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Family, lifelong friends and even a US President ensure Aretha Franklin’s funeral is fit for a queen

Detroit (CNN) Family, friends and the many admirers of Aretha Franklin packed Detroit’s Greater Grace Temple on Friday to celebrate the life, legacy and music of the “Queen of Soul.”

It was a service fit for the Queen, who died earlier this month at the age of 76 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

The funeral was full of mourning and laughter, of rousing gospel music and soulful hymns befitting of the first woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, who won 18 Grammys and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, among many other honors.

Ariana Grande performs during the funeral service for Aretha Franklin at Greater Grace Temple.

Singers like Ariana Grande, Faith Hill, the Clark Sisters, Chaka Khan, Fantasia Barrino-Taylor, Jennifer Hudson and Stevie Wonder rallied funeralgoers and brought them to their feet to dance and sing with Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “I’m Going Up Yonder,” “Take My Hand, Precious Lord,” and “Amazing Grace,” to name a few.

Stevie Wonder performs at Franklin’s funeral on Friday. He began by playing the harmonica before singing “I’ll Be Loving You Always”.

Stevie Wonder gave the last performance before Franklin’s family exited the church. Whipping out his harmonica, Wonder played a musical rendition of the “Lord’s Prayer.”

“Were it not for God’s goodness, God’s greatness, we would’ve never known the queen of soul,” Wonder said after finishing with the harmonica. He ended with his 1976 song “As,” which brought people to their feet.

From left, Louis Farrakhan, the Rev. Al Sharpton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson attend Franklin’s funeral.

Spoken tributes and remembrances from religious and political leaders underlined the influence of a woman who stood on the front lines of the civil rights movement, with her music as a frequent anthem.

Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson and former US Attorney General Eric Holder were among those who came to pay their respects and offer kind words and remembrances.

Ex-President Bill Clinton professes his admiration for Franklin at Friday’s service in Detroit.

Former President Bill Clinton fondly recalled the last time he saw Franklin, when she greeted him with, “How you doing, baby?”

It was a star-studded occasion, but it wasn’t about who was or wasn’t famous. Her former neighbor, Ron Moten, told the story of the time his friend Aretha gave a concert at his mother’s assisted living facility on her 90th birthday.

And fans around the world collectively followed the funeral for more than six hours, using the hashtag #ArethaHomegoing.

Pallbearers carry the casket out of Greater Grace Temple at the end of the funeral service on Friday

All those gathered had come to say their last goodbyes to a woman and an artist who profoundly impacted each of them, the city of Detroit and the world. “She gave us pride,” Sharpton said during his remembrance. “And she gave us a regal bar to reach, and that’s why we’re all here.

“We don’t all agree on everything,” he said. “But we agree on Aretha.”

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Marvel Artist Marie Severin dies at 89

Marie Severin, a comic book artist and colorist best known for her work on Marvel titles including The Incredible Hulk, Kull the Conqueror and the humor title Not Brand Ecch, has died at 89.

Severin’s death followed her move into hospice care following a second stroke his week; she suffered her first in 2007. Her death was announced on Facebook by longtime friend and former Marvel staffer Irene Vartanoff.

Severin, initially entered the industry as a colorist for EC Comics when her older brother, the late comic book artist John Severin, was working for the company and needed someone to color his pages. She would go on to color titles across the company’s line until it folded, before eventually ending up at the nascent Marvel Comics in the late 1950s, where she served as a production and paste-up artist and colorist before going on to pencil and ink stories in her own right. She served as Marvel’s head colorist until 1972, when she left the position to concentrate on penciling and inking.

In addition to her interior artwork, Severin also designed the original costume for Spider-Woman, and designed and illustrated merchandise for Marvel’s Special Projects division. In the 1980s, she was one of the core artists on the short-lived “Star Comics” line, aimed at younger readers.
Outside of her Marvel portfolio, she also contributed to titles for DC, Claypool Comics and Fantagraphics. She was named the Best Humor Penciler in 1974’s Shazam Awards, and won the Inkpot Award at 1988’s San Diego Comic-Con; in 2001, she was inducted into the Will Eisner Comics Hall of Fame.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame celebrates Michael Jackson’s 60th birthday

Fans around the world are remembering Michael Jackson, who would have turned 60 years old today. Celebrations include a free party in his honor at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, an event featuring Jackson family members in Las Vegas, a mural in Hamburg, Germany, and a Jackson-inspired jeweled crown sculpture in London’s Southbank.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is hosting the party on its plaza that includes dance performances and crowd tutorials, costume contests, a zombie transformation station and a plaza-wide “Thriller” dance. The party takes place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET..

Meanwhile, the Estate of Michael Jackson and Sony Music will host an official Diamond Birthday Celebration at the Daylight Beach Club at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Michael Jackson’s children, Paris and Prince Jackson, are expected to attend, as are the singer’s brothers, Jackie and Tito, among other celebrities.

Michael Jackson’s lucrative legacy

In addition to being a legendary performer, Michael Jackson was also a songwriter, record producer and actor. He died at age 50 on June 25, 2009, of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication after suffering from cardiac arrest. Conrad Murray, his personal physician, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson’s death.

Boy whose Michael Jackson dance moves went viral receives “thrilling” gift from cop
Jackson’s “Thriller,” which debuted in 1982, was the best-selling album of all time until earlier this month, when The Eagles’ “Greatest Hits” album overtook the No. 1 spot.

Jackson was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice: as a solo superstar in 2001 and with his siblings in the Jackson 5 in 1997.

His father, Joe Jackson, who masterminded the careers of Michael Jackson and his siblings, died in June at age 89.

Matthew Polly: ‘Bruce Lee Wanted To Be The Next Clint Eastwood’

Polly discusses why he wanted to write the book, the connection between Lee and Steve McQueen and Lee’s early acting career as a kid.

DJ Sixsmith– How long have you been teaching your class at Yale?

Matthew Polly– Off and on for a couple of years. I started at the Singapore campus and then I do some stuff here in Connecticut.

DS– I can only imagine the reaction initially bringing this type of class to Yale, I’m sure it was pretty interesting.

MP– [Laughs] That’s right, actually the students, especially the Asian American students, really love it.

DS– I’m sure, so take me back a little bit, why did you want to write this book?

MP– I’m one of those kind of archetypal skinny bullied kids who saw Enter The Dragon when he was 12 and Bruce kind of jumped off the screen into my imagination and became my hero. I immediately rushed out and bought a nunchaku, spent an afternoon cracking myself in the skull with it – put that down and never studied that again [laughs]. But I took up the martial arts and ended up going to China to study Kung Fu with the Shaolin Monks. Really, the entire course of my life was changed by Bruce Lee for the better and I feel, in a way, writing this book was my way to payback that debt.

DS– I feel like there’s a lot of really interesting things about Bruce Lee that I didn’t realize. What did you learn about Bruce Lee from the hundreds of interviews you did for this project?

MP– I think it’s interesting that Bruce Lee is the only star of the 21st Century who died before he became famous. So his image was created completely posthumously and it was based on his movies, so many people didn’t know who Bruce Lee was. They couldn’t separate him from the characters they saw on screen.

What I found fascinating, or one of the biggest things, was watching the 20 movies he made as a child actor in Hong Kong – the fact that none of them were Kung Fu films lets you get that feeling that he was an actor first and foremost. He did comedies, he did tragedies, he did melodramas – he had that acting skill and then later in life he became obsessed with Kung Fu and then merged those two passions and that’s what made him a star was that he synthesized two aspects of his obsession and love.

DS– What was the most interesting interview you did?

MP-Betty Ting Pei was quite remarkable. She’s the woman, in whose bed he died and for about 40 years everybody’s been pretending that he went over there for a business meeting. Most people will realize that was not what happened, most actors don’t go to other actor’s apartments for a business meeting. But she finally decided to fess up and she just said to me directly, “I was his girlfriend,” and we’d all been waiting for years and years and years to hear that.

DS– How about this whole Roman Polanski subplot. Why did Polanski think Bruce killed Sharon Tate?

MP– Yea, that’s amazing. So two of Bruce’s closest friends were Jay Sebring and Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski was one of his students. In the Manson murders Tate and Sebring were killed and at the scene of the crime, one of the murderers left a pair of horn-rimmed glasses and Polanski came to believe that he could find the killer by finding out who had lost the pair of glasses.

Then one day just randomly while he was training with Bruce, Bruce had mentioned that he had lost his pair of glasses and for a short brief moment Polanski was terrified and he says to him, “Let’s go to the optician store and I’ll buy you a new pair of glasses.” So for the entire ride Polanski is thinking, ‘Could it be Bruce? He has the skills to do it, it might have been him.’ Then they get to the store and Bruce orders his glasses and the prescription is not the same and Polanski breathes a sigh of relief and never tells Bruce of his suspicions.

DS– Very interesting. I know that Bruce and Steve McQueen had a complicated relationship. What happened there?

MP– So, Steve McQueen was one of Jay Sebring’s clients – Jay Sebring cut his hair and that’s how Bruce met all of his celebrity students because he was friends with Jay. Steve McQueen was one of Bruce’s favorite students, they had very similar personalities they were kind of street tough guys who didn’t mess around. Bruce really wanted to make a movie with Steve. He was hoping he could make the first Kung Fu martial arts movie in Hollywood. He was hoping Steve McQueen would be the A-list actor who would get it green lit, but they ended up falling for the same actress, Sharon Farrell, and so they had a love triangle between the two of them. Steve ended up deciding he wouldn’t do the movie Silent Flute and Bruce was furious with him and he vowed that one day he would be a bigger star than Steve McQueen.

DS– Wow, that’s a pretty crazy story. You mentioned before that so much of Bruce’s legacy was shaped after he was gone – what do you think his legacy would have been if he had lived longer?

MP– I think, while he wanted to be a bigger star than Steve McQueen, he modeled his career after Clint Eastwood. He went to Hollywood in the same way Eastwood went to Italy to make a few cheap movies to prove his bankability to Hollywood and he thinks he would have done what Clint Eastwood did. He would’ve acted for a couple more decades in various films and then gone behind the camera. I think his reputation today would have been a former action star who’s a great director. We wouldn’t think of him just as a Kung Fu guy, I think we would have thought of him as a film maker and artist.

DS– When you teach your class at Yale, what is the biggest thing that you want your students to take away about Bruce Lee?

MP– I think the most important thing for them as young people is to realize that, it’s a cliche, but every once in a while you can do what you set out to dream. Bruce’s main accomplishment was to become the first Asian American male actor ever star in a Hollywood movie and at that time he faced insurmountable odds. He didn’t quit, he never gave up and through sheer will and ambition he achieved that dream. It cost him his life, but he managed to do it and that’s something I hope anyone takes away from that including my students.

Source: chicago.cbslocal.com

Prince’s family sues former doctor who prescribed him pain pills

The family of the late rock legend Prince is suing his former doctor who prescribed him pain medication.

The lawsuit filed this week in Hennepin County District Court alleges that Dr. Michael Schulenberg failed to treat Prince for an opiate addiction and therefore should be liable for his death.

Prince’s family is seeking unspecified damages in excess of $50,000 according to the suit, first reported by ABC News.com.

Schulenberg paid $30,000 to settle a federal civil violation alleging that the drugs that killed Prince were prescribed illegally. However, despite the settlement, his lawyer Paul Peterson believes the complaint is baseless.

“We understand this situation has been difficult on everyone close to Mr. Nelson and his fans across the globe,” he said in a statement. “Be that as it may, Dr. Schulenberg stands behind the care that Mr. Nelson received. We intend to defend this case.”
Prince Rogers Nelson died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl April 15, 2016.

Authorities say Dr. Michael Schulenberg confessed to prescribing oxycodone to Prince in the days leading up to his death, but that it was given under his bodyguard’s name to protect his privacy.

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Oprah’s Sleep Doctor Says to Avoid This 1 Thing Before Bed

When it comes to bedtime, Oprah Winfrey abides by this simple rule.

In a recent interview with FEMAIL, the media mogul’s sleep doctor, Dr. Michael Breus, revealed the key to finding a “sweet spot” in your bedtime routine is to avoid long talks before bed.

“Having big emotional discussions with your partner right before bed is one of the worst things you can do before trying to fall asleep,” he said.

He went on to say that it distracts your mind from the true task at hand, adding, “It sets off this whole level of autonomic arousal, you’re angry, you’re upset, and you can’t stop thinking right before bed.”

Not tonight, honey, we need our beauty rest.

Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/oprahs-sleep-doctor-says-to-avoid-this-1-thing-before-bed/ar-BBMgrXX?ocid=spartanntp

 

Aretha Franklin, “Queen of Soul,” is dead at 76

Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, died Thursday morning at her home in Detroit after a long battle with cancer, her family said in a statement. She was 76 years old.

The family said Franklin died from advanced pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type. The cause of death was confirmed by Franklin’s oncologist, according to the statement.

“In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart,” the family said. “We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family. The love she had for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins knew no bounds.”

Within minutes of the news of her death, musicians, actors, producers, high-profile executives, political figures and others paid tribute to the powerful singer. On Twitter, President Trump called Franklin’s voice “a wonderful gift from God.”

In a statement, former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama said every time Franklin sang “we were all graced with a glimpse of the divine.

“Through her compositions and unmatched musicianship, Aretha helped define the American experience,” the Obamas said. “In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade – our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-won respect. She helped us feel more connected to each other, more hopeful, more human. And sometimes she helped us just forget about everything else and dance.”

Funeral arrangements would be announced “in the coming days,” Franklin’s family said.
Franklin’s prolific career spanned six decades and included hit songs like “Respect,” “A Natural Woman” and “I Say a Little Prayer.” Even in her 70s, she was still performing. In 2015, her performance of “A Natural Woman” at the Kennedy Center Honors brought Mr. Obama to tears.

Franklin, whose father was a Baptist preacher, was born in Memphis but grew up in Detroit, where she began singing in the church choir at an early age. By many accounts, the young prodigy learned to play piano by ear. By the age of 14, with her father’s encouragement, Franklin started making records. Her early music blended gospel and jazz. By 1961, she made the transition into pop; between 1961 and 1969, she recorded 10 albums with Columbia Records.

The singer’s career took off when she recorded her 1967 hit “Respect,” which won two Grammy Awards. The song was off her first platinum album, “I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You.” She would go on to win 18 Grammy Awards in total and perform at three presidential inaugurations. Franklin was also the first woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

But Franklin did not have an easy road to success. Her mother moved away when Franklin was just 6 years old, and died four years later from a heart attack. Franklin’s father raised her as a single parent.

Franklin herself was already a mother before she struck fame. Just before she turned 13, Franklin gave birth to her first child, and she had the second of her four children less than two years later.

The singer also struggled with depression, alcoholism and her weight. A biography said that Franklin was “overwhelmed by fear and obsessed with control” and was afraid her fans would forget her. Franklin was also known for her fear of flying; she frequently took buses instead.

In spite of her fears, Franklin’s legacy remained strong even in recent years. In 2015, she sang for Pope Francis in Philadelphia. But last year, she announced her semi-retirement, saying she was no longer going to perform regularly after the release of her newest album, “A Brand New Me.” She said last February, “This will be my last year. I will be recording, but this will be my last year in concert. This is it.” Franklin said she wanted to spend more time with her grandchildren.

Rumors swirled that Franklin’s health was in decline over the last decade. In 2011, she told Anthony Mason for “CBS Sunday Morning” that there was nothing to worry about. She said, “My health is wonderful. It is fabulous now.” Franklin added of any health issues, “It wasn’t anything well, it wasn’t bad.”
Her last known performance was in November, for Elton John’s AIDS Foundation Fall Gala. Franklin died in Detroit, which is where she spent most of her childhood and adult life. In 2016, she made headlines when she donated hotel stays and food to nearby Flint residents during their water crisis.

Two other famous musicians also died on Aug. 16. Thursday marked the anniversary of the deaths of Elvis Presley, who died in 1977 at the age of 42, and of famed blues guitarist and singer Robert Johnson, who died in 1938.

 

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Meghan Markle Stars In Powerful UN Women Advert Encouraging Women To Become Leaders

Meghan Markle’s humanitarian work and women’s right advocacy started long before she became the Duchess of Sussex, and an emboldening video of the royal appearing in a campaign to encourage female leaders from a few years back has since resurfaced.

The 37-year-old former actress and UN Women ambassador features in the short film for UN Women – soundtracked to Florence and the Machine’s ‘Say My Name’ – alongside other women from across the globe.

The end of the clip mirrors that of the former Suits star’s famous UN Women speech in 2015, during which she spoke about her fight for gender equality and women’s rights.

The UN Women’s tagline in the 2015 advert reads: ‘We see potential leaders everywhere…

‘It’s time for more women to see it in themselves. Nominate a woman in your life.’

The duchess has already spoken about how she intends to use her platform for more charity work, telling the audience at the inaugural Royal Foundation Forum in February: ‘Even if it’s doing it quietly behind the scenes, which is what I’ve focused my energy on thus far…

‘Meeting with the right people, meeting with the organisations behind the scenes quietly, learning as much as I can so I can maximise the opportunity we have here to really make an impact.’

In the wake of the #MeToo movement and Time’s Up initiative, the Californian-born star also added that she wants to ‘shine a light’ on women’s empowerment.

I think right now in the climate we are seeing so many campaigns, I mean Me Too and Time’s Up, there is no better time than to really continue to shine a light on women feeling empowered and people really helping to support them, men included in that,’ she explained.

‘It makes such a tremendous difference.’

We can’t wait to see which charities Meghan will back and support as she continues her humanitarian work as a member of the royal family.

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Jennifer Lopez Wore These Denim Boots Instead of Pants

Jennifer Lopez Said “Screw Pants!” and Wore These Denim Boots Instead
Jennifer Lopez recently celebrated her 49th birthday, can you believe that? We can’t, considering how smoking hot she looked in this teeny black bikini and now this sexy street style outfit. The woman is seriously aging in reverse!

The superstar was spotted on the streets of NYC wearing an oversize white t-shirt, Hermés bag, her nameplate necklace, Le Vian jewels, a classic pair of oversize sunglasses, and . . . no pants.

Instead, Jennifer wore a pair of Versace denim boots from the Pre Spring 2019 collection that look exactly like a pair of jeans. The over-the-knee boots are the perfect statement piece! Each boot is equipped with its own Versace belt, pockets, and gold accents throughout. Click through to get a closer look at her shoes, and shop similar options.

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Kim Kardashian Wasn’t Joking About Kanye Almost Being a Billionaire

Kim Kardashian wasn’t joking when she said Kanye West is close to joining the 3-comma club, and it’s all thanks to Yeezy.

Sources close to Kanye tell The Blast his Yeezy company with Adidas just received a valuation that put their total worth close to $1.5 BILLION.
We’re told because Kanye is a majority stake holder in all things Yeezy, he is right at the line of being considered a billionaire.

Our sources say that Kanye has received several offers for investments and potential buyers of the company, but he has not decided yet how much, if any, he wants to part with.

Kim was just on the Jimmy Kimmel Show talking about her sister Kylie Jenner‘s financial success when Kimmel asked if she herself was close to a billionaire.

Kim revealed that “I would say my husband is. That makes me one, right?” Kylie took some heat after Forbes declared she was a “self-made billionaire” and fans pointed out she was a product of her famous family. However, Kylie’s been involved with her company since the beginning, and her cosmetics line literally prints money.

Now that Kim has revealed Kanye is raking in the dough, it looks like Kylie won’t be the only one hooking up the family with fantastic Christmas presents this year.

BTW, Kim may not be a billionaire … but she’s worth hundreds of millions, so she’s doing just fine.

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