BEYOND THA BASICS

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Keyshia Cole and Cleveland Cavalier's Daniel Gibson step out..

The YBF.com has copped pic of the cute couple out and about..me likey for Keyshia..just keep him away from the fam....

Straight from the Source...A. Keys & Swizz Beatz are a couple!..Poor Mashonda

Daily News reports: "Hip-hop maestro Swizz Beatz is finally admitting that he and Alicia Keys are an item — but he wishes his estranged wife, Mashonda, would leave the Grammy winner out of their divorce.
For months now, Swizz has been trying to keep his thing with Alicia on the down-low. But he doesn't leave much doubt about who owns his heart on Drake's new "Best I Ever Had" remix.
Wake up in the morning and my baby cooked me breakfast, A's naked wearing nothing on but a necklace …
Yeah, she say she wanna treat me like a king; I get big gifts so the money ain't a damn thing
She gave me a party at the Guggenheim … What's next? The ring? The baby? She really loves me!
Swizz tells us that, yes, he's in love with Keys and, yes, she did give him a birthday party at that museum.
"But we're nowhere near ready for a baby or a ring," laughs Swizz, aka Kasseem Dean. "This whole song is not about Alicia. The part about her cooking breakfast for me naked — she never done that for me." Damn. Read more: "Meet Alicia Keys' secret boyfriend, Swizz Beats" -

Konvict Music Artist Dolla Shot in Head over Female..

LA Times Reports: " An Atlanta rapper was fatally shot at the Beverly Center on Monday afternoon, causing mall diners to dive for cover and sparking a police dragnet for suspects.
The shooting occurred around 3:10 p.m. in the parking structure of the popular Westside mall. Dolla, a rapper whose real name is Roderick Anthony Burton II, was shot in the head while he and another rapper, D.J. Shabbazz, were waiting in the valet area, according to Dolla’s publicist, Sue Vannasing. A friend who was with the rappers at the Beverly Center as well as a Los Angeles Police Department source also confirmed his identity to The Times".

Friday, May 15, 2009

Jennifer Hudson performed this morning on the Today Show with the most hideous outfit on..I guess she fired her stylist because this outfit is a train wreck!!!!!

Her Fiance David wasn't too far behind...does he have a job????????????

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

So I guess its safe to come out ...huh??

Swiss Beats & Alicia Keys kick it in Miami

I guess its official these two have come out in the open in Miami..

SHE by Sheree finally Debuts

Sheree finally debut her clothing ling and showed up with this Al B Sure look-alike...I'm just sayin'

Are you feeling these designs??

Kim came out for support.

Surprisingly so did Nene , Lisa and newcomer Khandi

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Disney's The Princess & the Frog

Disney is finally using an African American as an Princess in one of their fairy tales. Anika Noni Rose (from Dreamgirls) is starring as Princess Tiana.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Ebony: Jada Pinkett-Smith

Excerpt from Ebony article:"Jada Pinkett Smith is proof that good things come in small packages. The 5-foot-tall powerhouse is in control and living life to the fullest as she awaits the premiere of her new TNT drama, HawthoRNe. In an exclusive Ebony magazine cover story, the talented actress, producer and rocker was surprisingly forthcoming about her marriage
to Will, her views on the Church of Scientology and even the Internet rumors. “You want people to talk about you,……because once they stop talking about you that’s when you’re really in trouble!” She continues, “I’m happy to have people talk about all the craziness they want to talk about, whether it’s things like every year we’re getting divorced or we’re an open family or Will’s gay, or I’m gay.”

Friday, May 8, 2009

Jennifer Hudson Proposal Redux????

People.com Reports: "Five months after boyfriend David Otunga proposed to Jennifer Hudson on her 27th birthday, she returned the gesture with a surprise of her own: a proposal on Otunga's birthday. The Grammy-winning singer did it last month with style, presenting Otunga – a Harvard-educated-lawyer-turned-pro-wrestler – with a personally designed Neil Lane engagement ring rocking out at 5 carats". That David Otunga a.k.a Punk from I love NY is one lucky dude. Imagine what his life would have been like in NY would have chosen him.....I can tell you he wouldn't be recieving an 5 carat Niel Lane ring..that's for sure...

Shoe Frenzy!!!!

Tory BurchDaniella leather sandals $250

Roberto CavalliStud fringed sandals $840

ChloéLeather gladiator sandals$895

Finance Tips by G. Hogan

Don’t Lose Your Home; It’s one of the MOST Important Assets you can OWN
1. Do NOT Ignore the PROBLEM: Contact your lender IMMEDIATELY
2. PRIORITIZE your Debts:
Is your LUXUXRY CAR more important than your home?
Down Grade your CAR! Instead of having a $700 car note, TRADE and get something with a $350 car note! You can always get that STATUS QUO car back LATER!
3. Have you thought about taking a SECOND JOB?
Let the PRIDE GO! A few extra dollars a month can help you save your HOME!
IT”S ALL ABOUT SACRAFICE! This will all blow over soon!

Speak with a HUD Approved Counselor
HUD Approved Housing Counseling Agencies
Call – 1-800-569-4287 or click link below to search for counselors in your state:
http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/hcs.cfm.

Credit: When was the last time you checked your credit? Did you know you can do it for FREE?
Most States allow you a free report from all 3 major credit agencies;
Equifax, Experian and Trans Union
Click on link below for Annual Credit Report. You will have to put in personal information, it will also ask for a credit or debit card, YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED if you are in a state that allows free annual reports. You will be asked several security questions related to past employment, past addresses, past or current debts.
AnnualCreditReport.com - https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp

You are also entitled to a free credit report if you are denied credit from someone. So if you apply for a credit card, car or loan and you are declined, you are entitled to a free credit report.

DON’T be surprised about your credit, know what is on there. You should check your credit at least once per year (for free), if not every six months.
You can also request a report by mail:
Equifax
P.O. Box 740256
Atlanta, GA 30374

Experien
P.O. Box 9532
Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion
P.O.Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834

If you are a victim of FRAUD, you can place a fraud alert on your credit file:
Lenders will be required to contact you to verify if you have applied for a loan before the loan or account is opened.
Equifax: 1-877-576-5734; http://www.equifax.com/
Experian: 1-888-397-3742; www.experian.com/fraud
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; http://www.transunion.com/

Your credit will allow to get almost anything you want! Buy a home, start a business

Career Advice by G. Hogan

JOB SEEKERS
Times are TOUGH, people are losing their jobs left and right.
There are many online job sites like MONSTER, CAREER BUILBER, etc. these sites have resume filters that looks for certain key words contained in your resume. Another GOOD source for Job Seekers is your State Department of Labor.
I just did a search for my state and found PLENTY of available jobs ranging from minimum wage to $50.00 per hour!
Jobs requiring little to no experience – professional jobs requiring College Degrees.
Keep an open mind, when you don’t have a job almost anything beats a BLANK. Sometime you have to START OVER and WORK your way UP AGAIN. Get your foot in the DOOR. Times and jobs are too hard to come by now in the CRAZY, UNCERYTAIN ECONOMY!

Here is the link for you to find your state office.
http://www.dol.gov/esa/contacts/state_of.htm
Once your there then you click find a job or search jobs.
Also, many state department of labor agencies have job fairs once a month. You can find that information on your states department of labor site.

Here are some other job searching websites:
http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/

http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites.html - YES, Craigs List has jobs posted on there as well.

Personal Finance by G. Hogan

Another One Bites The Dust – How this affects your 401K Another Bank goes under; MEGA Bank Wachovia acquired by CITI GROUP. Now why is this important, many employees are now BROKE since many have a large portions of their 401K in company stock. This is not a good idea whether you work for a financial institution or not. If you have most of your allocations in the company stock and the company goes under then you lose most of your hard earned retirement money. You shouldn’t have any more than 10% – 15% in your company stock. You should also review your 401k allocations at lest once a year. Most of us don’t even pay it any attention or even know what we are looking at in our 401K. If you work for a financial institution you have a many advisors at your leisure to call and ask them to review it with you. You can also ask someone in your human resources; benefits plan administrator for the company that manages your 401k and they can go over your accounts with you for FREE. If you do not participate in your 401k at all, you are losing money since most companies match a percentage of your contributions dollar for dollar. FREE Money but don’t have it all in one basket!

Credit Advice By G. Hogan

Re-Establishing Credit after a BANKRUPTCY:
No matter what the reason was for filling bankruptcy, you got a PASS and need to START OVER and re-establish your credit.
It seems like before the ink is dry credit card companies and auto dealers start sending you applications and pre-approved notices in the mail. This is NOT a Bad thing. You have to get back into managing your debt and credit responsibly and one of the ways to do it is by getting 2 new credit accounts, typically 2 credit cards or 1 credit card and one car loan. Now, the rates on some of those offers may be EXTREMLY HIGH anywhere from 18% -24%, you may even get some lower. The key is to read the FINE PRINT. These types of offers will also have an annual fee. You will have to pay a little bit more to get back in the CREDIT GAME. You may also get a low limit $200-$500, AGAIN its ok. BABY STEPS! You have to build TRUST again. Review all offers, interest rate vs. annual fees and pick the one with the lowest rate and or annual fee. If you find that you applied for 2 credit cards even though they say pre-approved for bad credit and previous bankruptcy and get DECLINED, you may have to apply for a Secured Credit Card. This is where you send the company a check say for $500, then they issue you a credit card with a $500 limit. They will hold onto your deposit until they feel that you have used and paid back the account in a responsible manner. Most companies will send back your money anywhere from 18 – 24 months.
If you decide to re-establish your credit and you should, you have to make sure you don’t fall into a lot of debt again. You should only charge small amounts, maybe for some gas, dinner, rental car, etc BUT make sure you can pay if off when your statement arrives. You want to only use about 30% of your available credit. So this means if you have a limit of $1000, you should only have a balance of $300. Banks and lenders consider this an acceptable amount of usage. You are penalized for carrying large balances on your credit cards. It HURTS your Credit Score!
As far as the car offers, if you need a car and can get a loan get one BUT make sure the finance company or any company you borrow money from, report monthly to one of, if not all the credit agencies. Stay away from BUY HERE, PAY HERE places. They typically have shotty cars, excessively high interest rates and do not report to any of the 3 major credit agencies.
If you can get 2 credit cards and use them responsibly, this can increase your credit score dramatically over the next 12 months. You will be working your way up to getting back in the GAME and will soon be able to get credit from a traditional source (like your bank) after 2 – 3 years following a bankruptcy. Remember BABY STEPS!