Wherefore is Savion Glover?

Savion Glover, the world's pre-eminent Hoofer, is an American treasure. As tap dancer, choreographer, actor and dancer to New York's elite and working class, Glover is an enigma. He first burst on the scene as a young boy in 1989's "Tap" co-starring with Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr. He then served 5 years on "Sesame Street," become becoming world famous for his iconic tap show "Brink N the Noise/Bring N the funk." So where has been lately? Glover now performs with a few other hoofers in a group called Bare Soundz, a trio of talented dancers who perform devoid of instruments save for there shoes. The show is a huge hit all up and down the East Coast. And while Glover doesn't know how to play any instruments per se, he is still considered a true jazzman. And who can argue?

CATCHPA FAIL

Can J-Hud Hold On to Her Sanity?

Jennifer Hudson has the No. 1 song "Spotlight" in the nation today. Ironically she finds herself trying to avoid it as she pieces together the last hours of her slain mother, brother and nephew. An invitation-only funeral has been announced for Monday on Chicago's South Side. The arrangements are being handled by Hudson Funeral Home, whose owners are related to the singer.
But how is Hudson's mind-set right now? More than 50% of patients admitted to asylums have had some sort of traumatic experience in their lives. Many of which have refused to cope with reality and have retreated into dementia, pyschosis or worse. Can Jennifer hold it together?
A spectacular entertainment career may have come to a bloody, cruel end. Jennifer Hudson, Oscar-winning actress and singer is no doubt trying to hold it together as the last week has been a whirlwind nightmare for her. Reports have surfaced that she is holed up in a Chicago hotel, still trying to deal with the unthinkable: the bullet-ridden bodies of her mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, and Jason Hudson, 29, her brother, and 7-year-old nephew, Julian. The rumors have been in full-swing as well, ranging from the fact that the only "person of interest" in the case, William Balfour, wquestioned in the deaths and vilified in the pubic, has been arrested but not charged. Did Balfour indeed do it? Security video at the South Side high school showed someone parking the vehicle that Julian's body was found in on Friday, but investigators have not been able to determine the person’s identity from the images. A time stamp on the video showed the car was left there at 12:30 p.m. Friday, but it was unclear whether the stamp was accurate, sources said. If it is, it presents a troubling scenario because investigators say Balfour's cell phone records placed him on the West Side at that hour. If the time stamp is accurate, it would suggest another person may have driven the Chrysler from the Hudson home to Robeson, sources said.
Then there's the troubling issue of whether Balfour is in the notorious stree gang, the Gangster Disciples. If he is then police have a lot more to worry about than just Balfour himself, as the gang is reknown for retribution killings and the like. More troubling is the fact that Hudson's sister went on national TV and pleaded for her son's life but had nary a mention of Balfour, as if she were protecting him. Is she also affiliated?


The tragedy comes as Jennifer Hudson, who grew up in Chicago, continues to reach new heights in her career. Her song "Spotlight" is No. 1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts and her recently released, self-tiled debut album has been a top seller. She was featured in this year's blockbuster "Sex and the City" movie and is also starring in the hit film "The Secret Life of Bees."

She won an Academy Award for best supporting actress in 2007 for her role in "Dreamgirls." In an interview last year with Vogue, Hudson credited her mother with encouraging her to audition for the TV singing competition "American Idol," which launched her career.

Nicki Minaj: The New Lil Kim?

Young Money rapper Nicki Minaj has taken the baton from Lil Kim (even re-enacting her famous squatting pose for her debut album) and added a spicy flavor to female emceeing. Can she, aligned with Lil Wayne's click, ascend to the heights of Kim and Junior M.A.F.I.A. in the Bad Boys hey days?

Going Green: Just Exactly How Green?

"Going Green" has become the biggest environmental movement in the modern age, thanks to millions of dollars in marketing in promotion. Fortune 500 companies now extol the values of "going green" and have tons of data on how environmentally conscious and friendly they are. Many of us share the underlying sentiments that made growing green so attractive in the first place: We want to live. For a long time. And we want the Earth to be sustainable. For a long time. But has "going green" become just a slogan? We hear that the automakers are going green, the corner supermarket is going green, WalMart is supposedly going green. Are they really? Are all of them really going green? I mean, I'm sure Walmart is concerned about the environment and all but will they go so green so as to sale leaf-fans from Kenya? Will the automakers, who are no doubt serious about their green-ness, do so at the expense of removing the cupholders from the new Lincoln, Avalon, Lexus and Infiniti? How about you? How green are you willing to go? Can you heat your house with firewood one night a week this winter? Is the concept of "Going Green" in itself sustainable?

Palin's Disease: Got Milf?

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Blacks Lack in Swimming: Why?

Despite several youth swimming programs scattered across the nation and millions of dollars invested in these programs to attract aspiring black Olympians, there were only seven African Americans who could qualify to compete against the 455 swimmers at the 1996 Olympic trials. That number didn't improve proportionally 12 years later in 2008 either. Basketball, check. Tennis, check. Golf, check. But swimming? No, not even a little bit.
Do blacks even swim like that? Certainly, they do.
"Jay Brown is 9 years old.
Son of a former professional football player, Jay is a swimming phenom for the Atlanta Dolphins, the 2nd largest black swim team in the nation. You haven't heard of him, but his name is growing, and it'll be mainstream soon.
Byron Davis, 30, who in 1996 was three-tenths of a second short of becoming the first African-American to make the Olympic team. Today, you are more likely to catch him scuba diving or sailing since he doesn't swim competitively anymore. Still Davis is a legend in modern African-American swimming.
In 2004 Maritza Correia took home a silver medal. In 2000, Anthony Irvin won the gold. Still the sport's black faces are underrepresented nationally.
Many black swimmers are actually cross-trainers, they perform in other sports as well. Nine-year-old Jay Brown is good at football and basketball. The person who broke down the barrier for black swimming was
Anthony Ervin of Valencia, Calif., a sprinter. Ervin in 2000 became the first swimmer of African-American heritage to make the U.S. Olympic team, setting a short-course world record of 21.21 to win the 50 free at the 2000 NCAAs.
Micheal Norment, a University of Georgia graduate, owns the distinction of being the first African-American swimmer to make the Olympic team in 1997.
Sabir Muhammad is another notable name in black swimming. Muhammad is arguably the today's most active proponent for black swimming. He is the founder of Swim for Life!, a program dedicated to teaching Atlanta inner-city kids how to swim. The first black swimmer to compete for Stanford University in 1994, Muhammad once set the American short-course record in the 100m butterfly.
Speaking of history, Suriname's Anthony Nesty was the first black person to win a Olympic gold medal. Will blacks ever reach the surface in swimming, ever break through to the top? We'll see.

5 Things NOT to do if You're Unemployed

Let's face it: It's real in the field, aka it's sooo tough to find a job right now. The unemployment rate is surging with every week that goes by. If you are jobless there are things to do, and there are things NOT to do. However, by simply letting the time pass by we could be making things alot worse. So, here's how not to get the winter doldrums as your job search lengthens:

DON'T PANIC: Take a deep breath, and breathe ..... Okay, losing your mind will not make a job magically appear. Now is the time to remain calm, collected and think through your plans.

DON'T TURN TO THE BOTTLE: Yeah, we know, it's so so easy to go to the corner liquor store and get a bottle of what ails you, but it's not the answer. When you sober up, your job situation will still be there, only you will have lost time, money, and possibly gagged on yourself. HOwever, if you've got to have a drink, we'd suggest an Atomic Cocktail (vodka) as the drink of choice.

AVOID THE POLE: Making ends meet as a stripper is fast-money,
big money and easy money, but it's also a vicious trap and dangerous as heck. To the vast majority of women who strip, they are propositioned by countless con-artists, scary geeks and pedos that try to lure them home, prostitute them or just plain rob them. The strip club is a den of thieves. Don't ever think it's an option. HOwever if you want to
install a pole in your house there are resources available.

NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK: The adage "it's who you know," is never more true than when it comes to employment. Network in your social circle. Get out and meet people at the social hangouts that you frequent. If not in person, then do it online. There are countless job resources online that can help you, including a ton of job sites (monster, indeed, yahoojobs, etcs.).

REALIZE YOU'RE NOT ALONE: Don't be depressed because you can't find a job. Millions of people are just like you. Millions don't have the skills, experience or schooling that you have. Don't give up.

PhotoPop: Obama as Hot Stud

Arguably the biggest story of the year has been the rise of Barack Obama. He's been seen as a terrorist, savior of a people, a Muslim, a Christian, a mulatto, a black man, a white man, a racist, a fascist, a socialist, a stud, a hunk. We'd figure we'd do some Photoshop to really see what he'd look like as a 19-year-old stud. Voila. What's that, ladies? Yes, you can-can?

Was Sigmund Freud a Freak?

Sigmund Freud was a freak. Known throughout the world as an avant garde Austrian psychiatrist, few people were allowed to be as kinky as Sigmund was in his professional life. Although he did much work in psychoanalysis, he is best known for his redefining sexual desire as the primary motive of humans. This was big at the time. For before Freud sex was seen as a taboo subject relegated to the dark bedrooms of the world, devoid of life, absent of discovery. Freud changed that. Was Freud simply a dirty old man who turned his profession out, and the world out, with his studies? Was Freud gay? The debate has raged for years. What is not debatable is that he had an insatiable appetite for sex and was possibly obsessed by it. There was one external stimulus though that may have attributed to Freud's success: cocaine.
Freud was an avid user and proponent of cocaine as a stimulant as well as analgesic. He wrote several articles on the antidepressant qualities of the drug and he was influenced by his friend and confidant Wilhelm Fliess, who recommended cocaine for the treatment of the "nasal reflex neurosis."
When the Nazis came, Freud and his Ukrainian colleague, Max Schur, fled to London. There they advanced their studies, on no more a subject that Freud himself, who at that time had developed oral cancer due to heavy smoking. Schur assisted him in suicide after reading Freud's note: "My dear Schur, you certainly remember our first talk. You promised me then not to forsake me when my time comes. Now it is nothing but torture and makes no sense any more." Schur administered three doses of morphine over many hours that resulted in Freud's death on September 23, 1939.

The Joy of Morning Sex

I remember seeing a study a few years ago that said something like 60% of couples had never had morning sex. I thought that was unbelievable. Morning sex is better than breakfast. To come alive with the morning sun is a beautiful thing. It reawakens the spirit better than Wheaties, gives you more pep than fruit loops. This is due to a host of reasons, but the main one is that it is in a technical sense a form of exercise. Kegels, aerobics, you name it, you can incorporate it into a session of morning sex. Their is, however, one draw back: Morning breathe. Few things can rankle the senses like the stale whiff of a just-awakening human mouth, even if they Scoped before bedtime. That factor mandates subtle foreplay and mostly body-kissing. If you must kiss, keep it to smooch-level, no tongue-devouring. Of course, if morning sex is impossible for you, then there's always noon sex.

'She Was Addicted to Quik'

I once knew a girl that loved her some Nestle Quik. She was addicted to Quik. Had to be the pink kind, couldn't be regular chocolate flavor (which I loved.) She would come outside her house everyday around 4 PM and she'd have a glass of ... Quik. It was pure marketing genius that brought Quik to our doorsteps back then. Nesquik, according to Wikipedia, is a milk flavoring mix that was developed in the U.S. in 1948, and introduced there as Nestlé Quik. In the 1950s, it was launched in Europe as Nesquik. In 1973, the Quik Bunny, an anthropomorphic rabbit cartoon character wearing a large blue "Q" on a collar-like necklace, was introduced as its mascot. His most famous television jingle has these lyrics..."It's so rich and thick and choco-lick! But you can't drink it slow if it's Quik!" I wonder where she is today? She loved her some Quik. Do you remember the pink Quik?

Nightmare on Wall Street

Word is that the bars are full most every weeknight around the corner from Wall Street. Full of investors tossing back shot after shot. They've never seen anything like this before. And who can blame them? T'was the nightmare on Wall Street Stocks dropped off dramatically late Monday, and all through the land closing at their lowest levels in 5-1/2 years while the term "global recession" was batted around by pundits the world over. Not a creature was flush with cash not even "the Man" In the unfunny words of Ice Cube: "Are we there yet?" The dire outlook for profits has gripped investors like no other time in history. The stocks were being hung out to dry without a care Well, there was that one time in 1929, but we'll get to that. What's going on in the market today may be good. In hopes that Uncle Sam (bailout) would soon get there
Last week saw Goldman Sachs raising the axe to come down on about 10,000 employees. The children were nestled all snug in their beds Most say that's a bad thing, but there's a contingent out there that applaud the bloodletting out there as a reawakening.Before parents came in with boxes, "We've been foreclosed, we're dead!"
Wall Street 2.0, they say, will be a kinder, gentler place to do business. Yep, Mamma, with her shotgun, me with a nightcap Gone will be the shady investors looking for backdoor deals, loopholes and abstract trading strategies. Trying to stay calm, perhaps sneak in a nap In other words, Wall Street will have a heart. Believable? When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter
Either way, Monday's trading was volatile. I sprang from the bed to see what's the matter? The S&P 500 is bracing for its worst month ever, save that time in 1929. Away to the window I flew in a flash; tore open the shutters and threw open the sash
Wall Street's horrendous fight is coinciding with the anniversary of the crash of 1929 in strange ways. And what to my wondering eyes should appear
The dramatic selling of Oct. 28-29 of 1929 - just like this month - kicked off widespread panic and helped spark the Great Depression. But a bald man named Paulson with a doe-eyed steer
Today, government finds itself more of a hand-holder rather than savior; Hedge funds and mutual funds have been shedding stocks like a sheep sheds wool.
What does it all mean?
We'll know soon enough, until then. Do what they don't want you to do: SAVE.

Divine Secrets of the CoCo SisterHood

Sisterhood : (n) Sibling, sisters and brothers; Sorority, a social organization for undergraduate students.

Aside from students, there are many, many organizations out there that you may or may not know about that deal in helping sisters to cope, work, play, live. The problems, issues and challenges of today are greater than they were yesterday. So where does a sister turn? Here are a few that I know of:

• Black Women in Sisterhood for Action (BISA)


• Global Sisterhood Network


• Sisterhood Soundoff


• Solar Sisterhood


• 
  Ha Ha Sisterhood


• Rich Women Sisterhood


• Krewe of Southern Sisterhood


• Sisterhood Split


• 
  Cyber Sisterhood


• 
  
  Single Sisterhood


• Sisterhood for Peace

These are just a few organizations that employ the term sisterhood. There are many more.

Have the Terrorists Bin Twittering?

Twitter is getting all Jihad on us: According to
a report, the government says that terrorists are already using Twitter and could use Twitter to Tweet the mess out of all of us soon. Understandably, this news has the government all atwitter with concern. The report cites Computerworld's coverage of how protesters at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul used Twitter to organize its movements and to help protesters get away from police. They say the terrorists could use the technology the same way. Could they?

Police ID Body as Jennifer Hudson's Nephew

Police late Monday identified the body of Julian King, the 7-year-old nephew of actress-singer Jennifer Hudson. Police found the boy's body in a vehicle belonging to Hudson's slain brother, Jason, 29.
The body was discovered "in the rear seat" of a white Chevrolet Suburban on Chicago's West Side Monday morning, according to the Chicago Police Department. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds, according to reports.
Immediately following the news of the body's discovery, Hudson's family members – assuming the worst – organized a church vigil. Several family members visited the medical examiner's office Monday afternoon.
It's been 3 days, Friday, since Hudson's mother and brother were found shot to death in their home. The stepfather, who's face has been plastered on TV screens for more than 36 hours now, has not been charged and is being referred to by police as a "person of interest" in the killings.
On Sunday evening, Hudson appealed to the public for help, offering a $100,000 reward for her nephew's safe return.
"Jennifer and her family appreciate the enormous amount of love, support and prayers they have received while she and her family try to cope with this tragedy and continue the search for Julian," her publicist Lisa Kasteler aid in a statement.
Hudson, who won an Oscar for her role in "Dreamgirls," has long been coy about her family's personal life. Questions about why should let her mother continue to live on Chicago's South Side have dogged her in recent years.
Jennifer's sister looked to be of a different cloth than her sister. He emotional appeal, oddly without mention of the boy's stepfather, last weekend set off a vicious search for the boy. "Give me my baby back. That's all I ask," Julia Hudson said. "I know he's out there. Put him on the side of the street. Just let him go."

The Hidden Face of Sex Addiction: Women

Eric Benet.
R. Kelly.
How about David Duchovny?
And now evidently a whole bunch of women. Many women are addicted to sex, according to a new study. This information flies in the face of decades of studies that show that the affliction was mainly dominant in men. A self-confessed sex addict writes in her new book that “Whenever there was a crisis,” she said, “I found a man to take the edge off the feelings of helplessness and pain” — regardless of the upheaval she risked unleashing on her husbands and two children. This woman spared no qualms about being a homewrecker. “Adultery is the drink-driving of sex addiction,” she said. But is it an illness or just an uncontrollable fascination? And is there a difference?

Celebrity Style: Ciara in the Summertime

Recording artist Ciara looks flawless in this yellow ensemble in the ATL. Her look is a testament to working out and and having the "Goodies," quite frankly.
Speaking of which, CiCi could use another hit like her debut single. "Goodies," came out at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling over 125,000 copies in its first week. Her debut album has sold 5 million copies.

Black Man 2.0

We all know The Plight, a hellacious cycle of abandonment, baby-daddyism and hypermasculinity that plagues black men in the United States. But do you see the new black man? The well-dressed, well-groomed prototype that has quietly saturated the streets? Although I hate the word metrosexual, the new black man is almost, like, half-gay. His sensibilities are softer, his voice is still deep but the edge is not as blunt, although he can be fussy. He's just as comfortable shopping as a woman is; it's ... hard to define really. It's like a new species. Call him, BM2.

Who Is Solange Frazao?

Type "Solange Frazao" in Google and you get a bunch of Spanish or Porteguese language pages about her, but I speak neither. Can somebody tell me who is Solange Frazao?

Solange Has the Hottest Legs in the Game. Period

You can have your hit records, your posters of big-booty celebrities, Solange Knowles has quietly carved out her own little niche in the entertainment world: Killer legs. The "Hadley St." singer is reportedly not dejected that her album didn't fly through the roof - and had prepared herself for such a reception from the public by stating that she did the album "for me." Obviously, she has a future as a prophetess, but there's no denying the girl's got some legs to stand on if the music thing doesn't work out.

Television's Age of the MILF

There's no denying that television has entered into the clone wars. Reality TV came, then everybody starting biting off one another. Then specific genres of reality got really hot (the quest genre i.e. "Survivor") and all the stations starting clamoring for that. But nowhere is this phenomenon more pronounced than the recent spate of shows about housewives. Well, we've got "Dirty" housewives (I think that's X rated though), housewives of "Atlanta", "Desperate Housewives (the first one and coincidentally not a reality TV show), housewives of "Orange County" and so on. Call it the age of the MILF. Hot, bored women who - in some cases - are collecting huge checks as beneficiary/baby mamas meet up with other bored trophy kittens to drink wine and talk smack. If "Housewives of Atlanta" is any indication of the genre's staying power, then it's pure comedy. They do get serious, but most times (as in the picture above of the "Housewives of New York City," it's mind-numbing entertainment. But the MILFs? Who can deny that?

This Photographer is Pretty Much Awesome

Is it Time to Go Into Survival Mode?

The stock market has officially tanked. Gas prices are on a yo-yo-roller coaster ride for the wallet. Home prices are better paid for in Monopoly money. W... the freak's going on? Is it time to scramble up some crackers, sardines and MREs and go underground? Is it time to go into survival mode? Probably not yet, but it is time to find new uses for old household items. Click here to find the whole list, but here's some tips:
Beauty and Grooming
These products are definite must-haves for many of your personal care needs.

-- Drizzle a few drops of baby oil into bathwater for a luxurious and moisture-rich spa treatment. Your skin will come out softer, which is a definite plus when the weather is dry.

-- Baby powder can serve as a deodorant, drying up excessive moisture on your palms, feet, and underarms.

-- The Black Book of Hollywood Secrets says that many celebrities, including Amanda Bynes and Angelina Jolie use baby powder on their scalp and hair to tame excess oil and to plump up limp locks.

-- Stretch perfume further by mixing a few drops of unscented baby oil with the fragrance, then apply. It enables the fragrance to wear longer on your skin.

-- Baby oil can replace shaving cream as the lubricant of choice for men or women.

Didn't know simple items could work, huh? Yep, they do.

The End of the White-Bread American Dream

If you've been leaving in a cave in Tasmania somewhere you might not have caught it, but, the American Dream is dying. Whether it was spurred by high gas prices, two wars at the same time or just good ole fashioned corporate greed, the A.D. (American Dream) is on the way out. But what's interesting, is that it's not just any ole American Dream, specifically the white-bread American Dream: The nice truck, late-model minivan, husband-wife, 2.5 kids and dog from the terrier genus, plus home with white picket fence. Nope, outta here. Been replaced by overworked manager with suicidal teen, wife who "friends" strangers on Myspace while Daddy's at work, and the single-car family. The people we know are increasingly colorful: Indians, Mexicans, Nigerians, and less and less from ... say, Idaho. Jobs are scarce; the employed are just as scared as the unemployed; what's happening? TO BE CONTINUED.

Corporate America's Fascination with the Curly-Haired Black Woman

Oh, it's far more than a coincidence: Corporate America has picked the curly-haired black woman as the prototypical avatar to lure customers. In various marketing and promotion campaigns, you see here wiggly hair and big smile next to a corporate logo. Is this a recent phenomenon? Surely it is. Why, how else to describe the sudden rash of similarly-coifed chicks?

It's amazing really: Corporate America has obviously determined that they can draw the middle-aged cash-spending black man, white woman and white man by the curly-haired black chick. Are curls making a comeback? Did they ever leave?
Wikidepedia sheds some light on hair and says that, while genetics play a part in who has straight hair and who does'nt, humidity and climate play just as important a role.
"Hair is genetically programmed to be straight, curly, 'kinky' or wavy, and it can change over time.
"Curly and/or 'kinky' hair is shaped like an elongated oval and grows at a sharp angle to the scalp. This growth pattern, in turn, determines the cross-section of the shafts.
"Hair, whether it is curly or straight, is affected by the amount of humidity in the air. It serves as a restoring force for the hair, forcing water back into the hair fiber and forcing hair shaft to return to its original structure. This may be more noticeable in somebody with curly hair because it tends to get frizzy when the humidity rises."
Black women know a thing or two about frizziness. But they didn't know it was now big business.

FTW Pic of the Day

Hot Weather's Almost Gone but ...

Shop: Condi as a Club Hottie

Beyond Mandingo: Dating in a Post-Racial Society

It used to be that people of different races tip-toed across the lines due to cultural or stereotypical taboos: White men were known to have the money, black men the sex. Now, interracial dating has taken on less superficial pretenses and more substance. A good friend of mine, a white woman, is dating a black man, and having the time of her life. They don't go out to plays, restaurants or even parties. They simply talk about deep things all day and night. Oh, their relationship is progressing nicely on the physical, but it's not about that, and increasingly it's more and more about intellectual attraction. This flies in the face of decades of social programming to make us think otherwise. With books, movies used to perpetrate a reality that may have never existed in the first place. Don't get me wrong, there's still lots of hate out there. But we owe our gratitude to Love, or better yet the Lovings. No, not the human emotion, but the till-death-do-us-part Loving couple during the Jim Crow era. They single handedly broke down the walls of American hypocrisy when it came down to interracial couples. Is it easier to date interracially now? Absolutely. But is the fight over? Unfortunately, not at all.

What if Afrocentricity Came Back?

It would be surprisingly simple: In mid-2009, If Barack or Michelle Obama as the First Couple chose to discard his tightly-cropped fade and she ditched the permed coif and went au naturale, would the world follow? Would the top celebrities - what if Beyonce rocked a 'fro? - Rihanna, Jay-Z, Chris Brown, Bono, Sting (yes, they can grow 'em and so can others) all took the cue and started growing nappy roots? What if it didn't stop with the hair, what if a focused re-education on Africa took place in the West? What if Afrocentricity came back? Not just the hairstyles, but the world view that all things Africa were important. Could it?

The Booty Pose: Necessary?

Add some alcohol, a bunch of women, a camera and stir.
Sooner or later, it will famously pop up (or toot down, I should say.)
The relentless staying power of the booty pose.
Why so popular? I mean, beside the fact that the fleshiest organ on the human body is bent all over in your face? I mean it is also the excrement depository for the body, but that's enough about anatomy. How about a simple, arms-folded, standing-straight-up smile? Women are endowed with beautiful smiles, frontal views with supple breasts, but the booty pose is the most popular one at the club. Why? Is it a not-so-subtle invitation to come hither? Are women sending estrogen smoke signals to men when they toot over like so? Whatever the reasons, the booty pose has shown elastic dexterity through the years.

Orwellian CounterProgramming At its Finest

Kells on if he likes girls: "How Old Are We Talking?"

Grown man and borderline pedo piper, Robert Kelly, recently spoke out on his child porn charges earlier this year. When asked straight up if he liked young girls, the "Feeling On Yo Booty" star replied: "How old are we talking?"Now, is it me or has he lost his mind? "How old we talking?" That's a violation on G.P. right there. Kelly needs to retire from the music business ASAP and start baking cookies or something. FAIL.

H-2.0: The Reinvention of Halle Berry

Admit it, do you like the skinny one or the healthy one?
She's come a long way since she played a crackhead opposite Gator in Spike Lee's "Jungle Fever," and who'd have thought she'd be the off-lead B girl in Eddy Murphy's "Boomerang"? Of course it all changed with the Oscar: fame, lead roles, Revlon and of course, baby makes three. In the last 10 years no woman has changed more than the irrepressible, unstoppable Halle Maria Berry. Who'd have thought a 40-year-old would be today's Sexiest Woman Alive? I mean, seriously. What we've been witnessing in real time, folks, is the emancipating process of a woman reinventing herself: Halle 2.0.
The old Halle was cute as a button, but frail. She was a domestic abuse survivor, a victim. The new Halle is fleshy, organic. The old hair style, the signature close crop became a statement way before her acting did. But the new Halle just lets it flow. Before Halle, women over 40 wouldn't be interested in babies. Halle has changed that. While working on new films and endorsements, she's also working on baby No. 2. Halle Berry is a PopWife.

Amy Winehouse Threatens to Kill Herself

You kinda knew it would come to this, but the erratic British Beehive, Amy Winehouse, is on suicide watch, according to MTV.
A source told the Daily Star newspaper: "Her friends managed to get the knife away from her but are now holding a 24-hour suicide watch."
Poor thing, we hope she doesn't put a shank in that hair of hers, like she is known to do with that white girl.
The story continues: "She is all for this stupid Sid Vicious notion of dying young. She is not scared of it and believes it is her destiny."

5 Reasons to Smile At Work During These Economic Days

(1) YOU'RE WORKING: Yes, we know, you hate your job, but trust me, there's a whole lotta people out there that want employment. Even if your job sucks (and trust me some do). In the past year the U.S. economy has shed around 600,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

(2) - YOU'RE UNDERPAID: Believe it or not, be glad you're not making your true worth. Yeah, it hurts to eat at Popeyes for dinner instead of Ruth Chris Steakhouse, but where are your priorities? If your job is like most others, employees at every level usually fall within a defined salary range, and those at the upper end are usually targeted for dismissal when there's a meltdown. Do the math: Highly paid individuals are more at risk simply because they are more expensive.

(3) - YOU DON'T HAVE $100,000 IN THE BANK: Or the credit union, much less anywhere. Face it, you barely have $3,000 in liquid assets, which you were kinda hoping you could spend on that new ride for 2009. Well, the FDIC says they'll insure up to $100,000 in any one account so you don't have to worry about losing your deposits. Right? I mean, you know the FDIC wouldn't lie ... right?

(4.) YOU'RE NOT HARRY PAULSON: Basing his carefully planned press conference on the premise that he is E.F. Hutton, the Treasury Secretary opened his mouth today about the economy and the market tanked. Not since that scene in the "Titanic" where the maker of the large vessel says "Oh, if the 4th compartment floods, we're in deep doodoo!" or something like that.

(5.) YOU'RE NOT DICK FULD: True enough, as head of Lehman Brothers, Fuld could buy me right now, but that doesn't mean he can't get DeBo'ed at a gym days after announcing the collapse of Lehman Brothers. So, things could be worse for us right now rather than slaving at a two-bit job.

Scientific Evidence That Says Angel Luv's Asset isn't Real

Few things are as different and unique to each individual as human anatomy: Your hands are your hands, your ears, as similar as they are to someone else's, are uniquely yours. Video model Angela Lola Luv's buttocks is scientifically freakish: It doesn't look right. It's bulbous without the support of a fleshy back. To help you with the visual, we've contrasted her back with former Destiny Chillen Kelly Rowland. Now, notice how Kelly's is all proportional within God's plan? Now, look at Angel's ... the Devil's work indeed. Now, black women are known to have some ample waist flair but Angel's is crazy. Is it real, or a gift? We're willing to bet that the gluteus has been bioengineered in some way. Now, in what way we can't say. But consider a few facts about the organ she's so famous for.
As Wikepedia so elegantly puts it "It arises from the posterior gluteal line of the ilium, and the rough portion of bone including the crest, immediately above and behind it; from the posterior surface of the lower part of the sacrum and the side of the coccyx; from the aponeurosis of the erector spinae (lumbodorsal fascia), the sacrotuberous ligament, and the fascia covering the gluteus medius (gluteal aponeurosis).

The fibers are directed obliquely downward and lateralward;

* those forming the lower and larger portion of the muscle, together with the superficial fibers of the lower portion, end in a thick tendinous lamina, which passes across the greater trochanter, and is inserted into the iliotibial band of the fascia lata;
* the deeper fibers of the lower portion of the muscle are inserted into the gluteal tuberosity between the vastus lateralis and adductor magnus."
So, you see? It can't possibly be hers.

Remembering the Black Male Perm

Perhaps it was a preoccupation with European hairstyles, or a rejection of afrocentric features - whatever it was, what is undeniable is ... it happened. Yes, the Black Male Perm is well documented in American society, on record covers, concert programs and pictures throughout the homes of black families. It was big, it was bad, it was bodacious. The Black Male Perm got its start most noticably in the 1920s, when the likes of Cab Calloway and various nightclub dancers played to largely white audiences in juke joints up north. The "city slicker" look was complete with delicately coifed hair that swung with the tempo on dance numbers. It hit the American streets shortly after, transforming the culture along the way. Eighty years later their are only a few holdouts of this style, namely the impenetrable Al Sharpton (who got the look from godfather of soul James Brown). While we are thankful your time has passed, we shall never forget you, oh fondly recalled Black Male Perm.

Luscious Droid: The Servant

Does Black Hollywood Have A Lonely Wives Club?

Black Hollywood actresses have money, style, bodies to kill for, everything except ... men. Why? Is there a eligible man shortage in black Hollywood? Is there a smorgasbord of single females, too many to all be happily mated? The biggest names seem to have the emptiest nests when it comes to men? What's the matter? Is it difficult to keep the peace?Are there any available men left?

The Obamas: A PDA Unlike We've Seen

The Obamas are photogenic, telegenic, and even eccentric, in all the right ways.
They hug each other, kiss each other, dance with each other in way that makes marriage look cool and fun. Is this a charade, or are they that much into each other? We've seen ex-President Clinton and ex-Vice President Gore bend their wives backward and plant sloppy ones, but not the constant attendances that Barack does to Michelle. This is new.

I recently had a girl tell me that "they're playing to the cameras," about it all: the googoo eyes, the reassuring touches. True enough, the media has managed to catch some awful good shots of the Obamas just being - well, for lack of a better word, loving. Is anything wrong with that?

Is the Bling Era Dead?

With the economic crisis cascading over the Earth, is it reasonable to be about bling right about now? Rap and R&B videos still promote a lifestyle that is increasingly out of touch for the common American man and woman, and this is more or less alienating them from real life. Does it matter? Or are tween and teenage customers able to know the difference between a stylized fictional image and what's really happening? Are rappers feeling the affects of the downturn or are they richer than ever due to ringtone sales and the like?

Wherefore Has Melyssa Ford Gone?

The term "video vixen" didn't have much resonance until a curvaceous Toronto native stormed the hip-hop video world in the late 1990s. Her name was Melyssa Ford, discovered pouring drinks at a T.O. nightclub by a video director. She went on to do modeling work, TV and radio, and has recently been seen on the big screen (Days of Wrath). While always priding herself with not being a groupie and sexual object, her career has taken a noticeable dip lately. She has gotten cameos in movies, but no starring roles. She has gotten magazine spreads but no prominent interviews. Is Melyssa Ford winning? Other video vixens have catapulted past her, namingly Superhead andBuffie the Body, using their curves to sign business agreements, but Ford who studied forensic psychology in school, has yet to show the business acumen that the other women have. Of course, the other women are alot more naked than she is. But will Ford keep her moral standards, or dip down into the money-rich lair of semi-nudism that so many other video women have found themselves?

That Hot Ghetto Mess Dress

Killer dresses are certainly a necessary evil.

They draw all kinds of attention, much of it unwanted. They also show off your style, personality and figure like nobody’s business. Tastefulness is a lost art these days, but so is good material. Now, if you don’t have a style maven to depend on then all is not lost: Dresses often take on a life of their own, and that’s a good thing. Try on one of your best dresses and assessorize to make it better. And when posing for pictures? Try not to do the customary “booty shot”! LOL.

The Rise of the Euroasian Afro

Centuries of styles of European and Asian men have come and gone without so much as a whim toward toward the African continent. In the last 20 years, with the soaring saturation of hip-hop music, things have changed. First noticed in Japan with the popularity of the hip-hop group, Wu Tang Clan, the style of hip-hop artists are now one in the same with the world’s cool and chic set. But recently, even the most African of hairstyles, the afro, has been adopted by the Eurasian populace. The afro is easy to manage, quick to groom and comfortable to wear. It is both business and pleasure, sure and sensitive. Let’s all welcome our European and Asian brothers to the fold! (Cue warm applause).