Beyoncé spent part of yesterday standing by her man, Jay-Z, as the New York Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Barclays Center at Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn finally got underway. And her hubby needs all the support he can get since this controversial project, which will also be the home of the Nets, isn’t exactly winning everyone in the neighborhood over. Nevertheless, it looks like downtown Brooklyn is definitely about to be transformed.

We all have made those New Years resolutions. I challenge you to add one more. Think about you and how your hair represents who you are. Take a leap of faith and try something new. A new hairstyle lifts your spirits,  motivates you  and inspires action. When we feel good about how we look, we perform in life better.

You can start with something simple like a glaze for that dull hair or wearing your hair off your face instead of in your face.  Perhaps going curly or going straight or even go for something more extreme—try a new base color or an exciting cut! It’s freedom to say the least. Almost anything can be achieved (i.e. extensions lol) and you have the power for the change. Doesn’t it sound fun?

It’s been a little over a year since I started blogging and we can take a year in review and think about what might work for you. You may need to read my second post on finding the right stylist. Go back to my previous posts “The Secret to a Dream Haircut” and “Want to Color your Hair?” and go see a professional stylist soon! HAVE FUN and HAPPY NEW YEAR.

We already know that Beyoncé closed her “I Am…Tour 2009″ with a limited run in Las Vegas at the trendy hot spot The Wynn. Now she’s in talks with the venue for a possible long-term run. USA Today reports that although rumors persist, the deal is not yet done. While this may not seem like much of a big deal, it actually is. If Bey does indeed ink this deal, she’ll be putting herself into another celebrity category. One in which she really won’t be thinking about any female R&B solo or Pop act for that matter. Nor will she be enduring the intense touring schedule which has been her norm. Instead she’ll be walking in the shoes of an unlikely role model, Celine Dion. (Note: I can’t say Prince because his Vegas run was totally unpredictable and he’s in a category all by himself.)

Yes, folks gave Dion the side eye when she first started her Vegas run back in March 2003—mostly because Vegas was considered the place retired singers went for gigs. But jokes turned to amazement and respect. According to People Dion grossed a staggering $400 million after a close to five year run. Since then Vegas has seen everyone from Garth Brooks to Bette Midler looking to make bank in a similar way. But let’s just say that most of these artists have reached veteran status. In signing Beyoncé, however, the Wynn (and Las Vegas) that they’re the destination for all things young and hot. (In entertainment you might want to talk about—not the strippers and out-of-control parties.)

Anyway, this all boils down to how Beyoncé wants to play it (or should I say her over-involved management aka her parents). Does she think it would slow down her momentum or put her in the position to be say in the legendary company of Cher? Would performing from a regular venue be good for her marriage? Is she thinking about a family? If there’s one thing Beyoncé does have is a reason for doing just about everything. If Vegas is in her future we’ll find out her reasoning soon enough.

Before you start giving me the side eye I’m not talking about any romantic relationship between the rapper and the former Destiny’s Child singer. Instead Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson has decided that Ms. Rowland has never gotten the props she deserves and he’s doing his part to boost this sister’s popularity. Fifty tells Billboard.com that’s why he asked her to co-star in the video for his latest single “Baby By Me.” (The new album “Before I Self Destruct” will hit the shelves later this month).

The rapper goes on to say that one of the reasons Beyonce achieved such prominence is that she received concentrated attention to make sure everything she did was tight. Can’t deny that because love her or hate her, Bey is the consummate professional who delivers both in the studio and on stage. Fifty believes Rowland could too if she had the same kind of hype behind her.

“You can’t forget all the work she did with Destiny’s Child,” he said. “The difference between Kelly and Beyonce is the extreme focus they put on Beyonce to make sure she was completely right. Kelly wasn’t held in the same regard, so, in order for her to mean anything to America, they’d have to match the marketing dollars spent on Beyonce. She never received the superstar treatment.”

I totally agree that Bey was given opportunities that Rowland and Williams didn’t get (and dare I say Solange too). And just as a aside, we sometimes forget that in spite of his thug persona he puts forth on his records Mr. Jackson is a pretty astute businessman. Anyway, there’s no doubt Rowland can sing. I thought her future looked promising when “Dilemma” came out (coincidentally that was  another collaboration with a rapper, Nelly). And she’s certainly had a dance music hit in Europe earlier in the year with “When Love Takes Over”. But she should be bigger than that. LeToya Luckett has done a great job of carving a post Destiny’s Child career for herself. Rowland can too. I wonder if 50 if hatching a larger plan than having her as his fantasy love interest in his video….Fingers crossed.

Here’s a link to 50’s video if you want to check out Rowland as a ’round the way girl.

Does Mya have the makings of a comeback kid? The R&B singer whose fame seemed to have peaked in the late ‘90s joins the latest cast of “Dancing With The Stars”. This season is a hodgepodge ensemble that should be nothing but entertaining. When I think of ballroom, Tom Delay in sequins and Macy Gray fox trotting across the stage don’t immediately come to mind. With her experience with choreography and her role in “Chicago”, it seems that Mya will naturally rise to the top of the leader board.

Over the years, even though she hasn’t been in the forefront, I’ve wanted Mya to make a comeback. I’ve grown up with her music, and I’ve loved her ever since her first single,” It’s All About Me” with Sisqo. She’s had some of the best dance videos of the late 90s, and thrived along with her counterparts of the time, Aaliyah and Usher. But in a Rihanna and Beyonce world, her last albums barely made a splash. “Dancing WithThe Stars” may be the perfect venue for Mya to relaunch her career and connect with new fans.

She’s even gone through one “Dancing With The Stars” rite of passage—the inevitable injury. Before her first performance, my favorite is already hurt! Mya injured her hand on shattered glass yesterday. But she tweeted that she’s just fine, and ready for competition.

Go, Mya, go!
–
Jada Gomez-Lacayo will give her personal spin on all things music and pop culture, set to her own musical soundtrack. A native New Yorker and child of former DJs, Jada was bred on music. Self described as a “music wikipedia,” her playlists range from Miles Davis to M.I.A, and everything in between. She honed her writing and editing skills at Fortune Small Business and Time, and is currently exploring the advertising world at People. An advocate for literacy education, Jada mentors Harlem junior high schoolers by using youth culture music to spark their interest in reading.

Like millions of other folks I was totally shocked by Kanye West’s behavior at MTV Video Music Awards last night. (Okay maybe not as shocked I was by Representative Joe Wilson’s outburst during Obama’s address but still…) In case you’ve been under a rock or have been busy with loftier goals, or  football, the brother stormed the stage during Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech to tell her and everybody assembled at Radio City Music Hall that Beyoncé deserved to win. He made the a teenage girl cry, was subsequently escorted out of the building, and was booed by the audience for the rest of the night. Kanye’s inappropriate outburst rounded out a weekend of what can only be described as black celebrities behaving badly. Others who made the list: Serena Williams—who went for the jugular verbally when a line official made a controversial call that ending up costing her the match—and Michael Jordan—who turned his Hall of Fame induction into an exercise in pettiness. Their behavior almost made Naomi Campbell seem like Miss Congeniality. 

By Sunday evening Serena understood she was in trouble (or her publicists went in the damage control mode) and issued her apology—just in time to make an appearance at the VMA’s herself. While Kanye posted an apology of his own on his blog by the time the Bizarrest Award Show of all time—in two words: Lady Gaga—rolled the last credits. (Michael Jordan’s behavior is being chalked up to ‘that’s the way he always is’ thinking.) But it made me wonder whether celebrities behaving badly is getting more out of control. Or are we just noticing it more? (Seeing Janet Jackson during the tribute to her brother also brought “Nipplegate” to mind—as well as what it cost her.)

Anyway, back to the subject at hand, so we can say Serena is a fierce competitor who took the fight way too far (all the way to the street). But fans are likely to give her the side eye for some time to come (and her detractors feel justified). Plus she may be paying the price for a while. In addition to the $10,500 fine she may have to give back any prize money she won, face possible suspension, and also may have to sit out the 2010 US Open. Although the money is a drop in the bucket to her removal from play will hit her where it really hurts. There’s no such sanction for Kanye. Plus, in his case, these inappropriate outbursts are getting to be a habit.

I know we all make mistakes, but here’s the real question: is saying sorry enough when we know you’re liable to show your behind again? An apology can lose its impact if you keep playing it like an ace in the hole. Genuine regret may only come when the bad behavior negatively impacts the bottom line. Seriously, Kanye may feel the heat when his next CD drops or he’s trying to sell out an arena. Jamie Foxx certainly learned a valuable lesson when “The Soloist” tanked after a grassroots effort to retaliate against him for his Miley Cyrus comments was successful.

On another note, I have got to say that Kanye seems to be spiraling out of control since the loss of his mother. Deep down in his heart the man knows that his Dr. Donda West would not approve. In fact, she’d call him out on his mess. This time Jay Z is probably the one who is going to take him to task (for all the obvious reasons).

Finally, when black celebrities behave badly are they a reflection of all of us? Of course not. Just like Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan aren’t representative of young, white women. We don’t need to apologize for them, they need to do that themselves.

Beyoncé brought her “I Am” tour to the Big Apple yesterday and as usual she pulled out all of the stops. She may sometimes suffer from a bit of overexposure but she certainly knows how to make her audience feel like they’ve gotten their money’s worth. That’s why it’s only fitting that she’ll close her tour in the city of show girls, Las Vegas.

If you follow my blog, you know that last week I passed on the rumor that the ultra-talented and underrated Anika Noni Rose was being talked about in the new production of “The Wiz” which will be mounted this summer in NYC. Well I just found out that Ashanti is actually going to play the role of Dorothy when “The Wiz” runs from June 12th to July 5th at City Center. Let’s just call it the Beyoncé effect.

Yes, I’m still stunned that our Bey made $28 million for that interracial imitation of “Fatal Attraction”. Now she’s looking at superheroes including Wonder Woman much to rabid fan’s dismay. But why not? Clearly, there is an audience for her whether she has the acting chops or not so she’s a smart cookie to capitalize on the following.

I am not sure the same can be said for Ashanti. (Well you know it can’t.) Her music career hasn’t exactly been going gangbusters lately—”The Declaration” had pretty disappointing sales. And then there’s her acting career, which has mostly consisted of bit parts in movies like “Coach Carter” “Resident Evil:Extinction” and “John Tucker Must Die”. 

But maybe, just maybe, casting directors knew she was right for the role of Dorothy based upon her work in the television project “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz”. Her version of Dorothy Gayle must have bowled them over.  Anyway, now Ashanti is following in the footsteps of Stephanie Mills (who created the role on Broadway) and Diana Ross (who botched the role on film–but let me be clear her acting wasn’t the problem). I know Stephanie Mills is an R&B singer but she did that years after her seminal Broadway role. (The same with the awesome Heather Headley). 

I am not only curious as to whether Ashanti can really act but can she also sing a song like “Home” and bring tears to our eyes? Well those of us in the NYC area will find out. All I can say is Ashanti please bring your A game because you’ve got big shoes to fill.