Just When You Thought She Couldn't Get Any Better...

...Announced via her Facebook page, Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter hits us with a visual album!!!!

Post by Beyoncé.

Who in the music industry has ever done this, E-VER? (In my Kanye voice) Nothing more needs to be written. Prepare for greatness people; there truly are levels to this artful entertainment thang. Go Bey!

The self-titled full visual album is available on iTune right now. Songs can be purchased individually on December 20th.

Waddy Weekend Wrap - Mon 12/9

Nelson Mandela - My condolences go out to the family and friends of Nelson Mandela as well as the people of South Africa and those who passed away fighting alongside him to end apartheid. Although he was the former President of South Africa, his lifelong dedication to the freedom rights of his people transcends across a global spectrum as well as an intergenerational lifeline. After news of his passing began to spread through social media wildfire, I saw several posts from friends disgusted by their child's lack of knowledge. Their child had no idea who Mandela was, let alone what he fought for and continues to stand for. I thought, there is no way our younger generation does not know of Nelson Mandela. To my surprise, when I told my little sister that Nelson Mandela passed away, she asked me, "Who's that!?" All I could do was shake my head in shock. So of course I had to tell her all of what I knew about him. Since the school's aren't teaching it, it's up to us. I don't even know why I was even surprised. My high school didn't even offer African American history until the end of my sophomore year. Forget about the history of any "minority" group who contributed to American history. It's as if no "minorities" are a part of American history unless they're the enemy. RIP Nelson Mandela (1918-2013). I pray for a world where my future children and grandchildren will know all there is to know about their history. "What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate, and religious prejudice." - Carter Woodson

Soul of Her Shoe - Frankie Darcell of WDAS-FM has implemented a book club as part of her radio presence here in Philadelphia. For the first Book Club Meetup, 3 books were spotlighted including Sunny Anderson's Sunny Kitchen: Real Food for Real Life, Massi J. Smith's Mischievemakers, and Soul of Her Shoe by Okitchy Robertson. Check out the footage from that night.

I read Soul of Her Shoe this past Saturday night. Yup, that's how a 23 year old single young woman spent her Saturday night and it was fabulous! Soul of Her Shoe introduces 8 women all described as different types of shoes based on their personalities. There's the stiletto (diva), slipper (lazy), sneaker (hood rat), pump (mysterious), clog (bitter), and the boot (b**ch), along with the flip flop and sandal. Aside from some of the repetitiveness in the presentation of each shoe, it was a very good read, a real page-turner. Robertson is planning to continue the book into a 3-part trilogy series. I'm interested to see if she'll transform it into a play. As I was reading, I could see the book in visual form. I will say though, I didn't find myself relating to any of the characters; I'd describe myself more as a wedge, a mix between a flat and a heel, a combination of sporty and girly. LOL! Loved the book!

Call Me Crazy, But... - Sevyn Streeter's new EP album Call Me Crazy, But... was released last week. I had the chance to listen to it in whole over the weekend and absolutely loved it! Seven tracks from Sevyn! She reminds me of a mix between Kelly Rowland and Aaliyah, but still her own unique self. I predict a successful musical career from Sevyn. Check out these pics from her release party.

Thanks Drake - In other news, Drake announced his plans to build a recording studio inside Philly's Strawberry Mansion High School. The critics came out quick, asking why Drake didn't decide to contribute something a little more "universal" like books, a library, or even computers to reach more students. Well Drake is in the music industry and he's giving back to the students interested in a field that's often forgotten in conventional schooling, the arts. Some students learn best through music and other art forms. I hope the teachers are able to use it for educational purposes as well as extracurricular fun. Kudos to you Drake, please see this through.

Interview with Filmmaker Michael Dennis

Michael Dennis and Latifah Waddy

I had a chance to interview CEO & Founder of film company ReelBlack, Michael Dennis. He talked extensively about his screenplay, 2Pac is Alive. Stay up to date on the latest from Mike D and ReelBlack here.

Let me know your thoughts. Do you think 2Pac is still alive? Do you think he faked his own death?

Meet Momma Pope

I am super excited about tomorrow night's new episode of Scandal! It airs at 10pm on ABC. #ScandalThursday

Kerry Washington & Khandi Alexander
Hollywood Reporter (ABC/Richards Cartwright; Charley Gallay/Getty Images)

At the end of last week's Scandal, we found out that the president may have shot down an airplane that Olivia's mother was aboard. Furthermore, Olivia's own father , Rowan (played by Joe Morton), may have been behind the entire operation. But who is Momma Pope?

Well, get  ready for a flashback episode to meet Maya Lewis (She never took the Pope name). According to Hollywood Reporter, Khandi Alexander (Treme, CSI: Miami, The Corner, ER) will play the matriarch and Yara Shahidi (Imagine That, Salt) will portray a young Olivia.

Aww, look at the cute, dysfunctional Pope family.

                                  

*Final 4 photos (C) Getty Images: Joe Morton/Rowan Pope (top left), Khandi Alexander/Maya Lewis (top right), Kerry Washington/Olivia Pope (middle center), Yara Shahidi/Young Olivia (bottom center)

Waddy Weekend Wrap (11/1-3/13)

Gabby News - Gabrielle Union is gracefully covering the December issue of Essence Magazine. The Being Mary Jane star just celebrated her 41st birthday this past Tuesday! Speaking of Being Mary Jane, BET re-aired the movie edition Sunday night after Black Girls Rock! 2013. The Being Mary Jane series debuts at the top of the 2014 year on January 7th.

Essence Magazine

Passing on the Cheer - On Saturday, My 6 year old niece participated in her first cheerleading competition ever! Her team did an amazing job! Check out the video for yourself! They came in 1st place! I was more proud to see her joy in cheerleading. Her confidence has truly grown throughout the cheer season and I'm glad she's caught the cheerleading bug!

What a good Hart - Kevin Hart donated 500 computers to local Philadelphia Schools and Recreation Centers. Some computers went to 8 Philly, while the remaining went to rec centers across the country. Hart was at Allen M. Sterne Elementary School Friday afternoon with Mayor Michael Nutter. Word has it, Hart will continue to contribute to his hometown's school district. He said, "I will be involved in building our public school system up and getting it back to a place where we can stick our chest out and say we are Philadelphia, and our school system is doing the right things."

Kevin Hart & Legislative Aide Jason Dawkins at Sterne

Black Girls Rock! 2013 - The 3rd annual Black Girls Rock! aired last night on BET. I had the chance to attend the taping on October 26th with Cappuchino from Philly's Power99. It was PHENOMENAL!

Latifah Waddy

Some of the highlights from the night included the performances from Amber Riley (Glee) and Kelly Rowland ft. Sevyn Streeter, along with Philadelphia's own Patti LaBelle. The Community Activist Celebrant was Ameena Matthews who gave a powerful, true acceptance speech. It was so lengthy that BET had to the cut a lot of it down for the television program. Fortunately, an extended Black Girls Rock will air tomorrow night at 7:30pm on BET. It is a must-watch! Below is a video from our red carpet experience during the night of the taping. Check it out below!

Power99/Latifah Waddy

Waddy Watch: Jonathan and Wayne Lewis of Atlantic Starr

I remember my 10-year-old self helping my mom clean the living room. She'd be vacuuming with the stereo turned up loud. Secret Lovers. Always. When Love Calls. Circles. Send For Me. Those are just some of the songs from legendary R&B group Atlantic Starr that I heard coming from the speakers. I'd shout over the volume, "Mom, turn it down!" Of course she wouldn't. She was in the groove! Now-a-days, as we clean together, both of us attempt to sing the lyrics at the top of our lungs, probably out of tune. Haha! The moral of the story is that Atlantic Starr has some of the most timeless music in R&B history and it's intergenerational.

Recently, I had the chance to interview brothers and Atlantic Starr group members Jonathan and Wayne Lewis. In the video below, they reflect on their past performances, speak on the current state of the music industry, and tell us what we can expect at their upcoming show right here in Philly.

Insight from Filmmaker Charles Murray

Latifah Waddy and Charles Murray

With TV titles like Sons of Anarchy, Criminal Minds and NYPD Blue under his belt, Writer, Producer and Director Charles Murray is certainly one to learn from. I had a chance to sit down with him and he talked about his new film Things Never Said, his parents, and offers some valuable advice. Take a listen to our interview below be sure to catch Things at the AMC Lowes Cherry Hill movie theater as its only playing in our area through Thursday.