The Young, Black, and Fabulous

Queen Latifah RETURNING To Daytime TV + Diggy Simmons SURPRISES Fans With Concert Tickets
CELEB COSTUME ROUND-UP: Bee-Yonce, Chris Brown & His Package, Teyana "White Bob" Taylor, & Tons More Get CRAZY For Halloween!
TV FAB: 50 Cent Talks Being Sober, Charity Work And Never Meeting His Father On "Piers Morgan"
SICK LIST: Kelly Rowland RECOVERING In L.A. + Rihanna RECOVERING From Her IV Drip In Sweden
Wale In ROLLING OUT Magazine: "There’s A Special Place In My Heart For Black Girls"
EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK: Lance Gross, Tatyana, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Christian Keyes & More Rock The FEARLESS CLASS OF 2011 Cover
YBF's HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTESTANTS! The Faves So Far....
DADDY DEAREST! Mel B's Daughter Phoenix Chi Says Her Father Held Her HOSTAGE!
DO WE LOVE IT?: Raven Symone's Masquerade Look
EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK: LaLa Anthony Gets GLAM For KONTROL Magazine's Fall/Winter 2011 Issue

Queen Latifah RETURNING To Daytime TV + Diggy Simmons SURPRISES Fans With Concert Tickets

Posted: 01 Nov 2011 08:54 AM PDT

Queen Latifah announced recently that she will be making a return to daytime television. Get the deets on her new show inside and watch video of Diggy Simmons giving some very excited fans free tickets to the Scream Tour.

Having hosted the “The Queen Latifah Show” from 1999-2001, Queen Latifah knows a thing or two about daytime talk and she's making a return to the field in 2013.

The Oscar nominated actress and multi-tv show producer has announced that she will develop and host a daytime chat fest that will be executive-produced by Will Smith’s production company, Overbrook Entertainment, and her own company, Flavor Unit.

“We have known and admired Latifah for over 20 years, dating back to our music days, and to her first television role,” said Overbrook’s Miguel Melendez.

I remember her show from back in the day and she always presented a "positive" spin on things. We need a return to good tv. Congrats Queen!

And in music.....

Upcoming superstar rapper Diggy made a few fans SCREAM when he showed up un-announced to present them with tickets to see him and Mindless Behavior at The Scream Tour.

On behalf of FM98, Diggy posed for pics with the entire fam. Check out the little boy's eyes at the :45 sec mark. Lol.

CELEB COSTUME ROUND-UP: Bee-Yonce, Chris Brown & His Package, Teyana "White Bob" Taylor, & Tons More Get CRAZY For Halloween!

Posted: 01 Nov 2011 08:30 AM PDT

Now that Halloween is over, we've rounded up the hilarious, spooky, and sexy costumes your fave celebs were rocking last night. Pics inside...

A Busy Bee indeed. Beyonce rocked her black and yellow striped puffy bumblebee costume in NYC which concealed her baby bump. She was headed to Uncle Kanye's Halloween Party at The Darby Restaurant. And even threw on black and yellow striped pumps. Only Bey....

Speaking of Kanye, his costume last night was...interesting. Michael Jackson from "Thriller" maybe?

Can you recognize who this is without reading the caption at the bottom? We surely can It's Chris Brown in his first choice of Halloween costume--a latex green body suit that shows every bulge. *eyebrows raised*

He said he couldn't wear that first one, and went for the stoned youngin' instead.

Teyana Taylor was hi-larious as Bob from Accounting from "Martin". Chick had the white face, wig, mustache, and outfit to a tee.

And she got robbed by her friends before catching up with a pimped out Kevin Hart (Eddie "Delirious" Murphy) at a party.

That damn Kevin. And this Prince....

Megan Good wore her usual black leggings and black tank. And painted some whiskers on for a "cat costume."

Houston pop chick Hazel-E was a sexy Lil Red Riding Hood while partying in the H last night.

Nicole Richie was a relaxed witch as she took her pumpkin babies trick or treating.

Keesha Sharp (Monica from "Girlfriends") donned a sexy cop outfit for last night.

Scary Marsha Ambrosius hit up Kijafa Frink (Mike Vick's fiancee') and Julie Dorenbos' 'Dare to be There' Spook The Night Away Halloween Party at Walnut Room in Philly.

Wendy Williams did her whole show yesterday as a vintage PanAm stewardess.

Robin Roberts of "Good Morning America" rocked it as Nicki Minaj. The whole morning show team went as celebs who put on a show for their Summer Concert Series. Lara Spencer went as Lady Gaga. George Stephanopoulos came as her male alter ego Jo Calderone. And Bianna Golodryga did it up as Beyoncé.

Cutie Christina Milian donned her nurse uniform as she posed with "Macho Man Randy Savage." Is this her new boo?

Rocsi donned her best Black Swan costume while hosting "106 & Park" yesterday with superhero Terrence J.

Amar'e Stoudemire and his finacee' went as King Solomon and "his lioness".

Tyson Beckford put on his camo to fight the war...and had a sailor girl by his side at Heidi Klum's party last night.

Seal and wife Heidi Klum went big...literally...at their NYC Halloween party at Dream Downtown. They were apes.

Russell Simmons and Andre Harrell went as Run DMC.

Chrissy Teigen did her pagent best and went as a Toddlers & Tiaras contestant.

Jessica White was there as an Arabian snake charmer. Is that snake real?!

Amber Rose gave her best Slash impression.

Bloody prom queen Leona Lewis hit up Maroon 5's party at Hollywood Forever Cemetery last night. A Halloween party in a cemetery? WHoa.

Model Rosa Acosta flapped her way in as a mermaid to the VEVO party also held at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Singer Lloyd hit the stage in a Jay Leno mask...on Jay's show last night.

Carmelo & LaLa's son Kiyan donned his Rapheal Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costume for the trick-or-treat festivities last night.

And nun Monica and her boys (Rocko & Romelo as Mario & Luigi) had some fun too. Cute!

In non-YBF news:

New mum-my Jessica Simpson officially announced the worst kept secret in Hollywood--she's pregnant. And she did so by holding her tummy in a mummy costume with her fiance and doggie. Cute.

YBF's Halloween Costume Contest is almost over. ENTER NOW!

TV FAB: 50 Cent Talks Being Sober, Charity Work And Never Meeting His Father On "Piers Morgan"

Posted: 01 Nov 2011 08:12 AM PDT

50 Cent stopped by "Piers Morgan Tonight" last night (these damn braids though...) to discuss his success an a businessman, his charitable endeavors and never knowing his father. He also dished on his sobriety. Watch the full in-depth interview inside....

Last night, 50 Cent chatted with Piers Morgan is one of his month in-depth interviews ever. The viewer learned about 50's hard-knock childhood, his role as a father and his committment to giving back to his community. Here are some highlights:

On his father -

In what could have been a tense moment, 50 revealed that he has never met his father and that the "man" has never reached out to him. He added that at this point in his life, he has no desire to meet him but wishes he would have been around to guide him through adolescence.

On his own relationship with his son -

From the way his own eyes lit up, it seems that 50 is a very hands on father. He talked about offering his son advice and teaching him about learning from the mistakes of his own youth.

On how kids are subconsciously conditioned for certain lifestyles -

"We offer a male child cars, trucks, We also offer a male child guns – cap guns, a water gun," he says. "These are toys that are manufactured for children. They manufacture that because I think they're subconsciously trying to teach that male child to be the financial support of the actual relationship, the family, and the protector. But you can misinterpret what those things are there for. With less guidance as a child you could take that gun and have it mean, I want to shoot somebody."

On drug use -

In one of the interviews most shocking revelations, 50 said he had NEVER done drugs and had only been "drunk" a handful of times.

"I don't actually use drugs. "I got a chance to watch a lot of my mother's sisters and brothers at different periods experiment with the use of drugs or alcohol and I see them respond so differently that I stay away."

On alcohol consumption -

50 is NOT a big drinker either.

"I've had an experience that made me paranoid because of it and I stayed away from it following that."

On following the success of "In Da Club"

"It's a gift and a curse," he said. When your first song is that good, is that effective, you're kind of up against that first body of work for the rest of your career."

On President Barack Obama -

“I was an advocate for Hillary because I wasn’t sure America was ready for an African-American president,” but that his election, “shows how far America has come,”

On being hands-on with his businesses -

“You have to pay attention. When I go into negotiations and different deals, I absolutely have to be involved myself. If I don’t understand understand it, I say ‘Explain it to me,’ and if I [still don't understand it], I say ‘Explain it slow.’”

Watch the full interview here:

SICK LIST: Kelly Rowland RECOVERING In L.A. + Rihanna RECOVERING From Her IV Drip In Sweden

Posted: 01 Nov 2011 06:17 AM PDT

Two of the hardest working chicks in the biz were both grounded over the past few days with illnesses. No Halloween fun for them. Get updates on Rihanna's struggle with the flu and Kelly Rowland's mystery illness inside....

Last week, Kelly Rowland raised eyebrows after she left Europe in a haste and boarded a plane bound for L.A. following a big fight with fellow "X Factor: UK" judge Tulisa Contostavlos. The problem was though, the folks at "X Factor" didn't know she'd left the country.

The -ish hit the fan when Kelly reported that she couldn't return for tapings because she had come down with a very "rare" viral throat infection.

She told the Sun,

'I'm so sick - I have no idea what is wrong with me, but I have the worst sore throat. It got so bad that I stopped eating and drinking and got so dehydrated the doctor put me on a drip. 'Even now I can't swallow anything - not even my own saliva. The doctors don't even really know what's wrong, either. They say whatever I have is extremely rare.'

Last night, a source close to the show told People Magazine UK,

'Kelly has been told it’s time to make her mind up. Everyone is supportive of the fact she is ill but other bosses are annoyed at the situation. She doesn’t want to quit. She is adamant that she isn’t worried about the row she had with Tulisa and wants to return but she has to give the producers her word – and fast.'

And despite looking decent in L.A. yesterday in this green track suit, Kelly says she is STILL waiting on the "OK" from her doctor to fly back to the UK.

And I hope she gets it soon because the head man in charge, Simon Cowell, has given her a 48-hour ultimatum to confirm if she plans to fulfill her "X Factor" duties.

Time will tell....

Also on the sick and shut in list:

Rihanna was forced to cancel a show for her Swedish fans after contracting the flu.

She recently tweeted a photo from the hospital after being put in an IV drip,

'Sorry, Malmo!'

'I am sorry to everyone who was coming out to my show in Malmo Sweden. I was so excited to perform for you all. It would have been a great time…so much better than being sick with the flu, ugh! I'm really disappointed I couldn't be there.'

Reps for Live Nation have not confirmed if Rih Rih will be able to make her other scheduled tour dates this week.

Wale In ROLLING OUT Magazine: "There’s A Special Place In My Heart For Black Girls"

Posted: 01 Nov 2011 06:15 AM PDT

Wale puts his mind to work in a new interview for the latest issue of "ROLLING OUT" magazine. During the in-depth convo, Wale's music career is likened to a game of chess and he reveals this time around, his strategy will help him achieve superstar status.

Get the deets inside and find out why he loves dark "Pretty Girls."

“Ambition is the desire to be better than the people who came before you. It’s your obsession to be good or great. How great is your obsession to chase your dream?”–Wale

In 2008, Wale was expected to become a MAJOR star. He was featured on a huge track with Waka Flocka, "No Hands" and had a good record deal with Interscope....however, the record stalled.

But don't expect his second disc, Ambition to suffer a similar fate. Now that he's hooked up with Rick Ross and the Mayback Music Group, Wale is ready to surpass his fans expectations.

Before the release of your first album, you built an impressive buzz for yourself. So what caused the album to fail to meet the high expectations?
I put that on myself to get back to where I need to be. We’re working. I do music for my fans and family. My fans appreciated my first album. But my label didn’t ship it for whatever reason. I re-evaluated my life and my situation and now I’m in a different place. I found out a lot of artists can’t go to a city and do a show with 2,000 people. I’m blessed to have people who appreciate what I do.

So what is the biggest difference in being at MMG vs. being at Interscope?
The difference is freedom. I’m very in tune with urban culture. I felt my last situation wasn’t allowing me to grow with the urban culture. They saw a Lady Gaga opportunity and I went with it. I was a new artist and I didn’t get it. I thought I was being ignored by black America. It’s not as much money, but to connect with the people I grew up with is more important than connecting with pop fans. Even the white people who are familiar with my music deserve to hear what I’m really saying. I shouldn’t be marketed toward top 40. When I listen to my first album, you can hear who I am talking to. But I now have an opportunity to change that.

You have a lot of female fans. How important is it for you to balance the risque songs such as “No Hands” with inspirational tracks such as “Diary”?
I want to be an advocate for the women. I may say some wild things, but that’s our time to have fun. But I stand for fixing the world our way. Let’s add spice to this and change the world. I believe women should go to school to network with others who will change the world. I’m encouraging. I’m a part of the problem, but I want to be a part of the clean up. “No Hands” is the party and “Ambitious Girls” is the clean up. We can have fun, but I hope you’re getting up and going to class. I don’t want to get in the way of that. That [is] something you have to do. For two years, I had to walk around with about $15 in my account. That was my time. I left school and had to get on my grind. I was about 21. Now show me you can work the system for four or five years and continue to do your thing.

You caught flack from black women for not having dark-skinned females in your “Pretty Girls” video. How did that make you feel?
It wasn’t about that, but it showed me what I meant to the black culture. That made me realize that people hold me at a higher regard. That was when I knew I had to make a change. For “Pretty Girls,” I didn’t go on set until there were dark-skinned girls at the video shoot. I was waiting. The most horrible feeling in the world, was that my women think that I don’t care about them. I’d rather go broke than for my black women to think that I don’t care about them. I would rather lose everything than to have my queens think I’m turning my back on them. I was the only kid in my neighborhood with a father. And that’s because I’m African and they don’t divorce. It messed me up. When I was in Mississippi, a girl told me she had her first child at 16. So I made a song called “Illest B—- Alive.” There’s a special place in my heart for black girls. If you’re black and have a black mother, you know how special they are.

Beyond the physical, what is the most attractive thing about a woman?
I like girls who can get the intellect popping. Instead of liking me just because I rap, I like girls who can ask about where I was mentally when I thought of making a certain record. I can find a nice amount of girls who think I’m attractive or whatever, but intellect is very important. “Lotus Flower Bomb” was a record that I wanted to create a long time ago. I’m not sure if radio was ready for that at the time. That’s kind of an adult vibe. I was 23 when I was writing my first project. I was doing what I was told to do instead of doing what my heart told me to do.

More pics from the issue:

Determined to win the game of chess, Wale's Ambition drops on Tuesday.

ONE DAY LEFT TO WIN $300 CASH! ENTER HERE!

Halloween Costumes Galore: YBF Reader Edition!

DADDY DEAREST! Mel B's Daughter Phoenix Chi Says Her Father Held Her HOSTAGE!

Posted: 31 Oct 2011 02:31 PM PDT

Shocking reports have surfaced that Phoenix Chi, the oldest daughter of "X Factor: Australia" judge Mel B, filed a report accusing her father of holding her hostage at his L.A. apartment. Get the shocking deets inside....

According to RadarOnline.com, Mel B's 12-year-old old daughter Phoenix Chi filed a battery police report earlier this month accusing her father, Jimmy Gulzar, of holding her hostage.

The ish allegedly went down on October 11 when Jimmy refused to let Phoenix leave his apartment after one of her "custodial visits."

According to a source close to the situtation,

"The cops had to be called to enforce the court order, which states that Mel has primary custody of Phoenix. There was a stand off for several hours.

When it became clear that Gulzar wasn't going to turn Phoenix over, LAPD responded and told Jimmy he had to allow his daughter to leave his apartment."

But it gets worse...the source added,

"When Phoenix came out, she was extremely distraught and very upset. The police immediately took her to the police station to fill out a report."

In the police report it states,

"Victim is suspect's daughter. Susp has visitation rights w/daughter. When daughter attempted to leave susp's house to return to mother's home, susp grabbed vict's arm refusing to let her leave."

Spice Girl fans may remember Jimmy as Scary's dance partner during their "Spice World" tour. And unfortunately, he has a history of "violent" behavior.

He was arrested after a fight with Mel B's sister Danielle in 2000 and he was convicted of assaulting a three-year-old autistic boy in 2002.

SMH....doesn't sound like a person you'd want your kids to have unsupervised visits with if true.

DO WE LOVE IT?: Raven Symone's Masquerade Look

Posted: 31 Oct 2011 01:00 PM PDT

Raven Symone pulled out all the masked stops for her DIVAS Simply Singing event last week. Decide if we love her dramatic feathery look inside...

SoftSheen-Carson and actress/singer Sheryl Lee Ralph sponsored the 21st annual DIVAS Simply Singing concert last week, an annual benefit to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS.

Raven paired her long blush evening gow for the DIVAS Simply Singing event with a plumed feather mask and dramatically long braid. It wasn't a masquerade ball, but she indeed made a statement. The newly svelte actress also showed off her slim and trim new figure with the honeycomb-style waist on the dress.

So...

DO WE LOVE IT?!

Photog: A.Turner Archives

EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK: LaLa Anthony Gets GLAM For KONTROL Magazine's Fall/Winter 2011 Issue

Posted: 31 Oct 2011 11:07 AM PDT

LaLa Anthony is donning all black everything and looking quite glam while doing so for the cover of KONTROL magazine's Fall/Winter 2011 issue. TheYBF.com has the exclusive first look at what the red carpet loving reality show princess is rocking on the pages of the mag's "Labels" issue inside...

On the 1st version of KONTROL's double cover ("Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Cynthia Bailey is on the other!), 32-year-old LaLa is looking fab in a one-sleeved black DSquared gown with a chain and tassle embellished belt to cinch the waist.

Inside the issue, La acts as a director while on a set with her monogrammed megaphone and rocking a printed tan dress and silver and white bow-tied heels from Nicholas Kirkwood.

Loving the hair and makeup this go-round.

The Labels Issue, hitting stands November 7th, focuses on labels of the past and present with those of the future. Highlighting and introducing ways to fuse the old and the new and the issue is all about fashion. This issue also marks the introduction of two special inside covers featuring a beauty cover with Eva Marcille.

You feelin' LaLa's pics?

Photographer: James Anthony; Wardrobe Stylists: Julian Lark and Sakeya Donaldson

Tuesday, November 1, 2011