Source: Bravo

Sunday night’s episode of the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” was a mess of a season finale, and right in the center of the drama were Kenya Moore and Porsha Stewart. The background is Kenya was having a party to celebrate her “arrival” and asked the ladies of the RHOA crew to dress as different iconic African American women. Porsha was told to come as Halle Berry a la Baps and in the midst of getting into character, some people got in Porsha’s ear, telling her the costume was likely a set-up, convincing her to come as Dorothy Dandridge Halle Berry instead.

Kenya, of course, went ballistic upon Porsha’s arrival and not-so-politely asked her to leave —  and then everyone went off. And now in an effort to explain herself to the masses, she’s written this ridiculous response on her blog, which starts like this:

From Halle Berry to Hattie McDaniel, who was the first Black women to ever win an Academy Award in 1939 74 years ago, the cause célèbre for my desire to honor these iconic women was the shocking and ignorant insults and remarks heralded toward me in Anguilla by a 31-year-old girl. I was told I was irrelevant, old, and a nonfactor at 41 being a part of history by becoming the 2nd black woman to be crowned Miss USA.

After I overcame my sadness and disdain at the ignorance and lack of respect that exists in America from some slightly younger, historically-challenged individuals, I felt it my responsibility to honor the women who have undoubtedly paved the way, opened doors, and broken racial barriers and stereotypes amidst hatred for women, which has allowed people like me to proudly walk through. I put a lot of time and effort into the party. I thought of each woman individually and assigned them costumes based on who their dynamic personalities. It was easy…

After that over dramatized explanation, which essentially says someone called me old, my feelings got hurt, I threw a party to prove I’m fabulous, Kenya went on to defend her choice of Porsha as B.A.Ps Halle Berry, and then threw massive shade:

“In B.A.P.S., [Halle Berry] was a young, pretty, unpolished, fun, and likable diamond in the rough. Her character arc showed her grow, mature, and become a beautiful polished Black American Princess who was willing to accept change. Perhaps, my vision was too complex for a self-centered little girl to understand.

“I’ve heard the comments that it was a “set-up,” or “non-glamorous,” “malice content” (malcontent is the correct word), which is utterly absurd. NO ONE takes that kind of energy from me.  This is just as ignorant as the first comments that were the catalyst for the event. Tina Turner was not “glamorous,” Grace Jones was not glamorous, nor any of the other characters aside from Cynthia as Diana Ross. I should not be surprised by the pervasive idiocy that exists in one’s own head…

“All the girls came to the party and never once complained about their assigned costumes. My amazing team created live reenactments from the movies of each character the girls were appearing, so it was imperative that they came as their assigned ICONS. If they didn’t want to comply with the hostess’ requests, they should have simply declined the invitation and stayed home. What clearly was premeditated is someone making their own rules to upset me at my own event, which I meticulously planned and paid for. Most importantly, I extended an olive branch toward forgiveness. When you have a history with me of being disrespectful, spiteful, and unapologetic, then you will be shown the nearest exit to the left.”

While Kenya may have gotten the last word with that remark, what she failed to think about before writing this rant was Porsha has bigger things to deal with — like a failing marriage — than her over-the-top “coming out” party. Therefore, this drawn out response just makes her look a little more crazy than we already think she is.

If you missed Sunday’s episode, check out a clip of the altercation below. Who’s side are you on?

Derrick Salters/WENN.com

From ESSENCE

Clive Davis’ 2012 Pre-Grammy Party will always be remembered as the event where the world lost a legend. Whitney Houston was found dead in her hotel room in the same venue where the party was to take place just a few hours later. This year, Cissy Houston says there’s no way she’d be able to attend Davis’ annual bash.

The music mogul extended a personal invitation for Houston to attend his affair, to which Houston politely declined.

“I got an invitation to the party, which is the most obscene thing. I don’t know why they would want me to come to the party in which she died, you know? Unheard of,” Houston told Access Hollywood. “I guess maybe he just sent me a copy for remembrance sake.”

Ms. Cissy is a classy woman but holds no punches. You know who did accept the invitation? Gary and Pat Houston. For more check out ESSENCE.

Do you think Clive Davis was just trying to be courteous and respectful by sending them invitations to his annual party?

Apega/WENN.com

If Nicki believes NYE superstitions, she’ll be having another successful year in 2013.  She’s taking her “talents” to Las Vegas to ring in the new year.

According to EURWeb, Nicki will be at Pure nightclub as we ring in the new year. The club states that Nicki will be throwing a huge bash while doing the countdown at midnight and celebrating with all the partygoers.  Oh, she’ll be making an estimated $5 million for the appearance.

Here’s the thing: Nicki probably won’t even be there all night. Although it states that she’s hosting the party, doors open at 8p and as we all know, celebrities don’t show up to anything when doors open.  So the likelihood is that Nicki will arrive at 11p, party for an hour, do the countdown, collect the check and be out.

I’d wear a multi-color wig and some leggings and perform “Hickory Dickory Dock” for $1 million if Pure wants to save some money!

But seriously, that’s great for Nicki who will also be doing a concert in New York City on Christmas Day. That’s a working woman for you.

We’ve also heard that Beyonce will be performing in Vegas at the Wynn for $4 million dollars and Jay-Z will be doing a show in Brooklyn at the Barclay’s Center.  It seems performing on NYE is one of the easier ways for celebs to make money.

What are your New Year’s Eve plans?

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Time flies! Before you know it, you’re waiting for retirement and looking forward to bingo night at the church. That’s expected…but not at your age. Your high morals and pristine standards set you apart from the rest. It’s possible that your friends make fun of you and constantly ell you to “lighten up”.

If you fall into these categories, it is absolutely time to let your hair down. Life is too short…live a little (and no you don’t have to do everything listed but by the end, you’ll have gotten the point).

Owners of Posh Entertainment (from left to right: Diamond Ingram, Paris Tyler, Kisha Keeney and Lesley Martin)

Urban professionals nationwide face a similar dilemma when they clock out after a day’s work – what to do with their few hours of freedom. Big cities offer plenty of options; but it can be hard for young, Black professionals to find the right fit.

This is especially true in Chicago, where the nightlife scene is marked by venues that shy away from encouraging diversity. One group of socialites decided to turn their weekend headache into a business opportunity. And they chose the biggest party night of the year to put their idea to the test.

Kisha Keeney, Diamond Ingram, Paris Tyler, and Lesley Martin met the way most young professionals working in the city do: through work, college, and mutual friends. They decided to try organizing events when they couldn’t find a personal, affordable party option to ring in 2012. They pooled their resources and respective networks. If their New Year’s Eve loft party was a success, it would be a sign to move forward with their business idea.

A success it was, and Posh Entertainment was born with Keeny as director of event coordination, Ingram as director of new business development, Tyler as director of operations, and Martin as creative director. The quartet hasn’t looked back since, planning events at top venues in the Chicago area that expose their clientele of African-American young professionals to new places, and show venues.

I caught up with the ladies to find out how year one of entrepreneurship was treating them, and what lessons they are learning along the way.

Madame Noire (MN): What made you take the risk of launching this business?

Lesley Martin (LM): So many times we let haters dominate the social scene. We are not open to supporting one another and building a foundation of positive interaction in our city, which leads people to have cliquish behavior. We really wanted to launch Posh because it was what Chicago was missing. We all believe Chicago is filled with a ton of amazing talented people and is an amazing city which so much our demographic has not discovered yet!

Kisha Keeney (KK): We all have a different reason for starting Posh, more than anything it’s the desire to work for ourselves that drives us. We each have our own individual goals and skills that really help us continue to evolve as a group.

MN: What is Posh’s current focus?

Diamond Ingram (DI): We focus more now on individual events and helping clients bring their ideas to life while creating a lifestyle and experience for all people.

KK: Our focus is to continue to get more clients; we want to gain enough profit so we can do this full time. The only way we’ll be able to do that is if we have enough clientele to support that goal.

MN: Where do you want to take Posh?

Paris Tyler (PT): We enjoy hosting our own events but want to work with businesses and individuals to make their ideas come to life. We currently have our website being built, which will include a blog where we will talk about Posh Picks around the city. We want native Chicagoans and even people who are new to the city or visiting the city to see this as the hub of what’s happening in Chicago. We also are planning a couple of events so that we can finish out 2012 strong.

We have an opportunity to expand into Atlanta next year. We’re making sure that we have home base in a good place so that we can move forward with expansion, but we want to also have hubs in NYC and LA.

KK: Long term, the sky is the limit. We definitely see this developing into a boutique agency that provides a variety of services to include but not limiting talent management, corporate event development, and media provisions.

DI: We would love to get more into corporate events, conferences, and fundraisers. We want to expand our philanthropic efforts and volunteerism.

MN: What separates you from your competition?

KK: We focus on our brand, and we don’t offer events on a weekly basis. Our goal is to keep it fresh and creative, and most of all keep our customers wanting more!

PT: We want to create the Posh lifestyle that we think that our peers are living or folks will want to live. We’re learning and researching new ways to stand out from the competition. Not just through the venue and the DJ, but what guests can walk away with or experience while there. The industry is so saturated and we want to have long-term success.

MN: How long did you plan before launching?

PT: We thought long and hard about the name and what it would mean. We made sure that it would be a reflection of our own personalities and the events that we wished to create. From there we began the LLC process, writing of the business plan, and implementing operations and procedures that we may have learned on our individual jobs to help with how we operated.

What surprised us was the number of resources we each bring to the table. We know so many people in different industries and fields that we knew we could tap to help our launch and growth. Their response was so positive, and it definitely reassured us that we were making the right move.

Image: Stockbyte

Xander, a 32-year-old nightclub promoter in Hollywood, C.A. has answered some of your most pressing questions about what it’s like to be on the other side of the velvet rope over on Jobstr.com. What do you need to know about a night out at the club?

Bottle service is great when someone else is paying. “…[I]f you have a couple of friends who drink and run up bar tabs then maybe the premium of bottle service isn’t that bad as long as you keep it to one bottle. But once that runs out, so will any chicks at your table.”

Who gets in? “The club’s General Manager will explicitly tell promoters that there were too many Mexicans or Persians or fat chicks. Most places in LA don’t even bother with the illusion of a line anymore. It’s just a mass of people at the front and the door girl/guy or bouncer hand picks who comes in. Hot girls have first priority obviously.” Brutal! (In another question, he says, “Clubs with heavily Hispanic or African- American clientle are thought to be prone to violence.” Stereotypes suck.)

How much does a promoter make? “It varies quite a bit but I’d say a decent mid-level promoter makes about $25K per year.” So this is definitely a side gig.

And in case you were thinking of opening up a nightclub: “[The lifespan of a club] ranges from less than a year to as much as four years, typically. The average is probably two,” he says. The bigger the club, the more people you need to fill it, the less strict the door is, the quicker you go out of business.

Read the entire Q&A here.

http://cocoafit.wordpress.com/

Meeting someone at the club isn’t a foreign concept to most, but going out to the club scene with your significant other is a completely different experience. When it’s someone you care about, the stakes could be higher at the club as opposed to just going out with friends. Going clubbing as a couple could be different and unusual for that type of atmosphere, but it could also be another way to bring you and your man closer as friends and lovers as well.

Maintain your relationship while having fun at the club with these five cautionary tips and pieces of advice to avoid all the drama.

Control Your Expectations

Before the night even begins, you should try to control what your mind (and possibly your insecurities) is saying to you. Are you nervous about him dancing with another woman? Do you feel that the club might not be the best place to take your relationship? If you have questions, address them with your mate. It is understandable to have doubts and preconceived notions about being at the club with him (remember your clubbing days with your girls? (Wild.), but make sure they are not stemming from your own insecurities. The experience is about just having fun, not about confirming some deep-seeded thoughts you might have about your relationship, or testing the waters of it. Expect to just have fun at the club with the man you love, and put the other situations aside until they arise.

Bring Mutual Friends

What is the club without your friends? You know, the women you kicked it with in college at the house parties, tore up every dance floor with and worked together to scope out the hottest guys in the building? Bring them along for the fun with you and your man, and invite his friends (the ones who encourage, not hinder, the relationship) to come along too. It’s a great way to mingle together so no one is bored or feels left out, and also to bring both parties closer, making them familiar with each other.

Trust Each Other With Other People

Clubbing can be very fun, especially when you are out single and ready to mingle. In a relationship, other women and men can try your patience and your trust. If you are in a meaningful relationship, the trust should already be established, and going to the club together could be the ultimate test. Have trust in your mate with dealing with other people at the club, whether it is a single woman or a man who is pushing his limits. The club is no safe haven for relationships, so take heed of those who might approach him just because you’re with him. You don’t have to cling onto him the whole time to let the ladies know, he should already make you feel secure, so give him the benefit of the doubt. You know your own boundaries, so if dancing with another woman is off limits, he should already know. Remember that trust goes both ways as well, so taking a drink from another man (even if it’s paid for) might not be a good look on your part.

Have Fun

When in a meaningful relationship, it can sometimes be difficult to pry yourself away from the thought of being a girlfriend to just being a friend to your mate. While in a club setting, remember to just have fun with your significant other and not make it about the relationship. A date is a place for exploring and deepening your relationship, not the nightclub. The club atmosphere can enhance the reasons why you love your man in the first place, maybe because he’s fun or friendly or even is a great dancer. Whatever it may be, enjoying yourself apart from being all mushy and loving as a couple could revitalize your relationship, and even build your friendship.

Don’t Leave the Sexiness At Home

At the club when you’re single, you feel desirable, hot and wanted by every man in the room. Just because you have the one you want doesn’t mean you have to put those feelings to the side. Grab those feelings you had at the club when it was just you and your girls and use it to have fun with your man. You two might have the days where sweatpants, satin caps and sneakers are the attire, but for this occasion, get your best dress and heels out, throw a little make-up on and get sexay for him. It’s a great way to let loose together and put your absolute best-looking foot forward, and a reminder to him that your sexiness hasn’t gone anywhere, and neither has his own “ladies man” appeal. An evening out at the club with your boo might end up being the start of a steamy, hot night to come!

More on Madame Noire!

• Might Don’t Make It: Why I Quit a New Job I Hated
• “Ho*s Be Winning!” 8 People Who Became Overnight Celebrities For Being Scandalous
• Not Just Another Bullying Victim: Why Does Karen Klein Matter So Much to Us?
• B**** Bad, Woman Good, Lady Better: Lupe Fiasco Gets the Bad Beyotch Meme Right
• How Important Is The Ring?
• Bet You Didn’t Know: Secrets Behind The Making of School Daze
• They’ve Got a Story To Tell: Celebs Who Went From Top Ramen to Top Dollar

If you’ve ever been awake really early on a Sunday morning, chances are you probably know who Pastor Creflo Dollar is. If you don’t, you should know that he’s the founder and pastor of World Changers Church International in Georgia, and depending on who you ask, he’s got an interesting reputation. He definitely gives a great word, but controversy has surrounded him for a while as people criticize him for living a bit too lavish and not allowing his church to be “financially transparent.” And there’s something about a pastor with the last name Dollar who owns a couple Rolls-Royces and a private jet that just rubs folks the wrong way, right? But now he’s got a bigger issue to deal with, as the 50-year-old was arrested this morning for allegedly attacking his 15-year-old daughter.

Dollar was arrested at his home in Fayetteville, Ga. and was charged with simple battery and cruelty to children according to WXIA-TV, the NBC affiliate in Atlanta. According to the report, their scuffle was over whether or not the young lady could attend a party. Somehow things spiraled out of control from a conversation to a full blown fight, because the report goes on to say that Dollar wound up choking her, threw her to the ground, punched her, and if that wasn’t enough, hit her with a shoe (With a shoe too??? Geez…). When police arrived, the young lady was said to have a scratch on her neck that was given during the altercation.

In defense of himself, Dollar admitted that he did “restrain” his daughter when she became very disrespectful to him, and in the process he spanked (yes, spanked) her and wrestled her to the floor after SHE hit HIM. But that was it. No punching or shoe beating. In the end, Dollar ended up going to magistrate court and posted bond this morning. We’ll have to wait and see where these charges might take him as time passes, but boy oh boy did he get caught up in some mess.

This is a pretty sad situation I must admit, and when you’re somewhat of a popular public figure who is known for having a somewhat suspect reputation for different reasons, this type of thing doesn’t help. If all that talk of the young woman being hit with a shoe and choked is true, then this man’s got some issues, but if this was just a tussle that went left and was exaggerated, it wouldn’t be the first time a parent got into a messy altercation with their child, so alas, you can’t be that hard on him. Maybe the tussles didn’t end up like this, but you get what I’m saying. Either way, I’m sure there will be some new and nosey faces in church this Sunday…

How will it affect Dollar’s reputation? What were your thoughts on him before?

More on Madame Noire!

• Where Are They Now? Kids From a Few of Our Favorite Black TV Shows
• MN Exclusive: Kesha Nichols Dishes on Tami’s Apology, Dating a Show Producer, and How Editing Works on Reality TV
• True Life: What’s The Best Comeback You Had For A Man Who Hit On You On The Street?
• Where You Been Cherie Johnson? Part II
• Just Out Of Curiosity, Are You Over President Obama?
• The Thrill is Gone: 7 TV Shows That Need To Call It Quits…Like Yesterday
• Boy, Please: 8 Signs You’ll Just Never Be Into Him

Source: S2S Magazine

Your friends have been telling you that you’re bougie (derived from bourgeois), but you deny it. You simply have distinctive tastes and enjoy nice things, and there’s nothing wrong with that. That doesn’t make you bougie, does it? When you think bougie, you think of Toni Childs on Girlfriends or Hilary Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. But it’s more to it than these TV characters who were poster children for sadity-ness. Don’t think you’re bourgie? Well, check out these 7 signs to see if you actually are.

Source: blog.convertible-heels.com

I’ve heard it said that diamonds are a girl’s best friend. While I can’t knock the allure of cut clarity, color and carats, I can and WILL say that my heart sides with a deeper Marilyn Monroe quote: “Give a girl the right pair of shoes, and she can conquer the world!” There are two things that a woman can never possibly have too many of…really great girlfriends and shoes, of course. In my book, shoes are just like friends; they support you or take you down. I promise that every “friend” you have can be described in terms of shoes, and with that, ladies, I submit that every now and again it’s simply good business to do friend-ventory: To open your (proverbial) closet and check out your shoe game.