1. Why Was Trayvon Martin Killed?
On the evening of Feb. 26, 17-year-old Trayvon “Trey” Martin was killed 70 yards from his father’s home in a gated community in the Orlando, Florida, suburb of Sanford as he returned from a local 7-Eleven after going on a candy run. He was killed by George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old, self-appointed captain of the Retreat at Twin Lakes neighborhood watch. [MORE]

2. Alarming Rates of HIV Among Black Women, Study Suggests
A recent study suggests that the rate of HIV infection among Black women in some cities equals the shocking level found in some African countries. [MORE]

3. Drug Used for Heart Disease May Reduce Racial Prejudice
Researchers in England say that a beta-blocker drug is found to have the added impact of making people less inclined to have racist views. [MORE]

4. February Black Unemployment Rate Increases Slightly
The February unemployment report released Friday showed that the nation’s economy is experiencing slow but steady momentum and continuing to add jobs. The African-American unemployment rate was 14.1 percent, up from 13.6 percent in January. The overall unemployment rate held steady at 8.3 percent. [MORE]

5. Dependency Case Against Halle Berry’s Baby Daddy Dropped
Another court victory for Halle Berry’s estranged ex Gabriel Aubry. The dependency court case against Aubrey, who shares custody with Berry of their three-year-old daughter Nahla, has been dropped, sources tell TMZ. [MORE]

1. Halle Berry’s Ex Wins Court Victory in Custody Battle
Halle Berry’s ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry may have been victorious in court yesterday, but sounds like no one is winning in the former couple’s ongoing, and increasingly ugly, custody battle over their daughter Nahla. [MORE]

2. Stop Neglecting Your Health and Start Living Positively
BET.com sits down with Hilary Beard, co-author of Health First!: The Black Women’s Wellness Guide. [MORE]

3. This Day in Black History: Feb. 6, 1990
Barack Obama named president of the Harvard Law Review. [MORE]

4. Photographer to Launch “Beauty in Black” Photo Essay Campaign
When Psychology Today published a controversial article on its website in 2010 claiming that Black women were the least attractive, Harlem photographer Paul Phillips wanted to prove otherwise. He’s started a photo essay titled Beauty in Black and hopes to create a coffee table book with 30 to 40 images that showcase how beauty and spirit permeates through Black women both inside and out. [MORE]

5. Black Women Entrepreneurs Setting a Fast Pace, Despite Obstacles
Woman-owned businesses are growing more rapidly than the national average, with companies owned by African-American women growing at an even larger pace, according to a senior official of the United States Department of Commerce. [MORE]

For more news and information, visit, BET.com/news

1. Idris Elba, Octavia Spencer Win at 2012 Golden Globes
Hollywood’s second biggest night has passed and although Viola Davis lost the Best Actress Drama Golden Globe award, several other Black actors won big to pick up the slack.

Early in the broadcast, Idris Elba won the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV for his portrayal as the title role in the BBC series Luther. While The Help’s Octavia Spencer took home the Golden Globe trophy for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama. [MORE]

2. Report: Binge Drinking on the Rise
Having a few drinks is one thing, but binge drinking — having at least five or more drinks in a row for men and four or more drinks in a row for women — is another thing. And this behavior appears to be on the rise in the U.S, according to a recent study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Roughly 38 million Americans — 17 percent of the total population — went on at least one drinking binge in a month last year. This is up two percent from 2009. [MORE]

3. Halle Berry Not Engaged to Olivier Martinez?
She may be sporting a bold ring, but Halle Berry is playing coy with recent news of her engagement. Not only has she not confirmed the good news — which the media started reporting on after spotting a noticeable amount of bling on her finger — now, sources close to the star claim, she’s not engaged at all. [MORE]

4. Viola Davis Wins Big at 2012 Critics Choice Movie Awards
Could Viola Davis have Oscar gold in her future? Her chances are looking very good if how she fared at the 2012 Critics Choice Movie Awards is any indication. [MORE]

5. Obama, DNC Raise $68M in Final 3 Months of 2011
The large fundraising quarter helped the president’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee surpass $220 million in 2011. [MORE]

For more news and information, visit BET.com/news

It seems Halle Berry has had a change of heart toward marriage.

According to US Weekly, the Academy Award winning actress, who last year proclaimed she was “not the marrying kind,” is officially engaged to her boyfriend of two years, French actor Olivier Martinez. The couple met while working on the 2010 film Dark Tide.

Over the years, Berry’s relationships have attracted just as much attention as her notable career. Her 1993 marriage to baseball player David Justice ended after four years, followed by a 2001 marriage to R&B singer Eric Benet that ended in divorce in 2005. Not to mention her long-term relationship with model Gabriel Aubry, the father of her 3 year old daughter Nahla, ended after 5 years.

Is the third time a charm? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Remember the “it” beauty colors of the 90’s? A time when you drooled over Nia Long’s plum lipstick, Tyra Banks‘ natural brown glossies, or Halle Berry’s sleek red lip stain—Girlfriends, those were the days, and Bobbi Brown’s Est. 1991, 20th anniversary limited edition lip pallatte is the perfect beauty flashback.

The palette features ten of  Brown’s original lip shade colors that made her a giant in the cosmetic world, and ten of her contemporary colors that are still being produced.

Brown got her big break in beauty in 1990, after doing the make-up of supermodel Naomi Campbell for a cover of American Vogue. A year later, in 1991, she established her brand, featuring different shades of brown based lip colors, that complimented the color and tone of different types of skin.

Bobbi has covered all the bases with this palette. It’s nostalgic, yet modern and its perfect for mixing and blending.

($60, online at bobbibrowncosmetics.com or at Macy’s department stores nationwide).

The “Great White Way” is getting a little darker this Fall, as Samuel L. Jackson takes on the role of Martin Luther King Jr. in “The Mountaintop”.

Written by Katori Hall, this production of the play about the slain civil rights leader will mark Jackson’s broadway debut. And while a lead actress has not been named (rumors has it Angela Bassett will step in)—Halle Berry was slated to star, but backed out earlier this year—tickets are already on sale.  

The show officially opens October 13 (with previews starting September 22), and will be directed by Kenny Leon, who most notably directed Denzel Washington and Viola Davis in their Tony Award winning performances in last year’s Broadway revival of August Wilson’s “Fences”. 

Tickets range from $75 to $125, visit Telecharge.com or call (212) 239-6200 for more information. Tickets will also be available at the Jacobs Theatre on 242 West 45th Street starting August 11.

(Chicago, IL) One celebrity after another took the stage yesterday for the taping of “Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular”—done in celebration of Oprah Winfrey’s final taping of her long-running day time talk show—that took place in front of 20,000 people at the United Center.

The line up of guests included Tom Hanks (who hosted for the first hour), Tom Cruise, Madonna, Dakota Fanning, Diane Sawyer, Queen Latifah, John Legend, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith (who hosted the 2nd hour), John Travolta, Patti Labelle, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jordan, Stevie Wonder, Jamie Foxx, Maya Angelou, Rosie O’Donnell and even Maria Shriver (who of course is going through a very public divorce from former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger).

Beyonce hit the stage to perform her new single“Run The World (Girls)”, and Usher closed the show out with a performance of “OMG”.

The two part special will air on May 23 and May 24th with Oprah’s final show taking place on May 25th.

Check out a few pics from the final show below:

Oscar winning actress Halle Berry was pretty in pink this past weekend a the 2011 Jenesse Silver Rose Auction And Gala in Beverly Hills, where she was spotted on the red carpet with her boyfriend, french actor Olivier Martinez.

And speaking of Halle and her beau, in a recent interview the actress revealed that her and Martinez would not be getting married anytime soon, because she is not the marrying type:

“I WISH I had known then that I was not the marrying kind. It would have saved me a lot of time, heartache and grief over the years”.

“I made all the wrong choices when it came to love. I have been an idiot. But, now, it is like a gift to myself – seeing more clearly and making better decisions. One thing was unavoidable. My father left us when I was young and that did affect my life. If I had a good father in my life, growing up, then I do not think I would have made the mistakes I made. I would not have been lost in love.”

“I would have had a good role model and known what to look for. As it is, I had to find out about marriage from the men I’ve married. I have done it twice and I am not going to do it again. The traditional form of marriage is not for me.”

“When you are 18, you think that you will stop making mistakes in the future. It doesn’t stop happening – unless you make it stop. I already had success by that age but that does not make you wise.”

Ludacris has joined the star-studded cast of the highly buzzed about romantic comedy, “New Year’s Eve”. The rapper will be joined by Halle Berry, Ice Cube, Robert DeNiro, Hillary Swank, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jessica Biel.

Directed by Garry Marshall, the movie depicts the characters in overlapping stories of drama and romance over the course of New Year’s Eve in New York.

Ludacris will play a NYPD police officers overseeing the traditional Times Square party.

The movie will premiere nationwide December 9th.

Wearing a wig and donning a dress, seems to be the only way black men can make some real money in Hollywood. Well, don’t expect Idris Elba to subscribe to that formula anytime soon. The Golden Globe nominated actor recently visited Rutgers University in New Jersey for a very candid interview.

On Tyler Perry vs. Spike Lee:

“Can I be candid?… I don’t like all of Tyler Perry’s films. Yes, I did work with Tyler for “Daddy’s Little Girls” because it portrayed a positive image of a black father. I am happy for Tyler’s success…we need Tyler Perry…by going to support his movies, we need to show economic strength. But we are also responsible for elevating film. I’m not with buffoonish characters like Madea or Big Momma.”

On this year’s Golden Globes and Academy Awards:

“Halle Berry and I were the only two black actors nominated for this year’s Golden Globes (Idris for Luther and Halle for Frankie & Alice). The Oscars aren’t designed for us…let’s focus on making more films.”

Do you agree with Elba’s point of view or do you feel his words are unwarranted? Sound off in the comments section below.