Video Of The Week: Chrisette Michele - I'm A Star

Atlanta native Chrisette Michele recently aired her new video for her new song "I'm a Star", from her upcoming album Let Freedom Reign set for release on November 30. Chrisette is definitely looking beautiful as usual in this one. I Love the song and the video compliments it very well.

The Key to Lifelong Youthfulness

Top: Lisa Raye, Iman, bottom-left: Sade bottom -right: Angela Bassett

It would seem like the women above have all taken the secret antidote to eternal youthfulness but, these beauties who are all over the age of 40 still look amazing because they put their health as a top priority. Its very important to maintain a healthy diet, get lots of sleep and exercise on a regular basis. Drinking a lot of water and taking a multi-vitamin can help you maintain great looking skin and hair. These simple steps if maintained and continued throughout life will guarantee to keep you looking healthy and radiant.

Style Files: Mother Daughter Style Icons Jada Pinkett-Smith & Willow Smith

Nine year old Willow is a lil superstar in the making and her sense of uniqueness and style is admirable at such a young age. At her age young girls tend to follow what they see on t.v or in magazines just to fit in but, when you are confident enough to be different and show yourself as an individual like Willow has, that is definitely special. Her new single "Whip my hair" is definitely sending the same message. Momma Jada Pinkett-Smith is also looking amazing. The woman in the Smith family are definitely holding it down!

Todays Modern Day Man: What Happened to Chivalry?

Ladies, we love our men but lets face it; men today are just not what we expect of them. The idea of finding that one and only true love seems to be more and more of a wish then a realistic obtainable goal. Yes, there are men out there and you can probably have one or even two of them if you really wanted to; but what I am talking about is being able to feel like jelly when he comes around you, getting butterflies when your getting ready to meet up with him, melting in his arms when he kisses you. Similar to those feelings you had when you met your first love as a teenager. Today's modern day man is very different. Men no longer feel the need to be gentlemen and show chivalry. No longer open doors and pull out chairs or show up with flowers. Let me take that back; if your lucky they might do it for a while on the first few dates to get you hooked then when the woman decides to give it up, it all changes. A lot of men today feel like they have so many different women to choose from; so why do they have to treat woman any differently and in a way they are right. If a man has access to getting any woman and you expect him to treat you well and another woman would just take him without requesting any type of special treatment, why would he not go for what is easier. Unfortunately, this is the mentality of today's modern day man. Let's start to set those expectations with the men in our lives because if they don't know what's expected they cannot make that compromise and show their woman more appreciation. For woman dating be vocal about what type of man you are looking for right from the get-go, so that you avoid any confusion and disappointment. If your man knows what you need and really cares about building a real growing relationship with you then he will give you what you need but, if not that will allow you to understand your man and it's your decision to accept his "unchivalrous" ways or move on.

Video of The Week: Holding You Down (Goin in Circles) Jazmine Sullivan

I'm absolutely in love with this one! Jazmine shows us that she is still amazingly talented with this new fun, upbeat song which talks about the the struggle one can have leaving a not-so-good relationship because that person just has that hold on you, but in the end she realizes the dude's intentions were not in her best interest. Remember, they will only get away with as much as we let them. Very catchy tune, love the Mary J sample at the beginning! Keep gettin' them hits Jazzy!

Fantasia Barrino: New Song: "Lucky" and New Scandal "Very Unlucky"

About 3 weeks ago, I watched the Fantasia Barrino biography that aired on tv and my heart was filled with compassion for her because of the trials and tribulations that she went through in her life. And I was equally filled with joy and admiration for her when she received a true miracle by winning American Idol. It would have seemed that the possibilities were endless for this 26 year old songstress, but it seems like she has taken the idea of "endless possibilities" way too far by now being in the tabloids everywhere for allegedly having an affair with, Antwaun Cook, a T-Mobile sales manager, who she actually met at a T-Mobile store. Antwaun Cook is still legally married to his wife Paula Cook. Paula Cook, cited for a legal separation from her husband alleging an affair between her husband and Fantasia Barrino. She has also reported that she found a sex tape which confirms her suspicions. Based on the photo's on the web, Fantasia and her beau didn't really seem to be concerned about the affair being public while they were photographed on a Bahamas vacation. One could assume the relationship was very serious because Fantasia tattooed her married boyfriends last name across her shoulder?? Following Paula's file for separation, Fantasia was hospitalized for an overdose of aspirin and sleeping pills. Who knows if the death wish, was because her relationship may now come to an end, or if shes guilty of her actions or if she is just tired of dealing with the bad press. Whatever it is, Fantasia is in a very bad place right now and our prayers go out to her and hopefully, she will pull herself together and learn that what goes around comes around and taking what is not yours is not okay. Of course, she is not the only one to blame, it takes two to tango right? Mr.Cook has the obligation to his wife and kids, but both are equally responsible for their actions. Ironically, before her secret love affair was exposed, she had made a new single called "Lucky" where she seems to be expressing her interest in someone elses "goodies". Not a good look! Come on Fantasia, get yourself together girl!
Check out the new single "Lucky".....

Relationship Talk: Have you ever felt like you were "Wearing The Pants" in your relationship?

Have you ever felt like you were wearing the pants in your relationship? This feeling is becoming more and more of an issue for women these days. This is a topic that most women are aware of but have decided to keep "hush hush" about, because of the shortage of eligible bachelors out there. The concept is, if you find someone who is bearable.... then just suck it up and deal. There is so much compromise going on from a woman's point of view because we feel that its a choice between taking whats available to you or possibly ending up with no one at all. Women now feel like they have to settle because of the fear of being alone. There has definitely been a shift in roles between men and women. Men have slowly become more comfortable with their women taking care of their bills, applying for credit under their names, and "living off" of their women. It's not necessarily wrong to help your partner, but if it's completely one-sided, definitely keep an eye on that. Women have now become very complacent with these "half men" as I would call it. What has happened to our society is that the idea of "manliness" has slowly disappeared from our expectations. Don't get me wrong, by no means am I talking about every man, we still have a lot of real men out there that are holding down the fort in every way but, we have a high percentage of men who have lost their way. There are a number of reasons why our community has lost the "ideal man" and these reasons are the unemployment rate for males is still very high, a lot of young men have become products of their society and chose a life of crime and are suffering the consequences, lack of higher education, men feeling worthless and instead of breaking that barriers they choose to live up to that expectation of worthlessness, fathers being absent from their son's lives and women becoming complacent and accepting a man who is not necessarily holding down his role as the man in the relationship. I guess I am a bit old fashioned in my views but, I still believe in the old school definition of a man. Back in the day the man was supposed to be the backbone of their relationship and family and responsible for setting the foundation to build and establish life. My grandfather and father have expressed to me that they have also seen a true difference from their generation compared to ours. Maybe my expectations are too high, some would say but, I don't think that wanting a man that will uplift my life and actually help me; as well as I do the same for him is a lot to ask for. Ladies, all that I'm saying is a man should have something to bring to the table other then whats between his legs. And likewise, a woman should not be completely reliant on a man. The concept of the modern day "Gold Digger" is still very relevant in our community and that is also very wrong. Men, likewise if you see some of these patterns with your woman, you may need to have a discussion. There should be equality between both people. But, if you find a man and (the handsome ones usually do this) who show signs that they are self centered, like playing the sympathy card, always complaining about money and asking you for money for this, that and the other and want you to feel "sorry" for them. Be aware of these signs. This is usually not a good sign. I'm not saying to break it off but, keep your eyes open and if you see a pattern......communicate and hopefully that will help. Some men are at a disadvantage in their lives at certain points of time and that is understandable and some genuinely need a helping hand but, if you continue to let every request slide and grant every wish like your a "Genie" then you may find yourself in a situation where you are the one expected to take care of your man and some men will take that opportunity and run with it.

Fashion Corner:Hot Item! CAZAL 951 Vintage Shades

Cazal is edging it's way ahead of the competitors and they have re-released the original 951 sunglasses, which was first designed in the 1980s by designer Cari Zallion. The cost for these shades range from $299.99 - $569.99.

Wedding Bell Weekend : Tiny and TI

In my best Toya voice..."This week on Tiny and Toya....." Wedding Bells! Well, I don't know about you all but, I am Super happy about this one. It has been a long time coming. I guess being locked up for a minute had TI in some serious soul searching and he decided to take the plunge this weekend with longtime girlfriend, Tiny(Tameka Cottle). If you watched BET's Tiny and Toya, you know that this has been Tiny's wish for a long time. I'm genuinely happy for her! I guess having her man spend a little time behind bars was not so bad, in her case! So ladies you know what you got to do......get you man locked up for a minute...... that will scare him straight! lol Just kidding! Anyways, these two have been going at it for awhile and this wedding was long overdue! The fireworks that went off in honor of their big day was well suited......Congrats Tiny and TI! I guess you got each others backs for life...Real Good Look!

"Wandering Eye Syndrome".....Ladies Check Your Men!

Have you ever been out shopping at the grocery store or enjoying your evening run and felt eyes piercing at you? Well this is very common.... men naturally have a disease called "wandering eyes syndrome" and they don't seem to feel the need to be discreet about it by any means. I don't have a problem with looking if that's your thing, but it becomes a problem when your woman is right next to you. Come on there should be some level of respect.....don't get me wrong some ladies suffer with "wandering eye syndrome" as well but, it tends to be the males that take it to another level. A lot of woman are insecure about their relationship and have a hard time standing up to their partner about the issue. On the other hand, some women genuinely don't have a problem with it and they have an understanding with their man, which is rare. I've experienced it many times from both sides, being the woman stared at and being the woman being disrespected by having my man suffer from a "staring spasm" while being out with me. On both ends of the spectrum...it's a problem. I've seen couples out together, but the man feels the need to either stare directly in your face or give you the up and down full body glance...followed by licking his lips with a sinister look. I've even had it go way out of control where someone tried to grab my hand as he walked by with his woman...WTH(What the Hell) Some men even try to go as far as trying to lose their women in the grocery store aisles just so they have an opportunity to walk by and make small talk. That's taking it to another level. It sometimes is completely uncomfortable because for me no matter how attractive the guy is, I genuinely feel bad for the woman he's with at the time. The women in these situations for some reason think that it's best to ignore it and usually choose to try to divert the attention back to them by asking their man a random question or shrugging him, to break the awkwardness. I've had a past boyfriend who had this "condition" and apparently he wasn't aware of it, so I diagnosed him lol. So, I understand how it feels to be the girl to experience that horrible "backside glance" as an attractive female brisked by in the mall or on a date and I knew that was completely unacceptable. But, once I called him out on it and he stopped; at least when I was there. I've also experienced married men of a particular culture which I won't reveal, who feel that they have the liberty to #1 disrespect their wives as well as put you into an uncomfortable position by basically flirting and even trying to pursue you while the poor wife stands there and witnesses the whole thing. Most men will put it off as being "friendly" but there is a fine line between "friendly" and "pursuing someone friendly". Regardless, as I said before we understand that men or women will occasionally look and that is fine...but ladies check your men if there putting you into a position where you feel disrespected or unhappy with them staring at other females when your around. And vice versa, men if you have ladies with "wandering eyes" and you don't like it, communicate and let them know that it is not acceptable. Sometimes, believe it or not they may not be conscious of their actions especially if they've always been that way. It's better to nip these small nuances in the butt when you can, then keeping your hurt feeling buried up and having an outburst later on. The #1 leading cure for "wandering eye syndrome" is calling your partner out on it!

Video of the Week - There Goes My Baby by Usher

This sweet and sultry song...just gives you that feel good feeling. Usher is really doing his thing!

Celebrity Weddings....... A look back.......

Carmelo & La La 2010 Kloe & Lamar 2009



Laila & Johnny 2000 Invanka & Jared 2009


Tia & Cory 2008



Rebecca & Jerry 2005 Megan & Brian 2010

Celebrity Weddings......La La Vasquez & Carmelo Anthony!

Pre-Wedding Party!

This weekend, Carmelo Anthony and La La Vasquez finally tied the knot!! They had the ceremony New York style at Manhattans Ciprianni restaurant on Saturday night. La La wore a Vera Wang wedding dress and looked stunning as usual, the guest list had many A-List celeb's and apparently they had a weekend full of fun!

Wedding at Manhattan's Ciprianni

Hair Style File: RockStar Edition: Shaving half your head to shaving it all off!

Willow Smith (left) & baby Scary spice (right)

Shaving your head became a trend in early 2009. Solange(bottom left) decided to shave her hair off after feeling tired of having to deal with her hair and feeling that there has been too much focus placed on a women having to maintain their hair constantly. Amber Rose(bottom right), who has been romantically linked to Kanye West arrived on the scene sporting her bald headed platinum blond style and it has worked pretty well for her. Above that we have a couple celeb's sporting the half head shave. The style can be even more intricate with designs shaved in and even adding colour.

Relationship Talk: Have you ever been unsure about where your relationship is going?

Have you ever felt unsure about where your relationship is going; or if you're even with the right person? Well, if you have don't be alarmed by you questioning thoughts because many individuals in relationships ponder the same questions everyday. Relationships naturally grow into different stages of commitment. Of course there is no great big rule book which dictates when certain steps have to be taken, but naturally as human beings in a growing relationship, certain changes happen. A lot of relationships are not operating in unison, meaning the individuals are not on the same page. You may know exactly what you want out of the relationship but the other person may not be in the same frame of mind. Ideally, when you fall in love you expect that the other person is in love with you too, but that may not be the case.True love is from the soul and spirit and it's only felt when there is a genuine connection between two souls, so real unconditional love does not exist until both souls connect, hence the term soul mate. Choosing the person that you will spend a lifetime with is probably the biggest decision you will ever make. If you are at a point, where your thinking long-term consider these things; communication is probably the most important thing you could do to clear up any uncertain questions by letting the other person know exactly what you want and if your not in the same ballpark with your goals, then you may need to re-analyze your compatibility.

Hair Style File: Bad Hair Dayz! Please Avoid These Hair Don'ts!

Ladies, based on the photo's above...try to avoid shiny synthetic looking wigs, which have any type of lose curl. Also, stay away from crimping.......9 out of 10 times it's a disaster!

Back In The Dayz: Women of Music...Then and Now!

Keyshia Cole


Beyonce Knowles


Keri Hilson


Tierra Marie


Eve


Alicia Keys


Ashanti

These beautiful ladies have definitely grown into women that each bring their uniqueness to the music industry. These ladies have been able to keep themselves in the spotlight over the years and continue to make headlines.