Celebrity Coverage
A’ja Wilson Wins Record-Tied Third MVP Award, Leads Las Vegas Aces to Playoffs – Essence
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson continues her historic streak by being named WNBA Most Valuable Player Kia 2024announced the league on Sunday. The award marks Wilson’s third profession MVP honor, tying with WNBA icons Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie and Lauren Jackson. Wilson is barely the second player in league history to receive the honour unanimously, joining Cynthia Cooper, who completed the feat in 1997.
Wilson’s dominance on the court this season far exceeded her scoring average. She totaled 1,021 points, 451 rebounds and led the league with 98 blocks. Her scoring average of 26.9 points broke Diana Taurasi’s 2006 record of 25.3 points per game, and her 9.8 defensive rebounds per game set a brand new league single-season record.
Among the highlights of the season, Wilson had two of the league’s highest-scoring games, scoring 42 points against the Dallas Wings and 41 points against the Phoenix Mercury. She became only the second player in WNBA history to record 25 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and five blocks.
Additionally, Wilson’s community involvement earned her the 2024 Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award. This special award is close to Wilson’s heart, as Staley coached her during her college years on the University of South Carolina, where they won a national championship together.
Wilson’s MVP campaign capped a historic 12 months for the Aces, who’re well on their way to becoming a WNBA dynasty. Her impact helped the Aces (27-13) earn the fourth seed within the 2024 WNBA Playoffs, and Wilson is the backbone of a team that’s looking for a 3rd consecutive championship.
Wilson credits the fourth MVP vote she received last 12 months as motivation. “It kind of fueled me up when I started working out in the offseason, but around February I got fed up with it,” she said. “I didn’t want to give that person that energy, and that’s when I started to shut down.”
The 6-foot-4 forward’s legacy as one of the vital decorated players in WNBA history continues to grow as she also leads Vegas in scoring and rebounding. Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier finished second in MVP voting with 467 points, followed by New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (295 points), Indiana Fever point guard Caitlin Clark (130 points) and Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas (83 points).
In recognition of the MVP award, Wilson will receive $15,450 and a specially designed trophy from Tiffany & Co.
Celebrity Coverage
Fenty Beauty celebrates its expansion into the Caribbean with the launch event of Barbados – Essence
Courtesy of Kristopher Streeks
It was a special homecoming season for Rihanna. This week, the makeup artist and popular culture icon officially celebrated the launch of Fenty Beauty in the Caribbean with a launch event in her home country of Barbados!
Rihanna announced via Instagram come early October that the brands might be officially available at select retailers in nine different Caribbean territories. This includes Antigua, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada and St. Maarten from October 24, 2024.
“I always felt awkward that my brand wasn’t in my home, so I always wanted to do it,” the Barbadian native told ESSENCE at the launch event. “I always insisted,” she said. “The moment we received permission to come here, we arrived.”
She also said she plans to proceed rolling out Fenty Beauty in the Caribbean. “The Caribbean, I carry it on my back, just like Barbados. Even though we have now launched operations on nine islands, we will continue to open and expand. We intend to cover the entire Caribbean and beyond,” said the superstar.
Stars prefer it Queen Carterand the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Amor Mottley, were present at the launch event. The ceremony took place last Thursday at the idyllic QP Bistro, an oceanfront restaurant overlooking the island’s west coast. Rihanna, who can be one of Barbados’ national heroines, delighted the participants by having fun with the guests and even taking up the DJ’s microphone.
Rihanna also touched on how her Caribbean heritage has influenced the development and trajectory of her brands, stating: “Beauty has all the time been a really honest space. But now I incorporate ingredients from the island into my skincare, my beauty and the reason I even have the only powder that may mattify you at any time, especially when wet!
“The launch in the Caribbean actually reinforces what we built this brand to be from the starting – which is that it’s inclusive. Everyone found shade, everyone found their soul mate in our gondola,” she said. “I want to keep pushing it. The first person I saw applying foundation was my mother, a black woman. I never knew there was a void. I just did it from the bottom of my heart because that’s what I know.”
For Rihanna, “inclusiveness does not mean being limited to one space. This means insulting everyone. I want to be able to shop at Fenty Beauty, Fenty Skin, Fenty Hair – that’s my goal.”
Celebrity Coverage
FIRST LOOK: ‘Harlem’ Season 3 Returns with New Faces – Essence
Angie (Shoniqua Shandai), Quinn (Grace Byers), Camille (Meagan Good) and Tye (Jerrie Johnson) in HARLEM S3 Photo: Courtesy of Prime © Amazon Content Services LLC
Just when winter begins to fade, the warmth returns as Camille, Tye, Quinn and Angie return to our screens. The Prime Video favorite will eagerly return for a 3rd season on January 23, promising more drama, laughter, and life-changing decisions for our favourite Harlem Four.
The second season’s cliffhanger left everyone wondering what would occur next, and this 12 months guarantees much more twists and turns as the ladies enter latest stages of their often tumultuous lives. Now they’re able to set their priorities and begin a brand new life. Expect mother-daughter dynamics, romantic complications, and profession crossroads like never before.
The excitement doesn’t end there – season three introduces some latest faces which might be sure to cause a stir. Joining the solid are Meagan Good, Grace Byers, Shoniqua Shandai, Jerrie Johnson and Tyler Lepley, Kofi Siriboe as Seth, a captivating MLB player who quickly catches the attention of certainly one of the women. Meanwhile, Logan Browning steps into the role of Portia, Ian’s former love, whose return to Harlem brings back greater than just memories. Gail Bean and Robin Gives also appear, with Bean playing Eva, a passionate enterprise capitalist working alongside Tye, and Gives playing her powerful mother.
From the creative mind of Tracy Oliver, it continues to explore the complexities of black womanhood with humor and heart, making it a novel comedy that captures the wonder and grit of life in New York City. The latest season, produced by Amazon MGM Studios and Universal Television, reaffirms the series’ position as a source of living storytelling – returning just in time to warm up the winter. So mark your calendars and prepare for a New York minute filled with style, surprises and sisterhood.
Here are some First Look photos from the upcoming third season.
Celebrity Coverage
Judith Jamison’s iconic moments of beauty and dance – the essence
Getty Images
Judith Jamison, American dancer and former artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, died over the weekend at the age of 81. According to Christopher Zunner, Ailey’s spokesman, announced that Jamison died Saturday in New York after a brief illness surrounded by close friends.
Jamison began studying ballet at the age of six at the Judimar School of Dance. After years of dedication and practice, she joined the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1965. There, for 15 years in a row, she became one of the most eminent soloists.
After her time there, she appeared as a guest dancer with various ballet corporations and on Broadway. Ultimately, Jamison returned to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater as artistic director, a position she held for 21 years and was later promoted to creative director emeritus.
Not only was she an icon on stage and in her choreography, but she was also a source of inspiration with timeless beauty. Her first performance of the legendary song “Revelations” was in 1970, when she rocked wing eyeliner, daring eye shadow and long eyelashes. She then traveled to the UK in 1973 to perform at their Alvin Ailey studio, wearing natural hair and no makeup. The dancer wore a head wrap with minimal makeup the following yr at the New York premiere.
In 1978, she performed Ailey’s legendary dance “Cry” along with her natural hair – which he choreographed in honor of his mother and dedicated to black women. In 1979, she played Carola Polakov Resort, showing off her natural chocolate skin in Ready to Wear Advance. In her Broadway debut, she played the lead in Sophisticated Ladies, wearing red lipstick, eyeliner and long eyelashes. Fast forward to 2018, Jamison attended Black Girls Rock 2018 wearing striking eyeliner and a bald head to just accept the Living Legend Award.
And he’s an everlasting legend. We are endlessly grateful for Jamison’s work and inspiration through various mediums. Her legacy will survive. Below, to have a good time Jamison’s beautiful life, a compilation of some of her most inspiring beauty moments over the years.
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