NBA all-star Carmelo Anthony and his long-time girlfriend LaLa Vazquez invited Essence magazine into their Denver, Colorado home. Jenna Walker of Essence also took photos of the pair's handsome son, Kiyan. I wonder when these two plan to tie the knot?!



Will Smith and his family (wife Jada Pinkett Smith son Jaden and daughter Willow) attended the New York premiere of "The Day The Earth Stood Still." Jaden has a supporting role in the film and he also signed onto to do a modern remake of "The Karate Kid." (The Smith family dressed to keep warm which is a must in this cold NY weather!)

Labels: Box Office Hoopla, Carmelo Anthony, Celeb Offspring, Jada Pinkett Smith, LaLa, Newsstand Snapshots, Will Smith

Jada Pinkett Smith, Ben Stiller, and Chris Rock kept cool in the rain for the UK premiere of their animated film, "Madagascar Escape 2 Africa" at Leicester Square.



"Ugly Betty" actress Vanessa Williams wore a blue and black ensemble to the opening night performance of "Irving Berlin's White Christimas" in New York City.



Christina Milian attended the grand opening of Lucky Strike Lanes & Lounge in Los Angeles over the weekend. Cute L.A.M.B. bag...



Vivica A. Fox (in Nicole Miller) and Meagan Good put on their best camera ready looks at the 12th Annual Miami Gala La Fiesta Espanola.



Gabrielle Union (in Reem Acra), 90210's Lauren London, Beyonce Knowles, and Sanaa Lathan attended the L.A premiere of "Cadillac Records." (And yes that's a wedding ring on Beyonce's finger!) Mrs. Carter wore a black D&G dress and on her feet are jewel-encrusted Brian Atwood heels. "Cadillac Records" opens nationwide on December 5th.



Pink knocked out a great performance of her hit, "So What" on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." She had the Las Vegas crowd on their feet.

Labels: Beyonce Knowles, Box Office Hoopla, Fashion Hoopla, Gabrielle Union, Jada Pinkett Smith, Lauren London, Meagan Good, Music Hoopla, Pink, Sanaa Lathan, TV Hoopla, Vanessa L. Williams, Vivica A Fox

Brandy explained why she lied about her marriage/relationship to music producer Robert Smith for her new interview with Us Weekly magazine. Brandy admitted that she was afraid of how people would judge her and her wholesome image. Brandy and Robert's relationship ended back in 2003 and they share custody of their daughter Sy'Rai.

"I lied because of the fear of what people would think and the pressure to be a good role model," Norwood, 29, reveals to Us Weekly in her first interview on the topic.

"Our relationship was very real, we just weren't legally married," she adds. [US WEEKLY]

Brandy also said that she had a tough time telling her daughter about the situation.

"It was a very tough time, and I still have never talked about it with Sy'rai," says the singer. "I had to be a mother and stay strong for her. I'd cry when she'd go to sleep so she wouldn't see me like that—I had a responsibility to her."[US WEEKLY]

At least Brandy didn't have anything nasty to say about the whole situation. Next up for Brandy is the video release of her new single, "Long Distance" off her album, "Human" due out on December 9th.

Beyonce and Jay-Z (better known these days as Mr. & Mrs. Shawn Carter) were ranked the highest earning celebrity couple by Forbes this year thanks to their combined $162 million salary. (Jay-Z pulled in $82 million while Beyonce made $80 million.) Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith came in at the number two spot with a estimated $85 million combined.



Speaking of Beyonce her pop ballad "Smash Into You" is said to be remake of Jon McLaughlin's "Smack Into You." The song was credit as a Tricky Stewart/The Dream production on her "I Am...Sasha Fierce" album. UPDATE: The song was written for Jon's sophomore album, "Ok Now" according to Neon Limelight. As Jon's bio stressed, "Smack Into You" was played on acoustic guitar to match the melody of The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” and U2’s “With Or Without You." Check out the original called "Smack Into You" on the left and Beyonce's version on the right:

Labels: Beyonce Knowles, Brandy, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jay-Z, Will Smith

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are on the December 2008 cover of "Essence" magazine. The Smiths talked about their long lasting marriage in Hollywood. And I quote Jada: "...People have said to me, 'Oh, you make it look so easy,' and I'm like,'Have you been in a relationship?'"



"Billboard" magazine placed Keyshia Cole on its latest cover. During the interview, Keyshia talked about her upcoming third album, "A Different Me" (out December 18th) and a duet with her close friend Monica called "Trust." The new season of Keyshia's BET reality show, "The Way It Is" airs tomorrow night at 10 PM EST.



On the new album: “The first two albums were more … painful. It’s a different me this time: a young woman who’s still growing and finding myself, exploring life through different routes musically and in other areas. I wrote more about other people’s situations than my own. I’m moving forward.”

Labels: Jada Pinkett Smith, Keyshia Cole, Monica, Music Hoopla, Newsstand Snapshots, Will Smith

The Los Angeles premiere of "Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa" was the ideal family spot this weekend. Chris Rock came along with his family as did Toni Braxton and Will & Jada Pinkett Smith. Fergie was also in attendance to support the musical contributions her fellow Black Eyed Peas member Will.i.am added to the film's soundtrack. In case you missed it, Jada and her daughter Willow appeared on the cover of "Cookie" magazine to talk about their role in Dreamworks' latest animated film.



"Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" opens everywhere on November 7th. Wasn't the first one extremely funny?

Labels: Box Office Hoopla, Chris Rock, Fergie, Jada Pinkett Smith, Toni Braxton, Will Smith

Jada Pinkett Smith and her 8-year-old daughter Willow are on the latest cover of "Cookie" magazine. The mother-daughter duo's acting skills can be seen next in "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa." (Thanks Black Celeb Kids!)



Jada talked about her golden rules of parenting to the family-orientated publication. Isn't it great that Jada and her not gay husband Will Smith have their kids involved with their box office careers?

ON HER GOLDEN RULES OF PARENTING…


EAT AS A FAMILY…“There’s flexibility about when they eat breakfast and lunch, but dinner together is sacred.”
ENLIST HELP… “I’m lucky to have a lot of people in my world who help me” “She [her mother] travels with me all the time, and when I travel and the kids aren’t with me, she stays with them.”
DRINK WATER…“I tell them, ‘You have three bottles of water a day, then drink what you want. I’m always like, ‘Listen, we’ve got to keep our bodies strong—we got too much stuff to do!’ ”
Respect their boundaries… “Staying out of kids’ space can teach them to be responsible for their own decisions and mistakes. Is it their room, or are they borrowing the space while they’re living in your house? If it’s theirs, then they should be able to do whatever they want with it. If it’s their clothes, they have the right to do whatever they want with those clothes. We have to give them some freedom to be who they are.”
CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES… “Who is it going to hurt, really, if she has orange balloon pants on the red carpet?” “I try to stay outside my ego and what I want and to respect them as I expect them to respect me.”
Expose and educate…“We go to church as a family on Sunday, but we study world religion during the week as well. We read excerpts from the Bible, from hindu texts, Kabbalah, Judaism....”

Labels: Celeb Offspring, Jada Pinkett Smith, Newsstand Snapshots

"The Secret Life of Bees" had its Los Angeles premiere last night with Queen Latifah, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tristan Wilds, Dakota Fanning, Nate Parker, and Jennifer Hudson in attendance. (Alicia Keys apparently got left back on the East Coast promoting her current single, "Superwoman.") Jada dropped by to support her "Set It Off" co-star Latifah at the event. Did you know that Will and Latifah also appear together on his show, "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" years ago? The premiere was definitely a reunion of all sorts.



Jada (the new TNT "Time Heals" executive producer) looked fab in a '50s-inspired Oscar De La Renta dress. The film director Gina Prince Bythewood had on a black Badgley Mischka origami dress that looks vaguely like the one Chrisette Michele and Tasha Smith had on recently. Anyone loving that new JHud album as much as I am? I have Jennifer's song, "Invisible" on repeat. Speaking of which check out her performance of "Spotlight" on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" at Toya's World. JHud had on this Tadashi Stretch Taffeta Cocktail dress which cost $340 from SAKS.COM.

Labels: Box Office Hoopla, Fashion Hoopla, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Hudson, Nate Parker, Queen Latifah, Will Smith

Will & Jada supported Jada's younger brother Caleb's latest film role at the L.A premiere of "Lakeview Terrace." Will who produced the film by the way came with his mother Caroline Smith while Kerry Washington arrived solo in a strapless Oscar de la Renta dress. In related news, Will slammed down those persistent Scientology rumors.



Taraji P Henson and Rosario Dawson eere seen at the "Eagle Eye" premiere. Rosario wore a green Prada dress while Taraji had on this Black Halo keyhole ruffle sleeve dress. Check out the film's trailer over at Black Voices Blog.



Photo credits: WIREIMAGE/GETTY/SPLASH

Labels: Box Office Hoopla, Fashion Hoopla, Jada Pinkett Smith, Rosario Dawson, Taraji P. Henson, Will Smith