Allison Samuels

How he's shattering a genre with 'Django Unchained'.

What's next for our incredibly popular first lady?

Sparkle's producers on Houston's bittersweet role.

She's picking up the mic yet again--but this time Mary J. Blige is onstage with '80s classics in the new musical Rock of Ages.

A drug-using family. Heartbreaking dysfunction. Why no one could save Whitney Houston from herself.

This trio is keeping politicians' secrets—and breaking ground at the same time.

Why Whitney Houston's fans never stopped rooting for her.

Will the African-American elite open its wallet for Obama a second time?

Don Cheadle is switching to comedy—and sticking it to big business.

A new Broadway drama with Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett recalls a fateful time.

Could Cornel West's fierce attacks on the president spell trouble in 2012?

When Magic Johnson famously announced he has HIV, it wasn't clear how long he'd live. Twenty years later, he tells of his struggles, fears, and triumphs.

From Oxygen's Bad Girls to Bravo's Real Housewives franchise, the small screen is awash with black females who roll their eyes, bob their heads, snap their fingers, talk trash, and otherwise reinforce the ugly stereotype of the "angry black woman."

In her frantic final hours on network TV, the talk queen is mending fences with ex-friends (Whoopi, Roseanne). It's great television. But is it genuine?

Farah J. Griffin's 82-year-old mother, Wilhelmenia, hasn't missed an episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" since it debuted nearly 20 years ago. So when Winfrey's 24-hour Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) debuted on Jan. 1, Griffin upgraded her mother's cable package so she could watch from her Philadelphia home. Only now, Griffin wants more for her money.

After just one month on the air, NBC canceled the new spy drama "Undercovers." Some people blame the show's writing, but it might have to do with something else: race. Though we have a black president in the White House, Hollywood is still neglecting black characters on the small screen.

Why do men always try to protect Michael's little sister? With a new movie, look, and perspective on life after a painful year, Miss Jackson is serving notice: she can handle her own bruise control.

Let me make this point from the very top: Gabourey Sidibe is a wonderful actress. She was pitch-perfect as the abused and ultimately triumphant teenager in "Precious" and rightly deserved her Oscar nomination for best actress. Watching a smart and talented African-American woman get her due in these racially tense times is something that always makes me cheer.

As I sat under the hair dryer at my favorite salon perusing my regular supply of weekly entertainment glossies, I remarked out loud how breathtaking I thought singer Alicia Keys looked in her one-shoulder Vera Wang–designed wedding gown. On one particular tabloid cover, Keys seemed to glow as she kissed her new husband, Swizz Beatz, in front of a fabulous island. Usually a comment about a popular celebrity elicits an immediate response in my chatty salon. Not this day.

Why the indefatigable Al Sharpton still has work to do. And what his evolution tells us about race and politics in Obama's America.

Feeling guilty about losing Michael, one year later.

Jada Pinkett Smith laughs knowingly when she discusses learning the "language of man" in her role as a producer, director, and actress in Tinseltown over the years. The petite star says one of the mistakes she has made and feels many other women commit in an effort to progress in the male-dominated world is trying too hard to be just one of the guys. "Early on I really think I attempted to be the loudest one in the room," Pinkett Smith says.

Black blogs cover a far more diverse range of stories than the rest of the media. Just ask Sandra Bullock.

The media will always ask questions about the love lives of female celebrities. That doesn't mean they should answer.

Why do all the films about African-Americans tell the same troubled stories?

The worst part of his deplorable interview? He's just saying what others are thinking.

In 1951, doctors removed Henrietta Lacks's cells without her consent. More than half a century later, companies have made millions from her cell culture, while few of Lacks's descendants can even afford insurance.

Adopting from countries like Haiti should be done carefully. And why not consider all those U.S. kids looking for a home?

Could African-Americans be the next constituency to turn away from Barack Obama? Polls show that the president still enjoys high approval ratings from black voters.

Elin Nordegren Woods and the myth of the angry black woman.