In this episode of Mommy in Chief we have a special treat! The fabulous actress and comedian Kym Whitley stopped by the studio to share her joys of being a new mom, her organization and new show “Raising Whitley” airing every Saturday at 9pm on OWN.

For more information about Kym Whitley’s Don’t Feed Me Campaign, visit dontfeedme.org

Derrick Salters/WENN.com

Sure, she’s in the midst of filming Think Like A Man Too and is the star of BET’s new scripted show, Being Mary Jane, but Gabrielle Union isn’t stopping there.

According to BlackFilm.com, the actress just signed on to play in comedian/actor Chris Rock’s new film.  In the film Finally Famous, Union will play a reality show television star who is engaged to Chris Rock’s character.

For his part, Rock will play a comedian-turned-actor who is trying to be taken seriously as an actor – while being a recovering alcoholic. Union, dying to become a bigger star, tries to convince him that the best way for both of their stars to shine is if they get married on the reality show.

Actress Rosario Dawson will also be in the film and plays a journalist who has a little “personal” chemistry with Rock.

Gabrielle Union is super busy these days, which is great considering we hadn’t seen her in any roles for a while prior to her 2012 appearance in Think Like A Man.  You often hear that celebrity women get fewer roles as they get older but for Union, who turned 40 in October, she seems to have hit a great stride.

Finally Famous, directed by Chris Rock and produced by Scott Rudin, will begin filming this summer in New York City.

Apega/WENN.com

Read any blog, check any fashion site and you will almost always see someone say, “If I could just rock the Halle ____.”

Well, get ready because there is a chance you may be able to get a piece of Halle Berry in your closet.

According to EURweb, the actress will soon be coming out with her own shoe line. Berry will be working with Germain retailer Deichmann Shoes to release some shoes in line with what the Cover Girl would rock on her feet.

The line, “5th Avenue by Halle Berry” are described as being fashionable yet comfortable shoes bound to fit the lifestyles of all women (soccer moms, working moms, corporate women, fashion savvy women, etc…).

Halle, being a fashionable, busy and working mom, knows that there are often two things really important to women: their hair their shoes.

“Women have always loved shoes. It’s like if your hair is not right and your shoes are not right, the woman is not right. If both of them are right, you’re pretty much OK”

5th Avenue by Halle Berry will consist of 40 limited edition designs and will starting being available by the end of the month.

Another upside? The shoes will start at $60. Now, we don’t know what those shoes will look like but with only 40 pairs, the prices likely won’t get too far out of hand if you see a pair you like.

The possible down side? The shoes are only being released in the UK. There’s been no word from Deichmann Shoes as to whether or not they’ll be available to order online and ship to the United States.  If not, I guess we’ll just be looking at pictures online.

Good for Halle. This sounds like it was possibly something really fun for her to do!

Would you buy a pair if you saw some you liked?

Source: Getty Images

From Essence

Even a Hollywood starlet like Lauren London battles with the challenges of being a single, working mother.

The new star of BET’s The Game says juggling her work life and raising her 4-year-old son Cameron Carter (dad is rapper Lil’ Wayne) has its challenges. “It’s not easy but I’m not the first to do it,” she told ESSENCE at their sixth annual Black Women in Hollywood luncheon. “I know I can do it; there’s a lot of mothers that work. I got the blueprint from my mother who was a working mom, so I just get it done.”

Aside from her family, London says she finds inspiration from women in the industry like The Game’s creator Mara Brock Akil, a mom of two. “Just working with Mara continues to inspire me to meet the goals that I continue to make for myself,” she said.

Yes, women are definitely finding a way to keep their family’s heads above water. For more with Lauren, including what she thinks about her new character on The Game, head over to Essence.

Are you a single, working mom?  Do you have family support or are you doing it alone? How do you make it work?

Theo Wargo/Getty Images for IFP

As we know, the Oscars are tonight and 9 year old Quvenzhane Wallis is nominated for Best Actress in her role as Hushpuppy in Beats of the Southern Wild. She is the youngest nominee in the category and regardless if she wins or not, Quvenzhane has certainly been the belle of the ball to this point.

But, here we go. Someone is finally showing their cards.

Well, sort of.

The Hollywood Reporter spoke with an anonymous Oscar voter who gave a very honest opinion on just about every category but was particularly blunt when it came to categories regarding actual talent. But when he got to the Best Actress role, instead of being professional in regards to his opinion of Wallis’ performance, he began by taken the low road:

“…I also don’t vote for anyone whose name I can’t pronounce. Quvez—? Quzen—? Quyzenay? Her parents really put her in a hole by giving her that name — Alphabet Wallis. The truth is, it’s a very sweet but immature performance from a 9-year-old. I’ve directed children. They probably did a thousand takes and put the best ones together.”

Now, many people have made fun of Wallis’ first name and even those who haven’t have had a hard time pronouncing it. However, that has not stopped people from being objective – and respectful – when it comes to her work.  This anonymous voter and director, though honest, sounds like he’s been stuck in his ways for many years and could possibly miss out on rewarding a young lady who has potential to be a megastar.

Here’s the even bigger question: Do you think he’s the only one who matters in the voting process who feels this way?  Much like we talk about everyday people – black people, in particular – who have unique names and may be weeded out when it comes to job searches, could Wallis be treated the same way?

What do you think about this?

Brian To/WENN.com

Well, it looks like the TLC movie is definitely ready to go.

It was announced a couple of weeks ago that Lil Mama would play the role of Left Eye in VH1′s TLC biopic. They’d already cast former The Game cast member Drew Sidora as T-Boz, so the only thing left was to find Miss Chilli.

The search is over as VH1 revealed that Chilli would be played by actress and singer KeKe Palmer, according to Necole Bitchie.

Production will begin in Atlanta, where it all began for TLC, next month.

T-Boz and Chilli expressed concerns about having big names play them in a movie and preferring virtual unknowns to play the role; however, when it comes down to it, you need names that at least a few people know to create some interest in the movie.  Besides, all three of these actresses are on three very different levels of success so we can’t imagine that they’re totally disappointed in the choices.

According to the press release, the film should be out in time to celebrate TLC’s 20th anniversary. Wow, time flies, doesn’t it?

Will you be watching?

Source: WENN

Queen Latifah

Calling: Rapper/Actress/Singer

Why we’re saluting her: 

Queen Latifah is truly a jack of all trades and master of many. First introduced to her as a rapper, Queen has gone on to wow us with her acting ability, smooth jazz voice, television productions, and beauty as a Cover Girl and model.

It should come as no surprise that Queen Latifah, born Dana Owens, has come to be such a symbol of empowerment and inspiration for Black women. On her third studio album, Black Reign, she gave us the ladies anthem U.N.I.T.Y , letting everyone know women should be called and treated as nothing less than that. And from there, she went on to star in one of the ‘90s – and our personal favorite – sitcoms, Living Single, and had a long string of film roles on the big and small screen from Set It Off, Bringing Down the House, Hairspray, and Chicago to Steel Magnolias and Life Support, the captivating movie loosely based on the true story of Ana Wallace, an HIV-positive woman.

In every role, whether in the studio recording The Dana Owens Album, or behind the camera producing shows like Single Ladies, or being on film in Just Wright, the Queen’s undeniable beauty shines through. That’s why companies like CoverGirl have brought her on as a spokesmodel to represent their products, and have even given the 42-year-old her own line os cosmetics, appropriately titled, “The Queen Collection.”

Now that the Queen is ready for her next act, trying her hand as a talk show host once again, we have nothing but high hopes for her future in the entertainment industry. And for her resilience in the face of family tragedy and speculation over her sexual orientation, as well as the grace and business savvy she exemplifies at all times, we salute Queen Latifah.

 Click here to meet all of our salutes.

Brian To/WENN.com

From ESSENCE

Actress Vivica A. Fox hasn’t given up on finding her dream guy.

At 48, Fox says she’s single and loving it. In a recent interview with EURweb, the star, whose 10-month engagement to 29-year-old club promoter Omar “Slimm” White ended abruptly in 2011, opens up about the value of holding out for the right man.

“I’m gonna wait for Mr. Right to come along and take my time,” Fox said. “I’m just enjoying just having a little me time, you know? But it’s not that I’m not taking applications.”

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, Auntie Viv. You can check out the rest over on Essence.

Source: WENN

It seems like everyone in Hollyweird wants to be a double — or even triple — threat. Will Smith acts, Drake raps, and Snoop’s made so many cameos we’ve lost count. But crossing over ain’t for everyone. Check out these 15 celebrities who tried to step out of the box but should go right back in it.

Ivan Nikolov/WENN.com

From ESSENCE

Taraji P. Henson may be one of the hardest working Black actresses in the movie biz, and now she’s revealing exactly where she got her work ethic from.

In the latest JET magazine, Henson says that her father showed her early on that anything worth having was worth working hard for.

“My daddy was blue-collar as you get,” said Henson. “At one point he was homeless, but he was always a man. He never made excuses. He got it done.”

Gotta love Taraji! She is definitely a black girl who rocks! Check out the rest over on ESSENCE.