Willi Ninja, known as the Godfather of Voguing and Mother of the House of Ninja, was an instrumental figure in the New York black gay ballroom scene of the 1980s. Although voguing originated in Harlem in the early 1930s, it remained underground until the 1980s when Willi brought visibility to the art form and elevated it to what it is today.

The world was introduced to Willi when he starred in the 1990 award-winning documentary “Paris Is Burning,” which provided an introspective into the New York vogue-ball scene. Willi was also featured in Malcolm McLaren’s “Deep in Vogue” music video and later served as the inspiration for Madonna’s music video “Vogue.” Read the rest of this entry »

Rihanna appeared on yesterday’s (February 1) episode of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and performed her hit single “Hard.”

Check it out when you… Read the rest of this entry »

America’s favorite drag queen is back with Season 2 of RuPaul’s Drag Race on MTV’s Logo.

Episode 1 aired last night (Feb. 1) and in case you missed it, check it out after the jump…. Read the rest of this entry »

The 3rd Annual BET Honors aired on  Monday (February 1). The VOICE, Whitney Houston was among the noted honorees which included Diddy, Queen Latifah, and others. Two of Whitney’s favorite voices Kim Burrell and Jennifer Hudson performed classic songs, I Believe in You and Me and the timeless I Will Always Love You.

Just because the Grammys snubbed the GREATEST SINGER OF ALL TIME doesn’t mean others will. Whitney Houston is a living legend, ultimate DIVA, and THE ICON. As she stated in her acceptance speech, “Let’s not tear each other down in our failures, but lift up each other in our triumphs”

Check out J-Hud and Kim Burrell’s performances after the jump… Read the rest of this entry »

In an effort to increase HIV testing rates in the city of Newark, the mayor’s office and community-oriented agencies will launch a new media campaign utilizing text messaging and social media called Status Is Everything.

On February 4, 2010, during a full day of events, the African American Office of Gay Concerns (AAOGC.org), Mayor Cory A. Booker and the LGBTQ Commission will kick-off “Status Is Everything“, a pioneering, Newark, NJ focused HIV testing social marketing campaign targeting African American men who have sex with men, aged 18-24.  This is the first New Jersey public health campaign of its kind to utilize social media and text messaging to provide residents 24-hour instant access to local HIV/STD testing centers -  text NJ+YourZipCode (NJ07102) to 36363.  1-866-HIV-CHECK access is provided by the New Jersey HIV/STD hotline.

More details after the jump…
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The criminal trial of Taylar Nuevelle wrapped up quickly after one week. The ex-lover of D.C. judge Janet Albert was found guilty on charges of stalking, burglary and unlawful entry into Albert’s home.

Nuevelle faces up to 15 years in prison. She’s been ordered to be held in jail until sentencing on April 7th. Read the rest of this entry »

This year’s Oscar nominations have been announced and the critically acclaimed film, Precious has racked up 6 nominations.

Those nominations include: Best Picture - Precious, Best Director – Lee Daniels – Precious, Best Actress – Gabourey Sidibe - Precious, Best Supporting Actress – Mo’Nique – Precious, Best Film Editing – Precious and Best Adapted Screenplay- Geoffrey Fletcher – Precious.

Director-Producer Lee Daniels certainly has the midas touch. The first film he produced, Monster’s Ball (2001), won Halle Berry the Read the rest of this entry »