[MUSIC] Hey hey essence.com. I'm Dana Blair and this fabulous show is 7 Things We're Talking About. Coming in on number one, the twenty sixteen critics choice awards nominees were announced, and African Americans were nominated in seventeen, yes Seventeen categories, including best acting ensemble for Straight Out of Compton, and best drama series for, of course, Empire. It may come as no surprise that Viola Davis and Taraji P Henson were nominated for best actress in a drama series for How to Get Away with Murder and Empire, respectively. Many fans celebrated the fact that Blackish, the ABC sitcom that was snubbed by the Golden Globes got nods. It received four nominations in total, including one for each lead. Holla! [LAUGH] Will you be watching Essence? Let us know at Essence Mag. Jussie Smollett made a special appearance on The View as a part of 30th birthday shenanigans for Raven Symone. I know she is the gal that we love to hate on, but Jussie used the opportunity to take a shot, if you will, at Raven. He brought up the fact that Raven is Confused as to whether or not she's African American and he is not. The clip is hilarious and you can catch it right here on essence.com. Billboard Women in Music event will be televised on Lifetime on December 18 and all of your favorites, I mean all of them are in the building. Our girl, Missy Elliot, received an innovator award, and shared a moving speech on who inspired her. She also said, "I stand here for all the women who have been told we don't fit the mold." She also thanked Timberland, Magoo, Pharrell, her label, and of course Aaliyah. Be sure to tune in Essence and let us know your thoughts. [NOISE] Here is an interesting one Essence. Layne Bryant has answer to this week's Victoria Secrets Fashion Show. Does the plus fashion brand want the world to know that there's more than one type of sexy, they decided to show it and tell it. While the Victoria's Secret angels strutted the VS fashion show runway, Lane Bryant stepped their #I'mNoAngel campaign up just a little bit of a notch. And they held their own fashion show on social media. The brand is pushing the notion that while women wearing size 0, 2, and 4 are incredibly sexy, so are women wearing through 8 through 20 and beyond. And every other size that there is. The company is taking issue with Victoria's Secret excluding women of different sizes, all while calling it the sexiest night on television especially since the average size of a woman is a 12 to 14. However, the show is receiving some mixed reviews. What do you think, Essence? All is fair in love and lingerie? Let us know on social media @EssenceMag. Bars, and I'm not talking about candy bars or the jail bars of Empire, but actual rap bars. And they were dropped by our very own FLOTUS. Yes, you heard me right, the First Lady and SNL SNL comedian Jay Pharoah collaborated on a hip hop song to encourage kids to higher college education, as a part of her Reach Higher campaign. The initiative informs children of college opportunities, helps them understand financial aid, and supports high school counselors, all according to its website. In the video, the First Lady and Pharoah, who has impersonated her husband on SNL, donned sunglasses outside the White House. And informed the nation that college is necessary, unless you want to watch paint or stare at grass. I want to honor and empower young people who are working hard in school and pursuing their dreams. And I want to do it in a fresh and fun way, Obama said in a statement. It's official. This is the coolest [UNKNOWN] ever. And congratulations are in order to model and entrepreneur Kimora Lee Simmons who is pregnant with her fifth child. Baby number five is Kimora's second with husband and Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner. And last, but certainly not least, Former Oklahoma City Police officer and now convicted rapist Daniel Holtzclaw who was found guilty of 18 out of the 36 charges he faced, including 4 counts of rape in the first degree and 4 counts of oral sodomy is reportedly under suicide watch. Prosecutors accuse the former Oklahoma City officer of selecting his victims, all of them who were black women, based on their backgrounds and criminal history. Believe that their drug or prostitution records would undermine any allegations against him. Holtzclaw is presently facing 263 years in jail. We will keep you in the loop on this one as the story and the sentencing are handed down. Alright, there you have it, that's seven things we're talking about this week, I'm Dana Blair and I will see you here next time on Essence.com.