Celebrity Coverage
Mykal-Michelle Harris on Giving a Voice to a New Generation of ‘The Little Mermaid’ Fans – Essence

DISNEY’S ARIEL JR. – “Disney’s Ariel Jr.” stars Mykal-Michelle Harris as Ariel. (Disney/Nathalie Gordon)
Since its June 27 premiere, it’s change into a phenomenon for young fans. As the voice behind Disney’s latest reimagining of Ariel, Mykal-Michelle Harris couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the subsequent chapter of her underwater adventures.
“It was so much fun to bring this exciting, vibrant, and so full of life character to life,” Harris tells ESSENCE. “The beautiful songs she sings and the funny quips and jokes she makes were amazing to put in my own way. I loved using the words on the page to put my own spin on things.”
This version continues the story of Halle Bailey — black, red, living within the Caribbean — and introduces her as a vibrant 8-12 months-old, still fascinated by human culture, but alongside her best friends Flounder (Gracen Newton), Fernie (Cruz Flateau) and Lucia (Elizabeth Caro), with the loving guidance of her father, King Triton (Taye Diggs), her older twin sisters Alanna (Jessica Mikayla) and Ayanna (Dana Heath), and her beloved aunt, “Tantie” Ursula (Amber Riley).

In each and a series of shorts, Ariel and her friends learn beneficial lessons about friendship, leadership, responsibility, kindness, consequences, and more, with an original, often Caribbean-inspired song in each episode. The vocal and animation work has been within the works for a while, and audience response because the first eight episodes premiered earlier this summer has been overwhelmingly positive—leaving fans clamoring for more.
“It’s so rewarding to see our hard work on screen,” Harris says. “I’ve had so many reports from friends, family and even strangers who have said they love the show and it’s amazing to hear that this show that we’ve worked so hard on and put so much blood, sweat and tears into is turning out to be a show that will last for generations.”
fans can rejoice because more of her adventures are coming this week. Episode 9, “The Happy Patty Clap,” charmingly incorporates a key part of black girl culture—hand-clapping games.
When Ayanna hurts her thumb and might’t compete within the Clap Game along with her twin sister Alanna, Ariel steps in so Alanna can still compete. But when Ariel puts pressure on herself to clap just like the twins, she quickly learns that doing things her own way is okay. Watch the EXCLUSIVE clip below:
“As a child growing up in Philadelphia, I was always outdoors, often playing one of my two favorite activities, Dutch jumping or working on clapping routines,” Lynne Southerland, executive producer of ESSENCE, tells us exclusively. “The memory of coordinating hand movements with a partner while singing nursery rhymes still lights me up.”
“When we were thinking about possible storylines for the series, my thoughts wandered back to those happy memories and I knew I wanted to celebrate this unique activity that is unique to black girls in Ariel’s world.”
For 12-12 months-old Harris, who remains to be on the age where clapping her hands is a regular pastime, incorporating parts of her real life into her role was a delight.
“I love learning clapping games, especially the ones we see on ‘The Happy Patty Clap.’ I’ve learned a lot of clapping games in the past and I can’t wait to learn new ones and for others to learn new ones from the show,” she says. “Learning these games is so much fun because it’s something I play on set to bond with my castmates and even at slumber parties with my friends!”
“Disney Jr.’s Ariel” premieres Friday, August 9 at 9:00 a.m. ET/PT on Disney Jr. and 10:00 a.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel.
Celebrity Coverage
Latocha Scott sings through pain – essence

(Photo Umbrella Griffin/Getty Images)
Latocha Scott allows music to talk for her. The singer Xscape has just dropped the emotional form of Freestyle to Chris Brown, turning the viral #residualschallenge into confession. In an Instagram clip, all that is established-her 30-12 months-old marriage with Rocky Bivens has passed, rumors about his infidelity are associated and the pain cuts deeply.
“I read comments, I say he has a child on the way,” he sings. Fans quickly approached the severity, implied betrayal, regret loss of affection that was once unwavering.
But it isn’t nearly Rocky. Scott also extends his hand – in public – to repair the fences along with his sister and member of XScape, Tamika Scott. They have each been alienated for years, and their once current bond crashed after Tamika accused Latocha and Rocky of theft $ 30,000 in tantments from her.
Fallout played in real time, the Reality Bravo 2023 series, which after two legendary R&B groups tried to mix again on a joint concert tour. In one of the explosive moments of the Tamika series with tears, she confronted with Latocha, claiming that she had receipts proveing that the missing license checks were deposited on Rocky’s account. Latocha, surprised, denied the allegations, but her refusal to directly take care of claims meant that fans questioned the reality.
The situation increased from family dispute to full madness, and the Tamika doubled interviews and posts in social media, claiming that she was forced to silence to guard the group’s image. Meanwhile, Latocha maintained her innocence, but gave up farther from Xscape, transferring her concentration to a solo profession.

After her freestyle, Latocha also claimed that she was thrown out of Xscape – the statement that it was Kandi Burruses, a member of the group, closed quickly. While the group continues to be going forward as a trio, although at first it’s 4, Burruss explained that Latocha was never faraway from the group, but reasonably decided to go away due to continuous tensions.
Tamika Scott also weighed, calling for sharing their thoughts concerning the song. Although she admitted that Freestyle Latocha’s style was well made, she questioned her honesty, suggesting that it was a “brilliant marketing strategy for her new music,” said Tamika, leaving a spot to debate about whether the general public request was really honest or simply for attention. Nevertheless, Tamika told her sister to “drive up, let’s talk.”
Still, the web is buzzing. Some fans praise Latoch’s susceptibility, calling freestyle a master class in transforming pain into art. Others ask if public display of regret can fix the years of harm.
Celebrity Coverage
Ici: Keke Palmer’s Beauty appearance and more – Essence

ASKRS> Keke Palmer
Time is now for essentially the most fashionable moments in celebrity between Fashion Week, a season of prizes and magazine covers. Meanwhile, some glances required a full GLAM team once we finished a month and Valentine’s Day, sleeping hair and romantic manicures are still strong.
For example Black flexible headband. With an analogous volume Honey Afro Janet Jackson was entwined with a red gel manicure to enhance the golden accents. Then the model Alva Claire attended Baft in a fragile UPDO, which combined her curved, thin eyebrows and a blue-winged insert.
Makeup Artist Dee Carrion was chargeable for the golden lips and teeth in the quilt. Then Coco Jones’s hair was soaked in water – glass lids and lips added to the appearance. As for TEMS? The shiny French manicure was cherry on its siren and hot chocolate gloss.
And those that participated within the NAACP rewards didn’t come either. Keke Palmer has turn into viral not only due to touching speech of “Artist of the Year”, but additionally due to her to knock out beauty: elegant red hair and gothic makeup makeup.
Sheryl Lee Ralph was on her “suit and draw” that night. Saisha Beecham Saisha Beecham worked on shiny magic, as she put it, “Sixty Fine” within the years. Finally, the hair artist Larry Sims gave the Gabrielle Union museum by some means Bobów. He wrote within the signature “It gives a film star”. And we couldn’t agree more.
If you missed this, take a look at the very best moments of beauty from the week.
Celebrity Coverage
Cosmetic school: Expert for additional long nails – essence

“At that time we only had acrylic,” Angie Aguirre says Essence, who puts ESPY-Jones in the primary episode. “We didn’t have a number of things we have today.” Starting the series, in honor of the Black History of the month, Aguirre, nail artist Sha’carri Richardson, resembles a black story for extremely long nails-at the identical time spreading techniques from the past.
From memories of curved acrylics on Flo Jo of the Eighties to the red manicure in Donn Summer, and even the nail of Stiletto from the Nineteen Thirties about Queen Nenzim from the Democratic Republic of Congo, manicure for construction has a wealthy history hidden behind every decorating extension.
Using the attention shadows as a substitute of the airbrush machine (which within the Nineteen Nineties was a big, loud pedal machine), she recreated one of the vital popular styles that has since appeared today as a preferred look.
Often appropriated in popular culture long, loud nails are historically called “ghetto” as an offensive statement after they wear black women. Meanwhile, they are sometimes seen as fashionable after they wear white celebrities.
“We usually set up trends [and] People kick, “says Aguirre within the film while painting about traditional nail art visible within the Nineteen Nineties.” When pop culture gets it, they change what they want to be like that. ” However, “black women wore these nails long before social media.”
Now that the nail industry is to succeed in USD 36.27 billion until 2032Aguirre explains the influence that black women have on beauty and what the longer term of those historical manicures will seem like. “Nail game has become very innovative,” he says, with latest products reminiscent of Gel-X. “[It’s] It is very different from what was during the day. “
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