Civil Rights Activist Diane Nash is one of the many women I spoke about during my interview.

As a Journalist, I am accustomed to interviewing people but not being interviewed. Although it’s been a goal to be recognized for my work, I was still shocked and definitely humbled that a Radio One station based in Detroit, The Mildred Gaddis Show (99.9 FM)  invited me to speak on the show about an article I wrote for MadameNoire.Com highlighting the unrecognized women in black history.

I was thrilled to talk about these fascinating women last Monday who I  have such a deep appreciation for that often go unrecognized during Black History Month. Although I was a bit nervous in the beginning as I had to run down my credentials (secretly I’m kind of shy when I have to talk about myself) I quickly got into the groove of things as I spoke about how these women played major roles in our history.

Hopefully there will be many more opportunities like this in my near future. Thanks to Ms. Mildred Gaddis and her wonderful production team!

Last night, often through a stream of tears, I watched Oprah interview Whitney Houston’s family in an exclusive interview on OWN. We know Oprah  gets the exclusives!

In the 90 minute interview, Oprah spoke with  Bobbi Kristina, Whitney’s older brother Gary, and her manager/sister-in-law Patricia. The interview, in which Patricia spoke candidly, described Whitney as a loving woman who loved God. Over the past few weeks, we’ve heard close family and friends describe Whitney as such.  So this didn’t come as a surprise to me that one of her closest friends and family members would say the same thing.

What stood out most in the interview was when Patricia (Pat), said she wasn’t afraid that drugs would take Whitney out. In fact, Whitney was on the right path in getting her life together. Instead Pat mentioned that she was scared because Whitney was chasing a dream. This dream was much younger than Whitney, Pat said and consisted of a ‘lifestyle’ that Whitney didn’t need in her life.

Since Whitney’s death I have thought often about the ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ mentality that plagues our society. It’s a dangerous obsession to live a ‘Hollywood life’, where perceptions are distorted with what’s real and what’s fake. Self love is out the window because it’s a constant comparison with others. It’s a deep longing to fit in. I know that attitude didn’t suddenly appear during this century but I am almost certain that it’s more prevalent today due to the easy access into other’s lives via blogs, social networking, etc.

Who knows if it was the partying, the drinking, or need to ‘fit in’ that  pushed Whitney over the edge? Actually no one will ever know. But throughout her life, the woman who sang about loving yourself, seemed to struggle with this very concept. Although Whitney’s problems may have been more public, none of them were rare.

It’s unfortunate that even at Whitney’s age, with such a strong background, and support system, she fell prey to chasing the wrong dreams.

May She Rest In Peace.

I am a huge SWV fan. I often joke that I’ve secretly thought I was a part of the group since I was a little girl. So imagine how excited I am that these three ladies are back with a new single and video. The track, ‘Co-Sign’, is a mid-tempo love song with a 90s feel to it. The women, who are now in their late 30s and early 40s all look amazing!  Their new album ‘I Missed Us’ will hit stores April 10.

Check out the video when you READ MORE.

Instead of focusing on what could have been, what went wrong, or even some of Whitney’s turbulous past, let’s honor her for the gift that she brought to this world.   Her legacy will forever live on. May she rest in peace.

 READ MORE for some of my favorite videos of Ms. Whitney Houston.

How Will I Know (1985)

The Greatest Love Of All (1985)

You Give Good Love (1985)

I’m Your Baby Tonight (1990)

I Will Always Love You (1992)

Fourteen years since their last collaboration (The Boy Is Mine), Brandy and Monica are back together with a new single, “It All Belongs To Me’. Similar to some of the breakup songs we’ve heard in the past, the song has a mid-tempo beat with lyrics commanding the man to leave and make sure he leaves all his stuff behind, because the ‘ish’ belongs to Brandy..or Monica, in this case.

  Check it out when you READ MORE

Having a reality show these days is almost as easy as landing a 9-5, so it seems. Still, why some may hate the cattiness and sometimes embarrassing behavior displayed on these shows, you can’t hate the hustle from some of the ladies who are expanding their careers as a result of their new-found, and often times short-lived, fame.

Evelyn Lozado is cashing in on our ‘Basketball Wives’ fame, recently signing  a  deal with Cash Money to write and produce multiple projects. Her upcoming book series ‘The Wives Association’ will chronicle fictitious tales related to her experiences from her previous relationships to her current engagement with New England Patriots wide receiver, Chad Ochocinco.

While I fall prey to watching a select few of the reality shows on television, I still miss the days when we had primetime TV shows; still, I won’t knock these women’s hustles to expand their brands. Will you be checking for Evelyn’s book series?

Check out what Evelyn had to say about her new projects and upcoming wedding on HERE on MadameNoire.Com.

While recently watching the movie Something Borrowed starring Kate Hudson, I couldn’t help but watch in awe as one friend secretly dated her best friend’s fiancé behind her back. While I get the writers’ point of attempting to make a romantic chick flick (and in their defense it was actually a cute movie), I immediately knew that the two writers of the movie weren’t aware, or didn’t care, about the girlfriend codes.

While one of my friends suggested that the characters in the film, and presumably the writers, lacked a bit of melanin to their skin that might possibly excuse them from understanding the codes, I was still shocked that any close friend, no matter what color or ethnic background, would find it acceptable to date a friend’s fiancé and automatically expect forgiveness from her hurt homie.

The girlfriend codes, although unspoken, are those ultimate no-no’s and the most important musts that are required amongst girlfriends; and while each friendship has its own custom set of unspoken rules, most girls would agree on these six specific codes.

Read The Full Article at MadameNoire HERE.

I really hoped this information was false when I read it via RollingStone.Com. According to the magazine and other sources, Heavy D, born Dwight Arrington Myers, was rushed to the hospital and shortly pronounced dead earlier today. Causes of his death are unknown.

To Read Full Article via Rolling Stone  click HERE.

R.I.P Heavy D. Condolences to his family and friends.

Mya who has somewhere around six pets, ran for her love of animals this past weekend. On yesterday, the Grammy-Award winning singer participated in the North Shore Animal League Pre-Race Rally in New York to raise money for life saving efforts for animals.

Although I don’t claim to be the biggest animal lover, I do have a fond place for them in my heart because of my Yorkie, King. So kudos to Mya.

 Check out pics of Mya when you READ MORE. Plus Pics of Tracee Ellis Ross looking her usual fab self at the MTV Europe Music Awards.

By now every media outlet has broad-casted the Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries pending divorce. Although I was skeptical about their marriage lasting, I didn’t expect it to be over so soon. Then there was that other part of me that hoped they would actually last and their marriage wasn’t in fact a publicity stunt. So much for that tad bit of hope.

While I could actually care less if Kim and Kris stayed together, divorced, or even reproduced, my hope was solely based on the fact that I didn’t want two people to take something so sacred and make it a publicity stunt for the sake of more fame and fortune; but after being married for only two months, it seems that either Kim and Kris don’t have any sort of fight in them to make a relationship work or their marriage was truly all for a bit of extra pub..and not to mention the millions of dollars made from their wedding photos and other coverage. My gut instinct is telling me it had more to do with the latter. And if that is this case, it only leads me to wonder what won’t some people in Hollywood do for money these days?

In Hollywood acts done behind closed doors (like sex) are broad-casted for the world to see (and buy on DVD); and taking vows before God are taken just as seriously as a high school promise ring. At what point do some of these celebrities allow fame to take a backseat to morals and values?

I’m sure we will see what stories the two of them conjure up over the next few weeks to gain even more publicity. What are your thoughts?