The Daily Roundup for Feb 10

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Uh-O There’s Trouble in Paradise for The Oprah Empire!
The Rosie O’Donnell’s Show and OWN Lay’s Off 30 People : O Magazine Sales Plunge

Oprah’s brand hasn’t been the same since her Television show went off the air last September, now we are hearing that her magazine’s sales have also faded from sight. Its sad to watch a women, who in most people eye’s never fail, fail.

I think we need to make sure we do our part to support lady “O” in her time of need.
Eurweb is reporting “Brass at Hearst, which publishes the 2.4 million circulated publication with Winfrey, had downplayed the impact of the show’s ending on the magazine, saying they expected fans to turn to it to get their Oprah fix.

To their surprise The Oprah Magazine’s newsstand sales plunged 32 percent to 413,363 in the second half of last year (after an 8 percent falloff in the first half), according to just-released Audit Bureau of Circulations figures. By comparison, all measured consumer magazines’ single-copy sales dropped 10 percent. Adweek reports….
The rep said that with the economy soft and the show ending, a dropoff in newsstand sales wasn’t a surprise and pointed out that newsstand sales of the January issue were up 28 percent to 825,000.

Winfrey recently did a interview with extra explaining why she started OWN:
“The reason I did OWN was I wanted to continue the platform to speak to people in a way that made them feel inspired. And that’s been harder than I thought it would be, but it’s also been as exciting as I thought it would be.”

Meanwhile, the daytime talk queen is struggling to win viewers to her new Oprah Winfrey Network, a partnership with Discovery Communications, where her audience is a fraction of what it used to be.

Amid low viewing figures, Rosie O’Donnell’s show on OWN has laid off 30, moved to a smaller studio and scaled back the program.”

Go support O, by buying a copy of O Magazine!

CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Marian Anderson

A photograph of Anderson by Carl Van Vechten taken in 1940.Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897 – April 8, 1993) was an African-American contralto and one of the most celebrated singers of the twentieth century. Music critic Alan Blyth said "Her voice was a rich, vibrant contralto of intrinsic beauty. Most of her singing career was spent performing in concert and recital in major music venues and with major orchestras throughout the United States and Europe between 1925 and 1965. Although she was offered contracts to perform roles with many important European opera companies, Anderson declined all of these, preferring to perform in concert and recital only. She did, however, perform opera arias within her concerts and recitals. She made many recordings that reflected her broad performance repertoire of everything from concert literature to lieder to opera to traditional American songs and spirituals.

Anderson became an important figure in the struggle for black artists to overcome racial prejudice in the United States during the mid twentieth century. In 1939, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) refused permission for Anderson to sing to an integrated audience in Constitution Hall. The incident placed Anderson into the spotlight of the international community on a level unusual for a classical musician. With the aid of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Anderson performed a critically acclaimed open-air concert on Easter Sunday, April 9, 1939, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.. She performed before a crowd of more than 75,000 people and a radio audience in the millions. Anderson continued to break barriers for black artists in the United States, becoming the first black person, American or otherwise, to perform at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on January 7, 1955. Her performance as Ulrica in Giuseppe Verdi's Un ballo in maschera at the Met was the only time she sang an opera role on stage.

Anderson was also an important symbol of grace and beauty during the civil rights movement in the 1960s, singing at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. She also worked for several years as a delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Committee and as a "goodwill ambassadress" for the United States Department of State. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Anderson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1978, the National Medal of Arts in 1986, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991.

KNOW YOUR HISTORY!

Denzel and Crew attends The "Safe House" Star-Studded NYC Premiere

They're no strangers to big screen movie screenings, and Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington were on-hand for the New York City premiere of “Safe House” on Tuesday night (February 7).
The “Green Lantern” stud and his “Unstoppable” co-star both looked handsome on the red carpet and smiled for several photos before disappearing inside the Big Apple's School of Visual Arts Theatre.

Also in the house for the film’s debut were “Higher Ground” star Vera Farmiga and the lovely Molly Sims, who proudly showed off her growing baby bump.
Of working on the crime/mystery caper, Mr. Reynolds recently told CBS News about the pleasures of teaming up with an iconic actor such as Denzel. "You learn so much from working with a guy like him. He brings a kind of discipline I don't think I've ever seen before. It's just in his DNA," Ryan revealed. Directed by Daniel Espinosa, “Safe House” hits theaters today!

Van Vicker to receive Achievement Award at Pan African Film Festival

Actor Van Vicker has been nominated to receive a special award, the African Channel Creative Award, at the 20th edition of the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) scheduled to come off at a Night of Tribute on Friday, February 10 at the Rave Cinemas Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, Los Angeles, California.

Van is listed among seven others who organizers say have impacted immensely on their fields and contributed diversely to the development of stage, television and film production among blacks.
In a citation, organizers of the awards described Van Vicker as “one of Africa’s hottest movie stars, he’s one of the most sought-after Nollywood actors. The award-winning actor has appeared in more than 100 movies, including Paparazzi: Eye in the Dark, Royal War, Broken Tears, Return of Beyonce and Princess Tyra. He’s been nominated twice for an African Movie Academy Award.”

Among the eight special awardees, the Pan African Film Festival will honor award-winning actress Loretta Devine with its highest honor for this year, Lifetime Achievement Award for her work on stage, television and film.
The six other recipients include, Meagan Good - Beah Richards Rising Star Actress Award, David Oyelowo - Canada Lee Rising Star Actor Award, Mr. Leon Garr - Community Treasure Award, Jewel Thais-Williams - Community Service Award, Jimmy Jean-Louis - The Africa Channel Diasporan Award, Eric Kabera and the Rwanda Cinema Centre - The Africa Channel Visionary Award.

One of Van’s movies, Paparazzi: Eye in the Dark will be screened on Saturday, February 11 during the festival.

PAFF was founded in 1992 by award-winning actor Danny Glover, Emmy Award-winning actress, Ja’Net DuBois and executive director, Ayuko Babu, an international legal, cultural and political consultant who specializes in African Affairs.
PAFF is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the promotion of ethnic and racial respect and tolerance through the exhibit of films, art and creative expression. The goal of PAFF is to present and showcase the broad spectrum of Black creative works, particularly those that reinforce positive images, help to destroy negative stereotypes and depict an expanded vision of the "Blackexperience".

PAFF holds the belief that film and art can lead to better understanding and foster communication between peoples of diverse cultures, races, and lifestyles, while at the same time, serve as a vehicle to initiate dialogue on the important issues of our times.
This year’s festival selected a total of 160 films, representing 30 countries, 91 feature length films (narrative and documentaries) and 67 short films.

The festival will hand out prizes for Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short, Best Narrative Short, Best Narrative Feature, and Best First Feature Film, as well as audience favorite awards at the close of the festival.

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And I’m telling you….I Ain’t gonna stop playing Effie

Jennifer Holliday Returning to the Stage as Effie

Back in 2006 when the Dreamgirls movie came out, Broadway's original Effie White, Jennifer Holliday, made a big deal about Jennifer Hudson stealing her legacy.
This year Ms. Holliday is returning to the stage as Effie White one more time to reclaim her sense of self...

Jenn will star as Effie White in the St. Louis Muny Theater production of Dreamgirls this summer and insists this time will be her last. 

Jennifer says,

"I don't want to turn into (Sunset Boulevard character) Norma Desmond or, remember that scene in Mommie Dearest, when Joan Crawford's grown daughter is in the hospital and she sees her mother on TV, playing her role in a soap opera? I think I can just get away with it one more time."

Well we'll see!

Are you ready for a Missy and Timbaland comeback?

WOW….Seven years.It’s startling to believe that it’s been that long since Missy Elliott released a studio album.
Indeed, fans of the star have waited with fervent patience, tiding themselves over with the vast array of material she cooked-up for other artists.
However, their patience is set to be rewarded this June when the game-changing femcee makes her long-awaited return.

Speaking to MTV News this week, Elliott’s longtime collaborator Timbaland dished on their joint comeback, saying:
“Me and Missy are both coming with our albums at the same time, and it will be in June.

Right now, we’re preparing to get both our videos, our first singles, shot kinda at the same time. We want to do it as a movement and spontaneously.”
The news follows the 40 year old’s recent revelation that she suffers from Graves Disease – an autoimmune ailment she asserts will not hold her back.

Which is just as well, as the industry craves her creative flare. She redefined the concept of the female MC, and we can’t wait to see her do it again!

MEGAN GOOD looks Red Hot in Red for VIBE Vixen!

She's single, 30, a veteran in the game, and screams sex without even trying. The uber beautiful Meagan Good is covering the brand new digital issue of VIBE VIXEN. And she's revealing all about her dream role playing Whitney Houston (yeah, she said it), having a few deep loves but never losing herself in the relationship, and how she keeps her good Christian girl values while constantly playing the sexpot.

She's had a few boyfriends (most recently NFLer Thomas Jones whom she's no longer with), is very vocal about her love for God, and made a bold announcement that she wants to do Whitney Houston's life story. And we can't believe it's been 16 years already since the "Californication" co-star burst on the scene in her Eve's Bayou days. Peep Meagan Good's interview highlights:

On Her Dream Role Playing Whitney Houston:
"I want to do Whitney Houston's life story. I think that would be an incredible story to do. I talked to Whitney a little bit about it, and she's open to it, so I want to see what happens with that. Hopefully, in the very, very near future. She has Sparkle coming out, and I've heard good things about it already. I heard she looks beautiful, she sounds beautiful, she looks healthy and she's the Whitney that we know and love. And so I think that would be a great place for her story to end and really just be beginning, if they were to do her life story right now."

On Flexing Her Singing Skills
I always said that I didn’t want to sing because I wanted to be considered a very serious actress, not an entertainer, but singing is a passion of mine, rapping is a passion of mine, and in the way that we decided to do it, it’s very fun. We’re not taking ourselves too seriously, and our vibe is kind of like Beastie Boys mixed with Gwen Stefani. We kind of just do what we want to do; that’s what I love about it. The music is fun, and I think that the audience that we’re trying to reach will definitely be receptive to it. It’s not negative; it’s not saying ‘Boy, you want me’ and all this other crazy stuff. It’s about girls having fun and respecting themselves and being fly, doing their thing.

On her crazy moments in love:
"I mean, when you find yourself walking out on the side of freeway in a different state at three o'clock in the morning because someone has pissed you off, and you are completely convinced that you're walking to the airport that is over an hour away, you've pretty much lost your marbles there. [Laughs] Yeah, I'm not crazy like I'll bust the windows out your car. I don't like to be vindictive, but I am the type of person that'll be like, 'You know what? Nigga forget you, and I'll be on my own!' [Laughs] I'm one of those people who will mentally check out when I get so mad."

On Playing Uber Sexualized Roles While Maintaining Her Good Christian Beliefs
I think that [sexual activites] natural things. I think that, for me, it’s about portraying a character creatively and artistically as an actress. I believe that God has gifted me as an actress and intends for me to use that gift, but He also intends for me to use it to glorify him. So, if I’m playing the most perfect, religious girl then nobody gets anything out of it. It’s like being a Christian and only hanging out in church. When I play a character, I try not to judge her because ultimately it’s about where she ends up and what she learns from the journey, no matter what happens along the journey. Does she become a better person?

On Keeping Her Skin & Looks Close To Perfection
You know, my mom and my dad look fairly young now too. My mom always taught me as a young girl to stay with over-the-counter products, so I’ve been using Clearasil since I was a teenager. The only thing I use that’s not over-the-counter is eye creams. There’s this one, Peter Thomas Roth, and it is incredible. It takes the bags away, it takes dark circles away, it makes it so smooth under my eyes. It trips me out how good this eye cream is. Then, I’m trying to make healthier choices when I eat, I’m trying to work out a little bit and I’m trying to drink more water. You know, the usual things. Mainly, I try to stick to a facial regimen that I do morning and night. At this point, it’s about being preventive. Everything I do from here on out is about keeping it the way that it is.

Check out the full interview at VIBE VIXEN

New Music From that Butch Queen Raz B

It's been a while since we heard from Raz B, who famously accused Chris Stokes and Marques Houston of molesting him while he was a member of B2K but Raz is back with a new song called Na Na Na..

Take a Listen:

GURL MAKE IT STOP!

Chris Brown and Rihanna to Perform at Grammy’s for their death Match Anniversary

Chris Brown is set to make his Grammy comeback three years after his violent assault on Rihanna at a pre-Grammy bash nearly cost him his career.
According to reports, Brown will hit the stage at the show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, although his performance has yet to be officially announced.

In the wake of the assault, his reputation plummeted. He has been a no-show at the prestigious music award ceremony since.

However, the Look At Me Now hit-maker has managed to bounce back with multiple mixtapes and the multi-hit album, FAME (Forgiving All My Enemies).
The album earned him three Grammys nominations, including one for the Best R&B Album.
Rihanna will also perform at this year's awards. The couple were meant to perform together at the 2009 Grammys.
The 23-year-old We Found Love singer is up for four awards, including Album of the Year for her platinum-selling Loud.

M.I.A has been MIA on seeing her son and Boyfriend so he calls it QUITS!

Rapper M.I.A. has split from her environmentalist fiancé Benjamin Bronfman, according to reports today.
The London-born star is believed to have called time on her long-term relationship after living a 'separate life' from her long-term partner.
According to the New York Daily News, M.I.A., real name Mathangi Arulpragasam, spends most of her time in the UK while Benjamin lives in New York.

M.I.A. and Benjamin met in New York in 2008 and in 2009, she gave birth to their son Ikhyd Edgar Arular Bronfman, who turns three on Saturday.
Benjamin, 29, is the son of Seagram heir Edgar Bronfman Jr and former guitarist for the punk reggae band The Exit.
An insider told the paper that M.I.A., 36, is hardly in New York and Ben's mother, Sherry Bronfman, is helping to take care of Ikhyd.
A source told the paper that she 'sometimes goes six weeks without seeing' her family.

M.I.A., who was born in Hounslow, north-west London, has previously spoken about getting married and her immigration issues.
She ruled out a 'quickie' wedding to Bronfman and said: 'That's what they (immigration officials) want me to do, but I'm not going to lose my integrity for that s**t... I actually want a nice wedding.

'I'm not going to blow that. If they're gonna kick me out, it's going to be a fight, it's an important fight to have.'
M.I.A. is currently at the centre of a storm over her flipping her middle finger in an obscene gesture during her Super Bowl performance on Sunday.
The singer was performing with Madonna and Nicki Minaj during the Queen of Pop's 12-minute medley at the half-time show, and they sang their new song Give Me All Your Luvin' when she made the rude sign.

It prompted the NBC network, which broadcasted the game, to apologise to viewers but according to reports today, the incident left Madonna 'fuming'.
According to the British paper The Sun, Madonna was not very happy, not only because she considered it unprofessional, but also because she stole her thunder.

A source told the paper: 'Madonna wasn't impressed. She prides herself on professionalism. M.I.A .did nothing similar in rehearsals. Nobody knew she was going to pull this stunt.
'Madonna wanted to put on a world-beating performance. But everyone ended up talking about this girl's middle finger.'

Nicki Minaj & Ricky Martin For MAC’s Viva Glam

Nicki Minaj and Ricky Martin are the new faces for MAC’s Viva Glam Ad Campaign!

And they look FAB!

Kanye and his Famous Rider!

The demands that Artists have are ridiculous.The rider from Ye's Australian appearance reveals a couple of out there requests...
According to leaked reports Kanye demanded all drivers must wear 100 per cent cotton: No man-made fibers.
He also had Versace towels shipped over which were cut into smaller sizes so he could wipe his face on stage.

Diddy’s Baby Mama and FOOTSTOOL Kim Porter's Three Brown Girls HIT UP "Cocktails And Conversation” In Atlanta

In Atlanta, Kim Porter, Eboni Electra, and Nicole Johnson aka Three Brown Girls hosted "Cocktails and Conversations" at Taste of the City.

The fab trio (who run their own event and marketing firm) chatted with the audience and answered questions via Twitter.

They posed with recording artist Vawn.....

And Eboni tweeted,@3BGONLINE (ThreeBrownGirls) w/ the homeboy CLAY RUBICON!!! The official Brown Boy

FUN TIMES!

MADONNA VS LADY GAGA…WORLD TOURS 2012???

You should have known this might happen. Since Madonna announced her world tour on Monday. Now Lady GaGa has done the same but announcing the “Born This Way” Ball stage.

First Madonna; The tour will play 26 European markets, including London, Paris, Milan and Berlin, before hitting North American shores beginning Aug. 28 in Philadelphia. Twenty-six shows are planned for North America, including a Sept. 6 show at New York's Yankee Stadium, and an Oct. 10 performance at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale beginning Feb. 10 in Tel Aviv and the U.K., with North American tickets going on sale beginning Feb. 13. Tickets for North America are available at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com.

And then Lady GaGa Seemingly idle as of late, Pop force Lady GaGa has revealed that’s been everything but that as she gears up for the launch of her latest tour – the ‘Born This Way Ball’.
Taking to Twitter the star unmasked the stage for the trek. And in true GaGa fashion, it’s must be seen to be believed.

Via Lady GaGa:

If indeed replicated to the magnitude of the shot above, it’d easily serve as one of the grandest tour stages we’ve seen yet.

And as much as GaGa’s material didn’t move us this go round, one can’t but respect her hustle. This is a woman who ran her first major tour on relative a loss so as to pump more into its staging and all-round extravagance. A practice which has seen her emerge as a premier performing force. A practice, moreover, which has paid off handsomely (see: Forbes list). More power to her! However Madonna is still QUEEN!

Noted Liar and Tea Party Piglet Karen Handel Defensively Resigns From Komen

Karen Handel, the anti-choice Georgia conservative behind Susan G. Komen's defunding of Planned Parenthood, has resigned from her post as the charity's Senior Vice President of Public Policy. The resignation comes in the wake of growing criticism of the charity's evident political agenda, and Handel's apparent inability to depoliticize the bodies of the women whose health she was supposed to be promoting.

According to her predictably defensive letter, obtained by the Associated Press, Handel admitted to supporting the Planned Parenthood debacle that led to public outcry, but doesn't admit that she had anything to do with this "granting model change." 

Here's the letter, in full,

Dear Ambassador Brinker:

Susan G. Komen for the Cure has been the recognized leader for more 30 years in the fight against breast cancer here in the US – and increasingly around the world.
As you know, I have always kept Komen's mission and the women we serve as my highest priority – as they have been for the entire organization, the Komen Affiliates, our many supporters and donors, and the entire community of breast cancer survivors. I have carried out my responsibilities faithfully and in line with the Board's objectives and the direction provided by you and Liz.

We can all agree that this is a challenging and deeply unsettling situation for all involved in the fight against breast cancer. However, Komen's decision to change its granting strategy and exit the controversy surrounding Planned Parenthood and its grants was fully vetted by every appropriate level within the organization. At the November Board meeting, the Board received a detailed review of the new model and related criteria. As you will recall, the Board specifically discussed various issues, including the need to protect our mission by ensuring we were not distracted or negatively affected by any other organization's real or perceived challenges. No objections were made to moving forward.

I am deeply disappointed by the gross mischaracterizations of the strategy, its rationale, and my involvement in it. I openly acknowledge my role in the matter and continue to believe our decision was the best one for Komen's future and the women we serve. However, the decision to update our granting model was made before I joined Komen, and the controversy related to Planned Parenthood has long been a concern to the organization. Neither the decision nor the changes themselves were based on anyone's political beliefs or ideology. Rather, both were based on Komen's mission and how to better serve women, as well as a realization of the need to distance Komen from controversy. I believe that Komen, like any other nonprofit organization, has the right and the responsibility to set criteria and highest standards for how and to whom it grants.

What was a thoughtful and thoroughly reviewed decision – one that would have indeed enabled Komen to deliver even greater community impact – has unfortunately been turned into something about politics. This is entirely untrue. This development should sadden us all greatly.
Just as Komen's best interests and the fight against breast cancer have always been foremost in every aspect of my work, so too are these my priorities in coming to the decision to resign effective immediately. While I appreciate your raising a possible severance package, I respectfully decline. It is my most sincere hope that Komen is allowed to now refocus its attention and energies on its mission.

Sincerely,

That Karen Handel is a lying liar of the highest order, spewing exactly the sort of bullshit we've come to expect from Komen in the last week. A famously, rabidly anti-choice politician enters an organization and spearheads a push to defund a pro-choice organization? How is that a mischaracterization? Again, Karen Handel thinks we are all dumb.

Further, if Komen thinks that Handel's resignation is an "exit strategy" to the controversy they've drummed up in the last week, they're even more out of touch than they appeared when Nancy Brinker lied to Andrea Mitchell on the air during her Damage Control Tour 2012. Critical eyes are turned to Komen, and there's a lot more to this story yet to unfold.
But in the meantime, good riddance to a person who is surely destined to become an anti-abortion rights folk hero for her irresponsible, dishonest policking and famously valuing proto-life over living, breathing women.

Pilar Saunders called 911 claiming one of Deion’s Lady Friends ATTACKED HER!

Pilar Sanders called the police yesterday claiming she was attacked by one of Deion's female friends... 

From TMZ
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, Pilar told officers a woman named Laura arrived to the mansion to see Deion ... but Pilar told Laura she was not welcome in the home and asked her to leave.

We're told Laura refused ... and after some words were exchanged, Laura threw an object at Pilar ... striking her in the eye.
Pilar grabbed her phone and called 911 ... and told police Deion was present during the altercation, but didn't do ANYTHING to diffuse the situation.

Cops tell TMZ ... no arrests were made and the situation is under investigation.
Pilar's lawyer tells TMZ, "Pilar was taken to the hospital emergency room as a result of the injuries she sustained during the assault."

The lawyer adds, "This is an opportunity for Deion to use his 'Century-21 celebrity status' to set an example as to how to lovingly care for his wife and children during divorce proceedings."

Deion denies Pilar's claims saying it was his aunt and not some friend.

Khloe & Lamar New Promo Photos

Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom’s our back with Season 2 on February 19, 2012.

Everybody’s favorite Kardashian sister Khloe is back with her the second season of the “Khloe & Lamar” and this time around, we’ll get to see if Khloe’s marriage can withstand Lamar getting traded to the Dallas Mavericks.

Jazmine Sullivan Confirms New Album In the Works

Even though the talentless still reign supreme, the successes of vocal divas as of late is reassurance that there is hope yet. For, without question, what the industry has ‘needed badly’ would be the prowess of a vocalist comparable to that of ‘Need U Bad’ beauty Jazmine Sullivan.

Last year may have seen the 24-year-old announce an ill-received departure from music, but now fans can rejoice at this weekend’s Twitter announcement:

YAY!!!

Kalenna has some Hot New Promo Pics

Kalenna will make her first solo mixtape, Chamber of Diaries, available for free download February 13th, via her website.

Her album cover and artwork channel a strong and regal character in which Kalenna wants to use to officially introduce herself as a solo artist. 

 About her new venture, she states:
“I want people to know that I have experienced a lot of the same struggles they have faced in their lives. At the same time I want be a role model for my fans by keeping two feet on the ground and standing for what I believe in.

I wanted to talk about situations that occur between women and men in relationships. I want women to understand, and be empowered by taking into consideration the male perspective in different situations."

The mixtape features producers Rodney Jerkins, Ryan Tedder, D Mile, Firstborne and Shakespeare. And offers a sound that infuses up-beat tempos, and melodic lyrics to evoke emotion.

Hot pics.

AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
“Chatty Cathy”

Talking so much that it’s somehow convenient to have your phone holster on your head? I guess it’s not hard to figure out how your got your Mouthy Bi’atch nickname.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!!!

EFREM