Remembering SNL's First Black Female Cast Member Danitra Vance

With Oprah Winfrey scheduled to pay tribute to the cast of Saturday Night Live in her final year on television, this clip of Lady O when she hosted SNL is making the rounds:



While the other sista in the skit only last one season, Danitra Vance was a gifted performer who made history as the first African American woman who joined the SNL line-up. Why Danitra? Well, see for yourself:



Here she is appearing alongside the talented Vickilyn Reynolds and legendary Ms. Loretta Devine, featured in the soon to be released Jumping The Broom:



Sadly, at the young age of 40, Danitra lost her courageous battle with cancer in 1994 (fellow SNL alum Gilda Ratner also passed away from cancer).

Thank you Ms. Vance for the work you left behind. Job well done!

Black Women Fighting Over NBA Ballers - Tami, Evelyn & "Basketball Wives" Series Takes Sisterhood To A New Low!

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

After watching some of these "ladies" degrade themselves just to be reality television stars, now read this below:

Melanie White Is Determined To Be Married By 50!

The 44-year-old bank teller and mother of two has already given her long-distance boyfriend of three years the ultimatum - get married or move on.

"I'm almost at that half-a century mark. I'm wondering if I will I ever get married," said White. "All I can do is pray about it and put it in God's hands."

For White, who still considers herself to be single, the marriage will be her first, if it does come to fruition.

White is just one of a growing number of black women who are over 30 and still single.

A recent Yale study found 42 percent of African-American women remain unmarried, compared to only 23 percent of Caucasian women.

Deborrah Cooper, a relationship and dating advice columnist for the San Francisco Examiner, recently made claims on her popular blog, SurvivingDating.com, that predominantly black protestant churches, such as African Methodist, Pentecostal, and certain denominations of Evangelical and Baptist churches account for why so many black women are still single.

As you keep reading this article, ask yourself this question. Do shows like Basketball Wives do as much damage, if not more, to African American women than the church pews?

Hmmmmm...

Tired of Hair Damage From Braids, Wigs & Costly Weaves, Black Women Are Going Back To Their Roots - Are Men Cool With The Au Natural Do'?

Spelman Coeds Win AT&T Mobile Campus Challenge, Besting MIT & Harvard

Sisters Are Getting Their Tech On!

Jonecia Keels and Jazmine Miller of Spelman College have won the 2010 AT&T Big Mobile on Campus Challenge^SM with their next generation e-learning mobile application, HBCU Buddy.

HBCU Buddy is a mobile application created to educate and inform users, including both prospective and current college students, about Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) across the United States. It is a fully-fledged mobile service application that provides detailed information about HBCU's and integrates all facets of college life.

The application opens with a directory profiling each HBCU with information on academics, admissions, research, student life, alumni, among other details. After selecting a school, students can navigate through the school – literally – by accessing virtual tours of buildings, on-campus videos, and local GPS and directions.

HBCU Buddy can also provide students with customizable social networking features to connect with each other, their school and community. The application connects to social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, and integrates tools such as chat and calendar to help students stay informed. Students can use the application to follow the latest on school club and campus happenings, local events, hot spots around the community, and more.

Jonecia Keels and Jazmine Miller were recognized and awarded a $10,000 scholarship (divided between them) and a mobile device of their choice each at the Higher Ed Board of Advisors Meeting in Miami, Florida, on October 7, 2010.

The President has been keen to foster stronger STEM education for all American students (science, tech, engineering and math) because the jobs of the future will require strong skills in these disciplines.

Source: Jack & Jill Politics

Per Howard Stern, Fat Black Actress Gabourney Sidibe Should Stop Deluding Herself: You Hear That Hattie McDaniel, Jennifer Hudson And Mo'Nique?

Never Mind Halle Berry, Zoe Saldana Is Jockeying To Be The Black Kate Winslet

How Does James Cameron's 'Avatar' Compare to the 'Titanic' Star?

With box-office receipts soaring, the love story and special effects fueling repeat views, and Oscar-buzz building, the 3-D blockbuster 'Avatar' is unlike anything we've seen since ... well, the last James Cameron feature film, 1997's "Titanic."

But this time, the leading lady is Black.

In the 12 years following that movie's release, stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet have made good on their promise, racking up instant classics and awards nods with equal aplomb. So lets compare Cameron's leading ladies and look at why Zoe Saldana could become the next Winslet — or why such comparisons could leave the actress feeling as blue as her "Avatar" character.

What They Have in Common

The Breakthrough: Although Saldana seems like a fresh face, the 31-year-old actress is the latest example of Hollywood's "work for years to become an overnight success" reality.

Her real breakthrough came in the 2000 dance film "Center Stage," a minor hit that led to solid work in everything from "Guess Who" to "The Terminal" to the infamous Britney Spears flick "Crossroads."

Of course who could forget her turn as the sexy black greek coed that dazzled on the field as well alongside Nick Cannon in the movie Drumline.



Similarly, Winslet had a substantial back catalog before she became a household name — having raised eyebrows in Ang Lee's "Sense and Sensibility," Kenneth Branagh's "Hamlet" and, most notably, Peter Jackson's excellent "Heavenly Creatures."

Unlikely Beauties: Think of the words "Hollywood starlet," and you're unlikely to picture either Saldana or Winslet. Both have a unique beauty, which perhaps makes them more memorable. In "Titanic" and during the years since, Winslet has never been shy about showing her body — and defending its ample curves and fluctuating weight.

Zoe Yadira Zaldaña Nazario, meanwhile, was born in New Jersey to a Dominican father and a Puerto Rican mother and grew up in the Dominican Republic. Much like Jessica Alba and Vin Diesel, she has an exotic, intriguing and almost indefinable look.

To white people that is. For Black folks, she's a sistah -- straight out!

Nice Girls Finish First: If you've seen enough of their interviews, you may have figured out the same thing as those of us who've been lucky enough to meet both ladies: In real life, they're exceedingly gracious, polite and eager to please.

What They Don't Have in Common

A Blockbuster Mentality: Saldana is an unabashed geek who found her back-to-back roles in "Avatar" and "Star Trek" to be a dream come true. Coupled with work in big films like "Pirates of the Caribbean," don't be surprised if her career path looks increasingly more like Rosario Dawson's or Kate Beckinsale's — respectable, fun and with a healthy dose of genre films.

Winslet, meanwhile, has avoided action flicks, superhero films and geek-friendly franchises so effectively that the decision must be intentional. Instead, she prefers original scripts (does it get any more outside-the-box than "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?") and conflicted housewives ("Little Children," "Revolutionary Road") whose feet are firmly planted in tragic realities.

Oscar Awesomeness: Often called the best actress of her generation, Winslet has been nominated for six Oscars and finally took home the little gold guy last year for "The Reader." But while "Titanic" earned her one of those nominations, it wasn't the first time she displayed impressive acting skills; "Sensibility" earned Oscar and Golden Globe noms and a BAFTA win, and her "Creatures" performance blew critics away.

Will Saldana — who has never received a major award nomination — prove herself to be as prolific a thespian? Only time will tell.

Main Source

All The Single (Black) Ladies Want To Sing Along, But The Pickings Are Slim For Men Who Want To "Put A Ring On It!"

Avatar's Zoe Saldana And Oscar Bound Gabourey Sidibe To Be Feted At 3rd Annual Essence Luncheon

Queen Latifah and Mary J. Blige Round Out Hollywood's African American "It" Women For 2010

The 3rd annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon will be held during Oscar Week on March 4, 2010 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Honoring four extraordinary women making a significant impact in Hollywood, this star-studded event commemorates ESSENCE magazine's annual Hollywood issue and will pay tribute to a special milestone in 2010; the 40th Anniversary of ESSENCE magazine.

The esteemed honorees for the 2010 event include: Queen Latifah (Power Award), Zoe Saldana (Star to Watch Award), Mary J. Blige (Songstress of the Year) and Gabourey Sidibe (Best Breakthrough Performance).

"Our annual Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon is taking on special meaning in 2010 as we are celebrating the 40th Anniversary of ESSENCE magazine by paying homage to phenomenal women throughout the year," said ESSENCE editor-in-chief Angela Burt-Murray. "We are proud to carry the ESSENCE legacy into the future by honoring the accomplishments of such brilliant performers as Latifah, Zoe, Mary J., and Gabourey, whose incredible talent and sheer grit are serving to change the face of Hollywood."

Queen Latifah is not only a celebrated television and film actress, but also a gifted musician, as well as an established author and entrepreneur. As a one-woman entertainment conglomerate, Latifah's rise has been nothing short of remarkable--landing her a place in history as the first hip-hop artist to be given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006. Her production company, Flavor Unit Entertainment, is currently co-producing the sports-driven romantic comedy, Just Wright, in which she will also star.

Zoe Saldana has shown she can hold her own in major blockbuster productions and has proven herself to be an amazing Hollywood star on the rise. After landing her first leading role as a ballet dancer in the film Center Stage, her turn as a leading lady in both the college-set drama Drumline and romantic comedy Guess Who followed shortly thereafter. Over the past decade, Saldana has grown into stand-out performances in popular films such as Avatar and Star Trek and continues to demonstrate the versatility necessary for longevity in Hollywood.

As one of the greatest singers of our time, Mary J. Blige's accomplishments are beyond impressive. A multi-faceted mogul and philanthropist, with a career spanning 15 years--including nine Grammy awards, eight multi-platinum records, and over 40 million albums sold--she has lent her tremendous talent this year to the official soundtracks for two powerful films with original songs: "I Can See in Color" from Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire and "Stronger" from the Lebron James documentary, More than a Game.

Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe has wowed the public and taken the industry by storm with her compelling breakthrough role as the title character in Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, which is garnering serious awards buzz. With the film winning numerous prestigious awards, including the Sundance Film Festival Audience and Grand Jury Awards, it's been a whirlwind year for the young actress, who was a student pursuing a degree in psychology when she was cast in Precious. A native New Yorker, Sidibe is the daughter of R&B/gospel singer Alice Tan Ridley. Next up for Gabourey is the Showtime pilot The C-Word opposite Laura Linney for director Bill Condon and the film, Yelling to the Sky.

The ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon is an annual event to honor African-American women, who through their work in Hollywood--both in front of the camera and behind-the-scenes--have helped to change and inspire positive images of Black women in television and film.

The inaugural event, which took place in 2008, honored Jada Pinkett-Smith (Power Award), Ruby Dee (Legend Award), Suzanne de Passe (Visionary Award) and Jurnee Smollett (Star to Watch Award), and hosted A-List stars including Will Smith, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Kerry Washington, Star Jones and more.

In 2009, celebrities such as Terrence Howard, Samuel L. Jackson, and Queen Latifah, to name a few, were on hand to fete honorees including Halle Berry (Power Award), Diahann Carroll (Legend Award), Gina Prince-Bythewood (Visionary Award), and Taraji P. Henson (Star to Watch Award), with a posthumous honor given to Eartha Kitt.

Change We Can Believe In??? Black High School In Chicago has 115 Out Of 800 Female Students Pregnant

Of the total female student population at Paul Robeson High School in Chicago, Ill., 1 in 7 are expectant mothers. Robeson Principal Gerald Morrow blames the staggering number of pregnancies on the girls home life and absentee men who are not being the loving fathers they need to.

"It can be a lot of things that are happening in the home or not happening in the home, if you will," Morrow said, according to the network, noting that "absentee fathers" are another factor in the school's high number of teen pregnancies.

The birth rate for teens ages 15 to 19 increased 5 percent from 2005 to 2007, according to a March 18 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.

Could the reasons be lack of access to sexual health education and pregnancy prevention and a lack of access to reproductive health resources. Possibly. What .about the effort to get public assistance? Absolutely.

Or could it be the highly sexualized rap videos on BET or the degrading lyrics in Hip Hop songs catering to these same kids.

Is it a culture that glorifies violence, sex and crimes against women. The same women who have grown up fatherless watching videos portray black women as sexual objects for the pleasure of rappers and their thug entourages.

Is it how rapper Lil Wayne freely plants his seed in any chickenhead willing to open her legs to him. (So far the tally of baby mamas knocked up by the rapper this year alone stands at 4. Wayne already has a 9-year-old with reality tv personality Antonia Carter)

In fact, there was a recent incident where black girls shot up his tour bus because he refused to have sex with them.

The school's students are largely from poor communities of color where teenage pregnancies can be high. At least Robeson is a school in which young women are not being thrown out or transferred to other schools. Principal Morrow notes, "We're looking at how we can get them to the next phase, how can we still get them thinking about graduation?"

Is the answer as simple as providing educational classes and centers to normalize and encourage the use of birth control methods and distribute condoms? While a teen health center is being built across the street, some are advocating for more funding for the creation and maintenance of centers such as these so that teenage pregnancy rates go down.

If only if it were that easy. having 115 pregnant students is an epidemic that is only accelerating the complete economic and social disenfranchisement of Blacks in the US!

Obama Gives Nod To Black Woman As Next Surgeon General

With Dr. Regina Benjamin, POTUS Makes Good On Diversity Promise

President Barack Obama has selected Dr. Regina Benjamin, an Alabama family physician, as the U.S. surgeon general. Obama is to announce Benjamin as the top authority on U.S. medical matters at a Rose Garden ceremony today.

A graduate of Xavier and the Morehouse School of Medicine, expect this dynamic African American woman to be in the news on a regular basis given the pervasiveness of the global Swine Flu epidemic. She would be the second black woman to hold the post behind Dr. Jocelyn Elders, appointed by President Bill Clinton, who created controversy for her blunt and candid conversations about sex.

A biography of her by the MacArthur Foundation said Benjamin is a "rural family physician forging an inspiring model of compassionate and effective medical care in one of the most underserved regions of the United States."

It said that in 1990, she founded the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic to serve the Gulf Coast fishing community of Bayou La Batre, Alabama, a village of approximately 2,500 people devastated twice in the past decade by Hurricanes Georges, in 1998, and Katrina, in 2005.

Eartha Kitt, Legendary Entertainer, International Icon Dies

Eartha Kitt, a sultry singer, dancer and actress who rose from South Carolina cotton fields to become an international symbol of elegance and sensuality, has died, a family spokesman said. She was 81.

Andrew Freedman said Kitt, who was recently treated at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, died Thursday in Connecticut of colon cancer. This is our 3BAAS tribute.


Kitt, a self-proclaimed "sex kitten" famous for her catlike purr, was one of America's most versatile performers, winning two Emmys and nabbing a third nomination. She also was nominated for several Tonys and two Grammys.

Her career spanned six decades, from her start as a dancer with the famed Katherine Dunham troupe to cabarets and acting and singing on stage, in movies and on television. She persevered through an unhappy childhood as a mixed-race daughter of the South and made headlines in the 1960s for denouncing the Vietnam War during a visit to the White House. Through the years, Kitt remained a picture of vitality and attracted fans less than half her age even as she neared 80.

When her book "Rejuvenate," a guide to staying physically fit, was published in 2001, Kitt was featured on the cover in a long, curve-hugging black dress with a figure that some 20-year-old women would envy. Kitt also wrote three autobiographies.

Eartha As The First Black Cat Woman On Batman... Sorry Halle

Once dubbed the "most exciting woman in the world" by Orson Welles, she spent much of her life single, though brief romances with the rich and famous peppered her younger years.

After becoming a hit singing "Monotonous" in the Broadway revue "New Faces of 1952," Kitt appeared in "Mrs. Patterson" in 1954-55. (Some references say she earned a Tony nomination for "Mrs. Patterson," but only winners were publicly announced at that time.) She also made appearances in "Shinbone Alley" and "The Owl and the Pussycat."

Her first album, "RCA Victor Presents Eartha Kitt," came out in 1954, featuring such songs as "I Want to Be Evil," "C'est Si Bon" and the saucy gold digger's theme song "Santa Baby," which is revived on radio each Christmas.

AP Writer Polly Anderson has more Eartha history. / ABC News

EXCLUSIVE!!! "First Lady's Got Back" Author Comes Clean On Why She REALLY Wrote About Michelle Obama's Butt on Salon.com

Breaking the Silence

by Erin Aubry Kaplan

When all is said and done—and written—I really want just want to be popular in high school. I want to be liked, and better than that, understood.

People call my pieces controversial sometimes, but the boring truth is that I write because I want to resonate, not provoke.

I want to increase community, not sit alone atop some mountain of racial aloofness or pissed-off prophecy, gloating at the mess I stirred down below. No. To me, whatever I write about, I’m always saying the same thing to readers who I assume are my fellow travelers: Isn’t this wonderful/awful? Isn’t life glorious/a bitch? Don’t you wish things were more like this/different?

That was my frame of mind when I wrote a much-maligned piece last week for Salon.com about Michelle Obama’s butt. Well, it wasn’t really about her butt (though that was a lively starting point, for sure), it was about the psychological impact of having a First Lady who is black and, for the first time in history, who looks like me.

It was about a flesh-and-blood physical representation and affirmation that black women, and black people, have never, ever had before. It was about the American social register being turned upside down and blacks being suddenly at the top of the page instead of stuck at the bottom, or stuck wherever people want us stuck.

Lastly, but most importantly, it was about black people holding up long-debased ideas about ourselves—starting with physical ideas--to the light and saying: I’m not so bad. In fact, I’m great.

Ultimately, my piece was about removing the lens of white scrutiny and approval from the black gaze and seeing what lies underneath. Sure, there’s a lot of insecurity that’s built up over hundreds of years, but there’s also a lot of satisfaction that never had the chance to express itself. The Obamas have given us that chance. (I don’t know about you, but I always liked my butt, but never felt comfortable in saying so. Now, as you might have read, I’m saying so.)

It’s more than ironic that so many critics—many of them black-- bashed me for “perpetuating stereotypes” and “reducing” black women to “objects.” In affirming myself, I was doing exactly the opposite.

Are we all so addled by mainstream validation that we don’t see the difference between whites perpetuating exaggerated ideas of us, and us embracing something about ourselves that we like, that makes us attractive or unique?

I submit that, sadly, black folk simply don’t have a public context in which to talk about ourselves. In public discussions, we fall between two extremes: either we’re “reduced” to impersonal statistics or blown up as cartoon characters a la BET. There’s little in between. Whenever a unfamiliar take pops up, like mine, we tend to panic and hide behind well-worn positions. (Since the piece was published, I’ve been accused of being both an out-of-touch academic and an evil agent of BET and/or the white corporate media. Go figure.)

I know the black image wars very well. I’ve tracked them. I’ve written impassioned commentaries about them. I’ve been an advocate for black people and for justice of all kinds. But I see myself as a living, breathing character in all these scenarios, not a detached observer.

This stuff matters terribly to me.

I’ve actually written extensively about the butt before, namely in a 5,000-word essay I did for the LA Weekly back in 1997 called “The Butt: Its Politics, Its Profanity, Its Power.” That pretty much says it all. Of course, few were offended because I was mostly talking about myself, not the First Lady-to-be.

It seems to me that in the new era of Obama we already have a profound paradox: we are policing black images more than before, which means there’s now less room for discussions of race. Not unless it’s all positive and worthy of our new commander-in-chief.

Not only is that dishonest and ahistorical, it’s dull. People scolded me for trying to be funny. If we can’t be funny now—with a serious underside, of course—when can we?

I’m not a fool. Put race and sex together in any way, shape or form, intentionally or not, and you get a genuine American meltdown; all of us lose our minds, not just black folk. I didn’t expect a whole lot of warm fuzzies on this one, but I did expect some nods, however grudging, from my fellow travelers. I got some, for sure. But I want more. I need more.

I may not ever be class president. But I’m still going for cheerleader.

ERIN AUBRY KAPLAN is the first African American in history to be a weekly op-ed columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Her musings continue to appear in the Times, Essence magazine, and on the blog 3 Brothers and A Sister. Among her many projects, Kaplan is currently working on her much anticipated book.

Doing The Butt: Michelle Obama Works That Backside!

Finally, A First Lady That Looks Like Me!

by Erin Aubry Kaplan

Free at last. I never thought that I -- a black girl who came of age in the utterly anticlimactic aftermath of the civil rights movement -- would say the phrase with any real sincerity in my lifetime. But ever since Nov. 4, I've been shouting it from every rooftop. I'm not excited for the most obvious reason.

Yes, Obama's win was an extraordinary breakthrough and a huge relief, but I don't subscribe to the notion that his capturing the White House represents the end of American racial history. Far from it. There is a certain freedom in the moment -- as in, we are all now free from wondering when or if we'll ever get a black president. Congratulations to all of us for being around to settle the question.

But what really thrills me, what really feels liberating in a very personal way, is the official new prominence of Michelle Obama.

Barack's better half not only has stature but is statuesque. She has coruscating intelligence, beauty, style and -- drumroll, please -- a butt. (Yes, you read that right: I'm going to talk about the first lady's butt.)

What a bonus! From the ocean of nastiness and confusion that defined this campaign from the beginning, Michelle rose up like Venus on the waves, keeping her coif above water and cruising the coattails of history to present us with a brand-new beauty norm before we knew it was even happening.

Actually, it took me and a lot of other similarly configured black women by surprise. So anxious and indignant were we about Michelle getting attacked for saying anything about America that conservatives could turn into mud, we hardly looked south of her neck. I noted her business suits and the fact she hardly ever wore pants (unlike Hillary).

As I gradually relaxed, as Michelle strode onto more stages and people started focusing on her clothes and presence instead of her patriotism, it dawned on me -- good God, she has a butt! "Obama’s baby (mama) got back," wrote one feminist blogger. "OMG, her butt is humongous!" went a typical comment on one African-American online forum, and while it isn't humongous, per se, it is a solid, round, black, class-A boo-tay.

Try as Michelle might to cover it with those Mamie Eisenhower skirts and sheath dresses meant to reassure mainstream voters, the butt would not be denied.

As America fretted about Obama's exoticism and he sought to calm the waters with speeches about unity and common experience, Michelle's body was sending a different message: To hell with biracialism! Compromise, bipartisanship? Don't think so. Here was one clear signifier of blackness that couldn't be tamed, muted or otherwise made invisible. It emerged right before our eyes, in the midst of our growing uncertainty about everything, and we were too bogged down in the daily campaign madness to notice.

The one clear predictor of success that the pundits, despite all their fancy maps, charts and holograms, missed completely? Michelle's butt.

Lord knows, it's time the butt got some respect. Ever since slavery, it's been both vilified and fetishized as the most singular of all black female features, more unsettling than dark skin and full lips, the thing that marked black women as uncouth and not quite ready for civilization (of course, it also made them mighty attractive to white men, which further stoked fears of miscegenation that lay at the heart of legal and social segregation).

In modern times, the butt has demarcated class and stature among black society itself. Emphasizing it or not separates dignified black women from ho's, party girls from professionals, hip-hop from serious. (Black women are not the only ones with protruding behinds, by the way, but they're certainly considered its source. How many gluteally endowed nonblack women have been derided for having a black ass? Well, Hillary, for one.

But Michelle is bringing those two falsely divided minds together in a single presentation -- finally, unity for the real world! Talk about a power base. Thanks to Michelle, looking professional and provocative in a distinctly black way will become not only acceptable but also part of a whole presidential look that's more, well, inclusive.

Now we'll all be able to wear leggings to board meetings; we'll sport pencil skirts sans the long jackets meant to cover the offending rear at big conferences where we have to make a good impression. It turns out that Sir Mix-A-Lot, he of "Baby Got Back" fame, was not a novelty but a prophet.

Who knew? Give that guy a Cabinet post. Wait, there's more...

Erin Aubry Kaplan is a freelance writer and contributing editor to Opinion. She is a former weekly columnist for The Times, Essence and LA Weekly and blogs for 3 Brothers and A Sister.

African American Republican Assembly Candidate Gwen Patrick Doesn't Want Gay Marriage In California - What Say You?

Esquire Thinks Halle Berry is The Sexiest Woman Alive? Well, Duh!!!

What's black, white and hot all over? Alongside a photo spread that shows her in little more than a T-shirt, Halle Berry talks about being the sexiest woman alive, a title Esquire magazine gives her in its November issue. Halle Berry says "sexiness is a state of mind -- a comfortable state of being."

"I don't know exactly what it means, but being 42 and having just had a baby, I think I'll take it," says Berry, who gave birth to her daughter, Nahla, in March.

"Sexiness is a state of mind -- a comfortable state of being," she says. "It's about loving yourself in your most unlovable moments."

But the biracial sister, who won an Oscar for her role in "Monster's Ball," can't claim the sexiest-woman honor all to herself.

"I share this title with every woman, because every woman is a nominee for it at any moment," she says.

October 7, 2008, 12:01 PM

Halle Berry Is the Sexiest Woman Alive, 2008
Buzz up!As the culmination of our anniversary celebration, Halle Berry -- who just had a baby, like, six months ago -- presents the final re-creations of classic Esquire covers. Here, she delivers her acceptance speech.

I've been in the business for more than twenty years, and you decide now, at this particular time, that I'm the sexiest woman alive? Come on. I mean, you couldn't go with the Bond-girl year? You didn't like the orange bikini? I liked the orange bikini.

That would have been a pretty good year. Or what about the Monster's Ball year? That was a sexy moment. Couldn't you have packaged that up with some list of the best movie sex scenes ever? That would have been very easy, very magaziney. But 2008? Well, I don't know exactly what it means, but being forty-two and having just had a baby, I think I'll take it. There are billions of women on the planet, but let's just say for shits and giggles that I am the sexiest woman alive.

First, I would have to thank all the people who made it happen. I would thank the good folks at Esquire for thinking outside the box -- even if those folks are just eight editors wearing competing seventy-five-dollar button-down shirts, swinging themselves around in cheap desk chairs in some windowless conference room somewhere above Manhattan.

I'd also have to thank my "team," the ones who make the magic happen -- my hair designer, my stylist, my makeup artist, and my beloved trainer. And I would absolutely have to thank the photographer, because without him, the camera is all lies of a different sort. I mean, look at the pictures. That takes a lot of work. I'm lucky to have these people. Don't think I don't know it.

Does being the sexiest woman alive imply that I know a thing or two about what's sexy and, possibly, about sex itself? I'm not sure, but here's what I do know: I know damned well I'm sexier now than I used to be. Let me make an argument here -- not so much for me, or even for my age being sexy, but for what I've learned.

I've picked up a little over the years. Sexy is not about wearing sexy clothes or shaking your booty until you damn near get hip dysplasia; it's about knowing that sexiness is a state of mind -- a comfortable state of being. It's about loving yourself even in your most unlovable moments. I know a little bit about that.

Sexiness is also about knowing what's sexy to you. To me, spaghetti is sexy, especially when it's served off the tips of a man's fingers. I like that. And I think wine is sexy, just before sex. It relaxes me. But if I want to get a serious groove on -- if I want an out-of-body experience -- I'm all about the sloe-gin fizz.

I think lingerie is sexy, and I'll wear it, sure. But truth is, I'm good-to-go in a tank top and bare feet -- although every woman should own at least one good pair of pumps. That's really the only wardrobe you need for sex: a tank top and pumps.

When it comes to what I think is sexy about men, I like forearms. That's my body part. They're generally exposed, available, a little bit vulnerable. A forearm is different with every man, and when it comes to forearms, size matters. I don't like them slight.

Ask me what's the sexiest car in the world and I'll just say my man's car, because it smells like him, because his shape is pressed into the seat, because it's littered with little bits of his life -- his golf balls or his chocolate-bar wrappers -- and it's ripe with the smells of him. That's the car I most want to ride in.

What else? Ah, yes: the big O. You know that stuff they say about a woman being responsible for her own orgasms? That's all true. And in my case, that makes me responsible for pretty damned good orgasms these days. Much better orgasms than when I was twenty-two. And I wouldn't let a man control that. Not anymore. Now I'd invite him to participate. I'll tell you this: I've learned my tricks. I know what I like. I do not wait around. I initiate. And I'm not all about frequency. I favor intensity.

There have been some men in my life who have been wickedly sexy and have taught me much about sexual pleasure. There are a few men I should thank, and others I need to forget. But I don't regret. To hell with regret. I like what I am now. I like being a mother. I like my body better since I became a mother. I feel sexier as a result of becoming a mother.

You see, the years go by and you learn, and that just deepens your understanding of every experience. And then sex is better -- it feels like you're in control, and you're sort of not in control at the same time, and that is completely satisfying.

So, yes, there are times when I feel like the sexiest woman alive, but would I ever argue that I am the sexiest woman alive? Of course not. I figure at one moment the sexiest woman alive is a waitress in Abilene, Texas. And in the very next second, it's a woman in the bush of Vanuatu. Then, right away, somewhere else. Sex and sexiness. It's all about the moment; it's about what you know as much as it is what you offer. That's why I share this title with every woman, because every woman is a nominee for it at any moment. Maybe that's why there are so many women these guys love.

If there were a real event where they gave an award for this title, I would wave the trophy here. I would thank everyone all over again, then I'd probably blow a kiss to Tom Chiarella for helping me write this. I would turn my head and say, "You can start the music now, I'm done." I'd be wearing pumps. I'd be just a little breathless. And I admit I would not rush off the stage.

Esquire

From Successful Boxer To Dancing With The Stars Favorite, Now Add Mommy To Laila's Resume

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We Heard She Would Be Modeling, But Not Like This!

Not That We're Complaining Ciara!!!

With unit sales being what they are, how does a girl focus attention on her forthcoming third LP, Fantasy Ride?

Well if your Ciara, just get butt-nekked! The sexy young singer linked to 50 Cents appears nude on the cover of the October issue of Vibe magazine set to hit newsstands September 16.

No Cream No Sugar has Ciara... all of her.

Old School Versus New School Weave: Vivica Fox or Solange???

On Solange's new album, the 22-year-old sings about smoking marijuana and making love on a new Lil Wayne duet. “I am unapologetic; I don’t write about things unless they’re true. I’m a grown-ass woman and I’ve experienced grown-ass things.”

Bet Aunt Viv, recently spotted out shopping (i.e photo-opping - folks in LA don't go out all boofed and bedazzled just to shop) could probably teach Beyonce's mini-me a few more "grown" things.

So the question is, which one's hotter?

Why I'm Feeling Old: Fresh Prince's Ashley is Almost 30??????

Tatyana Ali has come a long way!

But wait til you see her latest spread in King Magazine. WOW!

The Wendy Williams, Omarosa Smackdown!!!!!

Reality TV villain Omarosa sparred with talk show host Wendy Williams on Monday in a spat that at one point turned physical.

She appeared on Fox's "The Wendy Williams Show" to promote her upcoming book but instead spent more time trading insults with the radio personality-turned-talk show host. "I wanted to throw her off the set," Williams later told The Associated Press.

Can you say WWF - Why Women Fight?!? Catch the video under the hood.

The altercation started when Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth first walked onto the daytime talk show and said she was displeased with Williams' introduction of her and would not be disrespected. Things got uglier when Williams grabbed Omarosa's book cover to hold it up to the camera, and Omarosa snatched it back out of Williams' hand.

"Omarosa wished her career was my career," Williams told the AP. "Omarosa is a delusional, D-list, pathetic woman."

The yanking gave way to Omarosa attacking Williams' appearance, asking the talk show host whether she had had a nose job and suggesting she shouldn't wear wigs.

But Williams didn't stay silent throughout the heated interview. She called Omarosa "a typical angry black woman" and suggested cosmetic injections could fix her
wrinkles.

For more, visit the Associated Press.