Janet Jackson: ‘Beyonce Has a Lot of Growing Up To Do’
Janet Jackson is rumored to be fuming over Beyonce’s controversial ‘like the Jacksons comment’ a few weeks ago. Beyonce told reporters: “I grew up upper-class. Private school. My dad had a Jaguar. We’re African-American, and we work together as a family, so people assume we’re like the Jacksons.” While the first part of Beyonce’s statement was accepted, the “I Am …Sasha Fierce” singer’s final statement “.. I didn’t have parents using me to get out of a bad situation” raised eyebrows and backlash. According to sources close to Jackson, Janet is furious over the comment and is ready to set Beyonce straight. “Janet wanted to know why Beyonce had to mention her family,” the insider said. “They’re not friends and barely know each other. She feels Beyonce went out of her way to tell the world she’s from the upper class and the Jacksons were like a bunch of dirty gutter rats.” (Continue Reading…)

Naturi Naughton as Lil’ Kim in ‘Notorious’
Naturi Cora Maria Naughton was born on May 20, 1984 in East Orange, New Jersey where she started singing in the choir at New Hope Baptist Church at just 5 years of age. She turned pro by 14, when she became a member of the girl band 3LW. The group soon signed with Sony/Epic Records and went on a nationwide tour while their debut album, entitled “3LW,” went platinum, selling 1.3 million copies. Away from the entertainment business, Naturi always remained an honor student, attending Seton Hall University where she majored in Political Science until her career became too demanding. (Continue Reading…)

Senate Appointment Creates Rift Among Black Leaders
Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s appointment of Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate creates a split among Illinois’ top black officials. The appointment pits the state’s top elected official, Secretary of State Jesse White, against its one-time highest black office holder, former Attorney General Roland Burris. Further complicating the matter, the appointment involves the former seat of Barack Obama, the first African-American to be elected president. Both Obama and White were careful to praise Burris in opposing his selection by Blagojevich, who’s accused of earlier trying to sell the seat for personal gain. (Continue Reading…)

nonage \NON-ij; NOH-nij\, noun:

MTV Rolls Out ‘Daddy’s Girls’ in January
Vanessa And Angela Simmons Head For L.A. In Daddy’s Girls MTV’s Run’s House has been on the air for five seasons and now, two members of the Simmon’s family are breaking away from the pack. MTV’s upcoming reality series, Daddy’s Girls will follow Rev Run’s daughters Vanessa and Angela as they leave home in New York to move out to Los Angeles. Viewers will get to see how the two girls manage on their own. Well, not entirely on their own. Their friend Alicia and cousin Jessica will be coming along for the ride. (Continue Reading…)

Cholera Kills 1,518 in Zimbabwe’s Biggest Outbreak
Cholera has killed 1,518 people in Zimbabwe’s biggest outbreak of the disease, the World Health Organization said. The fatality rate from the 26,497 cases reported by Dec. 25 was 5.7 percent, higher than the 1 percent that is normal in large outbreaks, the Geneva-based organization said in a statement on its Web site. Cases are now being reported from all 10 of Zimbabwe’s provinces, WHO said. (Continue Reading…)

Web Site Uses MLK Name to Attack Him
Type the name “Martin Luther King” into the popular Google Internet search engine, and find a surprise: among the expected university and newspaper links, one site — the third highest ranked link — stands out. It attacks the personal life of the slain civil rights leader and, by extension, the movement of nonviolence he championed. It rehashes allegations of plagiarism and adultery and accuses King of fraud, claiming he was not a “legitimate reverend” or “bonafide Ph.D.” It also invites visitors to learn about civil rights by reading the work of former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. (Continue Reading…)

aplomb \uh-PLOM\, noun::

Coup d’etat Brooklyn & Afro-Punk are collaborating on a New Year’s Eve Bash. We are merging talent from the Afro-Punk Community, and talent from the Coup d’etat Art Collective to create a night of Art and Music.

The event will be featuring the following artists:
Livingroom Johnston
Alexandra Cespedes
Lichiban
Geeta Khanna (body paint & make-up artist)
Concep
Ibrahim…to name a few

Performing are:
Game Rebellion w/ Double-O of Kids in the Hall
Izza Kizza (Timberland’s new artist)

For more information about Punk-N-Paint please visit www.punknpaint.bigcartel.com.

Check out our interview with Muffy here!

Beyonce Leads Singles Chart for 3rd Week
Beyonce logged a third week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart with “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” a tune from her latest chart-topping album. Rapper T.I.’s “Live Your Life” featuring Rihanna held at No. 2, and Lady GaGa’s “Just Dance” featuring Colby O’Donis at No. 3. Kanye West’s “Heartless” jumped three places to No. 4. Britney Spears’ “Womanizer” rose one to No. 5, Katy Perry’s “Hot N Cold” jumped two to No. 6, and Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” climbed four to No. 7. (Continue Reading…)

Katt Williams vs. Steve Harvey: Beef Hyped on Jamie Foxx’s Radio Show
A new standup comic beef has emerged between Katt Williams and Steve Harvey – mostly on Williams’ part – that is expected to be settled during a head-to-head battle on New Year’s Eve in Detroit. Instigating from the sideline is fellow comic Jamie Foxx, who joined co-hosts of his Sirius XM FoxxHole radio show on Dec. 19 to comment on the absurdity of Williams calling out Harvey in advance of their Dec. 31 show. First, Foxx plays a clip of Williams dissing Harvey. “I wanna apologize for what’s gonna happen,” Williams said of the joint comedy gig. “But the second that you get on stage, I need you to understand that that’s your final time as the ‘King of Comedy.’ Water seeks its own level, you can’t stop it playboy. It is what it is, so I hope you’re ready. I hope you got a team of writers. You gonna need about six or seven of ‘em….” (Continue Reading…)

GOP Chairman ‘Shocked’ that Obama Parody Sent Out
The chairman of the Republican National Committee said Saturday he was “shocked and appalled” that one of his potential successors had sent committee members a CD this Christmas featuring a 2007 parody song called “Barack the Magic Negro.” In spite of RNC Chairman Robert M. “Mike” Duncan’s sharply negative reaction, former Tennessee GOP leader Chip Saltsman said that party leaders should stand up to criticism over distributing a CD with the song. He earlier defended the tune as one of several “lighthearted political parodies” that have aired on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show. Saltsman, who managed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign, is seeking the RNC chairmanship. During the presidential campaign, GOP officials denounced efforts by those in the party who criticized or mocked Democratic nominee Barack Obama along racial lines. Obama was vying to be the nation’s first black president. (Continue Reading…)

logorrhea \law-guh-REE-uh\, noun:

When asking a question I try to go right to the person who would know the most about the topic and probably provide the best answer. When I want to know what the best drink is I ask a bartender. When I want to know how giving birth feels I ask a mom. So it makes sense to find the best lip balm around that will protect your lips from the elements I would ask professional athletes who battle heat, sun, sweat and freezing temperature as part of their jobs. MISSION Skincare, a line of products that was co-founded, created and tested by some of the world’s top athletes, asked three of these athletes and the result is the launch of the new signature LIP BALMER series.

Lip Balmers ($3.99, Lady Foot Locker, Vitamin Shop or missionproduct.com) feature powerful UVA and UVB protections with an added bonus of being preservative and paraben-free, making it the perfect everyday pocket-sized companion to keep lips hydrated, soft and smooth. Each balm delivers on performance and stimulates the senses. They contain ingredients such as sunflower oil, jojoba oil and olive oil to help maintain moisture, Vitamin E an antioxidant that helps promote healthy skin and protect against free radicals. And Cocoa butter, which provides an intense moisturizer that hydrates and conditions lips to prevent dryness and chap.

The Lip Balmers come in three amazing versions all with SPF 15. Professional Snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler’s Sweet Vanilla, Professional Skateboarder Ryan Seckler’s Orange and the Mint Lip Balmer. But no matter which version you choose if you choose a LIP BALMER you are getting hands down the best lip balm on the market. If its good enough for a professional athlete it’s good enough for me.

Download the FREE mixtape here….

For more info on Marsha please visit www.myspace.com/marshaambrosius.

Are you feeling Ciara’s cover of “Diva“? Or should she have left it alone?

Ladies — is this a regular issue for you? To the guys, is this your approach? If so, why?

For more information about Tracey Rose please visit www.traceyrose.net.

beneficence \buh-NEFF-i-suhns\, noun:

Eartha Kitt, whose “Santa, Baby” remains the sultriest Christmas song ever recorded, died Thursday (January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) on a holiday she turned into something both naughty and nice. Kitt, a versatile multi-media performer, engaging talk show regular and longtime human rights activist, was 81 and had been suffering from colon cancer. Her publicist, Patty Freeman, said she died in New York with her daughter, Kitt Shapiro, at her side. Her last performance, a PBS special scheduled to air in February, was taped just six weeks ago. (Continue Reading…)

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For more information on Bambu please visit www.myspace.com/bambumusic and www.bambu.la.

The 10 Best Black Books of 2008
Hope on a Tightrope earns the No. 1 spot at the dawn of the new political era of Barack Obama. Why? Because in spite of the uncritical euphoria surrounding Obama’s historic accomplishment, Dr. West has the guts to call attention to the pressing plight of the least of his brethren even before the President-elect has had a chance to take office. Plus, the iconoclastic author, in urging the incoming administration to address the concerns of the poor and underprivileged, cleverly invokes “the fierce urgency of now,” the same phrase coined by Dr. Martin Luther King and appropriated by Obama as his campaign theme. (Continue Reading…)

Mother of Missing South Carolina Nurse Seeks Help Solving Case
When Susie Fernandez drives, she tries to glimpse every face in passing cars. In stores, she glances at people in aisles and checkout lines. She’s been doing it ever since her daughter, a nurse and devoted mother of a little boy, vanished in September. “You try to have faith,” said Fernandez, who fears her 31-year-old daughter is dead. “Not knowing what happened is just unbearable. It just consumes your life. You just have this pain in your heart that won’t go away.” The sharpest pangs come from two thoughts: Fernandez said she believes she knows who is responsible for her daughter’s disappearance, and she doesn’t feel anybody outside her family is paying attention. (Continue Reading…)

Immigrants Reshape Post-Disaster New Orleans
On Friday nights, day laborers form two lines at a bustling liquor store in the French Quarter: one is to dutifully wire money to their homelands, the other is to buy $2.17 beers that medicate their lives in New Orleans. “Life is hard here, harder than any place I’ve been in the U.S.,” said Jose Campos, 37, who came here from El Salvador, by way of Florida. He rode is bike to Unique Grocery, a cavernous establishment off Bourbon Street that offers the wire service through bulletproof glass and tall-boy beers from icy bins. “It’s a dangerous place, a bad place,” he said. “But when you can find work, it’s all worth it.” (Continue Reading…)

Silent Night - The Temptations

chichi \SHEE-shee\, adjective: