00:00What's up Essence.com, I'm Dana Blair and this is 7 Things We're Talking About.
00:11Just as Caitlyn Jenner says Laverne Cox has made it easier for her to go public with her transition,
00:16the Orange is the New Black star feels Jenner herself has become an inspiration to others.
00:20Soon after Jenner's Vanity Fair cover in which the Olympian formerly known as Bruce Jenner chose
00:25to publicly identify as a woman, made its debut and of course took over the internet,
00:30Cox took to her tumblr to pen a moving essay about how thrilled she is to see the outpour of
00:34support for Jenner and the transgender community. In the lengthy post, Cox praises Jenner for both
00:39her inner and outer beauty. To quote, I am so moved by all the love and support Caitlyn is receiving.
00:45It feels like a new day indeed when a trans person can present her authentic self to the world for
00:50the first time and be celebrated for it so universally, she said. Many have commented on
00:54how gorgeous Caitlyn looks in her photos, how she is slaying for the gods. I must echo these comments
01:00in the vernacular, yes god, work Caitlyn, as Laverne Cox says it, get it. Next up,
01:05North West is about to be a big sister. Kanye and Kim Kardashian West announced this week that they
01:10are expecting baby number deuce. Much of Keeping Up With The Kardashians on E! chronicled the difficult
01:15time the couple had getting pregnant with baby number one. Additional details on the pregnancy have
01:19not yet been revealed. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. West. Next up, Danielle Brooks,
01:24the actress who turned heads in her role as Tasty. A Netflix series Orange is the New Black will make
01:29her Broadway debut alongside Jennifer Hudson and British actress Cynthia Erivo in the musical
01:34version of The Color Purple, which is a personal fave of mine. Brooks will play the tough Sophia,
01:38the role played in the film version by Oprah Winfrey, who's on board as a producer of the revival,
01:43just as she was for the musical's Broadway debut in 2005. Sophia is one of three major female
01:49characters in the show, with Hudson on board as nightclub singer Suge and Erivo starring as
01:54protagonist Celie, a role she first played in London. I know I will have my tickets and congrats,
02:00Danielle. Tracy Morgan wiped away tears while opening up about his recovery in his first interview
02:05following the tragic June 2014 accident that almost took his life.
02:10I can't believe I'm here. I can't believe I'm in front of you, Morgan told Matt Lauer on The Today Show
02:14last Monday. Morgan, age 46, and several friends were returning from a comedy performance on June 7,
02:202014, when a Walmart tractor trailer slammed into their limousine on the New Jersey turnpipe,
02:25severely injuring the actor and killing comedian James McNair, best known as Uncle Jimmy Mac.
02:31Morgan said he didn't remember the actual accident. He only recalled regaining consciousness in the
02:36hospital. Bones heal, but the loss of my friend will never heal, Morgan told Lauer. The Saturday Night Live
02:42alum settled his lawsuit over the crash with Walmart just last week.
02:46Actress and singer Kat Graham, popularly known from The Vampire Diaries, will make her feature film
02:51debut as the role of Tammy Terrell in an upcoming biopic of the late singer, according to Deadline.
02:56Terrell was an American recording artist best known for her Motown records during the 1960s,
03:00who enjoyed an extreme of hit duet singles with singer Marvin Gaye. According to Deadline,
03:05the film follows the brief but memorable career of Terrell, who started out as a backup singer in the
03:10James Brown review before scoring a few minor pop hits as a solo act. But she struck gold after
03:15being paired with hitmaker singer Marvin Gaye in the early 1967, a teeming that produced such Motown
03:21classics as Ain't No Mountain High Enough , Your Precious Love and Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing.
03:27In October 1967, Terrell collapsed on stage while performing with Gaye and doctors diagnosed her
03:32with a brain tumor. She continued to record with Gaye and scored a few more solo hits before dying in 1970.
03:38Next up, Essence Fest performer and R&B queen, Miss Mary J. Blige is doing something special for her
03:43fans during her hashtag Essence Fest. The legendary singer is bringing her documentary film, The London
03:49Sessions, to this year's festival. And you can get a ticket to the screening. The London Sessions films
03:55chronicles Mary's stay in London while recording her latest album, all of her inspiration behind the scenes,
04:00lots of really fabulous stuff. The film will give you a peek into her creative process as well as show a
04:04glimpse of her personal side as she recounts personal experiences that have influenced her music over
04:09the years. And last but certainly not least, the daughter of Cincinnati Bengals defense tackle
04:14Devin Still was doing better after suffering a complication in her stem cell transplant,
04:18her father said earlier this week. Still posted a photo of himself and his five-year-old daughter,
04:23Leah, on Instagram, saying,
04:25Monday marked the first time she had really been awake in four days. Leah Still, who has won the
04:30hearts of many, suffered a complication called VOD as a result of her stem cell surgery. Still and his
04:35daughter will be honored during the ESPYs next month when they receive the Jimmy V Perseverance Award,
04:40according to ESPN. Leah, you are in our prayers.
04:43All right, Essence.com, there you have it, seven things we're talking about. I'm Dana Blair, and I will see you
04:49right here next week, Essence.com.
