Quincy Jones, Tyrese Gibson, amongst other celebrities and community leaders hope to keep five million kids in school through an initiative launched by Operation HOPE called 5MK (Five Million Kids).

The launch event, which took place last week, drew the likes of radio personality Devi Dev, hip hop duo Fizz & Boog, Rocsi, Day 26 and others. The day featured panels and workshops for about 1,200 children focusing on the importance of education and financial literacy led by celebrities, government leaders, and education officials.

The initiative is the brainchild of HOPE Founder, Chairman and CEO John Hope Bryant. According to Bryant, “Statistics show that one child in America is dropping out of school every 26 seconds. HOPE believes the drop out epidemic is ultimately a huge drag on the American economy. It is critically important that we change the cultural tide and Make Smart Cool and Sexy.”

Additionally he hopes that this event will be the beginning of major change for teens across America. “At the core of the 5MK is a national campaign to re-brand education in the minds and hearts of young people,” said Bryant. The 5MK initiative will teach five million kids, their parents and teachers how to get rich legally through financial literacy, the language of money, free enterprise capitalism, and ownership.”

To keep up to date on the progress, visit www.5MK.org.

Check out the photos from the launch event below:

via SocietyandStyle.com

After packing out concert arenas around the country and achieving unprecedented success as members of the history-making quartet B2K, J Boog and Lil Fizz are back as a duo. These days they go by “Fizz and Boog” and after a controversial break-up and a five-year hiatus from the industry they are back, closer than ever, and more tactful than before. They started their own label “Popular Entertainment” and their EP, released this week, will give fans a preview of their album entitled “Nightlife” which hits stores in November. The two are putting the past behind them, and moving forward with a more filtered vision of the music industry. They took a break to speak with us about life, music, and relationships.

How does it feel to be back?
Fizz: It feels good. I mean we’re just working, so it’s good to be back on the road but most importantly it feels totally overwhelming seeing that the fans really do still support us—showing up to autograph signings, coming to take a picture or, just being curious to know when the record is coming out… it’s all overwhelming.

It’s been five years since you two have been in the forefront of the music scene, how have you changed since then?
Boog: It’s been five years, a lot has changed in our lives. We got a chance to take a step back and get with our lawyers and get with our accountants and just learn what that whole game is about—stopped being lazy, like not wanting to read things, you know. And then on the music side, we tried to take what was going on in our lives currently and put that into the project. That’s why we titled it “Nightlife” because we’re 23 and 24 years old and it’s kind of like what we’re doing, we’re just having fun right now, living our lives, going out, partying with our friends—living it up.

Do you talk about really personal issues on this album?
Fizz: Definitely, on this album, we really took our time putting it together. So it’s not just party records, you know. It’s more that goes into the nightlife than just the club. So you’ll be able to listen to it from the time you’re walking out the door, to the time you’re walking back in the door from your long night. We have substance records in there. We have a record called “Empty Bottles” which is about getting over a girl that you just lost and, you really don’t know how else to do it, but to drink. And you wake up to empty bottles all over the floor. We got some deep records, and we slow it down a little for the ladies of course. We have this crazy nasty record on there called “Bite the Pillow.”

What is something you’ve learned since the last time you had an album out?
Fizz: Paying attention to the songs you’re recording before you record them so the album still has a concept. I learned that this time where I put the album together with Boog rather than the label [where you're] putting it together and spending time in the studio recording songs which never were completed or made the album. So this time it was a bit different.
Boog: Make sure you speak up on the things you do not really care for as far as things you have recorded, because once they’re out you cant really take them back. This time we were more conscious of that.

When you were out before you had a lot of younger fans and some that were the same age as you but you two have obviously grown up, and those fans you spoke to before have grown, so who is your audience now?
Fizz: I would say definitely a younger audience, but at the same time a more mature side. We’re not trying to grow up too fast. We’re just trying to do us. All the fans that were B2K fans that are now our age will be able to really take heed to this album.
Boog: I think that with the songs that we put on the album and the things we have been through, it will come across in interviews that we have evolved…we’ve been through a lot. This album captures more than the party aspect of [the nightlife], it captures the more mature side of us and things we’ve been through in our relationships that create empty bottles. I know I been through it where I had to take a couple drinks so I wouldn’t have to think—and not call.

Was there ever a point where you thought maybe you wouldn’t put out another album?
Fizz: I think during those years we have been putting this project together there was never a worry or a thought in our head as to when this project was going to come out. It was always a focus of, “Let’s make sure this is right,” so that when we do present it to the world, there won’t be any second guessing.

Did you have more creative freedom with this project?
Fizz: Oh yea definitely, we started our own label, Popular Entertainment, and that’s how this whole project came out about. We wanted to be business men. We wanted to take the backseat and see what was going on in the business field so we started our label. We have a duo act and a kid rapper as well. After putting them through artist development, seeing how it was going and how much time it was really taking we thought, “Man, we gotta launch this label now so we thought what better than to put ourselves out first.
Boog: We did a joint venture with Arsenal Records, which is an independent company and its backed by some really powerful people in the industry, so we figured if we we’re going to go independent, we need to combine our heads with some brains that’s been doing this for a while.

How did you come up with the name Popular Entertainment and what impression do you want people to get from it?
Fizz: We have a really good friend his name is Taj Standsberry, he actually directed our video. When we first started this label which was two years ago, we were sitting down with Taj doing some other business and we were like, “Man, you know what, with everything we got going on together we should start just one big company and put our heads together to see what we come up with.” We have our branding manager who is like really big right now. We have the best internet web designers right now, so Taj just pointed out that we’re like those popular kids that everybody comes to for certain things in those fields, so we should just call ourselves “Popular.” So Taj took Popular Kid, which is the film side of the company and me and Boog got Popular Entertainment which is the music side.
Boog: We want everyone to think when they hear Popular Entertainment not just about the music but know that there’s a film side to it, its total entertainment. We manage actors, actresses everything, photographers, writers screen writers, so when you hear Popular entertainment we want you to think of a company you can come get service from. We’re resourceful, we could help you out with pretty much anything that you need.

Did you two write a majority of the album?
Fizz: Yea, definitely. We collabed with a few artists and producers – 1500 or Nothin, another producer by the name of Jade-O, and another producer Frank E. We have a couple more producers we worked with too but those are the ones we pretty much collabed with.

You two seem to have your hands in quite a few different areas so what can we expect from you in the next year?
Boog: In the next year, we’re putting together a big tour, a US and also a UK tour. So we’re really really just trying to get back on the road so we can get back to hugging our fans and let everybody know that it’s real. That Fizz and Boog are really back. On the flipside though we’re putting together something with MTV like somewhat of a reality show. I can’t go too much into that.

You mentioned on 106 and park, some kind of project that was coming out in reference to the allegations and all the questions the public has, is this connected with that?
Fizz: That’s a secret popular project that’s in the works.

You two have pretty much grown up in show business and were always being watched, how has that affected your ability to grow as an artist and as a person?
Fizz: I think the five year break was good because it gave us a chance to go home and just get a grasp of reality. Being able to grow up again and stay in contact with friends and just be home for a minute. Get a dose of what real life is like. I think that had a lot to do with it.
Boog: It just gave us a chance to get a sense of reality. Bring us back down to earth. Not that we were cocky or arrogant or anything like that but you know how the world of entertainment can be. It can be a tornado or hurricane where you just got so much going on you really can’t get a hold of who you really are. So going back home and being able to kick it with your mom, your dad, your grand parents, your cousins, your friends, it just helps let you know what’s going on in the world because in entertainment you kind of lose sight of what’s really going on in the streets and what people are really feeling and what they’re not feeling. It gave us good research time.

You mentioned that it gave you a chance to get a grasp of reality, what is your reality like?
Fizz: Our reality is pretty much average. When we’re at home that’s what its about its about home, family, our friends our relatives spending time with them but at the same time getting them to understand what it is we have to do in order to support everybody. Within those years we got a chance to experience what its like to be home and give up certain aspects of the business in order to get that relationship back that we needed with our family.

What is something that really shaped your experience being away from the spotlight?
Boog: I could tell a story, about every month–not even every month, like every 3 weeks, you got the mortgage you got the car note, you got the house bills, and that’s the reminder of what it is you need to be doing. Because like Fizz said sometimes our family gets the availability mixed up and we still have to go out there and work. And that reminder on the first is that this is what you need to be doing you gotta get back to work. You gotta keep it going you gotta keep it moving because everything else is going to continue to move and if you don’t keep moving you’re going to get left behind.

Omarion Dropped From Young Money After Only 2 Months

True. Now there is so much out there on you, and on B2K and there are so many rumors it’s hard to differentiate fact from fiction. I know your fans must be equally confused and they want to support and defend you but they don’t know what is going on or what happened or what the truth is. How do you respond to all the “stuff” that’s out there, what would you like to clear up?
Fizz: Fizz and Boog is Fizz and Boog and if you aint hear it from us then it’s not true.
Boog: We also want to send a message to all the B2K fans that want to see a reunion happen and see us go on tour like the four of us, Fizz and Boog are totally with it, we’re not against it. There’s no beef going on with the members of B2K so just keep your eyes open and your ears listening because you just might get what you’re looking for.

Have you spoke with Omarion or Raz-B recently?
Fizz: We keep everything cordial but we aren’t in touch everyday or anything.

Why don’t you two work with Raz-B anymore?
Fizz: We tried and it just didn’t work. Me and Boog been best friends since we were like 12 years old so we are on the same page with everything that we do. Even when we aren’t doing music we’re doing the same thing, running Popular Entertainment, or playing basketball whatever it is. We’re doing it together.

And so the reality show that surfaced a few months back on YouTube is not happening anymore?
Fizz: No, it just didn’t work. But, we have 6 webisodes we are putting out on Myspace two every week. So if you go on the Myspace music page there will be webisodes every week of Me and Boog making this comeback.

If you could go back would you do anything differently?
Boog: I don’t think I would have done anything differently besides having my legal side taken care of a little bit more. I wouldn’t change it at all, sold out venues, black community out supporting something they love, I loved it.

Are there any crazy stories we haven’t heard about from the B2K days?
Fizz: B2K almost went to jail one time. Right after 9/11 we decided to ride the conveyer belt at the airport. And the FDA manager was right on the other side. We had to go through a lot our parents had to write letters to the judge, letters to them. It was crazy. You live and you learn.

Coming back, what are your thoughts on the current state of music and the new artists that have come out since your hiatus?
Boog: I love what’s happening to music. I can’t say that I love the system but I love the artists that are coming out. The artists are more colorful they’re more outspoken, they’re more of themselves than so much of this product that has been packaged to be promoted. I love the Soulja Boys, I love Kanye west, I love Jay-Z. Those are more of the outspoken artists that are just saying how they feel. I believe that that’s where the twitter and the myspace and the facebook come because you can be a little more personal than just screaming at them or catching them at a meet and greet. I feel like with the way we’re all this is going the next thing you know were just going to all be looking at each other. There’s not going to be any texting or typing or anything, its going to be just straight EYE chat. Its crazy but I think its dope I think its good because its giving the fans the opportunity to really decide who they like and who they don’t care for. You get to see people that are genuine and who they say you are and those trying to promote something they are really not.

What advice would you give someone just starting out in music?
Fizz: Definitely stay humble. If it’s your passion, keep at it, don’t ever give up. I tell people all the time, it’s just like sports, like basketball, if you love basketball and you want to go to the NBA you’re going to go outside and shoot the ball and dribble every day. And music is the same, if you love music go in the studio write a song every day keep coming up with concepts keep thinking about who you are and how you can brand yourself. The business is large but there’s a lot of empty space. Its all about branding and getting yourself out there any way you can.

Okay, outside of music, I am sure the females are dying to know, are you single? As they say, the winter time also known as “cuffin’ season” is approaching.
Fizz: I’m single, I don’t know about anybody cuffin’ me but I would like to have a couple of dinners on Thanksgiving.
Boog: We’re married to the music, and always out to mingle, we love the ladies. But the album is entitled Nightlife so how could we resist. Right now I’m looking I’m trying my hardest to stay focused but performing in these clubs performing every night its crazy right now. Its difficult. But I’m available to date. You want to take me out lets go.

Check out their video “Bounce” featured on the Bring it On soundtrack and their upcoming album.

Do you feel like “pretty boys” get a bad wrap?
Fizz: Well I mean you have the people who stereotype who judge but that’s not what you should do. I never judge a book by it’s cover. I definitely get the people that come up to me saying oh I’m sure you talk to a million girls that does happen but you cant really judge.

What qualities do you look for in a female?
Fizz: Intelligence, definitely good hygiene—keep her nails and feet done, her hair done, pretty smile, somebody who can cook, gets along with the family.
Boog: My biggest qualities first is hygiene, and the second is just being able to hold a conversation. I’ve met a lot of women in my life so beautiful is not always the first thing that catces my eye or big butt or big breasts. So that’s what plays the biggest part for me, the brain, like can you sit down and really talk to me.

What’s your biggest turn off?
Fizz: You know what I can’t stand. I hate when people don’t ask and they just snatch my ponytail to see if its real. My hair is real.
Boog: My biggest turn off is when a woman throws herself at me, I’m not really a fan of that because I kind of like to stalk and chase a little bit that’s my biggest turn off. Its cool to approach me and just have general conversation but to throw yourself at me and ask me what I’m doing tonight and can you get my number, stuff like that doesn’t really catch my eye. Because it makes me feel like, ok is that what you do? Like to know who I am and be like—you know what I’d do to you, I’d eat you alive, its like whoa! And your name is!? There’s some guys who look at it like an easy night but for me its like okay is this what you do, I’m not the only celeb that comes in town. I’m a little more conscious of what I do.

What are your thoughts on family?
Fizz: I love my family, my family is hilarious. They never treat me different because of what I do. Especially my mom, I was raised in a single mother household, so she’s been my number one supporter from day one.
Boog: I love my family, my family is who I am, when you see me laughing you see me joking, they’re just where my strength comes from.

Boog, there’s been a bit of speculation out there about whether or not you are a father. Do you have kids?
Boog: Yea, I put in a little work when I got out the group. My daughter is three and my son is two.

How does it feel being a dad and being out in the limelight again?
Boog: Its hard, and that’s why I said when I go back home I get my strength. I get to look in their eyes and you know see what they want to do the things they ask me to do the places they ask me to take them. And that’s what fuels me to come back and get on the road and dance my little legs off. But it’s hard leaving them.

The two embark on their tour on November 11th in Europe. For more information on Fizz and Boog you can visit their official site www.fizzandboog.com or Myspace.com/fizzandboog.

Follow Rhonesha- www.twitter.com/NeshasAgenda

Scandal, sisterhood, and the need for success…Erika Kendrick’s latest novel hits on all three in this tale of a young fabulous actress by the name of Kennedy Lee who should be on top of the world but one bad decision causes a domino effect of even worse decisions. She got the role of a lifetime on one of the top soap operas “America’s Next Sweetheart” but gets dubbed as America’s Next Lush when she lands herself topless on Page Six after a night of celebrating with her girls. The story then takes you on a roller coaster of twists and turns as Kennedy tries to find her way as an actress and save her reputation under the microscope of both her peers and the media. Yet, it seems Kennedy is always at the wrong place at the wrong time and her prince charming is the only one who can pull her out of her mess. Your heart will do flip flops as Kennedy goes through ups and downs with several princes in disguise, even those who are supposed to be off limits. With the support of her best friend Hanna Love, and her sister, she finds the strength to keep going and fight the battle of public scrutiny along with the inner scrutiny of battling an eating disorder. This book is a great read for anyone who lives life in the entertainment industry, or simply wants to gain a fabulous peek at it. So, if you are hungry for a new piece of lit with a fresh voice, check out Appetite by Erika Kendrick…in stores now.

Appetite Book Bash from SocietyandStyle.com on Vimeo.

The other day, I watched an episode of “The Game” that hit close to home. The main character, Melanie, was taking care of a patient who wore lots of wigs to constantly change her look. This patient said to Melanie that she immediately categorized her as soon as she saw her because of her hair. She had the classic side-part under.

Most girls I know sport that typical hair ‘do. But the patient accused Melanie of playing it safe. Her hairstyle screamed “Don’t look at me.” It’s a hairstyle that won’t draw any unnecessary attention to herself.

What do you think? Are you guilty of wearing the side part under because you’re afraid to be noticed?

Check out the breakdown in this clip below. Start it at around 2:10.

An instant message pops up on my screen. I click “accept” and it says: “I miss you.”

I reply: “Lol, miss ya too, what are you doing?”

He says: “Thinking about you, when are we going to get married?”

This might seem a bit exaggerated but sadly, it isn’t. And I can get this message in various forms: text, Facebook, or AIM, and it’s always the same. For some odd reason, guys think that I take them seriously when they say things like this via any form of texting. Straight up, if I do not speak to you on the phone regularly, we are not dating. PERIOD. But most guys these days do not seem to understand that.

It baffles me that so often these days, once a guy gets my number, the first thing he will do is text me. Suppose I do not have a text messaging plan! I wonder if he would assume I was ignoring him instead of just assuming I might not be able to respond without paying for it. I hear complaints all the time from my friends about guys who text too much. They don’t call, but they definitely have no problem Facebook-chatting you, or instant messaging you in some way or form.

Texting vs. Talking (Why Doesn’t He Call?)

With all these methods to get in touch with someone, it just creates even more room for confusion. We do live in a technological world, but for me, dating is still only valid in the most traditional sense. Each form of communication has a certain amount of value to it, and the telephone actually still trumps all.

There’s a ranking system. In my book, phone calls are still the number one form of communication while dating. It doesn’t have to be long, or made into a huge spectacle, but I still need to hear that person’s voice. Next is text messaging. Texting still takes a certain amount of effort on his part. He has to actually pick up his phone, go into his phone book, click my name, and compose the message. This should not be the sole form of communication, but it is definitely okay to use it to let someone know that you are thinking of them.

After this, it gets a bit tricky, but I would actually say an email or a message via Facebook is third. Again, it takes effort on his part, unlike the forms that are next on my list: an instant message on AIM, Gchat, or whatever instant messaging service you use. This can be convenient if both of you are busy people, but frankly, it does not take any type of effort. It is useful and convenient, but it does not substitute actual real conversation. More than likely, if you are chatting with me on AIM or Facebook chat, it’s simply because we both happen to be online at the same time. There’s no effort put into it. There’s no time invested on his part. And Twitter? That’s not even getting ranked. I mean, if a guy just twitters me all day that makes him a weird stalker.

What it comes down to is time. Guys, if you cannot invest the time to pick up the phone to see how a girl’s day is going, how can you expect her to take you seriously? The amount of time spent, in my opinion, equates to how much you actually care. I am a busy person so I am not a fan of long, drawn-out phone conversations, but if the best you can do is tell me you miss me via instant message, that’s the most instant way for me to lose all interest in you completely.

Want to read more of Rhonesha’s musings? Visit SocietyAndStyle.com.

Text sexing can get you in trouble! Here’s how.

Which made me think of another thing that is pointless: voicemail. Honestly, if I see your missed call, I will call you back. The only time it serves any purpose is if you are stating some sort of business, or if you are calling me for the very first time and I have no idea who you are. Voicemails are indeed becoming the equivalent to snail mail. But in all honesty, you might as well send me a letter before leaving me a voicemail.

The first thing I replied to were the BBMs, then the text messages, then I returned a couple of my missed calls, then checked my voicemails. But normally I do not check my voicemail unless it’s a business call. I have visual voicemail, so I can see via text message who left me a voicemail even when I have several missed calls.

Talking to my friends about voicemails, they all say the same thing. They do not check theirs. Sitting in my dorm, I turned around from my laptop and just asked: “Who checks their voicemails?”

Their response included lots of groans and rolled eyes.

“I hate when people leave a voicemail to just call them back, and they don’t leave any type of information,” said 19-year-old Delana. She went on about how much time is wasted logging into her voicemail just to hear such a simple message.

“It’s too much work to call the voicemail number, enter the passcode, and sit there and listen to people not saying anything but to call them back,” added 20-year-old Caprice.

Today, there are countless ways to get in touch with someone. Between e-mails, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, text messages, and BlackBerry Messenger, voicemails are last on my last of things to check. They do not seem urgent enough, and often do not give me any type of information except to call the person back. Plus, I have more than one email account.

There have been lots of articles about “my generation” and how we don’t check our voicemails, and for once, something I read about us is true. This article fro the NY Times cited a study that said that

“91 percent of people under 30 respond to text messages within an hour, and they are four times more likely to respond to texts than to voice messages within minutes, according to a 2008 study for Sprint conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation. Even adults 30 and older are twice as likely to respond within minutes to a text than to a voice message.”

My voicemail is the last thing I want to check, especially when it takes so long to log in and you cannot seem to fast forward that operator voice that goes through the entire introduction of your voicemails: “You have 3 new voice messages, you have 5 saved voice messages. First voice message since today at 3:15 pm….” Most of the time I am sitting there counting the precious seconds passing by. But if that person would have emailed me I would have already be in the process of replying.

It’s funny how, in this day and age, I use my cell phone for everything else except what it should be used for. But oh well, sometimes talk is cheap.

Can you connect the old-school way?

Texting vs. talking: why doesn’t he call?!?!?!

I guess that’s good hair. But I never called it that. That’s my hair. I didn’t learn the term ‘good hair’ until the first grade.

Standing in size order waiting to walk into class on the first day of school the girl behind me kept staring at me. I kept looking around and looking down at my uniform thinking that there was something wrong until finally she spoke: “Can I touch your hair?”

I was never asked that before. Growing up and playing with dolls, they all had hair like me. My mom had hair like me and so did my grandma. I never thought of my hair as something special or unique. Actually, since I was tender-headed, most of the time I thought of it as a pain. My grandmother used to tell me, “if you look at your hair too hard it will tangle up.” And it was true, with naturally curly, thick hair, getting a comb through it was almost impossible without putting in at least three hours of work. Doing my hair was an all-day affair. I longed to just be able to wear it straight like my mommy and have it swish and blow in the wind. But, it was a fleeting thought. I never thought my hair was bad – it was just annoying.

And so while walking up the stairs on the first day of class I was shocked, more than anything, that this little girl just wanted to touch my hair. I wanted to ask her why, but I was new to the school so I just said okay. And she took one of my pigtails and twisted it around like a jump rope. It was a little awkward, and I did not know what to do. As I was standing there and I looked I her I noticed for the first time that her hair did not hang from her barrettes like mine. It did not look like mine either; it looked like if I touched it, it would be coarse. I guess that was “bad” hair, but I only knew it after she said, “I wish my hair was long like yours.” I wanted to say why again, but I didn’t.

After a while, I got used to it. People saying things like: “never cut your hair” and “is that all yours?” The next question is always, “What are you?” I was never fully black to them. My hair could not just be from me, but had to be the result of some exotic mix. Black girls were not supposed to have hair like me, and so I could not be “just black.”

And so, growing up, my hair defined me. I was never the loud girl, or the bad girl, or the funny girl. I was the nice girl with nice hair and good grades. I wasn’t even described darkskin girl or the brownskin girl, as kids often use in their descriptions, until much later. But for a while it seemed like my hair excused even the color of my skin, until we got older and more people had hair like mine, or at least appeared to…

So what defines “good hair” versus “bad hair”? To read the rest of this story, go to SocietyandStyle.com.

See what Chris Rock has to say about good vs bad hair in his new documentary

Suffering from your own hair woes? Ask Kiyah for the Wright advice!

Congrats to Taraji P. Henson and Viola Davis!  These two fabulous women were announced this morning as nominees for best supporting actress at the Academy Awards. Not all of the categories were announced but so far they are the only two black actors nominated.  Taraji has been nominated for her role in the Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Viola for her role in Doubt.

Other actresses up for this category include Penelope Cruz, Amy Adams and Marisa Tomei.

If you missed the nominations here is the rundown of the nominees from some of the top categories:

BEST PICTURE
Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married)
Angelina Jolie (The Changeling)
Melissa Leo (Frozen River)
Meryl Streep (Doubt)
Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road)

ACTOR
Richard Jenkins (The Visitor)
Frank Langella (Frost Nixon)
Sean Penn (Milk)
Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Viola Davis (Doubt)
Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
Amy Adams (Doubt)
Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler)

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin (Milk)
Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt)
Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road)
Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)

DIRECTOR
David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon)
Gus Van Sant (Milk)
Stephen Daldry (The Reader)
Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)

SCREENPLAY
Frozen River
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
Milk
Wall-E

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
The Class (France)
Departures (Japan)
Revanche (Austria)
Waltz With Bashir (Israel)

ANIMATED
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E

Source: EURweb

Anything with the word free in it sounds good to me, combine that with the word make up and I am in heaven. Yes ladies, all of your favorite department stores will be giving away free make up starting January 20th. Certain brands of perfume are included in the deal as well. This applies to high-end brands including Chanel, Christian Dior, Estee Lauder, and Loreal. Each customer is granted one free item from the cosmetics department worth up to $25.

So, where can you find this amazing deal? Below are the list of department stores that are part of the make up give away.

• Bergdorf Goodman

• Bergner’s

• Bloomingdale’s

• Boston Store

• Carson Pirie Scott

• Dillard’s

• Gottschalks

• Herberger’s

• Macy’s

• Neiman Marcus

• Nordstrom

• Parisian

• Saks Fifth Avenue

• Younkers

This is all part of a recent class action settlement involving the make up companies and certain department stores. As a result, $175 million worth of free cosmetics products must be given away, while supplies last, on a first come first serve basis for the entire week starting on January 20th.

For full information on the lawsuit, and participating brands visit the official website: http://www.cosmeticssettlement.com/

Get all dolled up – literally! – with Stila Cosmetics‘ new Barbie-themed collection. In celebration of Barbie’s 50th birthday, Stila and Mattel have teamed up to create a special line of cosmetics featuring the iconic doll.  The limited-edition collection will only be available at Sephora’s Fifth Avenue store and online at Sephora.com.

WWD reports:

The collection features four Decades of Beauty cans, each $40, with a booklet inside describing the beauty and fashion wardrobes for each doll.

1.  Ponytail Doll- celebrates the first Barbie, launched in 1959. It includes a red lipstick called Ponytail, a liquid eyeliner and a three-pan paper-wrapped compact with two eye shadows and a cheek color.

2. Malibu Barbie- which highlights the doll of the same name that launched in 1971, has a pale pink Lip Glaze called Malibu, a black mascara and a compact with two eye shadows and a bronzer.

3. Foxy Doll -which depicts the African-American Barbie launched in 1980, includes a Lip Glaze called Foxy, mascara and a compact with two eye shadows and a cheek color.

4. Jewel Doll- is based on the 2000 Barbie of the same name and includes a bright pink Lip Glaze called Jewel, a Multi-Effect Mascara and a compact with two eye shadows and a cheek color.

In addition to the campaign, Stila will launch a talking pallet with instructions on how to get the Barbie look,  which retails at $40.

Read more about this exciting collaboration and how Barbie will be taking the fashion world by storm this spring here.

With all this talk and hype about Notorious, who is the next up for a biopic? Well, a movie about the life and tragic end of the life and career of R&B singer Aaliyah might be in the works.There are no definite release dates, but it’s rumored that it will be released sometime in 2009. There’s even an unofficial trailer on YouTube:

Now, the question is… who will play the role of Aaliyah? According to reports, Canadian singer Keisha Chante is up for the role. But rumors are still floating about Meagan Good, who has expressed that playing Aaliyah would be her most prized movie roll.

Good said in an interview last year,

“I really, really want to do Aaliyah’s life story; I was a huge fan of hers. I think she’s such a positive role model. She really kind of handled the industry with such class and such respect for herself. Even though there are things that you may have heard, here or there, the way that she handled it and the way that she was… was just so classy and so beautiful.” [Source]

So who do YOU think is fit to play the befallen singer? Let us know!

We are loving the stories of the CW series “The Game” this season. But is it just us, or is there a big of a lack of promotion for this show? With its awkward time slot on Fridays at 8:30, we always only seem to remember that the show is on about 15 minutes after it started. A lot of fans are speculating that they believe the CW is trying to cancel this show. Make sure you set your alarms and timers to remember to watch “The Game” tonight at 8:30.

Check out a promo for the new episode below: