Black Man Black Woman

Tag: Celebrity

  • Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth: Reuniting with Donald Trump For All-New Dating Show

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    With the winter season steadily approaching, many hopeless romantics are prepping their fire wood in anticipation of quality time with loved ones. All of which leads to one particular reality star who is currently on the hunt for new love.

    Former ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ finalist Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth is set to reunite and partner with real estate/reality TV tycoon Donald J. Trump for an all-new TV One reality dating series aptly titled ‘Omarosa’s Ultimate Merger.’

    The Youngstown, Ohio native will attempt to find a new flame by putting 12 successful eligible bachelors through an array of challenges to test each man’s business acumen, seductive strengths, and their true intentions to dating her.

    “Omarosa was a great personality on the ‘Apprentice’ that was watched by over 40 million people as it became the #1 show on TV,” Trump said. “Omarosa is smart, witty, and difficult, but all of these qualities will make for some very interesting entertainment.”

    “I am very excited to partner with the great Comcast Corporation and TV One,” he continued. “They really stepped up to the plate to do this deal. TV One is making a huge impression on the cable landscape with this tremendous new show.”

    Not one to shy away from the cameras, viewers can expect the famous billionaire turned entertainment mogul to make special appearances on the show to offer advice on who should get the boot.

    Show producers were very fixed on creating a distinctive dating show for prime time television, in addition to scaling to the network’s “cable budget.”

    “The challenge was coming up with not just your typical dating show,” said Executive Producer Robert Horowitz. “This is the biggest show TV One has done in the relationship space. The challenge womarosaas creating a prime time-style relationship series on a cable budget.”

    “Omarosa is known for her drive to succeed and her take-no-prisoners attitude, and watching her use these qualities in her love life will make for great TV,” he added.

    ‘Omarosa’s Ultimate Merger’ is currently being shot at Las Vegas’ Trump International Hotel and Tower. The show is tentatively scheduled to next spring.

     

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  • Fighter Pat Barry Wins Big Purse Right Before Being Homeless

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    UFC fighter Pat Barry was thanking his lucky stars for his big win against Antoni Hardonk. The fighter won a $120,000 purse for his accomplishment, which was right on time given that he was literally six days away from being evicted from his apartment. Barry’s win was emotional for obvious reasons and nearly everyone in his camp was in shock to hear about his financial situation. What is saddest is that his challenges are not uncommon among fighters in general.

    Although Pat Barry hasn’t had the chance to earn millions, many major fighters end up going broke even after their gravy trains have stopped flowing. The outcomes don’t make any sense, given that a bit of financial discipline could have made all the difference in the world. When you earn as much as $10 – $20 million dollars in a payday, you can live a pretty wild financial life and still have money to save. Instead, some athletes seem to want to push the limits and it’s actually uncommon to hear of any boxer who DOESN’T end up in the poor house.

    Here are a list of financial demons that plague fighters when they finally hit the big time:

    1) The bling: For some reason, athletes and entertainers are expected to live an incredibly extravagant lifestyle. Mike Tyson employed over 200 people and spent millions on items too ridiculous to mention. What’s worse is that Mike Tyson actually owed as much as $38 million dollars at one point. Evander Holyfield’s $10 million dollar, 54,000 square foot mansion was put on the auction block last year after foreclosure. Many athletes go into debt because they are banking on their next payday to get them out of the new financial holes they keep digging for themselves.

    2) Bad relationships: Divorce is a great way to go broke. Before Muhammad Ali married his third wife, Lonnie, his previous wife divorced him and took his last $2 million dollars right before Muhammad’s career ended with Parkinson’s disease. It was at that point when he found himself broke and unable to earn additional income. Fortunately, a good woman came into his life and used her MBA from UCLA to liquidate the massive financial value from his brand name. So, as much as black male athletes can be ruined by women, they can also be saved by them. However, a long string of baby’s mamas, bad marriages, draining relatives and expensive arm candy can cost an athlete dearly.

    3) The IRS: The IRS is sneaky and has led to the financial demise of many celebs. Even honest, hard working Americans can fall prey to the demon of back taxes. Joe Louis was one great example of a man who made a great deal of money, but found out years later that he owed tax money to the IRS. For the rest of his career, he would wander from one fight to another, with IRS agents waiting in the back room to take the entire purse after the fight. While his career was a great one, he was not a happy man in old age.

    4) A lack of education: A lack of money management ability and inadequate financial literacy plagues many wealthy entertainers and athletes. Growing up in poverty doesn’t exactly endow you with an extensive understanding of trust funds, estate planning, stocks and bonds. One of the great tragedies for NFL and NBA athletes is that many of them attend universities that simply hand the athlete a degree without forcing the athlete to get an education. But there is an old saying that “a fool and his money will soon part ways.” Even if you are incredibly wealthy, you have simply made yourself into a sucker for those who are smart enough to take that money from you.

    5) The leaches: The easiest way to get a pack of new friends is to have a lot of money. In addition to the friends who suddenly find you to be a fascinating human being, you’ve got managers, lawyers, agents, homeboys and baby’s mamas who want their cut. It is not uncommon for a celebrity to have to give away as much as $700,000 out of every million dollars he/she earns. Everybody wants a piece of your pie until you are down and out; at that point, you become yesterday’s news.

    I don’t think that any athlete should live like a miser, that’s no fun. Instead, why not simply save 20% of your income and party with the rest? That would give you a nest egg for retirement and allow you to pay the bills after you’ve fought your last fight. What’s saddest is that every boxer says they are going to retire young and none of them ever do. It’s time to stop living the same story over and over again.

    Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of the book, “Black American Money.” To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

     

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  • Grindettes: My Kick Game is Nice

    Posted by: PiperMckei

    Im so excited for the Spring 2010 collection from Alexander McQueen. The shoes are out of this world and celebrity stylist June Ambrose has been spotted wearing them already! They are called the “Monster Shoe” Peep the pictures below

                            
                            
                          
                           
      
    June Ambrose in the “Monster Shoe” by Alexander McQueen
    She is the 1ST Sighting…Im sure there will be more sightings to come
                    

  • Talent Agent Uses Perseverance, Savvy to Represent Hollywood’s Elite

    Tracy Christian not only represents a talented client list which includes celebrity entertainers like actors Michael Kenneth Williams, from HBO’s “The Wire,” former “Cosby” kid Lisa Bonet, and rapper/actor Busta Rhymes, but she considers them family.

  • Dr Boyce: Dr King’s Kids Fighting Over Money – What We Can Learn

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    Most of us know about Dr. Martin Luther King’s childrens’ fight over money. We are all saddened and disappointed that it has come to this, but this shows that the family is human like the rest of us. But there are things all of us can learn from this dispute when it comes to leaving money for your children.The dispute between the kids is now resolved, but that doesn’t mean that the teachable moment has ended. The video below breaks it all down in our Dr. Boyce Web Chat. Enjoy!

    Dr Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of the forthcoming book, “Black American Money.” To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. To follow Dr Boyce on Twitter, please click here.

     

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  • Eddie Griffin: Going for Broke – and Getting There

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    I had a lot of fun watching the new Vh-1 show, “Going for Broke,” starring comedian Eddie Griffin. Griffin is one of the funniest comics in America, the comedian that Chris Tucker could have been (if he would simply stop disappearing between Jackie Chan movies).

    On the show, Griffin gives insight into his personal life, which is both intriguing and disturbing. The show is called “Going for Broke” for a reason, because Eddie just might actually get there.
    Here are some reasons that Eddie Griffin might actually become the broke celebrity that he is trying to become:

    1) He spends like a damn fool. One of the easiest traps for an entertainer to fall into is the “infinite money trap.” That’s when the person thinks that they’ve got an endless supply of cash, giving them ability to spend whatever they want on whatever they want. Apparently Eddie may have fallen into this trap, since his Bentley was being repossessed in an early episode of the show. Eddie’s conversation with his accountant was also revealing, as the words “all the accounts are empty” seemed to strike him hard. With all the success that Eddie Griffin has had, it is difficult to imagine that he would be completely broke. But the truth is that this kind of thing happens all the time.

    2) Can you say “8 kids and 4 baby’s mamas”? Eddie’s mother was right when she mentioned that any new potential “baby mamas” were looking to “get on the “Eddie Griffin financial plan.” What Eddie also seems to forget is that even if you are well to do, child support is a horrible financial burden. There are ways to be involved in the lives of children without giving up all your money in order to do so.

    3) He seems to put himself into bad situations. The first episode I saw showed scenes of Eddie going to a plastic surgeon after having a champagne glass smashed against his face by a “fan.” I’ve honestly got a few fans, but I don’t think any of them would want to slam a glass against my face. Maybe he should change the word “fan” to “hater,” “enemy,” or “potential threat.” Either way, Eddie seemed to feel that his life was somehow cursed with bad energy. Instead, he might take a second to realize that his personal choices might be the reasons he is being put into such peculiar situations.

    When it comes to Eddie Griffin and his new show, the bottom line is this: If you think that Eddie is now doing fine because he has a new Vh-1 show, think again. The networks don’t pay the entertainers much to do these shows, and the shows don’t usually last for a very long time. Also, unless you’re Bill Gates, you can’t presume that you’ve got a seemingly endless supply of disposable income. The fact that Eddie didn’t know he was out of money implies that he probably doesn’t keep a budget, which is one of the first paths toward financial ruin. Given that one of Eddie’s predecessors, Red Foxx, died deeply in debt to the IRS, one would hope that Eddie doesn’t endure that same fate. Eddie’s my man, funny as hell, but he’s really got to get it together.

    Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University, a leading black speaker and author of the forthcoming book, “Black American Money.” To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

     

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  • Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian Get Married: 5 Questions I’d Like to Ask

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    Today, we are going to use an interesting story in black celebrity news to teach a short lesson called “How NOT to make major life decisions.” Let’s start the conversation, shall we?

    NBA Star Lamar Odom has decided to marry Khloe Kardashian, whose sister Kim usually takes up all the family spotlight. The story goes that Khloe was hosting a “Welcome to LA Party” for new Laker, Ron Artest. Khloe allegedly ran the bill up to $3,000 and Lamar agreed to pay it. Could four weeks of love be built on a more stable foundation than money? The wedding ceremony was, in many ways, a fairytale: Celebrities everywhere, a triple arch of white roses, a serenade by the singer Babyface taking place at a private home in Beverly Hills. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire would be proud.

    But after the last piece of cake has been eaten and the wild honeymoon lovemaking is over, Lamar and Khloe then have to confront the reality of their choice. Based on what I’ve read, I’d be willing to bet a pair of Air Jordans that their marriage doesn’t last 3 years. I’d hate to rain on anyone’s romantic parade, but we’ve got to be honest when it comes to choices like this.

    Here are some questions I’d love to ask Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian:1) You’ve been dating for just a month? Are you serious? Love is a tricky thing. Most of us have been fooled by the first few weeks of a new relationship, thinking that Mr/Mrs. Right Now was Mr./Mrs. Now and Forever. There is scientific evidence that the chemical reactions in your brain during the lovemaking process are similar to mild injections of cocaine, which explains irrational behavior during the beginning and end of relationships. I don’t doubt that Lamar and Khloe are in love, but most of us know that the first month of a relationship makes it difficult to distinguish between being “in love” and being “in lust.” Why sign a legal contract until you’re completely sure?

    2) What’s up with the prenup? You DO have a prenup don’t you? I can define the word “prenup” with the following sentence: Four years, $32 million dollars. Yes, that’s the size of Lamar’s latest contract with the Lakers, and the reason I hope this 29-year old has protected his assets. Sure, Khloe’s family isn’t struggling either, but I presume that Lamar has taken the time to protect his wealth. If he hasn’t, then he deserves whatever happens as a consequence.

    3) Baby rumors anyone? After hearing that Khloe might be pregnant, some of this started to make sense. I presume that the baby belongs to Lamar, since Khloe doesn’t exactly look like she’s been carrying anybody’s baby for longer than a month. Lamar also has some baby mama drama of his own, with the children he created in a prior marriage. If you ever want a recipe for massive financial strain, try getting married too quickly and having a bunch of children in the process. It takes a few minutes to make a baby, but the child support can last a lifetime. We might be tempted to think that Lamar’s massive wealth makes child support a breeze, but the problem is that the more you earn, the more they make you pay. There’s nothing more difficult than being an ex-NBA player still paying NBA-level child support.

    4) What about your other kids Mr. Odom? When asked about the wedding, Liza Morales, Lamar’s ex-wife, sounded as if she were trying to survive a terrorist attack or a death in the family. According to TMZ, Odom’s ex-wife had this to say:

    “Yes, the circumstances over the last few weeks have been upsetting but none of my actions publicly or from the privacy of my home could be classified as a meltdown. I have maintained a brave face for my children who are my main concern and I remain strong for them.” She went on to say she has “the support of my family and friends and Lamar’s family have been nothing but supportive of me and the kids during this difficult time. I wish Lamar nothing but happiness we all deserve to be happy.”

    What’s also interesting is that Lamar’s other kids didn’t come to the wedding. I wonder if Khloe can smell the ensuing drama?

    OK, now that we’ve used Lamar and Khloe’s situation as our case study on how NOT to make major life choices, let’s find our true teachable moments (you know I don’t just do celebrity stuff unless there is a lesson in there somewhere):

    The bottom line is this: Marriage is a serious decision, not something that should leave you focused on the elegance of the ceremony or the romance of being able to pick out bridal gowns. Some of us get so excited about the idea of having marital legitimacy that we forget the fundamental truth that LOVING together means LIVING together. If you haven’t known someone long enough to be sure you can live with them, then you probably don’t know if you can ever truly love them.

    Secondly, we must be aware of the drug of lust, in which the chemical highs of sex can lead us to make damaging life choices. Many a celebrity has been left financially devastated by poor relationship choices in their 20s and 30s. Finally, if people have lives as complicated as Khloe and Lamar, at least a year of study is necessary to figure out if they can cope with all the complex externalities of each other’s personal lives: baby mama drama, professional issues, addictions, financial habits, etc. If you marry someone after a month and find out later that they have serious problems you can’t deal with, you only have yourself to blame.

    This is not just a lesson for Khloe and Lamar, but a lesson for all of us. If you claim that you never made mistakes when you were young and in love, then you are probably just a big ol liar.

    Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of “Financial Lovemaking 101: Merging Assets with Your Partner in Ways that Feel Good.” To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

     

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