Can Chris Brown keep it DRAMA FREE?

 Article provided by SoulSummer.com

 By Kia O. Moore (kia@mingleberry.com)

I am sitting in the car, the air conditioner is broken, and it feels like 102 degree weather. The radio is on, but I am not really listening to it. The thick North Carolina humidity plus the usual Charlotte 5′oclock traffic jam has my musical focus turned way down. Then I hear, “Here is your No. 1 requested jam of the day: Chris Brown’s Deuces.” My ears perk up and a turn the volume dial on high.

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2010 BET Awards in Review: The Overview

By Kia O. Moore    (kia@mingleberry.com)

When BET announced Queen Latifah was going to host this year’s awards, I was not so sure about that decision. With past years being hosted by comedians like Jamie Foxx, Mo’ Nique , Steve Harvey & Cedric the Entertainer and others, I was not confident that Queen was going to keep me thoroughly entertained during those down moments between performances.  But the Queen was a class act, taking us down memory lane with her many costume changes: from her award-winning Matron “Mama” Morton from the musical Chicago to her latest character from the motion picture Just Wright.

The movie character that stole the show was Cleeo from Set it Off. Cleeo was the comic relief when T.I. and she transitioned into one of the many BET performances. As Cleeo made a motion that looked as if  she was reaching for a gun tucked in her waist, T.I. jokingly made reference to a flashback of his bad run-in with gun possession charges and award shows. But, what really won me over on BET’s decision to have Queen Latifah host the show was when Queen let the MC out and spit over Drake’s radio-beloved track Forever.

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2010 BET Awards in Review: Top 10 Performances

By Kia O. Moore   (kia@mingleberry.com)

It took ten years, but after a decade of practice BET executed its Award Show in an exquisite manner. The nominees, the honorees, the sets, and YESSSSS the performances made 2010 BET Awards one you won’t mind watching repeatedly throughout the year. (This is BET we are talking about. You know they are going to play the BET Awards 10, like, twice a day until March 2011.)

To get the overview of the overall show click here.

BET Awards 10 | Top 10 Performances

The performances are what made this year’s awards show the best of all the BET Awards Shows of the past decade. Mingleberry.com put together its own awards list for the BET Awards 10 performance. We welcome your comments, so add some categories of your own.

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2010 BET Awards in Review: BET & El DeBarge Throwback

Check out the video below to get your Soul Music IQ up.

Donnie Simpson’s Video Soul Interview w/ El DeBarge

Flava Factory Sneaker Sale ($10 and up)

Find sneakers like these on sale at Flava Factory.

by Kia O. Moore (kia@mingleberry.com)

Tomorrow kicks off Memorial Day Weekend, which translates to barbecues, parties and sales. Urban clothing store Flava Factory gives you all three in one spot. Head down to 2041 South Blvd., Suite D, and get the weekend started off right.

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Meet Charlotte’s Most Eligible Bachelors

Woman Is Expecting Two, but Not Twins

By LAUREN COX
ABC News Medical Unit
Sept. 24, 2009

A pregnant woman in Arkansas surprised doctors twice over when she went in for a routine ultrasound this June.

Doctors successfully located Todd and Julia Grovenburg’s growing baby girl Jillian, but then discovered another smaller baby — what could be Jillian’s younger brother — growing beside her.

The Grovenburgs may have conceived their son Hudson a full two-and-a-half weeks after Jillian, according to statements given to KFSM-TV in Ft. Smith-Fayetteville, Ark.

Different from identical twins or fraternal twins, the Grovenburg babies would have separate due dates and are considered to be a rare medical occurrence.

“When the woman had her ultrasound initially, they saw one sack, one baby developing, and that baby had a certain gestational age; then they noticed a second heartbeat in a child that was much, much younger developmentally,” Dr. Karen Boyle of the Greater Baltimore Medical Center, told ABC News’ “Good Morning America Health.”

Boyle said it’s uncommon for fetuses to differ so widely in size and development early in pregnancy, even though babies may differ widely in size at birth.

“It does really sound like this is a true case of different conception times for these children,” said Boyle.

Reports of superfetation, or conceiving while pregnant, are so rare that Boyle said, “There is no prevalence or incidence in the literature. I could only find about 10 reported cases.”

Grovenburg’s obstetrician, Dr. Michel Muylaert, confirmed to KFSM-TV that the Grovenburgs may be dealing with the extraordinarily rare case of superfetation.

“Mrs. Julia Grovenburg is pregnant with twins and there appears to be a discordant growth pattern, possibly due to superfetation,” Dr. Muylaert wrote in a letter to KFSM-TV.

“This is an unusual and rare condition, but the possibility is real. It can only be confirmed after delivery by chromosomal and metabolic studies on the babies. She was evaluated at UAMS in Little Rock for this condition and they confirmed the suspicion of superfetation,” he continued.

Could Superfetation Happen More Often?

Yet, while superfetation is rarely documented, Dr. Donnica Moore said it may be impossible to tell if this happens more often — but with a shorter time period between conceptions.

“For these sorts of cases, I have to say, most of our bodies don’t read the textbook,” said Moore, an obstetrician and president of New Jersey’s Sapphire Women’s Health Group.

“I would say [it's] extremely rare, but then again, we would never know how often this happens. If the children are born at the same time — it might be that they were conceived at different times.”

Depending on the time between the two conceptions, Boyle said superfetation could be dangerous for the younger baby, who could be born prematurely.

“It [the second conception] can happen up to 24 days later than the first conception, and then you’re putting the second baby at risk for lung development problems,” said Boyle.

However, in the Grovenburg’s case, Boyle said the difference of two weeks would not put the younger baby at much of a risk for health problems.

“The interesting thing in this case is if these children were actually born on their due dates, the older child would be born at the end of 2009, and the younger child would be born in the beginning of 2010,” said Boyle

Do You Want To Look “Flawless”? Flawless MakeUp Art Launches Membership Program

CHARLOTTE, NC-July 27, 2009- For some women, applying make up can be a tiresome chore; however, with a new Flawless MakeUp Art Membership, ladies all across Charlotte can treat themselves to affordable luxury. Created by Joy Randall, proprietor of Flawless MakeUp Art, this membership awards a variety of image conscious women—professionals, socialites and fashionistas alike, the convenience and exclusivity of having their own personal make up artist and beauty consultant at their disposal. 

For an annual fee of $150.00, members will receive the following: monthly member only events, makeovers, seasonal beauty consultations, personal make-up shopping, discounts and specials from affiliate companies, free samples, special birthday gifts and more.   Whether you need a full makeover for a special event, a big date or a girls’ night out, this is the perfect program for any budget. 

The membership program officially launches Sunday, August 2, 2009 in conjunction with the grand opening of the Flawless MakeUp Studio located at 516 E. 15^th Street in Charlotte, NC. Attendees will enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres and wine from 12:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. while touring the studio.  The space also houses YM Designs, a photography and graphic design studio and Loc’d Natural Hair Design, making the new studio a true “one-stop shop.”  Those interested in purchasing a membership will have the opportunity to complete an application during the grand opening festivities. 

For complete details about the Flawless MakeUp Art Membership program or the RSVP for the grand opening celebration, call 704.975.9526 or email flawlessmakeupart@gmail.com.

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About Flawless MakeUp Art

Joy Randall is the Owner and Sole Proprietor of Flawless MakeUp Art. She is an experienced and published Make-Up Artiste’ as well as a licensed cosmetologist wardrobe stylist with more than six years of professional experience.  Joy currently resides in Charlotte, NC and specializes in Body Art, Commercial, Editorial, Fantasy, Film, Glamour, Runway and Print work. www.flawlessmakeupartgroup.com / www.modelmayhem.com/joy360degrees

What the F@#&…Swearing is good for you?

By Kia O. Moore

Shawn eagerly places the key in the front door and turns the knob. He cannot wait to get inside to put on some comfortable clothes, curl up in the bed and release some stress by checking the stats on ESPN. As he is kicking off his shoes he hears a low moan. Shawn walks to the bedroom door and the moaning is now accompanied by a repeated squeaking sound. He swings open the door to find wife getting it on with the Stanley Steamer man. What are the first words you think he will say?

I am sure we all can agree that it would NOT sound like this, “Sweetie…please tell the young man to get off of your naked body.”

According to research found at the Keele University School of Psychology, located in Britain, the most satisfying reaction that would lessen the pain of seeing his wife cheating would sound like this:

“B**CH!!!!Who is this MOTHER F**KER with his GOT D*MN dick all up in my SH*T?!!!!”

Shawn’s next reaction would probably be to beat the guy down.

Research found that there is an unexplained link between swearing and fight-or-flight response. Swearing seems to initiate the fight-or-flight response which accelerates the heart rate, fills the body with adrenaline, and increases aggression.

Shawn has no fear of getting hit back. If he swears through the whole fighting process, the hits he will endure won’t hurt as much. Research found that swearing suppresses weak behavior and builds up the more pain-tolerant machismo within.

Dr. Richard Stephens and his colleagues, John Atkins and Andrew Kingston hypothesized that swearing would actually decrease the individual’s tolerance of pain.

To test their hypothesis, they used 64 undergraduate volunteers. Each person was asked to submerge their hand in a tub of ice water. They were told to keep their hands in the water as long as possible while repeating their favorite curse word. In the next test, the participants were asked to put their hands back in the ice water, but now they had to use a more socially acceptable word which they would use describe a table. Dr. Stephens and his research team was surprised that the participants who repeated the swear word kept their hand submerged in the ice water longer. They believe that the accelerated heart rates of the volunteers repeating the swear word may indicate an increase in aggression.

So the next time you feel the urge to swear, go ahead, especially if you are about to experience some form of physical pain or plan to inflect some.  Just make sure you are in the appropriate setting and with the appropriate people.

Patrick Cannon Files For City Council At Large

WHO: Patrick Cannon

WHAT: Filing for Charlotte City Council At-Large

WHEN: Monday, July 13, 2009 at 12:30 p.m.

WHERE: Board of Elections (741 Kenilworth Avenue, suite 202, Charlotte)

BACKGROUND:

Cannon previously served for 12 years on the Charlotte City Council, including four years as mayor pro tem.  He began his political career as the District 3 representative before being elected to an at-large position.

“We’re at a pivotal time where proven leadership is needed to continue our progress while ensuring we are fiscally responsible.  I’m honored to once again offer my ideas and proven leadership to the Charlotte community,” says Cannon.

During his tenure, Cannon compiled an impressive list of accomplishments including:

• creating a Homicide Taskforce to work to reduce such-high level crimes;
• approving a $32 million bond referendum for neighborhood improvements;
• opening the first Joblink Career Center to provide basic job and work skills training to Charlotte residents; and
• advocating for street bonds to provide proper road infrastructure.

Additional information about Cannon’s leadership, accomplishments and focus areas may be found by visiting www.patrickdcannon.com.