Courtesy of Black Enterprise

As we start off the New Year, many have committed to taking time this year to get financially fit. Whether it is saving more money, improving your credit or resolving debt issues, the first step is getting started.

Tackling your finances can go way beyond completing important financial documents or getting your taxes filed on time. Having financial clarity is a state that sometimes gets away from us when our financial life crosses into the unknown, i.e. change. So how do you get or maintain that financial clarity you need to organize your financial life?

Visualize your goals: See yourself reaching your goals and how you will feel once you do so. If you want to build a larger emergency fund, imagine the feeling of security you will have once you accomplish it, or if you would like to purchase a home, drive down the street you want to live on and see yourself in that home. These little steps can help you on days when you need a little extra encouragement!

Continue at Black Enterprise…

Beyonce has officially been tapped to sing the national anthem at President Obama’s inauguration ceremony on Jan. 21.

The event’s planning committee announced Wednesday that the hot mama will be joined by Kelly Clarkson singing “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” and James Taylor performing “America the Beautiful” at the swearing-in ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Related: $60 Inaugural Ball Tickets Put On Sale Too Early, Sell Out

Myrlie Evers-Williams, the widow of slain civil rights activist Medgar Evers, will also be in attendance to deliver the invocation. Obama’s inauguration, which falls on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, will come nearly 50 years after her husband was gunned down in the driveway of his Mississippi home in 1963.

“I am humbled to have been asked to deliver the invocation for the 57th inauguration of the President of the United States—especially in light of this historical time in America when we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement,” Evers said in a statement. “It is indeed an exhilarating experience to have the distinct honor of representing that era.”

Since the assassination of her husband, Evers has remained dedicated to the work they began decades ago. She became the first Black woman to serve as commissioner of the Los Angeles Board of Public Works in 1987 and was named chairperson of the NAACP from 1995 to 1998.

Richard Blanco will serve as the inaugural poet, the first Latino and gay person chosen for the role.

Los Angeles Confidential‘s latest feature on Mary J. Blige entitled “Regal And Real” couldn’t be more fitting. The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, who is preparing for role in Lifetime Network’s Betty and Coretta, had no reservations while opening up about her past drug abuse, the molestation as a child and her refusal to enter rehab during her toughest times.

Throughout it all, the 41-year-old industry vet says she put her trust in God and never looked back.

Pop the top to reveal more stunning shots of MJB– sporting fashions by Hervé Léger, Rafael Cennamo and more– and several excerpts from the candid interview…

Photos courtesy of Los Angeles Confidential

On saying no to her destructive drinking habits…

“What I did was I chose to learn how to drink socially and it didn’t work. The test comes when you have to decide whether you’re drinking to be social or drinking to cover up something again. To cover up depression. To cover up guilt. Shame. Abandonment. All of that, man. Once I realized, “There you go again,” I had to stop. Whitney Houston’s death really affected me. Her death is another reason I stopped. I really do think I’m done. I looked at how that woman could not perform anymore.”

On refusing rehab…

“I don’t know why. But I didn’t want to go to rehab. I believe that anything man himself can do for me, God can do for me in a greater way. I decided to pray and to seek God on my own. I just stayed in The Word. And it worked.”

On being molested as a child…

“I was 5. Mmmm … yes. I was 5. I don’t want to go into the details. It’s something that hurt me really bad. I’m still the same way. When I open up to trust you, I trust you wholeheartedly. And then when you betray that trust, it closes me up.“

On her dark past that led to drug abuse…

“[...] That dark moment. That one dark moment. It only happened once, but after that there was so much else in my childhood that happened. So many dark moments—which all added up and that’s what sprung on the drug addiction, trying to numb it all with the drugs. The depression. The lack of love for myself. The lack of people loving you around you. The abandonment issues. Daddy not being there all the time. Mommy not knowing how to handle it all. Although she loves you, she abandons you at some point too. I’m not saying that to be down on my mom. She was just a cursed woman as well. There have been so many other dark moments that I can’t even talk about. I have given the world so much and even in the middle of all that stuff there has been so much shit going on. It was all those tributaries that gave me such deep soul. But it is those same things that now have taught me how to be strong. In the past those were the same things that were killing me. But I made it out. I made it out.”

On moving forward, much like Betty Shabazz…

“You have to move forward. If Betty had not moved forward, Malcolm X would have died and that would have been it. I didn’t even realize that she and Coretta had been friends. Women never get a chance to have their stories told when there are important men involved. That’s what drew me to the part.”

The post Mary J. Blige Talks Drugs, Refusing Rehab, Molestation & More With LA Confidential [PHOTOS] appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

Celebrities and shade — they go together like peanut butter and jelly. This week, an “American Idol” judge throws shade to her co-host during a late night interview, a television weatherman confesses to pooping his pants in The White House, and a bisexual rapper hurls a gay slur at a famous celebrity blogger. Plus, guess which “30 Rock” star is accepting responsibility for saving us from the fiscal cliff and Quentin Tarantino said what?! AND I QUOTE …

“lol what a messy f—-t you are.”

Azealia Banks calls celebrity blogger Perez Hilton a gay slur when he intervened in a vicious argument between her and fellow rapper Angel Haze, via Twitter.

“I pooped my pants. Not horribly, but enough that I knew.”

Al Roker reveals that he accidentally crapped his pants, which he claims was a direct effect of undergoing gastric bypass surgery, while visiting the White House, on NBC’s “Dateline.”

Source

“I didn’t know she sang. I thought she rapped … or something.”

Mariah Carey throws shade at Nicki Minaj, while discussing “American Idol,” motherhood, and new music, in an exclusive sit down with Barbara Walters on ABC’s “Nightline.”

Source

“I hope everybody’s happy, because I did that; that was me. I was at the U.N. all night crunching numbers.”

Tracy Morgan announces to the late night world that he was responsible for keeping the U.S. from falling off the fiscal cliff, in an interview with David Letterman.

Source

“Oh yeah, my mom, she dated Wilt Chamberlain. She was one of the 1,000.”

Quentin Tarantino, whose slavery flick Django: Unchained is causing a stir amongst the black intelligentsia, reveling in the claim that his mother was a member of NBA Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain’s “harem,” via NPR.org.

Source

“Back then? Shoot. When I got that Grammy I was high. Not at the Grammys I don’t think. But I was drinking like a crazy person. Still sniffing cocaine going in.”

Mary J. Blige, who is gearing up for the release of Betty and Coretta, co-starring Angela Bassett, speaks about the Grammys, past drug usage, and more with L.A. Confidential Magazine.

Continue reading on UPTOWN.

“It’s not that I would ever push weed on our kids but if they wanted to, I would love to show them how, the right way, so that way they won’t get nothing put in their s*** or overdose or trying some s*** that ain’t clean.”

Snoop Lion explains that if his children wanted to smoke marijuana he would be more than willing to demonstrate and supervise the act, in GQ’s January 2013 issue.

Source 

In today’s link round-up: Lamar Odom’s ex-girlfriend gets camera time in new reality show, the hilarious cast of The Real Husbands of Hollywood and much more!

HuffPost
Inauguration Performers To Include Katy Perry, Beyonce, Usher, Stevie Wonder & More
Big names for a big day.

EURweb
Steelers RB Chris Rainey Arrested For Slapping Girlfriend
Rainey has been charged with one count of simple battery.

Vibe Vixen
Lamar Odom’s Ex-Girlfriend to Star in “Starter Wives Confidential”
The former flames of Floyd Mayweather, 5o Cent, DMX and more will round out the cast.

Hello Beautiful
Meet The Cast: Kevin Hart Leads ‘The Real Husbands Of Hollywood’
Let the laughter begin on Jan. 15 at 10/9c on BET.

Sister2Sister
Kerry Washington Commends Meagan Good On ‘Deception’
Gotta love the support!

Posh Glam
Random Style: How To Emulate Your Favorite “Street Style” Without Looking Cray
No 3: When in doubt, take it off.

The post LOTD: Big Names Added To Inauguration Performers + Steelers Running Back Arrested appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

Housewife single alert.

When those three words come out of Andy Cohen’s mouth, you can just feel your day about to get better.

On last night’s Watch What Happens Live, Cohen shared an exclusive tease of the fabulous Kenya Moore talk-singing her first single, predictably titled “Gone With the Wind Fabulous.”  Cohen and guests T-Boz and Tatiana Ali – all weighed in with their opinions.  (Hint: *crickets* were involved.)

Moore will be performing on Sunday night’s Watch What Happens Live (Bravo/11pm EST) so have your martinis ready and get ready to #twirl.  Here’s a preview of what you’re in for.  Let us know your thoughts in the comments – and especially if the hook stuck in your head like it did ours.

Steve Harvey‘s loveable daytime talk show has officially been given the greenlight for a second season, according to The Hollywood Reporter

The news comes just days after Harvey’s win at the People Choice Awards for Favorite New Talk Show Host– beating out Michael Strahan, Jeff Probst, Katie Couric and Ricki Lake. The television spot is currently sold in 98 percent of the country, including all NBC-owned TV stations, making it a fast favorite among viewers.

Related: Steve Harvey: ‘My Wife Saved My Life’

“The instant success of Steve Harvey with the daytime audience is being greeted with long-term commitments from our station partners,” said Barry Wallach, NBCU Domestic TV Distribution president.

Back in October, Steve Harvey inked a deal to air the first season of more than 200 shows and two upcoming seasons throughout Africa.

By Tracy Clayton

So Kim and Kanye are pregnant. Before I proceed, let me make the following disclaimer: I am not a fan of Kim Kardashian or any member of the Kardashian clan. I find them annoying and uninteresting, and I blame the lot of America for providing them their pointless fame. That said, I’m kind of unsettled by some reactions to this whole impregnation. People are mad, but they really seem to be mad about the wrong things, in my opinion.

It seems that most people see the Kimye seed as physical proof of her ho-ness. Her ho-dom, if you will. “See? This proves it! She’s having another man’s baby, and she’s still married to someone else!” First of all, you’re giving her a lot of credit by believing that she’s even pregnant in the first place. I don’t think Kim is a ho, but that she is a fame whore is definitely indisputable. The woman orchestrated a marriage, for Pete’s sake. I’m gonna need more than a puffy belly and a sonogram before I believe she’s pregnant. Like I need to be in the delivery room watching it all go down. And if that kid doesn’t come out wearing a pair of vented sunglasses and a peplum leather onesie with a bottle of Courvoisier in its hand, that kid is not Kanye’s.

Second of all, having a kid by one man while she’s married to another doesn’t make her a ho. As far as I’m concerned, the only thing that makes someone a ho is someone else’s opinion. I realize I’m in the precious minority here, but Kim is an adult. As such, she possesses the capacity to govern herself and her body as she wishes. It’s her business. I’d take serious affront to somebody popping in my bedroom and judging me on the basis of who may or may not have been in my bed. The only difference here is that Kim’s decisions are made and displayed on camera for us all to see. I’m certain that somebody out there criticizing Kim has their fair share of notches on their belt and home movies on their shelves. But we can’t see them. When your dirt is safely tucked away, it makes it so much easier to talk about someone else’s.

Thirdly, if Kim’s a ho, what does that make Kanye? We’re all mad at Kim for getting pregnant by Kanye while still married, but I’ve heard little outrage over Kanye knocking up a married woman. I guess a man will be a man, right? It was Kim’s job to keep her legs closed, not Kanye’s job to stay out of there. Right? Right.

So no. Kim’s not a ho. Making a sex tape doesn’t make her a ho, having famous boyfriends doesn’t make her a ho, and having a baby out of wedlock while married to someone else doesn’t make her a ho. That doesn’t mean that I’m not bothered by it–it just means I don’t think she’s a ho because of it.

And plenty of people are bothered by it, for understandable reasons. Doesn’t being excited about the pregnancy kind of give tacit approval of the manner in which the pregnancy happened? Are we celebrating adultery?

America is so excited about this baby, tweeting congratulations, speculating on what the kid’s going to look like. And why shouldn’t they be? They’ve been excited about Kim’s exploits thus far. If people didn’t abandon her for orchestrating a marriage for the magazines, why would they turn their backs now? I don’t think America’s interest is celebrating adultery. It’s just … fodder. One more thing to tweet about.

My biggest problem with Kim’s whole married baby deal is this: In the face of a national struggle to secure the right of marriage for people who should already have it anyway, this is a slap in the face, a punch in the stomach, and a kick in the balls. People who want to marry for noble reasons, people who just want the chance to love and honor legally are denied. Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian got a marriage license, took a picture of it, wiped her behind with it, gave it the middle finger, and then got pregnant by someone else. This is the sacred institution that the gays will ruin if we give it to them? Really? If it weren’t for this glaring little injustice, I wouldn’t give two poots about this whole ordeal.

In conclusion, if you insist on caring about this woman, see if you can find a couple of damns for the people who can’t legally do something she did and obviously doesn’t care about.

[Photo: paintings / Shutterstock.com]

Courtesy of BlackEnterprise.com

Attending the International Consumer Electronics Show, you’ll undoubtedly meet the best techies ever. This year there were more black bloggers, journalists, and analysts than ever before. It’s nice to know that the world will be able to read and watch CES coverage from an African-American perspective. Besides, the gadgets come and go. Next year, 4K LCD monitors may be obsolete, but the personal connections will exist for years to come. Here are just a few of the most interesting people that crossed my path on the first day of CES 2013.

Continue reading at BlackEnterprise.com

[Photo: BlackEnterprise.com]

A female hostage held overnight at a Nordstrom Rack in a suburban neighborhood of Los Angeles was sexually assaulted and another was stabbed, local authorities said Friday. A third hostage was reportedly pistol-whipped.

The victims were among 14 hostages held by two robbers which have yet to be identified. The incident occurred around 11 p.m. on Thursday (Jan. 10), ending with the suspects fleeing the Westchester clothing store with an undisclosed amount of money.

Sources said about a half hour into the robbery, hostages were led into a bathroom. The woman who was stabbed was struck in the neck, but police reported her injuries as non-life threatening.

Los Angeles Police Department’s SWAT officers quickly arrived on the scene and surrounded the store. On two different occasions, police said the suspects walked out of the store but headed back in after seeing police.

Officers entered the store at approximately 3:30 a.m. to free all 14 hostages who were forced into a storage room.

On Friday, police were trying to confirm that the getaway car was found at a nearby location.

The post Woman Sexually Assaulted, One Stabbed In Nordstrom Rack Hostage Situation appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

Courtesy of EURweb

Tyler Perry has joined the effort to solve a decade-old cold case in Florida in which two men went missing following separate encounters with a certain sheriff’s deputy.

The filmmaker is offering a $100,000 reward for information about Terrance Williams, 27, and Felipe Santos, 23. Both disappeared from Naples just three months apart in 2003, after separate run-ins with Collier County Sheriff’s Deputy Steven Calkins.

Continue at EURweb…

As President Obama takes his oath of office for the second time on Jan. 21, he’ll do so with his hand resting comfortably on a piece of American history. The POTUS has chosen to use Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.‘s personal traveling Bible during the swearing-in ceremony, in addition to one owned by Abraham Lincoln.

Related: $60 Inaugural Ball Tickets Put On Sale Too Early, Sell Out

Inaugural planners say Obama will place his left hand on the stacked Bibles held by First Lady Michelle Obama as he raises his right hand to repeat the oath administered by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. Not only will the symbolic gesture be fitting for MLK Day, but for a pair of unforgettable moments in our nation’s history.

“On the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, this historic moment is a reflection of the extraordinary progress we’ve made as a nation,” said Steve Kerrigan, head of the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

King’s children say their father’s Bible was grouped together in a collection of books he carried with him while on the road and used its scriptures for inspiration and in preparation for his sermons and speeches.

Related: D.C. Officials Expect Smaller Crowds For President Obama’s 2nd Inauguration

“We know our father would be deeply moved to see President Obama take the oath of office using his Bible,” the children said in a statement. “His traveling Bible inspired him as he fought for freedom, justice and equality, and we hope it can be a source of strength for the president as he begins his second term.”

Obama plans to honor the legacy of King throughout the inaugural weekend, displaying a float after the ceremony in remembrance of the civil rights leader. He has also asked Americans to volunteer in their communities on Jan. 19; the King family plans to participate.

By Kelly D. Harrington

Marlon Wayans is not a wine aficionado. “That’s just a fancy way to say, ‘Hey, I’m a drunk,’” he jokes. But he will admit to being a master of creating gutbusting films that draw multitudes to theaters.

Wayans touts his latest project, A Haunted House, as a horror comedy—a step away from a parody. “Whether you’ve seen some of the movies that we’re lampooning or not, you don’t have to,” says the now 40-year-old spawn of the famous Wayans family of actors, which includes Keenen Ivory, Kim, Damon, Shawn, and Damon, Jr. “It’s Paranormal Activity with black people… And a movie onto itself.”

Urban parodies have become their own monster (“bastardized” according to Marlon) since the days of the Wayans’ farce Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood. But the brothers can certainly claim dibs as pioneers in the genre. Their formula has been imitated, but never precisely duplicated. And now Marlon is creating the next generation of comedic films.

As an artist, he is ever evolving. Within the past two years, Wayans and his brother Shawn have taken on stand-up comedy touring the country, and now it is part of his permanent repertoire. His journey to stand-up began when he was picked for the title role in the currently on-hold Richard Pryor biopic. He caught the bug and loved it. “It’s funny that getting the call to play my idol would be the thing that got me onstage to bring me to the thing I love most, which is comedy.”

Celebrities and shade — you can’t have one without the other. This week, a Dirty South rapper discusses new reality show and his 11 children, a Golden Globe-winning actor uses the “n-word” during a post-show interview, and a comedic actress denies having a nose job to a Twitter admirer. Plus, guess which real life “basketball wife” is caught up in a rumored love triangle and Dick Gregory said what?! AND I QUOTE …

“They wouldn’t have an abortion; they would take the money and run with it. Just so they can have a baby by the most poppin-est guy in the streets. So that’s how I had all them kids.”

Shawty Lo, whose reality TV special “All My Babies’ Mamas” was canceled by TLC recently, reveals how he became a father of 11, in an exclusive interview with MTV News.

Continue reading on UPTOWN.

“Not for nothing,but we ALL deserve a check or some free cereal 4all the publicity we’ve given Honey Nut Cheerios! LOL #cantbelieveeverything”

LaLa Anthony humorously addresses allegations that had a sexual relationship with NBA standout Kevin Garnett, who famously told LaLa’s husband that she tasted like Honey Nut Cheerios, via Twitter.

“Please no n*gger questions….black people questions are alright though.”

Don Cheadle jokes with reporters in the press room, after accepting the Golden Globe for Best Comedy Actor for “House of Lies.”

Source

“But in the last couple of years, I grew an ass because I never had an ass. That would be weird if a guy got ass implants. ‘You know Marlon Wayans got ass implants?’”

Marlon Wayans, whose latest film Haunted House debuted at No. 1 at the box office this past weekend, discusses his sex life, stretch marks on his ass and more, in an exclusive interview with Hello Beautiful.

Source

“I don’t accept apologies from scary b*tches. I see them when I see them. F*ck these ol tired ho#s u need d*ck in your life real d*ck. ”

Joseline Hernandez sends an expletive-laden message to fellow reality star Tamar Braxton, who recently called Joseline a man on VH1′s  pop culture late night show “Tiny Tonight,” via Twitter.

“Talking about ‘it offended my ancestors, but when you did ‘She’s Got To Have It’ and some of those other thug movies you did…you took Malcolm X and put a Zoot suit on him…did that offend your ancestors, punk?”

Dick Gregory, social activist, comedian and author, weighs in on Spike Lee’s issue with Quentin Tarantino’s film, Django Unchained, via We All Be TV.

Source

“No nose job doll, it’s called contour & it’s done w/ makeup.”

Gabrielle Union responds to an admirer who thought the starlet had  indulged in a little plastic surgery, via Twitter.

In today’s link round-up: Tamar Braxton premieres “Love & War” video, Antoine Walker dishes out financial advice and much more!

EURweb
Michelle Obama Breaks In New Twitter Account With Bangin’ Hairdo
@FLOTUS begins her 49th year with a beautiful new look!

The Root
How Much Would You Pay For A Wedding Dress Beyonce Wore?
It could be yours for a mere $30,000…

Hello Beautiful
Tamar Shines In ‘Love & War’ Video
The recently debuted visual pairs perfectly with Tamar’s smash hit.

Loop 21
Antoine Walker Reportedly Starts Athlete Financial Advice Firm
Walker is working to prevent other athletes from making his financial mistakes.

Global Grind
Chief Keef Sentenced To Two Months At Youth Center
The “I Don’t Like” rapper was convicted of a parole violation earlier this week.

The Frisky
Snoop Dogg Makes A Pretty Good Case For French Man-icures
This happened.

The post LOTD: Michelle Obama Debuts New Look + Beyonce’s Wedding Dress Up For Sale appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

Courtesy of BlackVoices

Minneapolis Public Schools officials say they are “deeply disturbed by an incident of racial intolerance” in which four students hung a dark-skinned baby doll by its neck with a piece of string at school last week.

The act was captured on Washburn High School surveillance cameras, but also documented by the students themselves. Images were then posted to social media sites.

Washburn Principal Carol Markham-Cousins notified parents of the incident n a letter to parents Wednesday, noting that she took “immediate action.” The four students have been disciplined, though school officials have declined to release specific details. WCCO reports that one student has been expelled. Markham-Cousins writes in her letter, from KSTP:

“This is an extremely disturbing occurrence and not reflective of the Miller Pride that we promote. Such insensitive behavior is intolerable in our school and school district,both of which are full of diversity and rich in culture.”

Continue at BlackVoices…

The post Washburn High School Students Hung Dark-Skinned Baby Doll, Posted Pictures Online appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

While celebrating his 56th birthday on Thursday (Jan. 17), Steve Harvey was brought to tears by a surprise phone call from a very special friend. In between the uncontrollable sobbing, the talk show host explained:

“I was 26 years old. I was struggling. I didn’t have nothing and these people owned a furniture store in Cleveland. They took me in and gave me my first contract with my little carpet cleaning company. When I became a comedian at 27, I didn’t have money to travel. They gave me an account at their travel agency and I ran up a bill like $11,000, just trying to travel and make it. Them people right there, they helped me out.”

Kudos to his producers! Check out the touching moment below…

The post Must-See: The Surprise That Left Steve Harvey In Tears [VIDEO] appeared first on UPTOWN Magazine.

The 15th of January came and went this week. And now is the time that you’re either doing fabulously with your resolutions or sucking quitting. But all isn’t lost, if you’re on the latter end of the resolution fight, because we have five tips that are surely going to help you in 2013.

[Photo: Shutterstock]

1. Set an Achievable Goal – No one knows you better than yourself, and only you have the power to decide what you are capable of. Setting a realistic goal will make actualizing it easier and once you achieve your goal, you can set a new one to continue challenging yourself throughout the year.

[Shutterstock]

2. Take the time to organize - There are countless distractions that keep us from completing tasks each and every day. Whether you spend too much time online or find things that need to be done around the house before going to the gym, there are plenty of things you may not even realize are distracting you! One of them can be email, and you can reduce those tempting retail sale emails that make your phone ring and cause you to spend time and money online by using theSwizzle, a free online service that helps you unsubscribe from unwanted emails and organize your life! Once all the other aspects of your life are in order, it will be easier to concentrate on your goal.

[Photo: Shutterstock]

3. Stress Free is the way to be – Putting too much pressure on yourself can actually force you to break your resolution rather than keep it. Try to keep things light while still remaining dedicated to your goal.

[Photo: Shutterstock]

4. If at first you don’t succeed – Try, try again! If you find yourself breaking resolutions, all is not lost. Once you know you can get back on track, you can do it again and again, and getting back on is a lot easier than getting on it in the first place.

[Photo: Shutterstock]

5. Get Inspired – Creating an inspiration board can help you stick to your resolution and remind you why you made it in the first place. Using an online bookmarking tool like Clipix can help you collect online photos, recipes, quotes, and more to stay inspired to achieve your goals for 2013.

[Photo: Shutterstock]

Calling all class clowns, witty wordsmiths, and hilarious storytellers.

Film Life’s newest talent search – The Comedy Wings Competition – has just kicked off.

Submissions are now being accepted at www.abff.com. One grand-prize winner will be flown to this year’s American Black Film Festival (ABFF) in South Beach on June 19-23 and will have the chance to perform a set before the festival audience.

Comedy Wings Competition entrants are required to submit either a traditional stand-up comedy performance or a comedic sketch. The performance must be 3 to 4 minutes of original material authored by the entrant who must be 21 years or older and of African descent. Submissions will be judged by a panel of ABFF and independent judges.

How to Enter: Visit www.ABFF.com , click on ENTER A TALENT COMPETITION and then click on COMEDY WINGS COMPETITION to access the submission form.

Deadline: March 22, 2013

Courtesy of Vibe Vixen

Imagine having to choose between your life-long passion and the love of your life. Probably wouldn’t be able to make such a tough call, right? Well, Lance Gross was forced into the decision in his most recent independent feature The Last Fall. In the Matthew Cherry-directed film, Gross plays a 25-year-old retired NFL player whose financial slump finds him moving back home with his mother (Vanessa Bell Calloway) and falling back in love with his ex-girlfriend (Nicole Beharie). But when a call comes in from his agent to revive his dream again, he weighs healing his broken family and rebuilding with his first love or finding fame (and money) back on the turf.

Gross delves into one of his most honest roles to date. On the surface, the love storyline intertwined with life’s hardship is a heard-it-all-before tale of a down-and-out character finding the silver lining in life but this particular version has a healthy amount of vulnerability and a dose of humor for a clap-clap-bravo moment at the credits.

Continue reading at Vibe Vixen