Most of us grew up in a household where “yes ma’am” and “no ma’am” was the norm when responding to an adult. We were taught to say please and thank you, refrain from interrupting conversations, and hold the door for people. It only took so many glares and spankings if we ever forgot these life lessons — and these signs of respect never left most of us as we became adults.

Unfortunately there are certain celebs who think they are immune to such niceties and respectable behavior and have racked up quite the reputation for rudeness. If only they followed Aretha’s advice and gave a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T…

Naomi Campbell

Don’t let the beautiful face fool ya! Notorious for her lateness, supermodel Naomi Campbell is also known for hitting her helpers — from assistants to therapists. Many people in her path suffer the wrath of her mean streak and nothing seems to keep her outrageous behavior in check – not even five-o. She was detained for assaulting two police officers as well.

While there are a million reality television shows out there, I still enjoy the comfort of the cinematic experience and a good sitcom here and there.
Nowadays, things are on the up and up, as there are many great black actors who are bringing serious talent to the big and small screens. Take for instance the very fine Michael Ealy in the buddy-cop comedy “Common Law” (one of my favorite shows of the summer), and Jamie Foxx in the new Tarantino western Django Unchained (dropping this Christmas). But while very talented black actors and actresses are getting the chance to flex their acting chops and do so very well, there are still some actors that seem to fall short on the big and small screen.

Here are a few seasoned actors who should work on their craft, and really try to break form the norm so they can end up in A-List bliss instead of the black hole that is reality television, or even worse: Doomed to being seen solely in Thursday night BET movies.

Source: uptownmagazine.com

Lisa Raye

I don’t know if doing Player’s Club held Lisa Raye back creatively, but every performance I see of the star seems to be Diamond all over again (talking like she’s reading off of a cue card). You might be able to blame it on the lack of diverse roles, but it seems that the all-white lover only plays the sassy sista, and even on her show, “Single Ladies,” it’s more of the same. If you’re going to be the sassy sista every time, at least put your foot in it and make us want to keep watching! Oh Lisa, you’ve been in the game since ’95 and there still hasn’t been much evolution. But we’ll keep our fingers crossed…

Source: StyleBlazer.com

From StyleBlazer.com

Trends come and go, but true style is everlasting. And there are some women who consistently maintain a sense of style that we all admire. Though their looks are classic, they’re never boring. While some women turn heads, these ladies stop traffic.  From Marilyn Monroe’s glamorous appeal of yesteryear, to Michelle Obama’s current classic feel, these ladies get it right. Whether we look at their garments today or 40 years from now, they’ll still be a fashion hit.

Peep 7 of the most stylish women of all time at StyleBlazer.com. 

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Source: Twitter - Swizz Beatz

We know all about Swizz Beatz’s sons, but have you had the chance to see his daughter, Nicole? The little girl is his daughter with singer/producer/actress Jahna Sebastian.  Nicole turned four on May 22, and to commemorate his daughter’s big day, he wished her happy birthday on Twitter: “Happy Bday to my Lil Queen #blessings #daddylove.” MAN, if Swizzy doesn’t have the strongest genes of all time…But anywho, check out photos the producer posted of his Minnie Mouse loving little one.

Source: Twitter - Swizz Beatz

Source: Black Celeb Kids

Nicole isn’t the only one who recently celebrated a birthday though. The daughter of another producer just turned 14! She is Shaniah Cymone Mauldin, the child of iconic producer Jermaine Dupri. He gushed on Twitter about his number one girl: “It’s my baby @shaniahcymone 14th birthday,omg !! I can’t believe it,I ❤u with all my ❤ Happy Birthday.” I remember how tiny this young lady used to be from her days posing with her pop in Apple Bottoms’ ads (the line for kids of course). These kids grow up so fast these days I tell ya…

Source: Twitter - Jermaine Dupri

Source: Twitter - Misa Hylton

And of course, we had to showcase Justin Combs (Diddy’s son with Misa Hylton) going off to prom recently. Diddy’s first-born son also just graduated from high school and is off to UCLA on a football scholarship in the fall, so big ups to him! The 18-year-old cutie went to prom in style, riding in a luxurious Rolls-Royce, and he took a very beautiful date who wore a vintage Gucci gown (though I must say, she looks MUCH older than 18, but whatever…). Check out photos of the very grown Justin getting ready and going off to dance the night away/stunt at prom.

Source: Twitter - Misa Hylton

Source: Twitter - Justin Combs

Source: Twitter - Justin Combs

Source: Twitter - Justin Combs

Source: Twitter - Justin Combs

Awwwwww!

More on Madame Noire!

• Break-Ups To Make-Ups: Couples We Would’ve Like To See Give It Another Shot
• The Hair She Dared to Wear: The Coiffures of Patti Labelle
• Salt & Peplum: 10 Peplum Dresses That Need a Place in Your Closet
• Boy Pats Obama’s Head, Boy Makes History
• No Need To Call Tyrone: 7 Ways To Bow Out Of A Relationship Gracefully
• My Hair Story: I’m Going To Miss My Dominicanos
• Don’t Lie, You Were Jamming Too: 7 Singers & Groups We Used to Get Made Fun Of For Listening To

You can turn on the dial and there’s no shortage of reality T.V. shows. There’s always some celebrity (or person who knows a celebrity) willing to get in front of the cameras and offer up their lives as entertainment. The following celebrities will probably never sign on the dotted line to have a film crew keep up with them, but it would definitely make for must see TV for us nosey folks if they did.

metro.co.uk

Prince

The Purple One serves face like no other. He could give visuals for an hour and then some. A look is worth a thousand words and Prince could give us all something to talk about in the morning. He’s been a bit of a recluse for the past few years, and we all know he’s toned down his image big time over the years. But a glimpse into his world, how he makes his music, and what his love life is like these days would more than satisfy our curiosities.

Source: Zimbio.com

It was New York City’s biggest night in fashion as the stars hit the “Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations” Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art last night. All kinds of materials and looks made their way on the red carpet from our favorite folks, and we’ve got a quick look back on all the hot pieces and the stars that wore them.

Talk about a stunner! Bey came through (sans Jay-Z) in this black see-through gown with a gorgeous black and purple train. All the detailing on this one, including the stones, the feathers, and all that mesh (her hands even seem to be covered in it), just make this a jaw-dropping stunner. Shout out to the good folks at the house of Givenchy for this look.

From StyleBlazer.com

As of late, it seems like young starlets are in a rush to be full grown stars. These Hollywood-bound teenyboppers are donning gowns and Freakum dresses too early in the game. While most of the girls here are on the younger side, we do have some grown ladies that are heading into matron territory a little too soon. Click through the gallery and check out the seven celebs who are dressing a little too old for their age. 

For the complete story, visit StyleBlazer.com.

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Note:Remember the piece, “9 Artists Who Should Have Blown Up…But Didn’t“? Well, one of our readers has a list of her own of artists that need way MORE shine. Some are big names, others are fairly unknown, but they all are highly underrated in her book.

By Monique H.

Have you ever heard a great song and wondered who was that and why aren’t they mega famous yet? Well, I have a few times.

Over the last few years, in the entertainment business, we have heard an enormous group of unknown, underground, or underdog artists say that the music industry shut them out because they didn’t have the “it” factor. Every record label wants the next Beyoncé. I consider myself to be a musical connoisseur. I have a vast collection of music from “independent” artists who I think should be bigger than many of these non-singing singers (Rihanna, J.Lo, Ciara, Ashanti, etc). Not that I am not picking on them, but I don’t believe that they have the vocal talent to be in the same class as Beyoncé, Adele, Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston.

So while record companies may be scrambling for the next big thing with a little, thin voice, in my personal opinion I believe this group of artists has just the opposite of that. If given the proper promotion and financial backing from a great record label rather than the artist having to do it all alone, I believe these singers can fill the void that the mainstream music scene needs badly.

So let me introduce you to a few singers with talent that should be given a chance on the big stage, as well as some known ones who need to be on superstar status…like years ago.

Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer (no, not Sherri Shepherd or Yvette Nicole Brown) got great news this morning when it was announced they both received Academy Award nominations for their work in The Help.

For Davis, who garnered her nomination for playing Aibileen Clark, the soft-spoken maid and heroine of the film, this is her second Oscar nod. She picked one up in 2008 for her role as the pathetic mother, Mrs. Miller in Doubt. Coincidentally, for this year’s Academy Awards, she’ll be battling for the little statuette against her Doubt co-star, Meryl Streep. Oh yeah, and some other folks.

For Spencer, who has racked up any and everything this awards season, including her recent Golden Globe win for playing the hilarious Minny Jackson in the film, this is her first Oscar nomination, but probably not her last. She seems like a frontrunner for the award and we’ll definitely be rooting for both Spencer and Davis on the big night–Feb.26.

These two seem to be the only black folks who picked up nominations this year, and after last year’s drought, two is better than none at all, right? But I’m just wondering, where is Pariah at nominations wise? I guess after not being able to grab a Golden Globe nomination, there was no way the awesome independent film could slip in the back door for Oscar noms–but still. Kim Wayans should have picked up some kind of something for her amazing work, and I know I’m not the only one who was moved by the movie. But I guess, to each their own. You know how I like to rant (*smile*).

But anyway, congrats ladies!

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You probably heard that after all these years, Janet Hubert, aka, the original “Aunt Viv” from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, still has no love for her former co-star, Will Smith. “He is still an egomaniac and has not grown up. This constant reunion thing will never ever happen in my lifetime unless there is an apology, which he doesn’t know the word.” Hubert wasn’t the only one who was a bit salty about being replaced on the uber-famous show. I, like many fans, loved the original Aunt Viv and was very disappointed when Daphne Maxwell came through the door and took over. But replacements in Hollywood aren’t anything new. From our favorite music groups to popular TV characters, many people have been on your screen one day, and then gone the next. Time to figure out if their departures were welcomed, or big ‘ol downgrades.