COMMANDER IN CHIC: EVERY WOMAN’S GUIDE TO MANAGINGHER STYLE LIKE A FIRST LADY

By Mikki Taylor

If you’ve read Essence, you’re familiar with MIKKI TAYLOR’s work. The former beauty director of the respected glossy is one of the most fashionable women in the magazine world, and now, Taylor has turned her attention to MICHELLE OBAMA.

Who hasn’t looked at Meesh (that’s Juicy’s nickname for the bestie in our head) and thought, I wonder if I can pull off? Well, MT shows you how. Much of the advice is stuff you’ve hear before, but style this fabulous is worth very close examination. -RAKIA CLARK

We know our Juicy girls of the world wide web are not afraid of a little flashiness and just in time for Valentine’s Day, we’re spreading a little love with a super special giveaway.

Juicy has teamed with jewelry designer Marc Joseph to give away one of their specially designed “I Heart U” pendants recently seen on the Martha Stewart show.

Strung on an 18″, Italian ball link chain, the pendant features a sterling silver heart-shaped tag with a special note etched into it. Detailed with red enamel, the subtle color makes this flirty piece pop!

Read below to get details on how this pendant could be yours. Hurry up, only one lucky gal will win!

1. Be sure to “Like,” Juicy Magazine on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter @juicymagazine. 2. Tells us why you love Juicy. You’ll get extra noticed if done creatively! 3. Send answer to juicymagstaff@gmail.com, with your contact information and address. Put “Win It” in the subject line. 3. One winner will be chosen and announced on Thursday, February 9, 2012!

Good luck!

Taking the term “power couple” to the next level, comedian MIKE EPPS and wife MECHELLE plan to launch their nonprofit, The Michael and Mechelle Epps Foundation in Indiana during Super Bowl weekend.

MIKE, who’s originally from Indiana will serve as the official ambassador for Super Bowl and will be using that time to promote his organization that intends on helping at-risk youth in Indiana and nationwide.

Click inside for more…

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER

(Paramount Studios)

Since its grand performance at the box-office this past summer, Marvel Comics superhero CAPTAIN AMERICA returns back to the screens, only this time on Blu-ray and DVD.

The action-packed blockbuster starring CHRIS EVANS, TOMMY LEE JONES, HUGO WEAVING, and HAYLEY ATWELL tells the story of military reject, Steve Rogers who transforms into the ultimate-soldier, CAPTAIN AMERICA. Filled with features including deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes clips, get ready for another jam-packed adventure. – RALPH BRISTOUT

IS MARRIAGE FOR WHITE PEOPLE: HOW THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MARRIAGE DECLINE AFFECTS EVERYONE

By Ralph Richard Banks

You’ve heard the stats: educated Black women are less likely to marry, and having fewer Black married couples is ruining the Black community. Banks, a law professor, addresses these oldies but goodies.

He makes new assertions that contradict President Obama’s critism that absent Black fathers don’t care about their children. He disagrees with Steve Harvey’s advice that Balck women should ignore class when dating. Controversial? Yes. – RAKIA CLARK

We love our Juicy ladies, and because we do we have a bunch of great gifts to giveway leading up to Valentine’s Day!

We kick off our V-day giveways with chance to win something for the special man in your life. Singer TREY SONGZ and the good folks at ROCAWEAR are offering you a chance to win an bottle of ROCAWEAR Evolution autographed by TREY!

Created in partnership with Elizabeth Arden, the unapologetic fragrance is sexy, magnetic and addictive, embodying the swagger and sophistication of hip-hop culture and assured masculinity.

This is for the man that is never satisfied with anything less than the best, ROCAWEAR EVOLUTION is about seeking what’s next, and taking  lifestyle trends to a new level.

And because Juicy girls love those type of men,  five lucky readers will be sent a bottle to give to your man, or since it’s signed by TREY – to keep for yourself!

1. Be sure to “Like,” Juicy Magazine on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter @juicymagazine. 2. Find our Trey Songz interview on our Juicy Mag TV page, and tell us what 3 words Trey used to describe the fragrance? 3. Send answers juicymagstaff@gmail.com, with your name, address, phone number, and email. 4. All winners will be chosen at random. Hurry and enter today! The contest ends Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012!!!

Hollywood mogul TYLER PERRY took some time out, from his million and one film and television projects, to send a video message to his fans on how he finally reached success.

The message about following your dreams is more than inspiring.

Watch the video above, or read the transcript below…

You know what the question is that a lot of people ask me all the time?  “How did you make it?” Well I’ll tell you, there’s only one answer for that.  And I say this in press all the time but people will cut it out articles or people won’t want to print it or they don’t want to say it. But the truth be told, it was nothing but the grace of God.  You can plant seeds all day long.  You can go around giving your business card to people, you can go around knocking on doors and auditioning, you can do all of that every day of your life and nothing, for most people, nothing happens.  When a seed is planted in the ground, all you can do is water it.  You cannot control the sunshine, you cannot control the weather, and you cannot control what the locusts will come and destroy.

All you can do is plant your seed in the ground, water it, and believe.  That is what allowed me to be in this position right now.  I would not stop believing.  I planted my seed and I worked really hard.  I had one idea and that was to do a play.  All the other stuff came.  My only focus was to do my one play, and I knew if I could get that to work, everything else would come to pass.  There’s so many people who go in so many directions.  This week they’re doing this and next week they’re doing that.  Those kind of people are all over the place and I usually try to get them to focus.  Focus on one thing, one area.  Put all of your energy into watering one area.  If you spread the water across many many seeds, you don’t have as much water for one seed.  So focus on one thing.  Make it your priority and stick with it no matter what.

No matter how many people told me no, no matter how many people lied to me, no matter how many times I put the show up and nobody came.  But I remember when I did my very first show, I worked my butt off and saved 12,000 dollars. Tax returns, H&R Block money, I saved it, worked hard, saved it myself, rented the 14th street playhouse, put that show up, thought that 1200 people would come over a weekend and 30 showed up and I knew every one of them.  But I didn’t stop.  That didn’t deter me. That was in 1992.  ’93, same thing happened.  ’94, ’95, ’96, ’97 up until 1998.  Same devastation:  nobody showing up in the audience.  I was doing one show a year, working with different promoters, trying to get the show up, and nobody showed up.  But I didn’t stop.  And what I say to you now, looking at me now, here.  I am a human being. There’s no difference between my humanness and your humanness.  The only thing is if you’re trying to get there, you cannot stop believing in any way. No matter what anybody says, no matter what anybody tells you, you have to know it beyond knowing it.  It is a feeling.  When something is for you (this is how I knew it was for me), when something is for you, there is a feeling that is deep down inside of you that will not allow you to let it go.  It will keep you going when you can’t even keep yourself going.

That’s why the mantra here at the Tyler Perry Studios is “A Place Where Even Dreams Believe.”  Because there comes a time in your life where you’ve worked and you’ve stressed and you’ve tried to get there and you couldn’t on your own, but you have a dream. And that dream has to take on the belief for you because you can’t do it by yourself.  So what I would tell you is this. Don’t stop.  Narrow your focus to one idea.  One.  And make it work.  That will give birth to all the others.  All you can do is plant the seed and water it.  God Himself has to give the increase.  Only God can make the sun shine.  Only God can bring the rain.  But if you’ve planted the seed then you’ve done your part.  I wish you so much success in 2012.

Anything you want is possible.  God knows I’m a living witness.  Please feel me, please hear this from my heart. Anything you want is possible.  If I didn’t believe it, I wouldn’t take the time to send this message to you. Take care of yourself.

RUSSELL SIMMONS, the father and the mogul, has teamed up with Comedy Central to produce “Russell Simmons Presents The Ruckus,” alongside vet producer STAN LATHAN. The six-episode, five-week long series will include stand-up sets from comedian JB SMOOVE, as well as some of today’s hottest jokers.

Comedian JB SMOOVE plans to be incorporate filmed sketches to the series, giving the show a “not your average stand-up” feel.

Anything with the SIMMONS cosign will not disappoint,  so be sure to tune in and laugh until your stomach is in knots. We sure will.

The two-episode premiere airs on Thursday, January 26 at 10pm and 10:30pm.

MR. SHOWBIZ

(Image Entertainment)

Never a stranger to the world of comedy, NICK CANNON is ready to reveal his first ever stand-up special on DVD. Recorded live at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas in early 2011, the edgy performance finds the self-proclaimed Mr. Showbiz revealing his thoughts on a number of topics including his marriage, (at the time) forthcoming fatherhood, feud with EMINEM and his failed attempts at becoming a gangster.

This hour running comedy will have us laughing for more. – RALPH BRISTOUT