AP Photo/Charles Dharapak

Power couples in entertainment and the political arena today aren’t just enjoying their celebrity status, here are some who have ventured out to successful side hustles. They are not only in the news for their heart-to-heart connection, or their shock and awe shenanigans,  but also for their dual business dealings. Love, respect, passion, and decent earnings — sounds like a recipe for a pretty good relationship.

I became business editor here at Madame Noire on July 16. Since then, we’ve been working to bring you the most important and interesting stories about black businesses and entrepreneurs, the economy and politics, technology, and entertainment and media.

Here’s our look back at the hot stories and topics that affected the bottom half of this eventful year. Of course, we’re constantly looking for story ideas and feedback. So feel free to email me directly at tgarcia@madamenoire.com, tweet us @MadameNoireBiz, and Facebook us on our page here (which will be hosting a chat about budgeting and money-saving tomorrow at 3pm).

Thanks readers for joining us this past year… Happy holidays!!

Image: Job seekers waiting for unemployment benefits in Buffalo, NY. AP Photo/David Duprey

Unemployment Numbers Get Better… Sort of

Unfortunately, unemployment is a big problem for the black community. The latest jobs numbers show that things are slowly on the upswing, but we’re still dealing with joblessness among blacks that far exceeds the national average. In an effort to get people back to work, there are programs like this. And on the topic of jobs, people around the country are asking whether workers need unions. In Chicago, the teachers union went on strike and has spoken out about what they see as racism in the public education system.

Photo by Barry Brecheisen/Invision/AP

Everyone is taking a look back at the year that was, including YouTube, which made a mash up/remix of the top 11 videos from around the globe for the year. Of course, Psy’s “Gangnam Style” is the crux of the video as it’s not only the most watched of the year, but the most watched ever, overtaking Justin Bieber during the Thanksgiving holiday. It has more than 976 million views as of lunchtime today.

We have the mash up below and you can watch each of the viral videos here (h/t @VitroAgency). Which one did you like the best?

Twitter also released its top lists of things that happened on that social network, including top tweets (We heart the Obamas) and the “gold medal” events that had us talking (take a guess). Check that out here.

Welcome to another “Behind The Click.”  We continue with the longest running profile series of African-American women in tech with Lauren Wesley Wilson.  I’m a fan of hers not only because we both share the same first name but because of her achievement in creating a trade association, ColorComm, that brings together women of color working within the communications field, many of them involved in digital areas. I had the opportunity to meet the founder and chief networking officer as an invited guest at a tea the organization had in Washington, DC and I wanted to be sure that I shared information about their work with Madame Noire readers.  Here we go!

Current Occupation: Founder of ColorComm, Inc.

Favorite website:  Forbes Woman

Favorite read: Got What It Takes?: Successful People Reveal How They Made It To The Top by Bill Boggs

Recent read: Little Bee by Chris Cleave

2012′s ultimate goal:  To evaluate my place in this world

Quote Governing Your Mission: “Surround yourself with people who light up your life and make you laugh till it hurts.” If you don’t surround yourself with people who make you feel good, how can you become the best version of yourself?  And you need the best version of yourself to accomplish your goals and make an impact in this world.

Twitter handle: @ColorCommntwk

Lauren deLisa Coleman: How did you decide on Spelman and what was it like attending college there?
Lauren Wesley Wilson: Spelman was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made; a choice that truly took me out of my comfort zone and provided an opportunity to interact with and learn from people who looked just like me, something I wasn’t used to. Growing up, my environment and upbringing included little diversity. I attended St. Louis private schools since kindergarten and had only one black friend. Spelman was what I needed to understand who I am and to know that there is an intellectual black community that exists in droves. I entered Spelman as an only child and graduated with plenty of sisters.

LdC:  How did you decide on your major? What role did it play in your later position with public relations powerhouse Hill & Knowlton?
LWW: I majored in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations. It was very fitting to have a well-rounded education with global experiences to work at a global company. Some of my clients included Qualcomm, SunEdison, and Wipro.

LdC: How did you transition from that to your work as communications director for a member of Congress?
LWW: I knew there was an opening for a communications director for a Texas Democratic Congresswoman, because the previous communications director came to work at Hill & Knowlton. When I was ready to move on from [the firm], I reached out to a colleague and friend in that office and became the new communications director.

LdC: You then went on to apply your skills to the Obama campaign. Tell us more about your work for Obama at the Florida campaign headquarters?
LWW: For the short time that I was in Florida, I learned so much about media booking and media relations. It was a great learning environment for me, because I’m used to being in control and feeling as if I know everything. Working in Florida proved that this wasn’t the case.

LdC: What led you to start ColorComm?
LWW: This answer is very long and I welcome any coffee meetings with folks who want to hear the true and uncensored story. The short version is this: I wanted to see more examples of women of color in leadership positions in my field.  The PR industry is not dominated by women of color. Frankly it’s just the opposite.  It is important for us to come together at the mid to executive level to share our brainpower and resources to better ourselves professionally and personally.

ColorComm started off as an invite-only luncheon series in May 2011 and transitioned into a membership organization in July 2012 with a chapter in Washington, DC and a presence in New York and Chicago.

LdC:  What is the mission for the organization? What is the biggest challenge you have in running ColorComm?
LWW: [As it says on the website], “The ColorComm mission is to personally connect women with other like-minded individuals to build a strong network of leaders by creating mentors/mentees, business relationships and friendships. ColorComm offers a unique opportunity for women to share experiences and learn from one another to enhance their personal and professional development.”

The biggest challenge is balancing it all with our full-time jobs and extracurricular activities. ColorComm has such a great leadership team that we are able to make this work, despite all our crazy schedules. We carefully plan each program several months out, because the most important thing is to continue maintaining the quality of our organization and to service the needs of our members.

LdC:  Describe the membership base for me.
LWW: Our membership base is pretty diverse in age and background. We have members that are [ages] 25 to 60-plus and that are in all industries of communications (PR, media relations, advertising communications, small business owners, digital communications, etc). It’s an environment where we can all come to the table and learn from one another.

I would say that if you’re involved in ColorComm, most likely you use digital strategies on a daily basis to service your clients.  You also use digital platforms to connect with members outside of the programs. It’s great to see members connecting online and supporting each other’s events and activities.

LdC:  Why is it important to have organizations like this for women of color, particularly in the digital age?
LWW: Women bring a unique energy to networking and to the conversation.  Because there are few of us at large PR companies and in the industry as a whole (in comparison to the majority), it’s truly important for us to know one another and to collaborate with each other.

A woman of color in this field will experience a different set of challenges because of who we are and our perspective. ColorComm provides an opportunity for us to come together and learn how to navigate our way through this industry. The programs and events are unique experiences that challenge our thinking and allow us to form meaningful relationships with like-minded people.

LdC:  What advice might you have for women who are particularly interested in the convergence of tech and politics?
LWW: Read, read, read, read some more. Follow the people who you strive to emulate and join organizations. As a woman of color working in policy, my challenges were met by having a strong outside network. This is something that anyone can create. Just remember that connecting initially should be genuine and less transactional.

LdC:  What are your plans for ColorComm for 2013?
LWW: To continue building the ColorComm network and to focus on expansion in other key major cities.

So, there you have it!  Be sure and watch for the next profile.  In the meantime, please follow me about all things digi-social via my new Twitter handle @ultraLdC.

A tweet from @BarackObama posted at 11:16 ET last night with the caption “Four more years.” Mashable says it’s the most retweeted post of all time, more than 500,000 times.

Yes! Yes! Yesssss! President Barack Obama for four more years.

While we can definitely take some time to revel in this fantastic news, the world keeps on spinning and the economy needs to be top-of-mind. Already, there have been some positive reactions to Obama’s win, but The Wall Street Journal reports that it’s nothing to write home about.

“[T]hese moves so far have been muted, partly due to the focus now turning to a divided Congress and the need to avert a ‘fiscal cliff’ of automatic spending cuts and tax hikes which could kick-in in January,” MarketBeat writes. “The broader global economy also remains in the doldrums, not least because the euro-zone crisis continues to rumble on with Greece facing a key parliamentary vote Wednesday evening that could help determine whether the cash-strapped country gets its next installment of bailout money.”

Speaking this morning on the Today show, Jim Cramer also cited the “fiscal cliff” as a reason why the economic reaction won’t be stronger. “There’s not a lot of certainty right now,” host Savannah Guthrie said. (Full clip below.)

With tax increases and budget cuts looming come January 1, there needs to be compromise between the parties for work to get done. It’s that inability to work together that has indicators showing that stocks will open lower this morning. CNN is saying right now that the markets are going to give back the gains from yesterday, saying the perception of the same old-same old in government is causing concern. Besides the issues overseas and the fiscal cliff, the ongoing “under-performance” (to use Cramer’s word) caused by the threat of regulation and taxes has Wall Street worried.

“Investors seem to be looking past the hard-fought Obama win and focusing on the virtual status quo that remains in Congress, where Republicans retain control, and the Senate, in which the Democrats still have a slim majority, altered little by picking up two seats,” reports USA Today.

But, we can be happy that the economy is on the road to recovery.

“The jobs picture has already been improving gradually. Employers added a solid 171,000 jobs in October. Hiring was also stronger in August and September than first thought,” TIME writes. “…That said, most economists predict the improvement will remain steady but slow.”

Update at 9:35 am: Just minutes into the day’s trading, the Dow is already down 179 points.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Getty Images

From The Grio

Anti-Obama text messages from an anonymous source hit hundreds of voters’ phones Tuesday night.

Politico reports one message read, “Voting for Obama means voting for same-sex marriage.” Others include “Obama stole $716 Billion in Medicare. We cant [sic] trust Obama to protect our seniors,” “Obama is using your tax dollars to fund Planned Parenthood and abortions. Is that right?” and “VP Biden mocks a fallen Navy Seal during memorial. Our military deserves better.”

Many of the recipients tweeted screenshots of their messages. Jim Spellman, a reporter for CNN, tweeted, “A new low for these political campaigns: text messages? Please give us a break!”

Read the rest at The Grio

2 Chainz. Those shoes! Image: FayesVision/WENN.com

Nicki Minaj rapped about Mitt Romney. Shyne recently slammed President Obama. Killer Mike called out Obama on his latest CD. So has hip hop abandoned Obama?

In 2008, many people  believed one of the main reasons Barack Obama prevailed was because the hip hop community put their full weight—money, endorsement, promoting the vote and the man (such as P. Diddy’s “Vote or Die” campaign) — behind the then-presidential candidate. There is even a school of thought that theorizes that young white voters, especially college kids, backed Obama because they are of the hip-hop generation. That they were more comfortable with the thought of a black president because through hip hop they have embraced black culture. At the time, Dr. Benjamin Chavis, president and CEO of the Hip Hop Summit Action Network, said, “The early results of the presidential election verifies that the hip-hop generation is a responsible and caring generation. Hip-hop artists and icons, male and female, all worked hard to make sure the issues and the interests of young people were represented. President Elect Obama now has a serious mandate from the hip-hop generation. Hip-hop transcends race and will continue to be a force for change, not only in America, but also throughout the world.”

This time around, hip hop is once again coming to Obama’s aide. On October 27 in Teaneck, NJ,  Lenny “The Barber” Hansen closes out the 2012 presidential election with the “Respect My Vote/Fright Night Concert.” Hip hop stars Machine Gun Kelly, Meek Mill, legend Ice T, Funk Master Flex, DJ Wallah and others will make the “Respect My Vote / Fright Night Concert.”  

For the event, Lenny the Barber and his Carefree Nation team partnered with 2 Chainz and the Hip Hop Caucus, to bring together some of the biggest names in hip hop and American politics all in an effort to get young people to exercise their vote.

Other rappers are pulling for Obama with independent acts of support. Even though the President once called Kanye a “jackass,”the rapper has been hitting the streets to encourage people to vote for Obama even it has been reported missing girlfriend Kims birthday in lieu of campaigning for Obama. Jay Z and Beyonce recently hosted a mega bucks, star-studded fundraiser for Obama. BET also recently followed hip hop veterans like Treach, Snoop Lion, RZA, DJ Kay Gee, and Ice Cube speak on personal experiences showing their support for President Obama.

Still, the passion and drive doesn’t seem to be there as it was in 2008. Maybe because it’s a re-election? What do you think?

From Black Voices

Barack Obama made his sixth appearance on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” on Thursday, and the conversation ranged from topics of great importance – the president’s response to Libya – to slightly more whimsical issues — Joe Biden’s bathing suit.

But Jon Stewart kicked off the interview by playfully jabbing Obama over his lackluster performance at the first debate with Mitt Romney. Explaining that he’s working on his campaign scrapbook, Stewart pulled out two post debate photos and asked the president if he could identify which was from the first meetup and which was from the second. The choice was fairly clear.

President Obama took the joke in stride, and, in fact, cracked several jokes about his “sleepy” performance later that evening at the annual Al Smith Dinner. Remarking on being judged the winner at the second debate, he explained he had been well-rested because of the “nice long nap I had at the first debate.”

Read the rest at Black Voices