Sharon Quinn: The Original Runway Diva

FFFWeek(end) LA - New & Aspiring Plus Model Seminar & Panel Discussion

2010-10-22T01:47:00.000-04:00

What's Happening Fam!!!

The countdown to FFFWeek(end) LA has begun!!!! And that means that once again it's time for me to EDUCATE & ELEVATE!!!

The What: Full Figured Fashion Week(end)tm Los Angeles/New & Aspiring Plus Model Seminar & Panel Discussion

The When: Friday, October 29, 2010 - 1:00pm - 3:00pm

The Where: Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, Directors I & II Ballroom
2025 Avenue of the Stars
Los Angeles, CA

Miss Sharon Quinn, The ORIGINAL Runway Diva
(Plus Model/Singer/Actress/Columnist)

Star of Mo'Nique's FAT Chance, MTV's MADE, Cash Cab, Throwdown With Bobby Flay and most recently seen on The Style Network's "Ruby"; will be on hand to host and moderate the panel discussion.

Cover: $22.00 in advance, $30.00 at the door

The "All-Star" Line-up of Panelists (Subject to change) include:

*Fluvia Lacerda (Plus Model - "The Brazilian Bombshell")

Plus-size Brazilian model Fluvia Lacerda, is the star of "16", a short film that challenges the stereotypes of beauty currently set by the film, fashion and advertising industries. She was discovered by a magazine editor on a Manhattan cross-town bus and has not stopped working since. The only Brazilian working as a plus size model overseas; she has been called the “plus version of Gisele Bundchen”. Fluvia is one of the most known faces within the plus size industry and has been featured in ads for Fashion Bug, Torrid, Igigi & Monif C. and in Latina & Glamour Magazines.

*Madeline Figueroa-Jones (Editor-in-Chief, Plus Model Magazine)

Madeline Figueroa-Jones is a NY native and former plus size model. After appearing in several magazines, working for numerous designers she began reaching out to the plus size community by serving as a moderator for VenusDivas.com and Empowerment Editor for AmazeMag.com. As Editor for PLUS Model Magazine, Madeline has been producing issues which push the envelope with both exclusive interviews with some of today's top models and edgy fashion editorials aimed at featuring today's plus size modeling industry in it's truest light.

*Vernetta Jenkins-Collins (Reality TV Producer, Mo'Nique's FAT Chance)

A prolific reality/talk television producer, Vernetta has added her talents to a steady stream of engaging and provocative content for network shows including 4 seasons of BIG BROTHER for CBS. Vernetta completed her second run as Supervising Show Producer of MO’NIQUE’S F.A.T. CHANCE, the first Plus Sized Beauty Competition/Reality show hosted and executive produced by Academy Award winning actress/comedienne/writer, Mo’Nique for the Oxygen Network.

*Michael Anthony Hermogeno – (Former Head Photographer, Torrid!)

Michael Anthony Hermogeno began working in nightclubs back in 1996 part time. In 2002, he signed on with Shooting Star Agency in Hollywood photographing red carpet events, and in 2004, got picked up by Torrid.com, the plus size retailer owned by Hot Topic Inc as Head Photographer. Michael Anthony is currently the owner operator of his own photography company 8X10 Proofs Inc.

*Alana Chandler – (Plus Model/Actress, The Janice Dickinson
Modeling Agency):

Alana Chandler, a plus-size fashion model, reality star, and lawyer. Born in Gary, Indiana. Alana got her big break when, in 2008, she appeared on Oxygen’s hit series The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency. Alana has also appeared on various television broadcasts which include: Tyra Banks Show, MTV’S G’s to Gents, Judge Penny Family Court, BET’S Played By Fame, ABC’S Crash Course, The CW’s Farmer Wants a Wife, and most recently The Dr. Phil Show.

If you are even thinking of starting a career as a plus sized model, THIS is the seminar that you DO NOT want to miss!

Learn from professionals in the plus fashion industry:

How to make it or break it as a plus sized model on ANY level.

Why preparation is KEY!

How to develop a "signature" runway walk.

How to stack the deck in YOUR favor.

Knowing how much money you’ll need to get started.

Getting In Where You Fit In (Other branches of modeling)

Building your skills and using your personal budget

How to PROPERLY prepare for the open call.

How to avoid being put in a box or typecast

About investing in the business of YOU.

And SO MUCH more!!!

So to my West Coast peeps and aspiring models (new, old, pros & amateurs) come on down and get the knowledge. Get in the KNOW before you GO (to agencies, castings & auditions)!

SPREAD THE WORD.....YA HEARD!!!

Click Here To Purchase Your Ticket NOW!!

Click Here for the full list of FFFWeek(end) LA Events!

Casting Notice: Plus Sized Models - West Coast Based ONLY!!!

2010-10-06T23:05:00.000-04:00

I just got a tip today on a MAJOR fashion event taking place in mid-October. The producers are seeking Four (4) Plus Sized Models (West Coast Based ONLY) who are both beautiful and strong on the runway in the following sizes ONLY:

Two (2) Size 12 Models

(at least one of the size 12's should have measurements that are 36-28-38 or very close to it)

Two (2) Size 20 Models

Please be at least 5'8" in height with strong runway skills.

If you are interested please send the following "Stats":

HEIGHT:
BUST:
WAIST (Please measure from where your BELLY BUTTON sits):
HIP:
BRA SIZE:
DRESS SIZE:
SHOE SIZE:
HAIR COLOR:
EYE COLOR:

Send your information Origrunwaydiva@aol.com, along with two (2) current photos (1 head shot & 1 body shot) that are no older than 1 year old please.

Please put "Model Casting" in the Subject area.

The remainder of the details of this casting will ONLY be revealed to the selected models.

PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT YOURSELF FOR THIS CASTING IF YOU ARE NOT A SIZE 12 OR SIZE 18.

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS

MIDNIGHT (11:59PM) WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2010

Lindsay Lohan to portray 70's Porn Star Linda Lovelace?

2010-05-10T12:36:00.005-04:00

What the HEEZY??

Word on the street is that trouble actress Lindsay Lohan has just signed on to portray 70's porn actress Linda Lovelace in a biopic about her life.

Folks are saying that Lindsay's daddy, Michael Lohan is none to happy about his daughter's latest move and thinks that it (the film) will be the final nail in the coffin of her career.

Who knows? It MIGHT actually turn out to be the thing that turns her career around....lol...it's not like it hasn't happened before......Ya know?

I'mma keep on praying for Lindsay......

From the Guardian UK:

The LA Times quotes a producer on the independent production, to be titled Inferno, who confirms that Lohan has signed on the dotted line to play the star of infamous 1972 film Deep Throat. The official announcement will most likely be made at next week's Cannes film festival, which the actor is likely to attend.

"We've all thought that Lindsay would be a great choice for a while now, and we're all convinced that she is going to do it," Wali Razaqi said. "For at least a year, the director and I have gone back and forth imagining how awesome of a performance she could give if she was in the movie."

One of the first pornographic films to feature a plot, character development and reasonably high production standards, Deep Throat made a huge impact upon its release, though it was banned in the UK and was the subject of a number of obscenity trials in the US. It has been suggested that the film made more than $600m (£395m) from box office receipts and home video sales, putting it among the highest-grossing films of all time, though such figures are impossible to confirm.

Lovelace, real name Linda Susan Boreman, later denounced the film and its makers, becoming an anti-pornography activist. She said she had been forced into the career – often at gunpoint – by her sadistic first husband, Chuck Traynor.

CLICK HERE to read the full article.

Farewell Lena Horne (1917-2010)

2010-05-10T11:32:00.004-04:00

Lena Horne, the singer and actress who died Sunday at 92, cut a singular path through modern culture.

She was the first black actress to sign a long-term contract with a major Hollywood studio (MGM in 1942) and the first black actress to be popularly accepted in roles that were as glamorous as any bestowed on the studio's other top singing talent. She was beautiful, to be sure, and was quickly made a pin-up for (black) wartime soldiers.

But almost as rapidly as she rose to international fame, she quickly became disillusioned with her groundbreaking career. Her appearances in movie musicals were often scissored from the final cut when the films ran at theaters in the segregated South. She said she experienced jealousy from unexpected quarters -- black performers in Hollywood who depended on servant and jungle native parts for their livelihood. And most of all Ms. Horne grew to resent playing the role of a "good little symbol." .....(CLICK HERE to read the rest of this article)

From Wikipedia:

Horne was born in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.^[1] Reported to be

descended from the John C. Calhoun family, both sides of her family were a mixture of African, European, and Native American descent. Each side belonged to what W. E. B. Du Bois called "The Talented Tenth," the upper stratum of middle-class, well-educated blacks.^[2] She grew up in an upper-middle-class black community in the Hill District community of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.^[3] Her father, Edwin "Teddy" Horne (died 1970),^[4] a numbers kingpin in the gambling trade, left the family when she was three. Her mother, Edna Scottron, daughter of inventor Samuel R. Scottron, was an actress with a black theater troupe and traveled extensively.

In the fall of 1933, Horne joined the chorus line of the Cotton Club in New York City. In the spring of 1934, she had a featured role in the Cotton Club Parade. A few years later she joined Noble Sissle's Orchestra, with which she toured. After she separated from her first husband, Horne toured with bandleader Charlie Barnet in 1940–41, but disliked the travel and left the band to work at the Café Society in New York. She replaced Dinah Shore as the featured vocalist on NBC's popular jazz series The Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street. The show's resident maestros, Henry Levine and Paul Laval, recorded with Horne in June 1941 for RCA Victor. Horne left the show after only six months to headline a nightclub revue on the west coast; she was replaced by Linda Keene.

Horne already had two low-budget movies to her credit: a 1938 musical feature called The Duke is Tops (later reissued with Horne's name above the title as The Bronze Venus); and a 1941 two-reel short subject, Boogie Woogie Dream, featuring pianists Pete Johnson and Albert Ammons. Horne's songs from Boogie Woogie Dream were later released individually as soundies. Horne was primarily a nightclub performer during this period, and it was during a 1943 club engagement in Hollywood that talent scouts approached Horne to work in pictures. She chose Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the most prestigious studio in the world, and became the first black performer to sign a long-term contract with a major Hollywood studio.

She made her debut with MGM in 1942's Panama Hattie, and performed the title song of Stormy Weather (1943), which she made at 20th Century Fox, on loan from MGM. She appeared in a number of MGM musicals, most notably Cabin in the Sky (also 1943), but was never featured in a leading role because of her ethnicity and the fact that films featuring her had to be re-edited for showing in states where theaters could not show films with black performers. As a result, most of Horne's film appearances were stand-alone sequences that had no bearing on the rest of the film, so editing caused no disruption to the storyline; a notable exception was the all-black musical Cabin in the Sky, though even then one of her numbers had to be cut because it was considered too suggestive by the censors. "Ain't it the Truth" was the song (and scene) cut before the release of the film Cabin in the Sky. It featured Horne singing "Ain't it the Truth," while taking a bubble bath (considered too "risqué" by the film's executives).

By the mid-1950s, Horne was disenchanted with Hollywood and increasingly focused on her

nightclub career. She only made two major appearances in MGM films during the decade, 1950's Duchess of Idaho (which was also Eleanor Powell's film swan song), and the 1956 musical Meet Me in Las Vegas. She was blacklistedduring the 1950s for her political views.^[6] She returned to the screen three more times, playing chanteuse Claire Quintana in the 1969 film Death of a Gunfighter,Glinda in The Wiz (1978), and co-hosting the 1994 MGM retrospective That's Entertainment! III, in which she was candid about her treatment by the studio during the filming of Cabin in the Sky.

Horne was long involved with the Civil Rights movement. In 1941, she sang at Cafe Society and worked with Paul Robeson, a singer who also combated American racial

discrimination. During World War II, when entertaining the troops for the USO, she refused to perform "for segregated audiences or for groups in which German POWs were seated in front of African American servicemen",^[7] according to her Kennedy Center biography. Since the US Army refused to allow integrated audiences, she wound up putting on a show for a mixed audience of black US soldiers and white German POWs. She was at an NAACP rally with Medgar Evers in Jackson, Mississippi, the weekend before Evers was assassinated. She also met President John F. Kennedy at the White House two days before he was assassinated. She was at the March on Washington and spoke and performed on behalf of the NAACP, SNCC and the National Council of Negro Women. She also worked with Eleanor Roosevelt to pass anti-lynching laws.^[8] She was a member of the prominent organization Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

(Full Wikipedia page here)

Lena Horne died Sunday night in a New York hospital. She was 92. She is survived by her daughter Gail Buckley. While she broke racial barriers and saw huge success in her professional life, Horne had a stormy personal life. At age 19 in 1937, she married Louis J. Jones, a preacher's son and friend of her father's. They had two children, Gail and Edwin before the marriage ended in 1944.

In 1947, she married white conductor and bandleader Lennie Hayton, to advance her career because "he could get me into places no black manager could," she once said. (CLICK HERE to read the rest of THIS article)

Her son died in 1970, at 29, from a kidney ailment. Hayton, from whom she had long been separated, died in 1971. Other men in her life included prize fighter Joe Louis, bandleader Artie Shaw and filmmaker Orson Welles. But her one true, true, lasting, relationship was with openly gay Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington's arranger and pianist.

Source

"I no longer have to be a "credit", I don't have to be a "symbol" to anybody. I don't have to be a "first" to anybody. I don't have to be an imitation of a white woman that Hollywood sort of hoped I'd become. I'm me, and I'm like nobody else." - Lena Horne

Happy Birthday James Brown!!!

2010-05-03T18:36:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday to The Godfather of Soul who would have turned 77 years old today!!

Rest in Peace Soul Brother #1 - There will NEVER be another like you!

You were TRULY

"The Hardest Working Man in Show Business"

Jordan Tesfay Rocks the May 2010 Cover of Plus Model Magazine!!!

2010-05-01T11:10:00.002-04:00

The May 2010 issue of Plus Model Magazine is LIVE and available for your review!

This month's cover features the beautiful Jordan Tesfay!!

My column in this month's issue covers some of the secrets behind getting cast in FFFWeek(tm) 2010!!

CLICK HERE to go directly to my article and start reading!!!

FFFWeek(tm) 2010 Industry Awards Winners

2010-05-01T06:36:00.004-04:00

Congratulations are in order for all of the winners of the first Full Figured Fashion Week(tm) Industry Awards!

Plus Designer of the Year
Qristyl Frazier

Plus Runway Model of the Year
Whitney Thompson

Plus Print Model of the Year
Elizabeth Seifu

Plus Fashion Stylist of the Year
Reah Norman

Plus Fit Model of the Year
Kalyea Moss

Plus Blog of the Year
Judgment of Paris
Plus E-zine of the Year
Skorch Magazine

Plus Fashion Retailer of the Year
IGIGI

Plus Fashion Photographer of the Year
Michael Anthony Hermogeno

Plus Industry Icon(s) of the Year
Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant
-and-
AND SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS TO THE BEAUTIFUL ROSIE MERCADO
FOR HER WIN AS THE OFFICIAL "FACE" OF FFFWEEK(TM) 2010!!

YOU GO GIRL!!!

FULL FIGURED FASHION WEEK IS JUNE 16-19, 2010 IN NEW YORK CITY!
Do YOU have YOUR tickets yet?

Beth Ditto to do a second collection for Evans in the Fall!!!

2010-05-01T06:19:00.004-04:00

Looks like UK Rocker Beth Ditto is not only changing the landscape of the music game....she has her sights set clearly on the fashion industry as well.

Word on the street is that her newly launched fashion line for Evans is doing so well that they've given her the go-ahead for a second collection.....which is set to debut for Autumn/Winter 2010-11 in September.

Still in the process of being designed, the line is set to feature an eclectic mix of 1908's punk, vintage styles from the 1940's with current trends.

Kewl.

Source

FFFWeek(tm) 2010 Aspiring Models Seminar - MORE CURVY CELEBRITY PANELISTS ADDED!!!

2010-05-01T05:36:00.008-04:00

Hey Family!

I have updated and added some new guest panelists for my Aspiring Model Seminar for FFFWeek(tm) 2010!!!

This is DEFINITELY the seminar that YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS!

Please check out the breakdown below, then tell your friends, post on your sites and spread the word!!!

PLUS KNOWLEDGE = PLUS POWER!!!

FULL FIGURED FASHION WEEK IS JUNE 16-19, 2010

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!!!

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Have you ever seen a live fashion show, watched a fashion on TV or flipped through a magazine and said to yourself: "I wish I could do that?" Well the good news is chances are you CAN do it! Whether you are a new model just starting out or you are a few years into your career, you will benefit from our "Aspiring Model Seminar & Panel Discussion". Learn the secrets to starting a career as a plus sized model from the ground floor up and/or how to take your career to the "next level"....from the people who are making it happen as we speak!

The fashion industry has in general frowned upon the idea of the “plus sized” model, preferring to holding steadfastly to the antiquated belief that fashion begins at a size Zero and ends at a size 6. These days with a shaky economy, 2/3’s of the world’s population wearing a size 14 or larger and growing rapidly by the minute and with February 2010 marking the official end of NY’s Fashion Week at Bryant Park; Seventh Avenue has begun to rethink the notion of the Plus Sized Model in print and on the runway.

Designers are beginning to realize that designing clothing for a small minority of folks is no longer cost effective and therefore a whole lot of them are quietly branching out to other

markets (i.e. plus) to keep their businesses afloat. The issue of size acceptance has been a hot topic over the last few years and is getting hotter by the minute….

So what does this mean for YOU the aspiring plus sized model you ask? It means that a whole new WEALTH of possibilities can open up for you to take advantage of if you are willing to learn how to “play the game” called Plus Sized Fashion!

Sharon Quinn, "The ORIGINAL Runway Diva “ - Actress/Veteran Plus Model/Writer/Singer/Casting Producer

Her recent appearances include The Style Network's Ruby, Oxygen's groundbreaking Mo’Nique’s F.A.T. Chance, MTV’s MADE, Cash Cab & The Food Network's Throwdown With Bobby Flay.

Statuesque, poised, graceful and striking are all adjectives used to aptly describe the attributes belonging to Miss Sharon Quinn, affectionately known as "The Original Runway Diva", due to her presence, style and unbelievable confidence on the catwalk. She has handled the casting for Mo'Nique's F.A.T. Chance has well as The Bachelor and will be on hand to host and moderate the panel discussion.

Find out from The Runway Diva:

The 7 Deadly sins for a plus model!
What the basic qualifications are to become a plus model.
How to develop your signature runway "Strut".
How to have maximum success on a local level (the "Underground").
How to adapt and overcome obstacles without sacrificing who you are.

The All-Star Lineup of Panelists (subject to change) includes:

Anthony Higgins - Director - Goddess/Model Service Agency

Anthony Higgins is a Buffalo native, who became a "New Yorker" in 1995. He started his career in the fashion world working at Karin Models - a French owned agency, as a model booker and assistant to the director.

Anthony has enjoyed being the director of MSA for the past 11 years. He has developed new divisions for this agency and quadrupled their business in the process.

He established Goddess in 1998; a division dedicated to plus size women's fashion. The models he has worked with have graced the pages and covers of many national publications including Glamour, Marie Claire, Essence, Figure, and O Magazine.

In 2001, he helped develop Direct Reps and established the commercial print division at MSA, booking models with Proctor & Gamble, Clairol and hundreds of other products.

Last year, Anthony launched ADAM, a new high fashion men's boutique agency, that develops young talent and services prestigious clients such as Armani and Diesel.

Register NOW and hear from Anthony as he explains:

What agents and bookers are REALLY looking for at the open call.
What's happening NOW in the plus size fashion market from an insider.
The biggest mistakes that aspiring models make at the open call.
How to avoid being typecast.

Yvette Ray Pinfield - Plus Model/Author (Your Guide to Plus Sized Modeling)

Yvette Ray Pinfield is a working mom and a plus size

model with agencies in both New York and Miami.

Her portfolio of work spans over 7 years and includes theToday Show, Good Morning America, Good Housekeeping Magazine, Motherhood Maternity and many more.

Yvette holds the title of Mrs. Manhattan 2008 and is also an active member of a number of professional organizations including the International Size Acceptance Association (ISAA).

Learn What Works in Plus Size Fashion and Modeling from an Industry Expert....

Your Guide to Plus Size Modeling is a great read for those who want to get into the field of modeling and it also teaches women to believe in themselves through reinforcing their self-esteem and positivity.

Find out from Yvette:

How much money you'll need to get started.
Getting in where you fit in (other branches of modeling).
How to properly prepare for the open call.
How to invest in the business of YOU.

Aminah Benjamin - Casting Director/Producer (BET's Rip The Runway)

Aminah will be on hand to answers the questions that EVERYBODY wants to know.

Find out from Aminah.....

Everything you wanted to know about Rip The Runway!

Learn he secrets behind the casting process for Rip The Runway!

How to avoid the mistakes that most models make in their auditions.
What the producers are looking for when they cast the show!
Why preparation is KEY in getting selected for RTR.
What direction the show is going in for 2011!

Larissa Laurel - Actress/Singer/Plus Sized Model &

Industry Editor for Plus Model Magazine

Larissa Laurel is originally from Corpus Christi, Texas. She is an actress, singer, and plus-size model. Her modeling career includes fit, print, fashion and showroom work.

Larissa began her modeling career in 1998 after the urging of her friends and family and by becoming an agent's assistant for a top-notch plus-size modeling agency in NYC. She has worked as a model with several NYC agencies and continues to work with most of her focus on print & fit modeling and acting.

Larissa's acting and singing career is truly a passion of the heart and she promotes and embraces non-traditional casting. She has appeared in several off-off Broadway productions and national tours. Larissa was also a founding member of the The Original "Glamazons", a 5 member plus size dance troupe.

Her face & curves have been featured in Latina, Oprah, Bust, Paper, BBW and Mode Magazines and her television appearances include The View, The Restaurant and commercial work for The Lifetime Channel. She is also a contributing editor for Plus Model Magazine and she writes a monthly column entitled "Q&A with Larissa", which helps aspiring models with the business of fashion.

Find out from Larissa:

What it takes to make a successful career as a fit model.
How to make the transition from fit to print model.
The differences between fit and print modeling.
How to juggle careers in multiple genres.

**Randi Graves - Plus Model/Aspiring Author

(Alternate Panelist)

Randi Graves was born and raised in Northern New Jersey. She attended Hampton University for one and a half years before starting her 12 year modeling career.

She has graced the pages of Ebony, Essence, Mode and Vogue magazines and she appeared on the cover of Plus Model Magazine's May 2009 issue.

She has two commercials under her belt and her beautiful face has graced the advertisements of Lane Bryant and Catherine's to name a few.

Randi Graves has the awesome distinction of being the first plus sized African-American model to have a billboard in NYC's Times Square (for Ashley Stewart Stores)!

And SO much more!

This is definitely a seminar and panel discussion that you DON'T WANT TO MISS if you are serious about a career as a plus sized model.

So sharpen those pencils, pack those pens and notebooks and come on down and get the necessary knowledge you need to succeed in your career!!

CLICK HERE to register NOW for FFFWeek(tm) 2010's Aspiring Model Seminar & Panel Discussion!

FFFWeek(tm) 2010's Aspiring Models Seminar & Panel Discussion

Friday, June 18, 2009

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

The Hotel Pennsylvania

401 Seventh Avenue @ 33rd Street

The Madison Room / 18th Floor

New York, NY 10001

Tix $22.00 in advance / $30.00 at the door

Seats are limited!!! Get yours now!!

The Underrepresentation Of Black Plus Size Models In Mainstream Fashion

2010-05-01T05:31:00.004-04:00

I received the link to this story in my "In" box this morning.....I found it to be a very interesting read and decided to share it with my fam......

Something is lacking in the current push to include plus-size models in mainstream fashion publications (or "separate-but-equal" media outlets such asVogue Italia's "Vogue Curvy").

What's lacking, specifically in the fashion establishment but less so in the satellite world of "fatshion" blogging, is representation of models/women of color. I want to speak specifically about black plus size models/women because there is a very particular perception of blackness conflated with female fatness as compared to other races, and it's an identity I inhabit on a daily basis.

A popular (white) misconception is that fat is more acceptable in the black community. This is patently untrue. Hip-hop

culture is often pointed to when one is making this argument. If you watch any hip-hop music videos at all, it's clear to see that the fat on the women featured is in specific places. Booty, hips, tits. As the inimitable Sir Mix-A-Lot stated, "When a girl walks in with an itty-bitty waist and a round thing [booty] in your face, you get sprung." (emphasis supplied) There is definitely a line between acceptable fat and unacceptable fat. Those fat women who are fortunate enough to be considered "thick" are subject to an even more extreme hyper-sexualization of their bodies than average sized or thin black women are. As the features considered sexually desirable not only by black men but also white men are exaggerated on a fat female body, these women are often portrayed as more sexually available, yet can also be portrayed as ghetto princess or hoochie - "Jezebel" and "Sapphire". But cross that line dividing "thick fat" and "just fat" and you quickly enter the territory of the desexualized fat black woman: the Precious, the mammy........

CLICK HERE to read this article in it's entirety.

Source

Gabby Sidibe makes People Mag's Most Beautiful People's List!!!

2010-05-01T00:09:00.003-04:00

2010 is shaping up to be a phenomenal year for Gabby Sidibe....From The Examiner:

People Magazine has released their picks for their annual Most Beautiful People’s List with the return of the same old beauties paired with a dash of something new with Gabourey Sidibe being named as one of the 100 for 2010!

Usually when these list roll around, people are either pleased with the list or just confused. As the selection process not only relies on just aesthetics, the title can be a little misleading. One inclusion will definitely bring a smile to many a faces.

Precious breakout star Gabourey Sidibe has been named as one of the 100 Most Beautiful People. Gabby has received some negativity after achieving the success of a great film plus a nomination for an Academy Award......

CLICK HERE to read this article in it's entirety!

'The View' snags Gabourey Sidibe as guest co-host;

2010-04-30T23:59:00.005-04:00

Gabourey Sidibe has already tried her hand at hosting "Saturday Night Live," and next week she'll get her shot at co-hosting "The View." A few days later, "Iron Mike" Tyson will make his first-ever guest appearance.

ABC announced Wednesday (April 28) that the "Precious" star will get her chance to gab alongside the ladies of "The View" on Tuesday, May 4, followed by Tyson's guest appearance on Friday, May 7th.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of this article!

Source

FFFWeek(tm) 2010 Aspiring Models Panel Discussion - Tix on sale NOW!!

2010-04-14T01:42:00.001-04:00

Have you ever seen a live fashion show, watched a fashion on TV or flipped through a magazine and said to yourself: "I wish I could do that?" Well the good news is chances are you CAN do it! Whether you are a new model just starting out or you are a few years into your career, you will benefit from our "Aspiring Model Seminar & Panel Discussion". Learn the secrets to starting a career as a plus sized model from the ground floor up and/or how to take your career to the "next level"....from the people who are making it happen as we speak!

Designers are beginning to realize that designing clothing for a small minority of folks is no longer cost effective and therefore a whole lot of them are quietly branching out to other

markets (i.e. plus) to keep their businesses afloat. The issue of size acceptance has been a hot topic over the last few years and is getting hotter by the minute….

So what does this mean for YOU the aspiring plus sized model you ask? It means that a whole new WEALTH of possibilities can open up for you to take advantage of if you are willing to

learn how to “play the game” called Fashion!

Sharon Quinn, "The ORIGINAL Runway Diva “ - Actress/Veteran Plus

Model/Writer/Singer/Casting Producer, whose recent appearances include The Style Network's Ruby, Oxygen's groundbreaking Mo’Nique’s F.A.T. Chance, MTV’s MADE, Cash Cab & The Food Network's Throwdown With Bobby Flay; Statuesque, poised, graceful and striking are all adjectives used to aptly describe the attributes belong ing to Miss Sharon Quinn, affectionately known as "The Original Runway Diva", due to her presence, style and unbelievable confidence on the catwalk. She has handled the casting for Mo'Nique's F.A.T. Chance has well as The Bachelor and will be on hand to host and moderate the panel discussion.

Find out from The Runway Diva:

The 7 Deadly sins for a plus model!
What the basic qualifications are to become a plus model.
How to have maximum success on a local level (the Underground).
How to adapt and overcome obstacles without sacrificing who you are.

Your All-Star Lineup of Panelists (subject to change) include:

Mia Amber Davis - Plus Model/Actress (Road Trip), Television Producer (The Ricki Lake & Star Jones Shows), Stylist and Editor-At-Large for Plus Model Magazine

As a model Mia Amber has worked, with Richard Metzger, Monif C., Queen Latifah for Curvation, Abby Z., Lane Bryant and numerous others. As an

Ashley Stewart campaign model Mia Amber was selected to be the face of The Butterfly Bra designed by R&B superstar/Actress Jill Scott.

Mia has graced the covers and pages of numerous magazines and has appeared on countless television shows. The determined Mia went toe to toe with Janice Dickinson on Oxygen's The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency, as well as Anti-Fat activist Meme Roth in a highly publicized segment of CNN's Campbell Brown. In 2008 she was appointed Creative Editor-at-Large for Plus Model Magazine. In an effort to help aspiring models make an impact on the industry, in 2009 she began a career as a Style Consultant.

Most recently, Mia launched her own blog as a way to keep in touch with her fans and answer the multitude questions asked of her daily by models and model citizens alike!

Register and listen to Mia as she explains:

How to make it or break it as a plus sized model on ANY level.
How to develop a "signature" runway walk.
How to stack the deck in your favor!
Building your skills within your personal budget.
How to avoid being typecast.

Yvette Ray Pinfield

- Plus Model/Author (Your Guide to Plus Sized Modeling)

Yvette Ray Pinfield is a working mom and a plus size

model with agencies in both New York and Miami. Her portfolio of work spans over 7 years and includes the Today Show, Good Morning America, Good Housekeeping Magazine, Motherhood Maternity and many more. Yvette holds the title of Mrs. Manhattan 2008 and is also an active member of a number of professional organizations including the International Size Acceptance Association (ISAA).

Find out from Yvette:

How much money you'll need to get started.
Getting in where you fit in (other branches of modeling).
How to properly prepare for the open call.
How to invest in the business of YOU.

Fluvia Lacerda - Plus Model/Actress

"The Brazilian Bombshell"

Plus-size Brazilian model Fluvia Lacerda is the star of "16", a short film that challenges the stereotypes of beauty currently set by the film, fashion, and advertising industries. At her size, Lacerda is an anomaly in the fashion world, which has historically been defined by bone thin, size 00 models. After several models died of anorexia in 2006, a push was made inside the fashion industry to change the unreasonable size standards in runway shows.

Television and print media is also starting to show women who more accurately represent America - where the average woman is a size 14.

Fluvia was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and moved to New York City almost 13 years ago. She was discovered by a magazine editor on a Manhattan crosstown bus and has not stopped working since. She's the only Brazilian working as a plus size model overseas and has been called "The plus sized version of Gisele Bundchen". Fluvia is one of the most known faces within the plus size industry and has been featured in ads for Fashion Bug, Torrid, Igigi & Monif C. and in Latina & Glamour magazines.

To see more of Fluvia's work CLICK HERE to visit her website.

Aminah Benjamin - Casting Director/Producer (BET's Rip The Runway)

Aminah will be on hand to answers the questions that EVERYBODY wants to know.

Find out from Aminah.....

Everything you wanted to know about Rip The Runway!

Learn he secrets behind the casting process for Rip The Runway.

How to avoid the mistakes that most models make in their auditions.
What the producers are looking for when they cast the show!
Why preparation is KEY in getting selected for RTR.
What direction the show is going in for 2011!

And much more!

This is definitely a panel discussion that you DON'T WANT TO MISS if you are serious about a career as a plus sized model.

So sharpen those pencils, pack those pens and notebooks and come on down and get the necessary knowledge you need to succeed in your career!!

CLICK HERE to register for FFFWeek(tm) 2010's Aspiring Model Seminar & Panel Discussion!

FFFWeek(tm) 2010's Aspiring Models Seminar & Panel Discussion

Friday, June 18, 2009

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

The Hotel Pennsylvania

401 Seventh Avenue @ 33rd Street

The Madison Room / 18th Floor

New York, NY 10001

Tix $22.00 in advance / $30.00 at the door

Seats are limited!!! Get yours now!!

Plus Sized Supermodel Emme Aronson to host FFFWeek(tm) 2010 Finale!!

2010-04-13T00:58:00.006-04:00

Industry Icon and television host Emme Aronson (she is our very first plus sized supermodel) has been tapped to host the 2nd annual Full Figured Fashion Week (tm) 2010 Finale Runway Showcase on Saturday, June 19th, 2010 in New York City!

CLICK HERE to purchase tickets to FFFWeek(tm) 2010 Finale Runway Showcase

Here's a little background info on Miss Emme (via Wikipedia):

Emme is currently host of FOX's reality dating series More to Love.

She previously hosted Fashion Emergency on E! where she gave fashion advice to women of all ages. Emme is frequently seen on NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, and other cable networks about socially compelling and women-related issues.

Her "Simply Green with Emme" iVillage blog came about from her brush with lymphatic cancer in 2007, pondering all things for the quest of green living for herself and her family.

Emme posts as well for the Living channel on The Huffington Post on body image, self esteem, and related matters. Her New Year post for 2009^[3] is one of her most popular.^{[citation needed]}

Her column "Ask Emme" appeared monthly in Mode magazine in the 1990s. She's been named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" (1994 and 1999) and Glamourmagazine's "Woman of the Year" (1997). Ladies' Home Journal selected her as one of its "Most Fascinating Women of the Year" (1997) and as one of its "Most Important Women in America" (1999).

Her first book, True Beauty—Positive Attitudes & Practical Tips from the World's Leading Plus Size Model, was published in 1997. Also in 1997, she was invited to speak before aCongressional subcommittee about eating disorders.

Her second book, Life's Little Emergencies: Everyday Rescue for Beauty, Fashion, Relationships, and Life, was published in 2003. Her third book, written with her husband, Morning Has Broken: A Couple's Journey Through Depression, was published in January 2006. She and her husband wrote their first children's book What Are You Hungry For?, illustrated by Erik Brooks and published by Harper Collins, which was released in the summer of 2007

Vote NOW for The Face of FFFWeek(tm) 2010!!!

2010-04-13T00:20:00.003-04:00

Let’s "face" it, not all curvy women are meant to be runway divas, but that does not mean that they are any less fabulous or beautiful.

Full Figured Fashion Week™ endeavors to support ALL curvy women, not just those who are booked to walk our runway. Therefore, we are pleased to announce the return of our "Face of Full Figured Fashion Week™" Cover Model Search, which will run from March 29, 2010 to April 29, 2010.

The beautiful faces you see below are some of the contestants who have entered our Cover Model Search. Please show your support by casting your vote for the contestant that you feel would make a great representative of our event. The winner will be flown to New York City to host our Red Carpet on June 19th and will receive many other prizes.

Remember, only one vote per IP address is allowed. Thank you for supporting the beauty in curves!

Voting ends on April 29, 2010.

CLICK HERE to go directly to the ballot!

Time To VOTE!!! FFFWeek(tm) 2010 Awards!!!

2010-04-13T00:03:00.004-04:00

Full figured fashion has made significant strides over the past few decades. While mainstream fashion argues over our legitimacy in fashion, for the first time ever, Full Figured Fashion Week™ takes the time to celebrate those who have and are continuing to bring plus size fashion to the forefront.

On Saturday, June 19th, during the 2010 FFFWeek™ event, we will honor designers, models, photographers, pioneers, blogs, and many other integral trailblazers within the industry and we need you to help us select the winners!

By the way....I am up for an award in the Plus Industry Icon Category.....So make sure you VOTE NOW!!!

Remember, only one vote per IP address is allowed.

Thank you for supporting our trailblazers!

Voting ends on April 29, 2010.

CLICK HERE to go directly to the ballots!

Tix for FFFWeek 2010 Events are ON SALE NOW!!!

2010-04-12T23:52:00.005-04:00

Tickets to the Full Figured Fashion Week™events are ON SALE NOW!

Purchase your tickets by going to the website and clicking on schedule/tickets.

But, of course you already knew that because 100 of you bought tickets within 30 minutes of the information going up! Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

Click here to check out the list of events for Full Figured Fashion Week(tm) 2010

Project Runway's Daniel Vosovic to dress Gabby Sidibe?

2010-04-05T12:34:00.002-04:00

According to NYMag.com's The Cut....Season 2 Project Runway contestant Daniel Vosovic recently approached the Academy Award Nominee's people with the possibility of dressing her in the future....from The Cut:

"He hopes that even as a small label he'll be able to dress celebrities for red-carpet appearances. "I’m a little obsessed with Zoe Saldana, but that’s too easy. You could throw combat boots and a paper bag [on her], and I guarantee she’d rock the shit out of it," he told us last night at the premiere of Breaking Upwards. "But I did approach Gabby Sidibe’s stylist, and we are going to hopefully be working in the future on something."

Finally! A designer with balls big enough to take on the challenge of dressing someone who isn't a size two! I hope they take him up on his offer....I would love to see what he would design for her!

Gabby Sidibe to host Saturday Night Live!!!

2010-04-05T12:01:00.003-04:00

Word on the street (via E! Online) is that Academy Award Nominee Gabourey Sidibe is set to host an upcoming episode of Saturday Night Live.

CLICK HERE to read the full story!

Hmmm.....guess that means Howard Stern & Co., can KICK ROCKS!!! (lol)

You GO Girl!!! Congrats on the gig!

Source

Jill Scott Covers Essence Magazine!!

2010-04-05T11:55:00.002-04:00

Jill Scott looks phenomenal as she graces the cover of the May 2010 issue of Essence Magazine!

"Ever since I had my son, I feel like there's a stitch of lava in my spine. I feel like I can do anything."--Jill Scott

With a string of lead movie roles under her belt and on the eve of a new album, the inimitable Jill Scott covers ESSENCE's May issue--looking and feeling better than ever! In "And Baby Makes 2," Jill is photographed at home with her 9-month-old son Jett, as she opens up about the difficult road that led her to single motherhood, the sister circle that helps her get by, and the perfect life she enjoys today.

Jennifer Hudson Reps Weight Watchers

2010-04-05T11:36:00.005-04:00

Jennifer Hudson is the new spokesperson for Weight Watchers. The Grammy Award winning singer recently told Huffington Post:

Jennifer Hudson didn't gain a huge amount of weight when she was pregnant with her son, but it was enough to make her do a double-take when she saw a picture of herself.

"I didn't realize it was me," the singer and actress said Thursday. "I was like, 'Who? ... Oh, my God, this is me.' And now when I look back, wow, look at the difference from then to now."

Hudson, a former "American Idol" finalist who won a best supporting actress Academy Award for "Dreamgirls," has lost the baby weight and more, and she says it's because of Weight Watchers – for which she is the new spokeswoman.

Hudson said she has always been happy with her curves but after she gave birth to David Daniel Otunga Jr. last August she felt the need to take control of her body and her eating habits.

CLICK HERE to continue reading....

Source

The April 2010 Issue of Plus Model Magazine is live!!!

2010-04-05T11:20:00.002-04:00

The April 2010 issue of Plus Model Magazine is live! and available for your reading pleasure. This month's issue is the official Music Issue and celebrates our curvy divas and their male counterparts in the music industry!

April 201o features my Mo'Nique's F.A.T. Chance homegirl, the beautiful Joanne Borgella.

My article in this month's issue covers the Curvy Alumnus of American Idol (including Joanne!), highlighting their lives before, during and after Idol!

And if I do say so myself (lol...and I do!) it's an awesome read!

CLICK HERE to begin reading the article!

Just Wright Trailer featuring Queen Latifah

2010-03-27T12:13:00.002-04:00

I just checked out the trailer for the new Queen Latifah/Common movie "Just Wright" (in theaters May 2010).... It looks pretty interesting.....

Happy Birthday Aretha Franklin!!!

2010-03-25T09:45:00.005-04:00

Today my Diva.....The Queen of Soul turns 68 today!!!

Wikipedia lists Aretha Franklin as:

Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist commonly referred to as The Queen of Soul. Although renowned for her soul recordings, Franklin is also adept at jazz, rock, blues, pop, R&B and gospel music. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Franklin No. 1 on its list of The Greatest Singers of All Time.[1]

Franklin is one of the most honored artists by the Grammy Awards, with 18 Grammys to date, which include the Living Legend Grammy and the Lifetime Achievement Grammy. She has scored a total of 20 No. 1 singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart, one of which also became her first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100: "Respect" (1967). "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" (1987), a duet with George Michael, became her second No. 1 on the latter chart. Since 1961, Franklin has scored a total of 45 "Top 40" hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In 1987, Franklin became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[2]

Franklin was the only featured singer at the 2009 presidential inauguration for Barack Obama.

This lady has been my idol since I could talk!! I have always loved the power of her voice and have always admired how deftly she uses her instrument. I had the pleasure of meeting my idol once and I was speechless for what had to be one of the few times of my life! (lol)....if EVER I get the chance to meet her again.....TRUST ME when I tell you I won't be speechless again!!

Happy Birthday Aretha!!! Have an AWESOME day!! Continued Success!

President Barack Obama Signs Historic Health Care Reform Bill

2010-03-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

Still loving my President....

From AP...

Claiming a historic triumph that could define his presidency, a jubilant Barack Obama signed a massive, nearly $1 trillion health care overhaul on Tuesday that will for the first time cement insurance coverage as the right of every U.S. citizen and begin to reshape the way virtually all Americans receive and pay for treatment.

After more than a year of hyperpartisan struggle — and numerous near-death moments for the measure — Obama declared "a new season in America" as he sealed a victory denied to a line of presidents stretching back more than half a century. Democratic lawmakers cheered him on, giving the White House signing ceremonya rally-like atmosphere as they shouted and snapped photos with pocket cameras or cell phones.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of this article...

So why am I NOT surprised that the Republicans are behaving like Klansmen (and women)...SMDH...Hell, they've be behaving that way ever since his name was put on the ballot. As a currently uninsured American, I am breathing a sigh of relief at this bill...It's a bad feeling when you hurt yourself and you have to make a decision that comes down to going to a hospital for emergency care OR paying your rent.....

It should NEVER, EVER come down to that choice....we live in one of the richest countries in the world....healthcare should be equal and available to ALL Americans....not just the folks who can afford it nor should the quality of your care come down to what you can afford to pay. Profits should NEVER come before the people.

Now that they realize that the fear-mongering and race-baiting is not going to work....it will be interesting to see how they will try to attack him next.

Star Jones Undergoes Cardiac Surgery

2010-03-22T11:40:00.003-04:00

Star Jones underwent cardiac surgery Wednesday related to rarely-performed surgery she had three decades ago after developing a thoracic tumor.

In a statement to PEOPLE, a rep for the television personality confirmed the procedure. "On Wednesday, March 17th, a pre-planned cardiac surgery was performed on Star Jones," the statement read. "This recent surgery is a follow-up to the thoracic surgery she had 30 years ago. The procedure was successful and she is recovering well with her family. Star is grateful for everyone’s thoughts and prayers."

CLICK HERE: To read the rest of the story at People Magazine

The Curvy Community sends it's well wishes to you Star for a speedy recovery mama!

Casting Notice: FFF Week 2010 Online Model Submissions Open NOW!!

2010-03-22T10:45:00.007-04:00

Greetings All!

The wait is over! Online submissions for runway models for FFFWeek 2010 are now being accepted.

You MUST HAVE PROFESSIONAL RUNWAY SKILLS, no exceptions. If you live out of state (outside NY, NJ, CT, etc.) and you submit an application, you must read the directions on the application and send us a link to a small video clip of your runway skills. It does not have to be you in a fashion show, it could be something as simple as a friend recording your walk (in heels, etc.).

Please read the info on the application very carefully before submitting. If you live out of town and you do not send us a link to the video clip, your application will be automatically voided.

We are doing this because we realize the costs associated with traveling to NY to audition AND we want to be sure you realize that we are looking for the best of the best. So, please read the info on the application very carefully.

If we are interested in seeing you, we will contact you to attend our closed casting which will be held in April.

Model Requirements:

FEMALE

Minimum height - 5”7 without heels (if you are a plus petite model, you are encouraged to submit but your weight MUST be proportionate to your height. First consideration will be given to models who are at least 5’7”)
Dress size- 14-22
Runway experience is mandatory
Able to attend at least one fitting in NYC (fittings will be scheduled 2 weeks before show)
If you live outside of the state of New York, you must submit a video clip of your runway ability to us via YouTube.com. See instructions above.

MALE

Minimum height- 5’11” – Maximum height – 6’5”
Able to follow directions
Great personality
Own an assortment of shoes (casual and dress)
Able to attend at least one fitting in NYC (fittings will be scheduled 2 weeks before show)

Note: Do not upload pictures larger than 300kb.

CLICK HERE to download the application

Questions? Email: Models@fffweek.com

GOOD LUCK AND WE'LL SEE YOU AT FFFWEEK!

Mo'Nique on the very last Barbara Walters Oscar Special

2010-03-08T22:56:00.004-05:00

Mo'Nique sat down with The View's Barbara Walters for the first time since their 2006 run in when Mo' was a guest host on The View.....for those of you who don't remember Barbara landed in hot water for referring to Mo's newly born twins as "little creatures"...lol...you KNOW you can't talk about a black woman's kids....

Folks are saying she gave Barbara hell during that interview.....(well I didn't see that but you know how folks talk.....)

Check out the clip below:

Your thoughts fam?

New Music from Toni Braxton & Mo'NIque?

2010-03-08T21:58:00.003-05:00

Could it be that Academy Award winning actress Mo'Nique is trying to add a Grammy award to her already crowded mantelpiece of awards?

Word on the street is the full figured comedienne/actress has teamed up with diminutive Grammy award winner Toni Braxton on a new single called "Caught".....

To listen and/or download the new single....CLICK HERE!

Curvy Carpet Alert: The 2010 Academy Awards

2010-03-08T21:39:00.005-05:00

The curvy girls came out swinging on the Curvy (red) Carpet at this year's 2010 Academy Awards Ceremony...Check out some of the beautiful fashions below:

Jennifer Hudson has been bringing her A game to the red carpet of late....You GO GIRL!!

Mo'Nique accepting the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture

Mo'Nique & Hubby Sidney Hicks

Queen Latifah

Oprah Winfrey

Director Tyler Perry

Academy Award Nominee Gabourey Sidibe

Meryl Streep gets props here cuz I love the dress

AND a big boy (Project Runway's Chris March) designed it

I absolutely LOVED this dress on Jennifer Lopez! Stunning!

Casting Notice: Big Handsome Men Needed for FFFWeek 2010!!!

2010-03-08T20:50:00.009-05:00

This casting notice comes straight from Gwen DeVoe, The CEO of DeVoe Signature Events and the Creator of Full Figured Fashion Week.......

Greetings Fans of FFFWeek 2010!
Please help us spread the word of our male model casting to find Big and Tall men for the first ever runway show to showcase fashions for our big guys.

We want to continue doing things 'BIG" AND "FIRST" and we know this particular showcase will go over well at FFFWeek. I am sure all of us have run across a BHM (big, handsome man) who is well groomed, has outstanding personality, swagger AND style. We are firm believers in equal runway opportunity for all and this year, we want our men involved! Help us spread the word!

Casting details:

Tuesday, March 23rd - 6:30 PM
Ripley Grier Studios
520 8th Avenue (bet. 36th and 37th Streets)
10th Floor, Studio10A
New York, NY

**Bring a full length photo and a headshot. Does not have to be professional but be prepared to leave the photos with us. And, be prepared to walk for our panel.

(I STRONGLY suggest that you wear or bring SHOES to walk in.....Sneakers won't cut it!)

RSVP not necessary but if you want to send your photos in advance you can to: bklyngurl@gmail.com

Interested, but out of state? Send your photos to: bklyngurl@gmail.com

THIS ONE IS FOR YOU BHMs. IF YOU'VE GOT IT, I WANT TO SEE IT!

Kind regards,

Gwen DeVoe
Executive Producer
Full Figured Fashion Week

Mo'Nique Wins The Best Supporting Actress Oscar!!!

2010-03-07T22:15:00.005-05:00

Congrats to Mo'Nique on her Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Oscar!!

You GO Girl!!!!

We are all very proud of you Mama!!

Check out her acceptance speech below:

CLICK HERE: To see a laundry list of her awards this season...

Precious Cleans up at the 25th Independent Spirit Awards

2010-03-06T23:39:00.000-05:00

Lee Daniels & Company took home 5 awards at last night's 25th Annual Independent Spirit Awards.....Congrats y'all!!!

Mo'Nique with her Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress

Gabourey Sidibe

(Uh...The Event was sponsored by LG...lol....that's why she has the vacuum cleaner)

Cast & Crew of Precious on the Red Carpet

Mariah Carey & Gabourey Sidibe

Geoffrey Fletcher, Mo'Nique & Lee Daniels

Precious took home 5 Independent Spirit Awards:

Best Feature: Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Best Director: Lee Daniels, Precious
Best Female Lead: Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Best Supporting Female: Mo’Nique, Precious
Best First Screenplay: Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious

Bomb found at Harlem's Metro North 125th Station

2010-02-25T23:43:00.005-05:00

Word on the street is that someone planted an explosive device at the Harlem-125th Street stop on the Metro North Line.

CLICK HERE to get the full story.....

So THAT'S why the bus I was on that was crossing 125th street had been rerouted....and while I was walking back up 125th street I noticed that the ENTIRE station had been evacuated and roped off.

Interesting.

Riverton Houses to be sold in Foreclosure.....

2010-02-12T02:19:00.004-05:00

I talked about the rumors flying around about this a couple of summers ago and I recently read in the AM NY paper that it's definitely happening now......

Riverton Houses in Harlem are definitely in foreclosure and will be auctioned off.

The NY Times reports:

A state judge on Tuesday ordered the foreclosure sale of the storied Riverton Houses, a middle-class Harlem enclave that ran into trouble a year ago when its new owner failed to make good on optimistic revenue projections and defaulted on his mortgage.
Justice Richard F. Braun of State Supreme Court in Manhattan ordered the sale of the complex at public auction to satisfy the owner’s $240.6 million debt. The complex sits between 135th and 138th Streets, from Fifth Avenue to the Harlem River.
Riverton, like a number of complexes during the real estate boom, was bought for top dollar in 2005 by a company led by the developer Laurence Gluck, who had a plan to increase profits by replacing tenants in rent-stabilized apartments with market-rate tenants.
“We’re about to see a wave of foreclosure sales throughout New York City,” said Harold Shultz, senior fellow at the Citizens Housing and Planning Council. “This is the first. For tenants, there’s good news and bad news. Excessive debt will be eliminated, but they will be at the mercy of the auction process as to who the new owner will be.”
In January, the owners of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, two middle-class housing complexes overlooking the East River, announced that they would give the keys back to the lender after they defaulted on $4.4 billion in loans.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of the story......

This sucks and it has GOT to be scary for the current residents.

Damn.

UK Designer Alexander McQueen Dead at 40

2010-02-11T11:15:00.006-05:00

The Guardian UK reported this morning that Designer Alexander McQueen was found dead in his home in London. Here's what they're reporting:

The British fashion designer Alexander McQueen has been found dead at his London home at the age of 40.
His body was discovered at his property in Green Street, in London's West End, shortly after 10am today. Paramedics were called but he was pronounced dead at the scene. A postmortem has been scheduled but police said his death was not being treated as suspicious. They would not comment on reports he had killed himself.
A spokeswoman for McQueen said: "Mr McQueen was found dead this morning at his home. We're devastated and I hope you understand that out of respect to his family and his colleagues we're not going to be making any further statement."
His death comes just days before the start of London fashion week and a month before he was to unveil his new collection at Paris fashion week.

To read the full story CLICK HERE:

Source

Photo Source

Casting Notice: Rip The Runway 2010

2010-02-04T23:20:00.006-05:00

You all have been driving me absolutely nuts about WHEN the casting call for BET's Rip The Runway was going to be held....and now I FINALLY have an answer:

But you gotta CLICK HERE to get the info!

Submissions deadline is February 16, 2010 at 6:00pm (EST)

They are also holding an Amateur Model Contest this year as well!

CLICK HERE to go directly to the application...

The deadline for the model contest is February 16, 2010.

Please remember to READ EVERYTHING and SUBMIT what you are asked to SUBMIT.

Good luck y'all!!

JET Magazine Gets A New Look!

2010-02-04T22:47:00.001-05:00

Looks like JET Magazine has gotten a makeover. Whaddya think fam?

Hidden Beach Records Suing Jill Scott?

2010-02-04T22:07:00.002-05:00

The Hollywood Reporter blog reports that Jill Scott's record label Hidden Beach Records is suing her for breach of contract. According to the site:

"R&B superstar Jill Scott was sued this morning by her longtime record label, which is accusing the multi-platinum songstress of skipping out halfway through a six-album contract and potentially owing millions of dollars in damages.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by L.A.-based Hidden Beach Records, claims that the label and its founder, Steve McKeever, helped launch Scott's career and nurtured her into a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter but was unceremoniously dumped in October after a 10-plus year relationship.
"Hidden Beach is shocked by her decision not only because Scott has apparently chosen to leave the Hidden Beach family," the complaint reads, "but also because Scott is contractually required to deliver three more albums to Hidden Beach."
The complaint alleges causes of action for breach of contract and damages owed under California's Labor Code Sec. 2855. That statute, sometimes known as the "De Havilland Law" because it stems from actress Oliva De Havilland's successful fight in the '40s against long-term studio deals, provides that talent cannot be bound by personal services contracts for longer than seven years. Hidden Beach isn't disputing that Scott's deal violated the seven-year rule but the law carves out a requirement that certain recording artists who wish to terminate their lengthy deals must reimburse their labels in the amount the labels would have received under the terms of the contracts. Since breaking onto the scene with the double-platinum selling "Who Is Jill Scott?" album in 2000, Scott's studio albums (and live albums) have generated millions in revenue. So while Hidden Beach's alleged damages are unspecified in the complaint, under California law they could total several million dollars. "

Wow.

Black History Month Moment #3: Dr. Ben Carson

2010-02-03T02:04:00.000-05:00

Today's Black History Month Moment is brought to you by the letter C:

C is for

Dr. Ben Carson

Dr. Benjamin Carson has written over ninety neurosurgical publications. He has been awarded 24 honorary degrees and numerous national citations of merit. Carson has written three best selling books, Gifted Hands, Think Big. and The Big Picture. Currently, Benjamin Carson serves as the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. In 1987, he gained world-wide recognition as the principal surgeon in the twenty-two hour separation of the Binder Siamese twins from Germany.

To read more about Dr. Benjamin Carson CLICK HERE.

The Legendary Etta James has Alzheimer's Disease

2010-02-02T12:01:00.004-05:00

Damn. If you know me personally, you know that I have learned quite a bit about Alzheimer's disease over the last 10 years and I am SO very sorry to hear this news...

According to Rhymes With Snitch:

"Singing legend Etta James has been secretly battling Alzheimer's Disease for more than a year. Ms. James had been admitted to Community Hospital in southern California a week ago to treat an infection, but her son has revealed that his mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's over a year ago and has battled it in secret ever since. Donto James, who plays in his mother's band, says his mother is suffering from speech difficulties and has contracted the potentially-deadly MRSA virus."

TIVO Alert Gabby Sidibe will be on The View tomorrow!

2010-02-02T11:36:00.003-05:00

Academy Award Nominee (I LOVE being able to preface her name with this title now!) Gabourey Sidibe will be hanging out with the ladies of The View tomorrow morning (Feb 3) at 11:00am (Eastern time).

PRECIOUS Gets SIX Academy Award Nominations!!!

2010-02-02T10:41:00.003-05:00

Congrats are in order for Precious stars, Gabourey Sidibe & Mo'Nique for their Academy Awards nominations for Best Actress & Best Supporting Actress and to Lee Daniels for his nomination for Best Director for Precious.

In addition to the above nomination the film also received nominations for:

Best Picture

Best Adapted Screenplay

Film Editing

The film scored a total of 6 Academy Award Nominations.

Can't wait to watch the broadcast next month on March 7th!

Congrats to everybody!

Black History Month Moment #2: Marie Brown

2010-02-02T01:55:00.001-05:00

Today's Black History Moment is brought to you by the letter B.

B is for:

Marie Brown

On December 2, 1969, the first video home security system was patented (patent # 3,482,037) to Marie Brown. The system used television surveillance.

To see a blueprint of the actual design CLICK HERE.

Red Carpet Arrivals: More of the 2010 Grammy Awards Weekend!

2010-02-01T23:18:00.006-05:00

Jennifer Hudson performs at Clive Davis' Pre Grammy Gala

Gayle King at Clive Davis' pre-Grammy gala

Mya....simply because I am digging the dress....

Lalah Hathaway sparkles in pewter

Beyonce....The big winner of the night with 6 Grammys....GO GIRL!!!

David Otunga & J. Hud....lol...just because.

I'mma give a shout out to Jamie Foxx for ALWAYS showing his baby sis (on the left) love....

Ciara & Rhianna...

I know...not curvy at ALL...but why do these outfits make me wanna clean my house?..lol

Jennifer Hudson & Clive Davis

(The purple leather dress is TO DIE FOR!!!)

On the real...this chick's career is headed for the STRATOSPHERE!!! She's about to fill Whitney's shoes BIG TIME!!

February is Black History Month!!

2010-02-01T11:07:00.003-05:00

February is Black History Month.....28 Days to celebrate our history in all it's Glory!

I say we should celebrate OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS each and EVERY DAY....

Whaddya think fam?

Today's Black History Moment is brought to you by the letter A:

A is for

Nathaniel Alexander,

Inventor of the Folding Chair...

On July 7, 1911 Nathaniel Alexander of Lynchburg, Virginia patented a folding chair. According to his patent, Nathaniel Alexander designed his chair to be used in schools, churches, and other auditoriums. His design included a book rest that was usable for the person sitting in the seat behind was ideal for church or choir use.

To see a blueprint of the original design CLICK HERE.

Source

New Reality Show for Toni Braxton & Co?

2010-02-01T02:31:00.002-05:00

Word on the street is that Toni Braxton and family have a new reality show in the works called "Braxton Family Values"....Hmmmm...this sounds familiar....didn't The Jacksons have a show with a similiar title (Jackson Family Values)....or is it just me? No word on who's producing....

Caressa Cameron is the new Miss America 2010

2010-02-01T02:11:00.003-05:00

Congrats to Caressa Cameron from Virginia...Last night she became the 89th woman and the 8th BLACK woman (if you count Suzette Charles stepping in to fill Vanessa Williams shoes) to be crowned Miss America. The 22 year old broadcast journalism student TOTALLY blew away 53 hopefuls by belting out Beyonce's "Listen" from Dreamgirls and by telling parents that the way to combat childhood obesity was to turn off the TV & Video games and GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY! (TOTALLY agree with that advice....remember when kids did that EVERY day?). She also won a $50,000 (US) scholarship.

Btw....LOVED her from the minute she put on that YELLOW evening gown...Awesome!

Continued success to you sister!

Red Carpet Arrivals: The 2010 Grammy Awards Curvy Chick Edition!!

2010-02-01T01:42:00.006-05:00

The curvy sisterhood SHOWED OUT on the red carpet during this weekend's Grammy festivities......Don'tcha think? Feel free to comment....but be nice...please?

Jennifer Hudson is absolutely stunning ...looks like she's lost all of that baby weight!

Sigh...just cuz she's a lil chunky monkey too...lol...Snooki from The Jersey Shore

Niecy Nash KILLS it in a champagne colored gown!

Vocalist SUPREME.....Ledisi!

Not an "Official" Curvy chick...but I love this sista and her music! Kudos!

Gabourey Sidibe at Ne-Yo's Pre-Grammy Brunch

Ya gotta give props when and where props are due....Rhianna is STUNNING in this Elie Saab Gown!

American Idol's Mandisa Hundley flaunts her newly slimmed body in pink.

Gospel Duo Mary, Mary

Mary J. Blige....Just Because.....

Oprah's BFF Gayle King

Rapper Twista...wonder where he's been...

Natalie Cole and Ashanti (only here because I LIVE for the color of Natalie's dress!)

Busta Rhymes

VH1 To Revisit the Murders of Biggie & Tupac

2010-01-30T22:29:00.003-05:00

Word on the street is that VH1 is gonna try and tackle the mystery behind the murders of both Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace & Tupac Shakur.

"Launching their new half-hour series "Famous Crime Scene" on Friday, February 12th at 9pm, the first episode will take an in-depth look at the murders of Pac and Biggie which are still unsolved."

CLICK HERE to read the rest of this article.

Source

Kim "Poprah" Kearney to Host "Stars for Haiti" Fundraiser

2010-01-30T18:40:00.007-05:00

VH1 television personality and actress, Poprah, is hosting a major fundraiser to help the many victims of the Haiti earthquake. The fundraising event is the first in a series of fundraisers called "Stars For Haiti", spearheaded by Poprah, to create platforms for celebrities to use their influence and resources to raise funds for the ongoing needs of earthquake victims, and this first one tomorrow is expected to be a huge hit with so many big celebrities already confirmed to perform or attend!

The first event is a huge Celebrity Comedy Night scheduled at one of the largest comedy clubs in the country, Hollywood's own
Laugh Factory, on Jan. 29th, at 8pm, during Grammy week, featuring some of the biggest comedians in the country, such as Bob Saget
of Full House and America's Funniest Videos, Jeff Garlin of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, and, Tony Rock of The Chris Rock Show and Def Comedy Jam, Alex Thomas of Jamie Fox Show and Family Guy, Frangela of Vh1' Best Week Ever, Speedy Of Jamie Foxx's Radio Network Foxhole, and many others.
"Stars for Haiti" is collaborating with celebrities around the country to raise donations to buy water for the victims of the Haiti earthquake. This humanitarian effort is being spearheaded by VH1's Poprah of Season 1 and 2 of I Want to Work For "Diddy", known as Diddy's protégé, and a mogul in the making. The fundraising events are being produced by Hollywood South, a respected tv/film/music and event production company.

CLICK HERE to read the full article

"God doesn't count Grammys, Awards or IMDB credits, He counts what we do to help others." - Kim "Poprah" Kearney

Queen Latifah to sing at Super Bowl XLIV

2010-01-30T18:24:00.002-05:00

Resident curvy chick Queen Latifah will join the VERY short list of performers consisting of Ray Charles, Vicki Carr, Mary J. Blige, Marc Anthony, Alicia Keys & Faith Hill when she takes the stage to perform "America The Beautiful" at Super Bowl XLIV.

You GO Girl!!

Source

RuPaul will NOT be at New York's Fashion Week Festivities....

2010-01-30T15:51:00.006-05:00

Legendary Drag Queen RuPaul has declined to participate in next week's NY Fashion Week festivities....He tells NY Magazine's The Cut.....

"When asked if (s)he'll participate in Fashion Week, RuPaul replied, "I don't. I cannot stand the people. I think the fashion people are so nasty and so pretentious. One thing that I am not is pretentious and I cannot stand pretentious people. I love fashion, love color, love texture, love all of that. But all of the people who surround that are rot-ten."

Womp. Womp.

Season two ofRuPaul's Drag Race premieres on February 1.

Source

Etta James Hospitalized

2010-01-30T15:39:00.004-05:00

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Grammy-winning R&B singer Etta James has been hospitalized for about a week near her Southern California home for treatment of various ailments, including a bloodstream infection, her son said on Friday.

The 72-year-old recording star, best known for her bluesy hit ballad "At Last," grew ill after entering a detoxification center a month ago for treatment of an addiction to painkillers and over-the-counter medicine, Donto James told Reuters.

As her condition worsened, she was moved to a nursing facility, and then to Riverside Community Hospital, near her home east of Los Angeles, he said.

"She's been in a pretty big battle," said Donto James, her eldest son.

The performer is being treated for a number of ailments, including sepsis, a potentially fatal infection spread through the bloodstream, which in her case is believed to have started from a urinary tract infection, her son said.

CLICK HERE to read this article in it's entirety....

Source

Gabby Sidibe Covers EBONY Magazine

2010-01-30T15:18:00.003-05:00

Precious star Gabourey Sidibe rocks the cover of the March 2010 Issue of EBONY Magazine. In the issue she talks about working with Mo'Nique and how director Lee Daniels changed her life.

Face by the late great Roxanna Floyd - Styled by Susan Moses

Beaded Dress (top) by Monif C.

"I wake up with myself every morning, so the only opinion that really matters is mine" - Gabourey Sidibe

Happy Birthday Oprah Winfrey!!!

2010-01-29T15:32:00.002-05:00

The media mogul turned 56 today!

Happy Birthday Girlfriend!

Michelle Obama in Isaac Mizrahi

2010-01-29T03:05:00.003-05:00

First Lady Michelle Obama wore a 3/4 sleeved zipped back full skirted dress by designer Isaac Mizrahi to the State of the Union address the other night. She completed her look with her signature single strand of pearls. While I am personally not a fan of the whole purple, plum, eggplant etc....family of colors. I LOVE how our First Lady can rock this often somber color!

Miki Howard & I Are Both Panthers......

2010-01-29T02:22:00.005-05:00

"You know I'm a Panther. They have entered the rainforest when they come over here. A cougar is a white woman. A Panther is a mature black lady."
- Miki Howard to Mo'Nique during The Mo'Nique Show while talking about dating younger men....

You know Miss Miki....I LIKE how that sounds...Yeah...it's official! I'm A Panther!

Sly Stone files $50 Million Dollar Lawsuit Against His Former Manager

2010-01-29T02:14:00.003-05:00

The BV Buzz says....Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Sly Stone (Please do NOT ask me about that hairstyle dude is rocking...lol) of the legendary funk collective, Sly & The Family Stone, filed a lawsuit on Thursday Jan. 28 for approximately $50 million against his former manager Jerry Goldstein citing fraud related charges over more than 20 years.

CLICK HERE to read the rest!

SOURCE

Gabby Sidibe Joins the cast of The Big C

2010-01-29T01:47:00.003-05:00

Gabourey Sidibe will star alongside Laura Linney in a new show that was recently picked up by Showtime called The Big C. The drama follows a school teacher, played by Linney, who finds out that she has cancer.

According to Access Hollywood, Sidibe will appear in the show as Andrea, one of Linney's students. The show is scheduled to debut later this year.

You GO Girl!!!

Skinny Models Off The Runway T-Shirt Creator, Loses 50 lbs.

2010-01-29T01:30:00.006-05:00

George at his starting weight of 265

My Atlanta Homie Chyna McGarity sent me this link to an article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution website featuring her husband, George (the creator of the Skinny Models OFF the Runway Please!! t-shirt) and his journey to a healthier lifestyle....He's lost 50 pounds so far and his goal is to lose a total of 80lbs!

and 50 lbs lighter at 215 pounds!

CLICK HERE to read George's inspirational story!

Congrats George and keep up the good work!

Harper's Bazaar Says That Gabourey Sidibe is Hollywood's New IT Girl!!

2010-01-29T01:26:00.001-05:00

Check the video of her exclusive interview with Harper's Bazaar...

Farewell Roxanna Floyd

2010-01-28T21:54:00.008-05:00

I just received the word a few hours ago that my friend, chocolate diva & celebrity makeup

artist Roxanna Floyd made her transition today. Roxy has beat the faces of some of the most remarkable women in the entertainment industry today. She was responsible for the look that Whitney Houston sported on her latest album "I Look To You", she also worked extensively with Angela Bassett, Janet Jackson and Queen Latifah and she was instrumental in the development, production and marketing of The Queen's Cover Girl Queen Collection of cosmetics.

The cause of her death is unavailable at this time. Please check back here in a few days and I will post any information I get on her home going services here.

Rest In Peace Roxy! You will be deeply missed.

City High's Robby Pardio on A&E's Intervention

2010-01-28T00:38:00.010-05:00

I have never actually watched one of those Intervention shows on A&E before but I saw this link at Rhymes With Snitch and couldn't stop watching it.

It's all about the intervention of Robby Pardio, the founding member of the 90's R&B/rap trio City High....and it was both heartbreaking and fascinating to me.....the tears flowed freely as I watched this young man battle his demons.

If you haven't seen it before you should definitely check it out. My heart goes out to him and I truly hope that this brother can get his life back.

Parents BE WARNED!!! This is what happens when you give your children everything they want and then raise your children WITH NO BOUNDARIES......

"In the final analysis, it is not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings." - Ann Landers

It's The End of The Road For Ugly Betty....

2010-01-28T00:05:00.006-05:00

ABC is canceling Ugly Betty, the show that made America Ferrera a star when it arrived in 2006. The series will wrap after the current fourth season, which will end with a 20th episode due in mid-April, reports USA TODAY's Gary Levin.

The show started strong on Thursdays but lately has posted anemic ratings and was hurt by a move to Fridays last fall....

CLICK HERE to continue reading the full article....

Source

Sharon Quinn: The Original Runway Diva

FFFWeek(end) LA - New & Aspiring Plus Model Seminar & Panel Discussion

Casting Notice: Plus Sized Models - West Coast Based ONLY!!!

Lindsay Lohan to portray 70's Porn Star Linda Lovelace?

Farewell Lena Horne (1917-2010)

Happy Birthday James Brown!!!

Jordan Tesfay Rocks the May 2010 Cover of Plus Model Magazine!!!

FFFWeek(tm) 2010 Industry Awards Winners

Beth Ditto to do a second collection for Evans in the Fall!!!

FFFWeek(tm) 2010 Aspiring Models Seminar - MORE CURVY CELEBRITY PANELISTS ADDED!!!

The Underrepresentation Of Black Plus Size Models In Mainstream Fashion

Gabby Sidibe makes People Mag's Most Beautiful People's List!!!

'The View' snags Gabourey Sidibe as guest co-host;

FFFWeek(tm) 2010 Aspiring Models Panel Discussion - Tix on sale NOW!!

Plus Sized Supermodel Emme Aronson to host FFFWeek(tm) 2010 Finale!!

Vote NOW for The Face of FFFWeek(tm) 2010!!!

Time To VOTE!!! FFFWeek(tm) 2010 Awards!!!

Tix for FFFWeek 2010 Events are ON SALE NOW!!!

But, of course you already knew that because 100 of you bought tickets within 30 minutes of the information going up! Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

But, of course you already knew that because 100 of you bought tickets within 30 minutes of the information going up! Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

Click here to check out the list of events for Full Figured Fashion Week(tm) 2010

Project Runway's Daniel Vosovic to dress Gabby Sidibe?

Gabby Sidibe to host Saturday Night Live!!!

Jill Scott Covers Essence Magazine!!

Jennifer Hudson Reps Weight Watchers

The April 2010 Issue of Plus Model Magazine is live!!!

Just Wright Trailer featuring Queen Latifah

Happy Birthday Aretha Franklin!!!

President Barack Obama Signs Historic Health Care Reform Bill

Star Jones Undergoes Cardiac Surgery

Casting Notice: FFF Week 2010 Online Model Submissions Open NOW!!

Mo'Nique on the very last Barbara Walters Oscar Special

New Music from Toni Braxton & Mo'NIque?

Curvy Carpet Alert: The 2010 Academy Awards

Casting Notice: Big Handsome Men Needed for FFFWeek 2010!!!

Mo'Nique Wins The Best Supporting Actress Oscar!!!

Precious Cleans up at the 25th Independent Spirit Awards

Bomb found at Harlem's Metro North 125th Station

Riverton Houses to be sold in Foreclosure.....

UK Designer Alexander McQueen Dead at 40

Casting Notice: Rip The Runway 2010

JET Magazine Gets A New Look!

Hidden Beach Records Suing Jill Scott?

Black History Month Moment #3: Dr. Ben Carson

The Legendary Etta James has Alzheimer's Disease

**TIVO Alert** Gabby Sidibe will be on The View tomorrow!

PRECIOUS Gets SIX Academy Award Nominations!!!

Black History Month Moment #2: Marie Brown

Red Carpet Arrivals: More of the 2010 Grammy Awards Weekend!

February is Black History Month!!

New Reality Show for Toni Braxton & Co?

Caressa Cameron is the new Miss America 2010

Red Carpet Arrivals: The 2010 Grammy Awards Curvy Chick Edition!!

VH1 To Revisit the Murders of Biggie & Tupac

Kim "Poprah" Kearney to Host "Stars for Haiti" Fundraiser

Queen Latifah to sing at Super Bowl XLIV

RuPaul will NOT be at New York's Fashion Week Festivities....

Etta James Hospitalized

Gabby Sidibe Covers EBONY Magazine

Happy Birthday Oprah Winfrey!!!

Michelle Obama in Isaac Mizrahi

Miki Howard & I Are Both Panthers......

Sly Stone files $50 Million Dollar Lawsuit Against His Former Manager

Gabby Sidibe Joins the cast of The Big C

Skinny Models Off The Runway T-Shirt Creator, Loses 50 lbs.

Harper's Bazaar Says That Gabourey Sidibe is Hollywood's New IT Girl!!

Farewell Roxanna Floyd

City High's Robby Pardio on A&E's Intervention

It's The End of The Road For Ugly Betty....

TIVO Alert Gabby Sidibe will be on The View tomorrow!