Although they broke up and moved on with other people, we just can’t seem to get over these high-profile celebrity relationships that we thought were a match made in heaven. Here are 15 celebrity couples that we wish could have stood the test of time.

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Kanye and Alexis

Before there was Kanye West and Kim Kardashian or even Kanye and Amber Rose, there was Kanye and Alexis. The Chicago rapper/producer met Alexis Phifer back in 2002 and the cute couple dated on and off for four years before West finally popped the question. After an 18-month whirlwind engagement the two went their separate ways citing his hectic touring schedule as the cause. West dated then-unknown model Amber Rose before settling down with the reality show superstar who is now pregnant with their first child.

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Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher have been battling over money for a year, stalling their divorce. More recently, Bethenny Frankel announced her split from her husband Jason Hoppy. The Daily Mail reports that Frankel (somewhat drunkenly) approached Katie Holmes at a party to gather contact info for Holmes’ divorce lawyer. Frankel, who has turned her stint as a New York Housewife into her own talk show, the Skinnygirl, two spin-off shows, a fitness DVD, and other endeavors, has a lot to protect. And remember Nas and Kelis’ mega money dispute that played out in the media during their divorce proceedings?

Divorce isn’t just about ending a marriage. It is also about money. There can be battles over shared assets and a divorce itself can be costly. Michael Jordan’s divorce from Juanita Jordan was estimated to have cost Jordan $260 million and was considered by Forbes magazine to be “the most expensive celebrity divorce” in history, as of April 2007. When Tiger Woods got divorced from Elin Nordegren it cost him a reported $100 million.

Besides the settlements just the divorce proceedings themselves can rack up bills. If you can’t do the divorce yourself because of a messy separation, going to court means paying a variety of fees. According to a Huffington Post blog by family court attorney Diane L. Danois, subpoenas seeking financial and employment documentation, motions filed objecting to the subpoenas or for failure to timely comply, and hearings will all have to be paid for. And this is just the beginning.

“This chapter of the litigation process can easily run up an additional $5,000,” write Danois, which breaks down the actual costs of divorce item by item. Typically, a family court case involving divorce, can range from from $15,000 to $35,000, or more to litigate, says Danois.

You can choose the cheaper route of mediation (which can range between $500 and $3,000) if there isn’t much to dispute or to do it yourself, if your divorce is simple. Websites such as www.easy-divorce.com, www.completecase.com, and www.mydivorcedocuments.com can help with DIY divorces.

Can’t say how I feel 100 percent about Ashton Kutcher these days, especially after the whole ugly split between him and Demi Moore and the fact that “Two And A Half Men” is just NOT funny, but I can say that I’m starting to get VERY excited about his starring role in this Steve Jobs biopic. And it will be refreshing to see since I don’t think anyone has watched Kutcher play a serious role since…maybe Butterfly Effect!? Why? To get people excited and the ball rolling on promotion, stills from the movie just dropped with Kutcher dressed like Jobs circa the early ’80s and I must say, these two men look eerily similar.

The photos were put out to also alert people that the movie, jOBS, will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this January, closing out the very popular annual event. According to the Guardian UK, the movie will cover about three decades of the entrepreneur and tech king’s life, and it definitely sounds captivating, just check out the movie description that was put on the Sundance press release. “The true story of one of the greatest entrepreneurs in American history, jOBS chronicles the defining 30 years of Steve Jobs’ life. jOBS is a candid, inspiring and personal portrait of the one who saw things differently.” And if that’s not enough for you, get excited because the movie also stars Dermot Mulroney,  Matthew Modine and more. Don’t know who those people are? It’s okay, I’m not too sure either, but that’s what they made Google for! Anyway, now that you see the stills, are you excited for the biopic? Do you think Kutcher and Jobs look very similar or is this a miss?

Source: nahright.com

From styleblazer.com

For some age is just a number. For others age can be a deciding factor in a relationship. Men often brag about being able date younger women. But, little do some men know that women can also pull in hotties much younger than them.

Find out who made the list at styleblazer.com

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Source: Racialicious.com

Thanks to the never forgetting archive of YouTube, you can now watch a number of banned cartoons from the golden era of overt racism in America. According to Wikipedia, the cartoons are part of The Censored Eleven, which is a group of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons that depicted black people in an offensive manner.

One of my favorites is “Coal Black and the Sebben Dwarfs,” a tongue and cheek take on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which features classic darkie minstrelsy by way of So White and Prince Chawmin, a big lipped, gold tooth, Cadillac driving, jive talking suitor. Despite the obvious Blackface, the cartoon was revered at its time for the incorporation of African-American-inspired jazz and swing music. Likewise, Bob Clampett, the creator of the cartoon short, has claimed that the cartoon was a homage to some jazz artists he once knew.  Some of the musicians were involved in the creation of the music and voices of the characters, even though they never received credit, and they concluded that there is nothing racist or disrespectful towards blacks in it. He attributes the controversy around his cartoon to a changing attitude towards black civil rights.

There is something to be said for how obtuse some folks are in regards to the idea that just because something is not offensive to you, that doesn’t mean that it is acceptable. Recently, Aston Kutcher, best known for punking celebs with stupid pranks and being the husband of Demi Moore, got in a little hot water for his eyebrow raising portrayal of an Indian. Kutcher appeared in an advert for Popchips where he donned ‘brown face’ makeup and put on a badly imitated accent (think Apoo from “The Simpsons”) to play a character named Raj, a 39-year-old Bollywood producer looking for love in a series of spoof dating videos.

Of course, the advert has drawn the ire of some in the Indian community, who deemed it racist. Others, like Anil Dash, didn’t call the company racist, but said they made a racist ad because, “they’re so steeped in our culture’s racism that they didn’t even realize they were doing it.”  In response, the advert has been dropped and Popchips CEO Keith Belling issued an apology, saying the following:

“Our team worked hard to create a light-hearted parody featuring a variety of characters that was meant to provide a few laughs. We did not intend to offend anyone. I take full responsibility and apologize to anyone we offended.”

Not sure what an Indian has to do with chips – in fact, I’m not even sure what Popchips are – but the fact that the Hollywood star saw fit to dress up in stereotypical garb and put on an Indian accent without even thinking, “Hmm, this might be a tad bit offensive” speaks volumes of how deep the pathology of stereotyping and “othering” goes.

Brown face and racial hypersensitivity strike again in the case of Ashton Kutcher’s new Popchips ad campaign. Set up like the dating game, the online campaign for “World Wide Lovers Dating Service” features Kutcher playing a British weed head named Nigel, a Southern biker named Swordfish, and a Karl Lagerfeld-like fashion mogul. But it’s Kutcher’s impersonation of a 39-year-old Bollywood producer that has caused alarm because of the stereotypical Indian accent and “brownface” that go along with it.

Immediately after going viral, New York writer and entrepreneur Anil Dash demanded an apology for the “ignorance” of Internet ad spot, saying:

“I think the people behind this Popchips ad are not racist. I think they just made a racist ad, because they’re so steeped in our culture’s racism that they didn’t even realize they were doing it.”

In the clip, which has already been pulled due to the angered response from Dash, Brooklyn-based hip-hop group Das Racist, and several tweeters, Raj makes comments like:

“I’m Raj, I’m a Bollywood producer. I’m looking for the most delicious thing on the planet, like Kardashian hot … I would give that dog a bone.”

Though it’s easy to see where that type of caricature could ruffle a few feathers, a spokesman for the company insists there was no racist intent behind the ad’s creation.

“The new popchips worldwide dating video and ad campaign featuring four characters was created to provoke a few laughs and was never intended to stereotype or offend anyone,” the spokesperson said. “At popchips we embrace all types of shapes, flavors and colors, and appreciate all snackers, no matter their race or ethnicity. We hope people can enjoy this in the spirit it was intended.”

If Raj were the sole character in this ad then I would be more inclined to think it was a tad insensitive, but since Kutcher mimics several stereotypical types of personas in this ad, the backlash seems a little over the top. What do you think? Check out the ad here and let us know.

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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We’ve all said things we really wish we could take back. We’re human beings and sometimes, a lot of times, our emotions completely impede our better judgment. And that was all before the technological revolution came about. Today, in this digital age, where your words, thoughts and musings can be disseminated almost instantly, your weak moments will be on display for everyone to see and document if they so choose. Luckily, most of us aren’t that popular. But for the celebs who use Twitter on a regular, this can be and has been very problematic. See which celebs have truly shown their behinds on Twitter. 

Source: Necole Bitchie

I don’t know if you heard the rumors that Rihanna and Ashton Kutcher supposedly have a thang going on but last week TMZ reported Rih Rih was creeping to his house way past midnight, i.e. there was a booty call in their midst.

Well yesterday one bold reporter decided to ask Rihanna about that rumor during a press conference in London to promote her new movie, “Battleship,” and all I know is the look on Rihanna’s face when the reporter asked if Ashton would be coming to London to visit her was absolutely priceless, as was her response:

“Wow, how disappointing was that question,” she said. [Pause for side-eye, flaring of the nostrils, and shaking of the head]

“I’m happy and I’m single, if that’s what you’re really asking.” [Insert subtle eye roll]

So was that a no?

To be fair, Rihanna seemed like she wasn’t in the mood for any type of questions at the press event but that reporter clearly set her off. It does Rihanna no justice to simply relay her reaction so check out the video here and see for yourself. What do you think about her response?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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vibe.com

Hey loves!! The weekend wrap-up is here for the last few tidbits of the week in celebrity news and gossip.  There was quite a bit of tv news you might have heard about and also a scandalous story that mysteriously…disappeared. Check it out!

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If you can die from a broken heart then surely a break-up can make you sick—that’s what level-headed people suspect led to Demi Moore’s hospitalization two days ago. As Demi’s rep said in statement earlier this week:

“Because of the stresses in her life right now, Demi has chosen to seek professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her overall health.”

While some would rather suggest that Demi’s exhaustion is a result of substance abuse, courtesy of a nitric oxide binge from Whip-its, or an eating disorder, science actually backs up the idea that divorce can make one sick.

A recent review from the University of Arizona found that divorce can raise the risk of early death by as much as 23 percent. The researchers also likened the effects of divorce to other health risks like smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, getting limited exercise, being overweight, and drinking heavily. Although the cause and effect relationship between death and divorce wasn’t conclusive, the correlation isn’t hard to imagine. According to psychotherapist Rachel Sussman:

“When you are processing the ending of a marriage you are overcome with a variety of complex emotions–sorrow, anger, shame, fear.

“Sleep and one’s ability to eat may be impacted by the sorrow and stress, [which in turn] may affect your overall health and cause you to get very run down.”

We’ve all been so stressed or sick that we couldn’t eat—or ate too much. We may have even stayed in bed for a day or two and shut out the rest of the world. Unfortunately Demi is a recovering addict so the potential for her to return to drugs is much higher, but I don’t think people should jump to that conclusion considering the effects the stress of divorce can have on someone. I think most of us would be a little sick if our marriage of seven years was ending and our soon-to-be ex-husband was making a public mockery of our relationship.

Do you think Demi is suffering from a broken heart over her divorce? Has a breakup ever made you sick?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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