January 17, 2019 

Aries 

MAR 21 - APR 19 

You're up for anything this week when it comes to love and sex. Venus will be at a perfect angle to Mars, now in your sign. You've got more sexiness in your pinky toe than most people have in their entire bodies -- and the best part is that you know exactly what to do with it! If you have a lover, then he or she is in for some major desire thanks to you. If you happen to be single, you are likely to channel all this sexual energy into a spiritual or educational pursuit that you're passionate about. While you're doing this, you might meet someone you can connect with physically. Nice!

  

Taurus 

APR 20 - MAY 20 

You've got a sexy secret weapon at your disposal this week and you're not afraid to use it. You might be in planning mode, carefully preparing to entice your lover and make his or her wildest fantasy come true. The best part about your scheme is that your sweetheart has absolutely no idea what he or she is in for, because you are being very low key about this plan. You're pulling out all the stops and will use every drop of your sensual goodness to make sure that this week's love making is a "perfect ten." Yum!

  

Gemini 

MAY 21 - JUN 20 

It's a dream come true week for your partner or for your actual relationship. There is absolute power behind your ability to help make your partner's greatest aspiration a reality, and your mate feels extremely blessed knowing that you are his or her greatest supporter. You'll also have a way of passionately lifting up the spirits of your partner this week, reminding him or her how much glory and amazingness they've got inside of them. If you two have been working on a mutual goal together, then this is the week you'll manifest it. Seize the moment!

  

Cancer 

JUN 21 - JUL 22 

An office romance might really heat up this week. You and your coworker cannot continue to avoid the chemistry between you. In fact, this week you might become very open -- and even sloppy -- about showing it. You might, for example, get caught somewhere in your office fooling around. While you may initially feel embarrassed, the truth is that with the energy at play this week, you're more likely to feel turned on. If you're in a committed partnership, then you and your mate are likely to share some dicey words with each other. Don't worry, they will be intense but also healing.

 

Leo 

JUL 23 - AUG 22 

You've won the jackpot this week when it comes to romantic enchantment, erotic fantasies, and sexy moments. It's as if you're living in a fairytale, reality show, and soap opera all at once with your lover, so it definitely will not be a boring week. You might go towards a messy romantic situation that you know in your gut isn't right for you but is so irresistible that you just don't care. Another possibility is that you have been fooling yourself in the name of love and just when you're about to give up hope, the dream comes true and you get everything you want. Yes, it can happen. That's your luck.

  

Virgo 

AUG 23 - SEP 22 

You might feel more disappointed than fulfilled in love. It looks like your partner is going to let you down in some way. If that happens, you might take the disenchantment very personally. The issue seems to revolve around a domestic matter, and what you really won't like about your partner's approach is that he or she is trying to make you feel guilty or ashamed for how you feel concerning this matter. Not agreeing with each other's perspective is one thing but not honoring each other because you disagree is another. Remind your partner this week of the difference.

  

Libra 

SEP 23 - OCT 22 

Not being clear on what you need from your partner might throw a monkey wrench into your relationship bliss. It can be something as simple as you wanting him or her to pull their weight when it comes to household chores. However, if you don't verbalize it, how can you expect to get anywhere? You might also harbor an unreasonable sense of guilt about taking care of your partner. As a result, you think it's your responsibility to do everything. That's just not OK, Libra. You're eventually going to feel a surge of resentment that can erode an otherwise happy partnership. Address this ... now.

 

Scorpio 

OCT 23 - NOV 21 

You'll have a way of talking to your lover about the meatier relationship topics, while also making your partner feel as if he or she is completely loved and treasured. Sure, you've got some business to take care of together -- and you will. In fact, you're the last person who will shy away from a conversation about what really matters. Fortunately, you'll also make sure that your partner has a safe space to express his or her ideas about whatever vital situation you need to discuss. Making decisions with your partner will be strategic and creative all at once. A total win!

 

Sagittarius 

NOV 22 - DEC 21 

You're smoking hot this week -- and you know it! Venus is moving through your sign, making you absolutely gorgeous and irresistible to others. On Friday Venus will get all tangled up with Mars, her lover, in the sexiest way possible. Mars is currently moving through your romance sector, which signals a time of absolute passion in the bedroom. With Venus joining the party, there is no way you'll need to take a cold shower after experiencing complete sexual frustration. Nope, total satisfaction is yours. Over and over again.

 

Capricorn 

DEC 22 - JAN 19 

You're extremely decisive this week and not afraid to speak your mind about anything. Unfortunately, this may come across to your partner as either intimidating, controlling, or downright unkind. Remember, your words have a significant impact on others, even when you think they don't. Also, once you say something, you simply cannot take it back. This will definitely be a time where you want to be extra mindful of your delivery. It will pack a punch.

 

Aquarius 

JAN 20 - FEB 18 

Secrets are coming out this week when it comes to your love life and the truth of the matter is, you'll be relieved. You might be the one harboring the secret information, or it might come at you from your lover. Either way, it's the kind of thing where you knew it was happening and you just needed for it to be spoken out in the open. The irony of it all is that once it has been spoken about, there can easily be a healing between you and your mate. This is intense, but it isn't a deal breaker.

 

Pisces 

FEB 19 - MAR 20 

You might feel like one of your friends is the only one you can rely on for true advice about your love life this week. This pal of yours will definitely keep it real, but he or she might not be the most sensitive when they dispense their wise counsel. Keep in mind that if you're asking for practical advice, then that is what you'll get. No sugarcoating will happen for you. But maybe that's exactly what you need right now.

January 17, 2019 

By Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell 

The New Tri-State Defender 

 

Regina King makes it easy to say “yes” to an assignment editor’s request for a reporter to join in on a national conference call and listen to an actress talk about her role in a movie.

 

I had already sounded the “y” in my “yes” before the sentence conveying the opportunity was complete.

 

At 7 p.m. Central time last Wednesday, I was in full-listen mode as King – fresh from her Golden-Globe winning evening – talked about her role in “If Beale Street Could Talk” with more than a thousand faith leaders, community activists, sororities and fraternities and African-American news outlets on the line.

 

She was candid from the jump.

 

“James Baldwin’s book with the same title is a powerful meditation on love,” King said. “It talks about what love really is. Baldwin gives literary voice to the blues. This movie is important because we actually see ourselves on the screen. It is important to tell our stories, to keep telling our stories.”

 

One key story King is telling is this: Go the see the movie; help get the word out! Let people know that there is a powerful film out about a “black family in the early ‘70s” and how they manage to get through the challenges of life in a world of institutions that are systemically and historically racist. It resonates with themes of family, love and justice.

 

“Beale Street” made its American debut on December 14 in – get this – just four theatres. That’s right, four. All four, however, were overrun with sold-out audiences, lines wrapped around the block, people seeing it for the first time, fans coming to watch for the fifth time.

 

It’s the little movie that could.

 

“No one in Hollywood can say that there is no audience for movies like this that tells our stories,” said King. “We want to see ourselves. We want to see our stories. Our children want to see their stories. My son told me it was the first time he had seen himself on the screen.”

 

Hundreds of Facebook posts, tweets on Twitter and other social media messages lit up cyberspace during the call as people live-streamed King’s interview and reported that they had already seen “Beale Street” multiple times.

 

King portrays Sharon Rivers, Ernestine and Tish’s mother and Joseph’s wife. The facts of her own journey suggests that King has been preparing for the role all of her life.

 

“I am a mother, and I have an amazing mother and grandmother who pushed my sister and I to dream big,” she said. “They understood the spirit that was in us at an early age.”

 

Director Barry Jenkins adapted a screenplay from Baldwin’s book and then set course for a movie on the big screen. Produced by Plan B Entertainment, the film made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2018.

 

King racked up a Golden Globe award as “The Best Supporting Actress.” In her acceptance, she thanked Jenkins for telling the poignant story. She vowed as a producer and director, herself, to make sure all her future projects involve at least 50 percent women.

 

The tone for the movie was set at the top, King said on the call.

 

“Barry from the very beginning created a loving and trusting environment. From that day when the cast first met, we fell into our roles. It was like our roles chose us.

 

“And shooting that scene around Beale Street, when we took breaks, we didn’t go back to our rooms. We went upstairs in the brownstone and just talked and shared our stories. You will see real relationship in our performances.”

 

Sharon and Joseph Rivers create a loving, nurturing household, King said.

 

“You see the love on screen between a black father and his daughter. We see a young man who so gently and tenderly loves this young woman. The take-away is that throughout the years, we are reminded that it has been our love for one another that has gotten us through.”

 

April Reign, the activist who started “#OscarsSoWhite,” also praised the film on the 45-minute conference call.

 

“This movie is fierce, tender and unapologetically black,” said Reign. “It is a portrait of every strong mother we have known. Let’s encourage everyone to go and see ‘Beale Street.’

 

“But once you see it, you’ll come running back for more. Get lost in the magic that is James Baldwin brought to life by Barry Jenkins.”

 

For those on the conference call, the resolve was this: “Let’s build a movement around ‘Beale Street.’”

January 10, 2019 

By Niele Anderson 

Contributing Writer

 

 

 

Lifetime Network Surviving R Kelly, a three-night, six-hour series featuring multiple women who say they were sexually and physically abused has caused a nail to hammer reaction for the singer.

 

Ongoing protest like the hashtag campaign #MuteRKelly has picked up enough steam to have several stations pull Kelly’s music including Steve Wonder’s KJLH radio station. Aundrae Russell station program director confirmed the station stopped playing R Kelly’s music on January 3. Radio One and I Heart Radio, who own hundreds of stations across the United States have also been asked to ban the self-pro-claimed Pied Pipers music.

 

Gerald Griggs, an attorney for the family of Joycelyn Savage, one of the women featured in “Surviving R. Kelly,” said the Fulton County District Attorney reached out to him a few days ago, after the show aired.

 

Griggs said the Fulton County DA is conducting an investigation into Kelly.

 

Chris Hopper, the public information officer for the Fulton County DA, said he had “no comment” after being asked if there was an open investigation of Kelly in Georgia.

 

Surviving R Kelly delivered audiences far bigger then the cable channel's usual viewership. It averaged 2.1 million viewers and a 0.9 rating among adults 18-49 in Nielsen's live plus same-day ratings.

 

Viewership also grew throughout Surviving R. Kelly’s run. The first hour on Thursday drew 1.8 million viewers. By Saturday’s second hour, the audience had grown to 2.29 million. The show’s 18-49 rating also increased each night.