00:00Hello Essence! This is 7 Things We're Talking About. I am Dana Johnson and I'm a sucker for love and a good cape.
00:13Which brings me to my girl Solange who showed us how to really break the internet with her beautiful wedding pictures.
00:18Musician and style icon Solange Knowles and her fiancĂŠ music video director Alan Ferguson were married, hello,
00:25at the Marini Opera House in New Orleans, Louisiana because I think all great things happen in Louisiana.
00:30Their entire wedding weekend was a custom celebration that uniquely matched the non-traditional tastes of the bride and groom.
00:36Rolling up on chic matching white bikes and getting their second line on post ceremony with bright sparklers every inch of this day screamed joy and originality.
00:45Plus Solange and her adorable son Jules performed a special mother-son dance to No Flex Zone that had all of us bopping in our chairs here at The Essence.
00:53So check it out in full right here on Essence.com. Congratulations to the gorgeous bride and her groom.
01:00In case you live under a rock or you don't own any form of social media, then I just want to let you know that the Aaliyah biopic on Lifetime premiered and brought people to their knees.
01:10And not in a good way. The film received harsh criticism for the casting, low budget aesthetics, average acting, and lackluster music since the family did not approve usage of any of Aaliyah's many, many hits.
01:21However, there is no such thing as bad press as Lifetime and the show's producer, Wendy Williams, now hold the title of second, that's two, second highest rated TV movie on cable for 2014, earning 3.2 million viewers.
01:35You know we love to watch reality TV and the new season of Real Housewives of Atlanta has been serving us more tea than we know what to do with.
01:42Nene continues to grow her empire. Cynthia and Peter are still growing their business.
01:47Portia is putting two and two together, finally. And Candy's mother is still creating tension.
01:52And we finally confirmed that Apollo is a hot mess, a liar.
01:55And now we even have greater insight as to why Phaedra just steered clear of that entire sentencing event altogether.
02:00Buckle up essence, it seems like this rollercoaster is just getting started and we will keep you in the loop right here.
02:06Actress, now director, Lise Rae McCoy makes her directorial debut by tackling colorism in the African-American community in the upcoming film Skinned.
02:15The film follows a young woman named Jolie, played by Jasmine Burke of Drumline A New Beat, who bleaches her dark skin in order to feel more beautiful and get a man.
02:24However, she soon finds that life doesn't get any easier for her after her skin is lighter.
02:28In addition to directing, McCoy also has a lead role as Jolie's mother.
02:32The film's creators and producers are hoping the movie will send a message about self-acceptance and even launch the No Bleach, Love the Skin You're In campaign.
02:39An initiative designed to make a global impact to bring awareness to the harmful dangers and side effects including death.
02:45Check out clips from the film right here on Essence.com.
02:48Okay, Essence, I really don't like this next story, but it is my job to report it, so that's what I'm going to do.
02:56Do you remember the mom Shanisha Taylor? Well, you won't believe this.
02:59The Arizona mother who left two of her kids in a hot car during a job interview is now being accused of spending thousands of dollars in donation money to finish her baby daddy's rap album.
03:10I can't make this stuff up, folks. Shanisha Taylor was charged with felony abuse earlier this year, but prosecutors said she could avoid jail time
03:17if she met a few conditions, including putting $60,000 into a trust fund for her children after her story and teary mugshot went viral and inspired the public to donate $114,000 to her.
03:30Taylor, however, failed to put the money in the trust fund by the deadline imposed by the judge, even after the amount was lowered, throwing away the deal of a lifetime, said her attorney at the time, Benjamin Taylor.
03:41He has since left citing ethical differences, and authorities have been able to track back miscellaneous expenditures such as $6,000 at a music studio in Tempe, Arizona.
03:52I guess it's mo' money, mo' problems indeed.
03:55Next up, this weekend, Love & Basketball writer and director Gina Prince-Blythewood debuted her latest film, The Celebrity Tinge Romance Beyond the Lights.
04:03The film, starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker, Minnie Driver, and Danny Glover, unfortunately took fourth place at the domestic box office, grossing approximately $6.5 million in three days.
04:14Now, that's about half the opening weekend takes of Prince-Blythewood's other movies, Love & Basketball and The Secret Life of Bees.
04:21But, the moving love story received high critical praise and strong social buzz.
04:25It also earned the coveted A grade from CinemaScore, which indicates that it will have strong financial legs over the next coming weeks,
04:32and will break even this week, given its low $7.2 million budget.
04:36Come on, Essence fam, go to the theaters, show some love and support.
04:39And last, but certainly not least, this week, actor Alfonso Ribeiro has made his way to the finals of Dancing with the Stars.
04:46He will compete for the Mirabal Trophy, despite suffering a back injury this past week.
04:50The pain was so intense, many thought Alfonso would have to drop from the competition.
04:54Be sure to tune into ABC for the finals.
04:56Alfonso, we are definitely rooting for you.
04:58So, you like having your finger on the pulse of what's cool in pop culture and style?
05:02Essence and Ford want to hear from you.
05:04Let us know your favorite topic from this week's show using hashtag FordUp,
05:07and you can win a gift card that will keep you looking fly this holiday season.
05:11Visit Essence.com slash FordUp for details and tune in to 7 Things We're Talking About
05:16each week for the month of November for your chance to win.
05:19Well, there you have it, 7 Things We're Talking About.
05:22I'm Dana Johnson, and I'll see you right here at Essence.com next time.
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