Whitney Houston: What's really going on?

Click here for full article

So, here's an article that says Whitney's sister-in-law, Tina Brown, is blabbing on how nasty Whitney's bathroom is and how she's still doing drugs daily.

Quote from the article:

Tina Brown, who last week confessed to the tabloid that she did crack with Houston, said the Grammy-winning singer has lesbian affairs, chases men around her house and locks herself away for hours with a vast collection of sex toys when she’s high on drugs.

The "What Happened to Whitney" stories never cease to end. For me, who was an avid fan of Whitney's since I was young (for my senior graduation speech, I sang her song in front of the whole school - I'm talking about I was really a HUGE fan), she was my singing "idol" (I used that term loosely). I loved how her voice was so rich and strong, and how she was so beautiful. She had it all: spunk. soul. class. style.

So, what happened to Whitney? Another little secret is that I have met Whitney and worked with her over the course of some months on the Being Bobby Brown show. And what working with her taught me is that people are human, feelings are real, and everybody falls down sometimes.

What if chocolate was a drug. You know where to get it, you've tasted it before, and you know if you have 1 little bite of chocolate, it wouldn't hurt you that badly. Would you take the bite, after having been a chocolate lover for some time? Or quit cold turkey? With it being so easy to get and in your face at every restaurant, every grocery store, everywhere you turn, could you simply ignore it?

People are always knocking Whitney down, but I support her efforts at rehab. And all these naysayers and dirty talkers who continue to blab to the National Enquirer just to make some cash on the side need to be kicked out of her life. They don't help. They only hurt.

I mean, what I think really happened to Whitney is that she's tired of being confined to a perception of who people THINK she should be and who she REALLY IS. Clive Davis, society, movie goers, fans of her music, etc. They all have an image of who Whitney is to them in their heads, and she has to fulfill that image every day. I think she just got tired of it and rebelled. I just think her rebellion went too far, and it became a slippery slope and now she's constantly fighting an uphill battle that society, fans, and family continually try to push her back down.

Do you agree? Or do you think she's just a lost cause? There was once a Whitney Houston that was judged only by her voice and beauty, and not for her personal problems. Who says it's our right to even comment on her personal life? Would we like it if people knew EVERYTHING about our own personal life and felt entitled to comment?

Talk about it, ya'll. It's real.

Who's Heard of Post-nups?

This article was sent to the Whatwomenreallythink@gmail.com account, and I think it has room for a lot of debate. It talks about the new phenomenon of married couples creating Post-Nups, rather than Pre-nups. Here's an excerpt from the article (Click here for full article):

"I've seen a pickup in post-nups. They're much more popular," said Cynthia Rubin, a partner at Flemming Zulack Williamson Zauderer in New York. Rubin said most of the clients she's done post-nups for are successful women working in investment banking or corporate law who, upon deciding to leave the workforce to raise kids, are looking for financial security to compensate for the loss they'll be taking when they stop work for a few years."

But, who wants a "Nup" at all? If you get married, I think that's agreement enough: it's before God, your friends and family, and it's an agreement you've made with yourself to stick it out through thick and thin.

Some people think that it's better to get a pre-nup or post-nup if there's a huge gap between income and asset levels of the couples. Others think that money and assets should be part of the package deal when you get married. I've even heard people say that it's better to agree to the assets and financial award in the event of a divorce BEFOREHAND while you still like/love each other...that way, you get the best deal possible.

What do you guys think? Are you for a pre-nup or post-nup? Better yet, are YOU going to get one before or after YOU'RE married? That's the real question.

Denzel, Halle, & Jamie: Do Black Actors Win Awards for Playing Stereotypes?

Found this on Diversity Inc.'s website: Link to Article Here

Black actors and actresses have made their presence known on the silver screen and among their peers, particularly in the past decade. But does it help or hurt these talented actors to win for such roles?

Syndicated columnist and National Public Radio commentator Deborah Mathis wonders why black actors and actresses in stereotypical roles get awards while the more "nuanced performances go unrecognized."

Mathis says some of the high points for the entertainment industry have been the Academy of Motion Pictures' nods to black actors such as Sidney Poitier and Jamie Foxx. The roles which earned Oscars for Halle Berry, Denzel Washington and even Hattie McDaniel, in her opinion, are questionable. The most recent example of this is Three 6 Mafia's Oscar for their song to "It's Hard out Here for A Pimp" from the movie "Hustle & Flow."

"Awarding 'It's Hard Out Here for Pimp' is regression," says Mathis. "It makes me wonder if stereotype portrayals might be the surest way for a black artist to win. The music has a hook to it but it's pretty monotonous, and the lyrics … mercy. All I can say is it's hard out here for a listener. This song … doesn't even raise 'pimp' to its modern level, which is a term of art, if you will, for anyone who is making it."

Mathis says the song is "replete with invectives" and wonders if the song won because the academy wanted to "keep up its image of being inclusive."

"In their minds you don't get any blacker than talking about the low-down gritty hustle," she says. "I've got a favor to ask the Academy: Don't do us any more favors. Don't strain yourself to award black artists. We'd rather wait until it's really something that blows your mind, something that really does honor to the craft. And by the way, you'll find plenty of that if you look beyond the mammy's, crooked cops and the emotional cripples."
____________

Here's my thing:

If the Black actors don't play stereotypical roles that Hollywood has written for them, does it force Hollywood to rewrite Black roles or does it put Black actors out of work?

Do they just sacrifice their career or do they accept Hollywood's terms until they become a superstar and can change things?

Speak up!

BREAKING NEWS: RUSSELL SIMMONS WANTS TO RECONCILE!

Article here:
http:http://people.aol.com/people/articles/0,19736,1179883,00.html

Okay, so WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?! Is he with her or not?! Like who IS this other chick?! Check out her headshot here: Photo here

Some folks are saying that they secretly love Kimora, and some folks are hatin' her.

But be real -- we ALL knew she was WAY too good looking for little Russell! Can someone keep it real, please?!

Make your voice heard right here, right now!

Video: What is the World Coming To?

I got this video from a friend yesterday...I almost cried! What is the world coming to?

Check out how Black and White people, Couples and Singles, and everyone else react to a staging of a child abduction with a real little girl and an actor playing her abductor.

You won't BELIEVE who did what!

Are you shocked?!?! I was.

Click Here for the MSNBC 4 minute Video:

Health: "How to Select a Fitness Program"

Okay, ladies...I know we're all busy, but summer is nearing which and that means we need to jumpstart our workout routines now!

Sleeveless shirts, skirts, shorts, and for some of you old-schoolers, skorts, are breaking out across the nation. Thankfully we still have time to get toned, get fit, and get whipped on our workouts.

First, we all need to select a fitness program that works for us. Early mornings, after work, or on the weekends? Group exercise or individual?

This article will help you determine what's best for you.

So let's do it! If you'd like an "accountability partner", speak up on the comment section! We're all here to help each other achieve our goals. :-)

Click here for the article:
health.msn.com/fitness/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100110485

Career: "5 Signs It's Time to Find a New Job"

Suze Orman, goddess of all things financial, has written a great article that lists 5 signs that should urge you to find a new gig. But how many of us are willing to quit a job just because we're unhappy? It seems like a bigger step than just figuring out if you have the 5 signs or not.


How can we pursue the things that make us happiest without giving up a good paying job?

Any ideas?

Check out the article here:

finance.yahoo.com/columnist/article/moneymatters/2388

Commitment: "Marriage is for White People"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/25/AR2006032500029.html

This article discusses the fact that marraige rates for African-American people has on a steady decline since the 1960s, and now sex, love, and having children are seen more as an "a la carte" deal rather than going hand-in-hand.

What's happened? Have Black women become more self-sufficient and therefore don't see the need to be married? Or have Black men become jaded by the idea of independent, self-sufficient "I don't need a man" type Black women? Or are both parties unwilling to make the necessary sacrifices for a good marriage?

Is marriage really just for White people?