Sandra Bullock’s new movie “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” is receiving Oscar buzz for acting performance.  In the movie that released nationwide this week Sandra plays Linda, the mother of a son who tries to find the matching lock to the key left behind by his father who passed during 9-11. Sandra does an outstanding acting job in her new role. Make sure you go check out this movie which also stars Tom Hanks.  

The world lost a legend on Friday, January 20, 2012.  The world lost…Etta James.  Etta James died from Leukemia in Riverside, CA. James is best known for her 1960 hit “At Last”.  Born Jamesetta Hawkins, James has won six Grammys and 17 Blues Music Awards. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2003. You will truly be missed.  Her 74th birthday would have been this Wednesday, January 25th.  

That time of year to release the list of the lineup for 2012 Essence Music Festival is here. We are so excited. We got to experience the Essence Music Festival first hand it was great thanks to the amazing DJ Traci Steele (Twitter @TraciSteele).  The lineup (so far) is as follows:

Mary J. Blige

Keyshia Cole

Ledisi

Estelle

SWV

The Stylistics

Fantasia

Goapele

Raheem Davaughn

Charlie Wilson

Aretha Franklin

If you have never been to New Orleans, make sure you go sometime in this lifetime.  In addition, if you have never been to the Essence Music Fest, make sure that you go and experience it is like something you have never seen before.  It was a wonderful moment in time.

Kobe Bryant’s divorced, estranged wife Vanessa Bryant will walk away with about half of Kobe Bryant’s fortune.  According to TMZ, she has been granted ownership to all three of the properties that they own together.  It was reported, that Vanessa would be receiving the home that the couple shared, and the home her mother lives in, while Kobe would take the newly constructed third estate. Now it is being reported that Vanessa actually gets all three properties.  Since the couple resides in California, Vanessa gets to enjoy the state’s 10-year divorce law, which categorizes any marriage that lasts that long as “lengthy.” Under California state law, having a “lengthy” marriage translates into a spouse being able to maintain their lifestyle after a marital breakup. Consequently, Vanessa will receive approximately half of Kobe’s fortune.

TMZ reports:

Vanessa is walking away with $75 million, which we’re told represents close to half of their total assets, estimated at around $150 million.

Last December, Vanessa cited “irreconcilable differences” when she filed for divorce, but it reportedly came out that the marriage collapsed due to Kobe cheating. While it was also reported that Kobe was trying to the impending divorce, Vanessa decided to go through with it.

We have never been more excited to hear this news!!  Since most of us in the office are 80s babies, before their was a Britney, Rihanna, and Beyonce, there was Brandy and Monica.  Both of them were powerhouses in the 90s when it came to R&B music.  For many years it was deemed that they did not like each other, and then one day they cashed in on that rumor.  The cash cow was “The Boy Is Mine” which was originally recorded by Brandy herself, and then became a duet with Monica.  The song spent 14 weeks at #1 and is one of the biggest single of all time.  Now flash forward to 2012, and they are at it again.  This time Monica was recording a song, and told producer Rico Love that it should be the next duet.  The singer also started a media frenzy when she posted on Twitter, pictures of Brandy and her in the studio.  Now we have the name of that new single.  It is called “It All Belongs to Me”  The song will be released on February 6th, and will be featured on Monica new album “New Life” which come out in March, and possibly on Brandy’s new album scheduled to be released in May.  We cannot wait to hear the song.   

The visual for Nicki Minaj’s first single “Stupid Hoe” off of her sophomore album has finally arrived.  We will say this….it is a very colorful video. We love the beat.  Check out the video down below and let us know what you think:

The movie “Red Tails” which follows the story of the Tuskegee airman is to open at #2 this weekend behind “Underworld”.  The movie made an estimated $19.1 million. This exceeded past expectations for the movie.  This is a major win for the George Lucas produced film.  Lucas explained to the media, that he had a hard time getting funding for the all black cast. It has been reported that Lucas financed the movie himself.  The movie stars Terrance Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Tristan Wilds, Neyo, and others.  This is what Chris Aronson, executive vice president of domestic distribution had to say:

“I believe what George Lucas has stated all along: This is an important story and a story that must be told. It is a true story of American heroism and valor and audiences have really responded to this message,” Aronson said. “People want to feel good about themselves, they want to be uplifted. We have enough hard crud going on in this country right now. Times are tough, and if we look back and are told a story of some really fantastic deeds, that’s really compelling moviegoing.”

Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian said a grass-roots effort to get groups of people into the theaters to see “Red Tails,” along with positive word-of-mouth, helped its strong showing. The film saw an uptick from about $6 million on Friday to $8.65 on Saturday.

Once again congratulations to the cast and crew of this amazing movie, and to the original Tuskegee crew who got a chance to visit the movie and be greeted by actor Cuba Gooding Jr., in Times Square.  

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Underworld Awakening,” $25.4 million ($13.4 million international).
2. “Red Tails,” $19.1 million.
3. “Contraband,” $12.2 million.
4. “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” $10.5 million.
5. “Haywire,” $9 million.
6. “Beauty and the Beast (3-D),” $8.6 million.
7. “Joyful Noise,” $6.1 million.
8. “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol,” $5.5 million. ($9.4 million international).
9. “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” $4.8 million. ($18.1 million international).
10. “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” $3.75 million ($15.7 international).

We are so happy about this news.  It was just three years ago when we absolutely fell in love with actress Octavia Spencer when she had a guest role on “Ugly Betty”.  We have always seen this actress through the years, always playing the funny sidekick.  Well now, she is a blossomed into A-List actress.  On January 15th, she won the Golden Globe for ‘Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture’ for “The Help”. In her speech, she gave recognition to Martin Luther King.  

“With regard to domestics in this country now and then, I think Dr. King said it best – all labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance,” Spencer said. “And I thank you for recognizing that with our film.”

We are so happy for her, and all her success. Bring on the Oscar now! 

“Mission Impossible” star Paula Patton and her hubby R&B singer Robin Thicke have had a lien put against them by the IRS.  The details state that officials at the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) filed a tax lien against the couple last month demanding payment for $492,583.  The couple claimed that they did not realized that they had owed any money.  However, a representative for the “Precious” actress and her crooner hubby insists the bill will be taken care of as soon as possible, telling the Detroit News, “They were just made aware of the issue and it is being taken care of immediately.”

 Come on celebrities, you all have to do better.  However, we are glad that they plan to take care of this as soon as possible.  We guess when you make millions, it is hard to keep track of the expenses that are being accrued.  We would not know, we don’t make  millions! 

The media world is in a frenzy, Twitter is going crazy, and most of the world is excited for Beyonce and Jay-Z. Media reports have confirmed that Beyonce gave birth to a girl at Lennox Hill Hospital on New York’s Upper East Side.  Sources say that she checked into the hotel on Friday under the name Ingrid Jackson.  Celebs are already showing their support on Twitter:

“Welcome to the world princess Carter!” Rihanna Tweeted. “Love Aunty Rih.” 
“Welcome to the world Blue!” Gwyneth Paltrow tweeted  on her Twitter page Sunday morning. “We love you already.” 

Russell Simmons also acknowledged the new parents on Twitter: “congrats to my good friends Beyonce and Jay-Z,” he said.

We cannot wait for pictures of the new arrival.  We congratulate you so much! Beyonce we love you and every time we have met either you or Jay-Z, it has been such a pleasant experience. WE LOVE Y’ALL!!!