Brandy... Is That You?!!?

After picking our jaw up from the floor, we definitely want to give a loud SHOUT OUT to Brandy for this beautiful and artistic photo shoot she did for 160 magazine. It is obvious that Brandy is revamping her image and trying to make a strong and sexy comeback.

Brandy, who normally has a girl next door vibe thats nothing-too-fancy, is now coming out full blast with sexy styling and uber glamorous looks. It looks like RayJ and the rest or the Norwoods are not playing games about this Family Business taking off.

We remember jamming to "I Wanna Be Down" and rocking those braids down our back trying our best to be just like Brandy during the 90s! She was our first FBG that we looked up to and now, in her early 30s, Brandy wants us to know she is still here.

We don't know if we are looking at Brandy or her alter-ego "Bran Nu" , but whom ever it is we love this Fabulous Brown Girl!! We are glad to see Brandy reinventing herself and coming back more FABULOUS than ever!!

Check out the rest of the hot looks below!

STAY FAB!

It's Never Too Late: Mary J Blige Declares Howard University is her #1 Choice

So I am sure by now many of you have heard that multi platinum artist, Mary J Blige has announced that she is going to attend Howard University this upcoming school year.

Well I must say, I am not suprised that this Fabulous Brown Girl wants to join the scholarly ranks as many notable blacks have already done by obtaining a degree from Howard University!

She did meet Sean Combs aka Diddy shortly after he left Howard and joined Uptown Records!

Mary J is not afraid and knows it is never too late to gain a formal education. If this is something that she wants then we commend Ms. Mary for wanting to continue her education at one of the best institutions of higher learning on the planet ;-)

Here is Mary making her announcement on Good Morning America.

However, even though Mary J made her announcement, Howard University recently released a statement about Mary future educational plans. It seems like Howard has not officially accepted her, and if she is serious about entering as a traditional student, they are willing to help her with a successful application process.

'Without question, Ms. Mary J. Blige's resilience and dedication to her craft are largely unmatched. Howard University congratulates Ms. Blige on the recent completion of her high school requirements. We encourage Ms. Blige to continue her studies and welcome her consideration of Howard University in the future. We are happy to work with Ms. Blige on completing the formal process for admission.'

Well let's hope her application process goes a little smoother than many of ours did!

Regardless if Mary J Blige attends Howard University or not, we salute our fellow FBG for recognizing my alma mater as her top choice and wanting to further her education with a college degree!

She is setting the example that even though she may have all the success she could have ever dreamed of with her signing career, none of it has fulfilled her thirst for knowledge and receiving a formal education. I would even go as far as to say that she probably looks at Howard University students and wants to have the experience we were blessed to have-- while we look at her and dream of having her life.

Like I always say, the grass is always greener on the other side!

Note: Just want to take the time out really quickly to thank all of the FABULOUS BROWN GIRLS out there for continuing to check out the blog! Our sincerest apologies for not blogging as often as I would like! We know there are so many FABULOUS and great things happening and we will try to cover and talk about them more often.

Stay Fab!

Rest in Power to the Fabulous Legend: Lena Horne

Last night legendary actress, jazz singer, and civil rights activist, Lena Horne passed away at age 92.

Horne was a beautiful woman who broke many barriers for our race. She was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1917 and by the age of 16 years old could be found singing in nightclubs such as the Cotton Club during the Harlem Renaissance.

Horne was a phenomenal actress, but during the 1930's and 1940's she was blacklisted in Hollywood because she was black. Of course, being a Fabulous Brown Girl, she did not let that stop her. She has appeared in many films and won many Grammy awards for her remarkable voice. She even was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award Grammy in 1989.

Horne was also a civil rights activist. She worked very hard along side Dr. Martin Luther King and with the NAACP.

Horne will always be remembered and loved by many generations. Its saddens us that in less than a month we have lost two wonderful and captivating African American women. One being Dr. Dorothy Height and the other Mrs. Lena Horne.

Both of these women were the epitome of class, elegance and grace. If we have just an ounce of their traits, we most certainly will be content.

REST IN PEACE AND POWER MS LENA HORNE! Your legacy will live on in us!!

Fabulous Brown Girls at the Costume Institute Gala

Janet Jackson

Last night many Fabulous Brown Girls showed up in the designer's best at the MET Costume Institute Gala.

Take a look at some of the fashions our famous FBG's were photographed in!

Cassie

Mama Oprah with Oscar de la Renta

Mary J. Blige in a gorgeous peach gown

Supermodel Iman

Keri Washington

Zoe Saldana in a beautiful Calvin Klein gown

Rest in Peace to the National Treasure: Dorothy Height

As many already know, last night the beautiful and righteous, Dr. Dorothy Height passed away of natural causes. She was a champion for Civil rights and Gender equality

Ms. Height was born in Richmond, VA in 1912. After being denied entrance into Barnard College in 1929, she attended NYU and earned a master's degree in educational psychology in 1932.

While in her 20s, Ms. Height became a social worker and civil rights activist. She joined the National Council of Negro Women and found her passion in the cause for equality for all, especially for women and African Americans. During the 1960s, the height of the civil rights movement, she started Wednesday Mississippi, that brought black and white women together to encourage discussion and understand of the racial plight and convince other women to do the same.

Ms. Height has so many other accomplishes under her belt such as leading the sorority of Delta Sigma Theta by serving as their 10th national president, as well as being an avid attendee of the National Black Family Reunion in Washington, DC.

She passed away in Howard University Hospital at the age of 98.

Fabulous Brown Girl is thankful to Dorothy Height for doing what we all aspire to do. She was always graceful but always aggressive about what she believed was right. May her soul rest in peace.

THE GAME is BACK!!

If anyone knows this FABULOUS BROWN GIRL, then you know I love love love the television show 'THE GAME"! And I know many of you all love it too! In May 2009, the CW took the show off of its lineup because "it no longer fit in" ... Yea,yea yea.. we are not dumb, we know EXACTLY what that meant! So many loyal fans petitioned long and hard to bring it back because we felt like it was the ONLY decent black show on the air. Fans wanted to bring it back on a network that appreciates it target audience.. so naturally the top contender was BET.

Finally after a year long battle of negotiations, BET Network finally announced that are bringing the beloved show back with original episodes appearing during the final quarter of 2010! Here is the official press release distributed by BET.

Now me and BET have a love/hate relationship.. and even though this network wasn't my first choice for bringing my fav show back on the scene (HBO or Showtime would have been perfect in my opinion). But I am proud that they are finally listening to what their viewers want to see.. Hopefully they [BET] don't mess it up! If they do, I am officially going to be done with them because they are already hanging on by a thread..

Countdown to the new THE GAME episodes start..... NOW! Make sure you continue to look out for updates

Make Sure You Are "Keeping Up With the Joneses"

As a Houston chick, I must admit that I "jones" for all great and positive things that come out of my hometown. One of those things is Jones Magazine.

Jones Magazine, founded by the FABULOUS Tracy Ferguson, is headquartered in Houston, Texas and is the first of its kind to be the "IT" guide of the biggest city in the state.

Jones Magazine is a lifestyle magazine and brand that focuses on upscale African Americans detailing the very best fashion, hair, makeup, and parties Houston has to offer.

Keeping Up with the Joneses will focus on Tracy being a single mother of two comical teenagers all while launching her other "baby" Jones Magazine.

The show premieres tonight, April 8th on Centric at 8 pm EST, which is under the BET umbrella.

Fabulous Brown Girls, we know you will be watching with us, so let us know what you think!

And special shoutout to our friend and FAB BROWN GIRL Ashley Minor, who will be featured in the show working for Tracy Ferguson and doing big things!

Make sure you follow @jonesmag and @ashley_minor to "keep up with the joneses" in every way possible!