It was pretty obvious Gabourey Sidibe was having a great time at the Academy Awards on Sunday night. And besides the whole “if fashion were porn” or the occasional “I’d do him” comment caught by the cameras,  she was just a young, sister living a dream. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But we all know she’s not like the rest of Hollywood and sooner or later  somebody would say something about her size. Forgive the awful pun but it was the proverbial elephant in the room. I thought the first blow would come via Joan Rivers, but she was on her best behavior during the E Fashion Police recap show. (Although there was the comment made by one of the panelists that Queen Latifah knows how to dress for a ‘big’ woman or some other BS). While most of the media decided that politcal correctness was the route to take when it came to Sidibe, Howard Stern said PC be damned. So he brought the subject up on his show on Monday. And the thought just made me cringe before I even knew what he had to say. Read the full story

Okay sister, being a superwoman may have some consequences. As we run here and there trying to get it all done, getting a good night’s sleep seems to be the luxury we’re willing to give up. Well maybe we need to rethink that. According to The National Sleep Foundation’s 2010 Sleep in America Poll lack of sleep crosses racial lines. However, when they broke things down they found that we (aka Black folks) get the least amount of sleep, a little over six hours (over 30 minutes less than both Whites and Asians). We’re also more likely to be diagnosed with sleep apnea.  The African Americans polled said they get more than enough sleep but the truth is we all may be fooling ourselves about the role sleep plays in our overall health. Read the full story

Going into the 82nd Annual Academy Awards, I knew that we were probably going to have to play the game called “Can You Find the Black Folks?”. And because Halle and Denzel were among the missing and last year’s nominees (Taraji P. Henson and Viola Davis) weren’t there either, sisters in particular were in short supply. Thanks goodness  CCH Pounder and Zoe Saldana of “Avatar” were there along with all of the sisters from “Precious”. While Oprah and Forest Whitaker raised the percentage of black people that actually took the stage with their introductions of Gabourey Sidibe and Sandra Bullock in the Best Actress category. Anyway, besides “The Hurt Locker” taking Best Picture honors, there weren’t many surprises (at least when it came to who actually won awards). Read the full story

We already know that Black women often place their dreams on hold to get on with the realities of their everyday life. But sometimes, we’re missing out because we don’t know that programs actually exist that will help us bring our dreams to fruition. I just found out about one such program: Project Working Mom which is providing up to $5 million in full tuition scholarships to assist single and working parents (that means dads too) return to school. The company behind this initiative, ELearners.com knows that pursuing these dreams online is often a perfect alternative for many of us so they’re making these funds available. And we can’t sleep on this opportunity (because you can get funding for anything from a certificate to a PhD). Read the full story

Those of us who experience winter wouldn’t mind escaping to a tropical locale like Jamaica. But it looks like some Jamaicans are dreaming of the cold weather instead. The Jamaican Bobsled Team is not alone in their quest to make their mark in a cold weather endeavor. USA Today reported yesterday that a 27 year-old brother named Newton Marshall is currently in Alaska preparing to run the Iditarod, which will take place this Saturday. You know that’s the sled race with dogs where they yell mush and ride through snowy terrain. This is far from any easy feat, this man and his dogs will be traveling 1100 miles to complete the race. All I can say is I guess everybody has a dream, huh? Read the full story

At the age of 39, you’d think that supermodel Naomi Campbell would have gotten over hitting others. Frankly, I thought that she had. But a man hired to drive the British catwalk queen yesterday claims that she assaulted him from the back seat of an SUV before she jumped out and left the scene. Apparently, the driver is saying that Campbell allegedly hit him with such force that his head hit the steering wheel and he bruised his right eye. That’s what he told police anyway. Come on Naomi, what did he do to make you that angry? Read the full story

While I can’t say that I was surprised last week when White House Social Secretary Desirée Rogers, announced that she would step down from her post, I am still saddened by it. But I guess a year in the spotlight in our nation’s capital is like a decade elsewhere—talk about pressure. I also don’t like the rumors that she’s done so because she was butting heads with another high-powered sister (and friend), Valerie Jarrett. Folks always want to stir up trouble and feed into the myth that Black women just can’t get along. Bull*&#*! However, I do like this story in The Reliable Source column of The Washington Post today that offers up ideas for Rogers’ next career move. Read the full story

Soulful singer Anita Baker was one of the women we loved to listen to in the 1980s and 1990s. She had a way of singing a love song that made you want to hit repeat over and over again. She made an impression live too in the way she rocked back and forth while holding the microphone stand as she sang. But then Baker dropped off the scene to raise a family with her then husband Walter Bridgforth Jr. and she was sorely missed. Baker made a comeback in 2004 but her impact has not been the same (unlike Sade who took a decade off and came back at #1). Then her storybook romance ended in divorce in 2007. And today, The Detroit Free Press reports that the Grammy Award winning singer will appear in court this morning (the second time this week)  because Bridgforth is suing her for his cut of her royalty payments. Yikes! Read the full story

As you might recall, there was a lot of controversy surrounding President Obama’s choice for Surgeon General because Dr. Regina Benjamin is far from skinny. However, she was indeed confirmed and has now placed waging a war against obesity at the top of her agenda. Of course she joins FLOTUS, Michelle Obama,—who recently launched her “Let’s Move” campaign, which aims to curb childhood obesity— and a host of others who are also fighting this epidemic. But I think Dr. Benjamin holds a unique position precisely because of the criticism she’s received and instead of avoiding the subject she’s trying tackling those issues head-on. In a recent interview on MSNBC.com she talk about the criticism she received, the relationship our community has with food and how we can’t equate being fit with a particular dress size. Read the full story

Pretty soon, we’ll know whether Mo’Nique will go home with an Oscar—giving her a clean sweep of the big awards. She’s already picked up a Golden Globe, a SAG award and most recently, a BAFTA. But through it all the sister has basically stayed on her grind—regularly hosting her nightly talk show on BET. It’s evident that Mo’Nique knows the reality many black actresses face: a beautiful statuette does guarantee a stellar career or a host of great parts. So instead of getting caught up in the hype, she’s decided to go back to her roots and will start the “Spread the Love” comedy tour on March 19th in New Orleans. Read the full story