Courtesy of the Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A squeaker of an Iowa victory in hand, Mitt Romney headed into the New Hampshire primary insisting that staying power sets him apart from runners-up Rick Santorum and Ron Paul and the rest of the GOP presidential field. Two rivals already looked shaky – last-place finisher Michele Bachmann canceled a campaign trip Wednesday and Rick Perry was heading home to Texas to think things over.

Romney shrugged off the promise of sharper criticism from his GOP rivals and President Barack Obama’s re-election team now that he’s narrowly carried the first contest of the nomination.

“I’ve got a big target on me now,” Romney said Wednesday, adding that doesn’t faze him. “I’ve got broad shoulders. I’m willing to handle it.”

Continue at the Associated Press

Mariah Carey cuddled up to husband Nick Cannon while he was nursed back to health after suffering from mild kidney failure Wednesday. The couple spent the holidays in Aspen, but the last few hours in the hospital as Cannon recovers from the health scare. Carey tweeted:

Please pray for Nick as he’s fighting to recover from a mild kidney failure. #mybraveman

Carey also left this message on her official website for her fans:

This is us in the hospital – role reversal; Last year it was me attached to the machines (after having dembabies) and Nick was there with me through it, and now here we are.

We’re trying to be as festive as possible under the circumstances but please keep Nick in your thoughts because this is very painful. They tried to kick me out of the hospital but here I am pon de bed with Mr. C.

We’re doing OK but we’re “straaaaaanded in Aspen”. #DramaticDivaPlace (I know, we could be in a lot worse places) but the truth is as long as we’re together, we’re OK.

I’m not trying to make light out of the situation because it’s a serious moment that’s very tough on all of us so please keep us and our family in your prayers. LYM.’

We pray for a speedy recovery for Nick!

By Diann Valentine

Regardless of your background, geographical location or income level – every girl dreams about her perfect wedding day. For some women in love, this means an opulent castle with imported flowers and Swarovski crystal adornments everywhere, and for others, a simple but fabulous backyard wedding in the home where she grew up is enough.  Whatever your vision is for your wedding day, you deserve to enjoy it without any mishaps. I have designed and planned so many celebrations of love all over the world, and have learned so many tricks to avoid any sort of disaster that can ruin a woman’s memories for the rest of her life. So here are my top five tips for fool-proofing your wedding:

Deion Sanders was on damage control this week when he sat down for an interview with K104-FM Dallas to clear up his recent “troubles.” The former NFL star said he takes responsibility for his daughter’s Twitter rant last week and that he and Pilar are being cordial while still living under one roof.

“I apologize for my daughter. She loves her father and she felt like I was being abused and misused and she lashed out, which she’s sorry for. She wanted to get a lot of things out of her that’s been inside of her. But it’s unfortunate that that really magnified the situation.”

He went on to say:

“The thing about it….Pilar and I are cool. I mean we’re cool. When I say cool, we’re living under the same roof. That’s true. First of all, I’m very calm. I’m not a yeller or screamer and I’m not even upset. It’s just another chapter in your life where you have to move on. And Pilar is cool too. And the home is large enough, but you gotta to understand we love the babies. I love my babies and I’m a father. It’s cool until the situation is worked out. That’s why you can’t believe what you read because if it was as ignorant as people would speculate it’s no way to be compatible. But I see her every morning. And I say, ‘What’s up?, What’s up, girl?’ It really is like that. That’s why you can’t believe everything.”

The couple is currently going through a divorce after 12 years of marriage.

Sweet-as-pie sisters Angela and Vanessa Simmons have gotten themselves into a little tax trouble. According to The Detroit News, Rev Run’s daughters owe the IRS and the state of California more than $450,000 stemming back from March 2011.

The breakdown goes as follows:

• The IRS filed a $26,658 tax lien against Angela Simmons on Dec. 22 with the New York City Register.
• The IRS filed a $22,528 tax lien against Vanessa Simmons on Dec. 22 in New York.
• The IRS filed a $157,787 tax lien against Vanessa Simmons on Nov. 10 in New York.
• The IRS filed a $27,248 tax lien against Angela Simmons on May 20 in New York.
• The IRS filed a $132,466 tax lien against Angela Simmons on April 1 in New York.
• The state of California filed a $44,253 tax lien against Vanessa Simmons on March 23 in Sacramento County Court.
• The state of California filed a $39,538 tax lien against Angela Simmons on March 23 in Sacramento.

We imagine they’re good for the cash, but they’ve got to be more careful!

Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade is leaving marriage proposals up to teammate LeBron James. For now.

In the February issue of ESSENCE, Wade reveals he and girlfriend Gabrielle Union are taking their time before they take the leap into marriage.

“We’re not rushing it.” Wade says. ”Both of us have been married before, and we understand that if we choose to marry again, we want it to be right. We both took failing at marriage hard. The next time it’s gotta be forever.”

Wade was previously married to his high school girlfriend Siohvaughn Funches. The couple had two sons together, but eventually divorced in 2007. Union married former NFL-er Chris Howard in 2001, but divorced in 2006.

Despite the gossip and rumors of entertainment blogs, Wade and Union remain committed to each other and represent the best of Black love.

The February issue of ESSENCE will be available on newsstands Jan. 12.

Source

Legendary singer Etta James has been released from a Southern California hospital and is back at home with her family, according to her manager. She is currently in the final stages of terminal leukemia and suffering from dementia.

“She is home with her husband and family by her side,” Lupe De Leon said. “Her condition remains stable.”

CNN reports the 73-year-old singer brought in the new year with her sons, Donto and Sametto James, by her side.

Paul Wright, a lawyer for her sons, said Sunday that the singer is “nearing the end of her time, but she’s a tough lady.”

Our thoughts and prayers go out to James and her family at this time.

Courtesy of Loop21

Wouldn’t it have been nice to have a chart showing you what jobs were hiring before you went away to college and paid for that degree? Well, it might be to late for you know, but someone out there is going to find this information useful. BusinessInsider.com just released a infograph breaking down unemployment by college major and the results may shock you.

According to the chart, Architecture has the highest unemployment rate with it being 13.9% among recent college grads. The closest to that is 11.1% for students who graduated with Art degrees.

The major with the lowest unemployment rate is Health, coming in at 5.4%. Makes sense when you think about it. Nobody can afford to build buildings in this economy and people are always going to get sick.

The makers of the chart also insist that if you want the best shot at financial security that you should consider majoring in engineering. While the unemployment rate hovers at 7.5%, people fortunate enough to land a job in the field earn more than any other field studied for the chart.

See the chart at Loop21

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire? We surely hope not in the case of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.

In Touch Weekly reports Jada has ”finally begun to take steps to dissolve their marriage” by meeting with top celebrity divorce lawyer Laura Wasser. She also allegedly turned down an upcoming role to spend time with her kids during this “difficult time.”

Rumors of their marriage troubles surfaced in August after In Touch reported a separation. Will and Jada denied the claim, stating:

 ”Although we are reluctant to respond to these types of press reports, the rumors circulating about our relationship are completely false. We are still together, and our marriage is intact.”

In Touch isn’t the most reliable of sources but if the story rings true, Jada would have a great ally on her side. Wasser has represented celebrities such as Mariah Carey, Maria Shriver, Kim Kardashian, Vanessa Bryant, Britney Spears, Angelina Jolie and the list goes on. And on.

The couple has been married for 13 years and have two children together, Jaden and Willow Smith.

Check out what Jada had to say about her marriage to Will in our Behind The Scenes story HERE!

UPTOWN and VIBE properties have merged with BlackBook Media business and The Access Network Company. The merger of these premier assets is part of their media and technology consolidation strategy and follows an investment from Ron Burkle’s and Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s Yucaipa Johnson Fund in January 2011 when it joined InterMedia Partners as the owners of Vibe Holdings, the entities’ parent company.

The combined company will operate the Vibe, Uptown, and BlackBook media properties. These brands will serve as anchor properties for the Vibe Lifestyle Network (VLN) and BlackBook Media Network affiliates which serve over 18.5 million monthly visitors and will be complemented by VIBE magazine, UPTOWN magazine, and BlackBook magazine. The online and mobile properties across the network will leverage Access Networks’ AccessGeo local content management and distribution technology platform.

“We’re passionate believers in the future of technology-driven media companies and the ability to leverage online, mobile, print and local content through premier brands,” said Earvin “Magic” Johnson. “We’re interested in consolidating great brands that reach a large and attractive audience – specifically those which index well in the online and mobile arena. The technology we acquired as part of the Access Network will serve as a very important piece to enable us to reach consumers.”

Magic Johnson, a partner at the Yucaipa Johnson Fund will continue to serve as Chairman of Vibe Holdings. The merged entity will operate under Vibe Media and Ari Horowitz will serve as CEO. Horowitz will also continue to serve as CEO of the Access Network. Len Burnett and Brett Wright will continue to serve Co-CEOs of the Vibe Lifestyle Network.

“Vibe and Uptown, combined with BlackBook, align strong brands that consumers can access online, via mobile applications, and in print.” noted Horowitz. “The Access Network technology platform provides the ability to reach this large and desirable audience through hyper-local digital applications for Vibe, Uptown, and our VLN partners.”

“The merger presents an exciting opportunity for Vibe and Uptown to provide advertisers a much needed voice across multicultural and multiracial platforms,” added Burnett.

by Demetria L. Lucas

Artist Andy Warhol once said, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” As I watch so many people clamor for fame or infamy—daughters from wealthy families, women who dated or married ballers – literal and figurative— and other regulars who seek celebrity without having done anything to be celebrated really, I realize unequivocally Warhol’s prediction has come to pass. Twitter, You Tube, Facebook, and other media offer everyone with a wireless account the opportunity to shoot their arrow and see how far it goes, as Mother Dorian Corey, co-star of Paris Is Burning” once put it. And a lot of people are taking the shot.

Fame, most imagine, is akin to winning the golden ticket in Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, a world where you can be showered with praise, buy all the things you’ve always wanted and never could afford, be recognized, skip the line, and walk to VIP. Or as Big Sean pit it in “Ass”, I walk in with my crew and I’m breaking they necks/ I’m looking all good I’m making her wet/ They pay me respect they pay me in checks/ And if she look good she pay me in sex.”

But that’s only part of it. There’s a down side that people forget. Most recently (and publicly) the side that kept Kanye West up till 4 A.M. Thursday morning in his London time zone and led him to lonely tweet his dreams, and frustrations with, among other things, being finally famous.

“Being a celebrity has afforded me many opportunities but has also boxed me in creatively,” West tweeted, one of 70 over three hours. Later in the rant, as his unveiling has been largely referred to by media outlets, he added, “Good logic tells me smile Kanye… the world likes you again… red or blue pill? … aaaaand Swallow lol”.

It’s almost “Game” time!

Essence.com sat down with the very talented and hilarious Wendy Raquel Robinson to get the dish on her marriage, season five of The Game and what we can expect from her crazy and outspoken character, Tasha Mack.

On how she met her husband…
“I am a huge Lakers fan. It was the finals and there was a little soiree at my house. A friend of mine who doesn’t drive asked if it was okay to bring a friend over because he was his ride. I said sure and they came over. The guys were all talking and the ladies were all talking and, you know, he’s holding court, and I’m like, who’s this guy? We just started talking and the rest was history. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. It was really just a connection at first sight and we were both at the right places in our lives and it just happened.”

Courtesy of Madame Noire

When will these government officials learn? I can just see the smirk on Kansas House Speaker Mike O’Neal’s face as he crafted what I’m sure he thought was the most clever email ever, sending warm wishes over the holiday season.

The subject line of the email reads “Twins separated at birth?” and the body of the message includes side-by-side pictures of Michelle Obama and the Grinch with hair that’s been blown into a similar position. According to the Lawrence World-Journal, the forwarded part of the email reads:

“I’m sure you’ll join me in wishing Mrs. YoMama a wonderful, long Hawaii Christmas< vacation — at our expense, of course.”

Continue reading at Madame Noire

by Angela Bronner Helm

Craft. The word has many meanings. In the context of acting, it’s about authentic, palpable characters that move you. Don Cheadle, 47, has been perfecting his craft since he was a gangbanger in Colors, consistently composing scene-stealing parts like Mouse in Devil in a Blue Dress, Basher in Ocean’s Eleven, Graham in Crash, or the Oscar-nominated Paul Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda.

Cheadle’s latest role is that of a brilliant, virile, emotionally vapid management consultant named Marty Kaan in Showtime’s House of Lies, a biting, fast-cut comedy premiering in January. Lies is an unvarnished look at corporate America, capturing the personal fallout that occurs when ethics fly out the window. Marty; his psychoanalyst dad (Glynn Turman); pill-addicted ex-wife; and gay, biracial preteen son who he’s raising solo represent a truly modern family. “I thought it was edgy and salty and all the stuff I want to do and that people don’t get to see me do,” says Cheadle.

Considering that his real father is also a shrink (“Things tend to coalesce around me that let me know that I’m in the right place,” he muses), the actor/activist was delighted to participate in our “word association” play, otherwise known as Confessions.

Tamar Braxton has a lot going on. The second season of “Braxton Family Values,” the reality show that features her, her sisters and their mother, debuted at number one recently. And She and her husband Vincent Herbert will chronicle their marriage on another WeTV reality show, “Tamar & Vince.” But all of this probably wouldn’t have happened if Vince hadn’t recovered from the pulmonary embolism (the same ailment that killed Mia Amber Davis and Heavy D) he suffered in November. Essence.com caught up with Tamar, who says she’s elated at the moment, to get her reaction to Vince’s health and the new show, and if she’ll finally have a baby in 2012.

On Vince’s health scare…

We just got home after three months in New York because he was sick. He’s now walking, he’s not in a wheelchair. We’re grateful. He’s probably the healthiest he’s ever been. He had a pulmonary embolism along with a lung attack – which is like the heart attack of the lungs. We’ve changed our lives. He exercises, he eats right. There are no longer sodas in our house. It’s been a lot for us to go through. 

On the couple’s new reality show…

It was the fans of “Braxton Family Values” who demanded it. I kept hearing people say, ‘You should have your own show.’ They wanted to know what was behind the dot com’s and where I get all this energy from. I just thought it would be a great for them to see that there is another side. The Tamar on “Braxton Family Values” is real, but that’s me in the sister role. I do have another side: Tamar, the wife. I’m still animated, but in a different kind of way.

On baby plans…

I feel like Vince and I have a second chance to do the things that we really want to do. I don’t know if I’ll have a baby this year, but that’s definitely in our plans. [laughs] Well, it’s the thought. It wasn’t a thought last year.

Continue reading on Essence.com

The Hollywood Walk of Fame added a new, well-deserved star to its collection and the name reads: Boyz II Men.

The Grammy Award-winning group accepted the honor Thursday with famous friends by their side including Babyface, Michael Bivins and others.

Boyz II Men rose to fame with their debut album Cooleyhighharmony (1991), which won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and scored hits such as “Motownphilly,” “It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday,” and “Uhh Ahh.” From there, the group tacked on more hits (“End of the Road,” “I’ll Make Love To You,” “On Bended Knee,” etc. ) eventually making them the best-selling R&B group of all time.

Despite a minor split in 2003, all four members– Shawn, Wanya, Nathan and Michael– were in attendence to accept the honor.

“It’s the best feeling in the world to 20 years later be standing here in front of everybody and be appreciated, which means that we did our jobs and the job that we did is memorable,” Wanya said.

The group, without Michael, released its 20th anniversary album Twenty in September and will begin a 17-city European tour in Berlin on Jan. 13.

Boyz II Men’s star is No. 2,456 on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

It happens every year. The most dreadful fashion trends creep in and everyone goes wild. While those of us with just an inkling of common sense go, “Ya’ll really like that?” Sure, there are always some gems that make us go “WOW,” but the misses puzzle me the most.  I hereby present to you five trendy disasters that need to HAVE A SEAT!

There’s no question that after six seasons of “Keeping up with the Kardashians,” two seasons of “Kourtney and Kim Take New York,” two seasons of “Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami” and one season of “Khloe and Lamar” Kardashian is a household name. With Kim Kardashian‘s sex tape as their head start, momager Kris Jenner and executive producer Ryan Seacrest have taken this family and turned them into a full-on franchise. Not only have they set the bar for a successful business plan, they’ve also created a blueprint for any qualified family to follow. And their is one such family that possesses the potential to achieve equal success, the Braxtons.

Toni, Tamar, Trina, Towanda,Traci and Mrs. Evelyn possess the goods to make their last name a household entity; they are already halfway there. Here’s how the Braxtons can be the next Kardashians.

There’s been speculation for nearly a week about a sparkling little diamond on Halle Berry’s ring finger and the rumors are true: She’s engaged!

 Berry, 45, is set to walk down the aisle with French actor Olivier Martinez, 46, according to PEOPLE. The couple met on the set of 2010′s “Dark Tide” and had been dating for more than a year when the celebrated actress was given a diamond-and-emerald engagement ring from Gurhan.

The Oscar-winning actress has been married twice before– to baseball player David Justice in 1993 and R&B/soul singer Eric Benét in 2001. Berry has a daughter, Nahla, who is three, with ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry.

A source tells US Weekly that Berry ”had given up on being married, but she trusts Olivier. He makes her feel safe. He’s a keeper!” 

Congratulations to the couple!

The 2012 ESSENCE Music Festival has lined up yet another all-star roster of performers for this year’s event in New Orleans!

Mary J. Blige, Aretha Franklin, Fantasia and Keyshia Cole are just a few of the names being thrown around (ever heard of them?) and the list doesn’t stop there. Ledisi, Charlie Wilson, Raheem DeVaughn, 90s R&B group SWV, and MANY more will also hit the stage during this exciting weekend.

Since this year’s theme celebrates the “power of our voices,” attendees will not only experience great musical performances and delicious cuisine, but also empowering seminars from Steve Harvey and Rep. Maxine Waters.

“Whether it’s Aretha Franklin, The Queen of Soul commanding respect or Rep. Maxine Waters demanding better conditions for our community, these powerful voices resonate with our audience like no other,” says Michelle Ebanks, president of Essence Communications Inc.

The 2012 ESSENCE Music Festival takes place July 6-8. Find out all the details to start planning your trip over at Essence.com.