Author: Shekari Philemon

When Amy Madigan was announced as the winner of Best Supporting Actress at this year’s Academy Awards, Taylor was on her feet immediately, applauding with the kind of energy most people reserve for their own victories. The moment was caught on camera and circulated online, and rather than drawing admiration, it drew suspicion. Some viewers found her reaction excessive or difficult to read. The criticism that followed prompted Taylor to respond directly. Taylor hits back online Taylor took to social media to address the noise, framing the reaction from critics as a reflection of their own relationship with losing rather…

Social media breaks occupy an interesting position in the wellness conversation. Everyone knows they should probably take one. Most people have announced one on the very platform they are taking a break from, sometimes in a post that receives more engagement than anything else they have shared that week, which is its own kind of commentary. And then, with varying degrees of success and duration, they attempt the break and either return within 48 hours or emerge genuinely changed on the other side. Research published in early 2026 is providing the clinical framework that the break conversation has always needed.…

Skin barrier repair is not the most glamorous skincare concept. It does not promise the dramatic transformation of a chemical peel or the before-and-after immediacy of a brightening serum. It sounds like maintenance rather than improvement, like changing the oil in your car rather than buying a new one. And for years, that perception kept it in the background of skincare conversations while increasingly potent active ingredients occupied the spotlight. The dermatological research published in early 2026 is correcting that perception with unusual force. A comprehensive review of skin health outcomes published in the first quarter identified skin barrier repair…

Cuba is in the dark, and not just figuratively. A total collapse of the national power grid plunged the Caribbean island into blackout this week, deepening an already devastating economic crisis fueled by a U.S. oil embargo that has choked the country’s energy supply since the start of the year. For a nation of 9.6 million people already navigating chronic shortages and crumbling infrastructure, the timing could not have been worse. Against that backdrop, President Donald Trump made his most pointed declaration yet about the island, telling reporters at the White House that he believes he will have the honor…

Breonna Taylor was 26 years old when Louisville police executed a no-knock warrant at her apartment just after midnight on March 13, 2020. She never made it to morning. Six years later, the federal protections her death helped inspire are already being dismantled, and the timing could not feel more deliberate. Days before the anniversary of her killing, the Trump administration quietly reversed a Biden-era policy that had placed firm limits on the type of warrant used the night Taylor died. There was no press conference, no public debate and no national conversation. Just a memo that changed everything. What…

Lizzo is adding a new title to her resume, and this one has nothing to do with music charts. The Grammy-winning singer and classically trained flautist announced Monday that she has written her first children’s picture book, set for release in September. The project, titled Lil Lizzo Meets Sasha B. Flootin’, will be published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers and will arrive alongside an original song she wrote specifically for the book. The announcement came via social media, where the 37-year-old artist, born Melissa Viviane Jefferson, shared the news with characteristic energy, describing the project as a…

Teyana Taylor walked the red carpet at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 15, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles wearing a black spaghetti-strap Chanel gown that left little question about who had shown up. A sheer panel exposed her famously sculpted midsection, adorned with black and pearl crystals and white accents. The skirt fell into black-and-white feathers before extending into a dramatic train. It was an entrance designed to be noticed, and it was. The 35-year-old actress and R&B artist had earned her seat at the ceremony with a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role as…

Stephen Curry turned 38 on Saturday, and like most milestones in the life of a working NBA player, his birthday arrived in the middle of a road trip with little room for celebration. The Golden State Warriors were scheduled to play the New York Knicks on Sunday, and while Curry remains sidelined with a knee injury he has been managing through rehabilitation, he traveled with the team. It turned out to be the detail that made a birthday visit possible. Ayesha Curry made the trip to New York to spend time with her husband, but the window was narrow. She…

Kyla Pratt built one of the most recognizable faces of early 2000s television as the sharp and spirited Breanna Barnes on the sitcom One on One. More than two decades later, she is revisiting that chapter of her career from a vantage point she could not have imagined at the time, seated on a couch beside her own daughters, watching it all over again. Pratt, now 39, spoke at the Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards in Los Angeles on March 12, 2026, about what the family rewatch experience has actually been like. The event drew a celebrated group of…

Not every viral moment is one worth celebrating. On Friday, March 13, Keke Palmer was midway through a live panel at South by Southwest in Austin when a man in the audience stood up, dropped to one knee, and proposed marriage. The actress and host, who was there to discuss her Baby, This Is Keke Palmer podcast alongside the cast of her film I Love Boosters, had not been given any warning. Neither had anyone else in the room. Palmer responded with the composure that has become something of a trademark. She told the man clearly and without hostility that…