Credit: Shutterstock

From Essence

We know how much you love Tyler Perry’s Temptation star Lance Gross. So, when ESSENCE got the chance to visit his NYC hotel suite and have an intimate one-on-one with the Hot star, we took your burning love questions with us.

ESSENCE.com Relationships Editor Charli Penn got up close and personal with the hunky thespian, and new Magic Shave spokesman, who spoke candidly about what’s hot and what’s not to a man. For starters, he wants women to beware of a man’s representative and know that you’ll get further with a brother like him if you know how to take it slow.

“Take your time,” he says. “That’s the only way that you’ll truly get to know a person over time. A lot of people show up with their representative and that can last a year, two years, even three years. When it’s right, it’s right.”

Read more of what Lance had to say at Essence.com.

Another month, another fresh face on the cover of Essence! They’re really stepping their subjects up and still keeping them positive and powerful. Plus, the ladies have been dressed to the nines, and Monáe is doing it up in her Yves Saint Laurent blouse, Chanel earrings and crimped pompadour.

The magazine sat down with Monáe to talk about her new music, including the album Electric Lady, which she’s prepping for a summer release, trying to build a relationship late in life with her father, a run-in with the law, and her style, which everybody is always talking about because it’s so different, but never really changes. When asked why she won’t change it up and show off a little skin, she makes it clear that if powerful men don’t have to show skin to be successful, why should she have to do so to have an impact?

“People don’t ask Jay-Z to take his shirt off when he rhymes…I like skirts and dresses just like everyone else, but I had a message I needed to put out there. It was up to me to show people and young girls there was another way.”

True that! If you want to check out her full interview with the magazine and what we’re sure will be some more breathtaking images of the star, you’ll have to pick up the new issue, dropping April 5.

Are you digging the new cover with Janelle Monáe?

I think I speak for Sister Sister – and Tia and Tamera – fans everywhere when I say seeing the Mowry twins on the cover of Essence magazine is such a happy moment. For one, we are more than impressed with the way Essence has been switching up their covers this year (kudos!), two, we’re tired of seeing the same run of the mill celebs, and three, who doesn’t love these twin mommies?!

For the April 2013 issue, Essence is talking with the sisters about being “Moms in Charge.” We all know Tia’s been handling her business since becoming a mom to son Cree in June 20011.  On her Style Network reality show with Tamera, we watched Tia get back in stellar physical shape for The Game, and then we watched her walk away from the BET show in order to pursue even bigger and better things. Now we’re just starting to catch up with Tamera and see how mommyhood is treating her ever since she gave birth to her son Aiden in November.

As Essence puts it in their feature, “Double Vision:”

Life is sweet for twins for Tia & Tamera Mowry. As successful, married new moms, the reality TV stars are adding a new hyphenate to their resumes: entrepreneur. The two recently launched a product line for mothers and babies called Mama Need. ESSENCE gets the scoop on how they do it all, with a smile.

For Tia, she says the smiling part is pretty natural and what you see on their reality show, Tia and Tamera, is exactly how they are in real life.

“We didn’t want to do a reality show if we couldn’t be real—if I couldn’t be myself. There is no ‘evil twin’ syndrome, though we do have evil moments…”

And that’s why we love them!

Check out a few more pics from their shoot on the next two pages.

(Photo by Terrence Jennings/PictureGroup) via AP IMAGES

A few editorial departures were announced at Essence magazine this weekend, including Constance C.R. White, the magazine’s editor-in-chief, who only returned to the magazine in 2011.

White’s journalism background is a rich one — “founding fashion editor at Talk magazine; style reporter for The New York Times; and executive fashion editor at ELLE magazine,” among other positions, reports The Root, quoting the announcement of her appointment to Essence EIC. She was a brand consultant and spokeswoman for eBay before making the move.

White replaced Angela Burt-Murray, who resigned after five years and has since launched a new site, CocoaFab.com. White is credited with adding diversity of skin tone and look to Essence’s pages.

Also leaving Essence are Corynne L. Corbett, the magazine’s beauty editor, and Greg Monfries, the magazine’s creative director. Executive editor Vanessa Bush is stepping in as EIC temporarily. Time Inc, which owns Essence, is cutting 500 jobs. Essence is second in circulation to Ebony for magazines targeting black Americans.

LL Coool J must be gearing up for another resurgence of his career because we’ve been seeing a lot of him lately. A couple of weeks ago, he appeared on an episode of “Oprah’s Next Chapter,” airing out some demons from his childhood and talking about his relationship with his wife of 18 yeas, now he’s on the cover of the March 2013 issue of Essence looking oh so dapper, as usual.

In the issue, LL talks even more about his marriage, specifically deciding to put his family before his career when his wife Simone battled with cancer. He told he magazine:

“I think, at the end of the day, as a man, you should support the woman you’re with. If she’s got a dream, you need to help make that a reality. I’m doing the best I can to do that…”

The issue is on newsstands right now. Will you pick up a copy?

I truly believe in my heart of hearts that in the world according to Essence, there are only 12 black celebrities: Beyonce, Jill Scott, Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Taraji P. Henson, Kerry Washington, Nia Long, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, Michelle Obama, Gabrielle Union, and their November cover subject, Tyler Perry. We love these ladies, especially Mrs. O, and they are all amazing in their own right but damn it they are NOT the only black folks doing things in the entertainment industry and Essence of all people should know this.

Last month, I suggested we start a bet in the office on who would have next on the magazine’s cover because after I saw Jill Scott grace the October issue, I knew guessing the probability of the magazine using one of its tried and true go-tos was about as high as a professional basketball player cheating on his wife with a video chick. And sure enough, there was Tyler Perry in all his golden purple joy plastered on the glossy for the fourth time since 2007—nearly once every year.

I know the good folks over at Essence are smart, so it’s not as though they don’t know that they’ve recycled the same people over, and over, and over again. I think they fail to realize that we peeped game too – or they just assume we love these people so much we don’t care. That’s the only logical conclusion I can draw, based solely on the annual cover repeats, and the fact that when Mary J. Blige was the guest editor for the June issue, they boasted that this was her twelfth time on the cover – as if that was a good thing. I’m sure Mary doesn’t mind, but the readers that are still hanging on? Trust me, they care.

The problem is simple, Essence is the only magazine specifically for black women. If anyone should be constantly reinventing themselves – and their covers –it should be them. Why is a magazine for black women acting as though there are only a handful of us to choose from? Yes, I’m sure they’ve done all sorts of studies on who sells magazine covers, which is probably why they keep serving up the same best sellers, but would it kill them to take a risk – that wouldn’t really be a risk at all?

Let’s think about this year’s Summer Olympics, black women were the London Games. Did Serena have a cover, what about the US track team – hello Sanya Richards-Ross, heck even Lolo Jones, and regardless of her being 16 years old, there isn’t one person on this earth who would say they’ve had enough of Gabby Douglas. Essence had a huge opportunity with those ladies, but who did we get this summer instead? Mary, Obama, Nia, and Jada. Anyone else hear the Four Tops singing “it’s the Same Old Song” in their head?

At the height of Gabourey Sidibe’s “Precious” hype, it’s amazing that Elle put the actress on the cover, rather than Essence. I’m curious if the magazine got the memo that Janelle Monae is the hotness right now, not to mention a Cover Girl. The Braxtons? Solange? Ri-freaking-Hanna? These are women who are high in demand right now. Yes, Rih Rih is a bit of a wild child but if Oprah can have a sit down with her, I’m sure Essence could tailor their talk to something their readers would care about. The question is do they care about what their readers care about?

We know why everyone went bananas over Viola Davis’ November 2011 cover, she was the first new face in a hot, long minute. And when they followed that up with Tasha Smith in December I just knew someone over there had had their Eureka moment. For a brief second I thought, yes, they finally get it! They found out that more than 12-15 black people are doing big things. And then January 2012 issue came out. And I saw Queen Latifah in a red onesie. And the cycle continued.

In Essence’s defense, they’re probably a little nervous to think too far outside the box anymore, considering the two times they tried people had a full-blown fit. Remember the Diddy-Kim Porter catastrophe? Reggie Bush backlash anybody? Granted these weren’t the best choices, but that did mark the beginning and the end of Essence’s let’s be creative era.

Many have come to the conclusion that the magazine wants to play it safe and cater to a demographic that clearly is much older than the 18-34-year-old crowd. And that’s all good and well, except if that’s true, then why post pictures and videos of women like Evelyn Lozada on the website? The disconnect is alarming. I’d love to go back to being a faithful Essence reader but looking at the covers, I can only assume the content inside is just as predictable as the faces on the outside. At this point all I can suggest is Time Warner steal Desiree Rogers and let her bring the magazine (and its website) back to life just like she did Ebony.

What’s your take on Essence? Who do you think they’re sleeping on for cover choices?

Brande Victorian is the news and operations editor for madamenoire.com. Follow her on twitter @Be_Vic.

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Source: Essence

“When Black women are down with you and in your corner, you have an ally that will move heaven and earth…”

That’s how brother Perry feels about the support he’s received from sistas, stemming all the way back to the days he was homeless after migrating from New Orleans to Atlanta, to his present day box office success and exclusive deal with Oprah. There may be a lot of black women who find Tyler Perry’s cinematic portrayals coonish, but there are millions more who will break their necks to hit the theaters and support him. And for those ladies he is nothing but grateful.

Covering the November issue of Essence, Tyler talked about that love and much more in an exclusive interview. Teasing the one-on-one with the man of many talents, Essence writes:

Rising past the haters — and the sheer desolation of losing his beloved mother — Tyler Perry has only just begun to soar. Respected as a writer, director and mogul, the man behind the $1 billion-plus Madea franchise is now moving into unchartered territory: Action hero. Essence goes along for the ride as the tireless entrepreneur and philanthropist talks about his love for Black women, one of his last conversations with Whitney Houston the night Michael Jackson died and what intimidated him the most about taking on the role of detective Alex Cross.

The issue will hit newsstands soon. Are you one of the Black women in Tyler’s corner?

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Source: entertainmentwise.com

Jada Pinkett Smith is no stranger to Essence magazine covers, but the Hollywood wife and mother isn’t just gracing the cover of the mag’s September issue for herself, she’s doing it to raise awareness for the latest task on her plate: battling human trafficking.

“When something speaks to you as brightly and as strongly as this particular issue speaks to me, you just put every resource that you have to move things forward,” she told the magazine. “That’s what we do, we move fast. It’s the entertainment business. You have to move like a rocket. We’re talking about people’s lives…”

Jada already testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier this year, after being encouraged by her daughter Willow to tackle the issue. Now, she’s more than happy to use Essence‘s platform to drive the importance of the issue home—while still knocking down some nasty rumors. As the magazine states:

“Jada Pinkett Smith needs your help. Newly armed as a warrior against human trafficking — even right here in the U.S. — the Hollywood beauty is on a mission to save Black and Brown girls everywhere whose bodies are being sold against their will. She’s also been fighting another war: protecting her family from the intense scrutiny that’s part of the life of a Hollywood star. But she’s standing tall against the drama — the divorce rumors and critiques of her parenting style — and thriving.”

Are you gonna check this issue out?

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Source: olivecocomag.com

After seeing Nia Long’s Essence magazine cover last week, we were all a bit confused about the whole “Single, Satisfied and Raising Her Boys”, headline considering as far as we knew she was in a relationship with her youngest child’s father, Ime Udoka. Now that a few more details from her feature article in the August issue have been revealed, we see Nia is definitely not single in the sense of not having a man, but if the only options are single or married, she’s most definitely on the single side of things and not making any sudden moves to get to the other.

“Marriage is not a priority for me,” she told Essence. “I’m not saying I’ll never do it; It’s just not where we are as a family.”

Nia admitted that she has “never seen a marriage work,” and since she only recently established a good relationship with her oldest son, Massai’s, father and her own, she said her focus has been on “emotional maturity” rather than becoming a wife.

“Massai’s dad and I have had the most challenging times, and I wasn’t always sure we wouldn’t end like my mother and father,” she said. “But we’ve arrived at a place where I can truly say he’s not a baby daddy, he’s my friend, finally. He is an amazing father.”

Having a better relationship with these two important men has also helped Nia be a better mother, she said.

“I’m a lot calmer. Less clingy and demanding. When Ime has to be gone for long stretches at a time, as he had to the first few months after Kez was born, I took it as an opportunity to nest.

“It had been a minute since I had an infant and I had to get back into the rhythm of being a new mom. I really enjoyed having the space to do that at my own pace.”

As far as critics go, Nia said she’s not immune to the negative commentary on her family structure but she’s happy doing what works for her.

“I’ll be at home with my man, having a perfectly loving time, and I’ll see all these comments on some site about how wrong I am for not being married,” she said. “I don’t feel less loved or less loving because I’m not married.

“Motherhood is not easy, but it’s natural,” she added. “I worked hard to have the career I wanted, but I’ve also been deliberate about my personal life. None of this is a mistake.”

As long as she knows what she’s doing, more power to her. The only thing I’ll say about Nia’s explanation is that people need to realize the same emotional maturity that’s needed to be someone’s wife is also necessary before you become someone’s mother, but it looks like she’s working it all out. What do you think?

Brande Victorian is the news and operations editor for madamenoire.com. Follow her on twitter @Be_Vic.

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If you’ve forgiven May J. Blige for her Burger King commercial then you’ll be happy to know she’s guest editing Essence magazine’s June issue.

What’s amazing is this is Mary’s twelfth time covering Essence, and for once the story isn’t focusing on Mary’s tumultuous past but on the love she has for self and how that shines through in her personal style.

“I was never really able to look at myself in the mirror until I began to hear God telling me I was beautiful,” Mary said. “Suddenly, other people started telling me I was beautiful, too, because I had started believing it…”

That beauty shows through in Mary’s personality and her work ethic, according to Essence.

“She blew us away once again. Rolling up her designer sleeves, Mary got to work and left her imprint throughout the magazine on everything from fashion, relationships, money management and more. Plus, in the introspective story, ‘Take Me As I Am,’ Miss Mary reminds readers that the woman who’s most irresistible to a man is the one who loves herself.”

Amen to that. The June issue hits newsstands May 11. Will you check it out?

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

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