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It appears that former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams has gone Hollywood. In addition to fighting voter suppression tactics and positioning herself as a running mate on the ticket with the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, Abrams has assumed a new role as executive producer for a new television show in development at CBS, according to The Hollywood Reporter

The drama is based on Never Tell, a 2004 novel about a sleuthing criminal psychologist she wrote under her nom de plume. During a fireside chat at BLACK ENTERPRISE‘s Women of Power Summit earlier this year, the former Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives shared that writing fictional works was one of her great interests and has produced a series of eight such crime novels. Abrams has also written a nonfictional New York Times best-seller on leadership and her life in politics, Minority Leader: How To Lead From The Outside and Make Real Change.

In October, Abrams signed with UTA, citing in a released statement that she partnered with the talent agency “on projects that will further my work and reflect my passions. As the Hollywood of the South, Georgia’s film and entertainment industry is a central part of our economy and culture. This partnership will allow me to provide my perspective as a Georgian, a politician, and an entrepreneur while working on projects in a vibrant and thriving Georgia industry.”

Abrams is not the only politician to embrace media and entertainment as another platform to communicate interests and ideas. In fact, she has modeled her next campaign from exemplars at the highest level: Earlier this year, The New York Times reported on the announcement from Barack and Michelle Obama, the former U.S. President and first lady, that their production company, Higher Ground, was engaged in several projects with Netflix as part of a multiyear deal. The Obamas have been involved in the creation of a biopic on black abolitionist Frederick Douglass and several documentaries, including American Factory, a highly-acclaimed film on an Ohio-based factory opened by a Chinese billionaire that has gained considerable Oscar buzz.

With Abrams’ new CBS series and UTA deal, it’s possible that the public may see her on the red carpet as well as at the ballot box.

Anyone else out there want another dish besides turkey for Thanksgiving? If so, believe it or not, you’re not alone. A recent Yahoo survey revealed many Americans are moving beyond making the turkey as the center of attraction. Why not try some of these turkey alternatives this year?

Roasted Leg of Lamb with Black Cherry-Pomegranate Salsa

(Pinterest)

“One of the most exciting cuts of meat to celebrate with is a bone-in leg of lamb. The presentation is so luscious on a big carving board or platter. Up in Michigan, we are always looking for new ways to eat our abundant cherries–dressed with pomegranate molasses and spooned over the lamb, they taste just as striking as they look, a perfect sweet and tangy balance to the rich meat.” (Source: Maureen Abood of Yahoo.com)

Slow-Cooked Duck with Green Olives and Herbes de Provence

(Pinterest)

“This is the most forgiving and delicious duck recipe you’ll ever find. By slow-cooking duck with aromatics until it’s as tasty and tender as confit, then broiling it until the skin is shatter-crisp, Paula Wolfert manages to play to all of the bird’s strengths.”(Source: Food and Wine Magazine)

Very Vegetable Lasagna

(Pinterest)

“Spinach is the star of this vegetable lasagna recipe. The veggie-based recipe makes one large lasagna (9 by 13 inches) or two smaller ones (8 by 8). For the perfect make-ahead meal, prepare two vegetable lasagnas; bake one now, and freeze the other for later.”
(Source: Martha Stewart)

Cuban-Style Shredded Beef (Ropa Vieja)

“This version of ropa vieja is made with beef and accented with olives and capers. The recipe first appeared in the April 2012 Saveur issue along with Kathleen Squires’s story, Spanish Conquest.” (Source: Saveur.com)

Smoked Pork Sausage with Hard-Cider Sauce

(Pinterest)

“Classic autumn flavors come together in this crowd-pleasing dish of smoked pork sausage with a sweet-tart hard-cider sauce and sauteed broccoli.” (Source: Food and Wine Magazine)

Editors’ Note: This piece was originally published on November 18, 2018.

Last Tuesday, Variety reported on how former America’s Got Talent host Gabrielle Union was reportedly fired from the show after she had raised concerns about the “toxic environment” on that show that included racist jokes. Union and her fellow host, Julian Hough (who was also not asked to return after season 14) were also reportedly subject to extensive notes on their appearances. Hough denies this allegation, but Union was reportedly critiqued for having hairstyles that were “too black.”

Following the firestorm and the surge of support for Union after these allegation surfaces, ow, the producers of the show have reached out, again to Variety, and issued a joint statement:

We remain committed to ensuring a respectful workplace for all employees and take very seriously any questions about workplace culture…We are working with Ms. Union through her representatives to hear more about her concerns, following which we will take whatever next steps may be appropriate.

Union has not personally addressed or commented on this, however many have seen her retweet of writer Joelle Monique (a friend of the site and all-around great writer) and her commentary on it as a kind of statement.

This! This! AND THIIISSSSSSS!!!!!! https://t.co/RCrtKtkQ4L

— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) December 1, 2019

We don’t want to impute any meaning to Union’s tweet or assume what she means by it, but the timing certainly raises eyebrows. It may be that there are on-going legal discussions that preclude her from commenting, but we don’t know that for sure either.

However this situation develops, we hope that it leads to a better, safer culture, not just on America’s Got Talent, but on all toxic shows and workplaces, because there are many out there.

(via: Variety, image: Angel Weiss/AFP/Getty Images)

As the weekend winds down and December starts up, here are a few other things we saw today.

• Disneyland is modifying it’s scariest ride to be a little less scary. No, not The Haunted Mansion, Snow White’s Scary Adventure! (via EW)
• Imagine us sipping a hot cup of tea or bone broth soup as we watch Dakota Johnson destroy Ellen for pretending she didn’t invite Dakota to her birthday. Oh and Ellen missed that party yo hand out With George W. Bush. (via Out)
• An oldie but a goodie: Picard sings “Let it Snow.”
• If that doesn’t get you in the Holiday spirit, might I suggest a sweet holiday romantic comedy…podcast? Deck the Halls (with Matrimony!) has three seasons of mad cap romance and laughs, the perfect audio drama treat!
• Want to be terrified? Read about this voting machine break down in Pennsylvania and then call your reps and demand national vote by mail! (via The New York Times)
• Did you catch the new sequel to E.T. that came out this week? No. That’s because it was an Xfinity commercial…that was nonetheless better than a lot of real movies.
  

  Here’s the full version of the Xfinity ET commercial that just aired on the #MacysDayParade 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/kFxrQmGRiC

  — ThrillGeek (@thrillgeek) November 28, 2019

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Gabrielle Union has received an immense amount of support following her recent controversial exit from America’s Got Talent.

It was announced last week that Union would be leaving the NBC hit show after her first and only season amid complaints of a “toxic culture” on the set. She left after expressing concern over offensive events, including a racist incident in which former late night talk show host Jay Leno made an inappropriate joke. 

But it also became clear that Union was also receiving feedback critiquing her hairstyles as being “too Black” for viewers.

Now in response, Black women on social media are reviving the #BlackHairChallenge to showcase the versatility of Black women’s hair. Among them, award-winning illustrator Vashti Harrison has also created a sweet meme in solidarity with Union.

Harrison, the illustrator behind the images in Matthew Cherry’s Hair Love book,showed off these hairstyles that we, as Black women, are blessed to be able to rock.

We are versatile #BlackHairChallenge @gabunion

A post shared by Vashti Harrison (@vashtiharrison) on Nov 29, 2019 at 9:45pm PST

“We are versatile,” Harrison captioned the post on Instagram, while using the #BlackHairChallenge hashtag. The hashtag first trended in 2017.

From ‘fros to locs, braids to perms, it is clear that the flexibility of our hair, and the skill it takes to produce a lot of these ‘dos, are truly magic.

The post Best-Selling Illustrator Vashti Harrison Adds To #BlackHairChallenge In Support Of Gabrielle Union appeared first on Essence.