their eyes were watching

Hill Harper’s newly released book on relationships got a step up on recent competition simply by displaying the actor-author’s adorable face on the cover. (Nothing against Steve Harvey’s looks.)  But it offers more than that. Like the ideal mate, The Conversation: How Black Men and Women Can Build Loving, Trusting Relationships has as much good…

I love Jimi Izrael, and I cannot wait to read his forthcoming book, The Denzel Principle, but I have to take issue with his piece last week titled, “Memo to Black Women: Get Real.” Did I sense a bit of anger or something going on? Let me say this about the line “lose the high ideals and get your…

I agree with Teresa Wiltz’s case regarding the need for more stringent reporting in light of the New York Daily News article by Walter Dawkins about hip-hop pioneer Roxanne Shanté that may not be entirely true. Apparently, this situation is a victory for investigative reporting and a beat-down to shotty journalism. I guess Ben Sheffner…

Back in the ‘90s, when I was a cub reporter for the Chicago Tribune, I had the privilege of being hazed by my very first editor, Jim Gallagher. Gallagher was your serious Old School metro desk editor: Irish-American, New Yorker, chain smoker, a man possessing an exceedingly big voice and an exceedingly short fuse. “Wiltz!”…

Black hair is having its season. The New York Times declared it “still tangled in politics” and my story in Time explored why Michelle Obama’s hair matters. These were against the backdrop of The Michelle Hair Challenge, The Politics of Michelle Obama’s Hair, Beauty, the Brush, and Black Girl Pain, and abundant chatter all over…

The cover of Whitney Houston’s new album has the returning singer looking so fresh-faced and unlined that one might think that one of the perks to surviving Bobby, “crack-is-wack” and an assortment of other tribulations is unfettered access to Botox. Every CD cover photo gets its share of flattering lighting, theatrical makeup and retouching but…

As if we needed any reassurance that times are hard, watch this video of one of our favorite early ‘90s stars. None other than Christopher “Kid” Reid, 45, peddling custom suits at what looks like a knockoff K&G fashion warehouse, SW Suits. And I thought his cameos on Sister, Sister were bad. According to wiki,…

You know how you hear a person’s voice and can instantly tell that it’s a black person? Not because of what they say, but how they say it, all about the tone and inflection. Well, after reading a recent New York Times piece on FOX’s The Cleveland Show, a new cartoon centered on Cleveland Brown,…

Hey Jada, thanks for sharing your thoughts on why Mary J. Blige is still “The One.” But, at the risk of sounding like the resident TEWW hater, I must respectfully disagree. Now, I love Mary as much as the next chick and the song certainly rocked, but the R&B diva is indeed showing her age. It wasn’t the…

Auto Tune, just like all the other fads of ’09—including Rihanna-esque haircuts and reality shows about baby mamas and housewives—was fun at first, but quickly became overdone and just plain pathetic. I enjoyed Kanye West’s all-Auto Tune album, 808s and Heartbreaks. But I draw the line when it begins to help untalented singers trick us…