Wednesday, August 10, 2011

The Young, Black, and Fabulous

The Young, Black, and Fabulous

BABY ON THE WAY: Actress Essence Atkins and Jaime Mendez Are PREGNANT!

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 09:37 AM PDT

"Are We There Yet" actress Essence Atkins and her husband Jaime Mendez have announced they're expecting their first child on Christmas Day!  Get the deets inside...

 

Essence Atkins and her husband of 2 years, Jaime Mendez, confirmed to PEOPLE magazine that they're geeting a bouncing bundle of joy as a Christmas present this year.  They told the mag, 

"Our gratitude is overwhelming to have found each other and adding a baby to our happy home is truly a dream come true.  We are both elated and humbled by this amazing gift.”

The couple married in September 2009 after meeting on Match.com.  Baby Atkins-Mendez is due December 25th.  Congrats!  
 

SPOTTED: LaLa & Carmelo Anthony And Kelly Rowland Dining Out In Beverly Hills

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 09:10 AM PDT

BFFs Kelly Rowland and Lala Anthony (along with Carmelo Anthony) were spotted leaving the same restaurant last night and we have pics of the pals inside.....

Last night, LaLa and Camelo Anthony were spotted leaving dinner at Matsuhisa in Beverly Hills, California. 

LaLa and Carmelo are gearing up for the August 22nd debut of "LaLa's Full Court Life" on VH1.

 

 

And Kelly Rowland was spotted leaving the same restaurant last night.......

 

Kelly was sure to keep herself covered up after her unfortunate nip slip recently.
 

She recently told TMZ that the waredrobe malfunction was totally unexpected and not a publicity stunt. 

 

Photos via ERIK BEEGAL / Splash News

RED CARPET FAB: Lauren London, Garcelle Beauvais & Viola Davis At The LA Premiere Of "THE HELP"

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 08:15 AM PDT

Lauren London and Garcelle Beauvais were among the YBF chics who came out to cheer Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer at the premiere of The Help.  See the fab pics inside....

Last night, Lauren London and others attended the Los Angeles premiere of The Help at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California.

In this canary yellow blouse and with blue slacks, Garcelle Beauvais looked stunning.

 

Wearing a radiant red gown, Viola Davis posed with her husband Julius Tennon.  Love their matching colors!

Aunjanue Ellis wore this yellow dress that had a vintage feel to it.

Then Aunjanue Ellis posed with Viola. 

Octavia Spencer posed with her co-star Bryce Dallas Howard on the red carpet.

Actor Brandon T. Jackson was there.

And actress Tamala Jones also walked the carpet.


 

And the entire cast got together for a group photo: Producer Brunson Green, writer Kathryn Stockett, actors Aunjanue Ellis, David Oyelowo, Mike Vogel, Chris Lowell, Mary Steenburgen and producer Chris Columbus (Bottom L-R) Actors Leslie Jordan, Sissy Spacek, Emma Stone, Ahna O'Reilly, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jessica Chastain and director Tate Taylor

 

Photos via WireImage/various

R. Kelly's Post-Throat Surgery Message + Fabolous Speaks Out About Emily B. And Reality TV

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 07:26 AM PDT

 

 

R. Kelly is recovering from throat surgery in Chicago right now, but he recently posted a message to his fans about his progress and his next album. Watch the video inside and find out what Fabolous had to say about Emily B. and reality tv inside......

 

If you are wondering where R. Kelly's been, he's laid up in Chicago after having emergency throat surgery last month at Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial.

The "12 Play" singer had to have an abscess on one of his tonsils drained, and has since released   a message for his fans.  

“I want to say thanks to all the prayer warriors out there for supporting me, praying for me.  The doctor said the surgery went well. I know it may not look like it, but it did. I want ya’ll to continue to pray for me, be strong out there. I will be back. I know it’s a lot of negativity out there, please don’t believe the hype. God is good all the time.”

And for fans eagerly waiting for his next project he said, “As soon as I get a chance I’m going back in the studio to work on my next album.” 

 

Watch Kells message to fans here:

 

 

 

In other music news.....

 

Fabolous recent opened up about Emily B. and her appearance on the VH1 reality show, "Love & Hip Hop."  He said he didn't agree with her being on the show but wasn't going to stop her from furthering her career.  But when asked about why he didn't appear on the show he said, 

 "I never had to sell my personal life to make people enjoy my music."

Watch the clip above...

WORD? New Study Says Marriage Prospects For Black Women Aren't As Bad As You Think

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 07:00 AM PDT

 

We've all heard the reports about the decline of black marriage and Black women having a hard time finding eligible black men to marry--whether it's because of the number of black men jailed, the number of black men wanting to date/marry outside their race, the disproportionate education and economic levels, etc.  But now, a new study is raising eyebrows. And it debunks some of those findings saying says it isn't as bad at most relationship experts would have you believe. 

 

Get the deets and speak on them inside....

Every year we read negative reports about Black women being unable to find mates, black male unemployment and incarceration, and the instability of the Black family.  Even Regina King spoke out last year about black women needing to date outside their race.

Some of the things we read may indeed be true, but a new study finds that a lot of those statistics are grossly exaggerated or key pieces of information are often left out. For example, a new study conducted by Dr. Ivory Toldson of Howard University and the Institute For Social Research looked at Black marriage rates and came up with some interesting findings that might make a chick get out those sweats and keep hope alive again.

The study found that 43 percent of black women have never been married compared to 20 percent of white women, who are 18 years and older. We've heard numbers like this before, but the new study found that when analyzing the black women who are 35 and older, the percent who have never been married drops to 25 percent.

Although this still means that the number of unmarried black women still doubles that of white women, it does show that a majority of Black women do marry by 35.

Then the study explored the raw numbers for Black women outnumbering Black men. We've all heard those 10-1 ratios in places like ATL. 

The Howard study found that there are 1.9 million more black women than black men; however the same data showed 4.6 million more white women than white men! And when was the last time you read a long article about white women being unable to find a husband?

Now for the hot-button question, how likely is it for an educated black woman to land an educated Black man? The study asked,

"Are there enough successful black men for the black women who want them?" The answer is somewhat elusive. In reality, if all 2,514,135 black women with a college degree wanted to marry a black man with a college degree, 830,797 would remain unmarried. In other words, only 1,683,338 black men in America today have a bachelor's degree."

And while that may be a deal-breaker for some, the study goes on to show (in a positive light) that if you define success by income, many men in the study made over six-figures without college degrees.

In fact, they found 10 occupations for black men who make six figures without a college degree. (Get your pads & pencils.) The top 5 are: (1) managers, (2) truck drivers, (3) police officers, (4) construction workers, and (5) bailiffs and correctional officers. So even if you don't land a man with a degree, it don't mean he won't bring home the stacks.

Lastly, the study tackled some controversial subjects like, "All the good men are gay," "The good ones marry white women," and "Black women outnumber Black men 10:1."

While the study didn't have the data to account for how gay Black men affect marriage rates, they did find:

*Eighty-eight percent of all black men who are married are married to black women.

*Among married black men with a personal income of more than $100,000, 12 percent have a white wife, 83 percent have a black wife, and 5 percent have a wife who is neither black nor white.

*Among black men with college degrees, 10 percent have a white wife and 85 percent have black wives.

* Among black male professional athletes, 72.8% are married to black women, 22.2% are married to white women, and 5% are married to women who are neither black nor white.  (Somebody please pass this stat to Shaunie O'Neal so she can get a better cast of MARRIED characters on "Basketball Wives.")

So there you have it. This study found that successful Black men are more likely to marry Black women.

And what about the ratio? The study looked specifically at the urban areas of Atlanta and Washington D.C. and found,

"The unmarried black female to black male ratio in Atlanta is 1.3-to-1. The unmarried black female to black male ratio in Washington is also 1.3-to-1. "

All the number mights not be good, but MAYBE the picture of Black love in America isn't as harsh as some people make it seem. Check out the full article here.

Your thoughts?  Speak on it....

VIDEO FAB: Mary J. Blige Debuts Her My Life Blossom Fragrance + John Legend's Girlfriend Chrissy Tiegen Gets Sexy For ESQUIRE

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 06:14 AM PDT

Mary J. Blige is set to debut a new fragrance and we have the fab commercial for her newest smell-good.  We've also got the hot  ESQUIRE spread featuring John Legend's girlfriend Chrissy Tiegen.

See Mary's new commercial and Chrissy's video and spread inside....

 

Mary J. Blige is making big moves in the fragrance world and is set to debut her latest, My Life Blossom, on HSN on August 13. 

Asked about the scent, Mary said, 

"Life is beautiful when you are clear about who you are. Blossom is for my fans to celebrate our blossom to happiness. I'm so excited to introduce the fragrance next week. It is a base of tuberose, my favorite floral - its bold, very sexy and feminine, with vanilla, mandarin and sandalwood." - Mary

 

Watch the Hype Williams directed commercial, shot in a Miami penthouse, with Mary rocking a Lanvin dress, Giuseppe shoes, and earrings by Graff Diamonds:

 

 

 

And in ESQUIRE Magazine.....

 

John Legend's girlfriend, model Chrissy Teigen, is featured in the September 2011 issue of Esquire for a segment called "In My Place."  Fab chick Tika Sumpter did it as well a while back. 

Chrissy may not necessarily fit the YBF definition 100%, but there's something about her we're liking.  In the piece, the model poses around her East Village apartment in loungewear and lingerie and even strikes a pose with one of John's Grammys. 

Oh, and she reads what the commenters on blogs have to say.  During a revealing moment, Chrissy said she is still sensitive to folks' ish talking.

"Blogs are evil. Actually, the blogs aren't as evil as blog comments. I mean, I can't imagine Britney Spears goes and reads the comments section. I just pray to god she's never done that before, because for me, not even being a celebrity celebrity, reading things about me, it hurts. When New Year's comes around — that's my resolution right there: I'll stick to drinking, but I'm going to stop with the comments."

 

When asked if she sports sexy clothing for her boyfriend, she said, "I always poke fun of John: Why don't you like love lingerie? Don't most guys love lingerie? And he's like, I love naked. Spending $200 on lingerie is nice, but I guess not if your boyfriend wants you naked immediately. I've tried before — there's no point. It comes off too fast."


And the model loves social networking saying "I tweet from bed. I love it because it's so quick. And it's funny. But it also leaves a lot of room for error because new people don't sense the sarcasm — there's no sarcasm font."

 

 


Cute.

 

 

Watch Chrissy's video here:

 

Photos via Esquire/ Mary's Hair by Chuck Amos / Makeup by Kim Bower / Nails by Lisa Logan

Jay-Z Tops FORBES List Of Hip-Hop Money Earners With $37M + "Watch The Throne" Lands At #1 In 23 Countries

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 05:46 AM PDT

 

Jay-Z is having one of the best week's ever.  In addition to watching his latest CD top the charts in 23 countries around the world, FORBES just revealed that he earned more money that any other artist in the hip-hop game last year.  Get the deets inside....

For the fourth time in five years, rapper and mogul Jay-Z is hip-hop’s top earner with $37 million in the past 12 months, according to the latest ranking by FORBES.  

Jay-Z top-notch portfolio was driven by his Blueprint 3 Tour and a vast portfolio of business interests, according to the mag, which helped him beat out second-ranked Diddy (who raked in $35 million).  

“Jay-Z and Kanye are hip-hop ambassadors,” says Steve Stoute, chief of branding firm Translation and author of The Tanning of America. “They bring the art form around the world, and they’ve taken production and everything to the next level. Now they’ve got a chance to grow with their global audience.”

And Jay-Z's good news doesn't stop there as he also found out that his album with Kanye West, Watch The Throne, went to #1 at iTunes in 23 countries!

So far, the digital album is tops in:

Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Luxembourg
Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
UK
USA

 

Congrats to Hova!

ON THE SET: Rihanna & Trey Songz Drop By J. Cole's "Can't Get Enough" Video

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 04:56 PM PDT

Rihanna and Trey Songz were spotted on the set of J.Cole's "Can't Get Enough" video.  Get the deets inside....

During their tour stop through Barbados, for the "LOUD" tour, J. Cole (Rihanna's opening act) shot the video for "Can't Get Enough."

Rihanna was spotted smoking a cigar on the set.  I wonder if they will include this in the video?  It will likely upset parents....but Rihanna's knows a thing or two about that.

Trey Songz and J. Cole posed together on the beach.

And they shot a few scenes aboard a yacht.

The Clifton Bell directed clip should hit airwaves soon while the single will appear on Cole World: The Sideline Story (in stores Sept. 27). 

 

Photos via OloriSwank.com

Frank Ocean Rocks the Cover Of FADER+Odd Future Readies To Drop A Book

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 01:13 PM PDT

Frank Ocean of Odd Future is making his name more known than ever these days.  From being 1 of only 3 artists to nab a feature on the Watch The Throne album...to beefing with Chris Brown on Twitter...to writing and producing for some of the biggest names in hip hop (including himself), it may be about time we get to know him a bit better.

 

Mr. Ocean's new FADER mag cover and updates on Odd Future inside...

The New Orleans native (5-0-4 STAND UP!!) moved to Cali after Hurricane Katrina.  And things have only taken off since.  Frank Ocean is 1/11 of Odd Future, but he's one of the most recognized.  The "Novacane" singer revealed a bit about himself in the new Fall Fashion issue of FADER:

When he was nine, Frank Ocean’s godfather subscribed him to Robb Report, a magazine for the ultra-rich. Less interested in fiduciary smarts, it’s a catalog of conspicuous consumption, highlighting tropical vacations, invaluable antiques and, as Ocean came to know, really expensive cars. Though he comes from a middle class family, he obsessively read the magazine’s classified ads, fixating on exorbitantly priced used Bentleys and Maybachs. “I would just fall in love with all their cars. That was the start.” Ocean, who was born Christopher Breaux (and goes by Lonny to friends), downscaled his material desires, and when he was 13, began going door-to-door, detailing cars for cash. “I would bring all my supplies. Literally, it was like a movie, I had a wagon, those long red wagons, like a Radio Flyer-type wagon, and I used to buy my own soaps.”

Nice.  And speaking of Odd Future, the group is set to release their first book Golf Wang.  It drops November 15th and Rap Radar has the deets.

 

Source: Fader/RJ Shaugnessy

DAMN HOMIE: "Kid" of Kid & Play ARRESTED On Outstanding Warrant!+Shaq Wins Sex Tape Case!

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 12:36 PM PDT

If you were wondering what Kid from Kid & Play's been up to lately, at least one update is an arrest.  Christopher "Kid" Reid of the 90's fame was arrested in L.A. today.  And Shaquille O'Neal scored a win today in that crazy sex tape case he was involved in.

 

Deets inside...

Sources report 47-year-old-Kid was taken into custody today.  Police raided his L.A. home and took him to jail where he is still in custody.  As for why, TMZ claims the only thing known is that there was a warrant out for his arrest.

*UPDATE* Kid's outstanding warrant was due to a drunk driving case back in 2010 that he missed several court dates on.  His blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit when he was pulled over last July, and he didn't make his follow-up court dates.  Kid was released Tuesday evening and upon his release, he stated that this was all just one big clerical mess-up down at the LAPD offices.  What this "mix-up" is, who knows.

Meanwhile, remember the Shaquille O'Neal case where he was accused by Robert Ross of pistol whipping him and threatening him over a sex tape Robert allegedly had with Shaq's ex-wife Shaunie O'Neal?  Sounds like Robert is indeed the liar Shaq & Shaunie said he is.  TMZ reports:

Robert Ross -- the alleged victim -- claimed he had a sex tape showing Shaq with multiple women at different times while he was still married to Shaunie O'Neal.

Ross claimed 7 gang members kidnapped him at the direction of Shaq and tried to beat him into submission so he would cough up the video.

Today in court -- in the middle of the preliminary hearing -- the D.A. shocked the courtroom, stating they no longer had confidence in Ross based on his testimony and his actions outside of court.

As for why the D.A. lost confidence in Ross, for starters, during his testimony in the prelim, he admitted he had lied about having a sex tape -- something Shaq had denied all along.

Sigh.  The thirstiness is rampant these days....

Zoe Saldana COVERS The September Issues Of "WOMEN's HEALTH" & "LATINA" Magazines, Discusses Near-Nervous Breakdown

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 11:56 AM PDT

Zoe Saldana is a busy lady.  The YBF chick is promoting her new high-energy thriller Colombiana and covers both WOMEN'S HEALTH and LATINA this month.  Get the deets and highlights from the articles inside and find out about her near-nervous breakdown.....

Zoe Saldana graces the cover of the September issue of Women's Health (on newsstands August 9) and opens up about getting into sick shape for Colombiana and working with some of the hottest men in Hollywood.  Here are some highlights.... 

On her action-packed roles like Cataleya in the upcoming
Colombiana...
"Physical roles give me a chance to learn something new. Like the fact
that I can grab a gun, disassemble it, and put it back together. I'm a
girl from Queens. I've never gone, 'What am I doing today? Oh, I'm gonna
grab a gun and learn how to use it.'"

 

On dressing according to themes...
"I'm always referencing. If I'm listening to some old songs from Whitney
Houston, I might put some spandex stuff together."

 

On her midnight tattoo sprees...

"We woke up the next morning and were like, 'That totally [bleepin']
happened!'"

 

On her Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
co-star Orlando Bloom...

"Orli is a real English gentleman. He can hang out with girls in the
same way that he can hold his own with a bunch of guys."

 

On her Guess Who co-star Ashton Kutcher..
"He's so talented at conceiving ideas. And the initiative! We have
similar personalities: neurotic. Up, down, here, there, and everywhere!"

 

Also on magazine racks.......

 

Zoe's covering the latest issue of Latina Magazine (on newsstands August 16) where she shockingly admits that after starring in Avatar, the highest grossing film of all-time, she nearly had a nervous breakdown.  See the highlights....

On dealing with her newfound fame:

“The year after Avatar was just emotionally overwhelming. I was traveling all over the world, waking up in different time zones. Your body gets exhausted, and by the end of the year I just collapsed.”

On coming close to a total breakdown:

“I was in Paris training for Colombiana, sitting in my hotel room, and I couldn’t stop crying. I couldn’t stay awake. I must have slept for an entire month. It took me the rest of the year, even as I was working and shooting Colombiana, to pick myself up. Thank God my family was there.”

On the post-Avatar effect:

“I just want the best filmmakers in the world to tell me, ‘You’re good, kid, you’re legit.’ The recognition will never get old, and I’ll never get accustomed to it. I don’t ever want to, because that will mean I’m taking it for granted. That’s why I work, not for the luxuries or the awards.”

On the simple joys of life:

“I just stay at home and do absolutely nothing. When I was younger, that would have made me feel like such a failure. Now that I’m older, I know what it means to shut down. I don’t shower if I don’t want to. I don’t answer e-mails. It’s a healthy way of being selfish. You know you’re old when gardening, the Food Network and voice notes from your nieces and nephews blow your mind.”

On her small circle of friends:

“If you surround yourself with good people, if you’re having a bad day – which everyone does – they will protect you, and it will never reach any kind of surface. But if you surround yourself with people who don’t really love you and care for you, they’ll be the first ones to expose you. That’s dangerous.”

On the key to her 12-year relationship with actor Keith Britton:

“I think the only reason we’ve made it this long is because we don’t listen to anybody but ourselves. We’ve still managed to sustain a relationship in a world where half of the people we know are divorcing or going through problems. It’s like that song we both love by Frank Sinatra – we did it our way!”

Interesting.  Zoe and Keith are also now engaged.

 

Watch the second trailer for Zoe's movie Colombiana here:

 

AFTER THE SPLASH: Jennifer Williams & Eric Williams Respond To "Basketball Wives" Season Finale

Posted: 09 Aug 2011 10:53 AM PDT

Both Jennifer Williams & Eric Williams called in to The Breakfast Club to chop it up with Charlamagne, DJ Envy, and Angela Yee about last night's "Basketball Wives" season finale.  And after Eric aggressively threw that drink in her face, folks were in an uproar.

 

So the two, who are divorcing, told their sides of the story this morning.  Check our recap under the cut....

Here's the highlights from Jen's interview:

  • Jen says she's keeping the "Williams" last name because she earned it.  And anybody who has a problem with it is silly.  And no, she didn't find her divorce party disrespectful.
  • The issue with Eric's mom is that Jen feels Eric's mom was very disrespectful to her and apparently his mom told her she didn't have her blessing before Jen married Eric.  They haven't spoken since the wedding.
  • She wouldn't go into Royce's colored contacts jab, but said she refuses to film with Royce because she doesn't want to make her relevant.  And she needs to stop shopping at the children's store.
  • She never thought Eric would actually throw a glass of water so forcefully at her face, even though she threw a drink on his back. But the glass hit her in her chin.  So it should be assault.
  • The reunion was very dramaful.
  • She says the "white boy" she's been running around with his not her "boyfriend."  She's not exclusive to anyone and has no titles.  {Doesn't mean they're not getting it in though.}

 

Eric Williams' interview

  • About why he threw a drink in Jen's face: "You now DAMN well why I threw a drink in her face. She dishonored my mother."
  • He says he was upset about conversations between Jen and his mother before the wedding and she put all their business on the "stupid magazine" Sister2Sister.
  • Charlamagne asked what was going through the 'knot' during the divorce party segment. {DEAD}
  • Eric said everything was staged that Jennifer was doing on that final episode and she needs to come clean.
  • He was extra pissy about Jennifer telling him to "check his mother".  And the world shouldn't have been told about their drama just to make a story for herself.
  • Eric claims Jennifer is lying about the glass hitting her chin and she just wants sympathy from the world.  He says he doesn't apologize for the reaction even though it was aggressive.
  • He said, "The chick is still married and she's doing some reckless sh*t on tv."
  • Eric says Jennifer has changed completely since the show started.
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