The harsh commentary against Michelle Obama came to a head Wednesday morning when the First Lady sat down with CBS’s Gayle King for an intimate interview to air out the truth.

In a new book by New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor, Michelle is described at having “conflict” with President Obama’s top advisers.

“I guess it’s just more interesting to imagine this conflicted situation here,” she said. “That’s been an image people have tried to paint of me since the day Barack announced, that I’m some kind of angry black woman.”

Check out the full interview below!

By Hayat Mohamed

In a recent radio interview, music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was forced to defend himself when his poor track record at Bad Boy came under fire. Despite having countless failed artists (Mase, Loon, Carl Thomas, Black Rob, Shyne, Day 26, Danity Kane — must I go on?) Diddy claims he’s not to blame and it’s simply the nature of the industry.

Although being signed to Bad Boy proves to be detrimental to your career, dating Diddy on the other hand, seems to fare way better. From Jennifer Lopez to Cassie, Diddy appears to have the Midas touch when it comes to his leading ladies, allowing them to shine long after he’s out of the picture.

Courtesy of HuffPost Parents

Barbie maker Mattel is coming under growing pressure to mass produce a bald barbie doll for girls who suffer from hair loss, Digital Journal reports.

Last year, Mattel created a one-of-a-kind bald Barbie doll for a 4-year-old suffering from cancer who lost her hair during chemotherapy treatment, according to CBS New York.

Now, some want Mattel to make bald Barbies available to all their customers.

Related: Fun Time: Nicki Minaj & 11 Other Celebrities You Can Play With

So far, a Facebook campaign has already generated more than 11,000 likes calling for a bald Barbie doll which they say will help boost the self esteem in women and children experiencing hair loss from cancer treatment, pulling one’s hair out and other diseases that cause the immune system to attack hair follicles.

On their Facebook page, campaign organizers wrote the following explanation of their goals and the reasons behind the movement:

“We would like to see a Beautiful and Bald Barbie made to help young girls who suffer from hair loss due to cancer treatments, Alopecia or Trichotillomania . Also, for young girls who are having trouble coping with their mother’s hair loss from chemo. Many children have some difficulty accepting their mother, sister, aunt, grandparent or friend going from a long haired to a bald.”

Continue at The Huffington Post!

Courtesy of The Root

The leaders of today’s Republican Party are expert storytellers. When it comes to manipulating racial stereotypes for political gain, they are akin to animation artists of the 1920s: coloring the lines in black and white.

Last Thursday Newt Gingrich told a crowd of senior citizens in New Hampshire, “The African-American community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps.” Rick Santorum was even more egregious, claiming he doesn’t “want to make black people’s lives better by giving them other people’s money” (although he later claimed that he never intentionally said “black”).

Gingrich’s latest offense comes only weeks after he received widespread criticism for saying that poor children should work as janitors and clean toilets. He specifically made a point of addressing “inner city” youths — which has become conservative code for black and brown people everywhere, from the South to the coasts, the suburbs to the metropolises, regardless of where they actually live.

For some odd reason, this is acceptable rhetoric among the conservative political class. It is especially troubling because every reliable statistic shows that white Americans are the overwhelming beneficiaries of welfare in this country and make up the largest number of those in poverty by a wide and substantial margin. The Republicans’ well-rehearsed lies on the subject have been so effective that people of every hue have come to believe them, feeding widespread ignorance about the true face of poverty and the ever-growing gap between America’s rich and poor.

Perhaps it’s time for a lesson in mathematics and history.

Continue reading at The Root

Courtesy of Loop21

Tavis Smiley’s criticisms of President Barack Obama just cost him $37,000.

Smiley was slated to be the keynote speaker at a Martin Luther King luncheon hosted by the Peoria Civic Center in central Illinois next week. However a group of Obama supporters threatened to boycott the luncheon if Smiley was allowed to participate.

“What’s important to us is putting together a luncheon that celebrates the life and work of Dr.King,” said luncheon organizer Alma Brown. “And it became evident over the last few days that people were upset about comments that Tavis Smiley had made, comments that we weren’t aware of unfortunately so we made the decision to cancel his contract.”

Smiley is being replaced by radio show host and Georgetown professor Michael Eric Dyson.

Continue reading at Loop21

Tuesday’s premiere of ‘Red Tails’ brought out the brightest stars in Hollywood, but we have to say the fellas owned the night! Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Ne-Yo, Tristan Wilds and other stars from the film filed into the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City to get a first glimpse at the historic movie.

That’s not to say the ladies didn’t show out too. Tia Mowry-Hardrict, Tika Sumpter and others made an apperance on the red carpet in support of the film.

But the true focus of the night was on the Tuskegee Airmen (upper left). Several of the pioneering pilots arrived at the premiere standing poised and decorated in medals. 

Director George Lucas told the Daily Show Monday about the difficulties of producing the long-awaited film (23 years to be exact), admitting he put up millions of his own money to get the project off the ground.

“It’s because it’s an all-black movie. There’s no major white roles in it at all,” he said. “I showed it to all of them and they said no. We don’t know how to market a movie like this.”

Red Tails opens nationwide Jan. 20.

Check out the star arrivals here!

(Getty Images)

Toni Braxton gave fans a little scare Thursday with news that she had been hospitalized, but the Grammy Award-winning singer assures everyone she’s okay.

Related: How The Braxtons Can Be The Next Kardashians

According to TMZ, Braxton was transported to a Los Angeles hospital after experiencing painful “flare ups” from her lupus condition, an autoimmune disease that attacks the body’s cells and tissue. She tells reporters she is “totally fine” and thankful for the support.

 ”I wanted to say thanks to all my fans for their support, as I have been experiencing some flare ups with my Lupus which has me in the hospital for a few days,” she said. “I wanted to clear the record before rumors started, and will totally be fine as I’m blessed to having an amazing family for support.”

Braxton first revealed her condition in November 2010.

Many of us have seen the cultural CNN series “Black In America” or “Latino In America,” but what does it mean to be both?

Telemundo’s Mun2 recently created an interesting documentary on the Black Latino experience. Christina Milian, Soledad O’Brien, Laz Alonso, Tatyana Ali and other public figures discuss what it was like growing up and now surviving in racially-charged Hollywood, where appearance is everything.

You could call The Critics’ Choice Awards the warm-up show to the Academy Awards, but last night’s winners gave a strong indication on who might take home Hollywood’s top honor. And “The Help” is holding its own.

The blockbuster film won Best Acting Ensemble after going up against “The Artist,” “Bridesmaids,” “The Descendants” and “The Ides of March.” Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard and others made for an excellent cast that has brought in more than $200,000 at the box office.

Up against steep competition, Davis took home Best Actress for her role as Aibileen Clark. The category included seasoned actress Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady), Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin), Charlize Theron (Young Adult) and Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn).

Spencer also picked up an award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Minny Jackson. Cast mate Jessica Chastain, Berenice Bejo (The Artist), Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids), Carey Mulligan (Shame) and Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) were among the nominees.

Up next: the Golden Globes. The film is nominated for Best Motion Picture- Drama,  Best Actress (Davis), Best Supporting Actress (Spencer, Chastain) and Best Original Song (“The Living Proof”).

The 84th Annual Academy Award nominations will be announced Jan. 24.

Another week, another day and another round of outrageous celebrity phrases! This week, the celebrity sound bites making headlines include everything from a former “Love & Hip-Hop” manager throwing Twitter shade on Bey and Jay’s new seed to an actor’s revelation of extra biological appendages to the former King of the Booty’s disgust with a racist presidential hopeful. Plus, guess which soon-to-be incarcerated boxer is itching for a fight and which reality sister loves, you’ve guessed it, herself. And I quote…

Courtesy of Huffington Post/Black Voices

We couldn’t stop laughing when Franchesca Ramsey joked about white girls comparing the feel of black girls’ hair to a Brillo pad in her “Sh-t White Girls Say…To Black Girls” video.

But a version of the same sentiment is costing Sony Music $1.2 million…not laughs.

Sony Music has been ordered to pay $1.2 million (equivalent to about $656,000 in American dollars) in retroactive compensation back to 1997 for the release of the song “Veja os Cabelos Dela (Look at Her Hair)” by the Brazilian singer, comedian and politician Francisco Everardo Oliveira Silva whose stage name is Tiririca.

The lyrics not only liken a black woman’s hair to “a scouring pad for pots and pans,” but also calls her a “stinking beast.” Oy!

Continue reading at Huffington Post/Black Voices

New mommy Beyonce is throwing her weight behind President Obama for his re-election campaign in a way only the fashion diva knows how. According to Daily Mail, she has signed on to design crew neck shirts for supporters to purchase, similar to the “Runway to Change” project in 2008.

Related: Spike Lee To Host 35K Per-Ticket Dinner For Pres. Obama

The pop icon along with Russell Simmons, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Tory Burch, Vera Wang, Diane von Furstenberg and other famed designers will individually create the cotton shirts and accessories that vary in price.

This year, “Runway to Win” is organized by Vogue editor and Obama supporter Anna Wintour.

Check out some of this year’s designs and past designs from the 2008 campaign!

Courtesy of BlackDoctor.org

If you suffer from eczema, it may seem that your problems get worse in the winter. You may figure it has something to do with the weather. You could be right because cold, dry air can play a role in flare ups. But, then again, the weather may not be the only changes that have occurred and what you are doing could be causing more problems than the low temperatures.

Outdoor Activities

Warm seasons are generally associated with outdoor activities, but some people spend a lot of time outside in the fall and winter. Those who work outdoors probably have little choice. Then, there are household tasks such as tending to fall gardens, raking leaves, and shoveling snow, that also needs to be done. There are also activities that you may want to do, such as sledding, ice skating, and attending football games.

What you need to realize is that the more time you spend outside, the more you increase your chances of aggravating your eczema, especially if you don’t take measure to counteract the conditions you are exposing yourself to.

Bathing

On a blustery day, when you have been on the go, a hot shower or bath can seem like a savior, feeling as if its warmth reaches to your soul. But, when you have eczema, what actually happens with those hot showers is that you spend the season drying out your skin and robbing it of nutrients. Even when the temperatures drop, you need to keep your bathing water warm. It also becomes increasingly important to use a moisture rich body cleanser.

Continue reading at BlackDoctor.org

Courtesy of The Root

A film depicting GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney as a heartless corporate raider has emerged just as the race is heating up.

When Mitt Romney Came to Town, a film about Romney’s time as CEO of Bain Capital, “is without a doubt the most serious attack on the former Massachusetts governor’s campaign,” the Raw Story reports.

Produced by a former top Romney strategist, the film focuses on people laid off from their jobs at four of the many companies Bain Capital essentially looted, tapping into the popular discontentment with Wall Street to label Romney a “corporate raider.” The companies — laundry-equipment maker UniMac, electronics maker DDI, toy-store chain KayBee Toys and office supplier AmPad — were all purchased by Bain and liquidated, “killing jobs for big financial rewards,” the film explains.

“They could care less about us, the way I see it,” one of the film’s subjects explains. “Who am I? Mitt Romney and them guys, they don’t care about who I am.”

The pro-Gingrich PAC Winning Our Future placed a top-dollar bid on the 27-minute film after pro-Romney PACs essentially destroyed Gingrich’s chances in Iowa with a flood of negative advertising that blanketed the airwaves.

“It’s puzzling to see Speaker Gingrich and his supporters continue their attacks on free enterprise,” the Romney campaign said of the Gingrich PAC’s new film. “This is the type of criticism we’ve come to expect from President Obama and his left-wing allies at Moveon.org. Unlike President Obama and Speaker Gingrich, Mitt Romney spent his career in business and knows what it will take to turn around our nation’s bad economy.”

Watch the film at The Root

Maybe it’s because award season is approaching.  Or because nights on the town make every girl want to get dolled up – even in the bitter cold.  Instead of fussy bangs and messy tendrils getting stuck on lacquered lips, we’re in the mood for something a little more elegant.  Something that’s literally the opposite of in-your-face.

Tracy Balan’s advice on holiday hairstyles was so spot on, we turn to her yet again – this time, for how-to advice on styles that are piled high or pulled back to show off flirty lashes, full lips and blazing cheekbones.

Here, Tracy offers expert tips on how to get coiffed like glamazons Leona Lewis,  Nia Long, and Janet Jackson.

First up, our favorite Lady O.

What:

Michelle Obama’s French twist.

Why it works:

Michelle Obama has become a beauty icon the moment she first hit TV screens. Here she is sporting a tightly-rolled French twist with a slight pompadour at the crown. This very clean, classic and youthful updo shows her sophistication without aging her.

How to get the look:

Take large sections of your hair and, using a large paddle brush, begin to lightly backcomb everywhere. This will give your twist body and lift. Once all the hair is done, gently smooth out the hair without brushing out the backcombing. Gently brush your hair all the way to one side, making sure the hair is really smooth. Using as many pins as needed, pin your hair straight up the back. Gather the remaining hair. Put your thumb in the center and twist the hair around your thumb. Take hair as many hair pins and secure the twist. For added security, make sure you really gather the hair into the pin and push it into place. Finish the whole look with hair spray to tame any little fly aways or hairs that are coming out

Don’t:

Do this hair style if you are too young in age. This hairstyle is best suited for women that over the age of 27 yrs old and have oval face shapes.

Oprah is in “Go” mode and shows no signs of slowing down. In addition to celebrating the graduation of her first class in South Africa, Winfrey’s OWN is reloading the network with three new original shows.

“Lovetown, USA” will feature Essence.com’s Paul Carrick Brunson and the “love whisperer” Kailen Rosenberg as they take over the city of Kingsland, Georgia to help eight singles find true love. Over thirty days, a whole community– from the local mayor to married couples– will embark on a social experiment to examine the effects of love.

“Lives on Fire” will document four women who risks their lives every day to fight California’s flames. In a male dominated field, the courageous women will balance their careers and personal lives as wives, mothers, girlfriends and daughters.

“Are You Normal America?” will be the network’s first game show that questions the normalcy of our everyday lives are. Contestants will win money by weighing in on what the average American does/does not do based on street polls. (i.e. Have you done your chores naked?)

OWN is still on an active search for higher ratings after reporting less than stellar numbers and reportedly losing millions last year. Winfrey’s new show “Oprah’s Next Chapter,” which premiered Jan. 1, is proving to be a hit with 1.1 million viewers in its first episode and 1.6 million by its second.

Source

Happy Birthday to The Greatest, Muhammad Ali!

The legendary boxing champ spent Saturday night with friends, family, musicians, politicians, coaches and journalists as they celebrated his 70th birthday at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali Center.

With his wife by his side and overlooking admirers, Ali stood on the second floor as nearly 350 guests began chanting his name before singing Happy Birthday. Later, everyone filed in for a special dinner to help raise money for the center. Plates ran attendees $1,000 with the goal of collecting $250,000.

From fellow boxing champ Lennox Lewis to NBC Today show anchor Ann Curry, many of Ali’s fans celebrated the living legacy of a man who changed the face of a sport and who bravely challenged our changing society.

“I feel so proud and honored that we’re able to show our feelings and show our support for him,” Lewis said. “What he’s done outside the ring, just the bravery, the poise, the feeling, the sacrifice; he’s truly a great man.”

Courtesy of HuffPost BlackVoices

While celebrities and high-profile politcos get lots of perks, they are still just regular, normal people. That means they laugh, they cry… and they age.

Michelle Obama turns 48 today — happy birthday, FLOTUS! While she’s had a year full of speeches, travel and red carpet dresses, she’s had plenty of down-to-earth moments too: walking the dog, watching a game of basketball and, yes, that famous trip to Target.

In honor of the first lady’s big day, we’ve rounded up some of Michelle’s sweetest “regular” moments of the year. (And don’t forget to revisit this amazing little moment from her 45th birthday, which is still our fave.)

FLOTUS — she’s just like us!

Check out the best of Michelle Obama over at BlackVoices!

Celebrity chef star Paula Deen recently confirmed her battle with Type 2 diabetes and the steps she’s taking to sustain her health. 

The Food Network star, long known for her love of all things made with butter and her high-fat/high-caloric recipes, says she was diagnosed three years ago but kept the condition quiet until she could offer advice to the public.

“I wanted to bring something to the table when I came forward,” the 64-year-old chef said Tuesday on NBC’s “Today show. “I’ve always been one to thing that I bring hope.”

According to the Associated Press, Deen is teaming up with drug maker Novo Nordisk to launch a program to help people living with Type 2 diabetes and promote a Novo diabetes drug. “Diabetes in a New Light” will offer tips on food preparation, stress management and working with doctors on a treatment plan.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes where the body does not produce enough insulin or does not use it efficiently, allowing excess sugar (or glucose) to build up in the blood.

Deen says genetics, lifestyle, stress and age contributed to her condition, but has always enjoyed her indulgent food in moderation and has always urged her viewers to do the same.

She says she takes a once-daily noninsulin injection of Victoza to control blood glucose.

With a booming career, high-profile marriage to rapper Jay-Z and countless accolades, motherhood just seemed like the next step for Beyonce, right? Former Destiny’s Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams didn’t always think so.

“We were very shocked,” admits Williams to PEOPLE on the red carpet of the 2012 BET Honors.

 ”We were laughing with each other the other day and she was like, ‘Can y’all believe it? I was the anti – like no children for me,’ and she’s the first one [of us to have a baby]. So it was so amazing to see her.”

Related: Jay-Z Records “Glory” Ft. Blue Ivy Carter, Reveals Miscarriage

Williams says the new mommy is doing fabulous and has what it takes to be a great mother because of her “compassion for people and humanity, period.” Rowland added that Beyonce was “born to be a mother.”

The 30-year-old singer gave birth to Blue Ivy Carter Jan. 7.