Then-Democratic Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards, left, greets Bishop Phillip A. Brooks at New St. Paul Tabernacle Church of God in Christ in Detroit in 2004.
We have recently seen the loss of Christian Minister and Moslem clerics due to the global pandemic. Detroit without Bishop Phillips A. Brooks is a city without a spiritual father. The senior pastor of New St. Paul Tabernacle Church of God in Christ died April 9 at 88 of health complications. He was a beloved statesman who played an influential role who played positive role in the community. A spiritual and motivational speak. Cleopatra Magazine was unable to interview the pastorate of the Church who we believe are in a state of mourning. Another God’s general has departed. Among those who died after reportedly contracting the virus were: First Assistant Presiding Bishop Phillip A. Brooks, a legendary preacher and leader from Detroit who was No. 2 in the denomination and whose death was reported by the Detroit News; Bishop Timothy Scott, a leader for nearly 50 years of the denomination in Mississippi whose death was reported by WREGMemphis; and two Michigan bishops, Robert E. Smith Sr. and Robert L. Harris, whose deaths were reported by the Los Angeles Sentinel.
The marriage may not have lasted forever, but the memory of Angelina Jolie’s stunning engagement ring will live on. Brad Pitt reportedly spent a year working with jeweller Robert Procop to perfect the table-cut gem. The 16-carat ring cost Pitt a reported $500,000.
Fellow member of the Brad Pitt former wives club, Jennifer Aniston, was given an 8-carat emerald-cut solitaire stone from actor Justin Theroux. The gorgeous ring cost $500,000 as well. Sadly, this marriage also ended in divorce for Aniston.
It took some time for George Clooney to revisit marriage again, but he finally did when he married Amal Clooney. Her ring cost the Oscar winner a reported $750,000.
Actress Gabrielle Union joined Kardashian in landing an expensive ring from an NBA champion. Union’s husband, Dwyane Wade, gave her an 8.5-carat cushion-cut engagement ring. It was valued at about $1 million.
Catherine Zeta-Jones has a cool $1 million resting on her finger in the form of a 10-carat marquise diamond. The Oscar winning actress was given the vintage Fred Leighton ring by husband, Michael Douglas.
made waves when her quarterback boyfriend, , gave her a massive diamond ring worth between an estimated $2 million and $2.5 million before getting married four months later in 2016. The couple welcomed a baby girl in 2017 before announcing another pregnancy in 2020.
Jennifer Lopez has a collection of wedding rings, but none topped the blue 8.5-carat diamond ring — worth $4 million — given to her by singer Marc Anthony. Unfortunately, J.Lo didn’t hold on to that beauty for long and divorced Anthony in 2014.
As if Kim Kardashian wouldn’t make an appearance on this list? Kardashian was given a 15carat diamond ring from Kanye West worth an estimated $4 million. Unfortunately, she had other engagement rings stolen during her well publicized Paris robbery in 2016.
The Queen Bey herself, Beyoncé, has worn an incredible 24-carat ring from hubby Jay-Z since 2008. The wedding ring is worth an estimated $5 million.
Mariah Carey’s engagement ring from former fiancé James Packer was incredible to say the least. The exquisite 35-carat diamond was worth an estimated $10 million. The two would eventually end the engagement, but Carey continued to wear the ring a year after the breakup.
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RIHANNA’S 9TH ALBUM By Liam Mckenzie
After unleashing her double-platinum eighth album in 2016, Rihanna has dominated the charts worldwide with hits including the juggernaut Drakeassisted 'Work', 'Needed Me' and many more. Despite not releasing any solo material in 2017, Bad Gal has been slaying the fashion and beauty industries, as well as supporting her many philanthropic causes and featuring on a number of chart-topping singles. Nevertheless, The Navy is always anticipating new material - as are the rest of the world - and are ready for the #R9 era to begin. One could say that Rihanna fans have grown impatient waiting for her ninth studio album, when really they are past the point of impatience — and for good reason. The Grammy winner has not released an album since January 2016, when she dropped her magnum opus, Anti, which included the blockbuster singles “Work” featuring Drake, “Needed Me,” “Kiss It Better” and “Love on the Brain.” Since then, she has been teasing and teasing and teasing her next project, but other ventures — namely her multimillion-dollar Fenty Beauty brand — have delayed the process.
#R9, as fans have temporarily dubbed the album, has been in the works for nearly two years. Rihanna first confirmed that she was “in the studio and working on new music” in June 2018 while appearing on The Graham Norton Show. Even then, she stayed mum about the details, teasing, “You’ll just have to wait and see.” When asked for an update 15 months later, the Barbados native was equally tight-lipped. “Well, obviously, I’m a confident woman, so whatever I do, it’s gon’ be confident — whether it’s the album, perfume, lingerie, makeup or fashion,” she told Entertainment Tonight in September 2019. “Y’all gon’ have to wait, Navy. I’m so sorry.” That said, not everything about the album has been top-secret. Rihanna confirmed that it is inspired by her reggae and dancehall roots, and Pharrell Williams and The-Dream are on the shortlist of producers helping her pull it all together. As for the release date, well, even RiRi has no idea.
EVANGELIST MARGRET OLATUNJI AT 60
PREMIER EAGUE CONFIDENT
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LESOTHO'S FORMER FIRST LADY ARRESTED
Police in Lesotho have arrested the country's former first lady over the 2017 murder of the then-estranged wife of recently resigned Prime Minister Thomas Thabane. Maesaiah Thabane, who was out on bail, is suspected of orchestrating the shooting of Lipolelo Thabane in the capital, Maseru. Lesotho's court of appeal last week revoked her bail on suspicion that the procedure was not followed correctly and ordered her rearrest. On Wednesday, Maesaiah arrived at the magistrate court in Maseru under the escort of armed police officers. She was told she would be taken to the female correctional facility in fulfilment of the appeals court judgement. Thomas, who is yet to be formally charged, is also a suspect in the case. Both Thomas and Maesaiah deny any involvement. The former prime minister stepped down in May after months of calls for his resignation over the case. Lipolelo was murdered in June 2017, just two days before Thomas took office. The couple were in the midst of a divorce when she was shot outside her home. Two months later, Thomas married his current wife.
Former First lady Maesaiah Thabane
Former Prime Minister Thabane & Wife Maesaiah
Thomas Thabane & Wife cutting cakes.
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WHAT CELEBRITIES DEMAND IN THEIR CONTRACTS Beyounce
It’s good to be the Queen. In 2013, the U.K.’s Daily Star published what was allegedly a Tour Rider belonging to Beyoncé. It includes several items that prove Beyoncé takes full advantage of her superstar status. Her tour rider reportedly included “hand-carved ice balls that must be made after each show, to cool her throat.” This makes sense when your entire job relies on your vocal cords. She also asked for alkaline water that must be chilled to 21 degrees and must be served with $900 titanium straws. And finally, a fresh toilet seat to be installed at every venue.
KEVIN HART
As one of the most successful touring comedians working today, Kevin Hart reportedly requires a staggering amount of logistical support. The Jumanji star is famously protective of his material and forbids audience members from recording his shows. And how do you ensure there are no cell phones in
an arena that seats thousands? With enough “roamers” to fill a commercial airplane. Roamers are people paid to wander through the audience in search of a phone.
roamer’s job is simply to walk around the venue during the performance and look for anyone taking out their phone. Hart’s rider reportedly stipulates that his roamers must “know what to do if someone is caught with a cell phone out and on.” And it requires them to be vigilant. “Anyone that is caught repeatedly standing or watching the show will need to be replaced.”
KANYE WEST
When you’re one of the most successful rappers of all time, you can have pretty much whatever you want. And if what you want is a machine that makes frozen Hennessy slushies, like Kanye reportedly did on his Saint Pablo Tour, then a frozen Henny maker is what you’ll get. Most of Kanye’s other requests involve loads of top-shelf party fuel. But there was that one time in 2013 when he allegedly found his dressing room carpet to be too bumpy and demanded that BBC employees iron it.
Justin Bieber Since he’s one of the world’s wealthiest and most successful pop stars, you might imagine Justin Bieber makes extravagant tour requests. And you’d be correct. For his four-day tour of India in 2017, the Biebs reportedly requested, among other things, a jacuzzi to be flown in, a personal Rolls Royce, a private jet and a helicopter on standby and something called an “Indian Yoga Casket” that contained essential oils. But best of all, the Canadian singer requested meals made by a private chef to be named after his hit songs. The rider didn’t specify what exactly those meals should be, but we’re hoping they included a “Beauty and a Beet Salad,” “As Long As You Love Meat Pies” or “One Less Lonely Grilled Cheese.”
MICHAEL BUBLE
Michael Bublé’s rider reportedly keeps it pretty simple. The Grammy winner asks for a sizable spread to feed four people, and a bottle of either Macallan or Oban "Premium Single Malt Scotch."
CHER
When the legendary singer played at London’s O2 Arena that year, she reportedly wasn’t shy about asking for everything she wanted, which included a slushie machine and both white and milk chocolate fountains. She also requested an entire room just to house her wig collection. As a lifelong wig aficionado who incorporates several hairpiece changes into her shows, it’s not exactly surprising she would need that much wig storage. Frankly, it would be kind of weird if Cher didn’t have a wig room.
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey doesn’t require an entire zoo’s worth of animals every time she goes on tour. This was a one-time request for a Christmas light ceremony at a Westfield mall in London in 2009. Unfortunately for the legendary diva, the kittens were a no-go. "We did manage to source the doves that we were
going to release into the sky, but the kittens proved terribly difficult," a Westfield representative reportedly told the New York Daily News. "In the end, it was made clear that due to health and safety, there was no way we could have the animals at Westfield. We do not allow pets into Westfield — that rule would apply for everyone." As if that wasn’t enough, Mariah Carey demanded to be driven to an event in a pink Rolls Royce on a pink carpet leading up to a pink podium. Event organizers had to replace the Rolls six times before the star was satisfied.
Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo proved to be quite the wine lover, reportedly requesting three different types of wine, three bottles of pinot noir, three bottles of Riesling and two bottles of Ace of Spades champagne. He also requested another alcoholic beverage, but that one wasn’t for drinking. He asked for one bottle of Ketel One and stipulated that it would be used for cleaning purposes. We’re not sure if the R&B singer actually thinks vodka is a better cleaning agent than a bottle of Simple Green, but it might have to do with the fact that Ne-Yo made $175,000 per performance. Cleaning your floors with top-shelf booze is definitely a baller move.
Justin Timberlake
We understand wanting to minimize your risk of getting a cold, especially if you’re a singer. But Justin Timberlake crossed into germaphobe territory when he reportedly asked officials at Manchester Arena to disinfect every door knob in his dressing room and all the doors leading to the stage … every two hours. He’s made the request in the past, but it ruffled feathers in August 2018 because the arena had been the site of a bombing at an Ariana Grande concert just a few months prior. In terms of non-germ-related requests, Justin also enjoys having mirrors installed above his bed in his hotel rooms. Maybe this is an homage to his hit song Mirrors? Yeah, that’s it.
MADONNA
Hosting a Madonna concert is an enormous logistical effort. The pop legend reportedly requires accommodations for her entourage, which can number up to 200 people. She also needs 20 different phone lines. But Madonna’s trickiest request is for furniture. Sure, many other celebrities require the finest luxury accommodations, like designer ottomans or fur rugs. But Madonna takes things several steps further by asking for her own living room furniture. And no, she’s not asking for tour planners to buy lookalikes. She ships her actual furniture to her performance venues. To be fair, she did tell us she’s a Material Girl celebrity.
LADY GAGA
And finally, the weirdest request of all! During a lawsuit over unpaid wages involving her former assistant, the rider for Lady Gaga’s two-and-a-half-year long Monster Ball tour came to light. In it, the “Born This Way” singer reportedly asked for her dressing room to be decorated in a fairly normal, if elaborate, way. Gaga preferred her dressing room to be done up in a “glam rock” style with posters of her favourite rock legends like David Bowie, Queen, Elton John and Billie Holiday. Also, she required a mannequin with “fluffy pink.