A few pics from Zim!

I'm having a blast in Zimbabwe!

Look Of the Day- Jennifer Hudson

Weight Watcher's spokesperson Jennifer Hudson is clearly still holding on to that svelte shape of her's! Sh looks great! The Mom of one showed off that hard-earned bod Monday at an N.Y.C. event celebrating Weight Watchers' 50th anniversary.

EXCLUSIVE Video: Backstage with Freshlyground at the Apollo!

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the Africa Now Festival at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem. The weekend festival was BEYOND brilliant friends, I had such a great time seeing all the acts. The show was hosted by celeb chef Marcus Samuelsson and featured performances from Ghanaian hip-hop star Blitz the Ambassador; the Cape Town-based, multi-racial septet Freshlyground; internationally renowned singer Lokua Kanza;and Nigerian-German hip-hop/soul songstress Nneka.

Now this footage will air on Africa Magic's hit show StarGist within the next few weeks but before you see it anywhere you can see it on my blog! Check the video below for an EXCLUSIVE brief recap of the Festival! 

A Blue Ivy sighting? Color me excited!

Ahhh now this is a great pic of Blue Ivy! We've often seen her shielded under blankets but now we FINALLY get to see her full face. How cute? Blue and her Momma were spotted out and about in NY today after dining at an upscale restaurant. Check out her lil Timbs? Adorable!

My FIRST Global Grind Africa Scene video post!!

As you guys know I have a Global Grind column called the African Scene..and friends guess what? I just did my first video post for the column! Ahhh I could scream with excitement. Check out the video below and let me know what you think of it!
 

First black Miss Israel meets President Barack Obama (PIC)

The first black Miss Israel Yityish Aynaw got the opportunity of a lifetime today! The Ethiopian born beauty had a one on one meeting with President of the United States - Barack Obama at a private ball in Israel! Wow!

She told reporters:

"I was influenced and inspired by Obama. Like him, I was also raised by my grandmother. Nothing was handed to me on a plate and like him I also had to work very hard and long to achieve things in my life. To this day he inspires me just as he inspires the rest of the world,"

Brilliant! So much history in the pic, both of them are firsts in their respective fields.

Actress Emayatzy Corinealdi STUNS in W Magazine!

How beautiful is this young lady? 33 year old actress Emayatzy Corinealdi is definitely gunning for the IT girl status in Hollywood. After starring in a hit indie flick called Middle of Nowhere last year, she picked up a slew of awards for her role as a woman in a tumultuous and conflicted relationship. Check out what she tells W about what happened when she won a Gotham award late last year.

"When Emily Blunt handed me the award, I whispered, ‘I love you,’ in her ear.” Corinealdi laughed. “I was not expecting to win.”

Ha! I bet it must be an out of body experience to win such an accolade. I would be tongue tied too!

Look of the Day- Tatyana Ali

Tatyana Ali appeared on the Wendy Williams show tonight and she looked absolutely gorgeous! She was wearing a show stopping Boxing Kitten dress in an eye catching ankara print. This is hands down one of my fave dresses from the BK line. Haute! Thoughts on today's look of the day?

NEW Beyonce music listen to "BOW DOWN" now!

BOW DOWN King Bey is back...or is she? Blue's Mom just released new music via her site called "Bow Down". Taken a listen to it below and let me know what you think. Is this Beyonce song a hit or miss?

PIC: Michelle Obama and her bangs cover the Vogue April 2013 issue!

FLOTUS looks flawless! I just adore the bangs on her, she better glow! Rumors had been swirling for months that Barack's wife was the April cover star and now finally we have the photographic proof. Word on the street is the top secret photo shoot was held at The White House in January and shot by famed photographer Annie Liebovitz!

I can't wait to see all FAB pics! Thoughts on the First Lady's cover?

Wanna know how Beyonce SHED 57 lbs after giving birth? Check out her BTS video with Shape Magazine

Blue Ivy's Mama is smoking hot!!! Look at those curves y'all? That is my gym motivation..that's all I needed to see.

Beyonce is the cover girl for SHAPE magazine's April 2013 issue. During her shoot Mrs. Carter revealed how she keeps her body in great shape.

Bey told the mag that she has dropped almost 57 lbs since giving birth last year and spoke about how she has incorporated dance into her workout routine. The only question I have for Beyonce at this point is - WHERE IS THE NEW MUSIC? Thanks for sharing your fitness secrets but the fans/stans have spoken we need new tunes!

Check out the fun behind scenes video below:

Tamar Braxton is PREGGERS! Check out her cute baby bump!

Congrats to Tamar Braxton and her husband Vince Herbert! They just confirmed via twitter that they are indeed pregnant!!! How much cute is Tamar and that lil baby bump? Cute.com!

Word on the street is that Tamar just signed to LA Reid's EPIC records and you can see her name on the label's artist page although there is no official pic! 2013 is shaping to be a great year in the Herbert house! The outspoken diva pretty much confirmed the upcoming baby and the deal by tweeting the label's mantra "BE EPIC"!

Awww I'm so happy for them! Congrats to them!

African Barbie? Check out these ADORABLE dolls aimed at diaspora kids

I have been in the US now for 21 years! Crazy right? Despite all the years of being in America, I give much props to my Mom for making sure that regardless of how long I was away from Zim - I NEVER lost the ability to speak my native tongue. But what happens when I have children? I really want to pass my language on to them but how do I do that with the constant American influence?

Thank God for the creators of Rooti Dolls. London based Nigerian couple Chris and Ada Ngoforo created a  new range of dolls designed to help African children connect with their roots.

So how exactly did the pair do it? Well their dolls are programmed to speak several African languages. For instance, one of the dolls "Nubya" is originally from Cape-Town and born to parents who moved to London before her birth. The doll is programmed so speak Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho and Afrikaans. That is pretty darn cool!

My only wish is that at some point the creators of the dolls introduce a set with natural hair. Not all of us have straight hair right? Head over to CNN to read the rest of the story!

Thoughts?

Meet Yityish Aynaw- FIRST ever Ethiopian-born Miss Israel!

Meet 21 year old beauty Yityish Aynaw! She just made history as the first ever Ethiopian born Miss Israel. WOW! This is huge!! Mavel Tov to her!!

Our new Miss Israel 2013 was born in Ethiopia and moved to Israel with her family when she was 12. So get this- the beauty queen has also served as an officer in the Israel Defense Forces.

She said during the competition that she hoped to go into modeling “to change attitudes to dark-skinned models. I’d love to become the first Israeli (TV) host, the Tyra Banks of Israel.”

In an interview last week she said her integration into Israeli society had been greatly eased because she had been “thrown into the deep end” in the state school system, “and I learned to swim,” rather than placed in separate Ethiopians-only classes.

I cant wait to cheer her on at Miss World this year! This is so dope!

Hmm this is a TOUGH fashion face-off. Who WERQed this look between Khloe K & Julianne Hough?

I love me a bright yellow dress. Back in my pageant days, we used to call this color "black girl yellow" caused it just popped against darker skin. Well fast forward to 2013 and celebs such as Khloe K and Julianne Hough are proving that the key to standing out on the red carpet is show up in a  mellow yellow gown. You just cannot lose in the here color!. So as per usual, I wanna hear from you. Who wore this best between these two? Khloe or Julianne?

In Case You Missed It: Tyler Perry's LATEST movie starring Brandy, Kim K, Lance Gross & More

This trailer actually looks interesting! Tyler Perry is back on his directing tip and is bringing us a new movie called "Temptation" starring the best in black Hollywood. Calling this his best movie to date he describes this movie in his own words as being about:

 “A woman who starts to get restless in her relationship and her choice to be with another man has a huge effect on the rest of her life. She goes on a journey – in her career and in her marriage – and she ends up in a very different place than she expected."

The flick will be released stateside on March 29 check out the trailer below:

Nonhle Thema's ENGAGED, check out the ring!

Monday was an EXTRA special day  for South African TV personality Nonhle Thema. The yummy Mummy of one let us know via twitter that she is now an engaged woman! She tweeted:

@NonhleThema: I'm now engaged to my baby daddy.... Ha u know it's the nonhle swag...

Check out the bling!? Her Boo Young Nucho did good, that's a nice looking ring. CONGRATS and Mavel to her!!

NEW VIDEO: Tiwa Savage feat Don Jazzy

Newly engaged Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage is back with her a single called "Without my Heart" featuring Don Jazzy. It's a cute & catchy song and word on the street is the video was shot a few weeks in South Africa. Check it out below and let me know what you think!

Richard Branson's son weds in LAVISH South African ceremony!

Congrats are in order folks! Sam Bronson the son of Richard Branson got married to Isabella Calthorpe in a luxurious ceremony last week in South Africa. The full details and pics are in the latest edition of Hello Magazine but in the meantime, I have some of the highlights from the nuptials....

The wedding was held in a sacred tree hill overlooking Sir Richard's private game reserve Ulusaba, on the edge of Kruger National Park. Yep my friends, this is how rich folks tie the knot!

The wedding was attended by over 300 guests including Princess Beatrice and Eugenie and Isabella's younger sister who is Prince Harry's latest boo thang. Coincidentally the bride is said to have turned down Prince William while he was estranged to Kate Middleton. That's right girl, you wait for that 3.2 billion that Sam will stand to inherit as Richard Branson's heir..ha!

Thoughts on the wedding pics?

Kenya Moore does her best Beyonce impersonation! Watch her new music video now..

Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore is truly the gift  keeps on giving. All season long she has been killing me slowly with her outlandish behavior and relationship drama. While on the show she termed the coin "Gone With the Wind Fabulous" during a fight with a fellow housewife Porscha Stewart.  Being the capitalizing  reality star that she is, home-girl has released a new song a la Kim Zolciak.

 True to form she lives up to the CRAZY antics in her new video "Gone with the Wind Fabulous" and busts out some Beyonce's inspired moves. Watch it and LOL!

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Look of the week: Solange!

Solange has found her style stride! The songstress performed at the MOMA this week and looked downright fabulous whole doing so. This monochrome look is everything!

Celebrity Gossip Roundup: Kelly's seizure, Justin's fainting act and the American Idol top 10 finalists!

If you miss a day you miss A LOT! Issh went haywire in the land of celebville, here's a recap of all the hot stories:

• Kelly Osbourne was rushed to the hospital this afternoon after passing out on the set of E!'s Fashion Police! She later took to twitter to confirm that she indeed had suffered a seizure and that doctors are trying to figure out exactly what happened. We wish her a speedy recovery!
• Teen heartthrob Justin Beiber also took a trip to the hospital today. The singer paused his London concert for 20 minutes to get a backstage treatment after complaining about feeling ill. Like the trooper he is, the Beibs later finished the show without missing a beat. After the concert, he tweeted a picture from a hospital bed with his representative stating that "he was just tired from a long week". 
• To celebrate International Women's Day, The Guardian asked their readers to name women from across the continent who deserve recognition. See the whole list here
• American Idol is down to the final ten contestants. Meet them all here. Am I the only kinda underwhelmed with the talent this year?

Ziggy Marley and his CA-YUTE son spotted in LA

Waaayment, how come no one told me that Ziggy was down with the swirl?! I'm not mad at him but I just didn't know, I can dig it! The father of six was spotted in Hollywood with his son Abraham while on a publicity tour for his new children's book "I Love You Too".  Daddy and son look too adorable for words!

Ziggy is married to Orly Marley a former Vice President of the William Morris Agency and they have six children together! Sweet!

Jessica Simpson accidentally reveals the sex of her unborn baby! She's having..

A boy!!!

Congrats are in order for singer turned designer Jessica Simpson! She accidentally let it slip tonight on Jimmy Kimmel that she's having a boy! How wonderful! Here's how it went down..

The 32 year old was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday night  and the host greeted her saying "It's time to have this baby already" to which Jessica replied "I know, I cant believe I'm pregnant again!"

She then cracked a joke saying "The crazy thing is I never knew a weiner could make me nauseous". And there goes the baby announcement   After realizing she let the sex of the baby slip she laughed "I can't believe I just did that, that was not planned"

The Fashion star judge didn't seem too worried about the slip up tweeting "Accidental announcement tonight on @jimmykimmel

Loves it! Jessica has a daughter with her fiance Eric, so the boy will be the perfect addition to her growing family.

Thoughts?

Missed Bonang's role on Intersexions? Watch it here now!

We've come to know Bonang as a lively TV presenter so when word broke that your girl B would be starring in Intersexions most people questioned her acting abilities! I will readily admit I was one of those that doubted whether she would bring it. Well not only did she bring it, home-girl killed it and excelled in her role. Way to shut the haters up! Don't believe me? Just watch the full episode and let me know what you think!

Tia and Tamera cover April issue of Essence Magazine

“We didn’t want to do a reality show if we couldn’t be real—if I couldn’t be myself. There is no ‘evil twin’ syndrome, though we do have evil moments…”—Tia Mowry Hardrict

Seems like the Mowry sisters have grown up right in front of our eyes right? From kids stars to wives to Mommies and now reality stars, the twins are showing that a successful transition into adulthood in Hollyweird is totally possible. Tia and Tamera are on the April issue of Essence Magazine looking  "gone with the wind fabulous" in their bright and bold looks. I really like this cover a lot!

How cute are their babies? Ahhh too adorable! Will you be picking up this issue?

Friend to South Africa, Kay Foxx stars in new VH1 reality show! Peep the trailer!

Friend to South Africa, Kay Fox is starring in a new reality show. The NY based radio jockey has visited South Africa several times and contributed to many outlets in the country. As a matter of fact, I saw her a few weeks ago at the South African consulate when Idols host Garreth Cliff was in town. The pic of her below is with the South African Consul General George Monyemangene.

Kay Foxx and the Consul General

The new series called Gossip Game will follow women in New York City and will air on VH1 starring April 1st. The basis of the series will follow the careers of seven female media personalities as they carry out their job duties of “covering the fast-paced, competitive urban entertainment.

The cast consists of:
Vivian Billings (NYC Gossip Girl)
K.Foxx (The Cipha Sounds & Rosenberg Show With K. Foxx)
Kim Osorio (Editor-In-Chief of The Source magazine)
Jas Fly(freelance writer/pop culture column on VIBE.com) 
Sharon Carpenter (reporter/Global Grind)
Ms. Drama (on-air personality at Major Playaz) 
Angela Yee (co-host on Power 105.1  “Breakfast Club”).

Check out the trailer below and let me know what you think: 

Is Ciara back? Listen to her new track and decide...

Let's be honest friends, singer Ciara has been struggling over the past few years to crank out a hit single.

But it seems the tides maybe turning just a bit. Cici premiered her new single ‘Body Party’ on Billboard a few hours ago and the reviews ain't all the way terrible.

Ciara has teamed up with her boyfriend, Future, for "Body Party." The rapper, who co-wrote the song with his main squeeze and Mike WiLL, can be heard throughout with his "ooh's" and ad-libs. "If you listen closely, you can [hear him]," she told The Juice while giggling.

"Let's just say that this record came out of a very sincere place," Ciara says of working with Future. "I think when things just organically feel right, naturally good things come from it."


Take a listen below and let me know what you think!

My Global Grind column!

Hey Friends! As you know I pen a weekly column on the Global Grind site named the African Scene. I usually write about fashion, music, hot topics and all things entertainment related. For this week, I attempted to go for a little humor! Please check out this week's latest edition here and share it with your friends if you like it! Thank you so much :)

Happy Birthday Miriam Makeba!!

Miriam Makeba is being honored on what would have been her 81st birthday via a cool google doodle! Brilliant!