New Jersey isn’t wanting for over-the-top reality shows, still VH1 and some of its leading ladies recently took a break from the beaches of Miami, home of the network’s hit program “Basketball Wives,” to bring their show briefly to the Garden State.

Fashion doesn’t have to be just for fashion’s sake. Consider the case of Sisters on the Runway, an extracurricular group of fashion-conscious teens at Montclair High School. These kids have channeled their taste for off-the-shoulder tops and stiletto heels into a way to raise money for a good cause.

I’m not a member of the most political family. We have our beliefs, we vote, but we typically haven’t gone around shaking hands and kissing babies to promote a political agenda. Until now, that is.

It is the goldmine of advertisements—a publicity jackpot, if you will. Lady O (the media maven, not FLOTUS) puts her stamp of approval on something and sales skyrocket. That is exactly what happened to the small kitchen product company Prepara. The company’s Herb Savor, a simple device that helps preserve the life of fresh herbs for up to three weeks, was included on the 2010 list of Oprah’s Favorite Things.

Although it was a Friday, with no sermon scheduled, the parishioners and guests at the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens arrived in their Sunday best. The attraction was a preview of “Almighty Debt: A Black In America Special,” which airs on CNN this Thursday at 9 pm.