Lauren London & Brandy on Wendy Williams! (Video)

(Vibe Vixen reports) -
Lauren London is the newest face of BET’s The Game and garnering long overdue attention in the acting world. Now playing lead character Kiera Whitaker, the 28-year-old Los Angeles native caught up with Cocoa Fab to discuss how she juggles being a mom to her three-year-old son Cameron and being on set. “It was challenging for me because I didn’t have 24/7 with him,” she said. “It’s just life for me, and I just do it…Women do it with three or four kids with no help at all. I’m blessed to have family that travels with me and help me with him.”

London, who will also appear in Baggage Claim later this year, also spoke about her unique family situation with rapper Lil Wayne. And while many believe a child with two separated and famous parents could be messy, London reassures her son has “peace and balance.”

WATCH BRANDY & LAUREN ON THE WENDY SHOW IN THE SITE HEADER ABOVE!

“Every situation is different, but I really want to create a peaceful environment for my child. I want him to know love and peace and balance. That’s so important to me. I have no reason to dislike anyone or to have any conflict because the most important thing for me is for him to be raised in a peaceful environment where things can be settled. For me, that was just important.”

Along her promo run, London stopped by The Wendy Williams Show where she further detailed her relationship with Weezy and gave an update about his health scare. “[No we're] no longer [together], great friends though,” she told the host. Later she said, “He’s great! His album comes out today. He’s really good.”

Singer India Arie Slams Skin-Lightening Talk!

 

NEW YORK (AP) — India.Arie is laughing off talk that she may have lightened her skin.

The R&B songstress is known for singing about being authentic and celebrating one’s true self. But some accused India.Arie of lightening her skin when a publicity photo for her song ‘‘Cocoa Butter’’ released this week made it look as though she were several shades lighter than her dark brown complexion.
 

But India.Arie took to Twitter on Friday to deny the accusations, saying she has no desire to bleach her skin because she loves herself and her brown skin ‘‘more than ever.’’ She also said that ‘‘magnificent lighting’’ is the cause for her ‘‘glow.’’
 

She added that she'd like to keep the conversation going, though, on the issue of racism and colorism in the black community.

 

C'mon, this IS India Arie we're talking about. Are they serious? -PnKB

5 Food Fails Your Children Will Never, Ever Eat!

 Big Thanks to Nick Moms for These LoL's.......


 Just because you’re in the food industry doesn’t mean you can slack on the editing.

Don’t You Judge Me, Dinner!

                                     

 

 

  Can I Get A Side Of That Beige Stuff?
                                      

 

  

  These Children Taste Spoiled

                                   

 

 

   

   This Is A Good Time To Teach You About Expectations Vs. Reality

                                     

 

 

 Not As Filling, But Healthier Than Fast Food

                                    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lil Wayne Recovering From Seizures...!

Lil Wayne is recovering after being hospitalized for seizures.

TMZ initially reported that Wayne was in critical condition.

The 30-year-old rapper was rushed to Cedars Sinai Tuesday. He was released the next day but was taken to the hospital again after being found unconscious in his room, TMZ reported. According to TMZ, Wayne had been placed in an induced coma.

The rapper Mack Maine tweeted, however, that Wayne is home "alive and well." Rapper, Birdman, tweeted, "My son is in good spirit..feelin much betta...be home soon."

UPDATE, 9:33: Lil Wayne tweets he is doing "good."

UPDATE, 9:13:: HLN anchor Richelle Carey tweets that an official statement says Lil Wayne is recovering:

UPDATE, 9:08: A Billboard editor tweets that a "close source just let me know that Lil Wayne is 'recovering.'"

UPDATE, 9:02: TMZ has removed from its report a claim that Lil Wayne is "being prepared for his last rites."
The story is currently developing...

Above article courtesy of Huff Post

 

Tamar Braxton Announces Pregnancy!

 

 

Tamar Braxton has a bun in the oven! The "Love and War" singer announced she is pregnant during a March 13 appearance on Good Morning America. This will be the first child for Braxton, 35, and her record executive husband, Vince Herbert, 43.

Moments after Braxton's announcement, the Alexander McQueen-clad mom-to-be shared the first picture of her baby bump on Instagram. "I have a love on top! I am pregnant!" Braxton (referencing Beyonce's "Love on Top" anthem) told ABC's Lara Spencer. "I feel great and greedy at the same time. This is the most I've eaten ever."

Braxton didn't reveal her due date on air, but she did hint that the big day is coming sooner than later. "I don't have that many months to go," she teased. "Almost there!"

The new season of Braxton Family Values premieres March 14 at 9 p.m. on WE tv. The couple's spinoff series, Tamar & Vince, aired its season finale in December 2012. Braxton later revealed the show will be returning for a second season via her official Twitter account.

(article orignally appeared on US Weekly)

Rihanna Dissappointed About Cancelling Boston Concert Last Night!

(MTV -)
Rihanna's Diamonds World Tour
 got off to a shaky start over the weekend. After a kickoff on Friday night in Buffalo, New York at the First Niagara Center, Rih was forced to put off her Sunday night show at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts due to illness.

Tour promoter Live Nation released a statement announcing the cancellation, saying, "Unfortunately, following her sold out concert on Friday, Rihanna has contracted laryngitis and per doctor's instruction is unable to perform this evening."


Rihanna was bummed about the gig as well, tweeting on Sunday morning, "#Boston this is the hardest thing for me to deal with! I feel like we've been waiting on this day forever, and I'm hurt that I let you down."

 

She followed a short time later with the note, "I hate disappointing people that never ever let me down!! I'm so embarrassed about this! Thank you for your prayers and well wishes!" The next scheduled date on the tour is on Tuesday at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. The six month Diamonds tour is slated to run through May in the U.S. before heading to Europe for a series of gig that will wind down with a show in Helsinki, Finland, on July 28.

According to a review of the Buffalo show in the Buffalo News, the singer appeared in fine form on opening night. Though reportedly an hour late to take to the stage, the sold out show featured impressive choreography from the singer, her eight dancers, two back-up singers and four-piece band.

The night's two-hour barrage of hits included "Birthday Cake," "Umbrella," "What's My Name," "Love the Way You Lie" "Rude Boy," "We Found Love" and "Diamonds," amid a barrage of costume changes.

A spokesperson for Rihanna could not be reached at press time for further details on the singer's illness and confirmation that Tuesday's Baltimore show will go on as scheduled.

Sarah Jessica Parker Speaks!: The New Carrie Diaries is "Odd" !

 

In a recent interview with Net-a-Porter's The Edit, the original Carrie Sarah Jessica Parker didn't have anything nice to say about the CW's new Sex and the City prequel The Carrie Diaries. In particular Parker seems a bit protective of the character she played for 6 season on HBO and in two big-screen movies.

When asked what she thought about AnnaSophia Robb's teenage version of Carrie, Parker said, "I'm not sure... You know, I think it's one of those tests of your generosity. She is a lovely girl and I want her to feel good about it, but it's... odd."

While Robb has stayed silent about Parker's remarks, she might want to heed one piece of the actress' advice about taking care of her feet.

"For ten or so years, I literally ran in heels. I worked 18-hour days and never took them off," Parker said. "The moral of the story is, the chickens are coming home to roost. It's sad, because my feet took me all over the world, but eventually they were like, 'You know what, we are really tired, can you just stop — and don't put cheap shoes on us?'"

(courtesy of TV Guide)

How To Help A Child Read More Fluently!

 

To read fluently means to read words expressively and smoothly. Children who are not fluent read choppily and word-for-word. This can affect their comprehension, because they don’t remember what they have read by the time they reach the end of a sentence. Reading fluently is an important skill.

To help your child learn to read fluently, one of the most important things you can do is to regularly read aloud to your child so that you’re modeling the type of reading you want your child to do. For example, if you’re changing your voice for different characters, your child will know that he or she needs to do the same. If a book that you’re reading has text features such as bold print, and you decide to read a bolded word loudly, you’re modeling that they, too, can do that while they’re reading. Another way to develop fluency is to have your child read a book over and over again. Children tend to become fluent readers after reading the same thing many times. They know when to pause, when to speed up, and when to slow down. As they listen to themselves read more and more fluently, this also helps to build their confidence.

(ABCMouse.Com)

Nicki Minaj Partners With KMart For New Fashion Line!

Nicki Minaj is going natural — relatively speaking. The singer and American Idol judge attended the March 1 launch in L.A. of her fashion collaboration with Kmart and Shop Your Way in a feminine (but form-fitting, of course) pink and gray Rebecca Minkoff dress and makeup that was neutral and natural, nothing like the colorful and outlandish looks she's famous for.

The "Super Bass" singer told Us Weekly at the event that she's currently in a new style phase. "It's just a more, I would say, a sensual, natural, sexier look. Like to me, I did the Harajuku stuff. I did the crazy stuff. And now I kind of want to tone that back, and it's not toning my personality back, it's just showing like I don't only have to do that," says the 30-year-old chart-topper.

At a live press conference in Hollywood on Friday, Nicki answered all her fan's burning questions via ShopYourWay.com, and she said her collection is going to be filled with tons of "quality" pieces. "My big thing is that it cannot look cheesy and cheap, and that is what I want to give my beautiful Barbz."  On what to expect in the collection: "I tend to love animal print, and my fans seem to love that, so I'll definitely have some animal print in there. I love pops of color. Anyone that knows me, knows that I love color. So I definitely want to have some neons in there that just make you feel bad. I've been wearing a lot of Alexander McQueen dresses lately, and I feel like it makes you feel slimmer and longer, so I want to have those cuts in terms of dresses in the line."
"With me doing the clothing line now, it's like I definitely don't want people to think, 'Oh, well, she's only going to have crazy stuff in her line," Minaj told Us. "I want them to know…I'm doing this for women in general, to feel beautiful and sexy, and all of these dresses that I've been wearing lately, any woman can wear it and feel confident." The line will be available this fall at select Kmart stores and online at shopyourway.com/nicki

Articles courtesy of Usmagazine.com & MTV.com

CIAA Weekend 2013: Celebrity Photos (Charlotte N.C)

Collage by Jarvis Holliday; photos by Jon Strayhorn/Media Arts Collective and courtesy of CIAA Tournament

Courtesy of Charlotte Magazine

Charlotte welcomed the annual CIAA Tournament, fans, and visitors to Charlotte, as the weeklong tournament took place for the eighth consecutive year.  2013 CIAA Week ran from February 25 through March 3, 2013.

 

Check out some of the celeb pics who partied at the tournament this past weekend.

Photos courtesy of Global Grind and Rollingout.com

Kelly Rowland Lashes Back At Keyshia Cole For Previous Comments...

Rowland was candid in an interview with Rolling Stone as she talked about her new album, Kisses Down Low, including the suggestive single “Dirty Laundry.” When the subject of Cole’s disparaging Twitter remarks about Williams’ performance with Rowland and Beyonce during halftime of the 2013 Super Bowl was broached, famously sharp-tongued Rowland took off a piece of Cole’s hide.

“It didn’t even make it on my radar until other people brought it up. It didn’t even matter. We had a wonderful performance, and that’s all I cared about,” Rowland said. “I was with my sisters and the three of us matter to each other, and that’s all that counts. We matter to a lot more people, with all due respect, than her. So, I really don’t care what she said.”

OUCH!

(Article courtesy of rollingout.com)

Erykah Badu: The Interview....

Image courtesy of Paige Parsin/Origin Magazine

 

Check out what the queen of Neo-Soul, Erykah Badu, has been up to courtesy of her interview with Origin Magazine:

Maranda Pleasant: Hey Erykah, how are you?

Erykah Badu: I’m good.

MP: This is a long time coming. I’ve been talking to Heather about you for about eighteen months now. It finally happens.

EB: That’s great.

MP: I like it when it all comes together. What inspires you the most?

EB: That’s real general.

MP: [laughing] What are some of the things that inspire you, how about that?

EB: Okay. I really can’t say what inspires me the most, because I’m inspired by just about everything. My feelings and relationships, my family, Scooby-Doo. A teacher’s opinion of my work. Everything. Not just one thing.

MP: What is it that makes you come most alive, makes you feel most alive?

EB: Water. Drinking it or submerging in it.

MP: What is it that makes you vulnerable?

EB: My art. Or the empty platform that my art will go on.

MP: What do you do with pain, emotional pain?

EB: Not one particular way. It depends on the severity of it. For the most part, I go with it. I let it happen.

MP: How do you keep your center? How do you stay grounded in the middle of chaos?

EB: I guess it’s the daily routine. I don’t have any particular thing I do ritualistically. I do the same thing every day. I get up. Drink a lot of water. Have a wheatgrass shot. Drink some green juice. Eat as healthy as I can. I’m not trying to win an award for being the best vegetarian, just want to be healthy. Take a salt bath. Do things that my parents were never able to do. I’m blessed to do anything I want so I decide to take the best care of my body and my family in the same way. Holistically. Vitally.

MP: How long have you been a vegetarian?

EB: Let’s see. I’m forty-one. I’ve been a vegetarian since I was nineteen. How many years is that?

MP: [laughing] That’s a long time.

EB: Yeah. I’ve been vegan-vegetarian for about the time my first album came out, so it was 1997. I eat like a vegan-vegetarian, more than anything.

MP: I just went blank. I’m very rarely ever nervous when I’m talking to somebody but I’m a little nervous now.

EB: Okay. Well, let’s stop for a minute. Let’s stop for a minute. Take a breath real quick, because I want you to ask your best questions. For clarity, come on.

MP: Millions of people love you. You’re a very loved woman.

EB: [laughing]

MP: Do you have any wisdom or advice for women who may be in negative, unhealthy or abusive relationships? Do you have any wisdom for those women?

EB: Mm. I have advice for people—period—who are in unhealthy relationships: Follow your heart. It will get you to where you need to be. Sometimes it’s hard, sometimes it’s easy, the places that your heart takes you. But continue to follow it. Where the train leads you—you’ll get there.

MP: I had my daughter naturally at home, in our bathroom, with a doula. The doula was probably the most important person in that room with me. What led you to become a doula?

EB: Let me see. It was 9.11, actually. Around that time. One of my girlfriends was in labor, she happened to be the wife of stic.man from Dead Prez.

MP: He writes for [ORIGIN]!

EB: They’re my best friends, both of them, stic.man and Afya. I was actually flying from somewhere, doing something. On my layover, stic.man called me and told me Afya was in labor. I just redirected to New York, because we’re friends, and I just had Seven a couple years before. I just wanted to be there and we just all wanted to be together. I happened to be the person, one of the people, that stayed up with Afya. Didn’t sleep. Never got tired. I could feel every emotion that she had. It was just a very natural, intuitive experience. I just knew how to open myself up to the baby and be the welcoming committee. And now when Afya was in labor for fifty-two hours. Day and night. She’s my hero. And she finally had the baby and put my finger in his palm, and I kind of felt like, I like being the welcoming committee.
I just continued to be present at different people’s births, and I started studying on my own, different techniques, and the variables of what being a doula is about. I learned to originally be like water, in the place that I was, so that I could be a container for whatever they need. I love being of service in that way. I’m an official doula, and I am working to get my midwifery license right now.

MP: My midwife and my doula shaped my entire experience. It was beautiful. Have you had a homebirth?

EB: All my children were born in my bed. In my home. I had a midwife and doula each time.

MP: What has shifted for you, what is the thing about motherhood that flows through you? Is there something in you that is different, or that you have learned? 
 
EB: I don’t know. I’ve got to think about that. I’ve never been asked that.

MP: You probably just live it. You’re not used to answering it, you just live it.

EB: I try to. Well, I just learn as I go. There’s no set way. I have a lot of faith in my abilities and in my children. I like them a lot, you know. They’re really good people, and I like them.

MP: What is one truth that you know for sure?

EB: Everything must change.

MP: Do you practice any kind of yoga or meditation?

EB: Breathing is my way of life. As a vocalist, just as a person who’s main focus is evolving, breathing—that’s my meditation. I enjoy yoga classes. I walk in meditation. I dance. I’m a ballerina. Modern jazz and tap. But I would love to get into a good yoga class if I can stay focused and breathe. I love the connection I have with myself every time I take a yoga class. It’s a very nice remembering, remembering the parts of me. You know what I mean?
But I walk and breathe in meditation. Another meditation I do: when I walk I count my steps, so I’m really in the here and right now. Another meditation I do is try to stay out of my mind as long as I can, as an exercise, so I don’t believe everything I think. I do many different things. Many different exercises that keep me focused.

The following is an excerpt from ORIGIN Magazine's February issue.

Michelle Obama Brushes Off Her Hater Criticism of Her Oscar Appearance

(yahoo )
So many haters, so little time.
That seems to be First Lady Michelle Obama’s attitude about conservatives’ outrage over her appearance via satellite at Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony, where she announced the winner for Best Picture.

Fox News host Bill O’Reilly slammed the cameo, calling it “Hollywood left boosterism,” and Donny Deutsch of MSNBC declared her “an uninvited guest” and said “there was an elitist flavor to it.”

True to form, FLOTUS is taking the negativity in stride.

“That’s just the nature of life. I mean, we live in a time when there are bloggers and tweeters and 24-hour news and everyone has a voice in this town square, and it’s a big one. And it’s good – overall, it’s good,” she said on the “Today” show on Friday while promoting the third anniversary of her Let’s Move anti-childhood obesity initiative. “That means at any point at a given time, somebody’s not going to like what you do. That’s just the nature of things … It’s part of our culture.”

In an interview with the Associated Press, she continued to speak candidly about the role of Twitter in the blogosphere.

“Shoot, my bangs set off a national conversation,” she said. “My shoes can set off a national conversation. That’s just sort of where we are. We’ve got a lot of talking going on … It’s like everybody’s kitchen-table conversation is now accessible to everybody else so there’s a national conversation about anything.”

As for her other big conversation-starter of the past few weeks – that “mom dance” sketch on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” – it sounds like she received the only seal of approval she needed: that of her 14-year-old daughter Malia.

“I guess I made enough of a fool of myself,” she told “Today.”

CHECK OUT MICHELLE'S DANCE CAMEO WITH JIMMY FALLON BELOW!