 2018 memoir Becoming, former president Barack Obama released his own memoir in 2020, A Promised Land. The book is already well on its way to becoming the bestselling presidential memoir of all time and inside he opened up about how his presidency put a strain on their marriage and how they repaired and reconnected after a rocky period. “There were nights when, lying next to Michelle in the dark, I’d think about those days when everything between us felt lighter, when her smile was more constant and our love less encumbered,” he wrote, “and my heart would suddenly tighten at the thought that those days might not return.” Needless to say, this real talk from the nations favorite former first couple, had everyone reading and unpacking. Moral of the story: love prevailed for the Obamas and it can for us too! 
Getty 06Cardi B and OffsetIn September, just days shy of their third wedding anniversary, news broke that Cardi B had filed for divorce from her husband Offset. The rappers, who secretly married in September 2017, share a 2-year-old daughter named Kulture, whom Cardi was reportedly seeking primary custody of at the time. At the time it seemed that neither half of the on-again-off-again couples had an intention of salvaging the relationship, but in November Cardi surprised fans by announcing she’d called off the divorce and they’d reconciled. 
Photo by Prince Williams/WireImage 07Jhené Aiko and Big SeanOn again, off again, back on again lovebirds, musicians Big Sean and Jhene Aiko, have a complicated relationships to say the least. But this year, the couple put their rekindled love on full display. In April, the couple went live together on Instagram to discuss their unique bond, how they make each other better and why they’re enjoying each other’s company during this tumultuous time. Big Sean even hinted that plans to marry Aiko were “in the works.” Then in October, the sultry couple turned up the heat at the BET Hip Hop Awards 2020 with a super spicy performance of “Body Language.” Whether you love to see it or prefer to just keep scrolling, there’s no denying that the couple has captivated our 2020 feeds. 
Photo by 2020HHA/Getty Images via Getty Images 08Gabrielle Union and Dwyane WadeAfter his daughter came out as transgender earlier this year, retired Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, gave their full support and love for Zaya, born Zion. They joined her on the red carpet in matching outfits and recently Wade penned a heartfelt Instagram post professing his endless love and support for her. The Wade family continues to lead by example and show that their so much power in love, grace and vulnerability. 
Andrew Toth/Getty Images 09Russell Wilson and CiaraThe Wilsons expanded their fun-loving family in 2020 and trended time and time again as they shared their joy. First, Ciara (and her incredibly fit knees) had us gasping and clapping after she was seen dropping it like a pro just two days before giving birth in the video for her new single “Rooted” which dropped during the early days of the pandemic. Ciara and Russell welcomed baby Win Harrison Wilson in July! 
Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images for All In WA 10Saweetie and QuavoRappers Saweetie and Quavo’s three-year romance is still going strong and like many couples whose love story plays out in public, that occasionally means they’ll get caught up in the gossip windmills. This year, when rumors circulated that Quavo might be cheating, the Internet began to spread it like wildfire. But Saweetie brushed it off with a classic clapback on Twitter: “”Quit spreading that fake news before y’all get Quavo a** in trouble cuz I don’t play that sh*t.” Most recently the couple hinted that they may have plans to start a family. 
Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic 11Iman Shumpert and Teyana TaylorOver Labor Day weekend 2020, Teyana Taylor and hubby Iman Shumpert welcomed another baby at home, surrounded by love. Their second daughter was birthed at home in their bathroom just like her big sister Junie, and the proud papa made the big announcement via Instagram. 
Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Roger Dubuis 12Gizelle Bryant and Pastor Jamal H. BryantAny plot-line from a Bravo housewives franchise is like catnip for internet gossip and the Real Housewives of Potomac star Gizelle Bryant’s relationship with her ex-husband turned current boyfriend Pastor Jamal Bryant has been no exception. After Bryant indicated she and Bryant had rekindled their relationship, on the Season 5 reunion show castmate Monique Samuels brought alleged receipts that showed Jamal was cheating on Giselle. The couple deny the allegations and say they’re moving forward for the holidays but the shocking and shady moment will go down in reality TV reunion show history. 
Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images 13Cynthia Bailey and Mike HillLove was not cancelled in 2020! Atlanta ‘housewife’ Cynthia Bailey made it to the altar safely, despite the coronavirus pandemic moving full speed. Bailey and her now-husband Mike Hill pulled off a socially distant glam wedding event with tight protocols which included testing and guidelines for keeping your distance the day-of. Of course, the wedding warmed the heart of RHOA fans. Congrats to the Hills! 
Photo by: Steve Dietl/Bravo 14Rotimi and Vanessa MdeeFans’ favorite “Sexy Nigerian Buttascotch”, actor and singer Rotimi, is happily off the market these days and he and his girlfriend, Tanzanian VJ and musician Vanessa Mdee, could not have been more adorable in 2020. The couple, who actually met at ESSENCE Festival, have a magnetic spark that keeps fans swooning. Rotimi has been so inspired by his real-life chemistry with Mdee, he recently cast her to play his leading lady in the video “Love Somebody.” 
Instagram TOPICS: Chrissy Teigen Dwyane Wade Gabrielle Union Jada Pinkett Smith John Legend Will SmithThe post The Most Talked About Celebrity Couples Of 2020 appeared first on Essence.