Neo-soul artist India.Arie is the latest in a long line of talented R&B singers bit by the acting bug. Arie, 32, is set to star in a Broadway revival of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf. The play, based on the book of poems by Ntozake Shange, was nominated for a Tony award in 1977. The book, a women’s studies classic, presents several women of color discussing their experiences at a certain time in the United States.

It’s a bold step for Arie, but she’s in good company. In fact, I’m having a tough time thinking of an R&B artist who hasn’t tried her hand at acting on stage or screen. Some of them gave such good performances, they got in the running for Hollywood’s biggest honor, the Academy Award.

One of them actually won it. Of course, I'm talking about American Idol alum Jennifer Hudson, who brought home the Best Supporting Actress award for Dreamgirls. Hudson is the biggest success story on our list, although her castmate Beyonce, (Carmen: A Hip Hopera, Austin Powers: Goldmember) isn’t exactly hurting for parts. Alicia Keys (The Nanny Diaries, Smokin’ Aces) seems to record an album and film a new movie every other year. Keys just finished shooting another: The Secret Life of Bees.

Let’s not forget those ladies we don’t hear on the radio every day: Erykah Badu appeared in The Cider House Rules way back in 1999 and later, House of D; Macy Gray guest starred on Spin City and Gilmore Girls; Angie Stone appeared on an episode of Roswell. … continue reading

The inaugural NewNowNext Awards show was a relatively informal and somewhat irreverent affair, much like what the MTV Music Video Awards show was to the Grammy Awards before the MTV Awards show itself morphed into an industry circle jerk a pop culture institution. Until the fledgling NewNowNext Awards show inevitably evolves into an impenetrable dynasty where Cirque du Soleil performs above a tuxedoed audience of thousands, Julie Goldman gives shout-outs to Cristal instead of Bud Light, and the hoi polloi must bribe a bouncer named Rolf just to get a peek past the velvet rope, you can catch its humble beginnings in its entirety here.

Now, what would an awards show – especially a gay awards show — be without some commentary on fashion?

The pre-show included a brief run-down of what people were wearing by host Gloria Bigelow. First, let’s take a gander at gay it-boy Christian Siriano, purveyor of the post-mullet. After going through a short list of gay fashion “don’ts,” which included boys in leggings (especially horrid if your thighs have more meat than a No. 2 pencil, apparently), Mr. Siriano announced that the new trend for this season is satin, pointing gleefully at his own blindingly reflective satin shirt, of course.

Since there is an unspoken rule that one is never to wear an outfit worn to an awards show more than once, what is poor Christian supposed to do with that shirt after the show? No worries. I think I may have a utilitarian purpose for the shirt. If you place that shirt in a satellite dish, it can serve as a solar reflector. You can use it to roast hot dogs or just to burn shit for fun. Now, that’s hot — really hot.

The Dazzle Dancers, whose purpose was to make everyone else look fashionable, appears to have worn the scraps that remained of Beyonce’s 2007 Golden Globes dress after said dress was fed to a pack of pit bulls. … continue reading

Although Janet Jackson is suffering from the flu this week (get well soon, Janet!), she has to feel pretty dang good about her rise back to the top of the pop class. Yep, Janet Jackson is No. 1 again! Jackson's new album, Discipline, hit the shelves late last month and debuted at Billboard's top spot. Will it stay there? Who knows, maybe not, but what a nice turn of events for Jackson.

Though the reviews have been rather mixed, there is no question, based on the record sales alone, that the album holds some quality tracks, and the ones that have gotten airplay so far have been well received. Obviously, she has very loyal fans, as well, but she's always had those fans, and that fact alone didn't drive her last two releases to the top of the charts. Those two, Damita Jo and 20 Y.O., debuted at Billboard No. 2 but slid very quickly in the following weeks. This time around, the label pre-released several tracks. So, I'm going to give the album tracks some credit here.

Several of the more positive critical reviews have compared the feel of the CD to such Jackson classics as Control and The Velvet Rope, though I've read no review that suggest that this CD is as good as either of those. But, hey, the comparison is nice anyway, right? I've been rolling around listening to the CD on the Harman/Kardon, and I have found the album to be sexy, with the right blend of pop rhythms on some tracks, trance/dance rhythms on other tracks, fun lyrics when the music calls for it, and some lyrics much too sexual to blast from open car windows while sitting at a red light next to a car of church-going ladies. Oops ...

What's interesting is that this isn't simply an innocent little pop album. There are a few very provocative tracks on the album. Having said that, there are also several tracks that stand out as being what I enjoy most about pop music in general (the simplicity with nice beats) and Janet Jackson in particular (sexy with her blend of naughty and sweet). … continue reading

It's been all over the news, and Ellen DeGeneres herself has called attention to it: Last month, Lawrence King, 15, was shot at school in Oxnard, CA. He was later declared brain-dead. The classmate who shot him faces a first-degree murder charge and a hate crime charge, based on Lawrence's sexual orientation and gender expression.

"He would come to school in high-heeled boots, makeup, jewelry and painted nails — the whole thing," said Michael Sweeney, 13, an eighth-grader. "That was freaking the guys out."

Various memorials for Lawrence King are being held in March and April. And Logo (AfterEllen.com's parent company) has created a PSA in his honor.

Portia de Rossi, Janet Jackson, T.R. Knight and others remind us that "none of us is safe until all of us are safe."

For more information and to remember Lawrence, visit the GLSEN site or logononline.com.

Recently, I have been contemplating getting another tattoo. After all, it has been scientifically proven that they are hot. Before I get inked, however, there are two things I have to decide on first: the design and the placement.

Now you see why I am holding out. There is nothing worse than a bad tattoo.

Let's be real, though: The design options are endless; the placement options are not. And what better way to decide where to permanently mark my body than by looking to celebrities for guidance? It seems to be the trend.

First, there's the old-school armband that Pamela Anderson made popular.

Her thoughts on body art?

"Tattoos are like stories — they're symbolic of the important moments in your life. Sitting down, talking about where you got each tattoo and what it symbolizes, is really beautiful."

But what exactly does barbed wire symbolize? Oh, right: There was that 1996 movie written by someone named Ilene Chaiken. But I digress.

Moving on, I present to you arms and wrists.

Clockwise from top left: Winona Ryder, Jessica Alba, Alanis Morissette and Tegan and Sara.

(See more of Tegan and Sara's tattoos here.)

Of course, I could follow the examples of Megan Fox, Alyssa Milano and Christina Ricci and choose the back of my shoulder. … continue reading

Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? — the film adaptation of Perry's stage play of the same name — opens in theaters today. And for the first time ever, I plan to actually pay money to see a Tyler Perry film.

Janet Jackson costars in the movie with the tricky little title. And by "tricky," I mean that one has to be careful when reading the title out loud and answering it out loud within earshot of one's life partner, or it may become the inspiration for a sequel titled Tyler Perry's How Did Your Ass End Up Sleeping on the Couch for a Week?!

Having Janet Jackson as part of the ensemble cast gives the film version an immediate crossover (from exclusively black to a more general audience) appeal and a publicity push.

My interest in the film is not solely because Jackson is part of the ensemble (that's a large part though). The film also costars Jill Scott, who is a favorite poet, songwriter, singer of mine. Wow. Janet Jackson and Jill Scott in the same film? That's a must-see for me. Yes, I know that without a doubt I'd prefer to listen to them both on an album collaboration together, rather than acting on screen together in a Tyler Perry film, but still. I must. When I pay the $50,000 for my movie ticket (that's what a movie ticket cost these days, right?) I'm doing it primarily for the sistahs. … continue reading

I'm usually in need of inspiration on Mondays. What better way to get it than to peruse some pretty pictures? Let's start with the new poster for The Other Boleyn Girl, starring Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman.

I think that green dress must really be the other Boleyn girl, because it's taking up the whole damn poster. And Scarlett's lips are looking huge, even for her. But who am I kidding? All I can really see here are the names Johansson and Portman on the same poster. I'm in. … continue reading