{blackbabes} Surprise! Taraji P. Henson Dyes Her Hair Purple

Instagram

Violet's the vibe for Cookie Lyon Taraji P. Henson!

The Empire actress took to Instagram on June 27 with snaps of her new purple-to-gray ombré locks and, well, we're kind of feeling it (make that really feeling it). Taraji captioned the shot simply, writing, "#playingWithColor"—indeed!

While we don't know how long the star plans to keep her hair this striking violet hue, we do think it's a great alternative for summer. Other Hollywood actresses have opted to go platinum blond this week (like Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting and Taryn Manning, who both flaunted ultra-light locks yesterday), but a pop of purple certainly fits the mood too.

Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music, Soaps
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99

Babe Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonth.html

Hunk Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonthman.html

{blackbabes} Lupita Nyong'o Partners with Wildlife Conservancy to Save Elephants in Kenya

 

Lupita Nyong'o, on a return visit to her native Kenya, announced that she would be partnering with international conservation organization WildAid to advocate for a variety of issues, including elephant conservation and women's issues, as well as acting and the arts in Kenya.

"I am proud of my Kenyan heritage, and part of that heritage is the incredible wildlife haven that is in our care," Nyong'o said at a Tuesday press conference in Nairobi. "I ask the world to end the current elephant poaching crisis by being 'Ivory Free.' It is time to ban sales of ivory worldwide and to consign the tragedy of the ivory trade to history."

Kenya banned ivory sales 25 years ago, though up to 33,000 elephants are still killed each year for their ivory, owing to an increased demand for the material in Asian countries.

"Brave and dedicated people are giving their lives to protect our elephants," Nyong'o said. "They need all of our support, from people in the United States and Asia by not buying ivory, and from Kenyans in supporting anti-poaching by reporting wildlife crime. Poaching undermines national security and endangers jobs and community support derived from tourism."

Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music, Soaps
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99

Babe Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonth.html

Hunk Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonthman.html

{blackbabes} Misty Copeland Is First Black Female Principal Dancer for American Ballet Theater

Misty Copeland has been promoted to principal ballerina with American Ballet Theater. And with that promotion, she makes history as the first African-American female to achieve that position in the company's 75-year history.

Copeland, 32, has danced with the company for 14 years. She became the first black ballerina to star in its production of Swan Lake at New York City's Metropolitan Opera House only last week and has talked openly about race and her status as a role model while enjoying fame that has turned her "performances [into] events, drawing large, diverse, enthusiastic crowds to cheer her on," as The New York Times reports.

Her wide fame beyond the dance world – she's been a soloist with ABT for eight years – extends to her half-million Instagram followers, an online ad for Under Armour that's been viewed 8 million times, and her authorship of a children's book, Firebird.

Her Swan Lake debut attracted so many autograph seekers that the crowd had to be cleared from the stage door, according to the Times.

In a memoir released last year, Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina, Copeland wrote: "My fears are that it could be another two decades before another black woman is in the position that I hold with an elite ballet company. That if I don't rise to principal, people will feel I have failed them."

After gracing the cover of Time magazine this year as one of its influential Time 100, the native of Kansas City, Missouri, told the magazine: "Something that my mother instilled in me, as a biracial woman herself, and me being biracial, was that the world was going to view me as a black woman, no matter what I decided to do."

"I had no idea that that was going to be my truth at some point in my life, when I moved to New York City at 17 years old and joined American Ballet Theater and realized I was the only African American woman in a company of 80 dancers."

"I never saw a ballerina who looked like me before," she told Time, acknowledging the mentoring of black ballerinas like Raven Wilkinson and the inspiration she felt to "try and open up the doors for the history of African-American ballerinas that I feel is just not told."

"I'm here to be a vessel for all these brown ballerinas who have come before me," she said.

Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music, Soaps
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99

Babe Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonth.html

Hunk Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonthman.html

{blackbabes} Naomi Campbell Fronts Lingerie Campaign at 45, Plus More Fall Campaign Updates

Tis the season for a ton of fall fashion ads. There's Marc Jacobs's numerous muses, Donatella Versace's Givenchy collaboration and, now, the lingerie giant La Perla just revealed its latest campaign star — 45-year-old modeling vet, Naomi Campbell (who, no surprise, looks stunning). Plus, check out the new family-focused Dolce and Gabbana ads and more!

Campbell books just as many gigs as models half her age. The star recently celebrated a major runway show-stopping moment at the co-ed Givenchy Paris fashion show (wearing a G-string!), and now she's starring in a sexy new ad campaign for La Perla's Made to Measure Atelier collection, making it really hard to tell if it's 1990 or 2015.

The leggy legend models the "Anchor" one-piece (just seen on the two industry youngsters, Gigi and Bella Hadid on the cover of V Magazine last week) and the "Impossible Lace" featuring a long vest with see-through overlay. The ads were shot by fashion photographers Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott (yep, the same duo who shot these sultry shoot in W magazine unveiled yesterday).

Next up, is Dolce & Gabbana's new Winter 2016 campaign that matches their "Viva la Mamma" runway presentation featuring the "dgmamma" and "dgfamily" (as described by Stefano Gabbana on Instagram). There's adorable mommy-and-me matching moments in colorful prints. Models eating full plates of spaghetti. And of course, an ad with models wearing Dolce & Gabbana's iconic black lace.

There are also additional photos featuring selfie-taking models clad in the latest accessories, like jewel and fur-encrusted tiara headphones and handbags featuring a very prominent man-and-wife portrayal of family — an issue that caused controversy earlier this year. In March, the designers expressed controversial statements about gay parents, explaining that they oppose gay adoptions and are against "chemical offsprings and rented uterus."

Lastly, the plus-size brand Marina Rinaldi pulled Oscar-winner Patricia Arquette for its fall 2016 campaign photographed by Bruce Weber, and according to WWD the actress has been signed with the brand for two seasons. "What I love about Marina Rinaldi is how much they care about women, about making them all feel beautiful, powerful, confident," Arquette told WWD."When it comes to self acceptance and body consciousness, most women still feel insecure and struggle to correspond to a stereotyped kind of beauty. Marina Rinaldi — through a straightforward communication strategy and through extraordinary fashion collections — helps all women believe in themselves and in the individual beauty each of them possesses. I'm proud I've been offered the chance to add my voice to the statement 'Women Are Back.'"

Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music, Soaps
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99

Babe Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonth.html

Hunk Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonthman.html

{blackbabes} Serena's sadness at Charleston massacre

London (AFP) - US tennis star Serena Williams called the Charleston massacre unspeakably sad and recalled Monday how she refused to play in South Carolina while the Confederate flag flew above the state legislature.

A black female protester scaled a flagpole on the grounds of the South Carolina legislature in Columbia on Saturday and removed the Confederate flag amid fierce debate about the racially-charged symbol in the wake of the Charleston killings elsewhere in the US state.

Impassioned debate about the flag was sparked by the mass shooting of nine black worshippers in Charleston on June 17. The alleged white supremacist gunman, Dylann Roof, 21, appeared in photos online with the flag.

In 2000, Williams pulled out of the Family Circle Cup in South Carolina in support of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's call for a boycott over the Confederate flag flying above the state legislature.

The flag was eventually removed from the state house dome to a monument in the grounds later that year.

"I wouldn't go to Charleston until the flag was removed. Once it was, I went there, and only after the Confederate flag was removed," Williams said after winning her first round match at Wimbledon.

"What happened in Charleston is a tragedy yet again to our country, the United States. It's really unspeakable how sad it is and how much of a toll it can have.

"But you just have to continue to have faith, continue to believe, continue to be positive, continue to help people to the best of your ability."

There has been a growing clamour for the flag -- branded by US President Barack Obama as "a reminder of systemic oppression and racial subjugation" -- to be removed from the grounds of the state house in Columbia.

Once flown by the rebel army of the slave-owning South during the Civil War, the confederate flag is seen by some as a symbol of regional heritage. But many more view it as an ugly reminder of racism's cruel legacy.

Williams said she was proud of how the community reacted to the Charleston massacre.

"Everyone was so positive and a lot of people went there. Obviously Obama. It was a very emotional time for many people of all races in the United States, and outside the United States," she said.

Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music, Soaps
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99

Babe Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonth.html

Hunk Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonthman.html

{blackbabes} Venus Williams serves up an off-market home sale in Bel-Air

Venus Williams competes at the Wimbledon Championships on Monday. The former top-ranked women's tennis player has sold her Bel-Air home for $6.85 million.

Former top-ranked women's tennis player Venus Williams has sold her Bel-Air home in an off-market transaction for $6.85 million.

The buyers were real estate investor Jerome Eisenberg and wife Jackie Arthur.

Built in 1979, the gated estate has a Tudor-inspired house, a swimming pool with a raised spa, an entertainer's patio and a lighted tennis court on about two acres.

 

Tennis champ Venus Williams has sold her home in Bel-Air off-market for $6.85 million.

Marked by an arched entryway, the single-story home is distinguished by sloped ceilings with exposed beams, wood and polished concrete floors and large picture windows. Among the living spaces is a formal living room with a stone fireplace, a gym, an office and an updated kitchen with a breakfast area.

The master suite sports a walk-in closet, a large soaking tub and a steam shower for a total of four bedrooms and five bathrooms in some 6,500 square feet of space.

A former Women's Tennis Assn. No.1-ranked singles player, Williams has won nearly two dozen Grand Slam titles in her career. The 35-year-old also owns an interior design firm in Florida and in 2007 launched a line of activewear with retailer Steve & Barry.

Williams bought the home from director-producer-screenwriter Joel Schumacher in 2009 for $5.3 million. Her sister and current top-ranked women's singles player, Serena Williams, maintains a residence nearby.

Christine Taylor of Gibson International represented Williams, according to sources not authorized to comment on the deal. Julie Candice of Hilton & Hyland, an affiliate of Christie's International Real Estate, represented Eisenberg and Arthur.

Earlier this month, Eisenberg and Arthur sold their longtime home in Brentwood to David Ruddick, a top executive for Australia shopping giant Westfield Group. Formerly owned by actress Joanna Kerns and L.A. architect Marc Appleton, the Spanish-style house on Carmelina Avenue went in a day for $6.9 million.

Candice and David Kramer of Hilton & Hyland, were the listing agents. Barbara Tenenbaum, also with Hilton & Hyland, represented Ruddick.

Entertainment Plaza - TV, Movies, Sports, Music, Soaps
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99

Babe Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonth.html

Hunk Of The Month - Vote Now!
http://members.shaw.ca/almosthuman99/babeofthemonthman.html