THE STATE OF THE UNION RECAP + VIDEO

On Tuesday, President Barack Obama delivered his second State of the Union, speaking of the need to maintain America’s leadership in a rapidly changing world so that our economy remains competitive. In order to do so, the President, whose approval ratings are faring slightly better than this time last year, put forth a plan to help the U.S. win the future by “out-innovating, out-educating and out-building our global competition”.

The President began his speech by acknowledging the arguments from both sides of the political spectrum:

It’s no secret that those of us here tonight have had our differences over the last two years. The debates have been contentious; we have fought fiercely for our beliefs. And that’s a good thing. That’s what a robust democracy demands. That’s what helps set us apart as a nation.

But he later called for a united effort to secure our future: “We have to make America the best place on Earth to do business. We need to take responsibility for our deficit and reform our government. That’s how our people will prosper. That’s how we’ll win the future.”

The first step, the President said, is encouraging innovation. He is issuing a challenge to America’s scientists and engineers to invent new clean energy technologies, calling for 80 percent of the nation’s electricity to come from clean sources by 2035 and ensuring the U.S. is the first to put 1 million electric vehicles on the roads by 2015. In order to pay for this, President Obama called for the elimination of oil subsidies, which could generate over $38 billion over the next decade.

In addition, the President also called on Congress to redefine the federal role in education by replacing No Child Left Behind with a new law that raises expectations, challenges failure, rewards success, and provides greater flexibility for schools to innovate and improve results for their students. He also wants his American Opportunity Tax Credit made permanent.

The President proposed efforts to repair and rebuild America’s infrastructure and guarantee the nation has the fastest way to move people, goods and information in terms of transportation and high-speed internet, extending the next generation of wireless coverage to 98 percent of the population. He also ordered a regulation review to remove unnecessary burdens to reform government, our corporate tax system and reduce the rate of health care cost growth.

In order to reduce the nation’s deficits, the President announced a five-year freeze on all spending outside of security, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, but stressed the importance of bipartisanship to cut spending where appropriate in order to “do big things”.

From the earliest days of our founding, America has been the story of ordinary people who dare to dream. That’s how we win the future.

We’re a nation that says, “I might not have a lot of money, but I have this great idea for a new company.” “I might not come from a family of college graduates, but I will be the first to get my degree.” “I might not know those people in trouble, but I think I can help them, and I need to try.” “I’m not sure how we’ll reach that better place beyond the horizon, but I know we’ll get there. I know we will.”

We do big things.

CHRIS BROWN SPRAY-PAINTING MURAL IN LOS ANGELES + TALKS ART INSPIRATION (VIDEO)

Singer Chris Brown has been busy tapping into his visual artistic talent lately. The 21 year-old recording artist was spotted outside an art studio earlier this week in West Hollywood, working on an animal animated, spray-painted mural. Brown shared some of his Kid Zoom collaborated artwork with his fans on Twitter.

Peep the personal webisode below where Brown shares his everyday art inspirations:

“I feel in love with art at the age of six. I always took pride in kinda like…[laughs to himself]…winning the coloring contest in school. I think that creative feeling came from me just wanting to be different. Art was my only outlet, I think. Aside from music, art is the kind of the thing that I like to escape. I appreciate other artists who have that talent, who have that eye for detail and eye for their own imagination. I think it’s great. Art is a part of my life and it influences me completely.”

Breezy Art from Mechanical Dummy on Vimeo.

Question Of The Day: Which Would You Choose, Your Pet Or Your Significant Other???

You ever have one of those days when your girlfriend/boyfriend/husband/wife/jump-off is getting on your nerves and you look at your dog/cat/gerbil/goldfish and say: “Why can’t you be more like Scruffy/Lassie/Goldie/John (some people like human names for pets…weird, we know.)

Your sweetheart or your pet. Who would you choose to dump if one had to go?

Most current pet owners said they would hold on to their spouse or significant other (84 percent), but a sizable 14 percent picked their pet, according to an AP-Petside.com poll.

Put Sally Roland, 53, of Omaha, Neb., down in the dog-first column. “I’m divorced, so that might explain it,” she joked.

The unmarried, like Roland, are more apt to choose their pet over their mate — 25 percent among unmarried pet owners versus 8 percent among the married.

Count Fidel Martinez, 30, of Akron, Ohio, as forever loyal to Killer. That’s his mix-breed, 100-pound rescue dog.

“I would absolutely give up my girlfriend for him,” Martinez said. “I know it sounds insane but I’ve had numerous relationships with women. My dog has never let me down.”

For the record: Martinez and Killer have been together for seven years. Martinez and his girlfriend have been together for four. The two-legged pair have no immediate plans to cohabitate, he said, but she does like the dog a lot.

Women are far more apt than men to say the human-pet choice would be a tough one (40 percent among women compared with 26 percent among men). Both genders were equally likely to go with their spouse or significant other, according to the poll conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications.

We know people love their animals, pets, etc, but let’s remember that animals are not people. Act accordingly…

Which would you choose???

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Mike Tyson is a dad for the eighth time,

Former boxing champion Mike Tyson is a dad for the eighth time, RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned. The Hangover star and his wife Lakiha Spicer Tyson welcomed a little boy on Tuesday. It’s Tyson’s first child after the shocking death of his four-year-old daughter Exodus, who died in May, 2009, when her neck accidentally got wrapped in a cord of an exercise machine.

“Mike and Lakiha are very happy and everyone is doing great,” a source close to the fighter tells RadarOnline.com. The couple, who married just 10 days after Exodus’ death, have not yet decided on a name for the little one. Tyson, 44, married Lakiha, 32, are already parents to a two-year-old daughter, Milan.

The controversial former heavyweight star has six other children: Rayna, Amir, Mikey, Miguel, D’Mato and Milan. RadarOnline.com has learned Lakiha entered a Las Vegas hospital on Monday in preparation for the birth.

We broke the story that Mike and Lakiha were expecting their second child and obtained first photos of the couple on a dinner date with friends at the Palms Resort in Las Vegas, last September.

Congrats to Mike…if the new baby looks anything like little Milan, he’s gonna be adorable.

Via Radaronline

Nas Owes Uncle Sam Over $6 Mil

Rapper Nas, who has a home in the Eagle’s Landing subdivision south of Atlanta, owes more than $6 million in back taxes, according to the Detroit News’ Tax Watchdog blog, where metro reporter Robert Snell scours public records and reports details on famous people with big tax bills.

Nas has had tax troubles for some time, with the IRS filing liens in 2009, 2010 and most recently, on Jan. 10. The address on the oldest lien was the property in Eagle’s Landing.

Nas also owns property in New York. The managers of his Queens condo building filed a lien last fall and said he had not paid the $420 monthly assessment since January 2010, according to Tax Watchdog.

Smarten up, Nas.

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ON THE SET: Rihanna's New Video For "S&M", Addresses The Critics

Rihanna is getting ready for the release of her "S&M" and it's not without controversy. See pics from the set and get the deets on the video inside...

In the video, Rih Rih goes the way of Michael Jackson's "Leave Me Alone" video and shows herself being both affected and unaffected by gossip, rumors and lies. She is surrounded by newspaper style reports and blog messages about her bisexuality, reported devil worshipping, and support for the illuminati. I guess she is leaving no rumor untouched. She even throws shade at a few blogs....

Check out more screenshots from Rihanna’s music video for her new single:

"RHOA" Stars Cynthia Bailey & Peter Thomas' Wedding Pic, Cynthia Talks Peter's Bad Temper & Money Woes

It's the wedding that will end this season of "Real Housewives of Atlanta" with a bang. Cynthia Bailey and Peter Thomas have been fighting all season about money woes, drama, and Peter's temper.

We've got the first look at the couple's wedding photo, plus Cynthia's new Black Voices interview where she admits she let's Peter dominate the relationship.

ESSENCE mag grabbed the first look at Cynthia and Peter's wedding photo. Cynthia donned a very non-traditional stunning silvery gown with a neck wrap and bow. While Peter looked dapper in his light gray tux. But it was a long road for the couple to get there. The photo appears in the current issue of ESSENCE, and more pics of the couple's wedding will be on the site February 2nd.

On last week's episode, Peter popped off about shutting down his Uptown restaurant without letting Cynthia know, causing the couple to be strapped for cash. Cynthi still wants her $10K back she loaned him for the venture, and is upset her wedding is at risk. Viewers thought it was shockng how Peter's temper gets the best of him often, and Cynthia seems to let him get away with it. By the way, Peter reportedly used to date Nia Long--which is how Regina King, her bestie, knows him so well.

So Black Voices chit chatted with the ATL Housewife about it all:

BV: Let's keep it real. You have the only real strong-willed husband on the show. Phaedra's husband, Apollo, follows suit with what she says, too.
CB: I think Phaedra has a lot of control in that relationship. It comes across like that on the show. I'm not trying to be negative with my castmates, but the dynamics of those three marriages are very different. I think with mine and Peter's, he is the man in the relationship. I give him that respect. I think he is a complete jackass sometimes, but he wants to handle things well and to be able to pay for things and not stress me out about anything, but that just wasn't our situation. I wish we could've been balling out the whole season, but it didn't happen that way.

BV: Another thing that some people love about you, Cynthia, is how you've showed this whole phenomenon in which women give their men money to build their careers and sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. Do you regret giving Peter money for the restaurant?
CB: I support Peter's vision and who he is. I supported his decision. I didn't say I was going to partner with him. I said, 'Oh you need this? I am going to give you that.' It was a business transaction. That was his thing, and I was doing my thing. I thought no matter how much I was in love, I need to get my money back and they didn't have anything to do with each other. I may be 60 and say, 'Are you going to give me that money back from Uptown from 30 years ago?' When you say I need to borrow it, it's a loan. A loan is a loan. Nothing changed we just got married. I still want it back.

BV: Wait. You still asked him whether he was going to give you the money back?
CB: Yes! I just asked him yesterday. I don't know when I am getting that money back, but he's going to have to give me something.

BV: A lot of people think you should work out your financial challenges before tying the knot. Many people believe a relationship can't last with something so major causing disagreements before a wedding.
CB: When we started the process, our wedding wasn't so expensive that we couldn't do it. The more involved in the planning I was the more I wanted it. Who wants to go through tastings and menus and then go to the courthouse? I've never been married before. I just wanted it. It's mine to want. We just had problems in the end.

Check out the rest over at BV.

Hosea Chanchez Talks Where He Meets The Ladies,

Hosea, 29, told VIBE that the most likely place for him to meet a lady is at the airport. That makes sense. If she’s flying first class that means she either has a good job or a sponsor to spring for the expensive plane ticket — which still works out in your favor as long as her sponsor doesn’t find out about you.

“I wouldn’t meet her at a club,” says Hosea. “If you are probably in the club you probably aren’t the chick for me. I say airports because I spend a lot of time in them, so that’s a perfect place.”

What would be an ideal date for you?

“Completely submerging myself in ‘her’ world. I’m a people watcher/learner. I can’t be like movies and dinner, that’s not me. I love to do those things but I like to find out more about people. So for me it would be about coming to her house, watch movies, look through her DVD’s. I am nosy as hell by the way [laughs] see what she’s watching, check her search engine to see what she’s been up to, I’m just kidding. Seriously it would be about submerging myself into her world whatever that may be.”

Most celebrities have them; do you have any celebrity crushes?

“Sanaa Lathan, Halle Berry, I could go on but I don’t want to bore you [laughs] Zoe Saldana, and Scarlett Johansson.”

Kerry Washington On Capitol File Magazine

Beautiful actress Kerry Washington is this month’s cover subject on Capitol File Magazine. Inside the issue, she discusses her role in ‘For Colored Girls’, acting, her childhood and her views on society.

Meagan Good & Her New Singing Group Strike A Pose

Meagan Good hit up “The Booster Club” movie screening with her new girl group, “Hello Girls” yesterday evening in Los Angeles She’s currently playing the role of Parker on BET’s “The Game,” promoting her new singing group and producing a movie. Get that money girl!


The Girls have alter egos with the names from L-R: Goldie, Bullet, Kitty and Cheeba (Meagan Good)

NICKI MINAJ GREETS FANS IN PARIS

After taking London by storm with a bunch of quirky outfits, a little toned down Nicki Minaj was spotted out in Paris on Sunday night. The rapper was spotted signing autographs for fans as she walked to her ride.

Chris Brown Dabbles In Art

Is Chris Brown the next Andy Warhol? He recently teamed up with Australian artist Kid Zoom and created some dope artwork that showed off his creativity and crazy skills.

I fell in love with art around the age of six. I always took pride in kind of winning the coloring contests in school,” explained Breezy. “Art was my only outlet. Aside from music, art is the thing that I like to escape. And I appreciate other artists who have that talent and that eye for detail and eye for their own imagination. Art is a part of my life and it influences me completely.

Willow Smith On Set of New Video: “21st Century Girl”

Finally, we’re about to see what else little cutie Willow Smith can do besides “Whip Her Hair.” [No Shade] She was spotted on set of her next video, for her upcoming dance record “21st Century Girl.” Her parents Will and Jada Smith, big’bro Jaden and Kun Fu great Jackie Chan were all on set showing support. The mini fashionista is rockin’ some funky outfits, we can’t wait to see the finished product.
Will & Jada on the set!
Willow Smith
Jaden & Willow Smith
Jackie Chan & Jaden

50 Cent Shuts Down World Star Hip Hop?

Earlier today the very popular video site World Star Hip Hop was shut down and 50 cent is taking credit for it. Via 50′s Twitter:

I don’t know why people underestimate me. I just shut down WORLDSTAR for future advertising contact thisis50.com suckers lol. I put worldstar to bed, you don’t believe try me I will shut your sh*t down. Lol. I predict 2 more web sites will shut down this week. Take a guess who they are. I’m sick of the hate I’m to strong.. Me and @FloydMayweather don’t thing worldstar was good representation of black people as a hole. We will present better. I want to thank howard gordon and the good folks over at homeland .hahaha suckers your move

According to the rumors, Homeland Security has shut down the site for copyright infringement. Last month, they also seized the popular music sites Onsmash and Dajaz1

In 2009, 50 Cent filed a lawsuit against World Star claiming the website used his image and content without permission.

Send Q from worldstar your condolences. If you care give him a call at 1646 270-****. Its real I’m not to be f**ked with

Source: All Hip Hop

Here Comes the Bride (and the Bills): Are Weddings a Waste of Money?

Love. Whether we admit it out loud to our sista girls or whisper it in our personal prayers up to heaven, most of us—if we haven’t found it already—are clamoring for it, plotting to fall into it, planning to be wrapped up in it someday. So when we defy the odds of this overhyped Great Black American Man Drought and snag us a magical dude who we can get all moony-eyed over and finally label “The One,” many of us understandably want to hustle him, a pair of rings and our visions of a happy life together in front of somebody’s altar post haste. But knowing what a sentimental bunch we are, the wedding industry—an $86 billion business machine—capitalizes on the emotion attached to that big day, the pinnacle of romance some of us have been dreaming of since we started stealing kisses from little boys on the playground.

There are plenty of couples who can throw on a suit and a cute dress and get ‘er done in a quaint little ceremony down at the local courthouse, minus all the frills and excesses that can make weddings so stressful and expensive. And if that’s what works for hubby and wife, then two thumbs up for them. But for a big, wide bunch of ladies, making it official with the man of our dreams is cause to organize a bona fide throwdown and call up everybody from our second grade teacher to the bus driver who listened to all those early morning lamentations to announce that we’s fine-o-lee gettin’ married. A wedding is a day of joy, a celebration of love, a party to usher in the welcomed transition from “me” to “us.” Thinking about it purely in terms of dollars and cents robs it of all its symbolic meaning and intrinsic value. And asking a woman who wants a wedding to sacrifice her dream of having that special event—the most important one in her life next to the birth of a child—purely for financial reasons? That’s going to loom over the relationship like foul air in a subway station.

Let me be clear: I don’t condone stupid dumb shows of overspending just for the sake of doing so, unless you just got it like that (and even then it still seems pretty silly). But breaking your aluminum foil budget to throw a platinum wedding is not just irresponsible, it’ll put an unnecessary strain on your new married relationship from the giddy up. The average cost of a wedding in 2010 rang in at a little over $24,000. Pause. That right there is almost somebody’s salary, a ridiculous price tag to attach to one day—if you aren’t already financially sound and stable and sittin’ on healthy 401(k). Wedding shows ain’t doing nothin’ to help promote the concept of frugal spending for nuptials. Say Yes to the Dress makes it seem barely worth raising an eyebrow when brides-to-be slide into $5,000 gowns and watching one episode of Bridezillas can make any potential groom quake in his boots for fear his fiancée might piddle away all the available credit on his MasterCard.

Still, there’s no reason to write weddings off as a waste of money if the couple agrees at the onset of the planning to stay within a budget—no loans, no maxed out credit cards, no skipping recurring household bills to pay off caterers or florists. We throw dollars in the wind all the time and don’t think twice about it. Folks blow cash chasing the big payout at the casino. We waste money noshing at trendy, overpriced restaurants and heading to the carry-out with our co-workers on our lunch hours every day. We waste money watching, cheering and making fashion out of sports teams that are multimillion dollar franchises because we happily fork over our dollars. We waste money playing Powerball, buying shots of Patron at the club and outfitting Fifi and Fido in silly little doggie getups. With these and a hundred thousand trillion other ways to squander our expendable cash, why would investing in a day to celebrate the love of two people seem like such a ridiculous way to spend dough?

As much of a team player as I try to be, I don’t apologize for wanting to float down the aisle in a gorgeous white-ish gown, flanked on all sides of the ceremony by people who love me and my man both, individually and as a couple. After surviving being habitually pressed up on by the Jeromes, Bruh Mans and wannabe players of the world, besting three heartbreaks, single motherhood and some really difficult times in general, I’m not willing to white flag my longstanding plans to have a wedding that’s not only a joyous sendoff to my survival of single womanhood but ballyhoos the new, exciting season I’m stepping into with my dreamlover by my side. I want to have our closest friends decked out in fabulosity as bridesmaids and groomsmen and stand in front of my pastors—who, as a dynamic husband and wife team, have celebrated over 25 years of healthy, happy marriage themselves—so they can preside over all the vow exchangin’ and bless our new union. But most importantly, I want to make the promise to the good Lord that I will love this man whether he’s successful, handsome and able-bodied or he’s broke down, poor and just barely making it. Could I do that at the courthouse in a cute pantsuit and pumps? Sure I could. Do I want to be guilted into believing that spending some money on a one-time-only affair is wasteful and wrong? Child please.

Oprah’s Big Secret Is…

Now that today’s Oprah Show has aired in certain markets, we know that the big secret Lady O had to share is a long lost sister.

Winfrey announced on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” that aired on Monday that a Milwaukee woman named Patricia discovered that the two were half-sisters.

The woman says she had been searching for years for the identity of the mother who gave her up for adoption in 1963. She says she learned in 2007 that Winfrey was her half-sister. On her program, Winfrey says she learned about Patricia last November.

Winfrey says she was 9 years old and living with her father when her mother had the daughter and gave her up for adoption. She says she never even knew her mother was pregnant.

Winfrey says the two met on Thanksgiving day.

Do you think being Oprah’s half sister is anywhere near as lucrative as being in the “Favorite Things” audience?

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Video: DJ Khaled f. Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, T-Pain, & Plies – Welcome To My Hood (BTS)

DJ KHALED's "WELCOME TO MY HOOD" OFFICIAL BEHIND THE SCENES from DERICK G on Vimeo.

Video: 50 Cent & Floyd Mayweather To Collaborate On ‘Tomorrow Today’ Film

Video: Lloyd Banks ft. Jeremih – I Don’t Deserve You

Video: Jon Connor – Maniac

Jon Connor- Maniac Video from Jon Connor on Vimeo.

Ray J, Brandy, Terrence J & More Get It Poppin’ At Greenhouse

Brandy and her not so lil Brother Ray J hit up the red carpet at Greenhouse this past Thursday to celebrate Ray J’s new YRB Magazine cover. Other celebs & industry folks that attended the event included rapper Consequence, Ron Browz and Q (from World Star Hip Hop)
Brandy and her not so lil Brother Ray J hit up the red carpet at Greenhouse this past Thursday to celebrate Ray J’s new YRB Magazine cover. Other celebs & industry folks that attended the event included rapper Consequence, Ron Browz and Q (from World Star Hip Hop)
Ray J.
Ray J & Brandy
Brandy with Q…The founder of World Star Hip Hop.com
Consequence and Ron Browz.
Brandy Texting
Of course, Terrence J would be in the building
Big-Les was also there too

Nicki Minaj In 7 inch Versace Heels & Bullet Panel Leggings

You ever wear a pair of hot shoes and did everything you could to make sure EVERYBODY saw them. This seemed to be the case with Nicki Minaj who was spotted in some Versace DVEA Platform heels over the weekend while sight seeing in London. Those shoes, as gorgeous as they look, measures 7 inches with a 3 inch platform. Can you handle it?

Oh and just in case you are wondering about those bullet panel leggings, they are designed by Sass & Bide with damage of about $860 bucks.