Kelis rocks that 'Na'vi Steez'

Eva Mendes is going hard these days

We've all seen it before: Starlet does some pretty okay projects, gets noticed and starts to see her star rise. The names are legion: Beyonce, Alicia keys, Ashanti, etc.
But sooner or later the clothes start to come off the risque'-ness seems to take over. Rihanna, most recently comes to mind. How about Ciara? And now Eva Mendes. The Latin lover has been turning up the thermometer for a few years now since she starred with Denzel in that crime thriller "Out of Time". Ms. Mendes is back now with some seriously hot pics in the latest Calvin Klein advertisement, and well, can you say fuego?

Study: Pretty Women get Madder

If you're cute then you may get kind of demonic when upset, according to University of California researchers.
Women who described themselves as pretty were more mean-spirited when it came to attacks, according to the study. They got angry more easily. Attractive women also had higher expectations that others, according to the study.
Is this really a news flash to men? I don't think so, but to some it may be, seeing how some men have simply given up going for the trophy and are content with the normal chicks and even less than normal chicks (hey, that's a good thing).
All the drama, the catfighting , the conflict, etc. can be traced to the superiority complex that these "good-looking' women supposedly have.
While that's good news for the "regular" chicks out there, some people may argue that the really "attractive" women weren't all that regular to begin with.
My name is Bennett ...

Politician: Virginity 'greatest gift you can give'

Evidently, in Australia, a hman's virginity is not worth the breat he uses to acknowledge it. Not so though when it comes to women, according to off-center politician Tony Abbott.
Addressing a women's group, Abbot said he'd tell his own daughters that "the greatest gift that you can give someone" is your virginity.
He said the pureness, the innocence of it all would be in constrast to the blood, sweat and tears that a man gives.
Good thing Abbott was Down Under, and not in Chicago or Baltimore. That's the last thing young males need to hear is that their sperm is useless (of course, they already hear it , some for good reasons).
Of course there are those who say that what Abbott said was the truth and they see nothing wrong with it , but the fact that he prefaced his argument as if to say that male virginity was less sacred, not as much a big deal, well, that's unfortunate.

Beyonce's a gamer

Next time you're playing video games online you could be going up against Sasha Fierce herself. Yeah, it seems Jill Scott isn't the only celeb that wants to "stay home from work and play vi.deo games". Beyonce evidently is a huge gamer.
"I play with everybody, and they curse me out when I make mistakes, and kick me out of the room. I love it, it's really fun because no one knows it's me," Beyonce said.
But I wonder what games does Beyonce play? Madden? Is she a "World of Witchcraft" type, or does she play "Doom"? Oh, I know, it's gotta be "Halo".

Hottest name in Hollywood? Kardashian

In three short years, the name Kardashian has become bigger those Hollywood socialite magnets -- the Hilton girls and Nicole Richie -- that spawned them.
With their recent love lives enhancing their brand (not to mention their purses), the Kardashians are the biggest name in Hollywood these days.
Kim, who shot to notoriety after the release of a graphic sex tape of her with Brandy's brother, is so big that her tweets are rumored to be commercial advertisements that fetch upwards of $10,00 a pop (She denies it).
Kloe (known as the 'harsh' looking one) scored the hand of Los Angeles Laker Lamar Odom after a courtship that lasted less than the application process for a mortgage.
And even Kourtney (the small one) has her face plastered on TV everywhere and is them mother of the bunch the after recently giving birth to a baby boy (who will no doubt soon be the first infant with a Twitter account).
The girls, quite simply, are everywhere.
But when did the Kardashian name first hit the L.A. scene?
IN the early 1970s, Robert Kardashian, a lawyer, used to hang out with the most recognizable athlete in the United States, O.J. Simpson (Ali was bigger across the world, but in the States his name was mud in alot of states).
O.J. introduced Kardashian to the Hollywood elite and they both raised kids together. The elder Kardashian left law for about a decade though, resurfacing only to aid his friend O.J. in his murder trial. He passed away in 2003 from cancer. His widow, Kris, brought another world-class athlete into the fold: Bruce Jenner.
Now, Kim is courting yet another world-class athlete, Reggie Bush: See where all this is going? The rich get richer ...

Christina Aguilera sings 'Lift Me Up' on Hope for Haiti

Watch John Legend sing "Motherless Child" for Hope for Haiti telethon.


Watch Jay-Z, Bono and Rihanna sing "Stranded" for Hope for Haiti telethon.

Watch Justin Timberlake and Matt Morris sing "Hallelujah" for Hope for Haiti telethon.

Beyonce sings 'Halo' at Hope for Haiti telethon

Barbie aint the only bad chick, ya know

All this Barbies that have sprung up out of thin air in the last year should broaden their horizons: There are a host of other bad chicks in popular culture which could be emulated (Even Barbie, which debuted in 1959, had competition back then). I mean what does a plastic toy (who's never even made it to the big screen) have on animated characters and talk, walk and shake what their animators gave them? Here's a list:

Velma was looking 'Rooby, Rooby Dooo' Good

If rolling with dogs is nothing new to you, then Velma [that's Miss Dinkley if ya scrappy] of Scooby Doo fame would have been the joint to craft your image on. She rocks the sophisticated specs and was pretty much the "brains" of the crew. And did you peep that stylish turtle neck and tennis skirt?

Do you dream of 'I Dream of Jeannie'?

Barbara Eden played a genie who was 2,000 years old and a slave to an astronaunt husband played by Larry Hagman. If chicks wanted to really be 5-star in the true "I Dream of Jeannie" mode, you'd see them floating up and down 42nd Street with baggy pajama-like pants and a lace shawl talmout 'Your wish is my command.' What's that? Oh, didn't think so.

Or you can go Black to the future

When it comes to being on the cutting edge, no chick could beat Joan Jetson, one half of the tech-saavy clan that showed American television what the future, albeit animated, would look like. Joan kept her husband on the level and did it all with a cool about herself. How advanced were they? "The Jetsons" were talking on iPhones before Steve Jobs had a job.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Mary Poppins should have won out when it came to girls wanting to be someone from the light side of pop culture. Barbie can't fly. Nor can she hold a note in a 2-hour musical and tap dance, act and cry on command (You go, Ms. Poppins). Miss Poppins also inspired a certain singer from Barbados to pen a tune about her umbrella.

What about the star of "Bewitched"?

How about someone 'Bewitched'?

Perhaps for some special magic you badder than a witch? In "Bewitched," which was popular in the early 1970s, a young woman named Samantha marries a regular Joe and proceeds to spice things up a bit with her supernatural powers. If you're thinking green skin and broomsticks, think again: Samantha was a 5-star witch. Who Sam vs. Barb? Barbie wouldn't stand a chance.

Poll: Everybody Likes Michelle

Poll numbers schmoll numbers: Barack may be falling harder than a rock, but people think the world of Michelle, according to a new poll in the L.A. Times. That means former First Ladies Hillary Clinton and Barbara Bush evidently didn't have that twinkle in the eye that 'Chelle has displayed.
Sure, there has been hate, but Michelle has collectively given the naysayers the gas face -- and looked good in doing it.
How was she maintained such a positive image? She's simply remained herself, experts say. Meanwhile her husband has castigated Harvard cops for acting "stupidly," assailed Fox News and even called Kanye West "a jackass". Well, two outta three aint bad.

Rise of the camera-phone photographer

Used to be when you wanted to "make a picture" (as they say down South) you had to send it in to be developed into a Space Station 13-type pod at the Kodak store or local pharmacy. That is, if you didn't have your own developing room, a pitch-black room illuminated with a scary red light and consumed with the smell of old bread and skunk pee.
But that's what it took to be a photographer, an art form that paid off big time in the form of magazines, posters and photo albums.
But with the rise of the do-it-all camera, photography is being set back a 100 years. Not only are people not interested in the "science" and "art" of photo-taking (quick, what does aperture mean?) but people are snapping photos with the phone in them.
It's become so common place that the art of photography as we know it is slowly dying. Curse you, Internet!

Celebrity Style: Alicia Keys boots up

Kelly Rowland channels Rosie the Riveter

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Colorism within the black community: Why?

From a documentary on colorism at Texas State University, these black women share their experiences behind the phenomenom known as "colorism".

Make way, it's the Sisters Saldana

At the Golden Globes last week one couldn't help but notice at the "Avatar" table, Zoe Saldana sitting next to a girl that looked like her twin. So strong was the resemblance that I thought she and not Zoe was going to get up and trot to the stage when "Avatar" won one of its awards.
Let's see, there's Zoe, Mariel (the deadringer) and Cisely, the Saldana sisters.
To put this in perspective, in the movie Jake Sully could have had three hot Na'vi sisters to choose from, which would have totally wrecked the plot, but, hey, who cares? No word on whether Cisely or Mariel have been bitten by the acting bug, but I'm sure they are impressed when a sibling is involved in only the greatest movie of all time, well, the 2nd-best.
Trust, when Hollywood gets a gander of these girls it's just a matter of time become offers come their way. And they will. While not alot is known of the Saldana girls, they grew up in the Dominican Republic before coming to New Jersey. Zoe's full name is Zoe Yadira Zaldaña Nazario (Is she Na'vi for real?).
I have a feeling you'll be seeing this trio around sooner than you think. Destiny's Saldana, howz that sound? How about CrazySexyNavi?

Mo'nique, WHY?

Okay, Mo'nique, kudos on the Golden Globe win for your part in "Precious" and all, but ... you know you wrong, right? You know you messed up, right? You know you done messed up your chances for an Oscar, right? I mean, geez, when they said you played the part of a monster in "Precious" I didn't know it was from the calves down! Mo, shave them joints. NOW.

Do you have an alter-ego?

Sure, some of us have two sides, but what happens when we basically have two different people trapped inside us?
We all know the chick who is "Miss Calm, cool, collected" when she's chillen, but when she goes out (or better yet gets a lil liquor in her) turns into a beserko.
Many, many women have done things in the late of night against their better judgment that they'd wished they hadn't done once the morning light came. And they even look to distance themselves from their actions (actually themselves, or a version of themselves).
Could it be that the "real person" simply came out during the aforementioned time in question?
Some people who are repressed, depressed or even suppressed can exhibit behavior totally unlike themselves sometimes.
I know, I know, there's a clinical name for that. But maybe just maybe, we all have two beings inside of us. Maybe.

Portrayal of the Black Family: Where are we now?

Things have changed quite a bit since the mid-1980s when a certain Heathcliffe Huxtable used to KRS-ONE on TV. For Middle America, it was a chance to see the African-American family like never before: Healthy, vibrant, articulate, silly, normal. But looking back at it, and considering the Great Recession we find ourselves in now, we obviously subscribe to lower principles these days. A family with two parents making six figures is as far from reality for the most of us as a kid brother named Theo (Malik maybe, not Theo).
That being said, was the Evans family more true to life? J.J., Michael and Thelma didn't have much materially, but they had each other's back.
The Huxtables had money, but they did'nt have a Willona, somebody who you could trust your life, your husband, your kids, and your life with.
We used to aspire to be Cliff and Claire. Was that reality? In the end, maybe the Winslows (a police officer father) were more real. Honestly, do you know an Uncle Phil in your life? I used to. But not anymore.
Black family, where are we now?

Jahcoozi: Music that's Cooz like that

Straight outta Berlin, the anything-goes trio made up of Sri-Lankan/British MC Sasha Perera, Robot Koch and Israeli born Oren Gerlitz are rocking the music world with their blend of hip-hop, raggae and electronica. They are fun, brash and totally averse to what you hear on the radio. And while they're not new (the group has commercial releases dating back to 2003), their hit "Black Barbie" is what kinda pique interest across the pond, as they say. Their label quotes xlr8r magazine as saying "“despite underground tendencies, they manage to find pop songs buried in digital grit.” We kinda agree with that statement. Plus, Sasha is like the anti-Keri Hilson right now. Sasha gets her twitter on too, so don't be a stranger.

'I'm biracial, but I only claim my white side'

For Hip Hop News & Entertainment at DimeWars.Com

From the depths of the self-esteem cesspool, Tyra Banks has done it again, this time managing to find the equivalent of a self-hating black girl trapped in the superiority complex-feeding ethos of a white girl, trapped in a black girl. In a lot of ways, it is simply fail.

'It Kills Me' by Skai (Melanie Fiona)

Even Barbie wants you to be more than a vixen

With the Barbiefication (that's my word, don't even try it) of American femininity going on now. It's vewy, vewy interesting that even Mattel, the Dr. Frankenstein behind the Barbie doll are pushing a new campaign to have her take on new occupations as a way to transcend the dim-witted blonde arch type so prevalent in mainstream portrayals.
They give you Barbie, the rock star, but also, the kid doctor, and the race car driver, and they all got clothes on (go figure).
Wonder if this tranlate to the street (or to Twitter), or better yet, the music?

Celebrity Style: Blonde 'Dashian

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Renowned economist a closet/wall freak?

Famed economist Nouriel Roubini,known for his dire predictions of the U.S. economy, is still giving the blues to Wall Street. But we hear his street is being renovated as well. Tribeca, where Jay and Bey have a place, has had some real estate shufflings as of late. We wonder if Roubini's place, you know the one with the interesting decor, was affected. Yeah, last fall it was revealed that Roubini had "plaster vulvas" on his walls. There were no pics, though, until now. Maybe this is some metaphor of some sort (Pinky cookies in a plastic bag?) or maybe it's just, well, a repressed Ivy League old dude getting his freak on.
Now, to put this in perspective, this is like Alan Greenspan revealing that he has a rare vinyl collection of NWA records. It's just so, against the grain.
But then, maybe it's just a repressed Ivy League white dude getting his freak on. I hear there are quite a few of them.

Why Toronto is taking over U.S. music scene

Long a staple on mainstream radio, Canadian music artists, mostly from Toronto, are taking over the air waves across the United States.
Newcomer Melanie Fiona's "It Kills Me" is the No. 1 song this winter, knocking Mr. "sex inventor" Trey Songz from the top perch (even with a hot remix out) that he's held down for a month now.
But even before Fiona's meteoric rise on the charts, Young Money rapper Drake, who also hails from the T.O. had the summer's only true anthem, "Best I Ever Had," which was also a No. 1 single. (And dude didn't even have an album.)
Is T.O. taking over?
Another Toronto artist Keisha Chante, a decent singer and artist in her own right, landed the coveted role of Aaliyah for the "Rock the Boat" singer's biopic, which is due in late 2010.
If Chante can pull it off, then it will catapult her to instant stardom across the world, easily making her the world's No. 1 female star.
When did this seismic shift take place? T.O. used to be a sleepy little city that deferred to New York City for coolness. What's up?
Well, folks, while New York music scene has been in flux, T.O. has been on the grind. And it's show time.

Paris Hilton down for the oink and boink?

Just when you thought she had gone away, Los Angeles socialite Paris Hilton revealed that she and the pet pig she got last fall has gotten quite comfortable with each other. (This is not for the squeamish, squeenkish or oinkish).
She sleeps with a pig. No, not her boyfriend, Doug Reinhardt, but her actual pet, Miss Pigelett.
"Doug and I will be lying in bed, watching DVDs, and she'll just lie there between us. She's a little sweetheart and I love her," Hilton told Contact Music.
Now, Ms. Hilton has been portrayed as pigish way before she got one, so this should come as little surprise. (Actually it's rumored that she grocery-shops only at Piggly Wiggly -- psyke).
But, see, this is why swine flu is out of control. Just sayin.

She cheated. She cheated bad. Now what?

With all the "Liger Woods" drama that has captivated smallville we sometimes forget that the shoe often fits the other foot just as often if not as well known.
Yes, women cheat. To emphasize it a litte more, some women really cheat.
How can a man recover from such a betrayal? I mean, women are supposed to be innocent and fragile and nurturing and, well, sugar and spice and everything nice ... right?
Of course, men are supposed to uphold their end of the bargain and if 2009 is any indication, it aint hadnin.
Well, the Internet is full of men who are grappling with this very issue right now.
Some of them feel that they "weren't attractive enough" to keep them.
Some men are "paranoid" because of the woman's past infidelity.
Some of them have even "caught her in bed with another man" - well, I hope she stopped.
So, yes, it goes both ways, and both ways are shameful and wrong. But what now?
Does Oprah know? Does Dr. Phil know? How about Dr. Ruth?
Could Yoda share some tid bits?
Well, first off, leave the alcohol alone (makes it worse).
No. 2 - stay away from flamethrowers or any music by Sufjan Stevens
Oh, heck, you know what to do. You know what to do.
Leave. Or. Stay. Period.

Socks with Chairs

With the current cold snap the nation is going through, it's a wonder that somebody didn't capitalize the fashionable possiblities.
Introducing chair socks, so your furniture can look just as warm as you are (or so you can creep out your visiting niece and nephew with how the room is "alive".)
The only thing is, I can figure out if this is very a ploy to sell chairs or a ploy to sell socks?

Order some here

TV One picks up 'Love That Girl'

TV One's first original sitcom is set to hit the air soon, according to Variety.
The show, titled "Love That Girl" is the brainchild of veteran director and former "Martin" and "The Jamie Foxx Show" writer Bentley Kyle Evans. Martin Lawrence also has signed on as executive producer.
Black comedies rarely make it out of pilot stage and when they do, it's because of a big name attached to it. This show is no different.
The show features Tatyana Ali, who also moonlights on BET) and a few other actors of note, but the big thing here is that BET turned it down (that usually means it's pretty good).
"BET was the first network I took it to because of a prior relationship," Evans told the Washington Post.
The show is being done for the insanely cheap cost of $1.2 million but will be owned entirely by Evans.
"If executed properly, this will represent a whole new model for producing and delivering quality scripted series to the television market, at a reasonable cost," Evans told Variety.
In other words, Evans is getting his Tyler Perry on!
Un-mad at cha.
Peep a clip of "Love That Girl"

Vanity Fair goes the 'O.J.' route on Tiger

If Tiger Woods and the Cablasian community (where ya at?) had any doubts, Vanity Fair's latest cover has confirmed the obvious: Tiger Woods is black, at least in the way the cover portrays him. Tiger is black in an O.J. Simpson kind of way, photographed to look sinister, raw, almost criminal.
Of course, award-winning photographer zAnnie Leibovit took her shots of the famous golfer in happier times, but Vanity Fair's decision to unveil them now is telling.
When Time darkened O.J. on its cover in 1994, people accused the magazine of racism. Now I'm not saying Vanity Fair of the same thing, but in the words of "Sanford & Son's" Aunt Esther, "You betta watch it, sucka!"
The court of public opinion is very powerful, a simple gesture like this -- while seemingly innocent on its head -- could be very dangerous if said Tiger were being tried for murder or accused of sleeping with more white women than a metropolitan Hooters. Wait.

'It Kills Me' by LaurenM621 (Melanie Fiona)

Nicki Minaj catching shade from female music stars

It seems the new year should be a time of refreshment, hope. But if your New York rapper Nicki Minaj, you're already the subject of some serious criticism from your peers.
Female musician and Chicago's own Kid Sister recently said, "My thing is do people take her seriously?”
While the jibe is not necessarily a diss, it does put her squarely under the microscope for even voicing her opinion in the first place.
It also puts "Barbie" in the underdog-defensive role.
The comments come after Empire-lovin' rapper LIL Mama said Nicki Minaj was "disrespectful" to black women.
Then there's the scientifically impossible gluteus of Angel Luv Lola, aka Lola Monroe, who has taken a few shots at Nicki Minaj as well ("I don't do the Barbie thing").
And all of this is even before Nicki has released an offical album.
Is the Hater juice on sale?
Or do the girls have a point?