The long wait for the reopening of Ibom plaza is over.  After several months of its closure, the plaza has reopened bringing much relief to fun seekers and small business operators who were displaced while the plaza remained shut by the Akwa Ibom government for rehabilitation.

Built by the previous administration as a one stop-relaxation spot with a giant monitor for residents to watch football matches and popular Nollywood films, the plaza, located in the heart of Uyo, became famous for other small businesses such as photography, food vendors and mobile phone operators;  turning the spot into a garden with a market.

With a canopy of tall trees specially planted and cultivated to provide shade interspersed with flowers, the plaza when it was opened in 2006, became a melting pot of sort for both young and old leisure and fun-seeking people in a relaxed atmosphere.

It was also a place for buying and selling of goods including shoes, wrist watches, food beverages and drinks of all kinds. The plaza was built to serve a variety of interests, according to business leaders in the state.

But the place was shut down last December on the orders of the state government for rehabilitation and remained closed even after the work had been completed.

It was widely believed that apart from the rehabilitation of the plaza, dispute over who had the right to operate the place between the state government and local contractors also stalled the efforts to have it reopened even during the Christmas period.

At a meeting involving commissioners of transport, housing and urban development, environment and the state attorney-general convened to find a solution to the lingering problem of illegal parks within Uyo metropolis, Enobong Uwah, commissioner for environment  told the stakeholders in the transport sector that the plaza would not be reopened as long as there were illegal parks within the vicinity.

A check showed that though the plaza has been reopened, its attractions such several relaxation spots with drinking outlets and other small businesses have yet to return.

Some of the displaced persons who spoke to CityFile expressed happiness that the plaza had finally been reopened but expressed fears whether the hustle and bustle of the place would ever return.

“We are delighted that the plaza has been reopened, we wish that it should be made to serve the interest of the people,’’ one of the displaced persons said.

It was gathered that the plaza got the nod for its doors to be thrown open again due to the visit of the “Good Governance Tour” team which ended its visit to the state last weekend.

It was gathered that the state government, in a bid to impress the visiting team, had ordered the place be reopened. It was not immediately clear whether the opening will be temporary but according to an observer, one thing is sure: “the reopening of the plaza has brought relief to many a fun seeker but it remains to be seen whether small business operators will ever be allowed to return as well.’’

Saturday, May 04th

Last update06:20:39 PM GMT

The infamous film critic Roger Ebert popularized the “two thumbs up”-style of reviewing with his late “At the Movies” partner, Gene Siskel who died in 1999.

Ebert died today at the age of 70 after a bout with cancer.

Here are 10 facts you may have not known about Ebert.

1. The award-winning critic began working as the Chicago Sun-Times’ film critic exactly 46 years ago today.

2. He was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1975. He was the first film critic to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize.

3. In 2004 he was the first film critic ever to be awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

4. The Director’s Guild of America recognized him with an Honorary Life Member Award.

5. Ebert reviewed more than 200 movies a year for the paper, Chicago Sun-Times’ stating days before his death that he would be taking a leave of presence stating, “At last to do what I’ve always fantasized about doing: reviewing only the movies I want to review,”

6. Ebert was a social media enthusiast and built a huge audience on Facebook and Twitter.

7. The annual film festival Ebertfest (founded in his honor), now in its 15th year, will continue at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, where he went to school.

8. Ebert planned on launching a Kickstarter campaign to bring “At the Movies” back to television. A new version of it was canceled in 2011.

9. Ebert also announced days prior to his death that he would purchase his popular website Rogerebert.com from the Sun-Times’ owners and relaunch the site.

10. He has written more than 15 books, including his annual movie yearbook which is predominantly a collection of his reviews of that year.

President Obama spoke very highly of California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris on Thursday — but one comment raised some eybrows, KTLA 5 reports

While speaking at a Bay Area fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee, the president said Harris is “brilliant,” “dedicated” and “tough.” Then he said, “She also happens to be, by far, the best-looking attorney general.”

The president has received the ire of feminists for the remark.

When Black Enterprise published its first issue four decades ago, the era was marked by promise but not prosperity. The economic evolution of the African American business class had not yet begun. A year earlier, President Richard Nixon had signed Executive Order 11458, directing the Commerce Department to coordinate the federal government’s programs “which affect or may contribute to the establishment, preservation, and strengthening of minority business enterprise.” The directive gave birth to federal set-aside programs and public financing. The dawning of a new business era always begins with the audacious and the resolute—relentless innovators and industrial disruptors who realized that industries, people, or nations could not advance by embracing the status quo.

A phalanx of entrepreneurs and executives knew that for African Americans to progress, less than full participation in the business mainstream could not be an option. They fought the odds, suffered setbacks, regrouped, and eventually emerged victorious. Through each decade they changed the paradigm—whether doing so required the political activism of the 1970s, financial engineering of the 1980s, adoption of new technology in the 1990s, or the creation of flexible business models over the past decade. Whether they conducted business from their own offices or the executive suite, their professional excellence, deal-making prowess, and unwavering advocacy converted promise into channels of prosperity and levers of power.

The 40 men and women on the following pages could easily be considered trailblazers. They are, however, more than pioneers who withstood the elements—institutional racism, resistance from the business establishment, and lack of resources—to plant a flag on their own patch of territory. They’re titans: bold leaders who shattered conventional modes of commerce. Because of their contributions over the past 40 years, the world of business has been transformed forever.

Fox Sports has been sued by a former executive who says he was denied a promotion and later fired because he is black, according to documents obtained by the Hollywood Reporter.

In the lawsuit Jerry Davis, a 52 year old black man who worked at Fox Sports for over 15 years as a director in the music department, says when the position directly senior to him became available on four separate times, he was passed over “because, as a black man, he did not fit neatly into the company’s corporate culture.”

Davis says he didn’t receive a single promotion during his years at the company. In February, Fox allegedly eliminated his position when he was on disability leave “without providing any interactive process or attempts at accommodation.”

Read more at the Hollywood Reporter.

Chris Rock is set to replace Robin Thicke in Season two of BET’s Real Husbands of Hollywood, the Grio reports.

“I just watched the show and it just seemed like they were having so much fun,” Rock told the Grio.

Hart says Thicke won’t be returning due to conflicts with his schedule, but believes Rock will be a worthy replacement.

“Chris is a mentor and a friend to me – he’s a guy who’s advised me and basically helped me make steps in the right direction throughout my entire career,” Hart says. “To have him accept an invitation is huge to me but it’s just another level of funny, just another level of unexpected humor.”

Welcome to the Style Suite with Kéla Walker, your source for fashion and style trends for power plays in the workplace. Every Tuesday and Thursday, she’ll share tips and suggestions to help maximize your style on a budget. Whether you’re the style devil in Prada or the apprentice with limited apparel, you’ll find something in the Style Suite to suit your needs.

Target is at it again with another limited-edition collection. On the heels of the successful Prabal Gurung for Target collection, the retailer is switching things up just a little, partnering with stylist Kate Young. She’s one of the fashion industry’s most influential celebrity stylists having worked with some of Hollywood’s biggest names including Michelle Williams, Natalie Portman and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Now she’s bringing that same star-studded style to the masses.

The Kate Young for Target collection is inspired by the red carpet and features a number of special occasion dresses. Fancy frocks aside, there are plenty of pieces to compliment your day to day style as well. I was immediately drawn to two pieces in particular- a yellow mod inspired dress that looks very Kerry Washington (when she’s not playing Olivia Pope) and the tuxedo inspired jumpsuit that could easily become your go to closet piece. There are so many ways to wear this piece.  The collection features more than 30 pieces and prices start at 14.99 for accessories and go as high as $89.99 for a floor length dress.  The Kate Young for Target collection is available April 14.

For more details on the collection visit KelasKloset.com and watch my video with detailed information on a few of the pieces that I purchased at Target’s NYC event.

Find more fashion and style tips at KelasKloset.com and follow me on Twitter (@kelawalker).

Kéla Walker is an award-winning, Emmy-nominated producer and TV host, who has contributed lifestyle and entertainment content for outlets including NBC’s LXTV, Getty Images, YRB Magazine, Madame Noire, and RTL Germany. She also has a passion for fashion and offers the latest in fab fashion trends and consumer deals with KelasKloset.com. Her chic style and trendsetting blog has been lauded by sites including Essence.com and Huffington Post Black Voices.

Kevin Hart was arrested this morning on suspicion of DUI, TMZ reports.

Officers saw the Real Husbands of Hollywood star driving in a black Mercedes  in California at around 4:30 AM. He was “driving erratic,” “going 90 MPH” and “almost collided with a gas tanker truck.”

The CHP says when they pulled Hart over, he showed “objective signs of intoxication” and was “unable to perform field sobriety tests.”

Read more at TMZ

Tamar Braxton and Vince Herbert have been at the top of media’s gossip chain since the first episode of WEtv’s Braxton Family Values aired April 12, 2011. With Tamar’s Igotplentyofmouth.com attitude and Vince’s laidback, go-with-the-flow persona, audiences were captivated by the couple’s ability to get through the good and the bad—at home and in business.

Now, three seasons later, the most popular Braxton on TV and her music executive husband have proven why they are the topic of everyone’s conversation. After swearing they would never have children, the Hollywood couple is expecting their first born—who according to Tamar will be their only born—and as Vince says, “It was all God; had nothing to do with us.”

While expecting her first child—the sex of the baby is still not officially confirmed—the 36-year-old songstress and reality star is now on her way to the top of her career as she recently released her first major single, “Love and War,” in December.

With a baby on the way, a budding singing career on the fast track and a top-notch husband who is responsible for some of the biggest names in music, BlackEnterprise.com sat down with the couple in Manhattan to find out just how crazy life in the Herbert house is these days with so much going on. Tamar had one thing to say, and Vince another.

So from babies to business, here’s part one with one half of TV’s hottest couple, Tamar Braxton spilling it all.

What She Said…

Black Enterprise: When did you decide that you wanted to have a kid?

Tamar: I didn’t decide that I wanted to have a kid. The decision was made for me. [Laughs].

BE: Did you guys ever have the talk, if you get pregnant, this is what we’re gonna do?

Tamar: Well, we had the talk about kids, but it was never like, “If we get pregnant…” We knew that wasn’t a possibility for us. We went through in vitro just to preserve the future, you know. We didn’t know what we wanted to do, and we didn’t want to get in a situation where it would be too late. So, that [conversation] took never really took place.

BE: When you first found out you were pregnant did you think you wanted a boy or a girl?

Tamar: When I first found out, it wasn’t about is it a boy or a girl; it was more like…I’m so excited! It was like, what the hell just happened, and how did this happen? That’s what my initial response was. But now, I just want to have a very, very healthy, gorgeous baby.

BE: Now that you know you are having baby No. 1, do you want more because you come from such a big family?

Tamar: I do not want any more kids [smiles big]! No! I’m blessed to have a great pregnancy, but I don’t know how I would feel if this happened to me a second time.

BE: Are you guys gonna add anything else to the family, like another puppy?

Tamar: No! Oh my God, wouldn’t it be something if we stuck our foot right in our mouths and had a bunch of kids and like seven dogs…I cant’ see that happening for the Herbert’s.

BE: How do you think a baby will change your career now that your single is all over the charts?

Tamar: I don’t think a baby will change my career because I don’t plan to go about my career any differently. I’m still gonna work hard because I love to work, and I love what I do. I think a baby will just add more happiness to it.

BE: Are you glad you waited so long to release your first single? Your fans knew you were anxious to get things going.

Tamar: I was definitely anxious, even before Braxton Family Values was even talked up, but I’m just glad that it all lined up. It made sense, and now I feel like everything came out at the right time.

BE: How stressful was the process of putting the single together once you were in it?

Tamar: It wasn’t stressful at all, actually. We wrote and recorded the record, and that was it. It was done. Like I said, I was just very excited and anxious for it to come out. I got tired of listening to it in the car by myself [laughs].

BE: Were you nervous right before the single was set to release?

Tamar: No, I wasn’t nervous at all, surprisingly, and usually I’m always nervous. I was just anxious and excited that it was coming out ’cause that’s really all I wanted. I didn’t even think about, oh it’s No.1! Everybody’s loving it. I just wanted to have material out, and I was just ready for that.

BE: How often does the mix of business and marriage affect your life at home?

Tamar: It definitely affects our personal life because sometimes you don’t know when to cut it off. Now, if we went out on a date night, sometimes [Vince] wants to still talk about business; I don’t. Or sometimes I still want to talk about business, and he doesn’t. You just have to find that balance in your relationship, and I think that comes from talking and being brutally honest with each other. If you’re having a steak dinner, be like, Boo, I really don’t feel like talking about this right now. What’s up with me and you? That’s what you have to do.

BE: When it comes to business, what is the most annoying thing about Vince?

Tamar: The most annoying thing about Vince when it comes to business is he doesn’t always give you an answer when you want it. I can ask him something, and he’ll be like, I’m waiting for a phone call, I’ll tell you later. And you’re like, Ugh! Then you ask him later, and he doesn’t have an answer for you because he doesn’t wanna tell you, or it’s not the right time to tell you, or maybe he just doesn’t know. But that’s so annoying to me as an artist because I want things right now, right now, right now, I wanna know, I wanna know, I wanna know, and it just doesn’t happen like that, especially with him.