Newlyweds Monica and Shannon Brown, who got married for the second time in one year in front of friends and family over the past summer (following their original private ceremony in L.A. last November), recently sat down with Essence.com for a short interview where they (mainly Monica) talked about keeping the passion alive in their relationship, making time for each other, the blogs and much more.

See what the happily married couple shared with Essence below:

ESSENCE.COM: We can just see the sparks fly between you and Shannon. How do you two keep things passionate?
MONICA: That’s so easy for us, I don’t know where to start. The best lingerie I have, Vanessa Bryant gave it to me. She is the biggest fan of La Perla and she goes into those stores a lot. Every time I would open one of her gifts, Shannon was like “yeah” and he’d start clapping for that gift. Sometimes he likes when I’m just in his t-shirt or his jersey.

ESSENCE.COM: Despite your busy schedules, you and Shannon make a lot of time for each other and family. How?
MONICA: We’re together a lot because I think you make time for the things that are important and our marriage is important to us. So we make time, all the time. At a video shoot Shannon and I go in my dressing room and order the food we want and just spend time talking to each other and getting to know each other even more. Every day is a new day, so it never stops. You never stop learning each other. Sometimes the best moments are just the quiet ones.

My husband is my part of my greatest joys, so it doesn’t feel like work or like I’m balancing anything. My husband and my kids absolutely come first, so work is just something where I figure out where it will fit. I just think there’s no comparison of the two so it makes it a lot easier. The boys are at the age now where they can travel with us and they love doing it. Of course, they’re never hesitant to go to a game or two. Shannon’s work is way more exciting than mom’s. We find ways to make it all happen, but family is first.

I cook for him. He can cook, but I don’t think he should have to. I’m a traditional wife in every sense. I like the fact that he cleans his plate. That’s a southern thing. I’m from Georgia. When we grew up, our uncles finished off your plate and theirs, you know. I love the fact that he likes to talk to me while I cook. It’s not like I have these lonely hours where I’m in the kitchen. We talk while I’m cooking and he’ll ask for things a particular way. He’s a big fan of garlic and different seasonings so I had to learn to use the ones that he likes. I like it because it’s just another chance for us to communicate and to talk about what’s happened in our day. We talk about what practice was like or what my day was like.

ESSENCE.COM: Are you close with your new mother-in-law?
MONICA: Oh yeah! [Shannon interrupts with a big smile, “yes they are!”] He says we’re sickening. He’s always like, “you’ve been on the phone with her for two hours?” And then, our mothers are close too. We were looking for them for a whole two days before the wedding. They stayed gone and off shopping and doing their own things for two days.

When we really got very, very serious in our dating we took both our families to Cabo. We wanted to take them away from everyone and all the busy places and just really get to know each other. That was everybody’s first meeting. I’ve never gone more than 48 hours without talking to his mother since then. His mom loves her baby, but what’s so amazing about my mother-in-law is that she says I wanted someone to love my baby the way I love him, for him, whether he’s playing ball or doing something else; I want someone to love my son through and through and she met me and she said, “you’re the real deal.” We’re a lot alike. We like the same things. We go to a lot of the same places. We get lost together.

ESSENCE.COM: The blogs always have something to say about your relationship with Shannon — both good and bad. Do you have a response?
MONICA: Well, you know the way that I am now I have nothing to say, no response. The truth needs no support. I love my husband and he loves me and I think if you sit back and you watch and you pay attention you’ll see it yourself. I think that in the blogosphere the idea is to have the most controversial stuff up. They’re not saying anything about us that they’re not saying about other couples. There aren’t just stories about us up there. There are stories about lots of couples. I thank God for the fact that they’re not true and I have peace of mind.

It took me awhile to come to this reality because I feel like my fans don’t deserve to be told any type of lies. If I do something silly and there’s a police report or something – not saying that’s true or anything – that’s the thing you can’t be mad about. So I used to make a point of saying that’s not true. But I learned it’s really just people talking until I validate it and I respond. For us, we know the truth and we walk in our own truth and we don’t allow anything to come between that.

I think that you are what you speak a lot of times and there’s power in the tongue. I feel sorry for the people who always have something negative to say. If something happens bad in my day I don’t tweet about it, I pray about it, or talk to my husband about it or my mother about it and get it off of me and move on. I find the positive in the negative all the time. Any time you give something power it wins and it can continuously happen so I just let negative people know they have no place in my life. They have no place around my children. With that, I’m able to dust stuff off. Things do happen to me, I just shake ‘em off.

ESSENCE.COM: Is there a reality show in you and Shannon’s future?
MONICA: No, we’re not looking to do any reality TV. I’ve done it before and I did it because I wanted people to know that there is life – great life – after children. Children should be your motivation. People in the music industry try to tell you that you’re old after 30. With the age comes the experience. For us, I think if we did a show we would love to do something that would really reach people like ourselves who are motivated and striving for success. If we could do something like that yes, but something where you just follow us around, no.

I think the foundation in our marriage is strong and we don’t want to leave room for anything to tear up the foundation or create cracks in the wall. I do like reality TV like “The Voice.” I enjoyed working there every single day. It was amazing.

There have been different networks who’ve called and asked about Shannon doing something about young guys trying to make it in the league and stuff like that, and that would be great too, but nothing about just our relationship, no.

Monica is currently gearing up for the release of her next album “New Life” (preceded by the lead single “Until It’s Gone”), due in stores on November 29th, while Shannon (who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers) is currently dealing with the NBA Lockout situation.

If we didn’t know any better … we’d think that Monica and her hubby Shannon Brown were hiding a little somethin’ somethin’ under their arms in this photo!

The happily married couple, along with Monica’s sons Lil Rocko and Romelo, showed up oat the For Sisters Only event in Atlanta over the weekend, and it looks like Monica is trying to tell us something. For one, she was fully-clothed (head-to-toe, long sleeves and all), and in some of the photos, she looks like she’s covering up a baby bump.

So … Is she pregnant?

Judge for yourself by looking at the pics below:

Monica and Shannon Brown made headlines over the weekend after they tied the knot for a second time in Los Angeles. The couple secretly married in a private ceremony in L.A. last fall … but decided to hold an “official” wedding in front and family and friends this time around.

Among the celebrity guests who attended the weekend ceremony and reception were Shannon’s Los Angeles Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa, “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star NeNe Leakes, rapper/actor LL Cool J, NBA player Carmelo Anthony and his wife Lala Vazquez and more.

Look below for more on Monica’s wedding and to watch never-before-seen video footage from inside the ceremony:

The event’s planner, Mindy Weiss, created a blue-themed wedding wonderland at the renovated cathedral Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles.

Monica said the wedding exceeded her expectations and fulfilled her dream of being spectacular but also something their familes could enjoy. “I was just overwhelmed. I’m glad because I didn’t think about this 50 lb train that I was dragging behind me. I just had to take a deep breath, because I was really trying not to cry.”

LL Cool J said he tought the ceremony was “romantic,” with just the right music to set the mood. Monica’s good friend Lala Anthony said love was definitely “in the air” and revealed that the very next day was her one-year anniversary with husband Carmelo Anthony.

Monica said she’ll auction off her reception dress to benefit the Susan G. Komen foundation, the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists.

When asked on her wedding night where she would honeymoon, Monica responded that she didn’t know yet. She explained that her friend Ludacris couldn’t make the ceremony due to a scheduling conflict, but he sent his plane to whisk her and Shannon off to an exotic location. Kevin later found out the newlyweds flew to the Caribbean island of Anguilla.

[Insider]

R&B singer Monica and Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Shannon Brown walked down the aisle for the second time Saturday (Jul 9).

The couple secretly married back in November of last year … and decided to have a much bigger wedding in front of their close  friends and family last night at Vibiana, a renovated 19th century cathedral in downtown Los Angeles.

People reports:

The bride, 30, wore a gown by Stephan Roland for the 30-minute ceremony, which was attended by guests including Lala Vazquez, Carmelo Anthony and teammates Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher.

The newlyweds then planned to join their guests, who had been asked to wear shades of blue to the event, for cocktails and a lavish reception planned by event planner Mindy Weiss.

The purple and blue-themed reception featured a three-course sit-down dinner at tables decorated with centerpieces of hydrangea and roses by Mark’s Garden. Afterwards, hamburgers from Fatburger were grilled for guests under a tent.

The couple met last summer when Brown appeared in Monica’s video “Love All Over Me.” They were engaged in October and married in a secret ceremony at their Los Angeles home a month later.

Monica has two sons, Rodney Jr., 6, and Romelo, 3, with ex-fiancé Rodney “Rocko” Hill. Brown, 25, also has a son from a previous relationship. The children arrived at the ceremony by horse and carriage.

Check out a few pics of Monica, Shannon Brown, Ciara and Trina outside Boa Steakhouse in Los Angeles following Monica and Shannon’s pre-wedding dinner Friday evening (Jul 8) below:

Here is the first photo of the new Mr. and Mrs. Shannon Brown!

The couple reportedly exchanged vows in front of two witnesses in their Los Angeles home on November 22nd, and Hip Hollywood got their hands on the exclusive photo of Monica, Shannon Brown and the minister that married them.

“This is a very special time in my life,” Monica told Hip Hollywood. “I am blessed to have married the man that God sent me. He’s loving, compassionate, strong and supportive of my children, family and career. I look forward to our lives together.”

Congrats guys!!!

Mr. and Mrs. Brown are expected to invite their friends and family to a much bigger wedding ceremony this summer. Meanwhile, Monica also announced that she will be hitting the studio soon to get to work on her next album, titled New Life, due for release sometime this summer as well.

Your thoughts on the pic?

We guess Monica and Shannon Brown really DID get married!

Monica officially confirmed the news that she secretly married her basketball player boyfriend Shannon Brown of the Los Angeles Lakers in November of 2010. The R&B diva tells HipHollywood.com:

“This is a very special time in my life. I am blessed to have married the man that God sent me. He’s loving, compassionate, strong and supportive of my children, family and career. I look forward to our lives together.”

The secret wedding reportedly took place in Monica’s Los Angeles home. A full-blown ceremony with family/friends is expected to go down sometime this summer.

Meanwhile, yesterday, Shannon Brown also confirmed the news that he and Monica were officially married. Check out that video below!

Did Monica and her fiance Shannon Brown secretly get married?

According to recent reports, the R&B singer and the Los Angeles Lakers basketball player got married in a VERY private ceremony in front of their parents late last year. An official with the NBA also confirmed news of the secret marriage, which they say occurred on November 22nd 2010 (the week of Thanksgiving).

More below:

The rumors have been swirling for two months that Mo and Shannon got married prior to her moving in with her fiance in LA in November. The marriage took place in front of the couple’s parents.

Over the weekend, a reader emailed me to say that Monica went into the Clayton County office 2 weeks ago to change her last name to Brown. Loyal reader Sheena wrote:

“I heard recently thru a friend that Monica is married and keeping things hush! She had her name change recently @ the dmv in clayton county. My friend states since November. Congrats to Monica if this is true.”

Normally, I would call my good friend, Monica, and ask her to confirm the rumors myself, but I decided to do what other bloggers stopped doing — research the rumors myself. The rumors are true: Monica and Shannon Brown are indeed married. An official with the NBA also confirmed the marriage, which took place in Los Angeles on November 22, 2010.

A friend of Shannon Brown’s says he is relieved that the news is out because he respects his wife and he has been wearing his wedding band recently. The friend said Shannon and Monica plan to wed officially in front of family and friends (again) in Los Angeles in June.

Source: Sandra Rose

None of this has yet to be confirmed by either Monica, Shannon or the couple’s reps. But if this is true …. CONGRATS GUYS!!!

Thoughts?

Monica and her fiance Shannon Brown invited their closest friends to help celebrate Shannon’s 25th birthday Sunday night (Dec 5) at The Colony in Hollywood. The guestlist included Brown’s Los Angeles Lakers teammates Derek Fisher and Ron Artest, along with DeRay Davis and Steph Jones. Shannon was presented with a #12 Lakers Jersey cake during the latter part of the festivities.

Check out a few pics from Shannon Brown’s birthday party below!

Monica kicked it with her newly announced fiance Shannon Brown at her 30th birthday party, held Sunday night (Oct 24) at Phillipe Chow in Los Angeles. The party also doubled as a benefit for the Susan G. Komen Foundation and was sponsored by “Pink Purpose” and Monica’s “Still Standing” foundation in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Other celebs at the shindig were Khloe Kardashian & her husband Lamar Odom, Trina, Angela & Vanessa Simmons, Ludacris and more. Check out 10+ pics below!!

R&B singer Monica is now engaged to her boyfriend NBA star Shannon Brown.

The two met back in June on the set of her music video “Love All Over Me” and since then have been hitting it off pretty well. Mo broke the news over the weekend by tweeting a pic of herself wearing a huge rock. She also sent out a message to all her fans thanking them for their support. Read what she wrote below:

“We realize people will have their opinions. That’s the way of the world. But we know who we are m& who’s we are.We pray 2 an awesome God 2gether. And that is what keeps us strong. So for all my real supporters who are happy for me. I thank u, I love u, & I’m realistic enough about life To know my journey has just begun. I don’t have anything else to say about it.2 people who judge. If u worked on self u wouldn’t even see me.”

Congrats guys!!!!

Ever since Shannon Brown, a Guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, portrayed R&B singer Monica‘s love interest in her latest music video, “Love All Over Me,” folks have been speculating on the two’s status as a couple.

Well, speculate no more! Shannon officially confirmed his relationship with Monica over the weekend after he defended her from folks who were calling her a “home-wrecker” via a message posted to Twitter.

Just last week, a report from a certain website who is known for spreading lies and propaganda labeled Mo as a home-wrecker, accusing her of “stealing” Shannon from his girlfriend/baby mama. But according to Brown himself, he and his now ex girlfriend were already broken up before he and his new girlfriend Monica started dating.

So in an effort to set the record straight, Brown posted the following message to his Twitter early Saturday afternoon (Aug 21):

I write this to set the record straight. Media deception makes unfair and false reports of the truth, and it does not bring out the best in ANYONE. Monica is my girlfriend, confidant and a strong successful women that has been though a lot herself but she is in no way, a home wrecker. As a parent, I understand that parenting requires a partnership with my sons mother however the relationship between us fizzled a long time ago. Thus, never leading up to seven years, engagement or even talks of marriage. As parents, we have to continue to raise our son, and as individuals we both deserve happiness. Thank you for the support and God Bless!

Shannon seems like a real stand-up guy and we’re definitely happy for our friend Monica. Looks like she’s got love all over her for real now!!

Singer Monica has a hard choice to make in her newest music video release “Love All Over Me.” In the video, Mo has two options: rapper Maino or NBA star Shannon Brown, and it appears that she is quite caught up in between the two!

Check out the official video for “Love All Over Me,” the latest single from her new album Still Standing below:

The Los Angeles Lakers redeemed themselves with a victory last night (Tues. Jun 8) at the TD Bank North Garden in Boston Game 3 and are now leading the series (2-1) against the Boston Celtics. The Lakers took Game 3 by 7 points, ending with 91-84. Derek Fisher was a key component to this win, knocking down difficult shots and making hard plays within the first ten minutes of the 4th quarter. Kobe Bryant, who scored a total of 29 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks, acknowledged the effort his teammate Fisher put up after he wasn’t attempting to score in the 4th quarter:

“Truthfully, he’s done it over and over and over again,” said Bryant, ”So it’s almost his responsibility to our team to do these things.”

Fisher spoke to the media afterwards and explained what fueled his energy in Game 3 Tuesday night:

“Our thoughts are really just still on how disappointed we are, or were, losing that second game on our home court. I think that had more of our attention and focus than what happened in ’08,” Fisher said. “We didn’t doubt our ability to win here. … We understand when you want to be the best, you have to win wherever, whenever.”

The Celtics’ Ray Allen almost broke another record in Game 3 after following his tremendous performance in Game 2, but this time not so great. Allen had a total of 2 points and missed all 13 field goal attempts he put up, excluding his free throws, one field goal attempt of the NBA finals futility record.  While Kevin Garnett improved from his Game 1 and Game 2 performances in Game 3 with 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists, he discussed his disappointment in the lack of offensive strategies that took place Tuesday night:

“It’s very frustrating, very frustrating when you don’t play well offensively,” Garnett said. “But defensively, you know, you sort of buckle down and get the stops and things that you want and you get back into the game only to come up short. he continued ”Yeah, that’s real disappointing.”

Both Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol of the Lakers had a total of 10 rebounds helping the their team progress to victory in Game 3. Tune in to Game 4, Thursday night June 10th in Boston on ABC at 9:00PM/ET. Check out video footage of the recap courtesy of the NBA below!

R&B entertainers Chris Brown and Usher were spotted getting into some serious conversation last night (Thurs. Feb 18) in Los Angeles’ Staples Center at the LA Lakers vs. Boston Celtics basketball game.

Denzel Washington, Khloe Kardashian, Common and more were also in the building watching the game courtside as the Lakers were defeated by the Celtics on their own court, 87 to 86. Check out 15+ pictures of everyone enjoying the game below and after the cut…

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES / WIRE IMAGE

Shannon Brown of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrated his 24th birthday Sunday night (Nov 29) at Playhouse Hollywood in Los Angeles and partied it up with his teammates and some of his industry associates.

Shannon is pictured above (3rd to the left) with Kobe Bryant, Anthony Lindsey and Omarr Gilbert. Other folks at Brown’s shindig were Ron Artest, DJ Sean Mac and DJ Mbenga. Electrik Red and a few other people also came through and partied with Shannon and his friends.

Continue reading for more pics!

PHOTOS: WIRE IMAGE

R&B singer Toni Braxton is gearing up for the release of her sixth studio album, which is set to hit stores on February 2nd 2010. And a video for the currently untitled album’s debut single, “Yesterday,” was shot earlier this month in Los Angeles by filmmaker Bille Woodruff, who also directed a couple of Toni’s old videos (“Unbreak My Heart” and “He Wasn’t Man Enough“)

The music video for “Yesterday” will feature cameo appearances from NBA ballers Ron Artest (pictured above) and Shannon Brown, both from the Los Angeles Lakers. The video is set to premiere sometime in November, but enjoy these video stills from her official website for now.