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The ESPY Awards commemorated a breakthrough year for women’s sports, with black women taking center stage

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Led by host Serena Williams, the ESPYS celebrated a milestone year for women’s sports. Thursday night’s honorees included Simone Biles, A’ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark, Dawn Staley and JuJu Watkins.

Staley, the coach of the national champion South Carolina women’s basketball team, received the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance. Her friend, Tennessee star Nicki McCray-Penson, died of breast cancer, and Staley’s sister was diagnosed with leukemia.

“I have to admit that I feel a little unworthy of this honor. Previous Jimmy V Perseverance Award recipients have faced incredible challenges and proven to be true warriors,” Staley said. “I was merely a spectator of such incredible courage and resilience.”

Staley’s Gamecocks won the Best Team award.

Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces won within the categories of best female athlete and best WNBA player.

“It’s crazy to think that a young girl who didn’t even want to play basketball is now up for even one ESPY Award,” she said in a taped speech.

The best male athlete was Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He was also named the NFL’s best player.

“I’ve been around this kid for a few years now, and watching him grow as a player, as a teammate and as a leader has been phenomenal,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said of accepting the offer on Mahomes’ behalf, “but most of all, watching him grow as a father and a husband has been the best part.”

Biles earned the title of best comeback athlete just weeks before her performance on the Paris Olympics. The most decorated gymnast in history withdrew from the team competition on the Tokyo Games to prioritize her mental health.

Clark, of the Indiana Fever, also won two trophies: for her record-breaking achievement of becoming the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer, and for essentially the most collegiate female athlete for her basketball profession at Iowa State.

“I’m a little busy in Indianapolis,” Clark said on video. “It’s been a special year in women’s sports.”

Watkins won the breakthrough athlete category, taking home the highest award after the show began half-hour late as a consequence of President Joe Biden’s news conference.

The Southern California basketball star had a stellar freshman season, leading the Trojans to the NCAA Tournament semifinals for the primary time in a long time.

“It’s crazy,” Watkins said. “I want to thank all the amazing, powerful women who came before me and made this possible.”

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Williams joked during her monologue on the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, and later sang after Ciara opened the show with a musical performance. Williams’ older sister, Venus, got here out and joked about being asked to host, and the siblings engaged in a mock argument.

“You may wonder why I do this,” said fashionista Serena. “Any chance I get to wear 16 outfits in three hours, I’ll take it.”

The ABC broadcast returned from a business break in the ultimate minutes and commenced repeating the presentations of the 2 earlier awards. Williams’ farewell was also cut, as were the closing credits. ABC said a technical failure in the printed affected the live broadcast within the Eastern and Central time zones. It was to be corrected in an effort to delay the tape transmission within the Western portion of the show.

Prince Harry received the Pat Tillman Award for Service, and mentioned the mother of a deceased soldier who criticized ESPN for honoring a member of the royal family.

To a standing ovation by his wife Meghan, the Duke of Sussex accepted a trophy from three veterans who had been wounded in service. Harry served within the British Army for 10 years, including two tours in Afghanistan as a helicopter pilot.

In 2014, he founded the Invictus Games, a multi-sport Paralympic Games for wounded soldiers and veterans.

“This award belongs to them, not me,” Harry said.

Tillman’s mother, Mary Tillman, criticized ESPN’s number of Harry, saying there are honorees working within the veterans community who could be more appropriate. Harry thanked Tillman’s widow, Marie, for her presence and likewise recognized Mary Tillman.

“Her advocacy for Pat’s legacy is deeply personal, and I honor that,” he said. “The bond between mother and son is eternal and transcends even the greatest losses.”

Retired NFL player Steve Gleason was honored with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage. He was diagnosed with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, in 2011. His nonprofit organization, Team Gleason, helps people with ALS live their lives to the fullest by providing programs and support services.

Gleason received a standing ovation as he entered the stage in a motorized chair and was kissed by former New Orleans Saints teammate Drew Brees. Gleason’s voice was audible through special technology. His young son, Rivers, stood next to his father, holding the trophy.

“For me, this honor represents a certain encouragement and triumph for families currently living with ALS, for anyone living with a disability or other illness,” he said. “I suppose if you’ve never experienced fear, isolation or suffering, you can roll your sacred ass out of here.”

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers was named the MLB MVP; Connor McDavid of the Stanley Cup runner-up Edmonton Oilers was named the NHL MVP; and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks was named the NBA MVP.

Montverde (Florida) Academy point guard Cooper Flagg and Ventura (Calif.) High School track and field athlete Sadie Engelhardt won the Gatorade National Players of the Year award.

The three-hour ABC show was delayed because Biden’s nationally televised news conference began late and ran half-hour before the tip of the show.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Simone Biles will join Snoop Dogg as a guest mentor on an episode of NBC’s “The Voice.”

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Simone Biles, Snoop Dogg, Simone Biles Snoop Dogg, Simone Biles Snoop Dogg The Voice, Simone Biles Snoop Dogg Olympics, Simone Biles The Voice, Snoop Dogg The Voice, Snoop Dogg Olympics, The Voice, theGrio.com

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Snoop Dogg AND Simone Biles they swapped their Olympic ties from this summer Paris Games takes on a latest challenge: a tandem of superstars will join forces on NBC’s “The Voice.”

Biles will join Snoop on an episode of the fact competition show that airs Monday. As the show’s coach, the rap star hired Biles as a mentor within the playoffs to advise the five singers vying for a spot within the live shows.

For Snoop and Biles, their pair was a perfect combination of sports and music icons who effortlessly brought their chemistry from the Olympics to TV’s “The Voice.”

“We were able to get together and give the artists the best insight into the next round,” Biles told The Associated Press in a recent interview with Snoop as the 2 finished filming the episode in Los Angeles.

“It was pretty easy, simple,” added Biles, probably the most decorated gymnast of all time, who won 4 medals, including three gold, on the last Olympics. “We are each very gentle. But if we’d like to boost this energy, we will do it. For us it was about giving us confidence for the following week.

Biles can have been known for her athletic achievements, but she had the power to attach with musical competitors from one athlete to a different.

“These are the stages of learning: learn, process, come back and work,” she said. “They all have vocal talent. It’s about using it, knowing when to bring it out, what songs to sing and what genre you fit into. And what should your legacy be? It’s a truly unique show, as is the judging. They can’t see the physical appearance first. It’s all behind the ears, listening and putting your craft together.”

Despite their different profession paths, Snoop and Biles respect one another and are capable of shine on the most important stages.

“We have very diverse careers. But what we were coping with, they’re coping with now,” said Snoop, a remarkably fluid artist who has adopted as a special correspondent IN Record-breaking NBC coverage. He can also be a coach on “The Voice.” Michael Buble, Reba McEntire AND Gwen Stefaniand every of them tries to find and train one other singing phenomenon.

Snoop said he felt the necessity to instill wisdom and confidence in each contestant.

“We have the best experience and knowledge that we can pass on to these contractors,” he said. “She is a performer. I am a contractor. We performed in extreme conditions. We always do our best. But sometimes things happen behind closed doors that you don’t know about. This allows us to talk about these issues and really put them at ease.”

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During the Olympics, Biles and Snoop had several viral moments. The two got here together to cheer on Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone during her 400-meter hurdles; gave Biles’ father, Ronald Biles, a Death Row Records gold necklace for his seventy fifth birthday; and was spotted dancing in the group through the women’s gymnastics qualifying round as Biles and her teammate Jordan Chiles joined.

On set, Biles smiled often as he watched Snoop in his charismatic element.

“I knew Snoop would stay true to himself and authentic on ‘The Voice,'” she said. “It’s nice not to have to adjust the form. There is room for everyone.”

Snoop said it made sense for each parties to work together on this episode.

“This is family. It feels good,” Snoop said. “(Biles) can do anything he wants. He picks and chooses what he desires to do. We are at this stage in our profession straight away. It should be a good feeling. You cannot force it or I do not do it. Dot, point, blank space.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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No one eats more at Ben’s Chili Bowl than Alex Cross

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Alex Cross, Ben

Last week, Amazon Prime released its highly anticipated series “Cross,” and the masses are loving the atmospheric black detective saga based on James Patterson’s acclaimed book series. The series stars Aldis Hodge within the title role of Alex Cross.

Since the series is ready in Washington, D.C., it was an actual pleasure to look at it from the angle of a resident and DMV resident. The motion of the series takes place not only within the capital of the country, but for once you possibly can feel prefer it. Instead of the uninspired aerial shots of the U.S. Capitol and famous monuments that the majority shows and flicks set in DC add to convey a regional flavor, this photo captures the character of town itself.

There are shots of colourful row houses, scenes of residents crowding the streets, neoclassical buildings not only near the White House, and (minor plot spoiler) sketchy, mysterious white people in Georgetown. It was very nice to see that DMV boysthe bike crew that loudly strolls the streets of the DMV receives an honorable mention.

However, in trying to indicate real life in Washington, it appears that evidently the showrunners got one thing unsuitable. No one – and I repeat, absolutely – goes to Ben’s Chili Bowl as often as Alex Cross.

The man consistently eats at the historic and now iconic chili spot. Whenever he isn’t home or solving cases, Cross apparently stuffs his face with chili dogs. This is de facto weird. Several of his friends and colleagues also stay there consistently. They even hold intimate discussions at full volume about sensitive matters they supposedly want the general public to find out about. It’s not only me; as more and more people discover this program, more persons are beginning to notice this strange habit.

“I’m halfway through Cross on Amazon Prime and the most incredible thing is how often they eat at Ben’s Chili Bowl.” wrote user @thekeyresource on Threads. “Anyone who has lived in DC knows that only tourists eat there. DC residents purposely don’t eat there multiple times a week 🤣.”

For those less familiar, yes, Ben’s Chili Bowl could be very real. In fact, because the first season finished filming, Hodge visited the plant. In addition to being very tasty, the restaurant has existed in town for over 60 years. It was founded within the late Fifties by Ben Ali, a Trindadian-born immigrant who attended Howard University, which is positioned near Ben’s.

As someone who grew up less than 40 minutes from Washington, D.C., and worked, lived, and played in town for the higher a part of a decade, I can assure you that Ben’s is just not an on a regular basis place to live. It’s not even generally considered a spot to hang around through the day. Most people visit Ben’s at the top of a night at the bar on U Street (where he relies).

First, eating as much chili dogs as Cross claims wouldn’t be healthy. Seriously, what adult male together with his body type eats chili dogs that always? Alex Cross is certainly on some bougie keto weight-reduction plan.

Plus, a D.C. skilled actually is not eating greasy, yet delicious, seriously sloppy chili dogs in the midst of the work day. Let’s be honest: If Alex Cross is de facto a DC character, he gets Chipotle. It gives you numerous energy during your lunch break and burrito.

Plus, Ben’s is not the only restaurant on the town. This is just not the one historical case. This is not the only issue that matters to Black people. I mean, I’d expect Alex Cross to be holed up at Stan’s, the cocktail bar and restaurant on Vermont Avenue, and even the Florida Avenue Grill. If the showrunners wish to spread the love even more, there are many Black-owned restaurants like Dukem Ethiopian, Horace & Dickie’s Seafood Carryout, NuVegan Cafe, HalfSmoke and more. DMV guests typically visit several restaurants, not only one everlasting location.

Keke Palmer became a millionaire at age 12 by teaching us how to spell

A slight spoiler, but given the subdued, depressed and stressed widower vibes, I actually think Cross also frequently reflected on his complicated life at the bar. He would actually be at a bar like Stan’s. Honestly, there is no such thing as a reason to eat out. The man lives together with his grandmother who helps him deal with his children; it must involve cooking for them!

But after I take into consideration Cross being a widower scuffling with grief, I begin to wonder if all of the chili dogs are a plot device. Maybe he’s waiting for some time at an everyday diner, hoping to assuage his sadness with all those hotdog buns.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Jaleel White’s memoir “Growing Up Urkel” is available now and I can’t wait to read his life story

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jaleel white, jaleel white memoir, Growing Up Urkel, steve urkel, family matters, 90s television, Black TV stars, thegrio.com,

There are some iconic TV characters which have such a cultural imprint that it have to be difficult for the person playing that character to completely break away from them. One such figure is Steven Q. Urkel, also often called Stefan Urquelle. If you lived within the ’90s, you might not have watched Family Matters, but you knew exactly who Urkel was. He was the annoyingly nerdy neighbor of Carl and Harriet Winslow, who was also in love with their oldest daughter, Laura Winslow. And when you were a young black boy within the ’90s who wore glasses and was even slightly nerdy, people called you Urkel.

Hi. I was Urkel.

Urkel was played by Jaleel White, a young man who grew right into a young adult over the course of the series. I have often wondered what it was like to be so famous for one particular role and how that role influenced the actor’s real life. For example, I entered Morehouse College as a freshman in 1997. At the identical time, the massive news on campus was that Keshia Knight-Pulliamwho famously played Rudy Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” was also starting her freshman 12 months at Spelman College across the road.

In Black America, Huxtables might as well be royalty. Even though all of the actors playing these characters were human, to us, the common folk, they were all symbols of black excellence and felt like members of our families throughout the series. I still remember the primary time I saw Keshia on campus; you might see people looking at her, almost in disbelief that she was actually there, physically. It was surreal, but I also wondered if she was annoyed. No one called her Keshia, just “Rudy” (at first). I can’t pretend I know her well enough to know if it’s going to ever end, but we had a category together freshman 12 months and the professor would not stop calling her Rudy. It have to be hard to be so famous for such reason that it drags you down in a way that does not allow you to be your personal person.

Jaleel White wrote a memoir titled “Growing Up Urkel.” I can’t wait to read this book. First, I imagine he has to cope with each the positive and negative effects of being related to a novel character who was actually a major a part of American popular culture – ’90s Urkel. Given his fame and a number of the squabbles with his adult companions, o that we have been hearing on the news over the previous couple of years, it looks as if his life story is probably really fascinating. In interviews, he seems so well-adjusted that he should have had a extremely solid family foundation.

I watched it recently interview White gave on “The Breakfast Club” and I was almost surprised by how great he is in front of the camera, but that surprise is because even in 2024 I still consider him as Urkel. I watched TV shows and movies wherein he acted. Well, Jaleel White is the star of probably one in every of the darkest movies of all time. “Who made the potato salad?” Yet all along I saw Urkel acting like a idiot, not Jaleel. He seems to have come to terms with it, but man, it’s really hard to imagine life in his place.

For that reason alone, I’m glad he decided to share his story with the masses, as I’m sure it’s each entertaining and informative. Also, lots of people have stories – I just don’t know the way many individuals have a story that features literally being one of the essential black figures in Black Pop Cultural history. As someone Urkel has seen for thus a few years, I can’t wait to read his story.

Plus every adult black male giving Teddy Pendergrass on the duvet of the book clearly has something to get off his chest.


Panama Jackson theGrio.com


This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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