Rapper Nipsey Hussle killed in South L.A. shooting; 2 others wounded - Los Angeles Times

“I grew up in gang culture,” he said. “We dealt with death, with murder. It was like living in a war zone, where people die on these blocks and everybody is a little bit immune to it. I guess they call it post-traumatic stress, when you have people that have been at war for such a long time. I think L.A. suffers from that because it’s not normal yet we embrace it like it is after a while.”

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-nipsey-hussle-shot-rapper-20190331-story.html

2019-04-01 00:45:00Z
52780256703086

Chris Rock makes Jussie Smollett joke at NAACP Image Awards, ignoring restriction on Jussie Smollett jokes - NJ.com

Apparently, telling Chris Rock that he can’t make a Jussie Smollett joke only sets you up for a Jussie Smollett joke.

Rock, 54, who has a home in Alpine, appeared at the NAACP Image Awards on Saturday, where producers were, according to Rock, not keen on anyone making a joke about Smollett.

Recently, all charges were dropped against Smollett, an “Empire” actor, after he claimed that two masked men attacked him in Chicago on Jan. 29 and tied a rope around his neck, pouring bleach on him. He said the men had hurled racist and homophobic slurs during the attack. A month later, Smollett, 36, was charged with 16 counts of disorderly conduct as police accused him of staging the attack. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office dropped all charges against Smollett on Tuesday.

Rock took to the stage at the 50th NAACP Image Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood to present an award.

“They said no Jussie Smollett jokes,” Rock said, to hearty laughter from the audience. “Yeah, I know, I know,” he continued. “What a waste of light skin, you know? You know what I could do with that light skin? That curly hair? My career would be outta here! (I’d) be (expletive) running Hollywood!"

After stopping to laugh for a few beats, Rock continued.

“What the hell was he thinking? From now on, you’re Jessie. From now on. You don’t even get the U no more.” The camera cut to “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah doubling over with laughter in the audience. “That U was respect," Rock said. "You ain’t getting no respect from me.”

In comedy special, Chris Rock talks divorce, cheating and porn addiction

Rock bought a house around the corner when he and his ex-wife, Malaak Compton, who lived in Alpine together with their daughters, decided to divorce in 2014.

Smollett, who plays Jamal Lyon on Fox’s “Empire,” was absent from the NAACP Image Awards despite being nominated for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series (he did not win).

Others in attendance at the Image Awards, including “Chicago” showrunner Lena Waithe, 34, and actress Yara Shahidi (“Black-ish," “Grown-ish), said they stood with Smollett, supporting the actor. Shahidi, 19, made the comment onstage while standing alongside her castmates to accept an award for outstanding comedy series for “Black-ish.”

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called the dropping of charges against Smollett “a whitewash of justice." Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said the city “is still owed an apology.”

Smollett had said that the men who attacked him shouted “this is MAGA country” and that he saw one of them was white. Police later said the actor had paid $3,500 to hire two black men — brothers Abimbola “Abel” Osundairo and Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo — to conduct a staged attack.

This week, “Saturday Night Live” dedicated a sketch to the Smollett controversy (see clip below), in which Chris Redd plays Smollett, who again claims to have been attacked. Redd, who is late to a network meeting for “Empire,” takes several “clues" out of a bag, including three letter Ks to signify the Ku Klux Klan. In the sketch, Smollett’s exasperated manager, played by Sandra Oh, cuts ties with him and series creator Lee Daniels tells the actor he has to fire him.

Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2019/03/chris-rock-makes-jussie-smollett-joke-at-naacp-image-awards-ignoring-restriction-on-jussie-smollett-jokes.html

2019-03-31 22:23:00Z
52780253907188

The internet cannot handle Jennifer Lopez's sexy bikini photo - Page Six

Jennifer Lopez sent social media into a tizzy on Sunday after showing off her fit frame in a pink bikini on the set of her upcoming film, “Hustlers.”

“I’m a hustler baby… I just want you to know… #Ramona on fire 🔥 On set and in character for #hustlersmovie #stxentertainment,” Lopez, 49, captioned the sizzling snap.

Shortly after the photo dropped on Instagram, fans and followers reacted to the red-hot shot, including Lopez’s fiancé, Alex Rodriguez, whose response could be summed up in a series of emojis, as captured by Comments by Celebs.

“@jlo Boom! There it is,” commented Lenny Kravitz.

“Yes 🔥🔥🔥💖💖💖,” penned Naomi Campbell.

“Dayum mamaaa,” wrote Lopez’s “Second Act” co-star, Vanessa Hudgens.

In “Hustlers,” due out in 2020, Lopez plays a stripper who attempts to outwit her Wall Street clients. Constance Wu and Cardi B will also appear in the flick, which started filming in New York last week.

Share this:

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://pagesix.com/2019/03/31/the-internet-cannot-handle-jennifer-lopezs-sexy-bikini-photo/

2019-03-31 21:08:00Z
CAIiEJKazpBike55xDbCuReGAp4qGQgEKhAIACoHCAowmID5CjDdtOACMLzWtAU

Um, Pretty Sure That Khloé Kardashian Just Shaded Tristan Thompson on Insta Again - Cosmopolitan.com

• Khloé Kardashian just posted some quotes on Instagram and it seems like she's throwing some shade at her ex Tristan Thompson.
• Khloé's sister Kylie Jenner just spoke out about the Tristan/Jordyn Woods cheating scandal, saying that she wasn't purposely taking a dig at Jordyn with by discounting her Kylie Cosmetics Jordy lip kits.

---

Khloé Kardashian's #sponcon weight loss ads might be questionable at best (she recently defend her choice to post them in a new interview), but you know what Khloé is *great* at when it comes to Instagram? Posting cryptic messages/quotes in her Insta stories that can be read as either an innocent status update or some serious shade.

Khloé was back at it yesterday when she posted some quotes that seem to be taking digs at Tristan Thompson, her ex with whom she didn't have the best relationship (please see a timeline of all the times that he cheated on her right here).

So Khloé shared two quotes, the first of which was all about the type of relationship that she wants, and it started with "I crave a love that adds value to my life. I don't want a relationship, I want a partnership." And if we read into this (which we're obviously going to), it seems like she could be saying that she hasn't ever had this ideal relationship that she's looking for, and Tristan didn't add much, er, value to her life—besides baby True, obv.

@khloekardashianInstagram

The second quote is much more on the nose, saying, "forgive yourself for falling in love with his potential, and for believing he would change someday." And yeah...the implications of that are pretty clear, especially because, once again, Tristan cheated on her multiple times.

@khloekardashianInstagram

And if you're getting as riled up about Tristan's infidelity as I am rn, please know that he was thoroughly booed at his basketball game last night, and we're likely going to see him being told off by Kim and Co. in this season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, so at least there's that to look forward to!

Alanna Lauren Greco Alanna Greco is the weekend editor at Cosmopolitan.com and a freelance writer based in New York.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/a26999105/khloe-kardashian-shades-tristan-thompson-instagram-love-adds-value/

2019-03-31 19:18:00Z
52780253498973

Disney's live action 'Dumbo' struggles to soar at box office - Fox News

Disney's "Dumbo" isn't exactly taking flight at the North American box office the way its other live-action remakes of animated classics have.

The Walt Disney Co. said Sunday that the Tim Burton-directed film has earned an estimated $45 million domestically from 4,259 locations against a $170 million production budget. It's less than half of what "Beauty and the Beast," ''The Jungle Book" and Burton's own "Alice in Wonderland" opened to.

The remake of the 1941 animated film stars Colin Farrell and Danny DeVito. It got mixed to negative reviews from critics and currently has a middling 53 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

'DUMBO' STAR COLIN FARRELL SAYS HE WAS 'MISSING OUT' ON CHILDREN'S MOVIES BY ACTING IN SERIOUS DRAMAS

Audiences who did turn out, however, had a different response than the critics and gave the film an A- overall, according to CinemaScore.

"We think it's a solid start," said Cathleen Taff, Disney's executive vice president of theatrical distribution. "We're encouraged and hopeful with audience word of mouth."

Internationally, "Dumbo" grossed $71 million, with $10.7 million coming from China, $7.4 million from the U.K. and $7.2 million from Mexico.

Disney has two other high-profile live-action remakes coming out this year in "Aladdin" (May 24) and "The Lion King" (July 19).

ANGELINA JOLIE, FOUR YOUNGEST CHILDREN ATTEND 'DUMBO' PREMIERE

"I don't think this is a mandate against live-action remakes. But sometimes when you don't have the reviews, it can affect it," said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore's senior media analyst. "For Disney, the bar is set so high. This is just a little speed bump on what is already a spectacular year for Disney."

"Dumbo" did bump Jordan Peele's "Us" to second place. "Us" added $33.6 million, down only 53%, bringing its domestic total to $128.2 million in its second week. The Lupita Nyong'o doppelganger movie cost only $20 million to produce.

"For a horror, which generally have the scariest drops in the business, 'Us' is really holding in there," Dergarabedian said. "It's good news for Jordan Peele."

DANNY DEVITO TAKES A TUMBLE ONSTAGE PROMOTING 'DUMBO'

Easing the "Dumbo" disappointment, Disney and Marvel's "Captain Marvel" landed in third place in weekend four with an additional $20.5 million. It's now earned over $350 million in North America and is expected to cross the $1 billion mark globally sometime this week.

The teen drama/romance "Five Feet Apart" with Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson took fourth place with $6.3 million, down only 27% in its third week.

And the pregnancy movie "Unplanned" rounded out the top five with $6.1 million from only 1,059 theaters. It's another success for Pure Flix, which targets the faith-based audience.

"Serving that underserved audience can pay off quite well," Dergarabedian said.

Not so lucky was "The Beach Bum," a stoner-odyssey from the provocative filmmaker Harmony Korine starring Matthew McConaughey. It grossed only $1.8 million from 1,100 locations in its first weekend.

JORDAN PEELE'S 'US' SCARES AWAY BOX OFFICE COMPETITION

The weekend overall is down around 2 percent and the year is still lagging about 16.4 percent.

"Next week is going to have two of the biggest genres hitting the multiplex simultaneously," noted Dergarabedian. The well-reviewed superhero pic "Shazam!" debuts along with a "Pet Sematary" remake.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1."Dumbo," $45 million.

2."Us," $33.6 million.

3."Captain Marvel," $20.5 million.

4."Five Feet Apart," $6.3 million.

5."Unplanned," $6.1 million.

6."Wonder Park," $4.9 million.

7."How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World," $4.2 million.

8."Hotel Mumbai," $3.2 million.

9.Tyler Perry's "A Madea Family Funeral," $2.7 million.

10."The Beach Bum," $1.8 million.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/disneys-live-action-dumbo-struggles-to-soar-at-box-office

2019-03-31 17:31:49Z
52780254291985

Kanye West Goes on Camera Tonight in ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ - New York Times

Image

“Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” Season 16 — with artistic direction by Kanye West.CreditMiller Mobley/E! Entertainment

For the return of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” this weekend, we spoke with each of the five Kardashian-Jenner sisters — that’s Kourtney, Kim, and Khloé Kardashian, and Kendall and Kylie Jenner — about their entwined and individual businesses.

One family member that makes a notable impression in the new season is Kim Kardashian’s husband, Kanye West. He’ll appear more regularly on the show — and, for the first time, he’ll be doing direct-to-camera “confessionals.” He also helped design the looks for the whole gang.

Kanye frequently texts with the show’s producers, we learned — he redid the slightly 1970s aesthetic and clad the sisters in nude and silver. “He’s a real creative force, clearly, and had thoughts on marketing, thoughts on presentation of the show, on the opening title sequence,” Adam Stotsky, the president of E!, told us.

At home, Kim told us, there’s a “mood board” that she and Kanye play with all the time. It’s where they put visual ideas they like, changes they’ll want to Kim’s cosmetic, fragrance and accessory lines. Kim doesn’t just put her name on things: she helps design products and packaging too — making changes when Kanye weighs in.

He also, we learned, once asked Kim not to do an Instagram sponsored post from a fast fashion company that he said had ripped him off. But she didn’t lose the income — sort of. “He wrote me a check for that amount and said ‘Thank you so much for always being supportive and not posting,’” she said.

“Keeping Up With the Kardashians” returns for season 16 on Sunday, March 31, at 9 p.m. Eastern/Pacific and 8 p.m. Central. You can read all about the business of the Kardashian-Jenner family right here.

A Private Look Inside the Kardashian Empire

Are Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, Kendall and Kylie America’s savviest C.E.O.s? We asked them.

March 30, 2019

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/31/style/kanye-west-kim-kardashian.html

2019-03-31 16:45:50Z
52780256287337

'Dumbo' underwhelms but 'Us' crosses $100 million at the box office - CNN

Disney's live-action remake of its 1941 animated classic brought in an estimated $45 million in its North America box office debut. While $45 million is not a disastrous opening for the film, it is a disappointing one because Disney and box office experts both expected "Dumbo" would make $50 million.

The film, which stars Colin Farrell and Michael Keaton, took the top spot at the box office this weekend, and has made $116 million worldwide.

In second place was Jordan Peele's "Us." The Universal horror hit earned an estimated $33.6 million in its second weekend of release.

Peele's follow up to "Get Out" has now made $174.5 million globally.

The second weekend total for "Us" marked a 53% drop from its opening weekend haul. But "Us," which cost $20 million to make, surprised Hollywood with a $71 million opening last weekend.

The second weekend drop for "Us" put it roughly in line with other horror hits, such as 2017's "It" and 2018's "Halloween," which dropped by 51% and 59% respectively in their second weeks, according to Comscore (SCOR).

"Dumbo" was the latest Disney animated classic to get a reboot. Others like "Beauty and the Beast" in 2017 and "Alice in Wonderland" in 2010 were box office hits for the company, and made more than $1 billion.

The sluggish performance of "Dumbo" might be because of a lukewarm critical reception. The film holds a 50% score on review site Rotten Tomatoes.

Even though "Dumbo" disappointed, Disney's live action remakes should rebound at the box office soon.

The studio will release two more remakes of its animated classics this summer with "Aladdin" starring Will Smith and "The Lion King," which includes voice work by Donald Glover and Beyoncé.

"The Lion King" is one of the most anticipated films of 2019 and could end up being one of the biggest blockbusters of the year.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/31/media/dumbo-box-office/index.html

2019-03-31 16:26:00Z
52780254291985

Chris Rock rips Jussie Smollett at NAACP Image Awards: ‘What a waste of light skin’ - New York Daily News

Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in most European countries. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to the EU market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-chris-rock-rips-jussie-smollett-20190331-5aoniy7xdvhfnoq7a74verkeam-story.html

2019-03-31 16:33:00Z
52780253907188

Tristan Thompson's cheating scandal followed him to free-throw line - New York Post

Clippers fans appear to be on Team Kardashian.

On Saturday, Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson was mercilessly booed by the Los Angeles crowd as he attempted a pair of free throws, as seen in footage obtained by TMZ. Fans attempted to distract Thompson, 28, further by shouting, “Khloe! Khloé!” in reference to his ex-girlfriend, Khloé Kardashian.

Thompson was embroiled in a cheating scandal last month after allegedly hooking up with Jordyn Woods, the best friend of Kardashian’s younger sister Kylie Jenner.

Kardashian, 34, who welcomed daughter True with the NBA star last April, has since split from Thompson.

As for Thompson and the rest of the Cavs, the Clippers got the better of them, defeating Cleveland, 132-108.

Share this:

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://nypost.com/2019/03/31/tristan-thompsons-cheating-scandal-followed-him-to-free-throw-line/

2019-03-31 15:25:00Z
52780253498973

'Saturday Night Live' spoofs Jussie Smollett case in a controversial sketch - AOL

Saturday Night Live made a point of being an equal opportunity offender in its first episode back after a two-week break. As usual the cold open addressed the latest Donald Trump news–specifically the long-anticipated release of Robert Mueller’s report–and featured the return of Robert De Niro for the fifth, and likely final, time as Mueller. But the night’s first live sketch was a surprisingly savage take on Empire star Jussie Smollett, who was back in the news this week after Chicago prosecutors stunned the city and the entire nation by dropping all charges against him for allegedly staging his own attack.

RELATED: Jussie Smollett on FOX's Empire

16 PHOTOS

Jussie Smollett on FOX's Empire

See Gallery

EMPIRE: L-R: Taraji P. Henson and Jussie Smollett in the 'Treasons, Stratagems, and Spoils' episode of EMPIRE airing Wednesday, Nov. 14 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)

EMPIRE: L-R: Taraji P. Henson and director Jussie Smollett in the 'What is Done' episode of EMPIRE airing Wednesday, Nov. 7 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)

EMPIRE: Director Jussie Smollett behind the scenes in the 'What is Done' episode of EMPIRE airing Wednesday, Nov. 7 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)

EMPIRE: L-R: Terrence Howard and director Jussie Smollett behind the scenes in the 'What is Done' episode of EMPIRE airing Wednesday, Nov. 7 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)

EMPIRE: L-R: Jussie Smollett and Taraji P. Henson in the 'The Depth of Grief' episode of EMPIRE airing Wednesday, Oct. 31 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)

EMPIRE: Jussie Smollett in the 'The Depth of Grief' episode of EMPIRE airing Wednesday, Oct. 31 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)

EMPIRE: L-R: Bryshere Y. Gray and Jussie Smollett in the 'Love All, Trust a Few' episode of EMPIRE airing Wednesday, Oct. 17 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)

EMPIRE: L-R: Jussie Smollett and Bryshere Y. Gray in the 'Pride' episode of EMPIRE airing Wednesday, Oct. 10 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)

EMPIRE: L-R: Jussie Smollett and Bryshere Y. Gray in the 'Pride' episode of EMPIRE airing Wednesday, Oct. 10 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)

EMPIRE: Jussie Smollett in the 'Pay For Their Presumptions' episode of EMPIRE airing Wednesday, Oct. 3 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)

EMPIRE: L-R: Jussie Smollett, Bryshere Gray, and Trai Byers in the 'The Empire Unposessd' season finale episode of EMPIRE airing Wednesday, May 23 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)

EMPIRE: L-R: Terrence Howard as Lucious Lyon, Taraji P. Henson as Cookie Lyon, Bryshere Y. Gray as Hakeem Lyon, Jussie Smollett as Jamal Lyon and Trai Byers as Andre Lyon in Season Five of EMPIRE premiering Wednesday, Sept. 26 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)

EMPIRE: Pictured L-R: Bryshere Gray, Jussie Smollett and Andre Royo in the 'Slave to Memory' episode of EMPIRE airing Wednesday, Dec. 13 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)

EMPIRE: Pictured L-R: Trai Byers, Gabourey Sidibe and Jussie Smollett in the 'Bleeding War' episode of EMPIRE airing Wednesday, Oct. 18 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)

EMPIRE: Pictured L-R: Terrel Carter and Jussie Smollett in the 'Evil Manners' episode of EMPIRE airing Wednesday, Oct. 11 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)

EMPIRE: Pictured L-R: Jussie Smollett and Gabourey Sidibe in the 'Full Circle' episode of Wednesday, Oct. 4 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)

Up Next

See Gallery

Discover More Like This

HIDE CAPTION

SHOW CAPTION

of

SEE ALL

BACK TO SLIDE

Entitled “Network Meeting,” the sketch opens in a boardroom where a trio of executives played by Mikey Day, Kate McKinnon and Ego Nwodim are seated alongside Kenan Thompson as Empire co-creator, Lee Daniels, and the night’s host, Sandra Oh, as Smollett’s manager. “Just give Jussie another chance,” Oh begs, trying to make them overlook the fact that her embattled client is two hours late to the meeting. “I just hope it’s not some crazy excuse,” Daniels remarks, with a sigh.

At that moment, Smollett (played by Chris Redd) bursts into the room, holding a plastic bag and wearing Trump’s signature “Make America Great Again” hat. (Earlier in the week, Trump weighed in the prosecutors’ decision to drop disorderly conduct charges agains the actor, calling it, “an embarrassment to our nation.”) “Guys, you are not gonna believe what just happened to me,” he says, to groans of “Not again” in the room. “I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not that,” he says, before confirming their initial suspicions that he’s about to make another claim to having been attacked. “What is wrong with you, man,” Day’s executive remarks. “He means mentally,” Nwodim adds, sharply.

Unable to persuade them with his words, Smollett reaches into his plastic bag to reveal the evidence, and what it indicates about the identity of his attackers. “I think it’s a bag of clues,” he claims, pulling out a box of Crest Whitestrips, three oversized red K’s to spell out KKK and the purple member of the Teletubbies. “It’s the gay one,” he makes sure to point out. McKinnon’s executive then suggests calling the police, but that’s a no-go. “They said I could never call again as part of the deal,” Smollett says–a reference to the assumption in some quarters that behind-the-scenes dealings led to his charges being dropped.

In real life, Smollett’s character, Jamal Lyon, has been removed from the final episodes of Empire‘s current season. As of now, no decision has been announced about whether he’ll be returning to the show next year, and the actor continues to maintain that he’s been truthful and honest as the case has played out in the courts and in the media. But in the world of SNL, Smollett is already packing his bags. “You know we gotta fire you, right?” Thompson-as-Daniels says. He loses his agent as well, with Oh cutting him from her client roster. “I just hope he gets the help he needs,” she says. Apparently not. The skit ends with Smollett re-entering the room, this time wearing a neck brace and dark sunglasses, and making claims about another attack.

No doubt reflecting the country’s own confusion over the twists and turns in this case, the SNL audience wasn’t entirely certain how to respond to “Network Meeting.” Most of the one-liners were met with nervous chuckles rather than big laughs, especially the jokes that explicitly commented on Smollett’s state of mind. The sketch didn’t go over particularly well on social media either.

Interestingly, on the same night that SNL mocked Smollett, former Not Ready for Primetime Player, Chris Rock, also roasted the actor while presenting an award at the NAACP Image Awards. (Smollett was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, a statue that went to Grey’s Anatomy star Jesse Williams instead.) “What the hell was he thinking?” Rock reportedly said. “From now on, you’re Jessie from now on. You don’t even get the ‘U’ no more. That ‘U’ was respect. You don’t get no respect from me.” Apparently, the same goes for Saturday Night Live.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.aol.com/article/entertainment/2019/03/31/saturday-night-live-spoofs-smollett-case-in-brutal-sketch/23703309/

2019-03-31 12:03:32Z
52780254110732

Chris Rock rips Jussie Smollett at the NAACP Image Awards: "What the hell was he thinking?" - CBS News

Smollett billed by Chicago police

Actor-comedian Chris Rock took verbal jabs at actor Jussie Smollett before he presented the award for outstanding comedy series to ABC's "black-ish" at the 50th annual NAACP Image Awards Saturday night. Smollett, who had all criminal charges against him dropped last week for allegedly staging a hate crime, did not attend the awards.

"They said no Jussie Smollett jokes," Rock said. "Yeah, I know, but what a waste of light skin. Do you know what I could do with that light skin? That curly hair, my career would be out of here. I would be running Hollywood. What the hell was he thinking? You are known as 'Jessie' for now on. You don't even get the 'u' anymore. That 'u' was for respect. You ain't getting no respect from me."

Chris Rock onstage at the 50th NAACP Image Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 30, 2019 in Hollywood, California. Kevin Winter / Getty Images

In response to Rock's jokes, "black-ish" star Yara Shahidi made her stance in the Smollett controversy obvious.

"I stand with Jussie," Shahidi said before she handed the microphone to Marcus Scribner and ducked into her crowd of castmates including Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross.

Jussie Smollett lost to "Grey's Anatomy" star Jessie Williams in the supporting actor in a drama series category.

A lawyer for the city of Chicago said Thursday the city is seeking $130,00 from  Smollett as restitution for the cost of the investigation he initiated. Smollett has maintained his innocence and told reporters Tuesday after his charges had been dropped that he's been "truthful and consistent on every single level since day one."

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chris-rock-rips-jussie-smollett-naacp-image-awards/

2019-03-31 11:12:00Z
52780253907188

'SNL' sketch mocks Jussie Smollett scandal after charges dropped - Fox News

Actor Jussie Smollett smiles and waves to supporters before leaving Cook County (Ill.) Court after his charges were dropped in Chicago. (Associated Press)

Though Cook County, Ill., prosecutors dropped disorderly conduct charges against Jussie Smollett, that didn’t stop “Saturday Night Live” from poking fun at the “Empire” actor in this weekend's show.

Chris Redd reprised his role as Smollett, who in the sketch is two hours late for a meeting with his manager, played by "SNL" guest host Sandra Oh.

Ego Nwodim, Kate McKinnon and Mikey Day play Fox executives and Kenan Thompson plays "Empire" co-creator and executive producer Lee Daniels.

CHRIS ROCK SLAMS JUSSIE SMOLLETT AT NAACP AWARDS: 'WHAT THE HELL WAS HE THINKING?'

The sketch starts with the executives fuming about Smollett's tardiness and Oh jumping to his defense.

“Jussie Smollett was a victim,” Oh tells to the dubious executives.

Redd as Smollett then bursts in the office sporting a “Make America Great Again” cap and a bruise on his face, claiming he’s just been attacked again.

"I'm so sorry I'm late. You are not gonna believe what just happened to me. I got attacked, again!," he said.

As evidence, he digs in a bag full of “clues,” which include a box of Crest Whitestrips, three red “K” letters that spell out KKK, receipts – to which he mumbles “I need that” – car keys and a “gay” purple Teletubby.

Asked why he was carrying the bag, Smollett says: "I don't know. I think it's a bag of clues? Look guys, the killer left me a bag of clues!"

"What killer? You're still alive!" one producer asked.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Fox executives offer to call the police, to which Smollett responds: “They said I can never call again.”

They then promptly fire him.

“Jussie, you know we’ve got to fire you, right?,” Thompson’s Daniels says.

“I made this show. I am the gay Lee Daniels!," Redd's Smollett responds as the sketch ends.

Smollett was written out of the final two episodes of "Empire's" current season. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office dropped charges against Smollett for allegedly filing a false police report claiming he was attacked in a violent hate crime.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/snl-mocks-jussie-smollett-scandal-after-charges-dropped

2019-03-31 08:54:33Z
52780254110732