Mashonda Loyal

ENTERTAINMENT

Those who watched VH1’s "Love and Hip Hop" reunion earlier this week, may have noticed that one particular cast member was missing. In fact, Mashonda was barely mentioned, if at all. 

The popular reality TV show has been picked up for a second season, but the R&B singer says she has no plans to return. Find out what else she had to say about her co-workers, love and music in this Q&A interview.

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Q&A w/ Mashonda

Q: You went through a very public break up with your ex-husband super producer Swizz Beats (who is now married to Alicia Keys). What have you learned from that experience?

A: "That there’s light, and there’s a lot of growth once you learn how to let go of all the emotions and the negativity and you start focusing on yourself and who you want to be in that next chapter of your life, everything works out."

Q: What are some of the warning signs that a woman should never ignore that may indicate that her relationship is in trouble or that her man is stepping out?

"Definitely pay attention. I am a victim of ignoring warning signs myself. If you feel like you constantly have to worry about what he’s doing, where he’s at or who’s calling his phone, those are signs. A real true relationship is not about that. It’s about trust and honest communication. Like I said, it’s just a flow. If you keep dealing with the females calling and the not coming home at night, those are clear signs and you need to really know how to move forward afterwards."

Q: What advice do you give women who are seeking love?

"They need to seek self-love first. You can’t really enjoy love with somebody else, if you are not in love with yourself. So, it’s really important to just take time out and get to know yourself, know what you want to do and how you want to live the rest of your life and then let love come to you. Don’t really go looking for it. Let things to happen they way they are supposed to and just go with the flow."

Q: So what’s going on with you and the show?

"The show is about to end. The season is about to be over. On Monday, the last episode is airing on VH1. I’m probably doing a different show. I’m not going to be doing season 2. I will probably be doing something else."

Q: This season, Chrissy proposed to her boyfriend rapper Jim Jones. She bought him a ring and everything. What did you think about that?

"It’s not my cup of tea, but I don’t knock what anybody… You know, everybody has their own thing, but I honestly feel it’s something that a man should do. And women should not seek after it. There are so many things that we could be doing instead of wanting marriage. If it’s going to happen, let him do that."

Q: Can we expect any new music from you anytime soon?

"I’m working on some music. I have new music coming out. My album is Mashonda Loyal. The single will be out in summer. Expect new music this summer."

Q: How can your fans keep up with you?

"I also have a website called Mashonda Loyal that you can go to and always get updates on me. If you go to the website, you can also hear my new music there. You can also follow me on Twitter @MashondaLoyal, so everything is Mashonda Loyal."

Wanted: 'The Cheating Curve' by Paula T. Renfroe

southern CULTURE

This book, written by Paula T. Renfroe, Editor-in-Chief of Juicy magazine, looks juicy. Complex magazine's Mary HK Choi called it "addictive" and Booklist said, "this steamy and engaging plot explores sex, family, parenting, and infidelity in a story that is realistic and entertaining."

The Cheating Curve is a story about two friends coming clean about infidelity. What they learn changes everything.

Exerpts:

"There is in fact a cheating curve - rules of fidelity that we bend depending on the caliber of the man, how much we have vested, and, quite frankly, exactly how much bull**** we're willing to put up with...."

"There's no such thing as a powerful monogamous man."

"I'm not okay with just good sex, I want great, mind-blowing, turn me out sex, And quite honestly, I want that more than kids."

The Cheating Curve is available online and at bookstores nationwide.

Cathy Hughes helping black entrepreneurs

NEWS

Media mogul Cathy Hughes founded Radio One over thirty years ago with the help of a Small Business Administration loan. Today, Hughes is teaming up with the SBA to help other  minorities achieve their entrepreneurial dreams.

In a 2008 study co-sponsored by Radio One, the majority of participants between the ages of 18 and 30 said they wanted to be entrepreneurs.

"The hip-hop generation believes in education, but not ... that you need a good education in order to get a good job," Hughes is quoted as saying at a recent White House reporters' roundtable. "They want a good education in order to work for themselves and to start their own businesses."

Speaking as chair of the SBA’s newly created Council on Underserved Communities, Hughes says that the latest initiatives from the agency are designed to help burgeoning minority entrepreneurs and strengthen businesses in underserved communities.

According to a 2011 U.S. Census Bureau report, from 2002 to 2007, black-owned businesses grew at a rate of 60.6 percent -- more than three times the national average.

Despite the growth, African Americans still face serious obstacles to accessing capital. Studies show black-owned businesses are more likely to be denied loans, but it’s not just a black thing. In the current economy, banks are slower to loan to anybody.

Arguing that many aspiring entrepreneurs also don't have the know-how to successfully start a company, Hughes stressed that the SBA is more than just a loan agency; it also offers counseling and technical assistance.

"It's one thing to want to go into business, but that doesn't mean that you know how to run a business," Hughes said. "So often, there are services and programs available at the SBA that the individuals don't even know exist."

Sugar Ray says he was sexually abused

southern NEWS

Qcitymetro.com is reporting that former boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard is claiming that when he was a teenaged boy a “prominent” Olympic coach sexually abused him.

Leonard makes the claim in his upcoming autobiography, "The Big Fight: My Life In and Out of the Ring."

Leonard, now 55, said he was first assaulted by the unnamed coach when he was 15 years old. Leonard said that after being haunted for years by the ordeal, he decided to reveal it in the hopes of furthering his own healing process.

"I realized I would never be free unless I revealed the whole truth, no matter how much it hurt," he wrote.

WANTED: Dior "Temptation" Bootie

southern SHOPPING 

Dior Temptation Bootie
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Jimmy Choo Cosmic
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Jessica Simpson Colie
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Guess who's peeping in my window...

southern ENTERTAINMENT

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When tennis star Serena Williams posted this picture as her avatar on Twitter, it sparked a little controversy. At any other time, it may have just been dismissed as another sexy photo of the celebrity, but it took on another meaning since a man was just arrested last week for allegedly stalking Serena. 

A 40-year old South Florida man was charged with using the tennis star's Twitter updates to stalk her in various locations.

The image suggests that the viewer is peeping through a window while Serena stands wearing nothing more than a pair of panties, a bra and some high heels.  She is gazing in another direction as if she is unaware that she is being watched.

The avatar was on her page less than 24 hours, but it did not go unnoticed by national sports news columnist Greg Couch. In a blog post he wrote:

“Williams has masterfully branded herself, now as a celebrity tennis player and not a tennis playing celebrity. The brand is to sell sex now, with tennis as an afterthought, if that.”

Eddie Long case going to trial

southern NEWS

A judge in the Bishop Eddie Long said settlement talks have stalled and the case is being scheduled for trial in late summer, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting.

It had been previously reported that Long and his four accusers where close to a resolution.

Around Easter, State Court Judge Johnny Panos indicated that the two parties were in the process of working out the minor details of a settlement, says the AJC.

Long, the pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, is being accused of sexual coercion

CMPD Police Chief at center of lawsuit

southern NEWS

Jackson

Two women, who say they were sexually assaulted by former Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Marcus Jackson, have filed a lawsuit alleging that Police Chief Rodney Monroe was negligent in his supervision and retention of Jackson.

The women accuse Monroe of intervening to prevent Jackson from being fired after he broke other department rules months before the sexual assaults occurred, according to the lawsuit.

The women claim they were assaulted by Jackson during traffic stops.

A federal court judge will be sorting out the case. In February, the women sued in N.C. Superior Court after settlement negotiations with the city fell apart.

Other cases brought against the city and Jackson have been settled without going to trial. The city has spent more than $617,000 to defend and settle four other claims. Jackson is currently serving a two-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in December to sexually assaulting six women while on duty in 2009.

The Charlotte Observer contributed to this report.

I'm a Diva!!

southern STYLE

Get Kimora’s look with these beauty tips:

• The Mane Thing: See your stylist for the longest, sleekest, silkiest, sew-in you can afford with at least 20” or more of JET black hair.

• Bronze Goddess: Apply bronzer, a hint of blush and some super shiny lipgloss. Line your eyes with heavy black eyeliner and apply a couple coats of mascara. Use a shimmery eyeshadow. For color, select nudes or gold tones.

• Go Big or Go Home: Accessorize with a giant hobo bag with more casual outfits, or a tiny clutch with fancier outfits. Wear big diamonds in all your jewelry, even if they're fake. Pull your long hair up with colored barrettes and wear giant, dark sunglasses--the bigger the better.

Wear heels with everything!!



MUST-HAVES 

 



A pair of oversized sunglasses

A ceramic flat iron

Lip gloss

A designer bag

Black or white jacket

A camera

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KLS style...

  At 6 feet tall, it is hard for fashion model turned super mogul Kimora Lee Simmons to go unnoticed. Her larger than life attitude and style also command attention....

At 36, the mother of three has established herself as an author, successful business woman, and fashion designer. She is now adding a skin care line to her empire and has many other projects in the works. Staying true to her brand, Kimora does it all while maintaining her fabulosity.

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The Bentley driving diva does not shy away from being over the top. Whatever she does, she does it big. Her style is big and bold. She likes bright colors and flashy jewelry - diamonds preferably.

 

Kimora is a Hello Kitty fanatic. She's a girlie girl. Her favorite color is pink.

She wears her hair jet black and half down her back. She likes it long and straight or in big loose curls.

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These days, Kimora is sporting a new slimmer physique, which she credits to exercise and better dieting.

There was speculation about her weight loss, and she fired back on her blog calling the rumors ridiculous.

She went from loving Red Lobster to enjoying a rice recipe her husband the fine Dijimon Hanson shared with her.
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Kimora is releasing her sixth fragrance called Luv Me by KLS and is launching Shinto Clinical, a skin care line.
Her reality show “Life in the Fab Lane”, which is prepping for season five.

'I don't even like black girls'

NFL player Albert Haynesworth raised eyebrows when it was reported that he alledgedly told Washington, D.C. detectives that he doesn't like black women. Haynesworth was defending himself against an African American waitress who alleges the Redskins' defensive tackle fondled her breast after placing his debit card down her bra.

When questioned about the incident, detectives stated that Haynesworth told them the woman is making up the accusations because she was upset that he had a white girlfriend.

He is quoted as saying, “She was trying to get with me,” and “I don’t even like black girls.”

The woman who is a waitress said the incident, which occured in February, happened when Haynesworth was paying his tab. He has been indicted on a charge of misdemeanor sexual abuse according to documents filed in D.C. Superior Court.

In court papers and a letter to Haynesworth’s attorney, A. Scott Bolden, prosecutors offered to dismiss the sexual abuse charge associated with the alleged incident if Haynesworth pleads guilty to simple assault. Bolden said his client is innocent and has no plans to accept the plea.

If convicted, Haynesworth could face up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine

Al Qaeda planned attack on U.S. railways

Information taken from Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan indicates that al Qaeda was planning attacks on a handful of U.S. cities, timed to significant dates, a U.S. official said.

The plot involved derailing trains in the United States by placing obstructions on tracks over bridges and valleys. It was to be executed later this year, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks.

Material gathered from the same compound also suggests that al Qaeda was particularly interested in striking Washington, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, according to the official. U.S. authorities have found that al Qaeda appears especially interested in striking on significant dates like July 4, Christmas and the opening day of the United Nations.