Category: Urban AC

After over a year of dating, Michael B. Jordan and Lori Harvey are over.

News that the Creed actor, 35, and Harvey, 25, split first broke over the weekend with a source telling People, “Michael and Lori are both completely heartbroken. They still love each other.”

“Michael matured a lot over the course of their relationship and was ready to commit for the long term. He let down his guard with her, opening up emotionally in a romantic relationship for the first time,” the insider added. “They had great times together and brought out the best in each other.”

Although neither Jordan nor Harvey have publicly commented on the status of their relationship, US Weekly notes that photos of the couple have seemingly been scrubbed from Harvey’s social media.

The SKN by LH founder and Just Mercy star were first romantically linked in 2020 before going Instagram official in January 2021.

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On June 2, 2002, the groundbreaking series The Wire debuted on HBO. Due to its in-depth focus on Baltimore’s narcotics scene and its raw portrayal of the city’s drug trade, education, government and bureaucracy, the show was highly scrutinized by some. But to many others it is considered one of the most beloved and celebrated TV shows of the 21st century. 

The Wire spanned 60 episodes across five seasons on prime time television. The series’ creators, former police reporter David Simon and former cop Ed Burns, drew upon real-life experiences to craft complex, accurate storytelling that, to this day, influences and inspires similar projects. 

Some of today’s most celebrated stars trace their beginnings to The Wire — Golden Globe-winning actor Idris Elba is widely known for his role as antagonist Stringer Bell, while Creed star Michael B. Jordan got his start as a young Wallace in the series. The late Michael K. Williams received great praise for his portrayal of stickup man Omar Little, and Wood Harris is well known for his character, Avon Barksdale, a big-time Baltimore drug dealer. 

Twenty years later the show still garners critical acclaim, including the boastful but indisputable — as many critics refer to them — comments made by the creators themselves, who say they’re more than aware of The Wire’s cultural impact. 

“I told you so,” is a phrase Simon uses frequently in a New York Times’ article about the show’s legacy. Because, as Burns tells it, “this show will live forever.”

In honor of The Wire’s 20th anniversary, check out HBO’s official podcast episode, featuring Simon and Burns, narrated by Clifford “Method Man” Smith Jr. 

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Ahead of his hosting duties for this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee, LeVar Burton opened up about losing the bid to become the host of Jeopardy!. 

In an interview with Newsy, the Reading Rainbow alum says he was “not just disappointed but wrecked” by not getting the hosting job. 

“Experiencing a very public defeat, humiliation, if you will, was sobering,” he said. “I didn’t expect that I would not be their choice for host.”

Burton says he believes he was the best person for the job and claims the search for an Alex Trebek replacement was “fixed.”

“The truth is it was my favorite game show. It really was. I mean, I watched that show since I was in the third grade and Art Fleming was the host. And I honestly thought that I was well suited for it. As it turns out, it really wasn’t a competition, after all, the fix was in.”

On what the 65-year-old actor and host learned from the “humiliating” moment: “It reinforced my belief that everything happens for a reason, even if you cannot discern the reason in the moment. In the fullness of time, everything will be revealed.” He added, “I’m a firm believer in betting on myself, and I would encourage anyone and everyone out there to to believe.”

Regarding his upcoming hosting duties at the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee, airing live on ION and Bounce at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 2, Burton said, “I’m definitely one to go where I’m wanted and loathe to go where I’m not invited.”

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Obi-Wan Kenobi star Ewan McGregor has responded to trolls’ racist messages that were reportedly sent to his co-star Moses Ingram, who plays Jedi hunter Reva.

As reported, Ingram, who’s Black, posted some of the messages she’d received online, leading the franchise — and fans — to support her.

McGregor began his online message with a spot of good news, saying, “This weekend, Star Wars fans made Obi-Wan Kenobi the most-watched Disney+ premiere of all time. And for that, I would say a big thank you, and it just goes to show what this family can do when we all pull together.”

“However, it seems that some of the fan base…have decided to attack Moses Ingram online, and send her the most horrendous, racist DMs,” McGregor continued. “I heard some of them this morning and it just broke my heart.”

The actor added, “Moses is a brilliant actor, she’s a brilliant woman, and she’s absolutely amazing in this series. She brings so much to the series, she brings so much to the franchise, and it just sickened me to my stomach to hear that this had been happening.”

McGregor concluded, “I just wanted to say as the leading actor to the series and executive producer that we stand with Moses, we love Moses. If you’re sending her bullying messages, you are no Star Wars fan in my mind.”

For her part, Ingram had said, “I think the thing that bothers me … is…that feeling inside of myself … that I just have to…just grin and bear it.” She added defiantly, “But I’m not built like that.”

Moses also thanked fans who have shouted her out for her portrayal of Reva, declaring that it “means the world to me.”

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a famously charismatic guy, which was proven again when a two-dimensional version of him went viral.

An Instagram user called @smilesweetsraccoon showed off a cardboard cutout of the movie star/TV star/entrepreneur, which she took out for a very special day.

“Thank you @therock for taking me to prom. I had so much fun,” she posted. “Best date a person could ask for.”

To her apparent surprise, Johnson hit her back online, reposting the picture to his 318 million Instagram followers, “It was absolutely my honor…and you were the best prom date EVER!!” The Black Adam star and XFL owner added, “Great to meet your family and friends too!” along with a clinking champagne emoji.

Meanwhile, Johnson’s oldest daughter, Simone, has declared she’s joining the family business: Simone is following her famous father into the WWE, wrestling under the name Ava Raine.

To those who thought The Rock’s offspring should be known as The Pebble — and there were many — the 20-year-old vented, “i beg of you guys to find a new joke. anything.”

Simone, aka Ava, will be a fourth-generation wrestler: her dad’s father, Rocky Johnson, and his maternal grandfather, Peter Maivia, were both in the business.

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The official social media platforms for Star Wars posted a unified message of support for Obi-Wan Kenobi star Moses Ingram, after she shared on Instagram racists comments people had directed at her. 

“There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don’t choose to be a racist,” the message reads.

“We are proud to welcome Moses Ingram to the Star Wars family and excited for Reva’s story to unfold. If anyone intends to make her feel in any way unwelcome, we have only one thing to say: we resist.”

Moses’ video begins with a collection of nasty comments, including claims her character Reva was a “diversity hire” by Darth Vader. The actress then addresses her followers directly. 

“Long story short, there are hundreds of these. Hundreds,” the actress begins, adding she also sees so many messages of support. “And that means the world to me,” Ingram says.

“I think the thing that bothers me … that that feeling inside of myself … that I just have to shut up and take it, grin and bear it … But I’m not built like that,” she says defiantly.

Moses then thanked fans who have stood by her. And to the trolls? “Y’all are weird,” she says.

According to an interview in the U.K. Independent, Ingram was warned by Lucasfilm about racist comments that were made about Star Wars sequel stars Kelly Marie Tran and John Boyega. “It was something that Lucasfilm actually got in front of and said, ‘This is a thing that, unfortunately, likely will happen. But we are here to help you; you can let us know when it happens,'” Ingram says.

Lucasfilm is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

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Ruby Barker, who plays Marina Thompson on Netflix’s hit period drama Bridgerton, is now in a better place, following recent treatment in a hospital for unspecified “mental health struggles.”

Barker took to Instagram in a video recorded while she was soaking in a hot tub to update her followers, thanking her family, friends, and doctors for their support. “You’ve made me feel so happy to be alive,” she said, “and I’m so grateful for that.”

She commented, “it really made me feel less alone,” and hoped “shining a light” on her own troubles can help others. “I can’t wait for the future,” Barker smiled. “I’m doing OK for myself.”

She added, “If I have any advice for my younger self, I would just tell myself, it’s not all doom and gloom, even if you hit rock bottom.”

Barker added some advice from her Bridgerton co-star Claudia Jessie. “She told me to flip the coin…’It might be dull on one side, but just flip the coin, and you’ll find it shiny on the other.'”

“Find the funny, find the light,” she continued. “Anyone who is in a dark place right now…I see you. I feel you. Find the funny and flip that coin.”

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Ice-T is laughing off the critics. 

Over the weekend, Ice-T’s wife, Coco Jones, shared a snapshot of their 6-year-old daughter, Chanel, sitting in a stroller during a family trip to the Atlantis Bahamas that sparked a ton of backlash from users who thought the child was too old for the wheeled chair.

Multiple outlets picked up the story including CNN, which prompted the Law & Order: SVU star to tweet on Tuesday, “Lol… CNN? Really? MFs ain’t got s*** else to talk about.. F em all. Smh. Lol”

The photo shared by Jones was a mirrored selfie of the family, with Chanel looking bored while sitting in the stroller with the caption, “A stroll through the @atlantisbahamas shops… Chanel is so over it unless theres something cool to see.. Her face transitions instantly.”

It didn’t take long for users to express their disapproval, with one person commenting, “Isn’t she like 6 yrs old! Should she be out of a stroller by now?!”

Another wrote, “A stroller really? Let that girl grow up.”

It wasn’t all criticism, though. There were some that defended the use of a stroller, like one person who questioned, “Why are people complaining about the stroller? You going to pick her up when she gets tired? Its not like she has a bottle and a pacifier. Relax.”

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On May 25, 2020, the world watched in shock as George Floyd laid on the ground, restrained under Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin‘s knee for nearly 10 minutes. Floyd was gasping for air and repeating his final words, “I can’t breathe.” Floyd’s death sparked a nationwide reckoning around social justice, police reform and systemic racism but the authors of a new biography say they set out to tell the story of the man behind the movement.

As recounted in His Name is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice, authors Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa embarked on an extensive research journey to humanize Floyd beyond his unknowingly impactful death.

“We knew that he was much more than the 10-minute video that everyone had seen … no one should be reduced to that,” Olorunnipa told ABC Audio. “He was a human being. He loved people. He was loved by people. And it was important for us to show his full humanity.”

With access to Floyd’s family members and close friends, and drawing on over 400 interviews, the authors’ findings include personal life details such as Floyd’s relation to a formerly affluent great-great-grandfather.

“I was surprised that there was actually great wealth in his family history,” Olorunnipa said, noting there were many revelations he found interesting. He described the grandfather’s story from “one of the wealthiest people in eastern North Carolina” to a poverty-stricken man whose descendants suffered the consequences of systemic racism.

Through that example and countless others, the authors were able to draw a direct line between Floyd’s life and the book’s other main focus: institutional racism in America.

As for Olorunnipa’s wishes for the book on the second anniversary of Floyd’s death, “We need to remember what it was about George Floyd’s death … that caused so many people to say, ‘This is not right.'”

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Letitia Wright dropped some hints to Variety about the upcoming sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and how all involved are honoring the original film’s star, the late Chadwick Boseman.

Wright plays Shuri, the genius sister to Boseman’s King T’Challa, and rumor has it she’ll be taking on the mantle of Black Panther, as Boseman will not be recast.

Wright suffered an injury on the set of the film that was severe enough to cause changes to production to the Marvel Studios film. She says cast and crew soldiered on, as a tribute to Boseman, who died in 2020 at age 43 after a private battle with colon cancer.

“We committed everyday to working hard, no matter what circumstances we faced,” Wright told Variety from a red carpet event at the Cannes Film Festival. “And we faced a lot of circumstances. A lot of difficult situations, but we came together as a team.”

She added, “It is an incredible honor for Chadwick Boseman, it’s jam-packed with exciting stuff.”

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will hit theaters on November 11.

Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, parent company of ABC News.

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