Courtesy of Sister 2 Sister

Marlo Hampton said she’s not at all upset that Cynthia Bailey has gone on record stating that the two are not friends. In fact, she’s in total agreement.

“I don’t think of her as a friend either. The only reason we communicate is because of NeNe [Leakes],” said Marlo, who joins Cynthia and NeNe in the “talls” crew on this season’s “Real Housewives of Atlanta.”

“We don’t have anything in common except we’re both tall and pretty,” said Marlo, who described her relationship with Cynthia as “cordial.”

Despite not being BFFs, Marlo admitted she was a bit taken aback when she watched Cynthia join in with Phaedra Parks, Kandi Burruss and Sheree Whitfield, also known as “the smalls,” when the four of them split from Marlo and NeNe to go on safari in South Africa.

Continue reading at Sister 2 Sister

In today’s link round-up: Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson team up in a new thriller, Tupac’s mom approves the upcoming play and much more!

Shadow And Act
Gabrielle Union Will Be Mara Brock Akil’s “Single Black Female” In Upcoming BET Pilot
Gabby isn’t a single lady, but she plays one on TV.

Loop 21
TMI: Cutting Back On Social Media Hyper-Sharing
Every second of the day isn’t “status worthy…”

Hello Beautiful
Idris Elba & Taraji P. Henson Land Roles In “No Good Deed”
The pair has signed on for the upcoming thriller, with Elba as executive producer.

Global Grind
Afeni Shakur Approves Tupac Musical (DETAILS)
Tupac’s mom is “ecstatic” about Kenny Leon’s broadway show!

The Root
Black Celebs: Plastic Surgery Gone Awry
“If ‘civilian’ black women are happy with themselves, then what’s going on with black celebrities?”

The Frisky
10 Kinds Of Men Every Woman Needs In Her Life
Can’t live with them, can’t live without them.

When it comes to monumental interviews, Oprah Winfrey is still the queen.

The talk show veteran has nabbed the first exclusive interview with Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown‘s daughter, Bobbi Kristina, which will air on Oprah’s Next Chapter. The special also features reflections from Houston’s sister-in-law Patricia Houston and brother Gary Houston.

The interview comes at a critical time when so many stories are circulating about the singer’s troubled life.

According to a release from the network, “Bobbi Kristina shares personal memories of her mom and how she would like the iconic superstar to be remembered. The family also addresses the rumors and speculation surrounding Houston’s death.”

Preceding the interview, OWN will re-air Remembering Whitney: The Oprah Interview, which features Houston’s last in-depth interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show back in 2009. Winfrey also shares her personal memories of the late singer.

The all new Oprah’s Next Chapter will air Sunday, March 11 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on OWN.

I briefly mentioned the correlation between sexual energy and abundance last month. This section piqued the interest of many of my readers. The intention of this article is to clearly explain this concept and bless all of the readers with an abundant flow of energy.

About eight months ago, I was feeling a noticeable stagnation in my abundance flow. I was on unemployment and food stamps. My self-worth was running pretty low, and I was judging myself and my situation. Through a series of events, I was introduced to an abundance coach. To my surprise, the first thing she asked was, “How is your sex life?”

“Pretty good,” I replied with the remnants of fear shivering in my voice.

My sex life had suffered from three pregnancies and other complications within a short period of time. Bottom line, sex lead to pain. I would enjoy myself during the act, and close up immediately after.

“The reason I ask,” she continued,”is because sexual energy is directly related to your abundance.”

WOW! That statement hit me like a brick. My entire adulthood had been full of abundant energy until I had become scared of sex. The coach went on to explain that sexual energy does not necessarily mean to go out and have copious amounts of sex, it is a state of being that celebrates our sensuality.

Napoleon Hill states that sexual people have a plentiful supply of magnetism. This magnetism is what attracts the abundance. We deserve to fulfill each level of our existence: spiritual, mental, emotional and physical. As I shed my judgments and fears about sex, my abundance returned. Thank you God.

Well-Life Maintenance Goals for March

Spiritual: A close friend of mine introduced me to a self-love challenge. One particular section resonated with me. Create a “love” jar. Write down all the aspects you love about yourself. For example: loving, creative, spiritual. Place the papers inside of the jar and pick a random aspect everyday. Vow to be even more of that particle aspect that day. Have fun!

Mental: Go to the bookstore and pick up a new book that peeks your interest. Keep feeding your intellect. Perhaps you can coax a friend to join you so you can discuss the book when you are complete.

Emotional: Work on your compassion. Consciously put yourself in other people’s shoes and attempt to act with love.

Physical: Bring more sensuality into your state of being. You can do that through dress, posture, voice, being… the possibilities are endless. Welcome the abundance!

Welcome to Uplift at UPTOWN. If you are just joining us this week, my name is Anita Kopacz. I am an author and spiritual adviser with a passion to see people thrive! Collective energy possesses a divine power that can remove stubborn obstacles and open locked doors. My intention is to join our UPTOWN family in spirit and forge our return to healthy living. With the Well-Life Maintenance Program, together we will take small steps in four areas of our lives to improve our quality of living. The four areas include Spiritual, Mental, Emotional, and Physical. You can find more in my new book,Finding Your Way: Alphabetical Keys to the Divine. 

[Image By Kesha Lambert]

By Brian Armstead, Automotive Rhythms

Take any near-luxury sports sedan on the market today, any one, and I would bet the farm that from concept to production, the car was benchmarked against the segment standard bearer, the BMW 3 Series. For decades, the 3 Series has ruled the roost. Yes, the Audi A4, Lexus IS, Infiniti G, Cadillac CTS and Mercedes C-Class all are superb cars, but on the road, none of them feels like a BMW.

Courtesy of Elev8

The Reverend Omarosa S. Manigault visited the Elev8 offices today. When news of her ordination hit the press this week I reported on her ordination. Many people  wondered if it was just a publicity stunt or an attempt to improve her image after poor behavior on reality TV.

Here she is in her own words addressing her ordination:

Continue reading at Elev8

Courtesy of EURWeb

In light of our beloved Whitney Houston’s untimely death, I was moved to examine the complexity of “Unconditional Love” versus “Tough Love.”

Many of us who believe in a higher power understand unconditional love.  In His view, we are whole and perfect beings despite our many imperfections. What can we possibly do to lose His love? This rhetorical question leaves us wondering if we deserve such abundant love. Lord knows we fall short.

But even God, in His infinite wisdom, understands the importance of “Tough Love.”  When love is tough it sets a standard. It doesn’t play possum, it doesn’t coward, hide or submit to unacceptable conditions. Tough love gets tough when the going gets rough.  Tough love says “I will always love you, but I don’t like who you’re being.”  Tough love will turn its back, yet keep an open heart.

I wonder how “tough” each one of us would have been in the face of Whitney’s struggles.  Through the television and movie screen, it was easy to love her no matter.   No matter her troubles, we loved her. No matter her faults, we loved her. No matter her imperfections, we loved her.  As long as she lulled us with her impeccable vocals and wowed us with her God given talent, grace and beauty, we loved Whitney.

Continue reading at EURWeb

Courtesy of The Frisky

Every year, my sister and I go to Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago. For years I have tried to to explain the concept of “carnival” to my American friends. I’m slowly understanding that the idea is ridiculously foreign: replace cotton candy for endless top-shelf liquor, Ferris wheels for huge trucks blasting music throughout the entire city and lame whack-a-mole games for half-naked women and men “wining” on one another in elaborate beaded/feathered costumes. It just seems absurd for those used to a traditional American-styled carnival and, when I sit back and think about it, thousands of people parading and dancing through the streets does seem a little crazy. But that is precisely what makes me return annually: I know that I’m getting into something so ridiculously unconventional that anything can happen.In 2009, I “played mas” (donned one of those aforementioned sexy costumes) for the first time and wore cheap ass shoes. The soles came off halfway through the day, so I partied the rest of the day barefoot.  This year definitely did not lack eventfulness in comparison: I partied for three days straight with Beenie Man and his crew on zero sleep, got mild blood poisoning from wearing blue body paint for an entire day, had my bag stolen (along with my passport, cash and some credit cards), and fell in love — all over the course of a few days.

I’m honestly not very big on celebrity culture; I could seriously say I couldn’t care less. I guess that is why I had no idea who the hell the Grammy-winning reggae artist Beenie Man was when he approached me at a bar in Trinidad to buy me a drink. I reluctantly took the drink from him and continued dancing the night away with my sister as if nothing had  happened. He later tracked me down and asked me to hang out with him. His actions definitely say a lot about men: even when they have attained celebrity status they obsess over what they can’t easily have. Speculation aside, whatever the reason was, he took my sister and me on a wild VIP adventure through parties, boat rides and even a chocolate-covered morning “fete” (let’s just say another word for party). By the time it was all over, I hadn’t slept in days, had a ridiculous headache and was passport-less!

Continue reading at The Frisky

Fans of Aaliyah still yearning to hear her angelic voice are rumored to be getting the gift of new music. A producer who worked with the ”Try Again” singer has announced that unreleased material is on the way.

Related: Aaliyah: Ten Years Gone, Never Forgotten

While there seems to be no confirmation from her former record label Blackground/Atlantic, producer Jeffrey “J. Dub” Walker tweeted Sunday:

 ”Just got great news today; the smash unreleased song called “Steady Ground” I produced on #Aaliyah is gonna be on her upcoming album:)”.

Walker had a hand in the late singer’s final album Aaliyah, which became her highest-selling release.

Aaliyah’s life was tragically cut short on Aug. 25, 2001 in a plane crash from the Bahamas. Over the span of her career, she recorded numerous hits including “Back & Forth,” “One In a Million,” “Are You That Somebody?” and others. In addition to working with top producers such as Missy Elliot and Timbaland, the Grammy-nominated artist was a budding actress starring in Romeo Must Die and Queen of the Damned.

The BBC has reported the arrest of two men in the U.K. who allegedly hacked into Michael Jackson‘s entire back catalog.

In 2010, Sony purchased the rights to the music from the Jackson estate for $250 million in hopes to release the material through 10 projects over seven years. The unreleased and in-process tracks came from the late pop star’s recordings of Thriller, Bad and Off the Wall.

James Marks, 26, and James McCormick, 25, were reportedly apprehended last spring for downloading thousands of digital files, worth an estimated $160 million. Sony kept quiet on the matter, until now.

The pair have been released on bail, with a trial set for January 2013.

Several of the tracks are said to have features from the late Freddie Mercury and Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am. There is no indication if any of the songs have been circulated around the web.

Not only have Marks and McCormick compromised the deal between the Jackson estate and Sony, but they have also exposed unreleased music from Jimi Hendrix, Paul Simon, the Foo Fighters and Avril Lavigne. It is not clear if other artists were affected during the process.

Last April, Sony’s PlayStation Network suffered a hack that opened up the personal details of more than 70 million users. It is estimated that the theft of Jackson’s files happened shortly after.

Courtesy of VIBE.com

When Lil Wayne grabbed a crotch-full of cheetah print jeggings during his 2011 MTV VMA performance, slander ensued. A disparaging Jim Jones tweeted: “Real men don’t wear spandex,” the Twitter account @Waynes_Jeggings hatched and blogs mocked the Young Money captain’s “gay” jeans x leggings. Seven days later, when Tha Carter IVdebuted with 964,000 copies, it was Weezy and his tighties that had the last laugh. Chuckling right beside him are his gender-bending peers like Kanye West and Lil B, artists locked on dismantling hip-hop style norms in the name of artistic expression. But will they ever be allowed to play dress up in peace?

While their antics may not sway staunch traditionalists, seeing influential rappers abandoning the Timbs and triple-XL dress code is already opening minds—skinny’s the new baggy. Long before the best rapper alive was squeezing into lady pants, Pharrell was converting rap fans from drooping denims to Japanese hipster couturiers. Outkast’s eccentric half, Andre 3000 shamelessly flaunted wigs and high-waist gauchos, and Cee-Lo was man enough to pose in four wedding dresses in Gnarls Barkley’s Odd Couple promos. Yeezy upped the men-in-skirts count earlier this year, stunning fans every night of his and Jay-Z’s Watch The Throne tour by sporting a knee-length Givenchy kilt. Prior, the hip-haute clotheshorse closed last year’s Coachella Festival modeling an Italian women’s blouse. Both ensembles made blog headlines, but it was Kanye’s praised performance that made the lasting impression, proving that talent trumps a flowy shirt any day.

Continue at VIBE.com!

Who could forget the metallic red suits in 1997′s “Mo Money Mo Problems” video in all their shining glory? And who could have convinced Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs that the nearly blinding outfits would make for an iconic hip-hop moment?

Enter June Ambrose.

In a recent interview for Media Beat, the famed celebrity stylist explains the trouble she went through to get Diddy— and his ego— into her creation.

“I said to him, ‘You have to just trust me. I know that sounds wild, but I put my career on this moment. I’m telling you it will make a huge difference’,” recalls the Styled By June star. “Once he saw the first take and he looked at playback, he looked at me and said ‘okay.’ And that was the beginning of not only a great working relationship, but a great friendship.”

Check out the full interview as she discusses her beginnings, being fearless and styling Jay-Z!

In today’s link round-up: Paula Deen is being marked as racist, rare photos of Black sharecroppers during World War II and much more!

Loop 21
The Top 10 Best Black Couples On Television Ever
Where do your favorites rank?

Vibe Vixen
Regina King To Play Shirley Chisolm In A Biopic?
If the rumors are true, we fully support!

HuffPost BlackVoices
Paula Deen, Brother Sued For Sexual Harassment
Paula Deen has more than diabeties to worry about.

The Grio
Rare Photos Depict Lives Of African-American Sharecroppers During World War II
These pictures are outstanding.

EURweb
Brandy Pays Homage To Whitney Houston With New Album Title
Find out the full meaning behind Two Eleven.

The Frisky
10 Reasons I’m Glad I’m Not A Perfect 10
No. 3: When I look really hot, it’s a surprise.

With the voices of critics as a distant memory in his mind, Kanye West revealed his fall/winter 2012 collection Tuesday at Paris Fashion Week.

DW, named after his mother Donda West, is the rapper’s second womenswear line that features structured biker jackets, furs and enough leather, velvet and crocodile skin to hold us over until his third showing.

In general, West has received more positive reviews on his second run. Christina Binkley,The Wall Street Journal‘s style columnist, called it “way better than before.” She also caught up with the rapper-turned-designer to hear his take on things.

“I learned a lot from the last [show],” he said. “I’m learning every day. I’m a new designer. I’m taking baby steps.”

West had plenty of support with famous friends like Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Kim Kardashian, Anna Wintour and others sitting in the audience.

Check out the celebrities and all 20 looks after the jump!

Photos courtesy of NOW FASHION

I must admit, reality TV has been an addiction of mine for quite some time. I think it’s fascinating in some aspects to follow the lives of strangers and watch their entire drama unfold via 24/7 cameras. I love watching the good, the bad and the ugly. However, I do have an “Are you kidding me?” button, and some shows are just ugly. Some just paint such a horrible picture of the cast members that I can certainly do without seeing them ever again. Here are five reality shows that can have several seats.

Next to experiencing the death of a loved one, going through a breakup can be one of the toughest things to do … unless you got that ice box where your heart used to be. Often times we jump back into things before we should because we’ve erred in calibrating our emotional barometers. Other times we don’t jump at all because we don’t know if we’re ready. Here are three signs you’re on the way to happily dating again.

[Couple image via Shutterstock]

Courtesy of The Washington Post

A new campaign spreading across the Internet says it has one goal in mind: Make Joseph Kony, the Ugandan leader of the violent Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) “famous” so he can be brought to justice.

The viral film was created by Invisible Children, a charity that seeks to end the conflict in Uganda and raises awareness about the use of child soldiers and other human rights abuses by Kony and the LRA.

But some activists have raised concerns about the methods used by Invisible Children to raise awareness.

A request for comment from Invisible Children was not immediately returned.

#StopKony has been trending worldwide on Twitter since Tuesday, and as of this writing, the video “Kony2012” has almost two million views on YouTube.

Continue at The Washington Post…

Courtesy of The Frisky

I think I just got away with telling my dad he won’t be giving me away at my wedding — and the world didn’t fall apart.

I’d been putting it off, the telling him, partly because I never know whether my dad is going to care. I know he cares a lot about high-quality French fries and Chevy sport utility vehicles that rolled off the line between 1996 and 1999 (must have tailgate and be black, red or white). But the emotional stuff is a total gamble.

There was the time he tried to keep one of my high school boyfriends from using our upstairs bathroom because “he might have VD,” which I now realize was code for “Andie, you are wasting your time on this guy.” He cried when I tried on my wedding dress for him, but not when he dropped me off at college halfway across the country.

So I had no idea how he would react if I told him that I don’t want to be given away on my wedding day. Maybe he would be fine with it. Or maybe it would genuinely hurt him. But there’s not much that hurts me more than being treated like a piece of property.

Like women taking their husbands’ names, the tradition of being given away is couched in deeply sentimental rhetoric about how sweet it is, and how loving it is, and how beautiful a declaration of intense feeling it is. That all makes it really hard to talk with people on a reasonable level about the fact that both practices are rooted in oppressive patriarchal traditions that have historically had the effect of erasing or at least obscuring women’s agency in their own lives.

Continue reading at The Frisky

[Bouquet image via Shutterstock]

Tyler Perry’s For Better Or Worse is returning for its second season on TBS and we’re pretty sure Tasha Smith’s outspoken— and crazy— character Angela played a huge part.

The 41-year-old actress sat down with Black Enterprise to discuss the upcoming season and how she reacts to being labeled an ”angry black woman.”

Black Enterprise: What can fans expect from your character Angela in For Better or Worse?
Tasha Smith: They are going to see more of a balance. Angela’s home life is something they didn’t get to see in Why Did I Get Married? because she and Marcus were always traveling. She won’t just be going off and acting crazy, which I don’t really feel is her going off and being crazy as much as it is that she’s passionate and committed to her husband and marriage. Of course, Angela has some maturing to do, but a lot of women are insecure and fearful of abandonment, which makes them destructive and reactive. So people will see her as a wife, entrepreneur, and mother as well as see her trying to change and do what’s right.

BE: How do you respond to the criticism that Angela promotes the negative stereotype that black women are loud and combative?
TS: Any woman who has been in a relationship and has experienced anything close to what Angela and Marcus have knows things happen. Angela’s passionate, and if people give [the show] a chance, they will see how she matures as we all do. [Audiences] are going to identify with a lot of the different relationships. I want them to enjoy, laugh, and be inspired.

Check out the full interview at Black Enterprise!