“Let’s make a love scene, steamy and blue…”-Joe

There is nothing better than a great love story.

Movies allow us to step away from the reality of whatever our present situations are and lose ourselves for a few hours in the love and lives of some of our favorite characters.  We all have that one movie that makes our heart skip a beat every single time we see it.

In the age of Netflix, RedBox, Blockbuster Online, iTunes and Amazon Video On Demand; there’s no excuse not to indulge yourselves in some good ole fashion Black romance. That is of course if you can take a break from all of the vampire action…

Here’s my Top 10 Favorite Black Romantic Movies of the 1990s & early 2000s:

1. Boomerang
2. Love & Basketball
3. The Best Man
4. Love Jones
5. How Stella Got Her Groove Back
6. Disappearing Acts
7. Brown Sugar
8. Two Can Play that Game
9. A Thin Line Betweeen Love and Hate
10. Jason’s Lyric

Happy Watching!

Many people think of palm trees when coconuts come to mind. Here is a new thought: weight loss and health benefits. Coconut oil is the top choice for many health professionals. “The beauty of coconut oil is that it doesn’t oxidize easily and it’s far more durable for cooking than other oils. It is also thermogenic, meaning that it raises the metabolism because it’s easily burned. Other oils tend to get stored in fat cells,” explains Cherie Calbom author of The Coconut Diet.

Cooking with coconut oil can do wonders for your health. If you incorporate a balanced diet and regular exercise weight loss is inevitable. Carolyn lost three dress sizes in a few months by using coconut oil, cutting out starchy foods and sugar. She started to incorporate juicing and she eventually lost a total of 135 pounds.

If you want to incorporate some coconut oil into your diet, check out this recipe for Crispy Coconut Chicken Salad. Read the rest of this entry »

Kanye West is on Twitter. Why this is news you ask? Primarily because this is the Real McCoy…not some poor, tortured soul whose sole purpose in life is to man Kanyeezy’s social media outlets. In case there were any doubts on the account’s authenticity, here are few choice gems Mr. West has had to share:

In less than 2 days, Yeezy has amassed nearly 250,000 followers; of whom are utterly fascinated with his off-color commentary, outbursts and general shenanigans in very public arenas. My guess is the world is waiting with bated breath for loads more of that special brand of crazy to flow through his fingertips as well. Don’t worry you won’t have to wait for long…I guarantee it!

Keep up with the antics here: Kanyewest

OutKast’s Big Boi has teamed up with classic footwear brand Converse for a limited edition sneaker just in time for the release of his first solo album, Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty (Def Jam). The Atlanta based rapper recently talked about his connection to Converse and the design of his shoe. But before you run to your nearest FootLocker trying to grab a pair, the sneakers will be highly exclusive and only available through giveaway and on a select few e-retail sites.

Big Boi x Converse from Centric TV on Vimeo.

Ne-yo’s “Champagne Life” will be your soundtrack as you toast it up with Dom Pérignon’s limited edition Tribute to Andy Warhol bottle collection. Inspired by Warhol’s unorthodox representation of celebrities and his use of color in his work, Dom Pérignon commissioned the Design Laboratory at Central Saint Martin’s School of Art & Design in London to reinterpret the label’s classic bottle. The “collection” includes three unique bottles, each with a distinct  red, blue or yellow label, of which are filled with vintage 2002 Dom Pérignon champagne. Available October 15th, how chic would these be at a pop art themed celebration? ($150.00, available at fine wine and spirits purveyors nationwide).

Ever since the South Carolina Democratic Primary this past June when Alvin Greene—a 32 year old unemployed army vet—won 59% of the vote everybody wants to know how this unknown Black, thirty-something who spent almost no money on his campaign became an overnight contender.

It is important to note, when Greene won the primary he became the first Black to be nominated for the U.S. Senate by a major political party in South Carolina’s history. And post Reconstruction no Blacks have been United States Senators from the South. With his Democratic Primary win Greene has become the focus of much speculation and investigation within the very political party he seeks to represents.

To date:

1. The Federal Election Commission opened an investigation into where Greene “got” the required $10,400 election filing fee.

2. Vic Rawl, Greene’s defeated opponent filed a formal protest with the South Carolina Democratic party citing “strange circumstances” surrounding his loss in the primary.

3. South Carolina Democratic Leader Carol Fowler asked Greene to step down amidst obscenity allegations the day after the primary.

4. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn the first Black to be elected by South Carolina to congress in 100 years called for an investigation into the primary citing,“shenanigans going on in the South Carolina primary.”

5. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division opened an investigation into Greene’s finances.

Alvin Greene has not been found guilty of any wrong doing relating to his historical primary win and he has not been officially charged relating to the obscenity allegations.  Whether or not Alvin Greene will be South Carolina’s U.S. Senator remains to be seen but maybe we should all take Mr. Greene’s advice and, “…be pro-South Carolina, not anti-Greene.”

By now its no secret, Essence Magazine has hired a white Fashion Director. Editor-in-Chief Angela Burt Murray has caught fire for appointing former O Magazine and US Weekly Fashion Director Ellianna Placas (pictured at right below during a 2008 television appearance) to the position, but she stands by her decision. The hiring of Placas has caused a relative maelstrom of online controversy spearheaded by one of the magazine’s former Fashion Editor cum cultural writer Michaela Angela Davis. On her Facebook, Davis wrote:  “It’s with a heavy heart I’ve learned that Essence magazine has engaged a white fashion director,” she wrote. “The fashion industry has historically been so hostile to black people — especially women. The seat reserved for black women once held by Susan Taylor, Ionia Dunn-Lee, Harriette Cole (+ me) is now — I can’t. It’s a dark day for me.”

So why Placas? In an interview with Media Ink, Burt-Murray  said, “I understand that this issue has struck an emotional chord with our audience. However, I selected [Placas], who has been contributing to the magazine on a freelance basis for the last six months, because of her creativity, vision, the positive reader response to her work and her enthusiasm and respect for the audience and our brand. We remain committed to celebrating the unique beauty and style of African-American women in Essence magazine and online at Essence.com.”

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“Say baby can I be your slave? I’ve got to admit girl, you’re the $!@# girl and I’m digging you like a grave”-Larenz Tate as Darius in Love Jones

I wonder how long wack pick-up lines float around in the cerebral cortex before they are unleashed upon the undeserving world. Every woman has had this experience. Picture this: You’re sitting somewhere, minding your own business when out of nowhere—with sledgehammer force—you’re hit with it: “Hey girl (insert whack line here).” After he’s done you feel like doing two things, either laughing in his face or backhanding him to whence he came.

I’m a tall and voluptuous woman and in my experience, the whackest of the whack pick up lines seem to all be generated from the lips of short men (well short according to my standard of short, which is anyone under 6′). They go a little something like this, “Excuse me, but uhm…do you know what a shorter man can do for you?” And I say, “Tie my shoe.”

Here are some of the worst of the worst with a line you can use for rebuttal:

He says: “You married? No. Oh, so what’s your ring size cuz you look like wifey!”

You Say: “And now I look like the one that got away as I walk away.”

Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t feel like quite myself without my nails painted. I would love to be able to have them done every week, but that is just not realistic for me. So I do them myself. Luckily I have a huge array of polishes to choose from. The one thing that helps my manicures look professional: base coat. CND Stickey Base Coat helps my manicures last for a week (no lie). Whenever I get a chip, I am always surprised because this base coat is the business. Rated as an InStyle Magazine Best Beauty Buy, this product is a must have. Do yourself the favor and get your hands on it! ($8.00, available at Ulta).

Art For Life from Centric TV

Check out our video recap with commentary from John Legend, Russell Simmons, Demetria Lucas, and Deepak Chopra.