Black Comics in Drag: A Trend?

Take a black male comedian, give him a show or movie ... and sooner or later the lipstick and wig comes out.
Is it coincidence or do black male comics all have the same schtick? What schtick? The schtick of mimicking women, complete with heels, stockings and in some cases, a girdle?
With the upcoming release of the full-feature length "Madea Goes to Jail" by the wunderkind Tyler Perry the debate will no doubt stir again. Perhaps more comics will see this as a way to enter the business.
Reminded I am when Spike Lee made a thinly veiled plea to Perry to take on an MLK biopic, I wonder what the fascination is with Hollywood seeing black men in drag.
Of course, there are PLENTY of This textothers (sidenote: Remember that movie, HavPlenty? WTF now?) who have donned the makeup, including A-listers such as Tom Hanks, who got his renown from a little sitcom where he performed in drag. Don't get me wrong, I get it. It's funny, at times. But does it seem that Hollywood has enabled black comics to put on that dress a little too eagerly? Perry's Madea blows them all away because her character is central to almost all of his other plays. But some say that the portrayals feed into the line of thinking that "If a black comic wants a blank check from Hollywood, he has to put on a dress." I don't know. What do you think?

"Soaked You In" (original) by Kayte Grace

See more real people belting out songs in the menu above "YouSingit."

Study: Masterbation Linked to Prostate Cancer

First, let me just say ...
... DAYUM!!!
Ahem, now.
In absolutely crushing news to post-college single men across the world, a new study says masterbation is linked to early prostate cancer.
The god-awful study says that frequent jacking off in the 20s and 30s is a high indicator to prostate cancer. Interestingly, men who self-pleasured in their 60s and beyond (really?) have a lessened risk. Of course, the word "frequent" is not defined, so there is room for vagueness in the study. So, according to this study men in their 20s and 30s have a vested interest in settling down and being with a consistent partner. What a novel idea!

McClure to do "Children of the Corn" Remake

Kandyse McClure is the sci fi sista, one of the only two prominent black women to be featured weekly on the Sci Fi channel.
She's been chosen to play a starring role in the remake of "Children of the Corn," a weird movie based on a Stephen King short story. McClure, native of South Africa, calls Vancouver, British Columbia home.
McClure is best known for her role as Anastacia Dualla in "Battlestar Galactica." The producers loved her so much, upon the show's demise, they have thrown her a cherry role in the "Corn" remake (she had done Stephen King before in the "Carrie" remake).
Look for her to shine in the upcoming Sci Fi movie.

More White Men Dating Darker, Chocolate Women

More white men are opting for the darker "more chocolate" black women.
My circle of white male friends are all dating or marrying not just beautiful African American women, but dark ones.
Of course, there is no hard data, but it's obvious from casual observances in the bigger cities (and smaller) over the past few years that the attraction is mutual. Make no mistake about it: This is a retreat from the nation's interracial dating history. See, historically white men preferred those closer to their complexion, although slavery shows us that they have always satisfied themselves with browner women. Now truth be told, the complexion of a human being is but a paperthin shell undependent of one's heart. It is cosmetic, superficial. But it is exactly that superficiality that people have allowed to dictate their mindset for years and years. Now, it's not rare to see a white man with a beautiful dark-skinned woman. And of course, the beautiful children they create.

The "Loves" That Flavor Flav Begat

No television channel owes more to a failed relationship than Vh1. The "adult" music channel, which targets an audience from 18 - 34 years old, is enjoying a historic run unlike any in cable (or network) TV history. And who's it all because of? A former revolutionary crackhead and a has-been Danish model. Never has a relationship been so influential to television programming as has William Drayton's love for Brigette Nielsen. That show has spawned 14 spin-offs (more than "Happy Days", "The Jeffersons", "Good Times" and "The Cosby Show" spin-offs combined, awakening in VH1 an almost Master P-like work ethic (and promotions to producers) to spit out shows that begat shows that begat shows. While Flav and Brigette have long parted ways, VH1 has just wrapped the hyper-corny (but laughable) "Real Chance at Love" with plans for a new installment of "I Love Money" series. Below is a look at the shows that Flavor Flav's love begat:

Winter Blahs Are Almost Over

Beach weather is only about 40 days away, people, it's okay, calm down, calm down. I hear it's snow flurries in Nashville, while in the ATL is a chilly 40 degrees. But soon enough, soon enough, we'll all be able to thaw out and chillax in the sun at the beach. Then you can actually get in the water ... then you too can have naps like this on your neck. LOL.

Priscilla Renea "Touch My Buddy"

Rihanna Joining "Charlie's Angels"?

Move over, Beyonce as Wonder Woman, island gal Rihanna may work herself into the "Charlie's Angels" sequel in the works, according to movie zine Sci Fi Wire.
While there is no word on whether Rihanna is even interested in the part, the "Angels" producer Nancy Juvonen, is quoted as saying she wanted another angel to help the box office. "I'm having a Rihanna fixation myself," is what she then said.
Jovonen is married to funnyman Jimmy Fallon and has run a production company (Flower Films) with Drew Barrymore for a number of years now.
But can RiRi leave the side of Chris Breezy long enough to complete a film? Word is that the two are inseparable, but even more than that, RiRi has been known to stake out the joint if celebrity stalkers have an eye for her boy Chris.
The "Charlie's Angels" role - if Rihanna accepts - would be on the heels of "Black Mama Widow," which she is in production now.

'ATL Housewife' DeShawn lets go, and lets God

DeShawn Snow has taken the news that she's no longer "Atlanta Housewife" material in stride, devoting more of herself to her DeShawn Snow Foundation and her church, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia.
The fact that DeShawn turned to God after the show throws an interesting light on the other "Atlanta Housewives". What was it about the others that allowed them to make the cut for Season 2? Are the others not spiritual people as well? Or is DeShawn the only angel on the show? From her web site (which has been redesigned recently) she offers that she's had a reawakening since the show.
Rumors that she was the most boring personality in reality show history or that she refused to even try to work out/exercise may not be true, but what is true is that she went through some changes during Season 1.
The biggest was the retirement-due-to-injury of her husband NBA player Eric Snow. Officlally, the Cleveland Cavaliers say he has arthritic-related symptoms in his left knee and has retired. Unofficially he is serving as an assistant coach with the team and may join the staff on a permenent basis this year.
The salary change would be dramatic. After his last contract, in which Snow will be paid $7 million this year, a novice assistant coach will likely drop down to about $400,000 to $500,000. Not small change by any imagination, but enough evidently to get DeShawn to look deeper at her life and where it was going. Below is a statement on her site where she clues the world in on her thought process:

Well, there you have it. Not some anticlimatic reason, but just a simple DeShawn realization. In any event, she's still an ATL housewife, just without the show.

Big Lips On Rise Despite Economy

Lips make a person.
It's been said that most people can get away with funny colored eyes, perhaps an odd shaped nose, but lips?
You gotta have some presentable lips in a functioning society. Which may be why, despite our little recession-depression, botox-injected lips continue to hold steady, according to doctors. While the economic has put the crunch on face-lifts, tummy tucks and all kinds of body modification, big lips are sucking up ('scuse the pun) the void.

Those in the know say lip pumpers cost less than injections. So, people - men and women - are going the pump route to have fuller lips. In Russia especially are full lips enjoying a craze.
Now, why the craze, you may say? Well, for some they simply want to look younger (nothing like injecting collagen into the lips to bring back 20- 30 years), but for others they are just addicted.
Of course, I don't have to tell you that black women have been castigated, ridiculed and ostracized because of their round, full lips. But the question is why are people now trying to imitate what they used to denigrate? What changed?

Kanye West Debuts Louis Vuitton Kicks

Louie Vuitton has unveiled the Kanye West inspired sneaker series of 5 kicks. The first, shown in the pic, will be available in June. West was the LV show in Paris recently where he was accessible to hundreds of fans and fashionistas alike. West has become like a walking billboard for LV lately, but I guess it's just a natural progression (Run DMC had Adidas).

Obama Doll Scary As Mutha

I don't know, maybe it's my childhood coulrophbia (fear of clowns). Maybe it's just me, but this Obama doll is just too life-like. Anything that is fake but too realistic, just gives me the creeps. Plus, I keep thinking about the movie "Tales From the Hood," where they had this segment on "niglets" that kept running after this man.
I mean, if I walked outta my kitchen and saw something like this laying in the cut ... YEESH. Getting chills just thinking about it. Anyway, a Japanese company has made these dolls and evidently they are doing pretty well over there, so now they're gauging Americans' interest. I don't know, would you buy one for your son, daughter, niece, nephew?

Chris Rock's "Good Hair" unbeweavable

Comedian Chris Rock said he was apprehensive about bringing his documentary about the black hair experience to the Sundance Film Festival in Utah this week.
"Because I think this is the blackest movie ever made," said Rock, a producer and co-writer on the film. "So I was kind of scared to come to Utah, because it's so white."
"Good Hair" is chockful of interviews with celebrities and people who have unique hair - including Al Sharpton, Raven Symone, Ice T, Eve, Maya Angelou and Nia Long.
Several hair shows are featured in the film including Atlanta's Bonner Brothers gala and the irresistable "Hair Wars" of Detroit.
All types of woman instill witty insights about their hair from those under the dryer to those undergoing perms with chemicals that damage the scalp to those that pay thousands to have hair from India (Rock makes a trip to the Far East to track down where the exotic, silky black strains comes from).
So, the question is, why, do you think, black women (and by extension all black people) are so self-conscious about their hair?

Malia and Sasha Wear JCrew? JCrew's Web Site Goes Down

JCrew is reporting that its Web site is back up today after it went down Tuesday after the media mentioned that the First Daughters Malia and Sasha Obama were sporting CrewCuts, the junior size of the JCrew franchise. No doubt millions of people placed orders online as the site's traffic went through the roof. Malia, 10, was resplendent in a double-breasted periwinkle-blue coat with a blue-ribbon bow at the waist; Sasha, 7, cuted it in a pink coat with orange scarf and satin belt, a coral-colored dress underneath.

URGENT: Free Cosmetics Available While Supplies Last

Hurry to Lenox Mall, or to any department stores: Starting Tuesday all the major ones (Macys, Saks 5th Avenue, Bloomingdale's, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, etc.)will begin giving away cosmetics as a result of a class-action settlement they lost in 2004.
It all stems from a lawsuit accusing the companies of price-fixing on cosmetics. While the stores haven't admitted to price-fixing they agreed to settle the case by giving away up to $175 million in cosmetics.

Does this apply to all customers?
No, but those who purchased a product from one of the manufacturers (Estee Lauder, Chanel, L'oreal etc.) named in the suit between 1994 and 2003 are eligible to get one free cosmetic product.
What if I don't have my receipt?
No receipt or proof of purchase is necessary.
What if I bought several things?
Only one product per customer is allowed.
The giveaway began Tuesday and will end Jan. 26 -- or until stores run out. Any remaining cosmetics would then be given to charity.
To get the full list of manufacturers, check out THIS LINK.
At Macy's stores, for instance, free products will be set on tables in the cosmetics department. Please contact the other stores to find out their setup.

Social Web site + Your Nudity = No Job4U

Social networking has taken the Web by storm in the past 2 - 3 years: People have acquired "Friends" by the thousands, conversations have been enjoyed by diverse people across the globe and ... people - normally reserved shy people - are putting rude pics, nude pics all up on the Web for the world to see.
Is that smart?
Last year it was reported that companies have their recruiters scouring the Web to make sure potential candidates haven't played themselves on the Web. But guess what: So many have.
So many people (not to mention malicious pranksters)have put nude shots of themselves on the Net that it's like they don't want to ever get a job. And to think, we're in a recession-depression.
Would you do it?
Could you do it?

Social compartmentalization: A theory

'After we had sex, our relationship changed," she said. Statements like those have been uttered millions of time over the decades and perhaps centuries.
Things were going so peachy between the two of you; sex seemed to mess it all up. Evr felt like that?
If so then you have probably stumbled upon the rationalization of compartmentalization.
Compartmentalization means fractionalizing your relationships into compartments.
This is all heady stuff, but if you think about it, it all stems from the basic social unit we all know and love: family.
Every other relationship is an offshoot, and derivative of that one. But because of our need (or lack of) family we compartmentalize our friendships.
Where there used to be just boyfriends and girlfriends (pre-cursors to husbands and wives), now there are cut-buddies, and simply hookups, "friends with benefits," etc.
So, as you sit and realize that you just had sex with a big playboy bunny, it all seems to sink in, we're all trying to get family, or what's familiar to us.
It all gets complicated after sex, doesn't it?
The questions are many: "Are we friends ... or lovers ... or was it (gulp) jes sumptin ta do?
The crux of the matter is: Do you have compartments for your friends?

BEWARE: 'Koobface' is out there

Koobface.
That's the name of the virus that is ravaging Facebook as we speak. It infects by asking you to download a Youtube video by updating your Adobe Flash Player.
Don't do it.
According to the New York Times, once a computer has become infected with the Koobface worm, it spams the friends belonging to the owner of the computer by leaving comments on their profiles. Those comments appear to come from the infected user, saying things like "Are you sure this is your first acting experience?", "is it u there?", "impressive. i'm sure it's you on this video", "How can anyone get so busted by a spy camera?" and "You're the whole show! i'm admired with you."
It's amazing how many emails we get with bad English and we still open them. Anyway, social networking sites such as Bebo and blackplanet are being hit as well. There's also a black celebrity web site (that shall go nameless) that has a particularly nasty bug. So, be careful.

Inauguration Whoring: It's Happening

Craigslisters in New York are going crazy trying to get to D.C. for the inauguration. Millionaire bachelors (and wannabees) are pulling out all the stops to make it a "date" trip. LOL. Would you go with a catering stranger?

'Real Shapes': Are THEY Keeping it Real?

There is a subtle but growing backlash in the fashion world over the "Loose 2" theory among female models (It is said that a woman model with any chance of being taken seriously in fashion needs to be a "loose 2" dress size.)
The fashion world has reacted by coming out with rules governing weight loss in hopes of detracting attention from a worsening public image and the message it sends to young girls.
But the music industry continues to perpetrate the myth that thin is in: Album covers feature idealized stars that have no hopes of looking like they do in promotional materials yet the image is plastered everywhere. The fact is that, in an age of "keeping it real" these artists - and by extension their music - dwell in unreality.
Now this is a separate issue from ,photoretouching (if you go to this link, mouse over the image) which is practiced by media outlets everywhere (here's another one). I'm specifically talking about models' bodies here.
A "real beauty" campaign by Dove last year featured ads with real women with real body shapes and did much to counter the message that skinny chicks get the models.
It is said that Tyra Banks, who is packing on the pounds, is being ordered to lose weight for "America's Next Top Model". What is incredible about that, is that ANTM is her OWN SHOW! Will she cower to the TV executives and try to lose weight, or will she stand up and show off her real "bootylicous {her words}" beauty? So far she has compromised by executives only allowing the top half of her body to be shown, since the lower half is obviously not in line with "ANTM" ideals. But why should she have to hide her body? What do you think?

Safe Sex: Do You Insist?

Do you insist?
The both of you are hot and heavy, bodies are being pulled, tugged, rubbed upon, but do you insist ... on protection?
The numbers say, millions aren't.
STDs are on the rise, according to a new study.
A record 1.1 million cases of chlamydia were reported in 2007 with doctors saying the numbers reflect better testing, not necessarily more people infected.
The stats show an overall increase in STDs as more people choose to ignore safety for pleasure.
Syphilis, which was on the brink of elimination just 10 years ago, rose modestly.
Gonorrhea held steady. So, what does all this mean?
It means be careful as heck.
According to the latest statistical data:

In the U.S. 4.3 million people have chlamydia.
For gonorrhea, it's more than 800,000.
For herpes, one in four U.S. adults.
It means things are getting scary out there.

Adult Sexting: Cool?

'Sexting' did not exist when I was in middle school or even high school.
The dating game has changed.
Used to be, you had to actually know (face to face contact) a person to talk to them. Now, you can text them something cool and just wait.
But what happens when said high schooler becomes a collegiate indeed a young adult? Those same crafty skills and appetite for private voyeurism may well get him slapped, or killed. ("Did you just take a photo of me? SMACK!)"
In Canada, a boy in private school was jailed in December after keeping explicit photographs of his 15 year-old teenage girlfriend on his school computer.
Grownups that sext run the risk of totally turning off their objects of attention, since it may be seen as a cop-out.

Despite the eruption on news stories about it, adults and sexting don't go together very well.
Take exhibit A: Christine Beatty, a married woman of two small kids, and Kwame Kilpatrick, a married married man of three kids who happened to serve as mayor of Detroit at the time. The two had a sexual affair well documented via text messages that the world can now partially see. When "Sexting" we gain boldness, a confidence built on the fact that we aren't communicating face to face.
People who sext "have assigned a different moral code to online or mobile phone communication. They wouldn't say one thing to someone's face, but think it's OK to say the same thing via text message," one doctor is quoted as saying. I don't know if I totally agree with that, but I will say it's much easier to date now (not that I'm dating).

Keke J's "Love" (Keyshia Cole)

Help. "I'm Losing My Home!"

In a record foreclosure year in 2008, states and cities, none more disturbing than like what's happening in Georgia, had record numbers of people losing their homes. But this year shows that last year was just the tip of the ice berg: a recent report says Georgia will have more than 8,400 homes auctioned off in the next month. That's a staggering increase, and does not bode well for the many families, school districts, churches and communities that house these people.
We're not talking about people who were not watching their money; we're not talking about idiots: we're talking the greatest number of displaced young black professionals since the Great Depression (and even then the segments that willingly migrated were by and large laborers).
Imagine getting a letter from the mortgage company saying that your home will be foreclosed. I actually know several people this is happening to right now. And there's no end in sight.
Again, this is going on not just in Georgia put in several cities across the nation as people - middle-class, working, yuppies, buppies - lose their homes. Do you know anybody losing their home?

Related stories: 'I'm losing my home' Horror stories

'It's making me physically ill'


'Lose my boyfriend ... now my flat'


an A.R.M. and a leg'


'Losing it, my home ... my life'


'Lost my wife, kids, now I'm losing my home'


'Help! I'm losing my home to foreclosure'

The Golden Globe red carpet pics you didn't see

Jay-Z and the Queen Bey graced the red carpet to flashing cameras everywhere.



Jay-Z congratulates Leonardi DiCaprio as Tom Cruise looks on.



Brangelina showed why they're Hollywood's It couple.



Tom Cruise gets a Best Son nod for bringing his mum to the ceremony.



Eva Mendes, the premiere Latin American actress, looked the part.



Thespian Larry Fishburn and wifey Gina Torres were the picture of elegance.


Taraji P. Henson, whom I just included in a piece, was in the house.



Selma Hayek, always well-dressed, was on point.


Drew Barrymore has come a long way since the Goonies.



Diddy, fresh from crying his eyes out at the "Notorious" premiere, rode dolo.



Ashton Kutcher and everyone's favorite mom, Demi Moore, made a serious run at the Power Couple of the Night Award.


Blair Underwood, fresh from getting canned from the "Dirty, Sexy, Money" TV drama, and wifey Desiree DeCosta looked stunning.

"Swagger Like Us" (JohnJohn's Drum Version)

Is he sick with it? Or is it me?

Study: Pear-Shaped Booties Better Than Apple-shaped

'The apple shape is more dangerous."
That's the actual quote that jumps out at you from a new study about disease linked to body shape.
First of all what is it with these doctors and food analogies for the human anatomy? What's next, banana-shaped penises over celery-shaped? Anyway, a new study now says it is actually healthier for a woman with a big butt and who is top heavy. Apparently it decreases the risk of diabetes. According to the study done by researchers at Harvard Medical School, hip fat and buttock fat act to block harmful deposits that thinner, skinnier women would be exposed to. It's not all good news for the pears though: Maladies such as osteoporosis, varicose veins, eating disorders, and even negative self-image perceptions such as low self-esteem are more common in women who carry extra weight in the lower body, Dr. Eric Braverman says. Dr. Braverman is an author on nutritional subjects, but has his sayers and naysayers.