The Young, Black, and Fabulous

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• DRAKE FEST: Announces "Nothing Was The Same" Release Date, DROPS New MUSIC With J. Cole, CONGRATULATES LeBron James In Samsung Commercial
• ALL FRIED UP: Paula Deen FIRED From The FOOD Network, OFFERS Half-BAKED Apology For USING "N" Word
• INSIDE DISH: "The Best Man Holiday" Cast Talks Making Movie Magic AGAIN, SOUNDTRACK Expectations, Who Had To Audition, & More
• INTERVIEWS: Mara Brock Akil & Debra Lee PREVIEW "Being Mary Jane" In Washington, D.C.
• Gabby Union, Savannah Brinson, Sanaa Lathan & More CELEBRATE With the Heat Champs In Lockeroom & Afterparty!
• MODELICIOUS: Jourdan Dunn LAUNCHES "Denim Lovers" For Selfridges + Chanel Iman's POSES In The Meatpacking District
• Jay-Z Gives Sneak Peek Of New Music In SECOND "Magna Carta Holy Grail" Trailer + Waka Flocka Readies Some Foolishness With "Rapper" Amanda Bynes

DRAKE FEST: Announces "Nothing Was The Same" Release Date, DROPS New MUSIC With J. Cole, CONGRATULATES LeBron James In Samsung Commercial Posted: 22 Jun 2013 06:58 AM PDT Drake has announced a new release date for "Nothing Was The Same" and shared tons of new music including a new "Jodeci Freestyle" featuring J. Cole.  Listen inside and hear Drake congratulating LeBron James on his victory....after he was rejected from the Heat locker room!   Through his OVOSound website, Drake has announced September 17 as the official release date of his upcoming disc Nothing Was The Same.  It's gonna be a cool fall since we're pretty sure Drizzy is going to take over. And in addition to revealing the new date, Drizzy blessed fans with four new tracks.  He dropped "Jodeci Freestyle" ft. J. Cole, "The Motions" featuring Sampha, “Over Here” by PartyNextDoor, and “Versace” by Migos, a new Atlanta-based trio he recently signed to OVO. Listen to Drake's "Jodeci Freestyle" featuring J. Cole: Listen to "The Motion" featuring Sampha: And in Miami..... Drake's voice popped up in a new Samsung commercial after the Miami Heat's victory over the San Antonio Spurs where he, along with Dr. Dre, Warren Buffett, Bill Russell and others left congratulatory messages for LeBron James. And it's a good thing Drake left LeBron a voice mail because his opportunity to say congrats in the locker room was a FAIL! A new video shows October's Very Own was denied access to the Heat's locker room because it was for media only. After the denial, a frustrated Drake shot back, "I am media!"   But after the locker room fiasco..... Drake did get a chance to party with LeBron, Dwyane and the rest of the Miami Heat at the South Beach hot spot Story where they celebrated victory by eating pizza on stage.  In case you missed it, we've got more pics and video HERE.   And don't forget that Drake is hitting the road with Miguel and Future on September 25!   Photo: ChampagnePapi's Instagram

ALL FRIED UP: Paula Deen FIRED From The FOOD Network, OFFERS Half-BAKED Apology For USING "N" Word Posted: 21 Jun 2013 04:41 PM PDT Hey Ya'll! Paula Deen tried to butter her biscuits with a half-assed apology earlier today, but it wasn't enough to save her gig at the FOOD Network! Get the deets on her firing and watch the apology videos inside... “I want to apologize to everybody for the wrong that I’ve done. I want to learn and grow from this. Inappropriate and hurtful language is totally, totally unacceptable.” Earlier today, Paula Deen offered a very-forced apology for her reported use of the "N" word and other racial slurs that surfaced this week.  Unfortunately for Paula, the video was not well-received and many criticized it for being scripted, awkward and unauthentic. So after the cold reception, the video was replaced with another attempt.   This time, Paula seem more relaxed and offered a more "detailed" apology. "Your color of your skin, your religion, your sexual preference does not matter...I was wrong, yes, I’ve worked hard, and I have made mistakes, but that is no excuse and I offer my sincere apology to those that I have hurt, and I hope that you forgive me because this comes from the deepest part of my heart.”   Unfortunately for Paula, the two attempts were not enough to save her gig at the FOOD Network.  A spokeswoman for the network told TMZ that Paula Deen’s contract would not be renewed when it expired at the end of June.   Although the FOOD Network didn't offer any specifics about the non-renewal, it looks like they couldn't stand the heat...and put Paula out of the kitchen.   Photo via PCN

INSIDE DISH: "The Best Man Holiday" Cast Talks Making Movie Magic AGAIN, SOUNDTRACK Expectations, Who Had To Audition, & More Posted: 21 Jun 2013 03:44 PM PDT TheYBF.com caught up with the cast of The Best Man Holiday this week in Miami as they reflected on what brought them back together, the studio's reservations about making a sequel and if they're going to get another hot movie soundtrack!  See what behind the scenes tea they spilled inside....   In 1999, some of Hollywood's top Black talent united with director Malcolm D. Lee to create The Best Man, a movie AND soundtrack one-two punch, which often finds itself at the top of everyone's list of cinematic favorites.  And last night, during a special panel discussion at the Ritz-Carlton for the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) in Miami, the cast of The Best Man Holiday (Nia Long, Sanaa Lathan, Morris Chestnut), along with director Malcolm D. Lee,  united on stage to discuss how all nine actors from the classic film reunited to make movie magic once again. Presented by Comcast/Universal and moderated by tv journalist Shaun Robinson, we got a sneak peek at the upcoming extended movie trailer releasing to the public soon.  And Sanaa Lathan's character's pregnancy is revealed in the preview. (But we already told you that.) Shaun began by asking Malcolm how the sequel came about.  He revealed that he took the original cast to dinner in January 2011 (remember the pics?) and laid out his proposal for the film.  He says that he explained over cocktials what would happen scene-by-scene and that everyone involved knew this WOULD NOT be a random sequel.  And with everyone eagerly jumping on board, Malcolm dished the next hurdle.....pitching the studio. Malcom explained that whether the film got "greenlighted" depended on the success of films like Jumping The Broom and Think Like a Man because production studios often look at the box office performance of other films to determine if they can "replicate" the success.  You know, since all black films are lumped together.... Although both films performed well at the box office, Universal was still on the fence, so they brought the cast get together for a table read. Luckily, the table reading went over very smoothly.  Sanaa said they performed the script like a "play" and killed it!  And the studio was blown away.  The cast also spilled a few audition secrets including the little known fact that Morris Chestnut was almost passed over!  Because he plays "Lance Sullivan", a football player, Malcolm initially though he was physically too small for the role until his wife told him, "It's Morris Chestnut!" And Sanaa said she was supposed to audition for "Candy", the stripper, but she felt like she was at a different place in her career. Nia revealed that for the first movie, she didn't have to audition, but she did have two lunch meetings with Malcolm prior to filming.  Of course. Here's more dish from the panel: Q: Why a sequel 14 years later? Malcolm D. Lee: “I would describe this movie as the right script at the right time. I was timing it, that’s how this business works, in success they want to make more of the same thing…We met in Jan 2011 and after everyone said they would do it, Morris said, Ok what is the next step? I said, We have to wait until Jumping the broom comes out and see how that movie does, and Morris said we don’t need them, and that might be true but it will prove to the studios that black people would want to go see movies about successful black people.“  “Nobody up here did it for the money, they did it for the Love of the movie.” Q: The studio is not sure, even though the first one was a success, and they got the cast and everything and they’re still not sure? Sanaa Lathan: “All of a sudden the studio wasn’t sure. We are not sure that it has all of the elements as the first one. We couldn’t believe that they couldn’t see it. We did a table read and acted it all out like a play. It was basically like we were auditioning as this cast for the movie. “ Malcom D. Lee: “After the table read, they were just blown away. They said, You know what? Reading it on this page doesn’t compare to hearing the words out loud.” Q: Let’s talk about the first day on set. What was that moment like? Nia Long: “We were bad little kids, We were so excited.” Sanaa Lathan: “We were like 12 year olds at camp. We all love each other we are like family. We literally are friends and we hang out. It’s been damn near 20 years now so we are pretty family and we get to work together. We were so loud. We had a blast.” Nia Long: What came out of this was such passion from all of us. We’ve all worked together before but it was so special with this one. We are really solid in who we are and then when you get to play a character you already know, it’s like Woohoo we have grown. Sanaa Lathan: One of the things that kind of always blew my mind during this whole process, is, how crazy that all 9 of us are still in the business and that all of us are alive. What are the odds of 9 people not being crazy walking down the street. The odds of being in this world for 15 years where people fall off. Q: What should we expect from the soundtrack… Malcom D Lee: I can’t give away too much, but a couple of artist already contributed to the movie. Marsha Ambrosius and Anthony Hamilton do a duet that will knock you guys out. There are a lot of Christmas songs and a lot of remakes, it will be a mix but satisfying. After the talk, the fab cast posed with blackfilm.com editor Wilson Morales and Talitha Watkins, the VP of Multicultural Marketing for Universal Pictures. The film is expected to hit the silver screen on November 15, 2013.   Photos via Wilson Morales/BlackFilm.com/Red Carpet Images/ABFF

INTERVIEWS: Mara Brock Akil & Debra Lee PREVIEW "Being Mary Jane" In Washington, D.C. Posted: 21 Jun 2013 01:46 PM PDT This week, Debra Lee and Mara Brock Akil welcomed a selected group of media to a private screening of the BET-original movie Being Mary Jane starring Gabrielle Union.  And we were inside the room to get the dish about the new tv movie/series.  Find out why Mara handpicked Gabby for the lead role inside....   The fabulous Mara Brock Akil, the creator of the upcoming BET-original movie and series "Being Mary Jane", invited TheYBF.com for a special preview of the film (premiering Tuesday, July 2nd at 10:30P EST). Though BET CEO Debra Lee kept the Q-n-A short, Mara did reveal why she handpicked Gabrielle Union for the series' lead and she explained that Mary Jane is a woman in control of her sensuality.  Here are the highlights:   Q: What do you want people to take away from the movie? A: That's a good question and that's hard to answer. I just want to have a conversation. Q: What's your favorite moment in the movie? A: It's the moment when she's looking in the mirror and it was so honest. Q: Was Gabby always your choice for the star role? A: My husband Salim Akil met Gabby when he was casting for Jumping the Broom (I believed she tried out for a role) and he kept in contact with her. I had my small list of people but she delivered the role. Q: In one scene, why did she masturbate before she went out for the night? A: As females, we are sexual beings. Our sexuality ties into our emotions but it's a little pit of PSA and a little bit of reality. Q: A lot people will compare this to "Scandal", so how do you think Being Mary Jane is different? A: It's different because in "Scandal" you see a black woman living in a white world. You see a lot of shows with affair and murder plots, but I think it's hard enough just getting through the day. Agreed! In case you missed it....watch the "Being Mary Jane" trailer here:   BONUS: Actress Gabrielle Union, a self-confessed former mean girl, opens up about the fierce competition for acting jobs. Plus, find out how she changed her attitude. Watch this episode of Oprah's Next Chapter on Sunday, June 23, at 9/8c. Photos via Chaz Niell

Gabby Union, Savannah Brinson, Sanaa Lathan & More CELEBRATE With the Heat Champs In Lockeroom & Afterparty! Posted: 21 Jun 2013 12:20 PM PDT Pop the champagne!  The Miami Heat had a long night last night...and it didn't really get started until after they copped their second NBA championship in a row.   Check out the pics inside of their champagne showers in the locker room, pics with Gabby, Sanaa, and more, plus video from their afterparty at Story.... After the Heat snapped team pics with the trophy and LeBron shook hands with Bill Russell before accepting the MVP trophy, the fellas headed back to the locker room for some champagne showers.  Thanks to the folks at Moët Ice Impérial champagne (fancy champagne actually created to be served over ice), LeBron, Dwyane, Chris Bosh, Ray Allen, Mario Chalmers and the rest of the Champs were greeted in the locker room with 100 rare magnum bottles. And they're the first people EVER to open them!  And then this champagne chaos happened:     Dwyane was spotted pouring some on his knee that gave him hell the entire playoff season. Looks like the rumors of Dwyane & Gabby being on the rocks with cheating accusations aren't true (which we checked out and came up with no credible leads).  Because Gabby was front and center at American Airlines Arenas popping bottles alongside her man and her friend Sanaa Lathan. The girls even watched the game courtside together. Gabby and her Think Like A Man Too cast, including Terrence J., took a private jet to Miami from Vegas for the championship game. And Chris Bosh posed it up with his fam--his pregnant wife Adrienne, daughter Trinity and son Jackson.  His dad and brother were also there to cheer him on.     And over at the afterparty, Drake, Savannah Brinson, Gabby and more all joined the champs at Story nightclub for a crazy ass night.  Fun times!   Bron Bron's bestie Jay-Z hasn't publicly said anything about the win yet, but his wife surely did.  Beyonce posted on her website: YES LEBRON! CONGRATS ON THE WIN! Ha!  Gotta love it.   PHOTO CREDITS: Seth Browarnik / World Red Eye, Getty Images/ Andrew D. Bernstein, Getty Images / Andrew D. Bernstein, Getty Images / Jesse D. Garrabrant, Miami HEAT, Reuters, Sanaa's Instagram, Beyonce's website

MODELICIOUS: Jourdan Dunn LAUNCHES "Denim Lovers" For Selfridges + Chanel Iman's POSES In The Meatpacking District Posted: 21 Jun 2013 11:03 AM PDT Models Jourdan Dunn and Chanel Iman were spotting doing what they do best.....selling clothes! See pics from two of the world's most famous faces on their recent photoshoots inside and get deets on some of their outside projects.... International fashionista and Victoria's Secret model Chanel Iman left her man ASAP Rocky's side long enough to pose for a photo shoot in New York City's Meatpacking District. Yesterday, the IMG model donned a red leather jacket and zip-up bootie heels as she strutted down the neighborhood's cobblestoned streets looking effortlessly fabulous. Later in the shoot, Chanel did a quick wardrobe change and paired a pair of Madonna-like lace gloves with a black leather jacket, a corseted bra top and black heels. And after a long shoot in the sunlight, the rumored-flame of A$AP Rocky treated herself to an ice cream cone.  Of course. In other Chanel Iman news.... The fresh faced model stars in a new fashion film, "Spectral" by Jenna Elizabeth which she recently tweeted to her followers.  In the short film, Chanel models a few high-end garments and makes the eye examination process look more chic than even possible.   And across the pond in London...... British supermodel Jourdan Dunn posed with fellow hot chick Rosie Tapner in front of a 300-strong flashmob, invited by the Selfridges department store, for a new advertising campaign to launch its store-wide event 'Denim Lovers'.    Shot at the Old Selfridges Hotel in London, the unique campaign will feature hundreds of collated images of the models taken by the flash mob for online and digital billboards across the UK starting Monday, June 24. Jordan, who's also a single mom to son Riley (who has sickle-cell disease), revealed during a recent interview that she was discovered while trying on sunglasses at a department store.    BONUS: British hottie Jourdan is also quite the chef in the kitchen.  And she recently shot a new episode of her online cooking show on Jay -Z's "Life + Times" channel with Wale.  The duo got together and put their spin on Caribbean BBQ chicken.  Yum!   Photos Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images Europe/FameFlynet Pictures/PacificCoastNews.com

Jay-Z Gives Sneak Peek Of New Music In SECOND "Magna Carta Holy Grail" Trailer + Waka Flocka Readies Some Foolishness With "Rapper" Amanda Bynes Posted: 21 Jun 2013 09:52 AM PDT Jay-Z is letting fans in little by little on his new album Magna Carta Holy Grail.  The rapper just released a second trailer for Samsung & his new album, plus Waka Flocka is wilin' by helping Amanda Bynes do a rap album....   In his second trailer for the Magna Carta Holy Grail album, Jay-Z is in the studio with Timbaland working on some hot beats and talking about pushing out 4 more tracks that week.  Jay has teamed up with Samsung to market his new album via an app of the same name as the album.  And the first 1 million people to download the app will cop that LP for free.  Jay says he's ready to change the rules of the internet, and these are the first steps.  Check out the new trailer above.   And speaking of rappers: We're not sure what Waka Flocka is up to other than capitalizing on the publicity the train wreck that is Amanda Bynes is getting, but he's helping chick with a new rap album. Yep, the child star turned teen star turned walking foolywang material Amanda wants to be a rapper. Waka told TMZ that even though the deal isn't signed yet, he's already started writing songs for Amanda and has been in touch with her several times.  He's also producing her album called Shots.  And he says she's not the train wreck she makes us think she is.  Really? "It's going to be crazy hot.....She has it all together to me. She is cool as hell and ready for the rap world. I think she is going to kill the game." Chile...   Photos: Youtube/Waka's Instagram/Amanda's Instagram

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