Sometimes you feel like a nun, sometimes you don’t. Stephanie Sigman plays Sister Charlotte, a well-meaning woman of the cloth who, with no choice, brings six orphans into a home haunted by a demon-doll in Annabelle: The Creation.
We caught up with HBO’s “Insecure” cast Natasha Rothwell, Catherine Curtin, Prentice Penny and Yvonne Orji at the season 2 premiere block party in Inglewood, California.
HBO hosted a thoroughly lit VIP block party in Inglewood, CA to celebrate the second season of hit series ‘Insecure’.
Show creator and star Issa Rae headlined the star-studded event, which featured surprise music performances, tons of delicious food and drank, and local storefronts reimagined as the show’s set pieces.
The show centers on Issa, a smart, sarcastic and scattered non-profit employee and fledgling rapper. She’s surrounded by an equally neurotic group of friends and lovers, each full of charm and grade A clapbacks.
This cast has rapport in spades. From the moment they arrived on the carpet, they were all laughs and inside jokes.
“Issa is just…amazing. Whenever we go out and do press and all that jazz, it’s like ‘I know I saw you yesterday girl but, how you doin? You look bomb!’,” said co-star Yvonne Orji, who plays Issa’s best friend Molly.
Photo: Ryan Bergeron (Knockturnal)
A screening of the first episode turned into a damn-near party. It opens with a soon-to-be legendary dating montage, in which Issa is increasingly exasperated by her boring af partners.
The humor only ramps up from there. The audience stood up at several points and yelled at the screen throughout. It was the most fun I’ve had in a while. Also, you don’t want to miss the ending of this one. Legendary.
Three burgeoning music superstars came through and delivered incredible performances: Oakland’s Kamaiyah, a XXL 2017 freshman, Ty Dolla Sign, an LA native and stellar showman, and SZA, she of the critically acclaimed Ctrl album.
Kamaiyah delivered the laid-back, wordplay-laden set we needed to kick off the day. She was fly as hell and is clearly on the rise. I hear her music everywhere.
Ty – one of my very favorite singers – came through and killed a sexy and bombastic set of hits. The crowd swelled as he burned through songs, pausing every so often to nail a classic r&b vocal riff.
SZA closed out the night with one of the best sets I’ve seen. She was at once sinewy and brash and performed with a freedom you rarely see. Aplomb for days.
Also, her stage banter was hilarious. I keeled over laughing at several points, especially when she’d go into a series of non-sequiturs, obviously just blurting out whatever came to mind.
Lastly, her album is my most played this year. By a mile.
The event ended with Issa, Yvonne and the show’s producers onstage with SZA. They thanked everyone for coming, but really we should’ve thanked them. This was a hella good day.
Wish Upon is a thrilling, chilling and genuinely funny horror film for teenagers and people who appreciate a particularly rugged-looking Ryan Phillippe.
It centers on Claire (Joey King), an angsty teen dealing with her mother’s suicide, her father’s (Phillipe) failing finances, and the genuine hatred she gets from her high school peers.
She finds a mysterious box covered in ancient Chinese writing while out hunting for scraps – think sheet metal, car parts – with her father. With a rudimentary understanding of Chinese, she deciphers the box grants her seven wishes.
In a particularly dark later scene, we learn the wishes come with a catch: for each wish, a ‘blood price’ must be paid.
Thus sets in motion a series of PG-13 appropriate, gruesome scenes, which are juxtaposed with Claire’s newfound good fortune. Her family is suddenly rich, she’s the most popular girl in school, and she’s dating a hot jock.
All the while a blond girl’s body rots (face first), a girl impales herself on an inanimate object, and, most devastatingly, her dog dies.
The box starts to take a trancelike hold on Claire, who keeps making wishes even after she knows she’s endangering her friends and family. This all builds to an at once tense and surprising climax.
Wish Upon is tightly written and full of laughs. It knows the value of blending humor with horror, and I found myself holding in snorts of laughter so as not to distract from the events on screen. I have a weird laugh.
This one will live in cult infamy. It’s both classic and entirely modern – a snappy new take on movies like Final Destination and Paranormal Activity. With any luck we’ll get an equally-strong sequel before next Summer.
Rémy Martin cognac and the brand’s One Life/ Live Them ambassador Jeremy Renner hosted an exclusive and electric evening of cocktails and conversation at the famed Eric Buterbaugh gallery in Los Angeles.
Well-dressed revelers were treated to lush environs, a menu curated by 2017 Circle of Centaurs ambassador Chef Marc Forgione, and the groundbreaking ‘Rooted in Exception’ mixed reality experience by Rémy Martin.
I was the first to give mixed reality a whirl, and color me impressed. Equipped with a VR headset and gracious tour guide, I walked the gallery learning about the history of the famed cognac brand. Ingredients floated in the air in front of me as a voiceover guided me through the increasingly gorgeous scenes.
Next up: cocktails. I tried out the Rémy Renner first and quickly fell in love. It’s made with Rémy Martin 1738, and had a real kick that got my night started right. Next up was V French 75 made with Rémy V. This one was full-bodied and frankly very pretty. Possibly my favorite of the night.
Let’s just say I tried every cocktail, and was in a great mood all night. Rémy Martin VP Emma Medina invited Renner, Forgione, Jackie Cruz and Actor Laz Alonso up to the mic for a traditional toast. It was a heartwarming and charming moment in a night already full of joy.
Then came Fetty Wap. The chart topping rapper/singer was introduced as a special guest performer and turned. the place. out.
I’m pretty sure he performed even more songs than originally intended. The atmosphere was that lit. He played smash hits “Trap Queen” and “My Way” and was clearly having a very good time. I didn’t know he was such a great live singer.
He’s a huge fan of Rémy Martin and chants ‘1738’ in every song. As a token of appreciation, the brand gifted him a personalized 1738 bottle dripping in Swarovski crystals.
Fetty was a fitting end to a festive night. Can’t wait till the next one.
Chris Brown and Riveting Entertainment premiered the eye-opening Welcome to My Life documentary at L.A. Live amid stars and avid admirers. There was palpable excitement in the theater as folks rushed in for what promised to be an in-depth look into the controversial star’s life.
I knew NKRIOT was a star the first time I saw him play. He was decked out in his signature customized chrome helmet, playing electronic instruments he built or modified, tearing through guitar solos with a bombast and technical prowess you only get from years of practice.
Preparing for my interview with heatseeking r&b singer/songwriter Oneinthe4rest was a dream. His talent leaps out of the speakers the moment you hear his voice. Not only that, but he’s endlessly entertaining, having built a mystique and peerless pedigree at a very young age. I was excited to meet him.
He’s riding high on the success of his first official single, “Jiu Jitsu,” a buoyant and infectious collaboration with Chris Brown. He also wrote Brown’s latest smash, “Party,” and has written for Nicki Minaj, Big Sean, Tyga, Kid Ink and many more.
We met conference room on the top floor of a massive West LA high rise. 4rest, aka Melvin Moore, strode in with the confidence and class of an industry vet. We covered a lot:
How did the sessions for “Jiu Jitsu” come about?
Just good vibes, really. Just like any other session. We probably do like eight songs a night. “Jiu Jitsu” happened to be one of the special ones. I did it with a friend of mine, Prince Kreyshawn, and A.O., Triza, and “Keyz.” Those were the producers. It’s just a vibe. It wasn’t really thought out too much. We were trying to talk about love in a new way, in a fly way.
How do you do eight songs in one night?
You just need really dope beats. And some alcohol, probably. I don’t always drink it. But it’s just a vibe.
What alcohol is good for recording?
Any alcohol. It’s not about the alcohol, really. It’s about the way that it loosens up the vibe. I don’t use it all the time. Some nights I don’t really do anything. Cause I don’t really drink or smoke. But it keeps the vibe. Everybody else is drunk so that keeps the energy turnt. Might be a few young ladies in there. Keep the room smelling good. They come in, smells better, you know what I’m saying?
Tell me what it was like growing up in Kansas? Was LA a big adjustment for you?
Huge. Kansas is extremely slow. LA is one of the fastest places. New York is the fastest. But Kansas is one of the slowest for sure. Crabs in a bucket. But it’s good for roots. There’s a lot of jazz. They have juke joint nights where you might catch your guys from church, you might catch the everyday singers. Everybody comes out, all the best musicians. Kansas is like the place you go to raise your family. LA is like, go be a star.
Would you ever go back? Say if you were 50 years old and you accomplished everything you wanted to?
Definitely. It’s really flat, lots of land. I grew up around farms and lakes. It’s a cool vibe there.
Is that where you cut your teeth musically? At jams and whatnot?
No actually I grew up around it because my dad was a percussionist in a gospel band, my mom sang Broadway songs, she was into theater.
Tell me about your name. How’d you come up with it?
Honestly, I wanted people to think it was a band. Cause that’s where I come from, and that’s where I wanted to go. I play guitar. And it’s also symbolic of me being in my own lane. Oneinthe4rest.
How’s your family responding to your success?
At this point they’re used to it. They’re like, he’s in LA, he’s doing stuff, he’s working with everybody. I think when I come home and do something grand, my mom will be like ‘What the…”. Right now she’s just chilling and praying and supporting me. I don’t think they fully grasp things like I have a song with Chris Brown and it’s been spinning on the radio.
I noticed your face is covered a lot. Is that intentional?
Absolutely. I want people to pay attention to what the music sounds like. Today’s generation is really caught up in what you look like. There’s a lot of Photoshop and…I’m just not a fan. I don’t even know if women are real anymore. [laughs] My reason for doing that was to say, pay attention to the music, who cares what I look like?
Special Needs Network hosted the 9th Annual Pink Pump Affair at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills. The event celebrates women making waves in Hollywood, and included community leaders, celebrities, corporate and political supporters and fashion forward folks of all stripes.
This year’s theme was “The Power of Women” and featured American Horror Story actress Jamie Brewer and honored beauty entrepreneur Rea Ann Silva ; creator and CEO of Beauty Blender, the honorable Betty Yee; California State Comptroller and Dr. Roslyn Blake; Founder of MB Ellison, Inc., a leading healthcare insurance company.
“When you highlight the things that capture inner beauty, that’s the strongest, and that is where we can really thrive,” said Brewer.
SNN founder Areva Martin added, “We love doing this event every year because proceeds from Pink Pump’s Gala provide free summer camp for hundreds of children with disabilities and their siblings living in Southern California. Our amazing honorees and hundreds of guests gather for a great cause and we have lots of fun too!”
The event included a stunning fashion show, a panel discussion on women in Hollywood, and a full red carpet rollout.
Quincy Jones and JBL introduced the world to an innovative audio experience with a VIP event at Village Recorder Studios in Los Angeles. Tastemakers and industry leaders hoped to get a taste of the next big thing in premium listening. They were not disappointed.
The E55BT Quincy Edition Headphone is a special edition over-ear wireless headphone that features customized EQ tuning and voice prompts from Quincy Jones himself. The music and culture legend spoke passionately about the impact he hopes to make.
“Passion. It’s called growing as you go. And that’s always been my dream,” he said. He stressed the E55BTs sound great no matter what music you’re listening to.
“Jazz and Classical music is not the same as EDM and disco, but that [headphone] right there takes care of the sound in every strata.”
An elite roster of creative influencers were on hand and served as official parts of the rollout.
Singer-songwriter Yuna, Singers/Musicians Chloe x Halle, Fashion Veteran Josh Pekowitz, Artist Mark Anthony Green, Musical Artist Masego and Designer Melody Ehsani all attended the event and filmed one-on-one video sessions with Quincy at his home.
Each of them radiated cool and kindness as they made the rounds, pausing only for a photo shoot with Quincy at the center. Jones played the role of icon passing the torch to the younger generation.
I gave the headphones a test drive and right off the bat noticed how comfortable they are. They have ergonomic ear cushions that are soft as down feathers yet supportive as a well-loved mattress.
The sound I heard was crisp and clear. These headphones pick up small details and louder, jutting sounds with equal deftness. The EQ was perfect on the pair I picked up. I could’ve listened to those songs for hours on end.
The event was equal parts headphone launch and celebration of Jones’ legacy. He passed priceless wisdom on to the rapt audience.
“I’ve never done music in my life for money or fame, never,” he said. “If you’re doing it for money or fame, you’ll find yourself in trouble.”
I’ll be taking those words with me.
Jonathan Tolliver is a journalist and singer/songwriter based in Los Angeles. You can listen to his music here and here.
Our very own @Tolliv3r with @QuincyDJones @JBLaudio #JBLxQuincy party tonight! #la pic.twitter.com/C4QKxzJEo9
— The Knockturnal (@_TheKnockturnal) May 20, 2017
Photo Credit: Dorothy Hong / Team Epiphany