Photo: Gregg Newton

If you’re a gospel fan, chances are Yolanda Adams’ music has inspired you over the years. Well, this weekend Adams used her music and her story to inspire the 100 high school students at Disney Dreamers Academy this weekend. MadameNoire had the chance to speak to Yolanda about how she started singing professionally, though she never had an interest in doing so. She also talked about how the high school students ended up inspiring her as well.

Photo: Todd Anderson

We all have that uncle who gives the best advice. It just may come in a package that’s a bit too abrasive, too uncouth or too raw for your more prudish family members. And though his delivery may be a little bit rough around the edges, you know at the end of the day, your uncle, no matter how reckless his mouth, cares about you.

Steve Harvey, radio, talk, and game show host and comedian is something like that uncle.

For the past six years, Havey has partnered with Walt Disney World Resort to host Disney’s Dreamers Academy. The program is designed to provide high school students with opportunities to cultivate their dreams through career workshops, inspirational speeches from celebrities and networking events.

This year, 5,000 high school students, from across the country, applied to participate in the weekend-long program. A board, including members Yolanda Adams and Mikki Taylor, helped to select only 100 students.

Yesterday, Taylor, Adams, Harvey, former Dreamers Academy students and other Disney executives spoke to this year’s dreamers about what they can expect from the coming weekend and dropped some gems of wisdom as well.

Both Adams and Harvey echoed each other in their sentiments; yet, while Adams’ delivery was polite, polished and poignant. Harvey’s was rugged.

Adams talked about how the students have so much more to learn as they “grow with grace and wisdom.” Harvey said bluntly and succinctly, these are “your stupid years.”

To be sure that neither the students or parents in attendance took offense, Harvey says that he tells his own children, who range from 30 to 15, the same thing. He said that, though they think they know everything now, when they get older, they’ll look back on their lives and realize what he meant. He said that reflection may come in a spiritual form like, “Jesus, I was stupid.” Or it may come in a “thug moment” like “I’ll be damned…that was stupid.”

Now, you may have noticed that Harvey used Jesus in one sentence and cussed in the next. Well, he addressed that too by saying he’s not these kids’ parent or pastor so we can’t judge him. In fact, Harvey said he’s a new Christian who hasn’t quite abandoned profanity yet. He went on to say that today’s children have heard far worse from their peers, the media and music they consume. He said at least he cusses with a purpose.

While Harvey might be a bit unorthodox in his approach, it is very clear that he has the teens’ best interest at heart and was truly there to impart some wisdom. He told them to make the most of the weekend because each speaker knows something the students don’t.

What the students and the speakers all have in common though is that they have a dream. Harvey made sure to mention the importance of the dream, “Your dream is the major component in your life outside of your relationship with God.” He supported that claim by referencing Proverbs 29 saying, “A man without a dream or vision shall perish.”

He also told students that they needed to be persistent in holding onto their dreams. Harvey said he knew from 9 years old that he wanted to be on television. But it didn’t happen for him until he was 38. He said just because a dream takes a while to come true, he asked, “When is it too late to be successful?”

Harvey had the room wrapped around his finger. And he left the podium to a standing ovation from the 100 high school dreamers, one of them even shouting out, “I love you Steve!” High schoolers can appreciate messages that come from a real place. And if they were paying attention the parents, media and other adults in the room could have learned a little something from Harvey too.

What do you think about Harvey’s approach and his words of wisdom?

Keep checking back on Madame Noire for updates about Disney’s Dreamers Academy, including student and celebrity interviews.

Can you believe that Yolanda Adams is a fan of ours? Yes, we couldn’t it believe it either but the superstar singer says she checks us out every morning. Yes, indeed. In any case, you know Madame Noire was representing at the BET Awards yesterday, and we got to talk to many a celeb including Faith Evans, who talked about her new reality show, and of course Yolanda Adams. Check out the first of our videos from the star studded event.

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• Do You Remember When…?: 7 Shocking Moments From The BET Awards!
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Source: praisedc.com

For all the “Sunday Best” fans out there, I’m sure you’re probably as bummed out as we are to know that the sisters of Mary Mary won’t be returning as judges for the popular singing competition. But don’t cry. Dry your eyes. Taking their places are uber-talented gospel singers CeCe Winans and Yolanda Adams (“Open My Heart” is MY jam!). The ladies will join Donnie McClurkin as judges, and yes, Kirk Franklin will be back to bring the energy as host. According to Eurweb.com, former judge Tina Campbell was a bit Simon Cowell-ish on some contestants last season, so some folks are excited to see what good vibrations these ladies can bring to the judging panel this upcoming season. But let’s keep it real, tough love is what makes these people stars! “Sunday Best” has been a pretty big hit for BET in the ratings and in its appeal, and the few times I’ve seen it, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the performances. If you’re one of those folks who would like to show off your vocal abilities to this stellar lineup of judges, you can audition at the following places this month and next month. Good luck!

Auditions for the new season will be held:

- March 24 in Dallas at The Potters House

- March 31 in Glen Dale, MD at the Reid Temple AME Church

- April 14 in Decatur, GA at The Greater Travelers Rest Baptist

- April 21 in St. Louis at Friendly Temple MBC.

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• Where’s My Belt!? Children of Celebrities Who Have Acted a Fool
• Switch Up the Style for the Season: Hair Suggestions for the Spring
• Double Take! Celebs’ Who Look Just Like Their Parents
• Golden Girls! Gorgeous Gold Accessories – EDITOR PICKS
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fashionbeauty.com

Friday night during the 43^rd annual NAACP Image awards there were very few surprises when it came to the evening’s big winners -including Viola Davis’ Outstanding Actress victory for “The Help” – but the tribute to Whitney Houston was the most memorable.

Unlike Jennifer Hudson’s beautiful but truncated homage at the Grammys, the NAACP dedicated a considerable amount of time to Houston courtesy of gospel star Yolanda Adams. The singer, who was friends with Houston, delivered a breathtakingly stirring rendition of “I Love the Lord” that ended with a standing ovation. Houston belted out the same hymn on the soundtrack of 1996′s “The Preacher’s Wife” with the help of the Georgia Mass Choir.

Read more here…

By Carletta Hurt

A woman’s beauty shouldn’t have to sacrifice her health. For Kim Roxie, she knows first-hand just how much weight this statement carries after witnessing a close friend develop lung deficiency due to the poly(iso)butene found in lip gloss. As a result of her friend’s diagnosis, Roxie knew she had to create a line that was healthy for the skin and body.

While mineral makeup is popular because it does not block the pores nor cause the face to feel as if there is a heavy ‘mask’ on the skin, it is generally not made with organic materials. With the current movement to be ‘green’ and environmentally conscious in all aspects of life, Roxie took it upon herself to create what is known as the first eco-chic cosmetics brand. In 2004 at the age of 21, Roxie launched LAMIK Beauty, a line that features products with all natural ingredients packaged in recyclable containers.

“Eco-chic make-up means ecofriendly, glamorous and natural,” explains Roxie, who opened the first LAMIK store in Houston, TX. Because of LAMIK, it is now easier for people to make a healthier choice when it comes to their make-up options because the line’s ingredients consist of water, vitamins E and C, minerals derived from the earth, Aloe Vera and green tea, not harsh and harmful ingredients like talc, lead, fragrance and poly(iso)butene.

Roxie is also a licensed aesthetician, so she is familiar with which ingredients are best for the face. Along with her chemist, a former 25-year Estee Lauder employee whom Roxie met during a chance meeting in New York in 2003, Roxie “experimented with different abstracts to create a footprint [for the make-up]. We ultimately decided to use antioxidants that would stop cancer causing free radicals,” she says. The cosmetics line features an assortment of foundations, eye shadows, lip gloss, facial care and beauty enhancement products, such as custom eyelashes and an eyebrow sculpting bar.

“We do everything in house with labs in two states,” she explains. “We purchase all ingredients for our formulas to make the product. I can press and seal powder into the tubing…knowing and understanding this process was important to me.”

Launching a niche cosmetics line required strict discipline on Roxie’s part. “I could only spend $4 per day on food,” she says, so in order to stay within the boundaries of this budget, Wendy’s was her go-to menu. Within seven months, she was able to invest $10,000 (part of it was a $500 contribution from her mother) to manufacture products and open her store.