NAACP Image Awards Nominees Announced

Even though there were some bright spots for us BGs and guys at last week’s Golden Globes, our stars will shine even brighter at the 2012 NAACP Awards.

The nominees for the 43rd annual award ceremony honoring achievements in film, TV, music, literature, and writing/directing were announced today.

The Help has a great chance of sweeping the show with eight nominations, including Best Actress.

Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer star in The Help.

While Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer have a chance at taking home a couple awards, the cast from the BET hit series The Game have a shot of making a few touchdowns too. The show was nominated for four awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series.

New mom, Beyonce also earned four nominations from her most recent work: “4.” Hmm…maybe she’ll get lucky with her favorite number and win them all!

Click here for the complete list of nominations.

The NAACP Image Awards will air February 17 at 8pm on NBC. Will you be watching? Have you seen or read The Help?

Brandy and Monica Reunite in Music

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 14 years since Brandy and Monica collaborated with their Grammy-award winning hit, “The Boy Is Mine.” What’s even more difficult to believe is that was the same year I graduated from high school, but who’s counting the years? Anyway, the R&B diva duo is back with a single, “It All Belongs To Me,” which is set to release February 6 on RCA Records. 
The multi-platinum artists worked with Rico Love who wrote and produced the track. The song, which will appear on Monica’s forthcoming album, “New Life” March 6, as well as on Brandy’s yet-to-be-titled release later this spring. 
Will you be listening for this reunited collaboration? Were you a fan of “The Boy Is Mine?”

Beyonce Welcomes Baby Girl Blue Ivy

The princess of hip-hop and R&B royalty has arrived. Beyonce gave birth to baby girl Blue Ivy Carter on Saturday. It is the first child for the superstar singer and her hip-hop mogul husband, Jay-Z who have been married since 2008. Hopefully, the birth their daughter will finally silence the ever-present conspiracy theory chatter about her pregnancy on the blogosphere.

Congratulations to the power couple!

Do you like the name Blue Ivy? Do you think “Ivy” comes from their fascination with the number “IV” or “4” as some blog readers have speculated?

Check out the super cute song proud papa Jay-Z recorded for his glorious bundle of joy here

Love & Basketball

Actress Gabrielle Union and NBA basketball star Dwyane Wade are heating up the February “Love” issue of Essence. The couple have been the center of controversy on countless blogs ever since their romance was rumored to have started while Wade was still married in 2010.

Nonetheless, the exclusive interview should be an interesting read. Be sure to pick up a copy on newsstands January 12th.

The couple tells Essence why they’re in no rush to race to the alter. 

Will you be reading? Do you like them as a couple? 

Tyler Perry’s Doing a ‘Good Deed’

This February, Tyler Perry will attempt to woo moviegoers with his newest film, Good Deeds, starring the filmmaker, Gabrielle Union, and Thandie Newton.

The film will follow the journey of Wesley Deeds, a successful and wealthy businessman, who takes a look into his “perfect” life and discovers that he needs to take action to lead the life that he’s always dreamed.

Check out the trailer:

Will you be heading to your local theater to see this movie? Are you a fan of Tyler Perry films?

News: Brandy Set to Join the Cast of ‘The Game’

Brandy fans will be happy to hear that the R&B superstar is making a comeback to scripted television. The former Moesha star is set to join the cast of The Game as Jason’s (Coby Bell) sassy, bar-tending love interest, Chardonnay, when the new season premieres in January.

The new season of The Game begins Tuesday, January 10, at 10pm ET/PT.

Looks like there’s even more reason to watch the top-rated series!

Will you be tuning into The Game when it returns to BET next month?

Fall TV is Back!

It’s that time again – the new fall TV lineup is headed for a flat screen near you. Although it’s still not clear whether or not The Game will be picked up by BET, the rumblings on various internet outlets have given us who loved the show hope.

While we wait to find out if our beloved characters, Derwin and Melanie (The Game) will return, here are three new shows that will be worth watching!


Brothers

Synopsis: A comedy about a former NFL hot shot who learns that even though you can always go home again, doing so might be more difficult than you think.

Starring: Michael Strahan, Darryl “Chill” Mitchell, Carl Weathers, and CCH Pounder

Air Date: Fridays beginning Sept. 25th 8:30 (EST), Fox


The Cleveland Show

Synopsis: A new animated series that follows everyone’s favorite soft-spoken neighbor, Cleveland Brown (Mike Henry), to his hometown in Virginia as he settles down with his high school sweetheart, her unruly kids and his own 14-year-old son, Cleveland Jr. (Kevin Michael Richardson).

Starring: Sanaa Lathan, Reagan Gomez-Preston, and Kevin Michael Richardson

Air Date: Sundays begining Sept. 23rd (8:30pm EST), Fox


The Brian McKnight Show

Synopsis: A syndicated weekly one-hour entertainment showcase. Brian will play host to celebrity interviews, round table discussions and musical performances. Shot at various locations in and around Los Angeles, the series will allow audiences to enjoy a view of the entertainment capital of the world.

Air Date: Debuting the week of September 21st (Check local listings for stations and times), Litton Entertainment

For those reality TV buffs like me, the return of America’s Next Top Model and So You Think You Can Dance will also return this month.

America’s Next Top Model

Synopsis: This season all of the aspiring models are between 5’3” and 5’7” – not exactly runway height, but we’ll see how these shorties stack up.

Air Date: Wednesdays beginning September 9th (8 EST), The CW

What shows are you looking forward to watching this season? Are you a reality TV, comedy or drama fan?