Page 28 - Florida Sentinel 5-1-20

Entertainment
Ebony Magazine Website is Down Following End Of Beloved Publication
EBONY MAGAZINES
Lee Daniels Says He's 'Heartbroken' He Can't Shoot 'Empire' Finale Due To COVID-19
After years of sales declines, layoffs, lawsuits, bankruptcy and unpaid debts, Ebony and Jet magazines appear to be gone for good, as well as par- ent company, Johnson Pub- lishing Company.
Ebony’s website has also shut down, and visitors to ebony.com are greeted with a message that says: “The site you were looking for couldn’t be found.”
According to The Crusader, an insider with knowledge about the magazine’s website said there were a “lot of issues going,” but didn’t elaborate.
Sources tell The Crusader that Ebony had not paid its
remaining five-member digi- tal web staff. They kept the website going with several stories since June 2019. At that time, several media out- lets reported that Ebony Media closed for good by lay- ing off its remaining staff members after they walked out when the company could- n’t make payroll.
In the past six months, Ebony’s website has struggled to produce fresh stories and content that harks back to its glory days.
With no magazine and no website, questions remain whether Ebony will celebrate its 75th anniversary.
changed, as the original plans were scrapped to accommo- date the absence of Jussie Smollett, who was released from his contract after being
accused of lying about a hate crime. (Those charges were dismissed, but the actor is now being charged by a special prosecutor.)
COVID-19 continues to af- fect Hollywood and the Lyon family isn’t exempt. The 18th episode of Empire‘s sixth sea- son will be the series finale—at least for now.
Due to the pandemic and strict orders of social distanc- ing in many states, the story line, featuring stars Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard and their fictional family, has been cut short.
According to Deadline, Em- pire was originally set to end with a mystery being solved in episode 20. This is the second time the story line has been
EMPIRE CAST
‘Sister Circle’ Canceled After Three Seasons, Last Episode Aired April 24
TV talk show “Sister Circle” has been cancelled after three seasons, the production com- pany, Tegna, announced in a press release.
According to the AJC.com’s Radio & TV Talk, the Atlanta- based talker aired its final episode on April 24. The com- pany explained that “while there are many loyal fans of the show, the show has not grown its audience enough to continue.”
The popular talk show de- buted in 2017 and is hosted by TV and radio personality
SISTER CIRCLE
Rashan
Johnson, ‘Married to Medi- cine’ star Quad Webb and comedienne Kiana Dancie
Ali, Syleena
who was replaced by reality star Trina Braxton (‘Brax- tonFamilyValues’)inthe2nd season.
Swizz Beatz And Timbaland Call Dr. Dre And Diddy To The Instagram Live Battle Stage
The Verzuz Instagram Live battle platform is heating up. After the RZA took on DJ Premier and Teddy Riley and Babyface executed at- tempt No. 2 at their highly an- ticipated battle, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland have their eyes set on Dr. Dre and Diddy.
While speaking to Timbo on Monday night (April 20), Swizz told his 3 million Insta- gram followers it was time for the N.W.A mastermind and Bad Boy Records founder to step into the ring — only this one wouldn’t be free.
“Dr. Dre, we need him to know that we need him and P.
DR. DRE AND DIDDY
Diddy,” Swizz said. We need Dr. Dre versus P. Diddy Pay- per-view for the culture. Let’s bring the two kings in and give back to the people. This is a give back to the people. Dr.
Dre, P. Diddy, we are calling you to give back to the people. Pay-per-view [or] UFC-style with Verzuz.”
He added he wanted to dub it “a celebration, not a battle.”
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