Is Ebony Magazine For Sale?

It's been a year of excruciating decisions for publishing companies—layoffs, pullbacks, reduction in advertising dollars, closures. Now it appears Johnson Publishing’s chairman and CEO, Linda Johnson Rice, has reached what must have been an agonizing decision: Johnson Publishing is seeking a buyer or investor for its flagship publication, Ebony, in an effort aimed at securing the survival of the nation's oldest magazine devoted to African-American life. It's unclear whether the company's other properties, including Jet, would be part of a possible sale-perhaps to Time Warner. You can read the rest of the Newsweek article here.

In 1942, with a $500 loan collateralized with his mother's furniture, John Johnson launched what would become the world's largest African-American-owned publishing company. Three years later he began publishing Ebony, which changed the face of publishing and media merely by its existence and mission. Johnson, who died in 2005, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996.

Tidbit Roundup

Allen Iverson twittered he's joining the Memphis Grizzlies.



Mike Epps will host this year's BET Hip-Hop Awards show from Atlanta.



Keyshia Knight Pulliam will NOT be posing for Playboy.

Diddy's band Dirty Money covers the latest Rolling Stone magazine.

Erykah Badu on Parenting and Twitty Milk

Not only does Erykay Badu try to send her fans a message through her music, now she is handing out parenting advice, too. Badu has three children; Seven (11 years), who is her son with Andre 3000 of Outkast; Puma (5 years) her daughter with rapper The D.O.C and Mars(7 months),her daughter with rapper/producer Jay Electronica.

She cites “parents not participating in kids’ schooling,” as her biggest parental pet peeve. She thinks parents need to be deeply involved in the information being fed to their children. Food for thought isn't her only concern: Erykah adheres to a vegan lifestyle both for herself as well as for her three children. She is quick to point out that she did not “in any way force them to have the same lifestyle..I think they should know the benefits of having a healthy body.” Apparently smoking herb does not run counter to that healthy body philosophy.

The diet is sometimes a challenge, however. When asked about whether her children ever request hot dogs or just some damn chicken nuggets, Erykah replies, “they joke about it,” and admits, “I’m sure as children they feel left out sometimes.” To counter junk food cravings, she tries to have alternatives available.

Her friend ?uestlove of the Roots was the one that dared her to "twitter" while in labor with baby Mars. Her mother boasts, "she’s the first Twitter baby, and she’s breastfed on Twitty milk.”

WMS/ws

I-D Magazine's Supermodel Cover

GQ is talking slick about Michael

Magazine publishers know a surefire way to move issues in this economy is to put Michael Jackson on the cover and GQ is no exception. The magazine features Michael on its upcoming September 2009 issue with the tagline "When Michael Was Cool." Former Def Jam exec. and ex-beau of Michael's sister Janet, Jermaine Dupri, took umbrage to backhanded compliment to the late King of Pop.

"HOT COVER WACK AZZ TITLE. SEE THIS IS THE SHIT THAT PISSES ME OFF PEOPLE WANNA USE THIS MAN TO MAKE THEM MONEY BUT CONTINUE TO THROW LIL SNEAK DISSES. AS FAR AS ANY FAN WOULD SAY, HE WAS COOL HIS WHOLE LIFE. I SAY THAT BECAUSE THE FANS ARE THE ONES THAT’S GONNA MAKE THIS COVER SELL 3 TIMES MORE MAGAZINES THAN THE LAST ONE SO WHY TITLE IT THIS?"

I happen to agree with JD. Members of the media have been talking slick about Michael for years; the sly criticism and denial of his musical and philanthropic contributions has increased exponentially since his passing. I for one, intend fire off a letter to the editor at GQ. (I write a lot of letters, both positive and negative, to a lot of companies; some companies ignore you, but you would be surprised at the responses I have gotten.) I think it is ridiculous the story would repeat the completely unfounded claims of Ian Halperin as well as shore up Martin Bashir's Satan-like deceptive journalistic tactics.

Gabrielle Union Graces the Cover of Essence

Gabby covers of the latest issue of Essence magazine and covers her ass by insisting she is NOT the homewrecker she has been portrayed as in Black blogs. Miss Union issued a challenge to bloggers to "Bring It On Again" but to be prepared for her to defend herself (and her high school's cheerleading championship).

Vanity Fair covers: Michael Jackson and Farrah

Vanity Fair produced a double cover for their September issue. The covers memorialize Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett who died on the same day. In today's Michael news, it was reported the Jackson family is considering a third autopsy to look for evidence of foul play. Knowing in graphic detail what is invovled in an autopsy, I think this is a mistake. I know Michael's body is just a shell, but I think the mutilation needs to stop and they should look to lay him to rest. They can still launch a private investigation; they should certainly look at a lot of those other doctors who interacted with and prescribed for Michael.

You might recall, Michael Jackson and Tatum O'Neal dated for a time during their teenage years. Well, more on that later. Anyway, the Vanity Fair story contains an interview with Ryan O'Neal, Tatum's father and Farrah's longtime boyfriend, where he confessed he tried to hit on a hot blonde at Farrah's funeral. He says he saw this stunning woman come up to him at the funeral right after he finished putting Farrah's casket in the hearse, and he asked her for a drink (and more). He was shocked when that woman said, 'Daddy, it's me--Tatum!' Apparently Ryan had not seen his daughter in years and did not recognize her. Disgusting, isn't it? It is also worth noting, Ryan was allegedly livid Michael Jackson's death eclipsed Farrah's in the media.

Now back to Michael and Tatum. Michael was reportedly smitten with Tatum, but their relationship had problems because he refused to have sex with her. Michael wanted to remain a virgin until he married or until he was at least deeply in love with someone who would be there for the long term. Tatum reportedly tried to seduce him on a regular basis and cheated on him while they were together. Michael knew she wasn't the one; in her autobiography, Tatum admits to smoking opium and participating in orgies when she was only 13.

Eva Mendes got the cover of Marie Claire

Eva Mendes looks great for having been in rehab on the cover of Marie Claire.

Keri Hilson on Complex Magazine

...sometimes it's better to be seen and not heard singing...

Nia Long backs up off that

In a recent interview with actress Nia Long, an interviewer asked Long what she thought about Beyonce's recent comic blockbuster, Obsessed. The magazine quoted Nia as saying, “I didn’t see Obsessed, so I can’t comment, but it’s just not about how talented you are anymore. It’s about, ‘How much box-office revenue will this person generate...When you see certain people… they just don’t have the skill, and no one in their team has said, ‘You need acting classes.’”

The Papa Shady machine has started turning its gears, and now Pride editors are scrambling to clean up the blood on the dancefloor. They have released a statement saying, “Pride would like to apologise for the fact that editing of the final article may have left Nia’s comments open to tabloid manipulation...As Europe’s premier publication for the woman of colour, Pride seeks only to celebrate the achievements of celebrities such as Nia Long and Beyonce Knowles, and hope no offence has been caused through the media speculation.”

Taraji covers Viva Magazine

Taraji P. Henson covers the latest issue of Viva Magazine. In her interview, Taraji shares the meaning of the name her father bestowed upon her: Taraji means "hope" and Penda means "love" in Swahili. She discusses becoming a single mom in her senior year of college, moving to L.A. with a baby and no family nearby, and how she stays grounded in the land of glitz and glamour.

“...don’t dwell on negatives in life, but find other ways to give life and love...I am in an industry that doesn’t embrace age in women. Somebody told me once that women have an expiration date. Well, I’m bringing hope and change. I’m not afraid of aging because it’s inevitable. Either you’re going to fight it or embrace it. I choose to embrace it...You have to believe in something higher than human. Spirituality has added everything to my life.”

And fellas, she's single. “Romance and love definitely keep me balanced in life. I don’t have a man in my life right now, but I’ve been blessed with something more — ultimate unconditional love and that’s my son, Marcel. A son never lets you down. I’ve established a lot on my own; I’m comfortable in my career and I’ve done well raising Marcel on my own, but I’d love a guy — my king — to share this with. It’s really so simple.”

Read the full article here.