Madame Noire | Black Women's Lifestyle Guide | Black Hair | Black Love

BET seems determined to make it’s mark in the scripted sitcom genre with husband-and-wife team Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil. The network has given the couple the greenlight for a new pilot titled, “Single Black Female,” which is expected to air in August.

The premise of the show is a look at the work-family balance of a single, black woman who is the host of a popular Atlanta talk show, similar to The Ellen Degeneres show. There’s no word on who will play the role and what other aspects of the woman’s life will be featured, but from these details, it sounds so far, so good.

The series is a part of a major production deal Mara and Salim, who produce and direct ‘The Game,” signed with BET in May which includes several pilot commitments. Mara is also behind the recent remake of Sparkle, starting Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks, and Salim directed “Jumping the Broom.”

I have to say with the way “The Game” has been going this season, I’m not super excited about this series, but with a new show comes the chance to learn from mistakes and approach things from a different angle, and hopefully they will.

What do you think about Mara and Salim’s work so far? Can they make a show on a single, black female a success?

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

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Being booed up with your fiancee/baby daddy in the club is cool. Being booed up in a strip club after making it rain on naked women? I’ll pass. But for Ne-Yo and his girl, that was a great way to pass the time Saturday night.

Over the weekend the two went to Magic City and reportedly spent between $3,000 and $5,000 on dancers. At one point the club floor was nearly covered in ones that Ne-Yo and Monyetta spent on the ladies. You can’t even blame this one on the alcohol either, Ne-yo supposedly had absolutely nothing to drink and spent most of his time between midnight and 2 am keeping to himself in VIP.

They say it ain’t trickin’ if you got it but I would’ve preferred to spend time (and money) with my man differently. But, to each his or her own.

Check out the full picture slide show of their night out on TMZ. Warning: It’s raunchy.

What do you think about these two? Do you go to the strip club with your man?

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

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While viewers are getting ready for the season finale of “Love and Hip Hop,” which airs tonight on VH1, the network is ready to capitalize on the success of the franchise with an Atlanta spinoff. That’s right, side pieces, girlfriends, and baby mamas of down south rappers and music men are about to get their own show.

According to a VH1 spokeswoman, casting hasn’t been finalized yet, and it’s hard to think of a “relevant” Atlanta woman who doesn’t already have a reality show. We’ve got the “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” Toni Braxton’s with “Braxton Family Values,” Tiny’s got the Family Hustle, Keyshia Cole already did her thing on BET, and Monica and Chilli have had reality TV runs as well. Plus “Preacher Wives” is about to hit the city. To say the ATL is saturated with “reality” TV would be an understatement.

In season 2 of the original series, it looked like Teairra Mari was being set up to appear on a spinoff, and in interviews she said she couldn’t talk about the possibility, so she might be cast member no. 1, but as far as who the other ladies could be, I’m at a loss.

Who do you think VH1 will scout to appear on their “Love and Hip Hop” Atlanta series?

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

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I know, this reality TV thing is getting out of hand, and now TLC wants in on the “Real Housewives” magic. The network is partnering with True Entertainment, the production company behind “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” for a new reality series under the working title of “Preacher Wives.”

The series will follow the “First Ladies” of Atlanta area churches, showing how the women balance being preacher’s wives in the congregation with taking care of their home lives. True Entertainment president Steven Weinstock says:

“We are excited to work with TLC to profile the lives of these strong-willed women. With most praise in religious communities directed towards male preachers, we are thrilled to give these remarkable ladies the spotlight they crave and deserve.”

TLC didn’t announce a projected air date, but one thing is evident: the wives franchises are here to stay.

I wonder what sorts of church secrets this series will dig up. Will you check out Preacher Wives?

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

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For most people, quitting their job would be the first thing they did if they won the lottery, but not Marcia Adams. The 33-year-old says she plans to keep her job as a corporate accountant.

“I love what I do,” she said. “I have a purpose.

“I want this money to last so I can retire early, not retire now, and be comfortable and make sure that my family is comfortable.”

So what is the first thing Marcia plans to do? She told news sources, “I’m hiring a financial planner.”

Marcia definitely has her financial head on straight, even though she says the fact that she actually won hasn’t quite sunk in yet. Less than an hour before the drawing Tuesday, Marcia told her boyfriend to pick up a Quick Pik when he stopped by an Atlanta Food Mart. Later, she said she knew someone had won the millions but she didn’t think for a second that it was her. It wasn’t until Thursday morning that Marcia remembered the ticket when she and her boyfriend saw a lottery billboard on their way to work.

“He checked the number on his phone, and screamed my name,” Marcia said. “We pulled over to the side of the highway so I could check the number again. Then I said, ‘We’ve got to get to the nearest store so I could check the numbers again.’”

After telling her job she wouldn’t be in—just for the day—Marcia went directly to the lottery office for confirmation that she was the winner. Because Marcia chose to take a lump sum, her winnings were reduced to $52 million. After state and federal taxes take another 35 percent, she’ll take home about $33.8 million.

“That’s plenty,” she joked.

Something tells me Marcia won’t ever appear on one of those “the lottery ruined my life” shows.

Would you keep working if you won $72 million?

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

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People magazine chatted with Idris Elba after his win at the Golden Globe Awards Sunday night and came up with Five things to Know About Idris Elba, but there’s really only one thing most women want to know: Is he available?

From the sounds of things, Idris isn’t taken, given that he says he splits his time between Atlanta where his daughter and ex-wife (emphasis on ex) live, and his native London, but anybody thinking of taming this swexy Brit may have their hands full. He told the magazine:

“Never date a DJ or an actor. There are too many women around them.”

Hmm. So does this mean the fame could make things complicated or Dj Driis isn’t interested in resisting temptation? Perhaps he’s just channeling some of that bad boy charm he’s used to portraying in his characters like drug boss Stringer Bell on “The Wire,” which he said sparked “Stringer Mania:”

“Bad guys are attractive to women period, and most are not afraid to admit that. Guys respond to his stealth, his ruthlessness, and the way the man calculates every situation.”

While Idris may not be a total bad guy in real life, he does claim to be a “nightmare” to date. Somehow I think women could manage to get past that though, if he’s as much of a dream in the kitchen as he claims.

“I’m pretty decent. I like spices and I like experimenting with stuff. I love rice and vegetables but I love meat, spicing up meats.”

He likes to keep things spicy in more ways than one, he also told PEOPLE his favorite thing to wear is his birthday suit.

“It causes trouble walking down the street. But my birthday suit is my most comfortable,” he said. “I wear my birthday suit at home, in the bath or in the shower. Yeah, I’m pretty comfortable in my skin that way.”

Yeah, what was that part about being a nightmare to date again?

What do you think about Idris’s comment on never dating a DJ or an actor? Wise advise or would you take a chance?

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

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A trick to throw investigators off of two missing women’s trails may actually serve as a link between the two cases. Twenty-three-year-old Phoenix Coldon was last seen in St. Louis Dec. 18 and just nine days later, Stacey Nicole English, a 36-year-old Atlanta woman was reported missing. Both victims’ cars were found with the engine still running, and in both cases, the investigation was slowed down because the cars the women were driving had been impounded. Neither police department realized that fact until several days into the investigations.

Given the similarities, the family of Phoenix Coldon is attempting to determine if their daughter is linked in any way to Stacey English. According to Atlanta Police Department public affairs manager Carlos Campos, investigators are “aware” of the Coldon case and “are planning to reach out to authorities in the St. Louis area as part of our investigation.

Nonprofit organization Black And Missing But Not Forgotten it is also keeping watch. “If the cases are connected, we are looking at a possible traveling serial kidnapper/killer and there could be more,” said Deidra Robey, the organization’s CEO and founder.

Phoenix was last seen by her mother in the driveway of their St. Louis County home at about 3 pm on Dec. 18.

“She was sitting in her vehicle,” her mother said. “She does that often. She’ll sit in the car and talk on the phone. That’s what I thought she was doing. When I looked out again, her vehicle was gone.”

Initially the mother thought her daughter had gone to the store, but when she didn’t return she filed a missing persons report.

Stacey Nicole English was last seen on or about Christmas day.  Her father, Rev. Kevin Jamison, told the Huffington Post on Wednesday that Robert Kirk, a resident of St. Louis, had been visiting with her, but the two allegedly got into an argument.

“The gentleman said they got into a dispute and she put him out of her house on Dec. 26 around 10:30 p.m.,” Jamison said. “That person has now gone back to Missouri.”

Families of both women say their disappearance is highly out of character and that they’ve felt out of the loop in the investigations, saying they don’t believe the police departments are doing all they can to find the women. The fact that Robert Kirk returned to the state where Phoenix was reported missing looks like a huge red flag but it’s unclear whether St. Louis police are interested in him. Campos says that Robert has not been named as a person of interest in Stacey English’s case but that the Atlanta Police Department would like to speak with him further.

At least the police are open to the possibility of a connection here, unlike the murdered women in Detroit. Do you think the coincidences in the cases are suspicious?

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

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It’s been nine years since Ludacris dropped his highly successful third album, “Chicken N Beer,” but the legacy lives on. At least it will, in the form of a restaurant inside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The Jasmine Brand peeped Luda’s tweets last night as he broke the news on his new business venture:

“I’m taking my restaurateur footprint into the busiest airport in the WORLD! Hartsfield-Jackson ATL International! Chicken & Beer coming soon!

“WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THE BUSIEST AIRPORT ON THE PLANET!! THIS IS HISTORY!! #chickenandbeer”

The restaurant will be located in Concourse D and is scheduled to open sometime this year. The name may sound a little offputting but this opportunity could represent serious dollars for Christopher Bridges who’s turning himself into quite the entrepreneur.

Would you stop in for a little chicken and beer during your next layover?

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

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by Cortney Cleveland

“Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kandi Burruss continues to expand her empire, one well-chosen product at a time. Fans of the Bravo series are already familiar with Kandi’s new adult toy collection, Bedroom Kandi but the starlet recently announced she was adding digital technology to the mix with Kandi Koated Spades, billed as the first “urban” Spades app for iPhone/iPad users.

Critics of the reality star may find her ventures to be slightly eccentric. However, Kandi is showing a refined sense of business savvy. An adult toy line and a Spades app may seem like random products to build an empire with, but both product lines cater to a niche market and are in line with her personal brand.

By definition, a niche market is a narrowly defined group of potential customers. A business that focuses on a niche market is concerned with addressing the needs of this group with a product or service that is not being supplied by mainstream providers. Most people think that a bigger market automatically equals more profits. But, a niche market makes it easier to give customers what they want because they are easier to find and their needs are more narrowly defined.

On her show, Kandi has often spoken of wanting to introduce African-American women to adult toys with her line. Targeting an underserved group not only allows her to face less competition, but also gives her the opportunity to educate her target audience and establish herself as an authority in her industry. This authority status will draw more customers to her brand.

The case is similar with her new app. There are plenty of card game apps available, but few specifically cater to an urban audience. Kandi and her team noticed a void in the market and filled it with a product tailored to their target audience. Kandi Koated Spades was designed to reflect the fast-paced, “trash-talking” style of Spades popular in the African-American community with features such as “Reneg,” “Deuces Wild,” and “Jokers.”

Deutsche Bank sent sheriff’s deputies and movers to an Atlanta home Tuesday to evict the inhabitants who were behind on their payments, but when they saw the 103-year-old woman and her 83-year-old daughter who had been living together in the home for 53 years, they decided not to go through with the plan.

Vita Lee, who will be 104 in three weeks, and several community activists who were on site when the deputies opted not to go through with the eviction. Lee says her home has been in the court system for years, and despite the fact that her family has the money to pay the debt, they have had trouble getting Chase bank, who locally services the loan, to accept payments.

At least for now, Lee and her daughter can sleep peacefully without the threat of being homeless. And that’s the way it should be as far as she is concerned. She told Channel 2, “Please don’t come in and disturb me no more. When I’m gone you all can come back and do whatever [you] want to.”

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

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