Not every match made in Hollywood heaven turns into one made better for hell. Some unions are special—the ones you rarely  get to hear every tidbit about and get to scrutinize. And in black Hollywood, there are quite a few marriages that have lasted the tests of groupies, success (or lack thereof), the ups, the downs and everything else. With summer wedding season about to kick off for many, it’s a good time to celebrate the relationships that give us hope, as well as the warm and fuzzies. Yay for black love!

We exist in a society that promotes the idea of learning oneself before jumping into a relationship/marriage. Long gone are the days of getting wifed up in your early 20s and crapping out a child a couple years later: we’re in the era of bustdowns, jump-offs and seed-spreading in the name of having a warm body to press up against, commitment be damned.

I’m certainly no stranger to keeping the company of fair maidens whom I enjoyed only to a degree: I was happy to watch a DVD or two with them, converse about life and plunder their nether regions. But they never met the fam, rarely met the crew and never had any significant amount of money spent on them.

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Serge Ibaka looking good.

You probably don’t care like that, but it’s playoff time! That time of year where Facebook statuses are devoted to talking trash, bandwagons are hopped on, TNT and ABC are your man’s favorite letters in the alphabet, and a missed lay up can elicit a reaction that sounds like pure agony. It’s beautiful! But if you’re not interested in basketball stats, botched plays   and Charles Barkley commentary, you’re probably not watching, nor caring. But something that might make you turn away from the estrogen of ‘Braxton Family Values” and into the testosterone of NBA playoff ball is the tall, dark and handsome men that make every game worth watching. Straying from the veteran fine-ness (aka, you already know they’re Hot) of folks like Dwayne Wade and cutie Ray Allen, here are five up-and-coming brothas (still in the playoffs) who you need to be cheering for until the off-season.

Cougar. Puma. Panther. These are all words to describe that certain type of mature woman who appreciates her men on the young and tender side as opposed to well-seasoned. Nothing wrong with that! Before you go skipping down to the nearest college frat party, check out these simple tips to make sure you’re not playing yourself with your PYT.

It’s a late lonely night, you’re single, but you’re craving a bit of loving. Who ya’ gonna call? Your “Go-To- Guy”. Go-To Guys are men of many names: cutty buddies, friends-with-benefits, or get-some-in-a-glass case. Many Go-To-Guys are close friends harboring an unrequited romantic interest. While I won’t preach about morals, buyer beware: becoming sexually involved with a man who has feelings for you which you have no intentions of returning can be a dangerous game. Don’t lead any guy on if you can’t afford the resentment and bitterness that could follow. If you’re lucky, your Go-To-Guy will be a legitimate friend…that you lay every now and then. He’ll have a love life of his own that doesn’t necessarily rest on his hopes of using his man parts to pin down your heart. Having this type of arrangement can be tricky as well; be careful not to fall if you can’t afford to lose a friend. Because the moment the woman comes along that captures his heart, she’ll also have his peen under lock and key.

When the going gets good, your Go-To-Guy arrangement can come with all the benefits of having a boyfriend without any of the burdens. Could this type of situation save your lonely nights?

Sure you’re perfect and wonderful, and people have no right to judge you. Or do they, hmmm?

Some womanly traits may be quite tolerable to your girlfriends and family members – but some others could be boy repellents! Which types of women do men avoid? Let’s take a look.

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