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SpinMedia, the company behind sites like Idolator and Celebuzz, announced today that it purchased Vibe magazine, Vibe.com, and VibeVixon from Vibe Media. With the sale, there’s a good chance the print product will be discontinued.

The New York Times says this is a strong possibility while Fishbowl NY says it’s a done deal. Describing itself as a “digital-first media company,” the announcement says:

Over the past year, Vibe has been significantly refocusing its efforts online – doubling its online traffic to become one of the most vibrant digital music brands. It currently boasts 1.4 million monthly multi-platform unique visitors and 1.6 million monthly total video streams. Its monthly desktop unique visitors have grown 111% year over year, with eight million monthly multi-platform total page views. (Source: comScore)

It doesn’t say explicitly that the magazine will fold, but it does indicate that digital is the way the company is going, that’s where Vibe‘s strength is right now, and the point of the sale is to enhance its holdings in this area.

Last summer, SpinMedia (previously Buzz Media), purchased Spin magazine and promptly shut down its print operations. However, says the Times, since then, the traffic online has doubled.

Vibe, you’ll recall, shut down briefly in 2009. By the sound of the release, it’s doing well now. But certainly, if SpinMedia has had the bulk of its success online, and sees that as the only future for it, your copies of Vibe will likely soon be collector’s items.

From StyleBlazer

Kendrick Lamar and Miguel set sparks with their stellar projects, and the initial flames are only catching momentum. The two rising stars share cover duties for VIBE‘s new issue. Dubbed “The New Classics,” the sensations with substance span three covers, with spreads showing off their individually fly fashion sense.

When asked about to define musical genius, they both nodded each other’s talents:

Kendrick: “Somebody that don’t really have any boundaries, that’s not confined to the traditional structure of a song or traditional sounds. When you listen to “Adorn,” it feels like he’s not even trying to structure a radio j-oint. He just felt the music, felt the instrumentation and wrote the track.”

Miguel: “Good looks, bro. My favorite artists always took whatever they loved out of music and made it their own. It was their take on it. Kendrick is one of those people where I can hear Ice Cube’s first two albums’ influence. I get the street edge, but then I hear like the poetic player, smoothness, creativity and smart street savvy of Andre on Aquemini. That juxtaposition is what I hear in Kendrick, but it’s his own take. If you listen to my Isht, you’re gonna hear Prince, Marvin Gaye, Led Zeppelin or a little bit of the Beatles. That’s where I’m pulling from.”

Read more on StyleBlazer.com.

Django Unchained hasn’t even come out yet and already it’s got people talking like crazy. Scheduled to be released on Christmas, the film is about a slave named Django who is freed by a bounty hunter who needs his help to hunt down a gang of killers that only Django has seen. If you’ve watched one of the trailers from the film, you probably already know that there will be blood, an inevitable rape scene, and some interesting language. And while Tarantino has won a Screenwriter of the Year award for his storytelling with this film, some people, many of them black, have been critical about the movie, and have been since the year began. In an interview with VIBE, Kerry Washington, Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio talked about the controversy surrounding the movie, and why they felt a new take on slavery was so important. Because as Jamie says in the interview, “Every two, three years there is a movie about the holocaust because they want you to remember and they want you to be reminded of what it was. When was the last time you seen a movie about slavery?”

According to VIBE, everyone from actor Nate Parker (who was in the running to play Django) to Tyler Perry and critical folks all over the place seemed a bit troubled about the story and its oh so interesting script, and claimed that slavery was not taken seriously in the film. But the actors say the film is a realistic depiction of slavery based on the research they’ve done, and that Tarantino did massive research on his own to bring some of the biggest atrocities of our nation’s history to light:

LEONARDO DICAPRIO: We knew there was going to be controversy. The question is: What is not a realistic depiction? I would argue that it is. It is Quentin’s re-creation; this character doesn’t exist. There’s nobody that is documented to do what Jamie’s character has done at the time. But the documentaries I saw went even further.

JAMIE FOXX: Put it this way: I completely understand what you’re saying. ‘Cause as black folks we’re always sensitive. As a black person it’s always racial. I come into this place to do a photo shoot and they got Ritz crackers and cheese. I’ll be like, ain’t this a Itchbay. Y’all didn’t know black people was coming. What’s with all this white Isht? By the same token, if there is fried chicken and watermelon I’ll say ain’t this a Itchbay? So, no matter what we do as black people it’s always gonna be that. Every single thing in my life is built around race. I don’t necessarily speak it because you can’t. But the minute I leave my house, I gotta put my other jacket on and say, ‘‘Hey, Thomas, Julian and Greg.” And I gotta be a certain person.

DICAPRIO: Thomas, Julian and Greg?

VIBE: Those are white people.

FOXX: No some of those people are black. But when I get home my other homies are like how was your day? Well, I only had to be white for at least eight hours today, [or] I only had to be white for four hours. Everything we do is that. When you’re talking about the script, of course it’s going to be controversy. I remember talking to Tyler Perry about it. [In Perry's very serious voice] ‘‘Ah man, the script, man. Have you read it?” When I finally read it, I called Tyler and we had a conversation. I said, ‘‘I got a different take on it than you did.” And we shared. And I called Tyler while we were shooting it. I said, ‘‘Do you know that Quentin Tarantino knows all of your Isht on TV. I don’t even watch all of your Isht.” He said, ‘‘Really?” The difference is the Quentin Tarantino Effect. I ran into Spike Lee at the BET Awards. You know Spike, he’ll let you have it whether it’s good, bad or ugly. And he said, ‘‘I’m not going to say anything bad about this film. It looks like y’all are getting it

KERRY WASHINGTON: This is not a doc. This is a Quentin Tarantino film. But I remember there was this one moment in the script where Jamie’s character was put in an awful crazy medieval metal mask. I said, ‘‘That’s some sick thing Quentin thought up.” And when I went to the production office to meet about my wardrobe, I saw into the research office. Twenty photos of real masks like that. It made me sad. I realized as much as my degrees and everything I’ve read on slave narratives [should have informed me], I didn’t even know that they wore masks like that, that people did that to us. It took a Tarantino movie for me to know that that’s not some crazy thing out of his imagination. That’s how it went down.

And speaking of that rape scene I told you about earlier…We all know that Quentin Tarantino can push the envelope like no other, it’s just what he does, and honestly, something he does well. But the actors spoke on the fact that they were like a family on set, and not only could Tarantino trust them to do their best, but they were given the opportunity to speak up when they felt the story should take a different turn, or if they felt the imagery should be toned down for the sake of the audience, especially the black audience:

FOXX: …Every slither of this film, we thought about it. And what was great about Quentin Tarantino is he welcomed our thoughts. And like most directors this is his baby. We had to make sure we were respectful, but we also had to make sure he could trust us. For example, there was a rape scene. Obviously that’s a dynamic moment. Like, I told him, black people watch a movie different that white folks. When you watch Inglourious Basterds, Jewish people have a more quiet response. [Whispers] ‘‘I can’t believe they did that.” When black people don’t like something it’s like: [louder] ‘‘Ay dawg, why Olivia Pope went down like that. That Isht is fucked up.” What I wanted to say and what we all knew was art is one thing and art is an acquired taste.

WASHINGTON: We didn’t want this story to get lost in the art.

FOXX: The way [Django] protected her, I get it. The way Quentin shot the scene still gives you the dynamic of what happened without the graphicness of us, me–Jamie Foxx, Eric Bishop–seeing Kerry Washington. Because there are certain things that we watch as black people that if we don’t agree with it, we not only turn off the movie but we turn off that person. When we feel like the character was compromised by the white establishment.

There are many other interesting tidbits about these actors (some of the best of our generation) and behind the scenes of Django, but you’ll have to check out the full interview at VIBE.com for all that. What do you think of the cover? And, what do you think about the comments made during the interview? Do you plan to check Django Unchained out?

Who doesn’t know that controversy sells? Controversial videos get clicks (Ciara’s “Ride,” and Nicki Minaj’s “Stupid H*e” get banned from BET, but were big hits online), controversial movies sell tickets (Passion of the Christ anyone?), and controversial music can’t be turned away from. And yes, even magazines that do the most sell many copies, and if that’s not enough, they remain in people’s memories a lot longer than a tame cover (Who remembers a Rolling Stone cover with Usher versus the iconic cover with Janet Jackson’s husband holding her boobs??). Some controversial covers are made infamous because of overreactions by a few, but sometimes, they’re made infamous because they honestly weren’t the best idea in the first place. This slideshow is a mix of both. Check out these covers and tell us if these publications had the game all wrong, or if people were just tripping as usual. And of course, be prepared to click!

The tweets alleging that Bow Wow is a deadbeat dad have nothing on the open letter the rapper’s father recently wrote to him. It seems from Alfonso Moss’ view, he and his son have some unfinished business stemming from not only his lifetime of alcoholism but the last conversation he had with his son last year. Since he claims to have no other way to reach out to his child, he decided to pen this open letter ironically asking Bow Wow to stop throwing his name in the dirt, despite being the one who is airing their dirty laundry on his blog. Here’s what he says:

Son,

I guess the only way you want to communicate with me is through the media. I recently read your article in Vibe and I felt like I needed to contact you.

First off, I want you to know how happy and proud I am of you and your success. I was also blessed that your mother and step-father did an excellent job of raising you to the man you are today. I can also say that I am proud that you have done your best to be a father to your daughter. I don’t want you to have the regrets that I have had for not being in your life more than I have been. Your Grandfather, my Dad, left me at an early age as well, it is time to stop this cycle.

I actually thought that we were making positive steps to rebuild our relationship when we spoke last year during labor day weekend. I thought that call was going to be like it use to be when you and one of your girlfriends were together and you asked me how to cook tacos. We had a good boding moment. So, when you called me last year, I thought we were having a private conversation only to see the video on Vibe.com of you asking me “are you clean,” like I’m some kind of junkie or something. I am NOT a junkie, but I am an alcoholic. I have been struggling with this disease my entire adult life and I am sad to say that it has really messed our relationship up. But the picture you paint of me in the media is not right.

I am hurt that you would call your sisters out of their name. Did you realize that they were acting off of the video you put out first? You said you were upset for them lying and spreading family business. Do you realize that you put family business out there FIRST when you put our conversation on video for the world to see? If your sisters were lying, then they were not putting family business out there. If they were actually putting family business out there in the streets, then they were not lying, so which one is it? Were your sisters lying or putting family business in the streets?

I am concerned and worried about you. I am not sure if you know this or not, but Alcoholism runs on both sides of your family. Both of your grandfathers and me have struggled with the disease. Please be careful and be mindful so that you will not succumb to this disease that is in your genes. I have went to several alcoholic programs and tried to get this thing under control, but nothing has seemed to work for me. This is something that I am struggling with day to day.

I will be honest and tell you that I was offered to do a reality show, Celebrity Dad’s with Regrets. I wanted to do the show in order to rebuild our relationship. When we spoke on the phone last labor day weekend, I had a video camera on me as well. I did NOT have you on speaker phone, because I still wanted some sort of privacy with our conversation. Once we got off the phone and I had time to think, I realized that the thought of our relationship being rebuilt was far greater than any dollar amount for a TV show. I did sign the contract to do the show, but I backed out of the deal when I saw hopes of us reuniting and I didn’t want a reality show or money to get in the way of our father and son relationship. I am posting the video of my side of the conversation, so the world can see the TRUTH. That we had a good conversation and it was a happy moment for both of us and not the dark picture you painted. Lots of laughs and joking. Not you yelling at me “ARE YOU CLEAN?”

I have also had people approach me to give interviews, talking about my past and your mother’s past, but I declined, even when offered money. I am not that type of person. Everyone has a past and I am not that type of man to tell someone else’s dirt for a dollar.

I had seen in an interview where you said that I sent you a letter and misspelled your name. Did you know that I named you and how I came up with your name? You know I am a big sports fan. I really liked the name Ahmad Rashad, well really just Rashad. But you know me, I have to put my own spin on it and took the “Ra” off and just left “Shad” for your name. Not only did I name you, I was there when you were born and signed your birth certificate. I hate that you make it seem as if I was never around at all.

You also need to know that there were times were things were not so smooth while your mother and I were living together. Even when dealing with my alcoholism I made sure we had a place to stay. My family loved me and helped me with all my flaws. We were evicted and had to live with my family members and my family sent us money in order for us to get back on our feet.

Shad, I never asked you for anything, but I am asking for one thing now. Can you please stop throwing me under the bus and talking bad about me? I may be an alcoholic, but I never physically abused you. Keyshia Cole tried to help her Mother. Tyler Perry takes care of his family financially and he was sexually abused by some of them. All I am asking is that you stop dragging my name in the mud.

I wish you all the success,

Love Pops

Alfonso also included videos of Bow Wow’s sisters claiming he never reaches out to them and a clip of him having a conversation with his son that made it seem like things were on the up and up to further drive his point. Though Alfonso’s heart seems to be somewhat in the right place with this letter, I imagine the way he presented it will do much more harm than good for their relationship. What do you think?

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Source: IMDB.com

I really wish someone would just stand up and be real about why they won’t leave reality TV: the money is too good. From ‘Basketball Wives’ to “Real Housewives,” everybody is pulling the same tired, “reality TV has gone too far” line, but what’s funny is not one woman who feels that way will walk away.

Nene Leakes, the originator of ActingAFoolOnTV.com, recently spoke to Vibe about her thoughts on how reality TV has evolved—or in most people’s opinion, regressed—and the Atlanta Housewife admitted that she really wants to walk away from it all, which is why we’re having a hard time understanding why she’ll be back for season 5. Here’s what she told the mag:

“I am currently shooting. We’ve been shooting for about three weeks. We have a long way to go. Everybody wasn’t expecting me to come back for this season. It was really a hard decision for me to even think of coming back because I was so tired of the whole reality thing. And not just being tired of it—I had other things in the works. But I think it’s a good idea that I’ve come back for season 5. I would love to just walk away, but when I sit down and talk with my team, it’s not… If you can do it all, then just do it all. Why leave the show when you can still do the show and you can still do The New Normal? So we’re going to see how doing everything works. We’ll see what happens. We’re taking a little bit of a chance.”

In a lot of ways, Nene has made some changes since the opening season of RHOA. The reality star and budding actress may not have done a full 180, but she is making some progress. When Vibe asked her if her hesitation to return to Bravo was due to her own personal growth, she said:

“I really think it is. We’re looking at our fifth season—and I shot the pilot so I feel like I’m in my sixth season. When you have done it over and over and over again in the same negativity, it just wears you down. And I just feel like after a while, I just can’t do this job no more. Like, seriously? That’s how I felt sitting there at the reunion. Like, this is just too petty. Yes, I love reality TV, and I believe that you can do reality shows and have drama. You gotta have drama and entertainment, but some of the stuff has driven me insane. I do really think that it’s personal growth. It’s almost like being in a relationship and you’re like, I done taken all I can take and I can’t take no more. I sort of felt the same way with the show—I’ve taken everything I can take, I’m just tired. But I don’t know how interesting I’ll be this season. ’Cause I feel like I got boring. I gotta get some pep in my step [laughs]. We’re all sitting there and it’s all this silly, petty, who said what and I’m just sitting there and people are expecting me to really say something and I’m just thinking, what do you say. I think you almost look better when you sit there and look at ’em like they’re crazy.”

When Vibe took some of the focus off of the “Real Housewives” and turned it on the “Basketball Wives,” Nene had this to say:

“It’s gone way too far. The truth is the truth. It has just gone too far. Too many fights, my God! I can see if there was one here or there. And I always say to people when they say something about reality, you can say whatever y’all want about reality TV, Atlanta Housewives, we don’t do that. We definitely have had our verbal fights, but never physical fights. I can’t believe the fighting and the bullying. It looks bad. It really looks bad. I don’t like when people say it affects Black women or the Black community. I think it affects all communities. I think it looks bad on women; it looks bad on everybody. It’s just so sad; it’s so crazy to me.

“When I look at it, I just can’t believe it. And, you know, I’m friends with Jennifer [Williams] and she’s on Basketball Wives. I can’t believe it. I almost, you know when I watch, I’m like, ‘How much do they paid?’ [Laughs] My goodness. And then I think about—they can’t want to do too much in their careers. A good ole argument, everybody likes that every now and then to tune into, but you couldn’t be trying to have too much in your career because that stuff, it don’t work. You can’t represent a product and be that way. That just doesn’t work. That’s one of the reasons when I’m sitting on my show, I’m thinking I’m just tired. Because at some point this can’t even help my future. You know, you would want to think that it would help your future.”

As far as Nene is concerned, Ev may not have much of a future at all. Speaking on the star’s apology for jumping over tables, throwing bottles, and all that other foolishness she said:

“I don’t know if apologizing is going to work. Now, apologizing is always a great thing to do. You need to say I’m sorry or whatever the case, but I don’t know how good that’s gon’ work because in this case, it’s sort of like the damage is already done. It’s great to go back and say, “I’m sorry and I learned from the mistake.” But the damage is done and people saw it. They saw it. It’s a matter of if the viewers will forgive you. TV is tricky. You can do some stuff and people will tune out and never tune back in. It’s sort of like putting a bad taste in somebody’s mouth. Some people may not ever tune in again. And then there’s some people that will tune in just to tune in and see what’s gon’ happen. But still, you could’ve damaged your career. The person that was looking at you to do something, they may not want to use you now. I can’t take it.”

Nene is singing a totally different tune these days, honey. Though I’d still prefer she put her money where her mouth is if she’s going to keep bad mouthing these types of shows. Participating must not be too bad if she keeps showing up season after season.

Do you think it’s time for her to hang up the housewives gig?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Source: Vibe

For the June and July issue of Vibe, the good folks at the magazine made the random decision to have four very controversial reality stars on their cover: Evelyn Lozada, Tamar Braxton, Chrissy Lampkin, and Kandi Burruss. With the hilarious header, “Meet Your New Role Models,” (sarcasm with a twinge of painful reality in their voice) the ladies, dressed in very little, smile for the cover of the “Swexy issue.”

While the cover and images might have the men smirking and smiling, the interview was allegedly meant to allow the women to explain their less than ladylike behavior on television. Inside the magazine, the ladies were asked about everything from Star Jones and the “Basketball Wives” petition, to show producers orchestrating the violence and drama. Check the highlights:

When asked about Star Jones and the petition to get “Basketball Wives” off of the air:

Evelyn: [Bursts into laughter] I think she’s going to have to get a whole lot of names. Actually, I like the petition and I like the controversy because I’ve learned controversy is good. But I think she’s irrelevant. And she’s using our coattails to get relevant again. Nobody gives a f**k about her.

Chrissy: Whatever Star Jones is feeling is a little deeper than what she sees. I think she has her own issues.

Kandi: She may not be violent, but I’m sure she goes off on people in her day-to-day. I just don’t think it’s fair to block somebody from getting money.

 

On the misconceptions about Evelyn and how they’re disappointed the positive aspects of their lives don’t get shown:

Evelyn: Yeah, I happen to be throwing a few things. It’s frustrating because, on the other hand, I’ve also done positive things like charities with kids. It’s unfortunate because those things don’t seem to mean anything.

Chrissy: It bothers me [too] because it’s not all of who I am. It’s a part of who I am. It’s also something that I’m working on because who am I to put my hands on somebody else?

Tamar: I just wanna address the biggest misconception with Evelyn. She’s not just beautiful on the outside; she’s a beautiful soul. I believe that people who want to make a difference in our community should be shown [doing so]. Sometimes, with our shows, you only see that [negative] side, but Evelyn will give you the shirt off of her back.

Evelyn: It’s tough because if we were only doing positive things, people wouldn’t want us. But if I say, “Tamar, you’re a stupid f*****g b***h,” people love that.

Kandi: That’s because we’re a real life soap opera. You know how your family watched All My Children for 20 years? That’s what we are now.

 

On producers being the instigators of the violence you see:

VIBE: So you’re saying the producers orchestrated the violence?

Chrissy: Absolutely. They would go as far as telling the new girl, “Chrissy thinks she’s Queen Bee around here so we need you to step up because nobody here has a strong enough personality. We need you to shut it down.” They were feeding people this negative energy from the door. I have no reason to lie.

Kandi: If [the producers] know this person and that person don’t get along, they’ll be like, “Okay, we want you guys to go to lunch.” They know if they have a conversation about what’s going on, something’s gonna jump off. But nobody can make you physically punch somebody in the face. We end up doing that to ourselves from people being real disrespectful in the way they’re speaking to each other, pointing fingers all in people’s faces. Some people just can’t take that.

On regretting their actions AFTER the fact of course…

Chrissy: Absolutely. It’s like, why did I let them get me that angry? It’s compromising to your soul because I didn’t sign up for this, but I’ll be damned if I’m gonna allow somebody to make a fool of me because the cameras are rolling.

Evelyn: I do and [the bottle incident] was one of those things where I was like, “That was wrong.” The producers of the show could have edited that out but I take full responsibility. I mean, [Kenya] has kids at home.

And the big question: Does Evelyn’s daughter watch the show? And if so, what are her thoughts?

Evelyn: Yes, but if you know my daughter, you’ll know she doesn’t care about any of that. She’s very independent. She knows who mom is. And to her, mom is a character on a television show. [My daughter] knows that side of me because she’s seen both sides. The world hasn’t. But I take full responsibility for everything that I’ve done. It’s all me.

Tamar: This is what I’m saying—it’s not negative, because she learned from it. The beautiful part about it is that somebody can watch it and not make the same mistake. ’Cause sometimes when I watch Kandi, I wish I could be more like her. You’re never like, “Pop, pop, pop!”

Kandi: It takes a lot not to. The reason why I can be [so drama-free] on my show is that I wasn’t friends with [my castmates] before I got on the show. So anything they said didn’t matter to me. Tamar, you’re around your family, so you care.

Tamar: I mean, this is me, but if you family—cousin, brother, mother—you come at me crazy and I’m gon’ jump at you crazy.

 

Well all right. Not really sure what they were trying to do here, but it doesn’t give me an “ahaaaaa” moment or make me want to hug these women. In the end, after reading things over, they seem to want the controversy for the sake of getting paid, and want us to know, that hey, it is what it is. This is who they are and they’re indeed human. While it’s nice that they try to take responsibility for their own actions to an extent, they really don’t, because they turn around and say it’s the producers creating the drama. They probably are stewing the pot behind the scenes, but they’re not the ones forcing folks to fling bottles at people, stomp each other down in hotel rooms (over OTHER people’s business), and to be “popolicious” all the damn time. But I digress.

To read the interview in full, pick up the new June/July issue of Vibe, or you can go to their site and read the rest of what these chickenheads ladies had to say.

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Source: Thejasminebrand.com

The reaction to news that Shaunie O’Neal and Tracey Edmonds sold a “Basketball Wives”-like project to Fox films was like the cringe heard around the world. Already fed up with the nonsense shown on VH1 every Monday night, many easily dismissed this venture as a feature-length version of either her life or the reality TV show she produces, and people weren’t exactly thrilled about the possibility of either one. In an interview with Vibe though, Shaunie claims the movie will be nothing like the reality series we love to hate and she even suggests the film is an opportunity for her to redeem herself.

“It’s fictional. It’s a movie, so it has nothing… I see people on Twitter saying, ‘Oh god, you guys gon’ take that and turn it into a movie?’ You don’t take a reality show and make it a movie. At least I wouldn’t,” she said. “It’s not a quote, unquote ‘basketball wives movie.’ Even though it has to do with basketball life, it’s not actually taking Basketball Wivesfrom TV and making it a movie. And it’s not about women sitting around arguing or lunching all the time. It’s an actual story. It’s a love story. It’s an empowering story. It’s funny. It’s life. It’s similar—we’ve taken a girl who’s just going into the NBA life and experiencing things and showing the whole story. She learns from the organization. She learns from other wives. And by the end of the story, it’s empowering for women and men. It’s so nothing like the TV show at all. No comparison.”

Empowerment and learning really aren’t defining characteristics of the VH1 show so Shaunie may be telling the truth about this film. During the interview, she also explained why she thought this project was necessary.

“It was important for me to have other outlets outside of ‘Basketball Wives’ to represent myself and who I really am and what I really would like to put out there. Because, again, I did reality TV and I can’t control that. I can’t control how everybody acts and what everybody sees. This, I can control [laughs]. If I come and I say, “This is what I envision, this is what I feel, this is what I see,” with the help of others, we sit around and collaborate on how this vision can come alive and how we can make it entertaining and how we can make people interested. And [Tracey] understood what I was saying. She got where I was coming from. We always wanted to work together on something, be it TV, movie or whatever. We sat around and talked about this for a couple months and I was so eager to make it happen because I needed some other ways to almost redeem myself. Like, this is not what I’m about people, [laughs] so let me show you. And it’s not my only way of showing but it’s a huge start. And it’s one that I know I’m gonna be 110 percent proud of.”

Since the deal was just closed last Monday, Shaunie says production is in the very early stages with the writer still finishing the script. She does know a little somethin’ somethin’ about the cast though.

“We haven’t casted yet, but I wouldn’t call [the movie] a Black woman’s story. It’s going to be a multiracial cast. Of course, there will be Black women ’cause most of the NBA seems to be. But it is going to be multiracial.”

Sounds like “Basketball Wives” to me.

Do you think Shaunie can redeem herself with this film?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Vibe.com

We may not be buying into Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz marriage made in heaven but that hasn’t stopped them from trying to sell it to us. In the upcoming issue of Vibe magazine, Alicia Keys does her “first real interview” and she brought along her husband to talk about the moment they knew each other was the one. Setting up the story, the writer starts with:

“It’s probably not a coincidence that Alicia Keys and her husband, Kasseem ‘Swizz Beatz’ Dean, are wearing matching pants. His: expertly tailored and trim, skimming his sneakers just so. Hers: a Hot waxed denim that hugs her in all the right places. Both are the color of a well-made cappuccino. They’ve agreed to be interviewed together over dinner, a double date of sorts. It’s one of those novel ideas cooked up by magazine editors, but Keys, who seems more open now than she’s ever been, was keen to participate. And what better way to convey closeness than with his-and-her trousers.”

Matching pants seems to be a theme in the couple’s relationship. Alicia finally decided to give Swizz a chance after her credit card somehow wound up in his pants years ago.

Whenever Evelyn acts a fool on “Basketball Wives,” which is pretty much every episode, my gut reaction is, Shaunie, get your girl. Like me, most viewers wonder how she can watch things unravel so calmly while her friend ruins event after event with her bully antics—besides the fact that she probably has thoughts of paychecks floating through her head.

Vibe recently sat down with Shaunie and asked her the same thing and she basically said it’s not her beef so she’s not bothered.

“The Evelyn and Jen situation has affected pretty much the whole cast,” she said. “It’s really complicated for people who aren’t apart of their beef. Jen, I think, she tends to think that we side with one or the other and that’s not the case. I’m too old to be siding with two grown women that have their own beef going on.

“We’re all grown and everybody changes, and change is good for the most part. So, I’m just rolling with it and I’m kind of over it and I don’t care anymore.”

I think most people feel that way, especially since Jen is over the foolishness herself. That may be why Evelyn has decided to descend her wrath on new cast member, Kenya Bell.

Shaunie also mentioned she never expected “Basketball Wives” to take off like it did, and while she’s cool with the show being in it’s fourth season she said she’s already on to the next thing. She didn’t mention what that is exactly but her nonchalant attitude explains why she’s not involving herself in anybody else’s drama on the show.

Check out Shaunie’s full interview with Vibe here. Do you think she should tell her girl Evelyn to chill out or not worry about it?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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