Source: WENN

Fantasia is in the news again.

Since 2009, Tasia Mae has been having some serious trouble with one of her North Carolina homes.  The mansion was originally in foreclosure (if you’ll recall, she was seemingly having a lot of tax problems then) but with the help of her lawyers, Fantasia was able to stop that. Last year, she put the house on the market and drastically decreased the price but has had no buyers. But it seems, Fantasia has decided enough is enough with this home.

According to TMZ, she filed court papers to turn the deed over to the primary bank. By doing this, she’ll skip going through a second foreclosure and effectively, just lose the home to the bank.  The “good” part about this is that by purposely losing the home, she saves herself the blog chat of her not being able to handle her finances properly again.

It looks like Fanny is in a pretty good place right now. Her new album Side Effects of You will do very well on the charts, she’s doing promo and shows everywhere and lest we forget, Fantasia is looking better than ever lately.  As many of us can attest, when you feel good, you make better decisions in life.

See, I bet you thought this little piece was going to be “reading” Fantasia.  Not this time! Those things only happen when she, or anyone else, is completely out of order. Like everyone else, we want the best for Fantasia as long as she wants it for herself!

By the way, have you heard the new album?

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Preparing for a big move is more than just knowing how to pack your suitcase. It takes financial, mental and professional preparation to ensure your move is as seamless and effortless as possible. Whether you are moving for love or for a career change, there are multiple pieces to the puzzle that need to be put together wisely.

Prepare for a new chapter in your life and make your big move as painless as possible with these ten tips… breathe a little easier.

What do you want from him? That’s the question Chris Brown is asking (or more like, “Whaaaat the f******ck you waaaaaant from me!?“) in the song “Home,” the debut single off of his upcoming sixth studio album, Carpe Diem. In the video, Brown can be seen jet-setting all over the world, including Paris, Germany and South Africa, performing for his many fans and hitting up clubs, boats, bikes, and beautiful women. Doesn’t seem to out of the ordinary right? Almost sounds like an amped up version of “Beautiful People.” We know that “follow-me-on-my-wacky-tour-life” videos are the new way to promote songs and get people to either relate better to artists or be more envious. But the song was very different from the debut singles we’ve heard Brown drop in the past. No pop-heavy jams best suited for dancing, nothing fun, just Brown being honest about his issues with the industry, those who come in and out of his life and the perils of being an entertainer in the public eye, especially one as controversial as he is. Maybe that’s why he curses so much in the track–he’s getting some things off of his chest. A mix of singing (some with auto-tune unfortunately) and rapping, the song definitely isn’t bad, but I will say that all the F-bombs and N-words are a distraction. But aside from that, we would choose to play it. What about you? Check out the video below and let us know if it’s a pass or play for you m’dears.

*Note: Please excuse some of the language, there’s no clean version of the video up as of yet.

Source: Wenn

Last fall, I got to “meet” Toni Morrison. I use the term meet loosely because I really just attended a talk she gave and she signed her latest book Home. When she first started speaking, I was surprised by the sound of her voice. I expected it to be full of bass. Deep. But really, it was gravely with high, almost nasally notes interspersed. I took notes and Toni said a lot of noteworthy things; but the moment I didn’t need to write down to remember occurred when the woman in front of me, asked Toni to write an inscription to her daughter in the book she’d just purchased. Now, keep in mind, Toni, who was 80 at the time, had spent over an hour signing hundreds of books. And she signed everyone’s. But her people made it clear that she was not going to be doing anymore than sign her name. So when the woman asked Toni if she could write something to her daughter, Toni smiled, closed the book and told her “No, she wants you to do that.” The woman was visibly disappointed but I couldn’t help put chuckle. But it was so Toni.

Now, I don’t know Toni Morrison personally; but throughout her career, through not only her writing but through her advocacy as well, she’s always told it just like it was. She responded to the “Black is Beautiful” movement by exposing the very real issues of colorism in the black community, with The Bluest Eye. When she noticed that there were stories about slavery that hadn’t been told yet she wrote Beloved. And when critics and fans asked her why she only wrote about black people, she said, no one ever asked James Joyce why he only wrote about Irish people, or why Dostoyevsky seemed so hung up on Russians.”

Toni Morrison, as far as her career as a writer and public figure have gone, has always been honest about the black experience, even if it was painful for some to hear.

So today, on her82nd birthday, celebrate Toni by keeping it real, listening to one of her insightful interviews, meditating on one of her inspiring quotes or, better yet, reading one of her classic works. Love happens to be her favorite. She calls it, “perfect.”

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Like the song, “Let It Snow” mentions, “the weather outside is frightful.” And, while there hasn’t been much snow as of late, the air outside is still rather frigid. This chilly weather keeps some of us in our apartments, and a good number of us stay tucked away in our beds, even during waking hours. This lack of motivation to get up and do things keeps us from being productive, making it easy for us to be anti-social and keeping us from enjoying the many events and attractions that the world around us has to offer. So it’s time for us to strap on some boots, put on some layers, and put the anti-social and anti-active behavior to bed.

Incentives: Steering clear of friends is one thing when its cold outside, but steering clear of other important responsibilities like going to the gym is simply that much easier. And we all know that when you miss one trip to the gym, it’s easy to fall off the wagon. The key here is bating yourself out the house, and this can be done by making yourself small promises. If you go to the gym or go far to visit a good friend, then you should reward yourself with a micro-shopping spree or a treat from your favorite bakery or confectionery spot.

Search: Don’t settle for places to go. Do some Internet research and find somewhere you’d REALLY like to be –otherwise you will bail and stay home. Check to see who has upcoming performances at big venues or smaller concert halls, search Groupon or similar sites for deals on events, and find out where folks are going and hitch your wagon onto the most interesting plans for the evening. Try to make a game out of seeing how many fun places you find to enjoy.

Small Soiree or House Party: You’re sick of not seeing people because you don’t want to leave your house? Natural solution: invite people over. It’s simple nowadays, you just send out a quick Facebook message or a text, and you can plan an evening in with friends. It must be kept in mind, however, there are a few downfalls to having people in your home, mainly that as the host you’re normally the one footing the bill for food and libations and cleaning things up. But well-planned potlucks and BYOB invitations are always a good idea as well. And if you want to avoid too much noise or mess, simple movie nights with a bowl of popcorn, some other small snacks and wine will do too.

Loiter: There are plenty of warm, interesting public places where you can visit for free and hang around for hours while being entertained or mentally stimulated. These places include, but are not limited to art galleries, museums, libraries, coffee shops (take a friend and catch up!) and more. In fact, you can often find free classes, free attractions, free club nights, free museums and free festivals that are available to all, especially if you’re living in a big city like New York.

Source: Architectural Digest

From StyleBlazer

As a busy celebrity couple, John Legend and fiancée, Chrissy Teigen find the need to escape the craze of their careers. While the two share a small pad in NYC, they showed off their beautiful home in Los Angeles to “Architectural Digest” magazine.

Check out all the pics on StyleBlazer.com.

via HOME90210.com

A new African-American-owned Beverly Hills jazz club is making some noise. H.O.M.E. (House of Music & Entertainment), one of the few black-owned jazz clubs around, is becoming a hot spot in Los Angeles.

Owned by aspiring drummer Dennis “D. Anthony” Robertson, H.O.M.E. opened only weeks ago, in November. Robertson, who got his start promoting acts at B.B. King’s at Universal Studios before delving into management, aims to make H.O.M.E. (which has the cool website HOME90210.com) the premier venue for jazz in Los Angeles.

Inside H.O.M.E. via Home90210.com

Located just a block from tony Rodeo Drive, H.O.M.E. is in the heart of Beverly Hills. The venue has 250-plus seats, and so far it’s holding its own against competitors such as the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood and Herb and Eden Alpert’s Vibrato in Bel Air.

Robertson takes the music seriously. He has some of the best sound engineers in town working full time at the club. “The club recently acquired a Yamaha Concert series piano, which is more than seven feet long and rivals any found around here,” according to L.A Weekly.

He has been able to attract a consistent clientele not only because of the music and location but also the food. Robertson describes his approach as “combination of an intimate concert setting and true fine dining,” which, he tells the newspaper, L.A. lacks. Robertson lured in a noteworthy chef, Shawn Davis, to design the menu, which includes entrees like caviar-chive salmon and rack of lamb.

H.O.M.E. offers a weekday jazz lunch (with solo piano) and is planning a Sunday afternoon “Jazz Mystery Theater” with music and audience participation.

If you check it out, let us know what you think.

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Maybe you don’t have the luxury of your own apartment or home at the moment, especially with the economy’s job market and the rising living costs in many metropolitan cities. Even in college, many of us have lived in a roommate situation, where things like space, bills, and finances are shared amongst two, three or even four other people.

If you are preparing yourself to live in a roommate-style situation or already found yourself living with others, make sure you keep in mind a few tips on how to handle the finances of this tricky living situation.

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Celebrities make a lot of money, and with that money comes an expensive wardrobe, nice cars, vacations all over the world, and of course, multiple homes. Though the Hollywood elite make more money than many of us will ever have in a lifetime, sometimes some of them aren’t so money-wise. Here are 14 celebs who foreclosed on their homes, but thankfully, most of them have plenty of other places to call home.

Myranda Trevino is one of the latest teenage mothers to be featured on the fourth season of MTV’s popular program, 16 and Pregnant. The 17 year-old high school junior learned that she would become a mother only a short time after she started dating boyfriend, Eric. After battling a lifetime of substance abuse, Trevino’s mother allowed her daughter to move in with Eric and his grandmother after they had only been dating for six months. In fact, in one of the opening scenes to the episode, the pair can be found spooning in bed as his grandmother folds clothes and vacantly warns, “When y’all get up out of that bed, y’all better make it up.”

This had me thinking: This can’t be life. Since when did it become acceptable for teenagers to play house under the same roof as their parents, so that essentially they have all of the privileges of being an adult and none of the responsibilities? In my opinion, this is lazy parenting. And apparently this in fact IS life where we refuse to communicate to our children the ins and outs of contraception and sexual health, but allow them to engage in sexual activity under our own roofs, sending them conflicting messages about values.

In Trevino’s case, we have a young girl from a broken home whose parents probably weren’t the most responsible people to begin with, but when other families experience a teenage pregnancy, they sometimes believe distance can be a deterrent to the teen couple’s ability to share responsibilities effectively. For this reason some parents allow the young parents to cohabitate so the baby’s life will be more cohesive since he/she will have constant access to both parents. Unfortunately, what happens more often than not is that teens see this as an excuse to play house, and act like adults in what is an unrealistic situation.

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In fact, on another episode of 16 and Pregnant, a 16 year-old named Lindsey confidently tells her mom about plans to move in with boyfriend Forest after the birth of the baby only to attempt to push intimidating hospital paperwork onto her mother in the hospital after the baby is born.  After her mom tells her she doesn’t understand why she has to fill out paperwork if Lindsey no longer lives with her, the young woman puts up the defense, “It’s because I’m not 18, and since I am not 18 yet, legally you guys are responsible for my bills!”  All of this before she goes for a full-blown tantrum and dismisses her mom from the room with an entitled, “Shut up.”  And just so we’re clear, Lindsey is anxious to move into a home where Forest’s mother insists on him not working to support his child since he has to finish school.  Where was she when he was making babies?  Yes, it’s television, but it’s TV that’s mirroring many households across the country.

There’s a reason that we call them minors.  Most teenagers lack the life experience and discipline it takes to make major decisions, especially when it comes to sexual health and relationships.  It’s a parent’s responsibility to enforce boundaries. When you allow teenagers to live as a couple under your roof where you pay bills, you’re essentially allowing them the perks of living “on their own” but off of you and with none of the responsibility.  Many parents say they allow their teens to live together for one of three reasons:

1.  They figure if their teens are going to be sexually active, they prefer it to be in a place that’s safe where parents can be reached if necessary.

2.   The partner may be experiencing hardships at home, and the family steps in to provide safety and security, when the partner’s parents cannot.

3.  The family believes that teen parents should raise a child as a family, and don’t want to have to deal with the challenges that come with raising children in separate homes.