00:00What's up Essence? I'm Dana Blair. This is 7 Things We're Talking About and I'm coming to you from the fabulous L.A. studio. Why? It's red carpet season. So let's jump right into it. It's that time of year again. Oscars. And Essence is front and center with our 8th annual Black Women in Hollywood Awards. Join me and entertainment editor Yolanda Sanguini live from the red carpet February 19th to 30 p.m. Eastern Time as we give
00:29fans sneak peeks and special interviews live from one of the hottest tickets in Hollywood. This year's honorees are the cast of Orange is the New Black, costume designer Ruth E. Carter, actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw and of course the one and only Regina King. And we are pleased to announce that on Saturday February 21st at 10 p.m. Eastern on OWN we will air the primetime special featuring highlights and exclusive interviews hosted by Tracy Edmonds and Shamar Moore. So keep it locked on social with hashtag Black Women in Hollywood and we just might take your questions
00:59live from the red carpet. Follow me at JustDanaBlair on Instagram and Twitter and at EssenceMag for more. Sub-zero temperatures and a little bit of ice couldn't keep fashionistas off the runways. New York Fashion Week took over the Big Apple in a big way. Celebs, athletes and fashions A-list were in town as the event also aligned with NBA All-Star events. You can check out the galleries here on Essence.com but everyone is buzzing not just about the clothes but also about baby Northwest who, like any freaking toddler, couldn't sit
01:29still at Daddy Kanye's show or Alexander Wang, which are both big tickets by the way. This raised a big question in the industry. Should children be allowed to attend certain events? After all, these designers work extremely hard and most of these shows are over in less than 15 minutes. What do you think? Should toddlers and young children be banned from certain events? Let us know at EssenceMag. Ageless beauty Halle Berry hasn't gone under the knife yet but admits that the pressure to do so in Hollywood is mounting. In a recent interview with Yahoo Beauty, the mother of two
01:59opened up about the struggle. It is pressure, Berry said. When you see everybody around you doing it, you have those moments when you think, I don't know, to stay alive in the business, do I need to do the same thing? Berry suggests that women look within and embrace the aging process. Despite how amazing she looks, Berry, who is 48, says she has been asked to get procedures. You can read the entire interview on Essence.com. On Friday, February 20th, the White House will host Celebrating Women of the Movement, a special panel to be moderated by Essence Editor-in-Chief Vanessa K. DeLuca.
02:29First Lady Michelle Obama will open the discussion. DeLuca will be speaking with a panel of multi-generational black women who have been crucial to the civil rights movement of yesterday and today. Watch the live stream on Essence.com or WhiteHouse.gov forward slash live at 4 p.m. Eastern on Friday the 20th.
02:45This next story is huge. The Powerball winner is an unemployed mother of four kids. Marie Holmes, 26, of North Carolina, is one of the three winners who picked the combination that won them the $564.1 million jackpot.
03:02Holmes, who used to work at McDonald's and Walmart, said she no longer has to worry about providing for her son and three daughters.
03:07I love seeing people who deserve it win.
03:11Next up, when Eddie Murphy first announced that he would return to Saturday Night Live for the first time in more than 30 years, people started speculating wildly about which classic character he would reprise for the show's 40th anniversary special.
03:23Would it be Buckwheat? Gumby? Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood, which is my personal favorite.
03:27So, when Murphy finally took to the stage last night following an inspiring and hilarious introduction from Chris Rock, it was more than a little disappointing when he spent less than 60 seconds talking about what the show meant to him without performing any comedy whatsoever.
03:41Fans took to social media and expressed their displeasure. Maybe next time, Eddie? I don't know.
03:47And last but certainly not least, rapper Drake pulled a Beyoncé surprising fans with a 17-track album.
03:52If you're reading this, It's Too Late may have been tipped off earlier in the day when the artist debuted a short film titled Jungle, which ranges from historical footage to scenes of a young Drake singing and rapping.
04:02Soon after, he tweeted what appeared to be his album cover.
04:05Billboard's Keith Caulfield reports that the album could be the rapper's fourth number one on the publication's 200 chart.
04:12Congratulations, Drake.
04:13Well, there you have it. That's 7 Things We're Talking About.
04:16I'm Dana Blair, and I will see you here next time on Essence.com.
