They may be the shortest person in any given room but don’t get it twisted, these 15 celebrity women prove that big things come in small packages.

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Misty Copeland

Ballet dancer Misty Copeland is considered by many to be the first Black female soloist in the American Ballet Theatre. Even though she didn’t start dancing until the age of 13, in just two years Copeland, considered a prodigy, was fielding numerous professional offers. Standing at a petite 5 feet and 2 inches, Copeland was appointed a soloist in 2007. A standout among her peers, she impressed the legendary musician Prince during a two-day video shoot for in 2009 so much, the purple one became her mentor and friend.

WENN.com

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, we felt it was time to show some love to the most stunning, most beautiful, most age-defying mother-daughter combos Hollywood has to offer. And while there are many lovely sets of mamas and baby girls to choose from, there was little denying that these pairs deserved some special props. From Tina and Beyonce Knowles to Kim Basinger and Ireland Baldwin, these duos hold it down for mothers and daughters far and wide.

Since the glamour of black and white TV, fashion on-screen has always been a major visual element for viewers, sometimes with audiences tuning in just to see the clothes. Whether you love the fashion, the characters, or both, you are not alone. Not wanting to spoil the entire list for anyone, here are a few of the most fashionable black women to ever grace the small screen — and a few non-brown honorable mentions.

With her hair in a messy short cut and rocking her own Zoe Kravitz for Swarovski jewelry, who she just launched her own jewelry line for, Kravitz bared her soul and dropped her top for V magazine. She opened up about her famous mom’s worries about her dreams to act in Hollywood even when she was young, working with the swaggerific Jaden Smith and his dad for After Earth, and a lot more. Here are the specific details that had us talking:

When speaking on her early dreams of having a successful acting career (“I definitely always saw myself as a theater or an indie film actress, because those were the things I was always drawn to.”), Kravitz opened up about the fact that her mom, Lisa Bonet, had reservations about her young daughter trying to step in the public eye after. Both Bonet and Lenny Kravitz, famous folks themselves, were able to keep her very protected and out of the limelight for a long while:

“My mom’s whole thing was that she wanted me to wait until I knew what I really wanted. She’d always say, ‘Once you step into the spotlight, you can’t take it back.’”

And she’s literally everywhere now, something the Brooklyn-based actress is clearly okay with. And speaking of being everywhere, she talked about appearing in the film, After Earth, where she plays Will Smith’s daughter and Jaden Smith’s sister, Senshi. While she’s known for being a trendsetting,  pretty cool chick, she says that working with Jaden made her want to step her game up.

“There were moments that I was hanging out with Jaden and thinking, I can’t believe you’re 14, I have to check myself, like what I say to you,” she laughs. “He has so much personality and so much swag, he is so much cooler than I am.”

And it was that swag that almost got her caught up on cougar status…:

“And he’s so handsome, I was always like, When you’re older, you know, we’ll hang out…Nope, that’s inappropriate, you’re 14.”

Check out the full interview over at V’s website, where Kravitz discusses the inspirations behind her line for Swarovski, more about After Earth, and finally being embraced by Hollywood. Love her!

blackenterprise.com

Spinoffs are greatly appreciated for a few reasons: they allow viewers to see lesser characters develop independently; they give viewers a different take of the characters from the previous sitcom; and, finally, spinoffs are uniquely responsible for creating that ‘neighboring effect’ on television, allowing audiences and characters, alike, feel as if they are stepping from one living room into another. This has been seen time and time again in television. Cheers begot Fraiser, Grey’s Anatomy begot Private Practice, Buffy begot Angel, and  Dr. Who begot Torchwood. Check out some our favorites over the years.

Known for being a show created by Bill Cosby, as a spin-off of “The Cosby Show,” “A Different World” went on to become one of the longest running black sitcoms.  We learned a lot of lessons from the show and had many laughs. And, who can forget those theme songs by Aretha Franklin and Boyz II Men? Here are 10 memorable episodes from one of our favorite black shows.

It’s rare that you see a black female accepting a nude scene in a movie. But, there have been some brave female actresses who have bared it all and took on a role that involved a nude scene.

Source: WENN

Halle Berry

Halle Berry made headlines and head turns with her topless scene in Swordfish, which banked her an extra $500,000.

In the African American community, Christianity is definitely the most common religion. Though you don’t see it much, there are blacks who practice other religions, including Judaism. Here are 15 famous faces who are proudly black and Jewish.

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Lauren London

Actress Lauren London has a Jewish father.

Source: StyleBlazer.com

From StyleBlazer.com

This week we mourned the loss of television icon, Sherman Hemsley, who died at the age of 74. Whether you remember him from the ’70s sitcom The Jeffersons or have fond memories of him as Deacon Frye on Amen, we all remember that the 74 year old star’s career spanned decades. In addition to being a TV icon, his threads weren’t too shabby either. Remember those fly suits he wore? Like Hemsley, some of our favorite sitcom stars of the ’70s and ’80s influenced the way we dressed back then and still inspire us today. Maybe you were a fan of the glamorous Diahann Carroll, the playful Tootie on The Facts of Life, or Lisa Bonet’s boho style on The Cosby Show. These stars came into our living rooms every week and imparted serious style lessons.

Take a look at eight of our fave tv style stars of the ’70s and ’80s.

Sherman Hemsley, The Jeffersons 

Check out the other seven style stars on StyleBlazer.com.

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• UGH! 10 Things Men Do That Drive Women Nuts

Source: mediaoutrage.com

Every actor wants that breakout role that will propel them into the mainstream stratosphere. However, finding that one perfect character can be a blessing and a curse for some actors as they can become typecast and find it difficult for lightning to strike twice. Not only are many asked to play similar characters for the rest of their careers, but even decades after taking on these roles, people still ask them to say memorable catchphrases or do famous dances. These are a few of the many stars who created iconic characters but never quite found the same success again because of said character.