- We can’t get enough of Tyler Perry dressed in drag playing the sassy, fast-talking Big Momma Madea. So, we’re stoked that Perry and Lionsgate are joining forces for yet another movie. “Madea’s Big Happy Family” is set to release in 2011. [Variety]
- The violent crime rate in Chicago has gotten so out of hand that some state legislators are urging a call for the National Guard to step in. “We need a comprehensive urban policy plan now,” says Rev. Jesse Jackson, who has started blogging about the city’s “state of emergency.” [Huffington Post]
- Cirque du Soleil is creating a number of projects based on the work of the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, including a tour and a permanent show in Las Vegas. We hope they include a performance to “Earth Song.” [LATimes]
- Prompted by an invitation posted on Facebook, 18,000 New Jersey students walked out of their classrooms and into the streets on Tuesday to protest Republican Governor Christopher Christie’s statewide education budget cuts. [NYTimes]
- “Avatar,” starring ESSENCE’s Black Women in Hollywood honoree Zoe Saldana, is the top-selling DVD-release of 2010, topping the DVD sales record for the “Dark Knight.” [CNN]
- Ever wonder how long you should be hanging on to that tube of mascara? Thanks to the Once Opened Beauty Expiration Kit, you don’t have to wonder anymore. The kit offers stickers that alert you of when it’s time to toss out that jar of anti-aging cream, lest you coat your face in bacteria. [NYTimes]