Source: Instagram

When Florida high school senior, Nicole Muxo posted a video to YouTube asking her favorite NBA player Dwyane Wade to escort her to the senior prom, she never imagined that it would actually happen.

According to NBC’s South Florida affiliate, Muxo received the shock of her life last Friday when she received a call from Wade himself in the middle of the dance, apologizing for not being able to make it. While on the call, things got even more interesting when she learned that Wade had actually shown up to the celebration, ready to stand in as her prom date!

“So I talked to him on the phone, and as I was talking to him the doors opened and he walked out and I was completely shocked, I had no idea that he was going to even call,” Nicole said.

“So I was super-excited, everyone else was super-excited in there.”

Like a perfect gentlemen, Dwyane showed up with flowers, cut a little two-step on the dance floor and even posed for prom photos with Nicole and her date. He later joked that he was like a third wheel. It appears that her friends and the school’s staff called up Dwyane’s publicist and were able to pull some strings and make it happen for her.

“I’ve had people I’ve looked up to, people I’ve liked. A moment like this would’ve made my senior year, it would’ve made my life very memorable,” Wade said of his decision to grant Nicole’s wish.

“I’m just glad that we could make dreams come true,” he continued.

Dwyane later took to his Twitter and Instagram pages to thank her for such a great time.

“I had a blast at Prom w @nicole_muxo… Never be 2 scared to ask.. They might just say yes…#dreamsdocometrue,” he wrote.

How cute!

Check out footage of D.Wade at prom on the next page. 

From StyleBlazer

Who’s your favorite “Love & Hip-Hop” star? When fans of the franchise were asked recently, they lit up twitter to proclaim who their favorite lady was and why. The person with the best answer would win a full makeover to look like the woman of her choice.

Tahiry Jose was chosen by Dianna Ramnarine, a newly wed school teacher and fan of “Love & Hip-Hop NY.” And we can totally see why! Tahiry style is tight—in more ways than one. Her heels are high, her hair is long and laid, and her makeup—soft with subtle pops of color.

With the help of the LHH glam squad, via the Teknique Agency, on hair, makeup, and nails; Necessary Clothing; and Shoedazzle, we transformed Dianna into a true LHH diva. Dianna will also be able to keep up her look with her prizes, including Jewelry from Yandy Smith’s Everything Girls Love, shoes from Rashidah Ali’s Encore Shoetique, makeup from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics and a Beauty Blender kit.

Watch the transformation on StyleBlazer.com

Source: Instagram

Instagram has gotten many a celeb in trouble, but usually it’s not over something as seemingly innocent as a photo app filter. Enter Dawn Richard who, for the last 24 hours, has been fighting off rumors she’s been lightening her skin and got a nose job after she posted some pics to her Instagram account that, honestly, look absolutely nothing like her.

The photo above was just one of the suspect pics uploaded by the former Bad Boy singer who has been outspoken about the industry pressure on brown girls. Last summer in an interview with Carlton Jordan, she said:

I always say I represent for the brown girls because when you think of a sex symbol and a huge artist, most of the time it isn’t the brown, darker girl. And I’m not dark or even a chocolate girl, but there should be more because there is no color to greatness.

Everybody has their own story…I just know what my journey has been so I only speak on it from what I know and I do know it was a difficult road being this color and having the edge that I have— short hair, the body—it’s different. It isn’t your idea of pretty for people and it’s uncomfortable for them and I like it.

Some of Dawn’s Instagram followers seemed to be getting the message that Dawn’s looks were starting to become uncomfortable for her too, because it wasn’t long after her uploads starting posting that she was hit with comments like:

deanellw: Dawnnnnn what did u do to your face? Please do not tell me u are lightening it up.. When will people understand that black is beautiful … You are so beautiful

hissoulmate7 @deanellw: When black media stops promoting the whole light skin is the right skin mentality. We can sing beautiful dark skin all day but black media is obsessed with redbone yellabone. I have read comments in the past that dawn can sing but she is too darkskin. Im sure she heard enough of this bulls**t that she decided to thin her nose and lighten her skin. It’s sad but that’s reality in the industry

Shutting all of that down, Dawn explained to her following that the real culprit here was Instagram filtering and not self-hatred, responding to the commenters with:

dawnrichard @hissoulmate7: yo it’s a filter lol. Why are y’all doing the most lol. 
dawnrichard @deanellw: no babe just pressed the filter button like every other human that has Instagram
dawnrichard: I’m saying tho. If I really got work. I would have went for my tits First Those need help more than anything lol 

Well it’s good to see she’s taking the backlash all in stride, although her reaction was a bit more snarky on Twitter, with her posting:

Behahahahaha.. Filter is the new bleach. I mean it’s cheaper tho I guess … Photoshop does wonders and seems to start Isht too.

— Dawn Richard / NEON (@DawnRichard) March 20, 2013

Guess I need to bleach my music too.. — Dawn Richard / NEON (@DawnRichard) March 20, 2013

She might wanna slow up on that IG filter though and stick with the natural pics she’s used to — not even so much for the fact that she looks light and bright, but more so that she’s nearly unrecognizable. Check out some more of the pics she posted on the next few pages. What do you think about this pic drama?

WENN

Soooo, it’s safe to say that Keyshia Cole has mad hate for superstar sensation Beyonce Knowles. On St. Patty’s Day, Beyonce dropped her latest single “Bow Down” and in a tweet to the world, Keyshia responded to the new song with, “First, “Women need to Stick together” now B****es better Bow. Smh. But it’s all G! Chicks stay shooting the s***. But when I speak my mind its a prob. #Well #StayMad.”

The funny thing is Bey doesn’t have to utter one comeback as her fans have already come back extra hard online . Keyshia might want to shut down her twitter account indefinitely after this one. #Womantowoman, if you mess with the Queen Bey, you will get stung . . . multiple times. #ouch#Let the tweets speak for themselves.

Source: WENN

From EurWeb

Keke Palmer is gearing up to portray Rozanda “Chilli” Thomas in the VH1 TLC biopic.

Many fans of the famous girl group were not happy with the director’s decision to cast KeKe and they let her know it on twitter, facebook and several blogs.

EURweb associate Cherise “CNikky” Nicole (CNikky), spoke to KeKe about the role and the controversy that came along with it, during the 2013 Essence Black Women In Hollywood Luncheon. KeKe was very open to expressing her feelings and give us the scoop on filming the biopic.

See what she had to say on EurWeb.com.

Image Source: WENN.com

So, a stern “no” and maybe even a push off is no longer an option for some security guards, huh?

TMZ has learned that a lawsuit has been filed against Lil Wayne and his record company after a security allegedly attacked a fan trying to take a picture of the rapper.

In the lawsuit filed by attorney Craig Chisvin, his client Alfredo Marino ran into Lil Wayne and his crew on the streets of Los Angeles in May 2012.  He tried to take a picture of him but when a person with Wayne – presumably a security guard – saw what he was doing, he grabbed a skateboard and hit Marino in the back of the head with it.

It is pretty unclear where the skateboard came from, if it was owned by Wayne or the victim.

Marino claims he sustained a severe head injury from the attack. He is suing Wayne and the record label because he believes they were responsible for enabling him.

It’s also clear that if he wins this case, he’s likely to get more money out of Wayne and/or his record label versus the person who committed the alleged act.

No word from Wayne, the label or the alleged attacker. Marino is seeking unspecified damages.

Attacked with a skateboard…really? If this is true, that is really going a bit far. Perhaps the victim got too close for comfort and he needed to be removed from the situation but aren’t there ways to use a bit more force without possibly doing harm?

Oh Weezy, you have problems even when you had nothing to do with it.

Rihanna living up to her username, @badgalriri, on Instagram.

There was a time when stars were more like the celestial bodies they are named for, mysterious and unattainable. Prince’s two-syllable interview non-responses and the mystery hands covering Janet’s breasts on Rolling Stone (that turned out to be her secret husband) come to mind. The most dynamic cultural icons kept you wanting more by staying slightly out of reach.

Cue the internet age. Fans are now privy to the most miniscule details of their favorite celebrity’s life. What they ate for breakfast and what kind of toothbrush they used afterwards is just a click away. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

To be fair, the internet has made everyone more open. It demands that we continuously generate content for one another. Celebrities are not immune to the new kind of intimacy and community social media creates.

A New Kind of Star

Making stars used to be the job of an exclusive group of gatekeepers. Editors, studio heads, label executives and the like engineered what the story of the day or the phenomenon of the summer would be. That system has been blown to smithereens.

Well-established stars scoffed at Facebook and Twitter at first. Then they realized cat videos and GIFs were stealing their spotlight, and suddenly became keen to open up.

“Celebrity” has been democratized with the public setting the news cycle. Anyone can be one. If you can connect with people and keep them interested, you can build a career, whether your medium is video or 140 characters or less. Regular folks are using techniques previously reserved for the old guard of gatekeepers to promote themselves. A well-placed piece of news and a devout following birth a star.

Playing the Online Fame Game

Rihanna, named the top Social Networking Superstar by Forbes, and Chris Brown crooned that their tumultuous love affair was “Nobody’s Business” on her recent album. Days after its release, intimate photos of the pair were posted on their respective Instagram accounts. Both of which have millions of followers.

It’s a contradiction many stars play out (hello Robert).  They want a personal life, but like many social media users, they can’t seem to keep anything to themselves. The ones that do are criticized for not giving fans enough. The once private Beyoncé has made a foray into social media. Yet she’s still met with cries for more personal footage.

Going offline is not an option for the new generation of celebrity. Forums, blogs, and overzealous fans work around the clock to predict and perpetuate gossip. Social media gives stars an avenue to take control and elevate the conversation above the salacious. The trouble is many of them have no clue how to do that.

New Game, Old Tricks

To be a new age phenomenon, social media is based on old school principles. It’s about forging personal connections. Whether they’re on the playground or tweeting to millions, it is up to the individual to decide how to connect with another person. Gossip and private matters grab attention, but there are other things to talk about.

Some stars on catching on. Tracee Ellis Ross and Angela Simmons have launched websites based on their lifestyle interests. Starlet Jurnee Smollett uses her Twitter feed to bring attention to social issues.

Social media has created an audience that recognizes its power and wants to engage everything on a deeper level. Many in the public eye are still learning that a deeper level doesn’t always equal the tawdry or inane details of their private business. Forbes breaks it down like this:

We’re looking for celebrities who will acknowledge their dependence on us and their engagement with us. We want celebrities in fact who will admit that they are like us and… will also show us how they are different, bolder, more outspoken, funnier but not distant.”

Social media shrinks the distance between the stars and the rest of us, but we still want them to shine a little brighter.

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.

Source: Getty

I really want to know what goes on inside the head of R. Kelly — you, know  minus those thoughts about peeing on little girls — because I’ve never seen another  man who makes you think, “why is he so stupid” in the same breath as “but dang he’s so talented.”

Kells had something like a real life “Trapped in the Closet” moment during a show at the Nokia Theater in Downtown L.A. this weekend. When, according to TMZ, two female fans at the concert almost exchanged blows after one was accused of stealing the other’s seat, R. Kelly decided to just sing them on up out of his show, busting out with “security…mother f***ing se-cur-i-tyyyyyy yeah”

Yes, it’s as funny as it sounds.

Mr. Pied Piper then went on to narrate the whole incident in song, singing about how fans paid too much mother effing money for that foolishness and at some point security does actually come out on stage and escort the rowdy fans on their way. R. Kelly may not be the first singer to kick a rowdy fan out of his show but I’m pretty sure he’s the first one to sing them out. He’s too much!

Check out the hilarious video.

If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s when American’s love you, you are literally on top of the world. But eff that up, and they will not just kick you when you’re down, they’ll stomp all over you and act as though they never knew your name.

Lance Armstrong is finding that out now as virtually everything that has come to define him in the last 16 years or so is being erased from his legacy following the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s decision to ban him from cycling and strip him of his seven Tour de France titles. Since then, Lance has also been dropped from endorsement by Nike and he has stepped down from his position as chairman of the Livestrong cancer foundation “to spare the foundation any negative effects as a result of controversy surrounding my cycling career.” Though those factors alone may make one conclude that the world as he knows it has crumbled before him, it’s really just the tip of the iceberg. He still has one other entity to contend with: the American people.

Despite still being a cancer survivor and his contributions to the awareness of the disease as well as establishing a place online where those affected by cancer can find information, it seems the majority of people feel like Gawker writer Hamilton Nolan, “Take Off Your God Damn Livestrong Bracelets.” Through several expletives, Nolan advises Livestrong supporters to “cut that dirty mother**king bracelet off your wrist and throw it into the trash” now that Armstrong has been disgraced as a “lying cheater.” My question is what does one have to do with the other, while simultaneously thinking, my, how the mighty have fallen.

Armstrong’s situation is not unlike many other fallen American heroes like Tiger Woods, Mike Vick, and Jesse Jackson whom I immediately thought of watching the cyclist’s situation unravel. Because Woods could do no wrong on the green, it was assumed he also could do no wrong off of it, and so he was placed on this idyllic pedestal of perfection and once he made a misstep—albeit a pretty large one—his fame, fortune, and fanbase went the way of the typewriter; bye bye. And so it was with Michael Vick, who is now beginning to see a resurrection in his career, but back in 2007 his last name might as well have been Mike Jones because when someone said his name, Americans were like, “who?” Jesse Jackson suffered a similar fate. Once everyone knew he had a child with his staffer, it didn’t matter what civil rights work he did or what legislation he helped pass. Every career accomplishment was overshadowed by that one critical mistake.

Though I used black men for my examples, Armstrong (and many others who have befallen similar fates) prove this isn’t a racial thing. American’s are fickle in their devotion. I understand from an advertising point of view that endorsing a person whose behavior is not in line with your company values (term used loosely) is not good business, but what is frustrating is the way people turn their backs on these individuals as if they aren’t allowed mistakes. And how an error in one’s personal life comes to overshadow, and in some instances cancel out, their career accomplishments. If Armstrong did in fact use drugs then yes he should be stripped of his titles. But that has nothing to do with his work with cancer.  Michael Vick’s dog fighting had nothing to do with his ability on the football field. And yes, Tiger did his ex-wife terribly wrong by sleeping with women all over the country, but what does that have to do with his ability to get a hole in one? Not a darn thing.

The real problem here is the heroism and the god-like qualities we attribute to mere men simply because they can dribble, shoot, pass, putt, catch, or throw a ball (or ride a bike really freaking fast). We give these individuals so much power and put them on such a high pedestal that when they tangentially disappoint us, their place in society, and our minds, is reduced with equal speed and  agility and so they fall, almost instantaneously, to the very bottom. For some reason we like to make people perfect, only to tear them down when they prove what we, in some capacity knew all along, they are not. I get feeling cheated, I understand feeling lied to, but why does everyone forget they too are human when they point the finger at someone else’s mistakes. Why do fans and onlookers act as though these people asked to be praised and exalted and proclaimed role models simply because of athletic or political prowess and take these individual’s perfection in one arena as an indicator they are perfect overall.

Part of being a self-proclaimed admirer, fan, etc. of a person is accepting who they are totally. And if you’re only going to appreciate them for one aspect of their person then you shouldn’t shame them when they mess up in other areas. It’s easy to let the negative outweigh the positive in the moment of scandal but at the end of the day if we were all being judged with that same measure that we use on these public figures we’d be at the bottom of the totem pole too. They say you find out who your true friends are when you’re down and I’d extend that same thought to fans. If you completely turn your back on these individuals when they falter then you have no business being there when they rise again.

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

Image: Pixland

Regardless of your industry, it is no longer a question of “if” your small business should have a social media presence, but “how” those platforms should be used. According to the 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, 85 percent of businesses that have a dedicated social media platform reported an increase in their market exposure, and 58 percent reported an increase in sales.

Your social media accounts can do much more than serve as an outpost for your website. Social media is a great way to establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry. It also can be used to build a community of evangelists, involve your customers in your creative process, and reach new audiences.

The key to a dynamic social media presence is good content. Satisfying Internet users’ insatiable appetite for content can seem daunting. But, most brands are sitting on a gold mine of stories to share without realizing it. Here are a few ways to find those stories:

1. Get employees involved.

The people who make your business work are the best resources for content. Social media should be a part of everyone’s job description. Ask employees to create guest posts, or ask for regular updates on clients, corporate culture, and other under the radar developments that you can share online. Making employees visible online humanizes your brand, and they offer a unique perspective that is compelling to readers.

2. Offer behind-the-scenes access.

Everyone likes to feel like they have access to something exclusive or rarely seen. Give your fans and followers that feeling of privilege by offering something extra that they wouldn’t be able to find on your blog or website. Share slides from presentations, videos from events, or a sneak peek at a new product or service.

3. Set a Google Alert on keywords that impact your business.

Narcissism isn’t attractive in person or online. Don’t just talk about yourself, talk about what’s happening in your industry. A reputation for sharing important content will make you a thought leader in your field. Google Alerts and RSS feed subscriptions are especially helpful if you don’t have enough time to produce original content of your own. Direct your followers to good content that’s already out there.

4. Spotlight your customers.

Share the spotlight with the people who use your products or services. It will not only showcase your success but also give exposure to your customers, something they will appreciate. Promote your clients when they do something noteworthy, and they will do the same for you.

5. Build a community.

Social media is not a one-way channel of communication. Posting content without engaging audiences may work for some large brands, but small businesses need to make friends online. New friends can quickly become new customers. Customers don’t want to be advertised to, they want to be engaged. Ask questions and get feedback on the work you’re doing. Contests and promotions are also a great way to keep fans and followers excited and coming back for more.

Has your small business found success leveraging social media? Share some of your favorite tactics in the comment section.

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.