The Young, Black, and Fabulous

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• MOVIE FAB: Chris Rock And Gabrielle Union Get ENGAGED In "Finally Famous" + Gabby TALKS About Her Man Dwyane Wade & "TLAM 2"
• THE POWER LIST: Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce Knowles & Rihanna Take Over Forbes' 2013 100 MOST POWERFUL Celebrities In the WORLD
• TV FAB: Wale & Idris Elba Heat Up "106 & Park" + Sneak Peek At ASPiRE's New Talk Show "exhale"
• Paula Deen Attempts Image Clean Up On "Today Show"+ Ciara Defends The "N" Word -- "We Can Have Fun About It"
• PERFORMANCE FAB: Elle Varner Kicks Off 2013 BET Awards Weekend In L.A. + Frank Ocean Debuts 3 New Songs In Germany
• VIDEO FAB: Bridget Kelly Drops "Street Dreamin" Vid Ft. Kendrick Lamar + Jay-Z Drops Another "Magna Carta Holy Grail" Promo
• Kanye West's "Yeezus" DEBUTS AT #1, J. Cole LANDS At #2 + NEW PROMO For "The Real"
• GIRL, FOR REAL? Stacey Dash SHOWS Paula Deen SOME LOVE + Kenya Moore BLAMES Landlord's DIVORCE For Eviction Drama
• GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS: Chris Brown's "Club Shoving" Accuser EXPOSED As A FRAUD? Chris CHARGED With "Hit And Run" (Plus Chris Defends Himself)
• Jay-Z, Kevin Durant, Melanie Fiona & More Hit Robinson Cano's Charity Domino Event
• EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Tristan Wilds Gets A New Music Name..."Mack"

MOVIE FAB: Chris Rock And Gabrielle Union Get ENGAGED In "Finally Famous" + Gabby TALKS About Her Man Dwyane Wade & "TLAM 2" Posted: 26 Jun 2013 09:55 AM PDT New deets have emerged about Chris Rock's upcoming film Finally Famous and now we know the very "intimate" role that Gabrielle Union will be playing.  Get the movie details inside and watch Gabby open up about Dwyane Wade, Think Like A Man Too and more...   Taking a page from Tyler Perry's playbook, funnyman Chris Rock has written a new film, Finally Famous, which he also plans to direct and star in. According to The Wrap, Finally Famous focuses on a recovering alcoholic and comedian-turned-film-star who hopes to reinvent himself as a serious actor.  Being Mary Jane star that Gabrielle Union has signed on to play Chris' scheming fiance who hatches a plan to make herself more famous by convincing Chris' character (Andre) to marry her on national television. Rent actress Rosario Dawson will star as a former party girl turned New York Magazine journalist who interviews Andre and forms an attraction to him. Let Me Explain star Kevin Hart will do a cameo as Andre's Ivy-league educated agent who supports the televised wedding, while "RHOH" comedian J.B. Smoove plays Andre's '“security guard-slash-assistant”.  Ha! Rounding out the cast, "The View" co-host Sherri Shepherd was cast as the ex-girlfriend from high school who dreams about what she missed out on.  The film will be produced by Scott Rubin and Eli Bush and starts filming this summer.       In other Gabby news... The Being Mary Jane star stopped by "E! News" last night to promote the July 2 premiere of the BET show and to dish on working with E! News host Terrence J on TLAM 2.  Gabrielle joked that she's been friends with TJ since he first got in the business and that he loves to take his shirt off and show off his pecs!  We can tell... Also, she talked about her relationship with Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade, saying he's the fashionista between the two of them (and that Rachel Zoe is her stylist!).  She also dished on the fun they had after the Miami Heat beat the Spurs and that she'll be traveling to China with him while he works on his shoe collection.  The interview was the first time we've heard Gabby speak about Dwyane since those breakup rumors....which we knew were false.     Photos via  Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images North America

THE POWER LIST: Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce Knowles & Rihanna Take Over Forbes' 2013 100 MOST POWERFUL Celebrities In the WORLD Posted: 26 Jun 2013 08:18 AM PDT Forbes Magazine has ranked the 100 most powerful celebrities in the world in 2013...and Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce, Rihanna and Lady Gaga all took over the rankings.  Girls clearly run the world.  See who else made the list inside...   With a cool $77M in the bank this year (according to Forbes Magazine) media mogul Oprah Winfrey is back on top as the most powerful celebrity in the world. And for those wondering how Forbes calculated its list of most powerful celebrities, the focus shifted beyond finances and looked at the holy grail of how power is defined by pop culture: fame. For Forbes, "fame" equals power measured by "...celebrity earnings over the last 12 months...how often each celebrity is mentioned in print and on TV, and the strength of their Internet presence and how they’re viewed by a critical constituency: American consumers." For those reasons, Beyonce and Rihanna, who've both embarked on successful world tours and have a huge social media following, also rank very high on the list.  And just because you made more cash than someone else, doesn't automatically mean you rank higher than them. As for athletes, LeBron James is joined in the Top 20 by Tiger Woods, who has really bounced back from his nasty divorce and sex scandal from a few years ago.   Here's the top 20, and it's sprinkled with plenty of YBFers! Work! Photo via Larry Busacca/Getty Images North America

TV FAB: Wale & Idris Elba Heat Up "106 & Park" + Sneak Peek At ASPiRE's New Talk Show "exhale" Posted: 26 Jun 2013 07:29 AM PDT Wale is on full on promo this week as his album The Gifted dropped yesterday, so the "Bad" rapper stopped by "106 & Park" last night to chop it up with Bow Wow & Angela Simmons.  Plus, the hosts chatted up Idris Elba.  Check it inside, as well as a sneak peek at ASPiRE's new talk show "exhale".... Rocking his metallic Giuseppe Zanotti Homme Patent Naplak Double Zip Sneakers, Wale made his way to the "106 & Park" stage last night to chill with the youngins.  And he whipped out a performance as well: Folks are saying Wale kicked off a rap-soul era with this new album.  And we'll get to hear his side of that on his documentary dropping soon also called The Gifted.  Check out the first sneak peak below via Revolt TV: And to complete all the sexiness that stopped by "106" last night: Idris Elba popped up to promote his upcoming action flick Pacific Rim.  He chatted up the hosts about his role, and brought the NYC summer heat with him into the studio.  Simply by looking....like this: Mr. Elba dished on his DJ'ing skills and whether there's any truth to him becoming the first black James Bond (he said it's just a rumor...at least for now.) Check out video of his appearance below:     And now that ASPiRE, Magic Johnson's new TV network, is rolling out more new content, their first panel talk show is on the way. It's the network's first original weekly talk series called "exhale." It's hosted by five dynamic African American women - journalist and media maven Angela Burt-Murray; actress and comedian Erin Jackson; director, writer and actress Issa Rae; blogger, author and TV anchor Rene Syler; and actress Malinda Williams. "exhale" is designed to bring honest, entertaining and candid discussion on a wide range of topics affecting African American women. The five hosts are from different generations so they've got different perspectives fields as they get real about family, relationships, career, money, faith and other topics of interest to modern women. Before the eight-episode series premieres Thursday, June 27th at 8:00 p.m. EDT, you can check out a preview above. By the way, after the premiere week, new episodes will debut starting July 10 in its regularly scheduled time slot on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. EDT each week for seven weeks. Will you be watching?   Photos: BET Networks

Paula Deen Attempts Image Clean Up On "Today Show"+ Ciara Defends The "N" Word -- "We Can Have Fun About It" Posted: 26 Jun 2013 06:40 AM PDT Paula Deen appeared on TODAY this morning where she admitted to using the "N" word once decades ago and maintained that she's not a racist. Watch the clip inside and see why pop singer Ciara says "N" word usage is about context and you can have "fun" with it..... Though she bailed on last week's interview, following her firing from the FOOD Network and several embarrassing online videos, Paula Deen sat down for a somewhat tearful (no tears fell but she played the part well) interview on TODAY where she admitted to using the "N" word once, "a world ago" and added, "If there's anyone out there that has never said something that they wish they could take back, then please pick up that stone and throw it at my head…and hit me as hard as you can." She also discussed her childhood, saying,    "I believe that every one of God's creatures was created equal, no matter what church you go to pray. I believe that everyone should be treated equal, and that's the way I was raised. I am here today because I want people to know who I am, and people that have worked beside me, have walked beside, know what kind of person I am." And when asked specifically about the "plantation" wedding and other stories, Paula insinuated that there are many lies being told about her and who she really is.  Well, the plantation dinner party you said would be "cute" because of the black men & women who would play slaves....was indeed in the deposition.  So it wasn't a lie. Here are the rest of the highlights:  On being fired and dropped by several partners: "Would I have fired me? Knowing me? No," she said. "I am so very thankful for the partners I have who believe in me." On if she knew that the "N" word was offensive to Black people: "I don’t know, I have asked myself that so many times," Deen said. "I go into my kitchens and hear what these young people are calling each other...it’s very distressing for me. I think for this problem to be worked on these young people are gonna have to take control and start showing respect for each other." It seems Paula...and many others..don't realize that the issue most people have isn't necessarily the "N-word" usage from 20+ years ago.  It's everything she's said since 2011 that's been caught on video and in writing.  Saying that a plantation party with slaves would be cute and talking about your "dear black friend" by calling him on stage during an interview to make fun of how black his color is....do make you a racist in most people's eyes.  You don't have to rock a white hood or burn crosses in people's lawns to be a "racist."  Insensitivity is just as insulting.  Unfortunately, it doesn't seem Paula understands this....for now.  The NY Post reports that Paula may haved hired Judy Smith, the crisis expert who inspired "Scandal", to guide her through through this debacle.  We'll stayed tuned to see how this works out... Watch the interview here:   And singer Ciara also weighed in on the "N" word.... Singer Ciara dropped by "Access Hollywood Live" yesterday to discuss her upcoming "I'm Out" video with Nicki Minaj, and also to weigh in on one of the most talked about topics in the country, Paula Deen's sh*tstorm.  Host Billy Bush asked Cici how she felt about the word and she said,  "As an entertainer you have fun and it’s all about the context it’s used in. I am an African-American woman, so I can identify with that word in different ways, It’s all about the context and in my case I know I can have fun because I know where I’m coming from with it. You have to be light-hearted and it has to be in a certain way. I cannot hear another person of another race saying, ‘you this’ like ‘you that.’ Again, it’s all about how you say it and what context it’s used in. That word has as much power as you give it. “That word is so old that it references the context of where it comes from. I want to make sure I’m clear about that, it doesn’t mean that same thing that it could have meant years ago, especially when we can have fun about it.” Hmmm.....We understand where Ciara is coming from (based on her age and whimsical way of speaking about things) but we're sure there are still thousands of older Blacks in America who would take issue with her saying you can "have fun about it."  She should ask someone who marched for equal rights and to be treated as an equal human being about "having fun" with it....   SPEAK ON IT....where do you stand on using the "N" word?  And also Paula's actions SINCE the fallout?   Photos via NBC News/Access Hollywood

PERFORMANCE FAB: Elle Varner Kicks Off 2013 BET Awards Weekend In L.A. + Frank Ocean Debuts 3 New Songs In Germany Posted: 26 Jun 2013 05:39 AM PDT Elle Varner rocked out at a Pre-BET Awards Party in L.A. last night. We've got the pics and video, plus how Frank Ocean still keeping folks interested with three new tracks.... Elle Varner set off this weekend's BET Awards at the Savoy Entertainment Center in Inglewood last night.  The cutie rocked out for her fans and had a line wrapped around the corner to get in. Here's a few pics from the "Refill" singer's performance:   Cute.   And over in Germany, Frank Ocean debuted 3 new songs for the crowd.  Looks like he's already wrapping up another album.  And he's giving us a taste of what to expect:   All three songs have a slow-tempo emotional feel.  Can't wait to see the project Frank's putting out next...   Elle Varner Photographer: Nelly Tchayem/EthnoNightlife.com

VIDEO FAB: Bridget Kelly Drops "Street Dreamin" Vid Ft. Kendrick Lamar + Jay-Z Drops Another "Magna Carta Holy Grail" Promo Posted: 25 Jun 2013 07:55 PM PDT   Bridget Kelly just dropped her new video for her newest single "Street Dreamin".  Check out how she and Kendrick Lamar lay back and chill on the streets, plus Jay's newest Magna Carta Holy Grail promo... Bridget Kelly tapped Kendrick Lamar for her Shea Taylor-produced song that will appear on her upcoming solo studio album.  And she trekked it all the way down to Tennessee to catch up with Kendrick while he was on tour, just to shoot the vid. The talented twosome hang out around the train tracks with friends...while each finds someone they want to give a little bit more attention to. Check out how BK and KL street dream below in the Clifton Bell-directed vid:   And Roc Nation seems to be taking over these days.  Bridget Kelly's label head Jay-Z also dropped a video today, and it's yet anothr promo for his upcoming album Magna Carta Holy Grail: We see Hov prepping a track that seems to be called "One To Many".  And we see Hov working his magic with producers Rick Rubin and Swizz Beatz. The release is happening in a little over a week, so expect lots more promo to come....   BONUS: Speaking of music, Rock The Bells rolls into Washington, DC on September 28th & 29th.  And the entire lineup has just been released: Thugs N Harmony | Brother Ali | Chase and Status | Common | Curren$y | Danny Brown | Dilated Peoples | Dizzy Wright | Dom Kennedy | Earl Sweatshirt | Flatbush Zombies | Freeway | Girl Talk | Hit Boy | Hopsin | Immortal Technique | J Cole | Jhene Aiko | Kid Cudi | LeCrae | Mimosa | Prof | Pusah T | Rapsody & 9th Wonder | Ratking | Riff Raff | Sean P | Snow Tha Product | Supernatural | Talib Kweli | Tech N9ne | Tyler the Creator | Wale | Wu Tang Clan Who's going?  Get all the info HERE.

Kanye West's "Yeezus" DEBUTS AT #1, J. Cole LANDS At #2 + NEW PROMO For "The Real" Posted: 25 Jun 2013 03:24 PM PDT It was a great week for music industry sales as Kanye West headed to the top of the pack (as expected) followed by strong showings from J. Cole and Kelly Rowland.  See the chart listing inside and watch an all-new promo of the daytime chat fest "The Real"....   It was a good week for Hip Hop and R&B music as the top four sales slots were all claimed by your faves.  As expected, Kanye West came in strong with Yeezus, finishing at #1 week with 328k in sales. But the sleeper hit of the summer was J. Cole who far surpassed expectations for Born Sinner and moved 297,000 units. Rounding out the top slots, indie rapper Mac Miller took the #3 spot with 101K while Kelly Rowland's promotional tour landed her Talk a Good Game at #4 with 65k.  Not sue why Kel didn't push more than 65K, but oh wells. Check out the full chart here:     And get ready... The anticipated new & diverse daytime talk show is gearing up with major promo.  Beginning July 15th, “The Real,” produced by Telepictures Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution will be available on select FOX-owned stations in New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Phoenix, Houston and Tampa. And the five bold, diverse and outspoken hosts, Tamar Braxton, Loni Love, Adrienne Bailon, Jeannie Mai and Tamera Mowry-Housley are gearing up by being featured in yet another new promo. Watch the fun & foolery you can expect from the show above....   EXTRAS: 1.  "Forever More" singer Puff Johnson succumbs to cervical cancer at age 41.  Story. 2.  Scottie Pippen claims beat down victim spit at him and used "N" word.  Story.   3.  OWN doubles their order of "Tyler Perry's The Haves & The Have Nots."  Story. Photos via AP

GIRL, FOR REAL? Stacey Dash SHOWS Paula Deen SOME LOVE + Kenya Moore BLAMES Landlord's DIVORCE For Eviction Drama Posted: 25 Jun 2013 02:35 PM PDT Stacey Dash is trolling Twitter for attention again, and this time she's showing Paula Deen some love!  See her tweet inside and see why Kenya Moore blames her eviction on her landlord's divorce.     A few months ago, Stacey Dash enraged followers and became a trending topic when she threw her hat in the ring for Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney.  Now, we suspect Stacey wants another dose of attention as she's now showing disgraced Food Network host Paula Deen some love on Twitter!  Amidst Paula's used the "N-word" and other racial slurs, Stacey came to her rescue saying.... Hmmm.....we wonder if Stacey heard the little story about the "cute" plantation wedding?  And if so, how far will she go to get a few Twitter hits.  It seem like she's always cheerleading for the opposition.   And in legal dramas..... We've told you about Kenya Moore's eviction from her Atlanta McMansion and now the "RHOA" is fighting to clear her name.  A source close to the situation released a statement on Kenya's behalf that placed the blame for the eviction on the landlord and her current divorce battle.  The statement read.... The eviction lawsuit has nothing to do with Kenya at all. Kenya has found herself renting from a divorced couple who are in the middle of a bitter battle over support payments. Basically, the wife/landlord wants Kenya to move out of the house immediately because, as you can see from the attached document, she has a court date coming up with her ex-husband where she will be asking for additional support for their daughter and other financial relief. However, the husband is contending that his ex is making a lot of money by having Kenya as a tenant and he does not want to pay her any additional support. The wife wants Kenya out before her court date so she can say she is no longer receiving the big rent checks. Also, Kenya and her lawyer, Marcia Fuller, claim they never received notification of last week's court date and argue that Kenya paid her $3,999 monthly rent in full through June!  So clearly....this ish ain't over since Marcia attended a hearing on June 20 to set a new court date for early July. Now.....we have the court documents of the landlord (Conya Dillon) and her petition for modification of child support!  And from the looks of the papertrail, it seems that Kenya's explanation makes sense.  We'll keep you posted on how this turns out.....     Photos via Getty

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS: Chris Brown's "Club Shoving" Accuser EXPOSED As A FRAUD? Chris CHARGED With "Hit And Run" (Plus Chris Defends Himself) Posted: 25 Jun 2013 01:07 PM PDT As far as lawsuits go, Chris Brown got some good news...and some bad news.  Find out what's going on with his legal situations inside... In a previous story, we told you about Deanna Gines, the young woman who claimed Chris shoved her to the ground at Heat Ultra Lounge, tearing the ligaments in her right knee (according to her police report). Following the "alleged" assault, Deanna went as far as posting pics of her injuries (crutches and all).  But now, things are looking VERY suspicious on Deanna's part. TMZ has obtained footage of Deanna in the parking lot following the "alleged" assault and she's seen putting pressure on her right leg, and limping on her left. Wait.....shouldn't it have been the OTHER way around?  And for whatever reason, she had a cast on her left leg.  When confronted about the "switch" she told TMZ that she hurt her entire lower body and at the time, her left leg hurt MORE than her right. SMH....we call B.S. on that one!  If you're going to fake the funk....at least be consistent! Watch Deanna walking on her "injured" leg here:   Also...sources from the club did AGREE the Deanna hurt herself that night. But they say it was her own fault!  Eyewitness said she stumbled out of the club -- drunk -- and took a fall on her way out. The owner says Chris never touched her.   And now for the bad news....... You'll recall that Chris and Karreuche Tran were involved in a fender bender in May.  Now, according to the website above, the L.A. City Attorney is filing two criminal charges against Chris for hit-and-run:  Leaving the scene without exchanging proper information AND driving without a valid license. If convicted, the crimes are punishable by a maximum of 6 months in jail for each offense. Also, a judge "could" say he violated his parole with the "hit-and-run" and sentence him to 4 years! Chris defended himself of Twitter, saying he took pics at the scene of the accident...AND he has a valid license.  And we can say there are indeed pics of him speaking to the other driver.  Chris made his Twitter header pic the woman's license plate.  And then went on this rant: @tmz is the devil.. Just yesterday you guys were accusing me of assaulting someone( which was false) and now today it's some more bs. He also said:   For now, the case has been sent to the D.A's office and Chris and his legal team can only bite their nails and hope this one goes away quietly. Don't forget, there's still the case of the "mysterious" community service hours that he'll need to handle this summer as well. With all this drama we really want to say just let this man live.  But we'll see what the end results are in this hit & run case...   Photo via Getty

Jay-Z, Kevin Durant, Melanie Fiona & More Hit Robinson Cano's Charity Domino Event Posted: 25 Jun 2013 12:03 PM PDT It's family time for the Roc!  Jay-Z & his new Roc Nation Sports signee, New York Yankees' Robinson Cano, hosted a "Super Heroes" Fundraiser and Domino Tournament last night to support Robsinson's RC24 Foundation.  And we've got the folks who came out to support.   Pics inside... Pro baseballer Robinson Cano brought his superhero friends to the 40/40 Club last night.  And it was all for a good cause.  He and his celeb friends rasied some money through last night's Donimo tournament for his RC24 Foundation.   The latest baller to pledge their allegiance to Roc Nation Sports, Kevin Durant, was on hand to support his new Roc fam. Jay chilled out in some white jeans inside. Jessica White showed off her model figure in a blue catsuit-like jumper by Dani Nichole Designs and pretty pumps. And she kicked it inside with atylist Atiba Newsome. Jay's good friend & Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia was there with his wife Amber.   Roc artist Melanie Fiona was there looking cute and casual.   And Sean Garrett also made an appearance.  Fun times for a good cause!   Photos: Splash/WENN/Atiba's IG/Photographer Rodney Gibson

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Tristan Wilds Gets A New Music Name..."Mack" Posted: 25 Jun 2013 10:07 AM PDT We've always thought he was a major cutie...and majorly talented in the acting arena.  And now, he's breaking changing it up and heading into the music space.  Actor Tristan Wilds is releasing a new album under a new name to match his new 'New Jack Swing' image.     Meet "Mack" Wilds inside... Last night, TheYBF.com joined a select group of New York tastemakers who were treated to the new music styling of actor Tristan Wilds.  But something was a little different.  Actually....everything was different.  From the bandana to the tattoos to the gold jewelry, Tristan, who rose to fame on "90210" and in Red Tails, entered the room as "Mack", a sexy New Jack Swing-inspired crooner.  And he's giving us a new fresh face on the music scene. He's even got folks like Method Man, Ne-Yo and Rico Love supporting the switch up. We chatted exclusively with Mack (we gotta go with the new music name now) during his recent listening party at the NY hotspot Stash.  And he opened up about the name change, how his music has evolved and making the transition from acting to singing.  TheYBF: Why was it important to you to reveal under a different name and it be a surprise? Mack: Mack isn't a different name I've been called Mack since I was a baby. Google "Mack wells" and my name will come up. Mack has always been me, it's my family's name for me Tell what inspired the album. Mack: This album is about summertime and love in summertime, girls I've had and lost. Everything I wrote is real and a lot of girls will be hurt by this. What was the biggest transition from acting to singing? Mack: The biggest transition would have to be timing. Finding time to dedicate to both parts, to both sides. The acting and the music, other than that everything is pretty easy. I've been wanting to do this since I was a kid and you know every time I get in the studio with Salaam it's magic. We see you have Method Man on this album and Ne-Yo wrote some songs.  Who would an ideal feature be for your next album? Mack: Anybody who was willing to sit in the studio together and make things happen...like Kanye. There's a bunch of people I would like to see. Are there any diss tracks on this record? Mack: No diss records, just real talk. Is singing the best way for you to express how you feel? Mack: Yes, yes and writing...the music, making a creation of it and seeing it come alive right before your very eyes. I think that's the biggest buzz for me. Being able to create something that people can relate to later on in life How much of the album did you write yourself? Mack: The majority of it, yeah.    Power 105 radio personality Angela Yee was there to support.    Mack's debut album New York: A Love Story was produced and written By Salaam Remi & Ne-Yo and will be released this fall. Though we've heard Tristan's music before, his new hip hop-fused tracks are sure to open him up to a new audience. And we have to admit, we're loving "Own It."  But tell us if you're feelin' it.  Check it out below...   Photos via Shirley Vernae

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