Mo’Nique‘s landlords are suing her because she broke a 2-year lease (which she signed back in March) and owes them $370,000 in unpaid rent and other charges.

But the Academy Award winning actress says her house smells like dog crap, and she doesn’t owe them sh*t! (pun intended)

So now she’s counter-suing them, demanding that they release her from a $22,000/month rental contract because her house smells like dog feces.

TMZ has all the details below:

Mo’Nique filed the papers in Fulton County (Georgia) in response to her landlords’ lawsuit — which claims the actress bailed on her two-year lease agreement, signed in March, and owes $370,000 in unpaid rent and other charges.

But Mo says it’s all crap … literally … insisting there’s a damn good reason she’s walking out on the rental contract — the house stinks of dog feces, wet dog, and urine (of unknown origin) … not to mention an overflowing septic tank.

But it doesn’t end there — according to Mo’Nique, the house also had a bad mold problem and the security gate was busted.

Mo’Nique claims she struck a verbal agreement with the landlords, allowing her to renege on her contract with 60 days notice because of all the problems — but Mo’ claims her landlords aren’t living up to their word.

Were we the only ones who missed Mo’Nique during Sunday night’s Academy Awards?

Although some reports are claiming the Oscar winner “refused” to be a presenter at this year’s show because of the lack of “color” in the list of nominated actors and actresses, her manager and husband Sidney Hicks told USA TODAY she didn’t pull a Fantasia.

Apparently, Mo’Nique made herself available to announce the nominations because she knew she would miss the awards show due to shooting new episodes of her BET talk show. Sidney commented:

“This was her way of giving respect to the Academy and to her show. Either way her position is you can’t please everyone all of the time, and whatever scrutiny she receives she accepts it humbly.” (Source)

Your thoughts?

Oscar-winning actress Mo’Nique debuted her freshly shaved legs as she made an appearance yesterday at the 83rd Academy Awards Nominations Announcement Ceremony, which was held yesterday (Tues. Jan 25) in Beverly Hills, CA at the Samuel Samuel Goldwyn Theater Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Mo’Nique was joined on-stage by the Academy’s president Tom Sherak and the pair shared Oscar nominee announcement duties.

Mo’Nique was heavily scrutinized for her hairy legs, which she proudly showed off on the red carpet of last year’s Golden Globe Awards. But it looks like the actress, who won an Academy Award last year for her performance in the movie “Precious,” has taken a razor to those legs of hers, which is definitely a good look!

Check out the pics below:

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL LIST OF OSCAR NOMINEES

Mo was said to be unhappy with the way Oprah’s interview with her mother, father and brother on “The Oprah Show,” even though the “Precious” star gave Oprah to go ahead to discuss the topic on her show. She felt that O wasn’t sympathetic enough towards her situation and claimed that her brother told lies in the nationally televised interview.

A source close to Mo’Nique told RadarOnline.com: “Mo’Nique has decided to forgive Oprah and to move on although the interview hurt her to her heart. “But she’s still not forgiven her family and unfortunately the grudge could now go to the grave because her parents, Steven and Alice, are getting older now. She feels that her parents have never fully accepted Gerald’s role in the molestation and ever told her that it was not her fault.” To add insult to imjury, the source revealed, “Gerald is planning to write a book about their childhood and Mo’Nique feels that he is just trying to profit from the incident. “As a mother herself she does not believe her brother has ever got the therapy or the help that he truly requires.”

The source also said that despite her issues with her family, Mo’Nique is very happy with her own marriage to her second husband Sydney Hicks and is busy raising three sons: 4-year-old twins Jonathan & David, and 17-year-old Shalon from a previous marriage. Mo’Nique is also said to be taking a break on making movies to focus on her late night BET talk show “The Monique Show.”

“At the moment she’s really concentrating on The Monique Show and wants it to reach a wider audience. The movie parts that she’s getting offered have been to stereotypical of the black over-weight woman which she does not want to do,” the source added. “Besides, she has lost a lot of weight recently and is feeling good about herself right now, so, that would not be appropriate.”

RADAR ONLINE

Apparently when Mo’Nique gave Oprah Winfrey her blessing to interview her family, she didn’t think it would turn out the way it did. According to Radar Online, the Oscar winning actress is very unhappy with the way Oprah’s interview with her brother Gerald Imes, who moleseted her repeatedly when they were younger, turned out.

Although Winfrey asked Mo’Nique if it was okay if Imes appeared on her show the actress felt that he lied during the interview and it was not sympathetic enough towards her. Winfrey – who also suffered sexual abuse – wanted to make sure that the Precious star fully understood what her estranged brother would say after he originally approached her to appear on the show. On the show – which aired on Monday – Imes confirmed that the molestation continued for a year or two, starting when he was 13 and Mo’Nique was 7 or 8.

A source close to Mo’Nique told RadarOnline.com: “Gerald actually made the first move and called Oprah asking her if he could appear on the show. “So, Oprah called Mo’Nique to see if she was okay about him appearing on her show to discuss the abuse and although she was not entirely happy about it she gave Oprah her blessing.”

Imes said he decided to appear on Winfrey’s show to apologize to Mo’Nique and bring their family back together. Imes said he himself was molested and he was using drugs and alcohol at age 11. He said: “I abused and betrayed the trust of another sibling, my sister, my blood sister, I’m sorry, Mo’Nique. I’m sorry. Hopefully somewhere, somehow as siblings we can come back together as brother and sister.”

However, RadarOnline.com has learned that Mo’Nique is less than happy with how Oprah’s interview turned out and her relationship with both her brother and her parents, who also appeared on the episode, is now worse than ever. The source added: “Oprah and Mo’Nique were never the best of friends… Mo’Nique was less than impressed with how the interview played out as she felt that her brother lied and that it was not sympathetic enough towards her.

“She was particularly upset that Gerald lied to Oprah that he molested her while she was sleeping because she was wide awake and scared of him. Also, she is angry that he did not get any help or enter a rehab and she does not trust him around children. Oprah asked her to appear on her show again for another interview but at this point she has declined the invitation. If anything it has made the situation worse between Mo’Nique and her family and she doesn’t know if she will ever speak to them again now.”

Gerald Imes, brother of Oscar winner Mo’Nique, appeared on Oprah yesterday to talk about sexually abusing his younger sister and to apologize. After denying the claims for years, he finally contacted Oprah, who in turn spoke to Mo’Nique before agreeing to do the interview. Though she refused to be a part of the interview, she gave Oprah her blessing and hoped that Gerald opening up might save another family. During the interview, Gerald talks about being abused himself as a child and falling into drugs at a young age.

“I accepted it as being the norm,” he says. “I started using cocaine, heroine, alcohol at the age of 11. I used these drugs to hide my own pain. Fear at that age kept me from acknowledging my own abuse. The drugs weren’t an excuse. They just allowed me and afforded me the opportunity to do the things that were in the back of my mind as a kid that I always wanted to do,” he says. “Most of the time, the abuse that I did with my sister took place while she was asleep [or] the appearance that she was asleep.

“I can only hope by coming forth today, since I couldn’t reach out to her, that … somewhere along the line with the apology and the truth of it finally coming out after 37 years, that hopefully somewhere, somehow … we can come back together as brother and sister and say: ‘You know what? This happened. I’m sorry that it happened. I’m sorry that it happened to you, and that I was the perpetrator, the one that did it to you. However, I understand your pain. I, too, was there. Now lets share this together and move on. Let’s help someone else.”

Watch a couple of clips from the interview below:

MO’NIQUE’S PARENTS TALK TO OPRAH

MO’NIQUE’S BROTHER GERALD TALKS TO OPRAH

R&B singer Fantasia hit up the Mo’Nique show this past Wednesday evening (Apr 7) to promote her upcoming album, her VH1 reality show “Fantasia for Real” and to perform her latest single “Even Angels.” Peep the performance and interview below…

“EVEN ANGELS” PERFORMANCE

INTERVIEW

Folks, this is your absolute LAST chance to enter our exclusive Mo’Nique “Spread the Love Tour” ticket giveaway! Congratulations to the following people for winning (2) tickets to see the first 10 dates:

Karen Primm – Mar 19 – New Orleans
Margaret Hutto – Mar 20 – Washington D.C.
Valen Moody – Mar 26 – St. Louis
Latasha Howell – Mar 27 – Detroit
Tracy Deal – Apr 2 – Los Angeles
Nichole Blair – Apr 3 – Oakland
Evan Dunbar – Apr 9 – Newark
Nyeisha Williams – Apr 10 – Augusta
Garla Joy Williams – Apr 16 – Kansas City
Susan Hollins – Apr 17 – Houston

Tickets for the last 10 dates (through the end of May) are still up for grabs. Click here for more info and to enter for your chance to win (2) tickets to the date/city/venue of your choice!

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE MO’NIQUE “SPREAD THE LOVE” TOUR TICKET GIVEAWAY!

Teairra Mari hit up the Mo’Nique Show recently and performed her new single “Sponsor” (with rapper Soulja Boy) after sitting for a quick chat with the Academy Award winning actress/comedienne turned late night talk show host. Continue reading to check out both the performance and the interview!

INTERVIEW

“SPONSOR” F/ SOULJA BOY PERFORMANCE

What. the. f*ck. was. that?

R&B singer Donell Jones performed his old hit single “Where I Wanna Be” and sounded like a hot bucket of boo-boo! Like seriously, we actually like this song, but this performance was definitely no-go. Take a look for yourself below…

Video when you continue reading…

With the help of AEG Live, Gossip On This is hosting our BIGGEST CONTEST/GIVEAWAY EVER!

Comedian/actress/talk-show host Mo’Nique is going on tour with her “Mo’Nique Show” co-host Rodney Perry, Tone-X and DJ Ant in what the Oscar nominee is calling the “Spread the Love Tour.” And we have exclusively been given 40 tickets to give away to 20 different people to all 20 of the shows! That’s right folks, we are giving away 2 tickets to 1 lucky fan for every single date!

And since its last minute, we want to make this as easy as possible! Continue reading for all the details…

CONTINUE READING

[See post to listen to audio]
A new track from Toni Braxton‘s upcoming album Pulse has surfaced. The track, titled “Caught (Don’t Take Your Hat Off)” features comedian and Academy Award winning actress (it feels so good to say that) Mo’Nique. Mo’Nique doesn’t sing, but serves up a pretty good comedic verse of spoken word as she kicks her man out of the house. Download the song below and let us know what you think. Toni B’s Pulse hits stores May 4th.

D/L: Caught (Don’t Take Your Hat Off)

Actress/comedienne Mo’Nique was honored last night with the Oscar award for “Best Supporting Actress” at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards! As many critics (and the media alike) predicted, the actress turned late night TV talk show host won the prestigious award for her role as “Mary Jones” in the hit movie “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.”

Backstage at the Oscars, Mo’Nique had this to say:

“The reason why I have on this royal blue dress is because it’s the color that Hattie McDaniel wore in 1940 when she accepted her Oscar. The reason why I have this gardenia in my hair, it is the flower that Hattie McDaniel wore when she accepted her Oscar. So for you, Miss Hattie McDaniel, I feel you all over me,” Mo’Nique said.

Mo’Nique made history with her win as she is the first stand up comedienne to win an Oscar. She also added to history as the fifth black actress to win an Academy Award. Those who went before her were Hattie McDaniel, Whoopi Goldberg, Halle Berry and Jennifer Hudson.

And speaking of historics, Geoffrey Fletcher, who won the Oscar for “Best Adapted Screenplay” for his role as the screenwriter for Precious, was the first African American screenwriter to win a gold statue, so congratulations are definitely in order for both he and Mo’Nique. Neither actress Gabourey Sidibe, who played the lead role in the movie, nor director Lee Daniels won in their respective categories. “Best Director” went to Kathryn Bigelow and “Best Actress” went to Sandra Bullock.

Check out a few pics of Mo’Nique, Geoffrey Fletcher, Sandra Bullock and Kathryn Bigelow with their brand new prized possessions below… And continue reading to watch, Mo, Geoff and Sandra’s acceptance speeches!

MO’NIQUES OSCAR ACCEPTANCE SPEECH

GEOFFREY FLETCHER’S OSCAR ACCEPTANCE SPEECH

SANDRA BULLOCK’S OSCAR ACCEPTANCE SPEECH

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards, also known simply as “The Oscars,” was held Sunday night (Mar 7) in Los Angeles at the Kodak Theater. Some of the celebrities who walked the red carpet were Mariah Carey and her husband Nick Cannon, Mo’Nique, Gabby Sidibe, Jennifer Lopez, Paula Patton and her husband Robin Thicke, and more.

Check out 20+ pictures of celebs walking the red carpet at the 2010 Oscars, the biggest night in Hollywood, below and when you continue reading…

Actresses Gabourey Sidibe and Mo’Nique were presented with high honors over the weekend at the 25th Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards, held Friday (Mar 5) at the Nokia Theater LA Live in Los Angeles. Gabby took home the award for “Best Actress,” while her co-star Mo’Nique won the award for “Best Supporting Actress.” And director Lee Daniels won “Best Director” while the movie “Precious” as a whole won accolades in the “Best Screenplay” and “Best Feature” categories.

Other celebrities at the event were Mariah Carey, Taraji P. Henson, Lenny Kravitz and his daughter Zoe, Regina King and Rosario Dawson. Check out 10+ pictures from the 2010 Indie Spirit Awards below…

Check out this last batch of photos from last night’s NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles, CA. We have flicks of Keri Hilson, Eva Marcille, Mo’Nique, Gabby Sidibe, Paula Patton, Lee Daniels, Morgan Freeman, Nick Cannon and more posing backstage, in the audience and/or in the press room of the 41st annual event.

20+ pictures below and after the cut…

The hit movie “Precious” (nominated for an Oscar) took home a total of 6 awards Friday night (Feb 26) at the 41st Annual NAACP Image Awards, which aired live on FOX from Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium.

Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe was awarded with “Outstanding Actress,” while Mo’Nique picked up the “Outstanding Supporting Actress” award, Lee Daniels won the “Outstanding Director” award and Geoffrey Fletcher was named “Outstanding Writer.” And the film as a collective won “Outstanding Motion Picture of the Year” and “Best Independent Film.”

Other award winners last night were Tyler Perry, Keke Palmer, Wyclef Jean, Maxwell and more, while the show, hosted by Hill Harper and Anika Noni Rose, featured performances from Keri Hilson, Mary Mary, Jill Scott and others. 15+ pictures of various celebrities accepting/presenting awards and performing at the 2010 NAACP Image Awards can be found below and when you continue reading…

Black star power was in full effect as celebrities like Keri Hilson, Gabrielle Union, Jill Scott, Tyler Perry, Maxwell, Keke Palmer, Tyrese, John Legend, Gabby Sidibe and tons more walked the red carpet of the 41st Annual NAACP Image Awards, held last night (Fri. Feb 26) at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Check out 40+ pictures of everyone arriving at the NAACP Image Awards below and when you continue reading…

This is huge! Just a few weeks after winning a Golden Globe, actress/comedian Mo’Nique has received an Oscar nomination for “Best Supporting Actress” for her role in “Precious!” In addition, breakthrough actress Gabourey Sidibe received a nomination for “Best Actress” and the film’s director Lee Daniels received a nod for “Best Director.” The film itself has two nods of its own as well in the “Best Picture” and “Best Adapted Screenplay” categories. And the film’s editor Joe Klotz received his own nomination in the category of “Best Editing.”

In a call to “The Early Show” on CBS this morning, the actress gushed over her most recent honor. “I’m floating!” she exclaimed. As excited as the actress is over her nomination, she’s well aware that the proof is right there for all to see. “I believe it is about the performance,” she said, concluding, “and the performance is on the screen.” The ever-humble star was also quick to point out that awards of this sort were not the driving force behind making “Precious,” a Sundance 2009 favorite directed by “Monster’s Ball” producer Lee Daniels.

“With the campaigning, we were very much behind the movie,” she said. “The message of this movie is so strong that it changed lives. That’s what we were supportive of, that’s what we wanted to get out there.”

Mo’Nique is nonetheless honored by her nomination. “I’m very honored and grateful that they recognized the performance,” she said. “We didn’t do the project in the feeling of ‘This is going to get us an award.’ We did the project with the feeling of, ‘Oh my god, this will change lives.’ So for this to be happening, it is just — it’s beautiful.”

SOURCE: MTV

Congratulations (and good luck) to all the nominees! The Oscars will be hosted by actors Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, and is set to air live on Sunday March 7th on ABC. Click here for the full list of nominees for the 82nd annual Academy Awards.

The 2010 Golden Globes went down last night (Sun. Jan 17) in Beverly Hills, CA at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The annual event honors outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry and is organized by the members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), who are also responsible for tallying up the votes for all of the winners (click here for the full list).

Celebs like Halle Berry, Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon, Gabourey Sidibe, Mike Tyson, Leona Lewis and more were all dressed to impress as they attended the show and posed for pictures on the red carpet and in the press room. More pics from the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards when you continue reading…

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES / WIRE IMAGE

A special congrats goes out to actress turned late night TV talk show host Mo’Nique for winning Best Performance by an Actress in a supporting role in a Motion Picture at this year’s Golden Globe Awards. There has been all kinds of chatter about Mo’Nique’s performance in the film “Precious” for weeks and we are happy to see her get some acclaim for an outstanding performance.

Let’s keep it real! Mo played the heck out of that role!

Mo’Nique gave an emotional acceptance speech in her long, gold, strapless gown and thanked her hubby Sidney Hicks and her co-star Gabby Sidibe before dedicating her award to victims of sexual abuse:

“I celebrate this award with all the Preciouses, with all the Marys — I celebrate this award with every person that’s ever been touched,” she said. “It’s now time to tell. And it’s okay.”

Check out a video of her acceptance speech when you continue reading…

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

In a recent interview with our friends over at Rap-Up.com, up and coming R&B soul singer Melanie Fiona said that when she found out she was nominated for a Grammy, she was so overcome with emotion that she broke down crying. The Canadian born and raised singer said she was in Miami when her brother called her with the good news.

“I picked up the phone and my brother was screaming at me and I couldn’t understand what he was saying,” the 24-year-old songstress tells Rap-Up.com. “Once I really understood that I was nominated for a Grammy, I just broke down and started crying. It was the most unforgettable moment.”

While sitting in the Manhattan Rocawear offices last Friday, Fiona got emotional thinking about what she would do if she were to take home the golden gramophone for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her single “It Kills Me” from her debut album The Bridge. “The thought of winning makes me want to cry…that would be the first thing I would do if I won is cry,” she reveals. “Every time people asked me what do you see for yourself in the next five years, I’ve been saying I wanted a Grammy because I feel like that’s a high bar you set for yourself as an artist and you always strive to get there.”

Continue reading for more and to check out a video of Melanie performing her latest single “It Kills Me” (+ her interview) on the Mo’Nique Show!

While acknowledging the strong competition in the category with fellow nominees such as Beyoncé and Jazmine Sullivan, Fiona knows there is a reason why her song was chosen. “It’s the caliber of women I’m with in the category that is such an honor and makes it a victory already for me,” she says. “But I feel like it is the honest emotion that I had singing that record and the story behind it that affects people and makes it a winner. It’s something that everyone who has been in love has gone through.”

So what does the Universal Motown artist plan to wear on the big night? “I have no idea!” she laughs. “In my mind, it’s like every hot dress that I’ve ever thought about wearing, it has to supercede that by like 10 degrees because this is the dream, this is the Grammys.”

MELANIE PERFORMS “IT KILLS ME” ON THE MO’NIQUE SHOW

MELANIE’S INTERVIEW W/ MONIQUE

Here’s a 2 and a half minute scene from the new movie Precious, starring Mo’Nique, Gabby Sidibe, Mariah Carey, Paula Patton and more.

In this scene Mary is going in on her 16-year-old daughter Claireece “Precious” Jones just because a “white b*tch” from Precious’ school came to the house to give her information on getting a better education. You’ll understand more about that when you see the flick for yourself (it’s in theaters now) but check out this scene if you haven’t caught it yet. You’ll wanna see the movie soon though!

Continue reading for the clip…

Black Hollywood came out in droves Sunday night (Nov 1) to support the AFI Fest 2009 Screening of the new movie “Precious,” which stars newcomer Gabourey Sidibe and actress/comedienne turned late night talk show host Mo’Nique.

Some of the big names who walked down the red carpet of the big Hollywood event, held at were Oprah, Tyler Perry, Queen Latifah, Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon, Mary J. Blige, Will Smith and much much more.

Check out a ton of pics from the “Precious” screening after the break! And be on the look-out for the movie when it releases to theaters nationwide this Friday (Nov. 6).

The New York Times has a preview on the upcoming movie “Precious” directed by Lee Daniels (producer of Oscar-winning film “Monster’s Ball”). The movie stars Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, and newcomer Gabourey Sidibe, pictured above on the cover of the Times. The article explores not only the story of Precious but also process that it took to make this film. From having studios reject the story to casting Gabourey Sidibe and Mo’Nique as her “demon” mother. The article also goes into the inspiration behind the film. Below are some quotes that struck us and a link to the whole article. It is well worth the read!

As the script was being written, Daniels began to figure out the financing of the movie. “Getting Sapphire’s permission was only half the challenge,” Daniels explained. “ ‘Shadowboxer’ hadn’t done so well, so I found myself back at Square 1. It was very, very hard to get financing for ‘Precious.’ All the studios said no. They didn’t want to make a film about a 350-pound black girl who is abused. Everybody kept saying no. My whole life was no. It was just a bunch of nos.”

[Lee] Daniels says that he was a victim of abuse, that he was beaten by his father, a policeman. “He wanted Lenny to be tough,” Daniels’s Aunt Dot, who is his father’s sister, told me. “Leonardo is Lee’s given name, and we all call him Lenny. I think Lenny was gay from the time he was a baby, and his father saw him walking and acting real feminine, and he wanted Lenny to be tough. He tried to get him into boxing. He was verbally cruel. He cracked the whip.”

“Precious” is a world without glitz, glamour — or, for the most part, men. Daniels convinced his actresses to leave their vanity behind. “I asked Mo’Nique to grow a couple of pimples,” Daniels recalled. “And I asked her not to shave under her arms, and she went there for me.” Mariah Carey’s role was originally offered to Helen Mirren, who had scheduling conflicts. Carey and Daniels are close friends — he calls her Kitten, and she calls him Cotton — and he offered her the part on the condition that she show up at the set alone (no entourage) in a taxi (no limo) and freshly scrubbed (no makeup). “People say to me, ‘You are so ugly in this movie,’ and I take that as a compliment.”

After winning three awards, “Precious” was finally bought by a distributor. “I had shown the movie in L.A. to my manager, and he didn’t respond positively,” Daniels said. “My manager, who is white, said, ‘I’m sorry, but I don’t think anybody is going to see this movie.’ That man is no longer my manager.”

Click here to read the whole article and expect a review of “Precious” when it hits theaters November 6th.

Mo’Nique, left, plays the mother in “Precious.” Mariah Carey, right, plays the welfare caseworker.

At left, Paula Patton, who plays the teacher in Precious. Gabourey Sidibe, right, plays the title character.

TLC’s Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins was recently on The Mo’Nique Show on BET where she revealed that she she and the other members of TLC held Arista and Clive Davis at gun point because of the shady dealing of the music industry. Their reasoning? TLC’s album CrazySexyCool made a whopping $75 million dollars and each member only received $50,000 a piece. Watch the interview below:

Damn! We don’t blame them for getting gangsta on Clive Davis and the other record execs though. Imagine spending months of hard work recording an album and getting only .06% of the profit. That’s not even one percent or even one tenth of a percent! But that’s one thing we’ve always liked about TLC: how they always kept it real. And if that ain’t keeping it real, we don’t know what is!

Could you imagine Kelly and Michelle (or LaToya and LaTavia) pulling out guns on Mathew Knowles???

There is still a month left before the anticipated movie “Precious” hits theaters on November 6th but there is already drama surrounding the film, or more-so, its actors. According to “sources,” actress Mo’Nique, who is a favorite for an Oscar nod for the “Best Actress” category might jeopardize her chance at winning the award. Lionsgate executives claim that Mo’Nique has “a bad attitude and a shameless demand for money” and that her actions might cost her her nomination.

The NYDN says the 41-year-old comedienne/actress turned talk show host didn’t show up to Saturday’s big debut at the New York Film Festival, and on top of that, she neglected her promotional duties at the Toronto Film Festival in Canada back in mid-September.

“That money didn’t even include hair and makeup costs. She also demanded that her glam squad fly first class,” sniped an incredulous industry source. “Apparently, she’s ignorant as to how the Hollywood system works.” According to our snitch, exasperated studio chiefs suggested that executive producer Oprah Winfrey get involved to deflate Mo’Nique’s substantial ego, but even O couldn’t stop the actress from seeing green.

“Mo’Nique said she signed on to do this film for a small amount of money. She said she didn’t care about ‘no Oscar’ – all that mattered was ‘those Benjamins!’ Because Oprah and Tyler Perry are backing the film, she feels as though there should be a budget to pay for her promotional duties,” the source explains.

“When people say, ‘You care more about money than winning an Oscar,’ well, what does an Oscar mean? An Oscar means more work when you win it, and that means more money!” retorts Mo’Nique in response to the allegations. “I couldn’t eat that Oscar. Everybody needs money, baby. That’s how we survive, right?”

We’re not sure who to side with on this one, but we don’t think an Oscar nod should be taken from someone because of their “bad attitude.” You win the award because of your talent and how well you portrayed your character in the film. Nothing should affect that. But if this is true, we suggest Mo takes a moment to chill out because Oscar nod or not, this is bad publicity.

Actress/comedienne Mo’Nique is premiering her new show, “The Mo’Nique Show” on BET next Monday night!

The one-hour show will feature A-list celebrity guest appearances and performances from the biggest names in music. She even has a resident DJ to keep the audience entertained and the viewers at home up late at night. Well, at least until 11 PM. The show promises to bridge the gap between the “old school” and the “new school” through skits and other segments, and shedding light on the positive contributions to our communities by today’s celebrities.

“I’m very excited to finally bring my signature voice and comedy to late night television,” said Mo’Nique, host of new BET late night show THE MO’NIQUE SHOW. “This show will definitely give BET viewers the late night show experience, but at the same time, offer something uniquely different to the late show circuit, and I can’t think of a better home to welcome cable’s late night female host but BET.”

The show premieres next Monday, October 5th at 11 PM, taking Wendy Williams’ old time slot. Which has a little bit of irony in itself, seeing that both of them recently left radio for TV. But anyway, continue reading for a

Visit the official BET website for more on The Mo’Nique show!

“The sex is better! I have so much more energy. I can move around better, and that’s what it’s all about. I want to lose more, so I’ll just keep eating better and exercising, and the weight will come off. It took time to put in on, and it will take time to take if off. It’s still okay to be big, but let’s be big and healthy. I had to lose some weight to get healthier because I want to be around for a while. I have twin sons who are 3 and a son who is 19, and I want the opportunity to meet their children.”

Be on the look-out for Mo when her late-night talk show premieres on BET on October 5th!

Mo’Nique and her husband Sidney Hicks are featured on the cover of the June 8th 2009 issue of JET Magazine. The issue talks about her recent weight loss, her personal & professional relationship with her husband, and how her upcoming late-night BET talk show, The Mo’Nique Show came about.

Actress and comedian Mo’Nique has taken her career to the next level, and it’s no secret that her husband, Sidney Hicks, is right by her side making things happen. In fact, he recently made one of her dreams come true by helping her negotiate a deal for her own late-night BET talk show, The Mo’Nique Show. “We’ve been working together now for four years,” said Hicks.

“I’ve had the pleasure of being the guy who she entrusted to write her lines, from the monologue to the jokes, for the last BET Awards. We collectively go over the comedy and produced (the comedy DVD) I Coulda Been Your Cellmate. It’s been a slow crescendo quietly. We have a joke. I set the pins up. I let her knock them down.”

Known for her vivacious persona and voluptuous body, the 5-foot-6 Mo’Nique admitted to tipping the scale at 262 pounds. Now, nearly 40 pounds lighter at 224, she dismisses rumors about having gastric bypass surgery. “I’m scared of needles. Baby, for them to take blood from me, it’s a production,” she said. (p. 36)

Singers Monica and Maxwell stopped for a photo backstage during the BET Networks’ 2009 Upfront media presentation, where they announced 4 brand new shows in addition to a new entertainment and music channel called CENTRIC. The presentation, held at the Nokia Theatre in New York Thursday night, featured special appearances by Mary J. Blige, Mo’Nique, MC Lyte and more.

According to several announcements made at the event, Monica will be getting her own “docu-drama” (aka reality series) titled Monica: Still Standing and Mo’Nique has her own nightly talk/variety show. No word on when the new shows will be premiering yet, but continue reading for more photos from the media event.

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES / FREDDY O

VH1 is on a damn roll! Yet ANOTHER Flavor of Love spin-off is hitting the tubes this spring! April 15th to be exact. Comedian/Actress Mo’Nique will be the “teacher” and will instruct these girls on how to be classy. All of Flav’s hoes in ONE show? Oh lawd, somebody get the taser! The last chick standing gets a whopping $50,000! Yeah, you read it right .. 50 Gs. C’mon VH1, I know you can do better than that!

The Charm School contestants, as pictured above are: (Top row, L-R) Like Dat (FOL 2), Rain (FOL 1), Buckeey (FOL 2), Saaphyri (FOL 2), Goldie (FOL 1), Buckwild (FOL 2), Hottie (FOL 1); (Bottom row, L-R) Toastee (FOL 2), Bootz (FOL 2), Krazy (FOL 2), Smiley (FOL1), Serious (FOL 1) and Pumkin (FOL 1).

I can’t wait to see these girls act like complete fools once again on television! Mo’Nique has her work cut out for her if she can turn these hoes into housewives! I don’t know about y’all but I definitely will be watching this. I can’t wait to hear Krazy’s beautiful voice… Check out a couple previews after the cut!