TheYBF.com hit the red carpet for the New York City premiere of The Best Man Holiday where Terrence Howard, Sanna Lathan and Melissa De Sousa spilled juicy deets about the film.  Get the scoop inside....

With November 15th fast approaching, we have some exclusive red carpet chit chat from Monday's NYC premiere of The Best Man Holiday.

While at The Bow Tie Chelsea Cinema, we mixed it up with castmembers Sanaa Lathan, Melissa de Sousa and Terrence Howard and music legend R. Kelly.

The fabulous Melissa De Sousa, who looked gorgeous in a Herve Leger dress, Brian Atwood shoes and Jacob & Co jewels, hinted that fans of TBM will see a big change in Shelby. Since the first film, she says her character has evolved and become a business woman who can fend for herself and not rely on her ex-husband Julian (played by Harold Perrineau).  And you'll see what she means by "business woman" aka "Real Housewife"....

Sanaa Lathan talked about her "Robyn" character's evolution which included a new career at "Red Rooster" in Harlem. She also said she was not happy to find out that her character would be 9-months pregnant for the entire movie. She added that she was not a fan of the "pregnancy" costume and it didn't make her anticipate having kids in the future!

Terrence Howard renamed us The Young Black Folks (thanks Terrence!) and joked that the male characters in the movie are all LESS-manly. In Terrence's opinion, men lose 25% of their estrogen once they get married and it strips them of their manliness. He said that the only manly character in the film is "Quentin"....because he's still single!

Watch our red carpet coverage below with many of the cast members and more:

Be sure to catch the movie this weekend and let us know if you think marriage SNIPS off a man's manliness!

Video coverage via NYC Correspondent Shirley Vernae/Sharif Mair, Photos: Getty

TheYBF.com had the fabulous opportunity to sit down and dish it all with EVERY cast member of Best Man Holiday.  Throughout opening weekend, we'll be sharing our sit downs with the couples--and the love triangle--from the flick. 

First up, Taye Diggs and his two gorgeous flames (both present & past--or is it past?? ) Sanaa Lathan and Nia Long. 

Taye, Nia & Sanaa carry their love triangle woes from Best Man, into the sequel, Best Man Holiday.  But you may be surprised to see how they do so exactly.  After our screenng of the movie (which we loved!), we caught up with the trio in L.A. to see how they created all that chemistry, what really went down behind the scenes, and what they think about the drastic difference between the 1999 classic and the soon-to-be new classic.

Here is YBF L.A. Cororrespondent Kalia Silva's quick chit chat:

YBF:The Best Man Holiday was amazing, it’s going to be another classic!

SANAA: Thank you so much.

TAYE: Thank you! You guys were good too [to Sanaa and Nia]!

NIA: He is the best man so…

YBF: What is The Best Man Holiday about?

TAYE: Relationships, maturity, mistakes, forgiveness…

NIA: …the cycle of life…

SANAA:…love, sex…

NIA:…babies and cars…

SANAA:…jealousy

TAYE:…reunion..

YBF: What did you think about the plot twist when you first heard about he new story from Malcolm Lee?

TAYE: I didn’t know how people would feel about me being a homosexual. It threw me off, but as an actor I embrace that. [Laughter] [Editor's Note: This was a JOKE said by Taye Diggs, this is not a spoiler.]

SANAA: He’s just kidding! He’s just kidding by the way! I actually thought [the storyline you will see] was very moving. It is something that people deal with unfortunately. It made sense that after 15 years somebody would be going through something as challenging as that.

TAYE: Very accurate to life.

NIA: And when you get a bunch of black people in a room together there is drama! Let’s face it. [Laughter]

YBF: You all have an amazing chemistry together, what was your favorite moment on set or off set because we hear that was fun?

NIA: The movie behind the scenes, what went on behind the scenes with the cast was just.

SANAA:…they should have done a reality show. We were all in Toronto, we all lived within two blocks of each other. We went out, we watching the Voice together. For some reason in Toronto at that time they played the Voice like five times a day!

NIA: I love The Voice!

SANAA: Yeah, we love it! We had so much fun. We went to the club!

TAYE: Yeah!

YBF: The club?

TAYE: Yeah we were there for two months!

YBF: Do you think we will see a Best Man 3?

TAYE: Hopefully, that’s up to you [the audience], you have the power!

NIA: Yes, it is up to you viewers to go and support out film!

SANAA: If this one does well how can they deny us?

TAYE: Opening weekend!

Best Man Holiday opens TODAY!

YBF Correspondent: Kalia Silva

In part 2 of TheYBF.com's Opening Weekend interview series with the entire cast of Best Man Holiday, we're chopping it up with on-screen couple Regina Hall & Harold Perrineau.  And we're talking about their cooking skills, they're dopest meals, and the surprising food Harold's wife can throw down on....

Who would have thought big screen actors Regina Hall & Harold Perrineau could throw down in the kitchen?  The two co-stars dished to our LA Correspondent Kalia Silva about their dope ass cooking skills...and who cooks the best greens.

Here's our brief chit-chat:

YBF: Tell us about the plot for the sequel to The Best Man.

HAROLD: The plot of this one is a lot different than the first one, which is mostly centered around this book and what will happen if Lance finds out about the book. This one is focused on all the NEW things they have in their lives, the new women, the new children and many other new situations they all have to deal with a very adult, grown up way.

YBF: Can you describe each character in one word?

YBF: Harper?

HAROLD: “Tricky”

YBF: Lance?

REGINA: “Bruiting”, he had a lot going on.

YBF: Mia?

REGINA:“Kind”

YBF: Shelby?

HAROLD: “Child”

REGINA: [Laughter] That was my word, ha-ha!

REGINA: [Sucks her teeth & rolls her eyes, Laughter.] That’s my word…spell that one!

YBF: Robin?

REGINA: Awe…Robin “Ethereal”

Harold:“Lovely”

YBF: Quentin?

HAROLD:“Crazy”

REGINA:“Amazing” that’s U…H…”UH-Mazing”

YBF: Eddie Cibrian and his new character?

REGINA:“Handsome” and “Delightful”

HARLOLD: “Charming”

YBF: Harold?

REGINA: “Phenomenal” I love him!

YBF: Candice?

HAROLD: Uh, there are so many “Unstoppable”, “Amazing”...

YBF: What are you most looking forward to this holiday season?

HAROLD: Other than The Best Man Holiday? Because I’m really looking forward to The Best Man Holiday!

REGINA: Me too! [Laughter]

HAROLD: We just had a couple of conversations about a meal we might be able to hook up together.

REGINA: Because I make a really good game hen and wild rice.

HAROLD: I make a really good mac and cheese.

REGINA: And his wife [Brittany Perrineau, pictured above] makes amazing greens.

YBF: Oh wow!

REGINA: Right, so that’s a meal!

HAROLD: I’m looking forward to when we are actually going to get together and have this meal.

YBF: Well that’s so crazy because all of those things are my three favorite things. [Laughter]

REGINA: And now we’ve got guests!

HAROLD: It’s a party!

Best Man Holiday...and lots of good Holiday food can be seen in the movie...is in theaters NOW.
 

Photos: Universal Pictures/Getty

Note to actors: If Terrence Howard is ever your co-star, do not perform your lines exactly as written in the script....or else dude will indeed storm off the set!  In part 3 of TheYBF.com's Opening Weekend Exclusive Interview Series with the entire cast of The Best Man Holiday, we had a pretty funny chit chat with the witty Mr. Howard and his spicy co-star, Melissa De Sousa.

Check it inside...

Oh yes.  Quentin & Shelby....the twosome we've all been waiting to see 15 years later.  Recently in L.A., we caught up with actors Terrence Howard & Melissa De Sousa to find out what to expect from their on sceen reunion, why Terrence's foolish activities pissed off the director and cast and more.

YBF: We are so excited for Quentin and Shelby’s return. Where did you think that Malcolm was going to take your characters 14 years later?

MELISSA: I just knew she had to be bigger and badder! And he definitely went there. I call her Shelby 2.0. They call her Shelby 10.0.

TERRENCE: I just wanted Quentin to be black this time. It’s been hard playing light skin all these years. There are people like Morris…I can play a black character, I’m black! [Laughter]

MELISSA: I knew we [Quentin and I] would end up rolling around together again. I mean, we have to.
TERRENCE: We look for every opportunity, there were a lot of other times we got together that they didn’t shoot but no one was looking.

MELISSA: NO, that didn’t happen. That was a script in his mind. [Laughter]

YBF: You all were in Toronto shooting for how long?

MELISSA: About three months.

YBF: What was your favorite moment on set?

TERRENCE: My Favorite moment on set was when I got mad because everyone was saying their lines like they were suppose to. And I just walked off from the table, I was just mad!

MELISSA: He did! That wasn’t the director’s favorite moment or ours. We were like “Oh, I wonder if he’s going to come back?”

TERRENCE: Then they all came out and was like “Terrence, awe you don’t have to do this, you don’t have to do that” and so I made them give me some more money!

YBF: Malcolm did say, the cast didn’t make what they are worth for this movie, but that Terrence, we had to give him some more money!  [Jokingly said.]

Terrence: [Laughter] No, the greatest thing about coming back and seeing these people again is knowing that everyone went to head-cutting on the first movie. So the second movie everybody was coming in even stronger. Like I saw the movie and I thought Melissa wiped everybody out, Melissa and Harold [Pictured above].

MELISSA: No, no, no! He always says that. He knows he is the scene-stealer. As soon as he walks in the room, I’m like “You didn’t even talk yet!”

YBF: Everyone is waiting to see you two. Your characters are so dynamic! The director Malcolm Lee said one of his favorite characters is Shelby because she’s ‘Spicy’ and ‘Sassy’. I have to say you definitely gave it to us!

MELISSA: Awe, thank you!

TERRENCE: What about me?

YBF: I already said it, you gave IT in The Best Man Holiday! And we really liked your Wardrobe!!

TERRENCE: [Towards Melissa] See, I told you it worked!

MELISSA: Yes, he did fight for those outfits.

TERRENCE: I got my wrist cufflets on too [from the film].

YBF: Nice!
 

Best Man Holidayis on track to over-perform with a $34+ million weekend opening.  Have you seen it yet?

Check out the rest of YBF's Best Man Holiday Opening Weekend Interview Series HERE.

Photos: Universal Pictures, YBF Correspondent: Kalia Silva

In part 4 of TheYBF.com's Opening Weekend Exclusive Interview Series with the cast of Best Man Holiday, we chatted up the man behind it all.  And we had to find out the reason behind the drastic changes in the sequel....and the crazy emotional roller coaster.  Our interview with Director Malcolm D. Lee inside...

He's having a blockbuster weekend at the box office with almost tying the #1 movie Thor, which is playing on almost twice as many theaters.  So Malcolm D. Lee's (Scary Movie, Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins) vision for the sequel of his classic film, Best Man, is clearly a winner.

But if you're wondering abut the drastic emotional roller coaster, those intense (and intensely funny) scenes, and the difficulties of making the film, we got to the bottom of it all with the director himself.  Check out our sit down with Mr. Lee.

YBF: The new plot of The Best Man Holiday will be a surprise to audiences. Tell us why you chose to take such a different direction with this sequel.

MALCOLM: I didn’t want to repeat myself, 14 years later you can’t just tell the same old story. I wanted to do something that was more sophisticated, more complex because the circumstances dictate that. These characters may be the same people but they’ve changed, they’ve evolved over the years. What you think about when you’re a post graduate in your mid 20s is very different from what you think about in your late 30’s/early 40’s. When you’re an adult, you have adult things you have to do; kids and mortgages and car payments and the career struggles. So that was a reason to do it.
But that was also a reason for the studio to say, this is such a departure from the first one.
And I can understand if we had done a sequel that was two or three years later that they wanted to revisit some of the same themes, but 14 years later you can’t do that in my mind.

YBF: When originally creating these characters, did you base them off a college clique of your own or did you base them off people from your life or start them all from scratch?

MALCOLM: I think it’s a combination of all those, there’s no one character that is one person that’s in my life or that I went to school with. I have the luxury of having a lot of different kinds of friends. Some clicks weren’t always the same as other clicks, and I got along with a great number of people. So I was able to bring a lot of diversity of character to these characters based on my relationships and my own imagination.

YBF: The Best Man Holiday will definitely be another classic, what was your favorite part of making the movie?

MALCOLM: Just getting the movie made in general, there are a lot of things that were great and challenging about the movie. Whenever all of the actors were together, that became much more of a challenging thing with all the dinner scenes and introducing everyone in that first scene when they all come in. It’s incredibly difficult because a lot of coverage has to be done.
But there are some fun scenes like the “Can you stand the Rain” bit.

YBF: Tell us about that! It was such a classic moment.

MALCOLM: It was a great moment. It was very reminiscent of my experience at Georgetown University. We had contests like the lip-syncing contest that like that. It was a great way for the guys to dance for the ladies; they were really into it with the whole choreography of everything. It was awesome.  Even shooting the football [scenes] was great. It was my first chance to show how I could tell a sports story.

YBF: Did we see that you played a defensive back in the film? You posted a photo in a full on football uniform one day.

MALCOLM: Yeah I did, I cut myself from the movie though. I had to, it didn’t make any sense. Well it made sense but it just wasn’t warranted. It will never be seen by anyone.

YBF: What do you want audiences to take away from the film?

MALCOLM: Be prepared for a fun relatable ride. Lots of laughs, lots of drama, lots of tears. It will be an emotional rollercoaster as people have been saying.

Best Man Holiday is in theaters now!  Check out our previous interviews with the cast HERE.

Photos: Universal Pictures, YBF Correspondent: Kalia Sliva

In our final installment for our Opening Weekend Exclusive Interview series for Best Man Holiday, we had a little sit down with one of our fave on screen couples.

Check out what Morris Chestnut said about and Monica Calhoun's fave moments...

Hallelujer! 44-year-old Morris Chestnut is bringing his ridiculously sexy body back for us to gawk at for the Best man Holiday sequel.  We talked to arguably the sexiest star of the movie, along with is on-screen wife, Monica Calhoun, about their fave moments and the hardest ones.  Getting that chiseled bod was probably hard for Morris to get, but was that lip-syncing performance even harder?

YBF:The Best Man Holiday is definitely going to be another classic. Tell us about the chemistry of the cast and the plot twist with your characters.

MORRIS: Oh wow, it was just like riding a bike getting back together again. We all came, we had to rehearse a couple of weeks prior to. And then a week before filming we all got together and watched the original film. That brought back memories and put us back in that mode so the chemistry was great, like riding a bike.

MONICA: I have several favorite moments! The dinner scenes when we were all sitting around the table. Those were some long nights but a lot of good laughs.

YBF: Why do you think Malcolm Lee wrote your characters as he did? Audiences are going to be surprised when they see this movie compared to the original?

MORRIS: Why do you say that?

YBF: Because it’s so real! There are real moments, it’s real life that is happening and the cast put it down with regards to the portrayal of these characters. How did it feel for you to come in with such a different flare this time around?

MORRIS: I think the one thing about this movie is that these characters have been around for 14 years. When you are doing the original you are creating the backstory. Now, we were able to fill in so many different layers to our characters; what’s going on? Have we had the conversation? Why haven’t we had the conversation? What did we do? How did we not deal with it? And myself with Harper…it’s just layering the characters more and more. Then our characters [Lance & Mia] have some pretty great arcs and some secrets and all that stuff to deal with. It made it a lot more fun!

YBF: You listen to Mia, when she talks, Lance listens is that true to life?

MORRIS: Oh YEAH, without a doubt! [Laughter]

YBF: There are a couple of funny scenes between Shelby and Candice and Lance you had to break one up.

MONICA: Faith was being tested!

MORRIS: Yeah I had to break it up, I think I caught one on the chin. I’m just playing.

YBF: They didn’t bring any stunt doubles?

MORRIS: They did, there was a stunt double there but they didn’t really need them.

MONICA: They executed WELL!

MORRIS: They do a good job getting at it themselves!

YBF: Morris I hear you wanted to rehearse a whole month for the dance scene??

Morris: I did! Cause look, you have Harold coming from Alvin Alley, you have Taye doing Broadway and Terrence just don’t care. I wanted to get it right and get it down!

MONICA: Going through all that, you know what, he was fine, they were fine! I mean they were sharp! Those arms, spins, hat tosses, just on cue and right!
 

That's a wrap for our interview series witht he best Man Holiday cast.  Check out all of our chit chats HERE.

The movie is in theaters now!

Photos: Universal Pictures, YBF L.A. Correspondent: Kalia Silva

Former Destiny's Child member LaTavia Roberson and former member of 702, Meelah Williams, have joined "R&B Divas: Atlanta", TheYBF.com has exclusively learned.  We've got the FIRST deets inside...

This upcoming season of "R&B Divas" will be more than interesting as fresh new blood has entered the crew of ladies.  Now that Nicci Gilbert and Faith Evans are OUT, Kameelah "Meelah" Williams and LaTavia Roberson are IN.  And so are their children's fathers!

Inside sources tell us that YBF chick Meelah, our fave member of the 90's/early 2000's group 702, is bringing her 'Steelo' to the hit TVOne show. 

The ladies began shooting earlier this month, and things are already off to a good & juicy start.  We've learned that Meelah and the father of her 4-year-old son, Musiq Soulchild, have been living together in Atlanta for years.  Who knew?! 

And Mr. SoulChild has already filmed a scene or two for the show. 

Their son, Zac, can be seen in the cute Halloween video below:

And you may recall that new mom LaTavia was shooting her own reality show this past spring.  But, we're told she was convinced that joining an ensemble cast like "R&B Divas" would be a better choice. 

So the former D-Child diva is bringing her story to the new season.  And her new 3-month-old baby girlLyric, as well as her child's father, Don Vito, will also appear.  We know which deets we want to hear, so hopefully she BRINGS it.

Here's a little peak at Lyric chillin' with Auntie LeToya Luckett the day she was born.  How sweet!

The new season of "R&B Divas: Atlanta" will air early 2014.  Will you be watching?

Photos: Meelah's IG/LaTavia's IG

TheYBF.com has the exclusive premiere of "Leave You Alone", the first visual from Omarion'sCP-2 project.  Watch it inside....

Maybach O is still bringing the sexy visuals for his sexy tracks.  And he's done it again in TheYBF.com's exclusive premiere of "Leave You Alone".

The visuals are from Omarion's Care Package 2 project. Directed by TopShelf Jr., and produced by ArtClub, the clip shows the sexy singer in the throws of agony over a lost love.  

Omarion talked to Billboard.com about the new disc saying, "People haven't been calling it a mixtape. They've actually been calling it my album, which is amazing because I put it together like an album."

And he admitted that a B2K reunion isn't out of the question: "I feel like those types of reunions are cliche. Most of the time, it's because they have to. It's not totally out of the picture though. My fans know me from that. What I did with them will always be a part of me."

Watch "Leave You Alone" here:

Omarion's Care Package 2 can be downloaded here.

Credible sources have informed us that rumors of Keshia Knight Pulliam and Big Tigger getting married are totally false. Deets inside...

We first reported V103 radio host Big Tigger & actress Keshia Knight Pulliam being a possible new item back in August.  Thanks to our sources who spotted them boo'd up at a basketball game. 

But after Tigger attempted to shoot down the rumors, the two popped up at various events posing it up...and looking very much together.

But anew National Enquirer report (which for some reason has picked up steam online) saying they are engaged and getting married very soon....is false.

A very close source tells us the wedding report is completely untrue.  But there was no denial about them simply being a couple....

Photo: Getty

Taj, Coko & LeLee recently reunited as one of our fave 90's R&B groups, SWV.  And now, the ladies' WeTV reality show is giving us a front row seat into how their comeback finally came together...girl group drama and all!

TheYBF.com has the exclusive first look at the premiere of "SWV: Sisters With Voices" inside....

Premiering Thursday, January 23 at 10PM E/P, "SWV: Sisters With Voices" follows the Grammy® nominated group during their make-it-or-break-it comeback tour.  And we're totally here for it.

SWV seemed unstoppable back in the 90's with over 15 million albums sold (not many can say that). And those the songs we knew EVERY single word to like “I’m So Into You,” “Right Here,” “Downtown,” and “Weak,”  But while they seemed to have it all, the drama behind the scenes tore the group apart.  And apparently, ish ended badly.

So after going their separate ways in 1998, Cheryl “Coko” Clemons, Leanne “Lelee” Lyons and Tamara “Taj” George are now back.  After marriages, children, divorces (our fingers are crossed about whether Taj & Eddie George will show their shady alleged cheating drama ), the strong New York ladies are back to reclaim the fame. 

In the premiere episode, we see the first stop of the comeback tour at Wembley Stadium in London.  But new secrets about Coko’s health threatens the rehabilitated bond of the group. And the group is learning how to be together both on stage and off again. Which means, the inevitable girl group drama surfaces.

According to the press release:

Throughout the season, SWV fans will get to see the ladies in action during high profile performances in Atlanta, New York, L.A. and D.C. Coko, Lelee and Taj not only address old wounds but face new challenges including health scares, family issues and management drama. Can the ladies finally come to terms with the issues that ended their friendship and career once before? Will they be able to put differences aside to recapture fame?

Check out our exclusive first look of the "SWV" show below:

Who else is here for it?!  Check out more about the show HERE.

Photos: Courtesy of WeTV

Gabrielle Union brought her "Being Mary Jane" fabness to Miami Beach this past weekend for a press junket at the Architectural Digest OASIS event during Art Basel.  We've got the cute looks she rocked, plus what she told us about why shows like hers are absolutely needed for Black and Latina women....

This past weekend at the The James Royal Palm Hotel in Miami, TheYBF.com chopped it up with fab chick Gabrielle Union about her new show "Being Mary Jane".  And if you caught the original TV movie premiere this past summer, you're twiddling your thumbs just like us, anxiously waiting for the January 2014 series premiere.

In a little black dress with shoulder cut outs and multi-colored strappy heels, Gabby Union kept it effortlessly cute as she promoted her upcoming BET show "Being Mary Jane" over the weekend.

The 41-year-old actress dished to us, TheYBF.com, about what her dynamic character that we can all relate to is all about:

[Mary Jane] is the news anchor at a struggling network and is trying to fight the good fight.  She's putting out hard hitting stories that affect the community in a good way, inspiring people, but she butts heads with her producer and one of her best friends, Kara, who is more ratings driven and trying to save our jobs basically. She has her family life with her mother that has Lupus, her father's growing a little dissolution, and her older brother lives at the house with the parents....and his kids who are having kids. The little brother is selling weed, she's got her love life which is in shambles and all over the place. She is making all kinds of bad decisions. Then she has her life with her friends. She is basically struggling to have it all and failing miserably. Kind of like the rest of us that want it all and don't let ourselves off the hook when we are not perfect and sh* t happens."

So which similarities could someone like Gabby -- who seemingly has the perfectly charmed life with a huge career and baller boyfriend to boot -- have to her character?  She revealed to us:

The desire to be perfect but falling short. Not giving myself a break in terms of, like, it's ok to not get it right all the time. It's ok to fall short. Certainly in my youth, I didn't always make the best romantic decisions. A woman searching for it all and trying to figure it out.

And yes, Gabby says dramas like "Being Mary Jane" (she's also a big fan of her friend Kerry Washington's "Scandal") are necessary to balance out all those catty black & latina-focused reality shows.

Oh my goodness. Not only do women need it, you need to see that women can work together, they can be a team together, they can have a friendship together and they can have conflict but conflict resolution doesn't have to be disrespectful and crazy. We show conflict resolution that is compassionate and respectful. Black Women and Latinas need to see ourselves accurately on television without it being this, you know violent unfortunate cat fight & crabs in a barrel.

But the reality is that reality TV is not real. I know a lot of these women and that's not who they really are. They are edited and produced in a way. And the conflict is manufactured and we all are sort of consuming it as real. We start to believe that black women can't be friends with other black women and that black women can't be friends with Latinas and that's not the everyday truth.

After the press junket, Gabby changed it up for thr reception into this little sky blue number that we're loving.  And she posed it up with Tracy Mourning, BET's Stephen Hill and more.

"Being Mary Jane" returns to BET for a full season on January 7th at 10p EST.  We're so there!

Photos: Wireimage/Gabby's IG, Miami Correspondent: Adrienne Fleming

BET celebrated Gabrielle Union and "Being Mary Jane" cast with an A-list premiere party in LA this week.  And TheYBF.com was front and center for the hot event...and we also chatted up Ms. Union about some things we've been wondering about. See red carpet pics inside, and our chats with the cast....

Monday evening, TheYBF.com hit the red carpet in LA for the “Being Mary Jane” Premiere Screening in Los Angeles. We chatted exclusively with the series' star, Gabrielle Union, who looked sexy in a white Michael Kors jumpsuit.

Gabrielle Union on holiday plans:
The Laker game. My boyfriend plays [the Lakers] on Christmas. So I’ll be at the Laker Game. For New Year's we'll be out of the country. Just a quick trip.”

On Christmas shopping for Dwyane's sons:
I finished the little ones a while ago and I just finished the older one’s today actually.

On what she expects to get from Santa:
A lump of coal like usual. I keep asking for tube socks and he keeps giving them to me I should probably stop asking.”

Did she get the new Beyonce album?
Have I? Please! I was downloading the second it dropped!”

On how the show depicts Mary Jane’s love life and its relation to her.
It's one of the only projects I've ever seen when a single working woman is authentically portrayed in a brutally honest way. [My friends and I] have these conversations that are sort of played out on screen. The conversations that we have and the life that we live, the choices we make good or bad are never accurately depicted and you never see consequences. There are times when you love Mary Jane and times when you want to slap the piss out of her.

More pics from the premiere at Leonard H Goldenson Theatre:

The show's fab creator Mara Brock Akil and BET's President Debra Lee posed it up with Gabby.

We also chatted with Mara about her take on affairs and how women relate to the relationships in the show.

In the film, David, (played by Stephen Bishop) is labeled as “Never Answer”. How can women relate to this relationship?
“We've all had that one significant relationship that is the hurdle that we have to get over. You're always measuring, Do I go back to that? Or do I do better than that? Am I going to get something similar to that? It's the relationship that marks our adult relationships which we grapple with. Everybody has "the one."

If your partner was having an affair would you want to know all the intimate details?
When I wrote the scene, I thought what would I want to know. I want to know what's he's doing to you that he's not doing to me!
 

Essence Atkins walked the red carpet in brown Steve Madden pumps, ripped Zara jeans and navy blue Calvin Klein blazer.

The "Mr. Box Office" star told us about why she loves supporting "Being Mary Jane".  Her besties are involved!

"It stars two of my best friends, Gabrielle Union and Robinne Lee. We played sisters in Deliver Us From Eva. I'm just excited about the story about women, and a woman in particular, searching for love trying to find a balance in her profession. I think there's a lot of women that can relate to this, not just women of color but just women across the board. There's so many women doing so well and their personal lives are in need of resuscitation. This will take an honest look at those struggles and explore how we deal with them. It's going to be a fun journey to watch."

And how is the mommy celebrating the Holidays?

"My son is turning two on Christmas Day. I'm actually doing this thing that I'm kind of excited about. Instead of presents I'm having everyone give my son a letter kind of like a time capsule. Except this time capsule will be when he turns 18 so I'm not reading any letters and I just want the people to write something down that their hopes and dreams for him when he becomes a young man."

Awww.

Series star Robinne Lee told us on the red carpet about her character saying, "You’re going to expect a lot of drama. Some very juicy stuff. Really, really well written one hour drama with dynamic multilayered characters. The choices they make are unexpected, unique, and relatable."

We also chatted with celebrity trainer Jeanette Jenkins, who trained Mara Brock Akil when she had her first son.

"For Christmas I'm going to snowboard in Aspen. I'll be turning up on the mountain. For New Years Eve, I think I'm going to crash wherever Kelly is. She's performing. I'm going to be that homegirl. (laughs)"

Gabrielle posed with BET CEO Debra Lee and series star Margaret Avery.

Series star, Richard Roundtree was there.

Actor and comedian Affion Crockett supported the premiere.

Reality star and funnywoman Kym Whitley was there.

Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Cookie Johnson posed with Mara Brock Akil and husband, famed producer/director Salim Akil.

Former "Kenan & Kel" star Kel Mitchell made a rare appearance.

And John Salley also came out to support the premiere.

The cast also chatted with the audience.....

Watch BTS video here:

"BEING MARY JANE" returns to television January 7, 2014.

Photos via BET Networks/Frank Micelotta Photographer, LA Correspondent: Lauren Smith

The saga continues...

After a letter from Bounty Alert, an organization who helps parents receive the child support they're owed, was sent to media alleging that Andrea Kelly's lawyer claimed the reality star couldn't afford the processing fee for the company's help....Andrea's lawyer is fighting back.  Details inside..

We previously reported about Project Child Support and Bounty Alert sending out stacks of proof that they were hired to help Andrea Kelly get the child support she's been waiting on for months from her ex-husband R.Kelly.  But after another media entity supposedly incorrectly reported what really went down, it caused an ish-storm of drama.

Here's the deal:

Several days ago, Project Child Support sent out a press release that they had been hired by Andrea Kelly to retrieve her $114,000+ child support money from R. Kelly, since he hadn't paid up what he legally owed.

Soon after, TMZ posted that Andrea Kelly said she never hired Project Child Support to help her out with her child support situation (conveniently reporting this AFTER R.Kelly finally paid up that $114,000 he owed).

To show they are no liars, Project Child Support and the company they work with, Bounty Alert, sent out tons of proof showing contracts and other paperwork, signed by Andrea and her lawyer, that showed they were indeed hired for the project.  Bounty Alert felt like they were simply being used as leverage for Andrea to get what she needed from Robert Kelly.  Since we all know bad press is the last thing he needed while releasing his new Black Panties album.

But as part of their proof, Bounty Alert (BA) said in docs that Andrea's lawyer, Alison Motta, told them that Andrea could not afford the $400 processing fee for BA's services.  This could possibly hold up the work BA planned to do.

Of course, Andrea was pissed the public now thought of her as a broke chick struggling to get by...all supposedly thanks to her ow lawyer.  So Alison Motta spoke to TheYBF.com exclusively about the matter.

"I have never stated that Andrea Kelly mismanaged her earnings from "Hollywood [Exes]".  I think she is managing her earnings nicely.  And there's been some confusion and  misreporting out there in the media and I wanted to resolve that."

She continued about the mixup:

"I did tell Bounty Alert that she was having severe financial difficulties as a result of this child support situation.  That is a very true statement.  I don't know if that was them reading between the lines..."

We're told Bounty Alert is sticking to their story.  All of it.

And get this -- Motta says she NEVER spoke to TMZ at all.  So the report saying Andrea never hired Bounty Alert was a complete lie.  She tells us:

"Neither myself nor Andrea Kelly ever denied having hired Bounty Alert.  I think that the confusion in the media on that end sparked this 'he said/she said' thing that's gotten ridiculous.  Hopefully it'll all die down and this clears up those two points.

Bottom line: Andrea got her money...and her lawyer's still got her job.

Photo: Andrea's Twitter

Denise Vasi is a newly married woman.  So in honor of season 3 of VH1's "Single Ladies" kicking off soon, the star dished up her own personal advice for those women still looking for The One...

Whether you watch "Single Ladies" for the fashion game, the drama, or to see women going through the same ish you have when trying to make a relationship work, star Denise Vasi has a little advice for you.

The 30-year-old model/actress (who previously dated successful businessman Noah Tepperberg) dished to TheYBF.com about a month before her wedding to famed director Anthony Mandler, all about her character "Raquel".  And she even had some advice for the women who seem perfect on paper, but may be having the hardest time finding a good guy.

She told us about what we can expect from Raquel in season 3 saying:

"She has matured.... she is no longer trying to find happiness is all the wrong places.  She's content."

And the advice the self-proclaimed music lover has for all the real life single ladies?  Denise says you've got to open up...to different races, your surroundings, and more.

"I have a few friends who have great jobs, great personalities but can't seem to find a good guy. I think that a lot of it has to do with your surroundings, and you have to be open to explore different things.  Like other races and just in general.  People are really comfortable with what they know. You continuously hang in the same crew, you have met everyone in that crew and the friends of the friends in that crew, so it is now time to step outside your comfort zone.  I also think that things happen when you least expect them... when you don't want to be married everyone asks you to marry them!"

"Guys don't like pressure and so many women are desperate to get married. That just makes them run. Sometimes you have to have a Samantha (from Sex And The City) mindset.  Also, you need to learn from your past experiences so you can be better for your next relationship."

 

BONUS:

In honor of season three, VH1 has launched an eBook series set between the finale of season two and the premiere of season three. The eBook will bring you up to speed on what April, Raquel, and Keisha have been up to, preparing you for what’s to come.

In addition to launching the eBook, VH1 will also be hosting a sweepstakes giving away the new eBooks and "Single Ladies "inspired Beauty Boxes. The Single Ladies eBook is on sale now on iTunes, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

Photo: VH1

VH'1s first hour-long scripted series, Single Ladies, returns for a third season on January 6th at 9/8c. This romantic comedy stars LisaRaye McCoy (Keisha), Denise Vasi (Raquel) and Charity Shae (April)- Three best friends with different philosophies on love, sex and relationships, proving not all women have the same sex drives. The modern, sexy series set in the world of Atlanta fashion, music and celebrity explores the women's different approaches to relationships.   

*Compensation was provided by VH1 via Glam Media in regards to the eBook. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of VH1.

Simone Shepherd originally caught our eye with her hilarious VINE and Youtube videos (alongside Torrei Hart).  And any time there's a fabulous fresh face, we're all over it.

Find out what the best fake Yonce out there told us about what really went down inside those secret black comedienne "SNL" auditions, why this is a big damn deal, who HER fave funny gals are, and what's up next for Simone inside....

She recently gave us that hilarious "Drunk As F*ck" parody after originally catching our attention on VINE and those extra shade worthy & amusing "Basketball Wives" spoofs.  And now, we've finally had an all-out dish session with comedienne Simone Shepherd.

The L.A. based former "Hell Date" star was one of the few & the proud YBF chicks who were given the opportunity to audition for a spot carved out for a much needed black woman on "SNL" recently.  While the sketch comedy show eventually the talented Sasheer Zamata, Simone (who has amassed millions of VINE followers) is still gaining all types of notoriety.

The funny gal tells TheYBF.com,"For reasons that need not be said [not getting the part has been] a blessing. Things happen the way they are supposed to happen and it is absolutely an awesome thing for my career.”

Simone dished to us that only 7-8 women were originally slated to try out, but that number jumped to 12 due to all the publicity.

So who would HER pick for the "SNL" slot have been (besides herself of course)...and what REALLY went down inside those controversial auditions?  Well, one thing that DIDN'T happen was competitive cattiness.  Gotta love YBF chicks who support each other.

Check out our interview below.

On auditioning for SNL:

Simone: “It was so amazing, like honestly, just as a fan of SNL for years and someone who does comedy, it was amazing just to step on the actual floor of SNL. You get on the eighth floor and you're at 30 Rock and you go past the page desk. It was just an awesome experience. Everyone was really nice. A few of us girls, especially the LA girls a few of us knew each other. What I hear normally when people get into SNL they go into the dressing room, they're quiet and they shut the door. But we were praying together before and standing in the hallway towards the end. We were laughing and joking. It was so much camaraderie and it was good, I think, for them at SNL to see us like that because you know we're black women so we were out laughing, thanking God, and being how we are and it was just a really good experience.”

“We all went out to eat afterwards and we laughed. We were all just so happy to be there. This is winning! It's like being a black female whose nominated for an Oscar and you're up for best actress. It makes you feel like this is something they don't even be wanting us for. So to just be here at the ‘Oscars’ and getting nominated, whoever wins, we're all here! That was the attitude. That was the motivation behind how we were operating. We went in there. We chose the ideas and the plan was to show them that we are here in the world, we're funny, we're talented and stop trying to play us.

On landing the controversial audition:  “The SNL process is usually so private, I think this is the most public audition I think they've ever had. They had a rep contact me to do the initial showcase and from what I'm hearing they had heard about me and then did there research from my Vine following. They really liked me, so they wanted me to come in and audition. When I got there there I didn't know who was going to be at the audition but being in the comedy world I knew that Breesha Webb was going to be there and Gabrielle Dennis. A lot of people don't know that (Dennis) is funny because she plays such a serious character on ‘The Game.’ I started doing improv with her years ago. So it was good and refreshing to see people who I also believe are very funny to actually be at the process as well.”

On losing out on the role:  “It’s all good. I'm excited for the girls who were selected. I just pray for the girls they got in there that they can get in there and really make a difference.

On meeting the SNL cast?  “The people at SNL were awesome. Lorne's right-hand sent me a beautiful email and I can honestly say that they were really good to us. Seth Meyers came around and really spoke to us individually and that was really nice and important. I talked to him before and after the process.”

On possibly being part of the writing team: “I think being a writer on SNL is a great privilege and it's just as important to me as being a cast member. It's something I would definitely consider but just being in this place in my career. I consider myself more of a Lena Dunham or Issa Rae. I want to be writing and acting and really creating my own projects. SNL is a great place for people to get in there and show their writing and show their talent and then move onto another place. Right now, I'm at a point in my comedic career where I'd like to do both so that probably wouldn't be the best option for me at this moment. But it's SNL and for a lot of people, it's a coveted spot, a coveted position but I am a person who is really on a new media wave. I'm a big fan of Issa Rae and her movement and that's more of the direction of my career.

On her audition process:  “The thing about SNL is unlike a lot of traditional auditions where they give you slides or a script to read or rehearse or interact with another cast member or potential cast member. It's not like that. It's really more up to you. So we go in there displaying our best work. So as far as writing or performing our materials, it's really up to us. All They do is say hey here's the time, come in and here's the platform. That's it. I chose to do Donna Brazile. I Did Beyoncé of course. I do Beyoncé quite often. I even did Whoopi. I did a lot of original characters like Nicki Minaj that I'm known for. Even the SNL people I know they expected me to do it because they've seen me do them. Most people did the stuff that you seen us do on the Internet so there were no surprises.”

On Sasheer Zamata (pictured above at post-audition dinner together) landing the part: “I don't know her well. I've seen her at the audition. She went after me so I was able to kind of hear her audition and I've seen her stuff online and I think that she is talented. We're all talented in different ways so I don't know which direction our what they were looking for, only they do. I feel like since they chose her, that's the direction they feel like a lot of their stuff is going in. She was a great girl. I didn’t get to speak to her a lot while we were there but she was just a nice girl with good energy. I can't say anything negative about her.”

On which established comediennes could have been on SNL? “That is such a hard question. Kim Coles. I really think that she would've been excellent on SNL. Thank God there were platforms like "In Living Color" and that's why I love and respect the fact that I'm working so closely with the Wayans. Even with their sister Kim, they made a platform whether you're black or white, if you're funny come in and perform, so I appreciate that. And Marlon early on recognized that I was funny and said ‘Hey, come work with me.’ It just goes to show that funny is funny. And I will help you get your voice out there if your funny. I honestly think that the women who could have been on SNL they didn't need it! They were able to make their voice heard outside of that. But if SNL is something they want to do it should be an option. It should never be like ‘Oh well. They don't want me.’”

On who Simone would have chosen:  “Ooo that is such a politically scary question for me being in the industry. I'll tell you the whispers that I've been hearing. It's what I've heard and not what I'm saying… that a lot of the girls, especially the LA girls, are quite known. Sometimes it's hard to take girls that are known and put them into a group that might not be as known as the group is. But it's kind of hard to settle in a new person into a group when there already bigger than a lot of people who are already on a platform. So if I had to choose I honestly could have chosen any of the girls. I don't want to say anything negative about her or anybody they choose. I'm getting a lot of great press and I want my work to speak for itself and I think that it is. Whether it's being on SNL or whatever it is, I want my work to speak for itself. I appreciate The YBF for posting some of my stuff. I'm getting my stuff out there so would I have chosen me? I don't know (laughs). It's kind of biased right? I don't want to say anything negative about SNL or the process. I'll let the people who are not so closely connected to it give their opinion and in a roundabout way I think you get my undertones about what I'm saying and I'm honestly am just so happy for the girls that got selected and I hope that they can get in there and have their voices being heard.”

On why SNL's decision is monumental:  “It really affects us all as a community. It really is a social and political issue. It does matter that there's not a black female on the show. It does matter how funny a black girl is if she's not funny it's like she doesn't even exist. I want there to be a lot of opportunities that's why I like the YBF so much because I think it's important to show black women doing well and being just as good as our male counterparts or our white female counterparts. It's important to show that we're doing it. You guys being run by a black female, its so important for that to be known. And yes it does matter that you are black females because it makes other black females look and say ‘I can do that.’ A lot of us weren't even considering SNL because SNL was not an option. We weren't being represented were trying to work, we’re trying to hustle and make a living and you look and your like i'm not going to try and tear down the wall they won't even let me in the door to try to tear it down. Now that this opportunity happened there's some girls somewhere saying ‘Oh, I'm going to try out for that. I'm going to try in three years when I get old enough or It's one of my career goals now."

On expectations with being the only black woman on SNL:  “I do agree with Don Lemon that she has to be funnier than she is black because us as black people take so much ownership over what's ours. We're not looking at her like ‘oh, she's black’ we are looking at her like ‘oh, she's funny.’ That's what matters to us don't try to appease us by hiring someone. You have to actually know and respect the fact that we are talented people and treat us as a peer not as we're just the black funny girl that you hired.”

On why it took this long for black Comediennes to be recognized: “Comedy is a boys club. From the beginning of time, comedy is something that we like to see males being funny. Traditionally, they want women to be something other than funny. This is what boys do. We sit around and tell jokes and make things funny. They don't expect women to be able to be funny without being very crass. I don't think that in this day and age that's the direction we have to go in. We have a voice. We live our lives like everyone else and we have a right to get up and express those voices but when the clubs are run by men, the shows are run by men, the networks are ran by men or even if they’re run by women and you try to get numbers, it's hard for us to get in the door and be like ‘Hey, I'm here and I'm funny.’”

On apps like Vine affecting her career path: “The fact that I have 2 million followers on vine has really opened up a door for me. I've worked with major branding companies. I've worked with Trident and Wendy’s. I worked with a lot of bigger brands based on that so I have a lot going on and I plan on developing shows and make a movement. That is really the direction of my career. I'm already in development with big people to get that stuff rolling. And in the meantime I will continue doing sketches and spoofing people because that's just something that I love to do.”

On doing Standup? “Standup is something that I really love. I'm so passionate about standup but I have yet to take that leap on the stage as a standup comedian. Although I will not say that it's something that is completely off the table. I'm interested and will probably do it in the near future. To be a standup comedian is a lot of work. It's very hard and with so much other stuff on my plate that demands my immediate attention I don't know how close maybe in the next few months. It's definitely something that's in my mind.”

Who would be with her?“I’m honestly a big fan of people that I'm very close to. Tiffany Haddish for one. I love Gabrielle Dennis. A lot of people haven't seen her comedy but she's freaking hilarious. I think Breesha Webb’s standup comedy is hilarious. Those girls are excellent. I'm a big fan of Sarah Silverman. But it's so hard since I'm such a fan of so many different comedians for different reasons. That's such a hard question so I'm going to say me Gabrielle Dennis and Breesha Webb. That's what I'm going to say.”

On what's up next for Simone:“A lot of the women I see kind of taking strides and move in the industry in entertainment news and media outlets. I like the fact that women are saying no matter what you say what I can or can't do, I can do it. So I'm starting this campaign very soon that I'm going to launch called the Press Campaign and it's about pressing forward through opposition. Can't let other people decide who you are and what you're going to be. I'm going to do a big thing like that very shortly but I definitely love the mixing of people saying, ‘Look I'm a woman but I'm not just a woman. I'm a writer. I’m this. I’m that. I'm not just a single mother but I'm able to do all these different things that you don't think I'm able to do and i'm going to tell my own story.’”

"SNL is very traditional and it's a blessing and I love it it's a great opportunity for me and whoever else was involved but personally I would like to see myself looking up and see that I have a show on ABC or doing something with HBO, that's why I'm working with ‘What's The Funny’ with Marlon Wayans. He's a great fan of mine and we do a lot of work together and we have a lot of big stuff coming. I sat down with Tyra Banks, me and her management company are developing a project for Vine. So it's great. A lot of big things are coming. I personally are looking forward to the other opportunities that are coming in my direction.”

Best of luck to the fabulous Simone!

Photos/Video: Simone's IG, YBF Correspondent: Lauren Smith

Tatyana Ali wants the world to know she's know longer that innocent sweet little Ashley Banks we've known her to be.  The freshest princess of Bel Air (but based on this new music....she doesn't want to be called that again) is back at her singing career. 

And TheYBF.com has the very first look at her artsy "Hello" short film which gives us a peek into her new album...

When she's not starring on "Young & the Restless" or BET's "Second Generation Wayans", 34-year-old Tatyana Ali is working on her music.  It's been over 15 years since her "Boy You Knock Me Out" singing days!  Who knew?!

But now, she's more mature, has some real ish to sing about, and she's not here for your usual boring questions about her past. 

In her brand new short film, set to some of her new music, the fab chick showed off her artistic video edge with the visuals.  She says in the vid:

"...Expected to answer the same questions...'Yes, I know who she was'...'No, I'm not the same'....'Of course I liked it'....'You're right, you're still talking about it'...It's a while lifetime ago. People think that's who I really am. I'm not answering these questions anymore. They're boring.

She explained how every seven years humans become different people:

"That's the reason scars disappear...it's like you become brand new. It was so long ago. I'm literally not the same person."

Who is she now exactly?  Guess we'll find out when her new album drops. Peep the "Hello" short film below and what Tatyana has to say about her new work:

"[This film is] an introduction to my forthcoming EP also entitled "Hello". I'm so excited this day is here! All of this is coming from my heart. It's my story. It's what I believe in, what I dream about and what I've been through. My hope is to connect to people and share what I love. This is truly an independent effort. I need your support. If you think it's cool, share it. More to come..."

You can also check out Tatyana and her new music starting January 21st when she's the featured artist on Spotify.

If there's one thing we've learned from watching "SWV Reunited", it's that Coko is a diva. And we've got an exclusive sneak peek of how she's threatening to go solo...

They've JUST reunited, but lead singer Coko is already on her "I wanna go solo...again" ish. In Thursday's episode of their new reality show, Coko pulled the diva card and met with a gospel producer.

But on the group front, Interest from a major record label leaves the ladies in a battle to get out of their current deal. And SWV meets with a music therapist to heal old wounds that seem to be reopened.

Check out the sneak peek below to see why these gals split up in the first place.

The new episode airs January 30th at 9p ET.

We caught up with LaLa Anthony at her Barnes & Nobles book signing for The Love Playbook in NYC this week.  She locked down NBA baller Carmelo Anthony for the last 3 years, and the happily married couple has been together for over a decade. 

So we got her to serve up her own tea about sex, divorce, weddings vs. marriage, and what Melo thinks about it all....

5th and Mercer fashion designer and Baggage Claim actress LaLa is dishing up the real about love, marriage, sex, divorce and more.  And we got her to tell us some things she didn't put in her book.

After going through a public rough patch with her NBA husband, she's got some insight on when a couple should go the divorce route.  LaLa, who said she loves breaking stereotypes that say she can only have one career at a time, consulted her friends Ciara, Kim K., Kelly Rowland and her inner circle of friends for her relationship advice book.  So we may get a few nuggets in there.

Here's some things we just had to know:

On 'Game Time' -- Marriage vs. Wedding
"So many people want to get married for the idea of the wedding. You have this big wedding, you have all these people come and so many people are more concerned with the materialist part of it than the actual marriage. Of course when you get married you want to have someone witness the love and long lasting relationships but people are more concerned with the wedding. I say don’t forget about the marriage and what’s really important. Is there love there at the core of your relationship. Weddings are great but then everybody goes home and you’re still stuck with the person you married."

On whether she would go back and change anything about her wedding day?
"No, not at all. As long as you do things your way and you feel good about it that’s what ultimately matters at the end of the day. You’re not going to be able to please anyone. We talk about that in the book. You have to be able to look yourself in the mirror so I’m happy with the way I did the marriage and my wedding because I did it my way. I was talked about for being engaged for so long and then getting married but I’ve lasted longer in this relationship than a lot of people that were criticizing me. But at the end of the day I did it my way and that’s what I’m most happy about and I wouldn’t change anything. You know life is about learning. Some things are necessary so that you can learn and grow from it."

On being in a relationship where she felt like she was just dating the man to feel validated
"Yes - I definitely did that in my earlier relationships. I felt like without him I felt like I wasn’t whole, I wouldn’t make it and my whole purpose was all about him it was never about me. You know, what did he want to do and I started losing myself in that relationship and it was very dysfunctional and one day I woke up and I was like this isn’t healthy. Luckily I was able to get out of it and get past it." 

On who contributed advice for the book, besides mom and grandmom
"Well, you know my core group of friends. Dice, Po, Kelly, Ciara, Trina, Serena, Kim, you know Monica. My group of friends that I talk to, that I go to for advice. My day one friends too that some people may not know who they are. It’s great to have friends that you can go to when you need advice or when you need help. That was another thing that motivated me to write the book because I realized how many women out there don’t have a great circle of friends, don’t have a family so I kept thinking to myself who do they go to for answers."

On divorce and suggesting it for a couple
"You have to evaluate your situation. If that’s where you feel like, unfortunately, that’s where it’s going I would not encourage someone to stay in a relationship where they’re not happy. But have you done everything before you’ve gone through that final step? Have you tried therapy? Have you talked to your pastor? Have you talked to family? Have you talked to friends? Have you done everything and they say yes, who am I to encourage someone to stay in a relationship where they’re not happy. And I’ve seen people who have gone through a divorce and they come out stronger and find new love. You have to evaluate the situation. Not just for divorce but for break-ups, make sure you do all the necessary work before you just jump to that. You don’t want to throw that word around lightly. You want to do the right things before you get there and if you feel like that’s where it’s at then I would definitely support somebody in that."

On the celebrity couples she admires?
"I love Will Smith & Jada Pinkett. Through everything they’ve sustained. You can tell family’s most important. I love that about them. I love Jay Z & Beyonce. They’re role models. They just show that two people can have two amazing careers and be so successful but still come together as one and still have this great union and be great parents. And that’s what we do here. Kiyan is with one of us at all times, as he should be. He’s witnessing what’s going on. We’re not keeping him at home and not allowing him to experience this stuff."

On dishing motherhood tips to Ciara
"Well, you know she sees me with Kiyan and she spends a lot of time with him. She’s just such a great person and such a giving person that I know that will carry on to her being such a great mom. She’s going to be so great and she’s so excited and so happy. I see how she is with Kiyan and that’s just a small indication of what a great mom she’s going to be. Parenting doesn’t come with a manual – you just have to figure it out. But as long as you have love in your heart everything else falls into place. There’s no direction on what to do. Tips are great but as a mom you have to find your way and figure it out."

On motherhood
"Kiyan has changed my life. What is means to be a mom and basing your life around someone else. You know all my decisions, my work schedule to day to day stuff is based around Kiyan. The feeling of loving someone more than yourself is something I didn’t understand until I became a mom. Kiyan was at the book signing and it was important for me to have him there .I want to share this kind of thing with him. It’s important for him to see his mom working. I always want him to feel included and apart of it. And also get to see a strong mom working and putting something out there. And being able to see what a well rounded woman looks like."

On her ONE rule of sex
"Spice it up. Don't plan sex!"

On what Melo had to say about her writing a book on love and sex
"He was like I don’t know how you do all this stuff. He was like I don’t know how you have all this time. He knows I’m the person that my friends and family come to for advice and support so he thought it was a good idea. Just the idea of being able to help other people, he’s going to be supportive. It’s great for both of us. We’ve both been blessed to be in these great positions and if you’re not utilizing it what good is it? There were girls up there crying, literally crying, talking about things they were going through and how much they appreciate having someone like me to talk to and having a book to go to for insight. Those are the moments that matter. So my husband of course, is going to support me."

"Yesterday, Kelly was getting emotional because you realize how many people need people us and need a voice and are kind of lost out there and need help and don’t have people to turn to. So, of course, my husband was supportive of that. He couldn’t be at the book signing because he had a game but we had a little thing afterwards just for my friends and family and he came and we had a really good time and celebrating all the amazing things. We had a really good time. And a lot of my family was at the book signing. Everybody comes out to support and I never take for granted what a great support system I have with my family. My day flew in from overseas just for a few hours just to come to the book signing. That’s the kind of stuff I have to think about and be thankful for. I really am thankful. The book is number 1 right now. We’re just waiting to see if I’m on the Bestsellers list. I know what I felt yesterday in that room and if we can stay in this number 1 spot that would be amazing but I already feel accomplished just from yesterday."

On whether she'll go back to her hosting gig
"Here and there. I don’t really miss it because it really was taking over my time. Now it’s my acting career and producing which is something I love because it’s a challenge for me. It’s real, I’m still studying, I’m learning and I’m really enjoying it. With radio and hosting, I kind of feel like I can do it with my eyes close, it’s second nature to me. Now I’m stepping into something now that is a challenge and I’m learning so many new things. Acting has really taken over my time and my world now and I’m really, really enjoying it."
 

Her good friend Po also showed up at the book signing this week.  Next up for LaLa:  She's currently shooting a movie called November Rule executive produced by Queen Latifah, will appear on the new STARZ series "Power" with Omari Hardwick, and is starring in the upcoming flick Think Like A Man Too out June 20th.

The Love Playbook is available everywhere now.

Photos & Interview: Shirley Vernae Williams

She may not have dropped a studio album since 2008, but the people (us included) still give a damn about what Ashanti's doing.  And she's grateful for it.  Check out pics and TheYBF.com's chit chat with the "I Got It" singer about Nelly and more from her listening party in NYC...

Last night at Jungle City Studios, which is owned by Alicia Keys& Swizz Beatz, Ashanti played her BRAVEHEART album--and sang along a bit--during an intimate listening session.   TheYBF.com was on hand to see if she's still got it.  And if you're an Ashanti fan, you probably won't be disappointed.

Since she's nursing a hairline fracture in her ankle after falling down in a club during the Holidays (that explains that Swarovski cystal pimp cane she's been toting around!), full length pics weren't allowed.  But you get the gist of her cute look nonetheless.  With her Momager Tina Douglas and little sis Shia on deck as usual, Ashanti gave the room a listen to her first album in six years (due out March 4th).

Afterwards, YBF Correspondent Shirley Vernae chatted with actress/singer about how Nelly plays into her life right now (via her music) and more.

On the struggle to remain relevant

"Having not put out a record since 2008, and still competing against a bunch of my peers, is a blessing and I'm really grateful for it.  Being an artist this day in age and having the public and the BLOGS critique you and judge you without knowing facts, you have to be brave and strong.  You have to be strong internally."

On her rumored break-ups to makeups with rapper Nelly

"Did Nelly inspire some records?  Absolutely.  It's just about being real, being honest and being brave.  Writing about what I really felt and what I really went through.  Yeah, he was part of it."

"I switched the subject [when asked on "106 & Park" the previous night] because he's doing him and I'm doing me, it's about Braveheart.   If you want to find out what's going on with me and him, get the album on iTunes.  Right now.  March 4th."

On turning down major label offers and going independent

"To be completely honest, I couldn't fathom the idea of a 360 deal.  I walked away from 7 offers from majors.  At the time, the ink was over here.  And it was just me.  But this time, I get to be the Captain of the ship.  Regardless of whatever happens, I'm happy about the music."

On those major furs she and Diddy (and Nelly) were rocking Super Bowl weekend

"I respect PETA.  I really do. They are so passionate and I really do respect them for what they do.  And I really DON'T want them to come for me!"

Check out the full video interview and more pics below:

Pics & Video Interview: Shirley V. Williams/Shirleyvernae.com

Kevin Hart talked to TheYBF.com about making Valentine's Day special, offered advice to men in relationship, and gave us the 411 on his "About Last Night" sex scenes.  More inside....

We knew we loved this guy.  With "About Last Night" hitting the silver screen today, box-office slayer Kevin Hart chopped it up with TheYBF.com (and yes, he's funny as hell in real life) about his Valentine's Day plans, offered advice to men and revealed why you should rush to see his movie:  The sex!

First, we asked 34-year-old Kevin to give us histop 5 most WTF moments this year so far, because we just know there must have been a few. 

1. "My fan based is broader. I had an old woman literally pass me going into Whole Foods she said, “I just wanna tell you that you’re funny as shit.” And she was OLD! I was laughing like where does she know me from, where has she seen me?"

2. "Any morning just with my kids. Seeing my kids become little people with personalities. Watching my son mimic me and do what I do. It makes me smile on a different level."

3. "Being able to promote this film. The shock factor. I'm excited cause I’m having sex in this movie. The fact that people will see me have sex scenes. That can be 3, 4 and 5."

4. "About Last Night" sex scenes.

5. "About Last Night" sex scenes.

Ha!  He also served up some advice for you fellas out there still experiencing the V-Day struggle:

What makes "About Last Night" the perfect way to spend Valentine's Day?

It doesn’t matter if you are in a relationship or not, it isn’t just a movie for couples. It’s not just for women. It’s not just for men. It’s for everybody. We deal with relationships in a real way. From a real perspective where people are gonna be able to relate to this. It's funny. It's edgy. It's smart. It has levelsl. I’m having a bunch of sex which is what everyone body wants. I can’t wait for people to see it.

On his Valentine's Day plans:

I’m taking my lady out and putting a smile on her face like I do everyday. Valentine’s day is everyday. Your lady should feel special everyday if you’re doing what you’re supposed to. And I’m doing what I’m supposed to.

Tips for men for V-Day:

Don’t attempt romance. Be yourself. Romance comes by simply being who you are. That’s what’s attractive to a female. When you do things you wouldn’t normally do and step out of your comfort...that’s how you look stupid. You start singing or playing the guitar…sit your ass down and have a conversation!

"About Last Night", also starring Michael Ealy, Joy Bryant and Regina Hall, opens today!

Watch Kevin's Valentine's vid below:

In case you missed it:

BONUS

1.  Romany Malco has been tapped to star in Kevin Hart's ABC sitcom.  Story.

Photos via Kevn Hart's Instagram