Beyonce's mom defends singer against critics - Wonderwall

Posted: 06 Jul 2020 01:32 PM PDT

The Beyhive's No. 1 fan has some stinging responses to fans criticizing Beyonce.

The singer's mom, Tina Knowles-Lawson, came out firing after several people on social media criticized Beyonce for her upcoming visual album "Black is King," claiming she's trying to capitalize on African culture.

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In a post, Tina noted that several of Beyonce's collaborators are from Africa.

"There's way, way more involved in the making of Black Is King but my point in posting this is simply that those who are criticizing the film (before they even see it) saying it's unauthentic, upset that B doesn't actually go to Africa or say that Bey is simply using African cultures for gain are wrong because 1. She makes less with her Afrocentric content. 2. She's actually taken the time studied African costumes and such and didn't just throw this together. She's worked with actual African dancers, film makers, directors etc on this project so for some African Americans and Africans to say it's a facade is truly discrediting the work of their own people," Tina wrote in a lengthy post.

Continues Tina, "While people whine about her not touring in Africa yet beg for more African representation in entertainment but are mad that they're getting it from one the world's greatest stars is strange to me. They'd rather have B come and they spend their money for a show once or twice every few years rather than have someone of African descent work with African creatives to create art that celebrates them that will last forever and it be done at no cost to them.)"

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In another post, Tina blasted critics who have essentially been telling Beyonce how to film the movie, calling on them to "stop being a social media terrorist to the wrong people."

"It is funny because it is so easy to criticize someone when they are doing something. You can always tell them how they could do it better especially if you're not paying for it," she wrote. "Some of you criticize under the thinly veiled guise of educating her. But you haven't seen anything but a 3 minute trailer and you judge so quickly. You can't tell her what to do in her movie! There is a storyline How do you know east or west works in this movie? She is working hard on getting it shown in Africa. But you really should not waste your time seeing it. You should be busy making your own."

"Black is King" premieres on Disney+ on July 31.

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi's multimillion dollar estate was burglarized earlier this month, according to report on Thursday.

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The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the theft occurred on July 4, TMZ said. It's not known if the couple was home at the time of the break-in.

The residence in ultra-ritzy Montecito was "targeted due to the victim's celebrity status," authorities said, adding that stolen items include expensive jewelry and watches. The exact value of the stolen items isn't known.

Whether this is connected to other burglaries involving celebrities remains to be seen, but local authorities are working with surrounding law enforcement agencies to see if there are similarities in the crimes.

Ellen has been broadcasting her eponymous daytime talk show from the home amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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The burglary comes at a trying time for Ellen, as she's been facing accusations of rude behavior toward her staff.

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Claims of unkind behavior went viral in March after comedian Kevin T. Porter asked fans to tell their most "insane" stories of "Ellen being mean" — a long-running rumor in Hollywood circles. Kevin called Ellen "notoriously one of the meanest people alive."

Many obliged Kevin and came forward with stories detailing Ellen's alleged diva-like behavior.

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Us Weekly reported on May 13 that, according to a source, Ellen was "at the end of her rope" regarding the claims that her super-nice public persona is all a sham.

"She thought this was all just sour grapes from a few haters. But it's not a passing thing — the hits just keep coming," said the source.

Elvira Wayans, whose children have gone on to become Hollywood staples, has passed away, Marlon Wayans announced on Instagram on Thursday. She was 81.

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"Losing you shattered me into 1000 pieces," he captioned a photo with his mother. "I'm putting myself back together piece by piece. You will always be my glue. Miss you. Today i celebrate for the both of. In the midst of this hurt… i just love you ma."

According to TMZ, Elvira died a few weeks ago, but Marlon waited until Thursday to announce the news, tying the social media tributes to their shared birthday.

"I accomplished so much, made you so proud… but now i got angel to lift me," he wrote.

In a lengthy birthday post dedicated to himself, Marlon spoke to God.

"Kiss my mom for me. Tell her that her baby boy misses her and i feel her presence more now than ever," he wrote.

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Happy birthday me… i would ask God "why me"? Why am i suffering? But that would be ungrateful. God i trust you. I trust your design. You're the greatest architect. I don't question you through this journey. On the other side of all this tragedy is victory. So i trust you. This is merely a journey to challenge me. You're not breaking me, you're making me. And in these moments i thank you most. I've lost so much but I'm shedding skin. The old me is being put through fire to come out of this better than ever. I know great things are ahead of me. I'm not a victim I'm a hero being challenged to find my greatness. I'm being challenged to find my smile in the worst of times because if i can smile through this then that means my smile is permanent. So God i thank you, i love you, I'm grateful for the simple things like life in general. I woke up today 48 years old looking 20 something. I woke up today so grateful for my friends, my family, my fans. Thank you for cutting my grass so i can all the snakes. There were many. Thank you for the gift of awareness. You can't trust everybody. So thank you for all of my family, thank you for my children, thank you for their mother, thank you for my friends…. my REAL FRIENDS that love protect and rescue me from pain. You taught me it's okay to cry, to hurt, to not be okay in moments and gave me the strength to climb out the ditch of pity. You taught me i need to protect myself, my heart, my energy, my purpose. I'm excited for all the great things ahead but I'm grateful for the lessons. That's life. We have to listen to you when you whisper if not we endure hard lessons. But God I'm most grateful for this permanent smile. Thank you for the fire. Kiss my mom for me. Tell her that her baby boy misses her and i feel her presence more now than ever. So thank you God… a biblical man understands that every man's journey to triumph involves devastation. I'll always walk toward the light because i know that light is you. So with that happy bday me. I'm just fucking grateful

A post shared by Marlon Wayans (@marlonwayans) on Jul 23, 2020 at 9:30am PDT

In a third dedication posted on Thursday, he shared a throwback of him as a baby with his mother.

"Everytime i seen this woman i smiled. I see her in every woman… the greatness you all behold. The joy you can always share. The sweetness and affection we all possess but we're to damaged to just let go," he wrote. "Thank u ma for gifting me pure love. You will always be my first love happy bday woman. Baby boy misses you."

The Wayans family has become one of the most successful families in entertainment, and they often work together on projects. In addition to Marlon, Elvia gave birth to Keenan, Damon, Shawn, Dwayne, Kim, Nadia, Elvira, Diedre and Vonnie. The family has starred in a slew of films and TV shows, including "The Wayans Bros."

Crystal Hefner, the widow of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, has a new love that's got her on cloud 9.

Paparazzi snapped photos (see them here) of the 34-year-old cozying up to Nathan Levi at the Casa de Mita resort in Mexico this week. Images show the couple kissing, cuddling on the beach and dancing to live music.

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Crystal's relationship with Levi, who has a pilot's license, has been flying under the radar for several months.

"Hef would approve of her romance," a source told Page Six. "Since his death she has been mourning and soul searching and traveling the world. It's been hard for her to find someone who measures up to the legend of Hugh Hefner, and this guy seems to be it."

Page Six reports Crystal and Levi have been dating for four months — he reportedly won her over by taking her flying.

Crystal's friends are already fans of Levi, who is a spaceship engineer by trade.

Levi, 32, is "an amazing guy and all her friends adore him," a source said.

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This is Crystal's first public romance since Hugh passed away in September 2017 at the age of 91. While the model hasn't commented on the romance or gone "Instagram official" with Levi, she noticeably used the word "we" while captioning photos on Instagram from a recent vacation in Wyoming. She's also posted several videos to her Instagram Story that show her flying in a plane — presumably being flown by her new beau.

On Thursday, as word of the romance spread, she posted a quote to her Instagram Story that read, "If someone makes you happy, make them happier."

Kim Kardashian West has publicly acknowledged that her husband, Kanye West, is in the midst of a severe bipolar episode, but you won't be seeing any of it on "Keeping Up with the Kardashians."

TMZ reports that Kim has forbidden producers and camera crews from filming Kanye right now.

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The reality TV show recently began filming after taking a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Kim takes her husband's mental health very seriously and doesn't want it exploited for ratings or good TV drama," TMZ reports, adding that producers were told not to profile any of Kim and Kanye's children at the moment because Kim doesn't want them seeing footage in the future.

Camera crews are said to be focusing on storylines that don't involve Kanye right now.

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Earlier in the week, Kanye used Twitter to blast his mother-in-law, Kris Jenner, and even shade his wife for doing a shoot for Playboy years ago. He also said he's been "trying to get divorced" for more than a year. Kanye has since deleted most of his bizarre tweets from throughout the week.

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On Wednesday, after Kanye said his wife was "out of line" for meeting with Meek Mill about prison reform in 2018, Kim released a statement supporting Kanye and asking for "grace" from fans.

"As many of you know, Kanye has bipolar disorder. Anyone who has this or has a loved one in their life who does, knows how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand. I've never spoken publicly about how this has affected us at home because I am very protective of our children and Kanye's right to privacy when it comes to his health. But today, I feel like I should comment on it because of the stigma and misconceptions about mental health," she wrote on her Instagram Story. "Those that understand mental illness or even compulsive behavior know that the family is powerless unless the member is a minor. People who are unaware or far removed from this experience can be judgmental and not understand that the individual themselves have to engage in the process of getting help no matter how hard family and friends try."

She continued, "I understand Kanye is subject to criticism because he is a public figure and his actions at times can cause strong opinions and emotions. He is a brilliant but complicated person who on top of the pressures of being an artist and a black man, who experienced the painful loss of his mother, and has to deal with the pressure and isolation that is heightened by his bipolar disorder. Those who are close with Kanye know his heart and understand his words some times do not align with his intentions."

Perhaps in reference to his long-shot presidential bid, she wrote, "Living with bipolar disorder does not diminish or invalidate his dreams and his creative ideas, no matter how big or unobtainable they may feel to some. That is part of his genius and as we have all witnessed, many of his big dreams have come true."

Brian Austin Green's short-lived post-marriage romance with model Tina Louise is over.

The duo split this week, TMZ reported on Thursday, adding that the Australian Maxim model was the one to ultimately pull the plug.

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So, what went wrong?

For one, the timing wasn't right, as Brian is still pretty fresh off his split from Megan Fox, whom he was with for 15 years. Tina is looking for something serious, but believes the "90210" star isn't necessarily in the place yet. Tina has also been getting a lot of hate from fans of Brian and Megan.

"The bullying was disheartening and really affected her and definitely played a part in the breakup," TMZ said.

In all, Brian and Tina's relationship lasted less than a month, but she had already been to his home and met his best friends.

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Tina, according to the report, has no ill will toward Brian at all. In fact, they're still friendly, but she thinks he needs to take some time to heal from the demise of his marriage.

While Brian has dipped his toe in the dating pool, Megan is already attached at the hip with a new man, Machine Gun Kelly. The new couple hasn't hidden their romance at all.

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In chatting with the "Give Them Lala…With Randall" podcast this week, the "Midnight in the Switchgrass" costars said they had an instant connection.

"Our trailers were next to each other so I just waited outside on my trailer steps everyday I worked just to catch one glimpse of eye contact," he said. "She has the most gorgeous eyes I've ever seen."

Megan added, "The second that I was in a room with him and said hello to him and looked into his eyes, I knew right away that he was what I call a twin flame. We're actually two halves of the same soul I think. I said that to him almost immediately. I felt it right away."

No one saw this coming! Taylor Swift took to social media early on July 23 to reveal a huge surprise: She's dropping a new album at midnight on July 24, "folklore."

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She posted a grouping of photos on Instagram showing herself alone in a forest then explained. "Most of the things I had planned this summer didn't end up happening, but there is something I hadn't planned on that DID happen. And that thing is my 8th studio album, folklore," she wrote. "Surprise 🤗Tonight at midnight I'll be releasing my entire brand new album of songs I've poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings into. I wrote and recorded this music in isolation but got to collaborate with some musical heroes of mine."

Taylor went on to share more information about her collaborators. Aaron Dessner co-wrote or produced 11 of the 16 songs on the new album. Bon Iver co-wrote "and was kind enough to sing on one with me," Taylor wrote, while William Bowery co-wrote two tracks with her and Jack Antonoff "who is basically musical family at this point," Taylor explained.

"Before this year I probably would've overthought when to release this music at the 'perfect' time, but the times we're living in keep reminding me that nothing is guaranteed. My gut is telling me that if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world. That's the side of uncertainty I can get on board with. Love you guys so much ♥️," she concluded that post.

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Most of the things I had planned this summer didn't end up happening, but there is something I hadn't planned on that DID happen. And that thing is my 8th studio album, folklore. Surprise 🤗Tonight at midnight I'll be releasing my entire brand new album of songs I've poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings into. I wrote and recorded this music in isolation but got to collaborate with some musical heroes of mine; @aarondessner (who has co-written or produced 11 of the 16 songs), @boniver (who co-wrote and was kind enough to sing on one with me), William Bowery (who co-wrote two with me) and @jackantonoff (who is basically musical family at this point). Engineered by Laura Sisk and Jon Low, mixed by Serban Ghenea & Jon Low. The album photos were shot by the amazing @bethgarrabrant. Before this year I probably would've overthought when to release this music at the 'perfect' time, but the times we're living in keep reminding me that nothing is guaranteed. My gut is telling me that if you make something you love, you should just put it out into the world. That's the side of uncertainty I can get on board with. Love you guys so much ♥️

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Jul 23, 2020 at 5:00am PDT

Another post revealed all the track titles. "folklore will have 16 songs on the standard edition, but the physical deluxe editions will include a bonus track called 'the lakes,'" Taylor wrote. "Because this is my 8th studio album, I made 8 deluxe CD editions and 8 deluxe vinyl editions that are available for one week😄 Each deluxe edition has unique covers, photos, and artwork. Available exclusively at taylorswift.com."

She's also giving fans some visual candy. "The music video for 'cardigan' will premiere tonight, which I wrote/directed. A million thank you's to my brilliant, bad a– video team," she continued in yet another post, naming everyone who worked on the video.

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The music video for "cardigan" will premiere tonight, which I wrote/directed. A million thank you's to my brilliant, bad ass video team – cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, producer Jil Hardin, executive producer Rebecca Skinner, AD Joe 'Oz' Osbourne, editor Chancler Haynes, special effects wizards David Lebensfeld & Grant Miller, and set designer Ethan Tobman. The entire shoot was overseen by a medical inspector, everyone wore masks, stayed away from each other, and I even did my own hair, makeup, and styling 😂

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Jul 23, 2020 at 5:08am PDT

Taylor made a point to tell fans that the coronavirus pandemic was top of mind when making the project. "The entire shoot was overseen by a medical inspector, everyone wore masks, stayed away from each other, and I even did my own hair, makeup, and styling 😂," Taylor shared.

The Kardashian family might be looking for a new BFF.

Eagle-eyed fans noticed on Wednesday that Larsa Pippen, a fixture in the reality TV family's lives, has unfollowed the entire Kardashian clan. The Kardashians have also unfollowed Larsa.

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Little is known about the reason for the drastic social media move, but some believe it's tied to Kanye West's Twitter episode on Wednesday morning in which he tweeted "Larsa" with little context (his previous tweets, which have been deleted, referenced people in the Kardashian world being fake). But a report out of the United Kingdom claims the unfollowing goes back to at least July 10. According to reports, none of the Kardashians attended Larsa's recent 46th birthday party either.

Larsa, NBA legend Scottie Pippen's ex, touched on the social media unfollowing on Wednesday afternoon.

"I woke up this morning blessed and see that everybody is focused on who I am following and who I am not following on social media," she wrote on her Instagram Story. "I am focused on my children, my new fitness brand Larsapippenfitness, and my relationships in real life. Praying that everybody finds peace in their own lives and focus on what brings THEM happiness."

Many online think that a photo Larsa posted on Instagram on July 20 was even a shot at the "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" stars.

"Drama free zone," she captioned a photo of herself.

Larsa has even removed nearly all of her images with the Kardashians, although one image with Kourtney Kardashian remains.

Larsa and the Kardashians had been fiercely loyal to each other for about a decade. In 2017, there was even a report that Kourtney was bankrolling Larsa amid her divorce from Scottie. Larsa was also a Kardashian loyalist during Tristan Thompson's cheating scandal last year.

After an Instagram troll had a "big" issue — well, two big issues — with Maren Morris' picture, the country star clapped back.

On Tuesday, Maren took to social media intending to show off her hairstyle, which she described as "wavy." The majority of her 1.4 million followers gushed over her locks, including her husband, Ryan Hurd, who called her hair "great."

One follower, though, felt that Maren had an ulterior motive for posting the picture, claiming the picture centered on her chest rather than her hair.

"It's distasteful for sure," the hater wrote of the picture. "Come on if your caption reads wavy hair maybe keep the focus on your hair. Or perhaps make the caption big boobs? Just saying like holy cow."

The person even implied that Maren isn't a role model, adding, "Everything in this world doesn't make sense anymore, clearly these littles don't have much to look up to either."

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Maren, 30, wasn't having it and was actually happy to lose the commenter as a fan.

"Girl BYE," she wrote. "Don't let my boobs knock you on the way out."

After the Instagram page Comments By Celebs posted the exchange, Maren commented, "Hahaaaaa don't hate the postpartum boobies."

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Maren isn't one to hold back online.

Just a few weeks after giving birth to with her newborn son, Hayes Andrew, Maren posted a makeup-free selfie. A keyboard warrior followed up by telling Maren to "Stop with the Botox." Maren replied, "Dude, I just went through a pregnancy and we're in the middle of a quarantine. The Botox has long worn off [laughing emoji]."

In late June, Maren again faced critics after posting a photo of her and Hayes relaxing in an inflatable float in a lake. She was mom-shamed for not having Hayes in a life jacket, despite the fact he was secure in her lap.

Maren's husband responded to the critics.

"I'd just like to say, my wife usually doesn't need me to defend her, but she's a great mom, and my kid was not unsafe on a float in 1 feet of water being held by an adult with 5 people watching so she could get a picture," Ryan said. "Hayes has 2 coast guard approved life jackets that he wears. Also, sometimes moms have a drink, and homegirl earned it. Later nerds."

Kanye West has been "trying to get divorced" for a while now, he said in a since-deleted tweet in the wee hours of July 22, while also continuing to maintain that his wife, Kim Kardashian West, is trying to get him placed on a psychiatric hold.

Kim, meanwhile, has acknowledged that her husband is in the midst of a severe bipolar episode.

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Early Wednesday morning, the rapper blasted his wife — like he did just days before — saying she's been trying to involuntarily commit him to a mental hospital.

"I been trying to get divorced since Kim met with Meek at the [Waldorf] for prison reform," he wrote, referring to the reality star's late 2018 meeting with formerly incarcerated rapper Meek Mill.

Kanye then referred to his mother-in-law, Kris Jenner, as "Kris Jong-Un" — a clear reference to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

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The late-night tweeting — which Kanye has done several times this week — prompted a reaction from his wife, who indicated that she and her family are concerned but also helpless.

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She asked that people have compassion for Kanye during his current episode.