Folks are getting photoshoot fresh all over the place for magazines this month, and that includes Scandal star Kerry Washington and teenager Paris Jackson.

For InStyle magazine, Washington took us back with a vamped up look and rocked colorful pieces by everyone from Fendi to Dolce & Gabbana. In an excerpt from her full interview, the style maven and Hollywood “it-girl” spoke about her style and how she learned to be fearless in her clothing choices–no matter what’s she’s wearing. It’s all about a challenge.

“I need to challenge myself. Whether it’s fashion or life, I like to go for it. As long as I feel good about what I’m wearing, it doesn’t matter if so-and-so calls it ugly.”

And we know Washington hasn’t given folks too many opportunities to call her fashion choices “ugly,” because she always kills it on the red carpet.

And speaking of getting glammed up! Doesn’t Paris Jackson look amazing? The daughter of The King of Pop covers the upcoming issue of the British magazine EVENT, where the 15-year-old talked about her famous father’s parenting skills, her hopes for her future, and how she appreciates the normal lifestyle she lives now, that her grandmother, Katherine Jackson, has provided her with.

When speaking on memories of her father, she seemed to have nothing but good things to say:

“I have lots of memories of my father. He was an incredible father. We all loved him to death. He’d try to educate us as much as he could and was always looking out for us. He was very protective.”

“He didn’t want anyone to see what we looked like. That way we could have what he didn’t, which was a normal childhood.”

As for her normal life now as a teen (aside from photoshoots and interviews like these from time to time), she is a cheerleader, played volleyball, dabbles in photography, and more, saying, “I want to have a normal high-school experience.” She says that in the future, despite early inklings that she would follow in her family’s footsteps and be in show business, really, she would love to be a surgeon. “I want to go to medical school and be a doctor specializing in heart surgery. I want to help people.”

Photos by Jennifer Livingston and Brian Bowen Smith

A Google Nexus 7 on display earlier this month in London. Image: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire URN:14808395 (Press Association via AP Images)

After a busy week full of tech announcements, Google was all set to host an Android-related event in New York on Monday morning. Cue Sandy.

But while the event was canceled, leaked photos and a video have surfaced online, showcasing the new Nexus 10 Tablet, which is made by Samsung and runs with Android 4.2 operating system. BriefMobile has the photos and more information about the technical specifications of the 10-inch tablet, and we’ve embedded the video, also from BriefMobile, below.

Additionally, PhonesReview.com has what appears to be the manual for the Nexus 10.

Google has yet to announce a new date for the event, which was also supposed to showcase the Android 4.2 operating system and the LG Nexus phone. But it has created a Crisis Map for Hurricane Sandy. The map has information about the storm and its location, as well as public announcements, alerts, and evacuation info.

With all these new tablets flooding the market, do you know which one you want to buy?

shutterstock

There are a lot of issues tangled up in a woman’s hair. When making a change, especially one as drastic as going natural, there is a lot to consider. One of the most daunting questions to consider on the brink of a transition, though some will never admit it, is how men (or one in particular) will respond to it.

It’s no surprise then that Curly Girl Collective‘s most recent event, entitled “Mane Attraction: His Voice, Her Hair” and billed as “a ground- breaking, thought provoking, panel discussion on how men feel about women with natural hair,” was packed to capacity. As part of its mission to foster acceptance and celebration of kinkier hair textures, the collective decided it was time to include the male gender in the natural hair conversation.

“Our first event was in May 2011. We’re serving to bring unique questions and topics that are top of mind,” said Charisse Higgins, Director of Public Relations for Curly Girl Collective. “The fact that so many people are coming out to hear what the fellas have to say about natural hair; it’s beautiful. And it’s good to see the guys are here to support, or to voice how they feel about it.”

Surprisingly, the sea of afro-textured crowns that filled the venue did not intimidate the men in attendance. The raucous discussion’s main point of contention came when a moderator declared that any woman in a committed relationship should consult with her man before making drastic changes to her hair.

Bloggers Franchesca Ramsey (S*** White Girls Say…to Black Girls) and Cipriana Quann (Urban Bush Babes), represented for women on the panel and minimized the importance of hair. Despite being the reason we had all gathered in Brooklyn, there was so much more to us than our hair. By their logic, a man should be as invested in a woman changing her hairstyle as he is in her changing her nail color.

The men on the panel, namely bloggers Jozen Cummings (Until I Get Married) and Slim Jackson (Single Black Male), agreed with some apprehension. “What I don’t like isn’t nearly as important as what I do like,” said Cummings.

The idea that a woman not be valued by her hair may be naively feminist. A guy asking for a head’s up when you plan on coming home looking like a stranger isn’t asking for much. Communicating changes to your partner can be viewed as a sign of unity. However, any man that believes an experimental haircut or new texture warrants walking papers probably doesn’t value his woman much to begin with.

The event’s interactive mural asked attendees, “What is attractive about women with natural hair?” Confidence, carefree-ness, and natural beauty were some of the top responses. Maximizing our appeal to potential partners is an important part of the job description we give our hair. But, the women attending the event made it clear; hair is a personal affair.

When asked to give advice to women considering going natural, the panelists encouraged the audience to trade fear for confidence. Everyone will have their opinions, especially during those awkward stages, but ultimately, the only opinion that counts is your own. Many women fail to realize the impact the opinion they have of themselves has on how others view them. As one male panelist said, “Be comfortable. Your lack of comfort is what really affects the relationship.”

C. Cleveland is a freelance writer and content strategist in New York City, perfecting living the fierce life at The Red Read. She is at your service on Twitter @CleveInTheCity.

Image: AP Photo/Richard Drew

Based on the invitations that have been sent out, it looks like Apple’s going to be making a big announcement next Tuesday, October 23 at 1 p.m. PT. Rumor has it that the iPad Mini will be introduced at the San Jose, CA event, which will not only be smaller than the iPad that’s currently on the market, but will also boast a price tag that’s lower than the $500 for an Apple tablet.

Of course, folks can’t wait until it’s confirmed at the event, so there are already suspicions over leaked photos, dimensions, colors, etc, etc, etc.  People will sit on a cold, dirty sidewalk for a week to buy one of these things, but can’t wait a couple of days to find out what it is they plan to spend their money on.

There are also rumors that a new 13-inch MacBook will be introduced and an iTunes upgrade. We’ll have more on the 23rd.

Separately, there’s the launch of the seventh version of the iPod Nano, for those who don’t have an iPhone. Gizmodo has an interesting review, calling the device “great” but saying people don’t care about MP3s anymore because more people have smartphones. That’s probably true for the circles that the Gizmodo folks are rolling in. But we still see stats talking about increased smartphone ownership and the growing use of mobility, which would indicate that there are some people that might be looking for a new Nano.

Ars Tecnica says much of it is the same as the previous iteration and suggests that, instead, for $50, people should just buy the iPod Touch. It’s a little bit bigger (which might be a concern for people looking to work out with it), but it has Wi-fi and a camera.

Ars Tecnica says flat out that there’s “little to excite” about the new Nano. They obviously haven’t seen the commercial.

Debra Messing, Michael Kors and Kate Upton were just some of the celebs making the rounds during FNO. This was taken at his East Side store. Image: Aaron Showalter, New York Daily News

Last night, the world celebrated shopping. It was Fashion’s Night Out, the evening that fashionistas of all levels can head out into the streets of cities around the globe and expect to see celebrities, get free booze, stand in line for stuff and maybe even buy a thing or two.

FNO (as all the cool kids call it) started in 2009, after the economic collapse led to a drop in sales for clothing and accessories. At that time, Vogue editor Anna Wintour wanted to spur spending. Now, it serves more as an exercise in audience participation for the much more exclusive Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. And thousands of people surely did come out, clogging the streets and packing the stores.

Image: Tonya Garcia

Along 34th Street in Manhattan, signs invited people in to shops to celebrate. But it was when you got to Herald Square that the party really started. We walked past a stage with loud music (but minimal dancing) on the way into Macy’s, which had events on seemingly every floor.

At 7:30, fashion designer and Project Runway judge Michael Kors was meant to make an appearance, but at that time, the MC was still announcing names for people that, as best we can tell, had won some sort of raffle. Note: The photo above was taken at Kors’ East Side shop, not at Macy’s. We never actually got to see him, though we did take a look at his line of shoes. We asked a woman standing in line whether she was waiting to meet the designer.

“I think so,” she responded. So theoretically, she could’ve just been standing in line for her health. But whatever. Everyone was just happy to be there.

It should also be noted that people, some in large groups, were strutting about the second floor dressed like they were heading to the club to pop bottles in the VIP section. Or wait behind the velvet rope in the hopes of getting to the VIP section. One or the other.

High off of the many squirts of perfume that were fired my way as I left Macy’s, I thought it would be a good idea to head over to a Target pop-up store in the Meatpacking District, which featured the five special collections available this fall. After zipping through the line to get in (Hugo Boss, Diane von Furstenberg and other high-end shops in the neighborhood had lines that were at a standstill), I waited in line to get into the Kirna Zabete shop to look at the women’s fashions, which were very nice, though I couldn’t find my size. All around were people grabbing free bottles of soda, moving to the music (FNO is a big night for DJs, who were spinning everywhere) and chattering blissfully. Over at Odin, the men’s shop, things were much more calm.

Image: Tonya Garcia

“It was packed before,” a salesman told me. “That’s because men know how to shop. They get in and get out.”

Interestingly, the one place where there wasn’t a line was at the cash registers (see right), where we only saw a couple of people actually making a purchase. I was told on the way in that there was a limit of five items per customer, but it looks like there was a lot more cola consumption than actual purchasing.

Also interesting, at least to me, I did manage to get a couple of things from H&M, which offered 30 percent off of the item of your choice, special for FNO. There has always been the question of whether FNO is more for window shopping, freebies and celeb spotting than actual sales, but, according to reporting by Reuters, the organizers of the event declare it a repeated success.

“Data from NYC & Company found that two thirds of stores who participated in 2011 and responded to their survey said store traffic increased as a result of the night,” the article says.

“What happens is there’s a big bump in the stores the following week or 10 days after that. People go and they see … and then they go back to the stores and buy what they want the next day,” the story quotes George Fertitta, head of NYC & Company, the New York’s marketing and tourism group.

Click here for more celebrity images from the New York Daily News. And visit our friends at Styleblazer for additional coverage of Fashion’s Night Out.

Source: celebrific.blogspot.com

It’s almost summer, and with that season approaching with the quickness (not until June, but you know Memorial Day ushers in the summertime way of thinking and naked-ness), it’s time to get ready for another presentation of the BET Awards. Nominations came out yesterday, and while I’m sure most–no, make that some–of the nominees are geeked up about their honors, I kind of rolled my eyes at not only the nominations, but the idea of another unorganized award show. Is it just me, or have the BET Awards become pretty irrelevant and unnecessary at this point?

I’ll never forget when the show was at its prime. The award show as a whole started in 2001 and has been a force to be reckoned with over the years, even pulling in MTV Video Music Award numbers, sometimes record numbers for the network. The most entertaining BET Awards presentation was probably the one in 2003 when Mo’Nique was the host, and anybody and everybody that was hot in the industry (and black) was in the audience. That was the year Bey performed “Crazy in Love” live for the first time, a very popular 50 Cent (remember, this was a LONG time ago) slayed the stage, and that was the year the show honored James Brown and Michael Jackson came out and got down with him. Our last glimpse of the men together on stage before both passed. Pretty awesome indeed.

But if you look forward after those years, the ceremonies became more and more ridiculous. From hosts who bombed (I still love you Damon Wayans), to reckless mess (Lil Wayne singing “I wish I could f**k every girl in the world” with his daughter and her friends dancing on stage), the terrible censorship (covering up clean words and accidentally letting the F-bomb and worse be aired on national television), and Debra Lee’s wardrobe choices, folks have been begging BET to go back to the drawing board with this once very fun and exciting annual event.

I’m sure most would say we need the BET Awards in order to honor OUR stars, but how does the show benefit and represent for black celebrities when half of them don’t even show up for the award’s ceremony??? Maybe they started to think the show was obscure as well, because last time I saw folks like Rihanna or even Kanye at the show, they had different boos on their arms and were all smiles before big scandals that would change the direction of their music and careers. And in all honesty, the show has started to honor the same folks over and over again rather than really showcasing a wide variety of talented black stars. And it’s getting pretty tired at this point.

For instance, this year, the video of the year category has two nominations for Bey and two for “The Throne” (Jay-Z and Kanye), leaving just one random nom left for Usher’s video, “Climax.” And that video came out, what, two months ago? And let us not forget that it has been the Chris Brown/YMCMB show for the last three years (Lil Wayne or Drake has consistently closed the show with stomach-turning flashes of Wayne’s panties and expletive-laden performances). Who can forget the fact that they let Chris Brown perform on-stage about three times last year and just HAD to give us a streamed performance of Beyoncé performing at Glastonbury? (They could have kept that.) And after a year that sprouted new female rap talents like Iggy Azalea and Azealia Banks, why Nicki Minaj is nominated against folks like Diamond (she had new music???), I have no clue. They might as well mail her that award now and save her the trouble of coming out. And No Jill Scott in the Female R&B category??? *scoffs*

I do commend producers for including the humanitarian award, the lifetime achievement award (which is hand’s down my favorite part of the show) and letting gospel talents perform (too bad they have to sit in the audience and listen to so much ratchet-ness a majority of the night). I even like that they try to broaden people’s musical tastes by having awards for international acts, but what good is that award when you hand it out before the program starts??? You see, for every step forward the show takes, it winds up taking a few more back. But then again, that’s the history of the network as a whole.

With this type of job, I’ll be watching so I can help provide coverage about what happened, who wore what, and all that jazz (just as I did last year), and I’m really just looking forward to the show’s attempt at honoring Whitney Houston. But I’m hoping with the time they have to put on something fancy, it will be great, and that the awards as a whole can get a major upgrade. But these days, I’m finding that this show…honestly, make that most music award shows, are becoming as irrelevant as as can be, and there’s nothing you can do about it but tune in to laugh, or tune out to maintain your right mind.

More on Madame Noire!

• Dayummm…They Look Good For Their Age: Celebs Who Prove That Black Don’t Crack
• Let This Be A Lesson: Nas Says He Knew Marriage To Kelis Wouldn’t Work
• 7 Singers Turned Actors: Who Was a Natural On-Screen and Who Was a Hot Mess?
• Decoding Your Downstairs: 8 Things Women Need To Know About Their Va Jay Jay
• No Need To Call Tyrone: 7 Ways To Bow Out Of A Relationship Gracefully
• Madame On the Street: How Long Should You Wait to Have Sex?
• Bet You Didn’t Know: Secrets Behind the Making of “Jungle Fever”

Source: Global Grind

With all the dramatic rumors flying around about Fantasia and her money, her man and her career in general, it’s nice to see the new mommy (who gave birth in December) all smiles and showing off her post-baby curve-a-licious body. Homegirl gave her own short locks a break and was seen at a recent event in North Carolina with long, flowing extensions with some really cute bangs. She also showed up in this multi-colored dress with slits in the arms and pink, strappy stilettos. She, like Bey, is embracing her added curves since giving birth, and it’s nice to see her looking in good spirits. For a minute there, we were getting worried about the direction of things in Fanny’s life (and we still are a little), what with Antwaun Cook allegedly wanting to go back to his ex and the singer having to sell her home for a lot less than she paid, but we’ll continue to hope for the best. Make that money, honey and hurry up and put out a new album! “I’m Doin’ Me” was the jam…

What do you think of her new look?

More on Madame Noire!

• What’s Love Got To Do With It? Things You Really Need To Make A Relationship Work
• Where Are They Now? The Cast of “Family Matters”
• Pompadours and Ponytails: Which Celeb Wears It Best?
• Ratch on Ratch on Ratch: 6 Questions I Need Answered About Basketball Wives’
• Bad Never Looked So Good: Fine Fictional Characters That Scared Us For Real
• Friend to Foe: 7 Things That Can Turn Your Bestie Into Your Worst Enemy
• GIRLS GONE WILD! Ladies Who Can’t Keep Their Hands To Themselves

If you haven’t heard by now, Madame Noire is having its first annual debate panel at Columbia University in New York City, on Friday Nov. 5 from 6pm to 8pm. REGISTER NOW for this fabulous discussion and meet some of the real, live persons behind Madame Noire!

Click

here

for the registration page.

Read the rest of this entry »

(Inc) — After five long years of innovation, research, and testing, David Dickinson, CEO of start-up Zeo, which is based in Newton, Massachusetts, was confident that the product his company introduced last year — a personal sleep monitor that gathers data from brain waves during sleep — was unlike anything on the market. But one more hurdle remained: getting others to notice. “We had to introduce the Personal Sleep Coach in a way that it was clear that it was a breakthrough innovation,” Dickinson says. “We asked ourselves, how do we get people talking about it with each other?”

Read More…