Last week, Jill Scott was spotted on the red carpet at the Hollywood Reporter’s ‘Power 100: Women in Entertainment’ breakfast wearing a beautifully sculpted braided updo. Scott is no stranger to versatile hairstyles—this year alone she’s sported five drastically different hairstyles!—so it was no surprise she remixed her ‘do. Nonetheless, we couldn’t help but to ooooh and ahhhh over her newly tressed style! Read More
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“This is the simplest form of myself. I look in the mirror and it’s like, ‘Here, there you go. What’s up, girl?’ For me, hair is an accoutrement. Hair is jewelry. It’s an accessory. Tomorrow I may want a wig down to my butt and I’m gonna rock it, and the next day I may want a big Afro and I’m gonna rock that too…”
A divorce, broken engagement, split from her record label and the abrupt ending of her HBO series The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency were not enough to keep this “Golden” lady down. She also speaks on the recent upswing in her life. She has a new Lifetime TV movie in the works Steel Magnolias, an all-black adaptation of the 1989 film and noted play.
Check out photos from Steel Magnolias below, and check out the film on Lifetime on Oct. 7 at 9pm.
Behind the Scenes of Gabby Douglas’ ESSENCE Photo Shoot
Gold never looked so good!
Check out behind-the-scenes footage of Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas’ ESSENCE photo shoot. To see the complete shoot, check out the October and November issues of ESSENCE when they hit newsstands this fall. Essence Video Sneek Peek
In Essence Maia Campbell from the show featuring LL Cool J “In The House” Father and Grandfather speaks out, about her drug abuse and mental issues.
After a video was released of former “In The House” costar Maia Campbell behaving irrationally with incoherent banter, the blogosphere unleashed a hailstorm of criticism and ridicule about the young actress acting out. However, Campbell has suffered for some time with bipolar disease, and her family, including her late mother, award-winning author Bebe Moore Campbell, have always loved and supported her. Campbell’s father, Ellis Gordon Jr., and grandmother, Doris C. Moore, have released an exclusive statement to ESSENCE.com addressing the recent events that have placed their daughter and granddaughter under much public scrutiny. “She is in treatment and in a facility,” Gordon says.
Our hearts have been deeply touched by the outpouring of love that so many of you have freely displayed in the past several days about our beloved Maia C. Campbell. Our spirits have been lifted by your words of support and your acts of kindness and we have been encouraged to continue our efforts to assist our daughter and granddaughter to become whole again.
As a family, we have been struggling with Maia in her illness for quite some time. We continue to hold fast to our faith and hope that some day she will realize that healing will begin when she decides to reach out and accept the help and treatment that have been offered to her. We all have challenges in life that we must face, but when compound problems such as mental illness and substance abuse are prevalent, it can appear that there is no way out. However, our sustaining faith and trust in God compels us to believe differently. We strongly believe that Maia will be healed.
We also know that Maia’s mother, the late Bebe Moore Campbell, who devoted much of her later years in life to mental health awareness and education, along with her family members and friends would welcome your prayers and support for Maia’s sustained recovery. In addition, we urge your support for efforts to diagnose and treat mental illness in our community. Read more here Essence
I pray that she get’s better and come out knowing that she has a will to live for herself and her family as well as fans.
As we know Sherri Shepherd has lost a lot of weight thanks to her eating right and exercise. She shared her weight loss on the view as well, revealing herself in a bathing suit. Now Sherri sits down and talks to Essence about the weight loss and her life now:
ESSENCE.COM: You worked it in that bathing suit on “The View.” What inspired you to lose weight in front of America and strut your stuff in swimwear?
SHERRI SHEPHERD: I thought you could be healthy without a crazy diet or pills, with just eating right and exercise, and one of the perks was fitting in a bathing suit. I said I would do it too in the moment and then it was on me to deliver. I started getting many women saying to me on Twitter they lost two pounds or encouraging me to go to the gym. That’s what kept me going. We have to be healthy because we have children and a legacy to leave. That was really my goal, not the bathing suit.ESSENCE.COM: What’s been the biggest perk to losing weight and how did you celebrate your bathing suit debut?
SHEPHERD: You gotta have your girls, and my close friends flew out for the big reveal and were my celebration. I needed those friendly faces as I came out in a bathing suit. After the reveal, for lunch I had a pastrami sandwich without bread. There were days I cheated, and I didn’t beat myself up. I just got back on track. My son is 4. On the playground before, I would just watch him and be tired. This weekend we ran and played and I wasn’t breathing hard. That was a great feeling. I want to see him graduate and to hold my grand kids.
Read more on Sherri Shepherd interview with Essence she talks about her moms passing, breast reduction here >>Essence<<
Tell her Top 10 Queen blog sent you
Pepa sit down and talks to Essence about Rhianna & Chris Brown as well as herself, who has been in a abusive relationship. This is what Essence has to say:
Many know her as the fiery one of Salt-N-Pepa so it was surprising when Sandy “Pepa” Denton revealed in her 2008 autobiography, “Let’s Talk About Pep,” that she was a domestic abuse survivor. Pepa, who was involved in a roller-coaster marriage with her then-rapper boyfriend-turned-husband, says she can relate to Rihanna’s situation. ESSENCE.com had some Pep talk with the reality TV star and mother of two, who shares some firsthand advice with Rihanna and tells why the pop star deserves better. Read more of this interview
THERE IS A VERY INTERSTING STORY FROM ONE OF TOP 10 QUEEN’S READERS….READ IN THE COMMENT SECTION FOR THE STORY. READERS IF YOU HAVE A STORY I WILL BE GLADLY TO POST IT, ONLY IF IT’S TO HELP SOMEONE….NOT LOOKING FOR MADE UP STORYS. TELL THE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH TO HELP YOU.
Deshawn sat down with Essence and talked about her not returning back on the season 2 of The Real Houserwives of Atlanta, this is what she had to say:
ESSENCE: We hear that you are no longer returning to “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” Is that true?
DESHAWN: Yes, one of the producers called me yesterday and said that they wouldn’t take my option.
ESSENCE: What reason did they give for not inviting you back for the second season?
DESHAWN: [One of the producers] called and said that I was “too human for a circus show” and that because the show did so well, they are about to pump up the drama and they didn’t think that I would fit in. He gave me an example, saying that during the reunion when I found out what a few of the other ladies said about me, they were expecting me to say more, but I’m not the type to go “television” and start acting crazy because somebody’s talking about me. I’m fine with the decision. It wasn’t my decision. They let me go and there are no hard feelings. I am thankful for the opportunity.
ESSENCE: So were you at all shocked by the decision?
DESHAWN: I didn’t see it coming. I was shocked because I just talked to them in December about the new season. It’s not like they came to me and gave me an option by saying, “We’re going to take a new direction and we want to know if you could be more like this.” I was a little hurt, but I just look at it like I am what I am. [My personality] didn’t seem to be a problem before, but I suppose the show took a different direction and they no longer see me as the right fit.
Well things do happen on a dime don’t they.
This interview gets deep, I like how Jermaine sets the record straight. Seriously this man has his head on his shoulder, and when I say no one can knock it off, that means no one. This is what Jemaine Dupri had to say:
The question:There’s hearsay that your brief tenure was plagued by meager sales and a lack of new talent which resulted in the label ousting you. Is that true?
JD:Island [Def Jam Records] is going to say what makes them look good. They are not going to tell the truth and say, “He just stopped dealing with us on a daily basis.” If you don’t put out my records, that’s all I have as a person. I’m a record person, so if I give you a record and you don’t put it out, then basically you’re showing me that it’s really no business. I never got a chance to put the records out. I had Johnta Austin, Ninth Ward and Dondria. I read the blogs and I’m thinking, How can they say that I’m not putting out records when anyone who knows my track record knows I’m about making music? My biggest problem is that I’m still the youngest president to have this kind of success. Music is my life. I’m a person who continues to carve out my own way. Instead of watching things happen, I make them happen. If L.A. [Reid] gets fired at Def Jam (he’s 20 years older than me) where is he going to go? Many of the people at the label; if their bosses were to fire them today, they don’t have anything else to do. Their lives are over. I’m not that dude. Life ain’t over for me.
Biggie’s mom Voletta Wallace speaks with Essence on a one one interview, about how she felt about the movie and Biggie’s Legacy. She also want’s to speak to Lil Kim about her and Biggie’s relationship. This is what Mrs. Wallace had to say:
“I gained strength from it. There were things about him that I never knew that I wanted to see for myself on film. I saw a side of my son that I heard of but I haven’t accepted. I’m angered by certain things, disappointed and shocked. So this film taught me tolerance and to be less critical. I would love to speak to Lil’ Kim, because I need to ask more about this love relationship because I really didn’t like the way he treated her and I’m praying that that’s not it. Only she can answer those questions. She’s a sweet girl and I didn’t think she deserved to be treated the way he treated her, if that’s the case.”
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