Like many fans, talk show host Wendy Williams will be glued to her television on Feb. 16 as HBO premieres Beyonce‘s revealing new documentary about her life as an international pop star. But the media maven might be watching the film a little differently than the rest of us.

Related: Wendy Williams Unveils Naked Ad For PETA’s Anti-Fur Campaign [PHOTOS]

On Wednesday, Williams explained to her audience:

“I am a Beyonce fan. I’m gonna be watching this documentary cause fortunately one of the TVs in our kitchen has closed captioning so I’ll be able to understand what she says. You know Beyonce can’t talk. Beyonce sounds like she has a fifth grade education. She can’t talk. Honestly. We really do have the closed captioning for times like that.”

Ouch.

Related: LeBron James Picks Up SI’s Sportsman Of The Year Award With Fiancée, Jay-Z & Beyonce [PHOTOS]

Of course this wouldn’t be the first time Williams has critiqued the “Crazy In Love” singer. Late last year, the outspoken television personality questioned Beyonce’s pregnancy with Blue Ivy, going as far as to ”demonstrate” how expecting mothers should sit (see here).

Don’t expect Beyonce to release a statement anytime soon about Williams’ snide remarks– she’ll leave that up to her “Beyhive.”

The post Wendy Williams: ‘Beyonce Sounds Like She Has A Fifth Grade Education’ appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

By Alissa Henry

“It’s unrealistic,” a guy friend told me one day when we were discussing the subject of only having sex with one person until death do you part. “Even if I were married to Beyonce, I’d still cheat. It’s not about looks. All men cheat on their wives and the ones who don’t are lame.”

James was attractive, slightly older than I am, accomplished and a certified ladies man. If they gave out degrees in bed hopping, his would be summa cum laude. He said he wanted to be married one day, but he also said he wanted to divorce at 40 and start all over again. “Monogamy is cool for, like, the first year,” he told me. “But after that, no way.”

It’s these types of men – and the women who share those same ideas – who would do the institution of marriage a favor by never getting married. Or at least they should take care to marry someone who agrees with the fallacy that the best thing about sex is novelty.

Men and women like James believe monogamy is unrealistic simply because they lack the experience and the desire to be committed to one person. Some eventually commit, either through coercion or the misguided belief that a ring changes anything fundamental about them, and they end up stepping out on their marriages. We can all recall those at the center of several affairs that made headlines in the past few years: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rupert Sanders, Chad Johnson, and Tiger Woods to name a few. When that happens many wonder if the hurt, pain, and humiliation could be avoided if only we’d abandon the “one person until death (or divorce)” requirement of marriage.

[Photo: Shutterstock]

In my opinion, the hurt, pain, and humiliation would be avoided if these types of people would just stay committed to their marriages. One person’s – or even a group of persons’ – selfishness does not make the whole idea of monogamy obsolete. Not living up to a reasonable standard is not a reason to do away with it.

If anything, knowing that people believe different things about monogamy just means that we should be certain we’re marrying someone who shares our same ideals on the topic. It’s the whole “you can’t turn a man-whore into a house-husband” thing. As one wise writer succinctly put it “a cheating boyfriend is a cheating fiancé is a cheating spouse.”

It’s not monogamy itself that’s unrealistic. What’s not plausible is the idea that one can easily go from having indiscriminate sex to being content with one person. That would involve a total retraining of the mind. A monogamous relationship would require someone accustomed to fornication to learn to value the quality of sex over the quantity of partners.

It would also require them to learn how to be good in bed. The inconvenient truth is, people who switch sexual partners often never learn how to satisfy because random encounters are inherently selfish, and rarely as much about a real connection as about the next release. In those situations, if the sex isn’t “good” for one or both people, then they can just move on to the next. In a committed, monogamous relationship both parties learn how to please the other person and ultimately learn what they themselves like best through trial, error, experiment, and ecstasy. This is why most people say married sex is the best they’ve ever had. In all of that bed hopping, they never really learned what it is that they liked and were never in the presence of someone who cared to find out. Monogamous sex is the best kind.

[Photo: Shutterstock]

The problem is, people who expect monogamy yet are attaching themselves to promiscuous people who excuse their own behavior by insisting that monogamy is an unrealistic expectation. What’s truly unrealistic is the idea that sex is all physical and not at all emotional or mental. Even if we preface it with adjectives like “casual,” sex will still be anything but. The fact is sexual exclusivity safeguards a marriage against jealousy, possessiveness, extreme selfishness, disrespect, insecurity, and distrust from both parties. How many men in favor of polygyny would be OK with another man sexing one of their many wives? They don’t even permit lesbian relations among their women. They like to pretend sexual exclusivity doesn’t matter, but clearly it does. If monogamy weren’t normal, then infidelity would not hurt us emotionally.

Beyond that, with the AIDS rate being what it is, as well as, the sheer number of unwanted children being born to uncommitted sex partners everyday, monogamy is not only realistic, it’s necessary to the health and wealth of our communities.

What do you think? Do you think monogamy is an unrealistic expectation? Do you agree that people with a lot of sexual partners find it harder to commit to just one?

Follow Alissa on Twitter @AlissaInPink

[Photo: Shutterstock]

In today’s link round-up: Extended footage of Kim Zolciak’s rage against RHOA’s cameras, new music from Tamar Braxton and much more!

Loop 21
Sex Scandal Costs Kevin Clash A Movie Deal With Warner Bros.
Innocent or guilty, the allegations against Clash are damaging.

EBONY.com
George Zimmerman To Sue NBC Over Edited 911 Tapes
“The unjustified public persecution of me because of NBC’s actions is wrong. It shouldn’t have happened to me, and it shouldn’t happen to anyone,” he stated.

VIBE.com
RHOA’s Kim Zolciak Freaks Out: Extended Footage
Kim attacks and the cameras keep rolling…

Necole Bitchie
New Music: Tamar Braxton – ‘Love And War’
Love or hate?

EURweb
Katt Williams Is Trippin’ – Now He’s Unretiring; Has A Tour This Weekend
This is exhausting.

The Frisky
8 Ways To Handle The Holiday Blues
No. 2: Help someone out.

The post LOTD: Kevin Clash Loses Movie Deal + George Zimmerman Sues NBC appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

Courtesy of The Root

It ain’t easy being president — hey, that’s what Kermit the Frog would sing if he were a political analyst. And while those words are trite, they’re also true. Political and industry lobbies and groups of equally outraged citizens on different sides of issues all demand loudly that the president follow their desires. Who would have predicted during election 2008 that the president would endorse legalizing same-sex marriage or be faced with deciding how to respond to states legalizing marijuana? As we look ahead to Barack Obama’s second term in office, let’s dig into the top issues that could turn into open political warfare.

Continue reading at The Root

[Photo: Shutterstock]

After putting a temporary hold on Keep a Child Alive’s annual Black Ball, Alicia Keys was back in full force Thursday night to help the organization raise more than $1.3 million dollars.

The event, in its ninth year, took place at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem with tons of the singer’s famous friends that included Chanel Iman, Pras Michel, husband Swizz Beatz and others.

The formal gala benefits Keep a Child Alive which was founded in 2003 by Keys and Leigh Blake to assist HIV/AIDS victims in Africa and India. This year’s Black Ball was originally planned for Nov. 1, but was cancelled due to Superstorm Sandy.

Related: Alicia Keys Graces Cover Of ESSENCE Magazine

“There are places in the world where Keep a Child Alive serves where they have a Hurricane Sandy every day,” Keys explained on the red carpet. “They don’t have electricity, they don’t have heat … and that made me more invigorated to make sure this Black Ball happened.”

And as scheduled, honorees Oprah Winfrey and Angélique Kidjo were recognized for their philanthropic efforts around the world.

“When I look at African girls I see myself,” Winfrey said onstage. “I continue to work for them to have the same opportunities that I have.”

During the night, Keys performed a duet of “I Just Can’t Make You Love Me” with music legend Bonnie Raitt while Whoopi Goldberg served as emcee. Jennifer Hudson and Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes also hit the stage.

Courtesy of BlackEnterprise.com

Apple is an iconic American company, but ironically most of the products are manufactured overseas. CEO Tim Cook is taking a stand to address the issue and investing more than $100 million in job creation stateside in 2013, an effort that could set a precedent to promote more training in modern manufacturing.

The New Project

Since Cook, who joined apple in 1998, took over the late visionary Steve Jobs’ position last year, he has helped Apple increase the company’s worth by 43%. Although the location of the jobs has not yet been released, Cook said the project will involve the creation of a new Mac.  The recent announcement is set to bring a lot of positive attention to the tech company.

Continue reading at BlackEnterprise.com

Courtesy of Loop 21

Capping off a tumultuous run of hi-jinks and shenanigans, comedian/actor Katt Williams retired from stand-up, telling Seattle’s KOMO News:

“I’m just going to go ahead and announce my retirement from stand-up. I’m kind of done.”

In pure comedic fashion, Williams’ disappearance from the stage lasted just three days when just as suddenly he was baaack, telling TMZ he was feeling “unappreciated.”

But in just the past month during what was his West Coast tour, Williams seemed to be having a definite meltdown, doing everything from slapping a Target employee to whacking an aspiring rapper over the head with a bottle. He chased families to their cars and led police officers on high-speed moped chases.

Continue reading at Loop 21

Las Vegas police allege the death of a 7-year-old boy was done at the hands of his own parents after he failed to read the Bible or do his homework.

According to the Las Vegas Sun, Roderick “RJ” Arrington Jr. was admitted to a local hospital on Nov. 29 because he was unresponsive. Officers were quickly called to the scene after personnel noticed severe bruising  to his buttocks, thighs, back and shoulders. They also observed swelling to Arrington’s brain.

The boy died the following afternoon.

The boy’s mother, Dina Palmer, 27, and stepfather Markiece Palmer, 34, were arrested and charged with murder after investigators reported that Dina “stood by and let her husband” shake and beat her son to death.

Markiece stated that the second grader was spanked on Nov. 27 for lying about reading the Bible and again on Nov. 28 for not finishing his homework. Police claim the boy’s stepfather beat him with a spatula, belt and possibly a wooden paddle, while Dina allegedly hit her son on the buttocks with a belt and her hand.

According to the arrest report, Arrington had recently relocated from Illinois to Las Vegas about three months ago. He went to live with his mother and her new husband of five months after staying with his biological father and grandmother. This was the first time Arrington met is stepfather.

The couple appeared in court on Tuesday and both face charges of murder, child abuse and neglect.

The post 7-Year-Old Boy Beaten To Death After Lying About Bible, Homework appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

Courtesy of The Grio

Rapper Rick Ross has canceled his show this weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina, allegedly due to threats made by gang members in the area.

The so-called Gangster Disciples released a video via YouTube warning the recently Grammy nominated artist to stay out of Charlotte.

The alleged gang members claim to have a beef with Ross because of his use of the name of their founder, Larry Hoover, and the street gang’s symbol, the Star of David, on his latest mixtape Black Bar Mitzvah.

Continue at The Grio…

The post Rick Ross Cancels NC Show Due To Threats From Gang Members appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

Courtesy of EURWeb

The were over an hour late, but the Obama family – mom, dad, daughters and mother-in-law – eventually pushed the button Thursday night for the annual lighting of the White House National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse in Washington.

As President Obama counted down from five, first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters Malia, 14, and Sasha, 11, pushed the big button to light up the soaring blue spruce tree behind them, covered in cascading white lights and topped with a yellow star. It was the 90th annual lighting of the tree.

Continue reading at EURWeb

The true motive behind the tragic death of rapper Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace remains a mystery. However, fifteen years after the Brooklyn, N.Y., native was gunned down, the Los Angeles County Coroner has released his 23-page autopsy report.

According to the Los Angeles Times: “[One] shot hit Wallace’s left forearm and traveled down to his wrist, while another shot hit him in the back and exited his body through his left shoulder.  Another shot hit his left thigh and traveled through to his inner thigh before glancing off his scrotum. None of those rounds were fatal [...] The fatal shot entered his right hip before slicing through his colon, liver, heart and part of his lung before wedging in his left shoulder area.”

READ the full Autopsy of Christopher ‘Notorious B.I.G.’ Wallace.

Two medium-caliber lead bullets were removed from Wallace’s body. However, the medical examiner was unable to determine the sequence of the shots.

In March 1997, as Wallace left a music industry party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in L.A., his Chevrolet Suburban was riddled with bullets in a drive-by shooting. Wallace was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where doctors performed emergency surgery, but he sustained too many injuries. At the time, 24-year-old Wallace was at the height of hip-hop fame.

To this day, the murder remains unsolved despite LAPD investigation.

READ the FBI file on Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace.

Over the last week, comedian Katt Williams has been on an unending downward spiral. He was arrested again on Friday night in Dunnigan, CA for an outstanding warrant.

Following a routine traffic stop, Yolo County Sheriffs deputies caught up with the 39-year-old Cincinnati native at a gas station. The arrest warrant for Williams was issued on Thursday out of Sacramento County for a reckless driving incident that occurred in November.

Williams cancelled his show in Houston, scheduled for Friday night. The website for the venue cities issued a press release stating: “ [Due to] circumstances beyond our control, Katt Williams, scheduled for Friday December 7^th, has been cancelled.”

Legal woes and public outbursts seem to follow Williams. In recent weeks, he has been in a bar fight, where he allegedly threw a rock at a car; been accused of battery by his personal assistant; is engaged in a lawsuit over a bizarre onstage meltdown in Oakland; and slapped a Target employee in the face. A January court date was scheduled for the Target incident.

Toni Braxton is in a Los Angeles hospital due to lupus complications. On Friday, the 45-year-old R&B singer Tweeted that she was hospitalized because of “minor health issues” linked to lupus.

“But no worries! I will be out any day now,” Braxton assured her fans via Twitter.

According to the Associated Press, a spokeswoman confirmed the statement but offered no additional details.

Two years ago, Braxton announced she has lupus. She chronicled a few difficult moments caused by the autoimmune disease on the WE reality-TV series “Braxton Family Values.” The potentially deadly disease runs in Braxton’s family and killed her uncle. Braxton also suffers from narrow blood vessels in her heart.

Combined the two illness have taken a toll on her career. In a recent “20/20″ interview, she said doctors told her “the Lupus diagnosis meant her performing career would likely be diminished and the disease helped push her into a recent bankruptcy,” according to the Associated Press. It proved true. Braxton filed for bankruptcy 2011.

However, she continues to recover, pumping out new albums and a hit reality-TV show. We’re sure she’ll bounce back from this one too.

Josh Brent, a Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle, is due in court this morning after being charged with manslaughter on Saturday, when the car he was driving crashed and killed teammate Jerry Brown Jr.

According to Dallas, TX, police, 24-year-old Brent was speeding on a state highway at 2:21 a.m. Saturday when the car slammed into an outside curb, which caused it to flip before landing in the middle of the road.

Brown, who was in the passenger seat, was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. According to police reports, Brent had minor scrapes and was booked into the Irving jail to await arraignment.

At a news conference, Irving police spokesman John Argumaniz said Brent was given a sobriety test and:

“Officers at the scene believed alcohol was a contributing factor in the crash [...] Based on the results and the officer’s observations and conversations with Price-Brent, he was arrested for driving while intoxicated.”

Spokesman Arguamaniz also explained that when police arrived at the accident, part of the car was on fire. The 2007 Mercedes sedan was upside down in the road, and Brent was pulling Brown out of the burning car.

Based on damage done to the car, police believe Brent was driving above the 45-mile per hour speed limit. According to Champaign, Illinois, county records, Brent was also arrested for drunk driving on February 23, 2009.

“I am devastated and filled with grief,” Brent said in a statement released by his agent Saturday night. “Filled with grief for the loss of my close friend and teammate, Jerry Brown. I am also grief-stricken for his family, friends and all who were blessed enough to have known him.”

“I will live with this horrific and tragic loss every day for the rest of my life. My prayers are with his family, our teammates and his friends at this time.”

Twenty-five year-old Brown was a linebacker on the Cowboys’s professional practice squad but did not play any games with the Cowboys. However, he did play in one NFL game for the Indianapolis Colts this season before joining the Cowboys.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones issued a statement expressing his condolences:

“We are deeply saddened by the news of this accident and the passing of Jerry Brown. Our hearts and prayers and deepest sympathies are with the members of Jerry’s family and all of those who knew him and loved him.”

Courtesy of Hello Beautiful

The holidays are always full of joy and good spirits as we come together with loved ones we don’t get the luxury of seeing regularly throughout the year. The aroma of sweet potato pies linger throughout the house, baby cousins who you haven’t met yet are passed around from arm to arm, conversations starting with, “You remember when…?” trigger hearty laughter and for the most part, love conquers the atmosphere.

There is often a moment, however, when things take a sudden turn and family drama erupts. To keep Auntie Pam from crying and Cousin Ray from fighting Cousin Lisa’s boyfriend who everyone is meeting for the first time, which ultimately leads to Grandma checking everybody with a few choice words, here are some simple things you can do.

Continue reading at Hello Beautiful

[Photo: Shutterstock]

Courtesy of The Root

Robin Givhan, the Pulitzer Prize-winning fashion journalist, is among those laid off from Newsweek and the Daily Beast, according to Joe Coscarelli, writing Friday for the Daily Intel column of New York magazine.

” ‘I plan to work on my book about the 1973 Versailles fashion show and look for a new job,’ said Givhan, who will stay on until the end of the year,” Coscarelli wrote.

Editor Tina Brown and new CEO Baba Shetty announced in October that the 80-year-old Newsweek would adopt a digital-only format in 2013.

In 2007, while at the Style section of the Washington Post, Givhan won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism “for her witty, closely observed essays that transform fashion criticism into cultural criticism.”

She left the Post in 2010, after 15 years at the paper, purportedly because of disagreements with the then-Style editor.

The editor, Ned Martel, told the staff on her departure, “. . . Robin has demonstrated herself as an extraordinary talent, stretching the definition of fashion beyond the discussion of trends or runway flights of fancy. Thanks to Robin’s Pulitzer-awarded acuity, Washington Post readers have learned how to understand world leaders through the way they dress.

Continue reading at The Root

President Barack Obama and his beautiful family were in attendance at the 31st annual “Christmas in Washington” charity concert on Sunday, with plenty of holiday cheer.

Related: First Family Lights Up the National Christmas Tree

This year’s event, hosted by Conan O’Brien, included appearances from Motown diva Diana Ross, rapper and viral sensation PSY, singer Demi Lovato, the Naval Academy Glee Club and others. Proceeds from the concert are donated to a leading children’s hospital.

“Tonight is a chance to get in the Christmas spirit, to spread some joy and sing along to artists who have much better voices than we do,” Obama joked during his speech. “But it’s also a chance to make a real difference in the lives of some very brave young people being treated at Children’s National Medical Center. Many of these kids and their parents are going through tough times right now and your support helps give them a reason to hope.”

Related: Must-See: Mariah Carey Sings ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ With Jimmy Fallon & The Roots [VIDEO]

Before his remarks, President Obama met with “Santa’s little helpers,” a group of children who were once patients of the hospital and were attending the performance with their families.

“Christmas in Washington” will premiere Friday, Dec. 21 at 8/7c on TNT. Check out a few of the night’s hot shots after the jump!

Photos courtesy of Getty Images

The post First Family Celebrates ‘Christmas In Washington’ With Diana Ross, PSY & More [PHOTOS] appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

Courtesy of Elev8

Premiering on Jan. 1, TLC‘s “The Sisterhood” takes viewers behind the pews and into the lives of some of Atlanta’s “first ladies,” as preacher’s wives are often known in the evangelical community.

The view from inside their world, as they support their husbands and churches, is a radical and candid rendering of how most people might view their role.

They argue, get tattoos, work out to look hot and talk openly about sex, drugs and their not-so-godly pasts in a series certain to shake the Bible Belt.

See the teaser video at Elev8

Hold on to your weaves: Kenya Moore and “boyfriend” Walter Jackson are apparently a fake couple. Shocking, right?

The former Miss USA turned Real Housewives of Atlanta star has become the standout character of season five– in more ways than one. From her heated disputes with castmates Cynthia Bailey and Porsha Stewart to her quest for marriage and children, Moore is certainly playing it up for the cameras.

Related: The Two Newest Atlanta ‘Housewives’: Just Who Are They?

And Jackson is calling her out.

After Moore’s questionable antics in Anguilla on Sunday’s episode, Jackson spoke to V-103′s “Frank and Wanda Morning Show” on Monday to clear up his relationship with the reality star, who was seen dancing and flirting with other men.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution‘s entertainment blog reports:

Jackson told Frank Ski and Wanda Smith that they did date for three months three years ago. They lost touch but then in April, she texted him and said she was coming to Atlanta. “I was kind of surprised,” he said.

She told him, “I’m going to be doing this show. What do you think of reality TV?”

“I don’t know,” he responded. “That’s kind of a stretch there.”

“What if you play my boyfriend on the show?” she asked him.

Jackson said he asked some friends if he should do it. They told him he should enjoy the 15 minutes of fame.

So he said yes. “It’s just like acting,” Moore told him. (Moore herself? A terrible actress!)

He was surprised when he found out she kept pushing the m-word on the show.

Jackson also denied Moore’s claims of him being gay by stating, “I’m well established [in Atlanta]. Gay has never been in the block. Why she would say that, I don’t know.”

And while Moore has yet to address the matter, we’re sure she’s just a few tweets or “exclusive interviews” away from telling her side of the story.

The post ‘RHOA’ Star Kenya Moore Faked Relationship, Says ‘Boyfriend’ Walter Jackson appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

Following the tragic murder-suicide involving Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher and girlfriend Kasandra Perkins, at least seven NFL players have surrendered guns to their respective team’s security.

Related: Jovan Belcher and That Fake Gun Control Debate

ESPN reports at least one player handed over multiple firearms, telling his team personnel that he didn’t trust himself with guns.

Belcher, 25, shot 22-year-old Perkins at their Kansas City home on Dec. 1 before driving to Arrowhead Stadium, where he shot himself in the head in front of Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli and coach Romeo Crennel.

The couple is survived by their 3-month-old daughter, Zoey.

Related: Kasandra Perkins Remembered At Memorial Service, Daughter Eligible For $1M From NFL

“The majority of people own them, you know, especially in the places that they’re legal,” Chiefs linebacker Brandon Siler said last week. “People don’t go out and shoot other people. Most of the time they’re for self-defense or sport. Yeah, people own guns, but did you ever hear him say anything about harming someone with a gun? No.”

Last Monday, Kansas City police Sgt. Marisa Barnes said that firearms found at the couple’s home were legally registered to Belcher. There is no word on how many guns were found.

The post Several NFL Players Surrender Guns Following Belcher Murder-Suicide appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.