Mo’Nique in royal blue.

by Maya Carpenter

A Precious Oscar for Mo’Nique!

Mo’Nique wins an Oscar! The stunning full-figured beauty won best supporting actress at the 82nd Academy Awards. The comedienne, actress turned talk-show host gave a breath-taking performance in Precious, one of the must-see movies of 2009. Mo’Nique dedicated her acceptance speech to Hattie McDaniel, the first African American to win an Oscar, and she wore a royal blue gown in her honor, as did McDaniel 71 years ago.

Though her co-star didn’t win an Oscar, Gabourey Sidibe was as proud of Mo’Nique as if she had. Sidibe should be proud to have been nominated for her first acting gig. Both she and Mo’Nique won NAACP and Independent Spirit awards for their performances.

Welcome to the White House

Beyoncé and Jay-Z visited the White House.

Well Mr. and Mrs. Shawn Carter (Jay-Z) visited the White House, March 3, before Jay-Z’s anticipated performance at the Verizon Center in D.C. that night. Jay-Z, Beyoncé, her mother, Tina Knowles, Trey Songz, and Trey’s manager, Kevin Liles, visited the Obama’s home. It’s nice to see Jay-Z welcomed by President Obama. When you’re a visitor in the White House, you’ve gained some kind of notoriety.

A Worthy Cause

Speaking of notoriety, Beyoncé recently cut the ribbon to officially open her Beyoncé Cosmetology Center as part of the Phoenix House in Brooklyn, New York. Phoenix House is a nonprofit recovery center for drug and alcohol addiction. Tina Knowles was there, along with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other dignitaries, to celebrate her daughter’s training program for the rehab participants.

According to MTV.com, Beyoncé said the program is “a seven-month cosmetology training course for adult men and women,” and she and Mama Tina pledged to donate $100,000 annually. L’Oreal donated all the products to be used at the center.

The Wrong Pick-Up!

On to some devastating news: MTV.com reports that R&B singer D’Angelo, whose real name is Michael Archer, was arrested and charged with soliciting on March 7 in New York.

R&B singer D’Angelo

The singer allegedly offered an undercover policewoman $40 for oral sex, according to The New York Post. Apparently, the singer was driving alone in his Range Rover at Greenwich and Horatio streets at 2:30 a.m. when he saw a woman he believed to be a prostitute. This isn’t the first time the soulful 36-year-old has been in trouble. The singer, who is known for his platinum-selling albums Brown Sugar and Voodoo, was arrested in 2005 on charges of drunk driving and cocaine and marijuana possession.

News-Worthy!
A Pain in the Rear

It’s true we’re in a recession, “butt” there are things you just shouldn’t do to try and save money! Six women from the Essex County, New Jersey area who wanted fuller bottoms ended up in hospitals after receiving buttocks-enhancement injections containing the same material contractors use to caulk bathtubs, officials said.

Different from medical-grade silicone, the substance used in the botched procedures was believed to be a diluted version of nonmedical-grade silicone. The state Department of Health and Senior Services did not identify the women or say where the “unlicensed medical provider or providers” performed their procedures.
“Fortunately, these women are being treated and are recovering,” said Tina Tan, the state epidemiologist. “But there is the potential for more serious complications if these infections are not treated early and properly.”
The women checked into Essex County hospitals after their procedures, apparently administered by unlicensed providers, went horribly wrong, state health officials said. The women underwent surgery and were given antibiotics. No arrests have been made.