Queen Latifah lives a life larger than most women can dream of. She has become the very image of a woman living life on her own terms, vibram five fingers shoes , breaking barriers and stereotypes along the way.

She began by breaking the gender barrier in rap music in the late 1980′s and had signed her first music label deal by the age of 19. This was during a time when rap music was almost exclusively the domain of men and women were just part of their music videos.

Queen Latifah was able to use her music talent to break into Hollywood and became part of the sitcom on Fox, jordan heels , “Living Single” in 1993. This was the show that really made her a household name.

From the very beginning Queen Latifah didn’t fit the mold of what a beautiful Hollywood star is. She has a radiant face, but has always been “plus-size.” However, often during her career she has made a big splash on the red carpet for her fashion taste and beauty. She used her reputation as a diva with a sense of clothing fashion to launch a line of clothes for plus-size women with the brand label “Curvation” which is sold in various department stores.

She made several movies during the 90′s as well, using her talent and uniqueness to land roles that were out of the ordinary. Her movie career was highlighted by her role in the movie “Chicago” for which she was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Queen Latifah has gone on to produce movies as well.

All through her career she has continued to make music albums, vibram five fingers shoes , moving from rap and hip-hop to more mainstream music genres. She isn’t afraid to go back to her rap roots though and recently released another rap album.

There are few role-models for plus-sized women in our society today. Queen Latifah is one of the few whose beauty has shown through in an industry that values petite and slim. She was able to use her talent to communicate a sense of hope to others who are given a body size to match their large ambitions.

Most of the renaissance festivals try to imitate the life in England during the reign of Elizabeth I of England as it is believed that the English renaissance flourished during her period. However, sometimes these festivals portray broader definitions of renaissance by including earlier periods such as the period of Vikings, barbarians, wizards and fairies or by including later periods such as the period of 18th century pirates.

These festivals attract thousands of visitors, vendors, and staff members, who wear medieval style costumes as well as those of other time periods and fantasy characters, such as the Vikings, pirates and elfs. There is an abundance of medieval oriented shows, games, rides, arts and crafts, along with festival foods and drinks. Renaissance-themed art & handicrafts are also put for sale, and stages are set up for scheduled shows or performances such as plays in Shakespearean tradition. Jugglers, dancers, musicians, comedians and the like perform at the renaissance festivals to entertain the huge swarms of guests. Actors mimic historical figures and roam among the visitors interacting with them.

A Renaissance festival also features adventurous plays such as archery, axe-throwing, swordplay and jousting, which were very popular during medieval and renaissance period. But, performances like swordplay and jousting in renaissance festivals are just illusive combats. Participants are not real fighters; however weapons used in such plays are real. Human-powered swings, animal rides and live animal displays are also among the main attractions at these festivals.

These festivals are very popular in the United States, and are organized at different parts of the country at different times of the year. Vendors and participants often keep on moving from one event to other. Texas Renaissance Festival is held at Plantersville in Texas. It is the most acclaimed Renaissance or medieval theme park in the United States. It takes place from early October to late November, which ensures cool and pleasant weather for visitors. It emulates 16th century British village, covers a different theme every weekend. It is open to the members of public on Saturdays, Sundays and Thanksgiving Friday.

Apart from The Texas Renaissance Festival, other striking renaissance festivals in the United States include The Louisiana Renaissance Festival, Ye Merrie Greenwood Faire in Washington, The Arizona Renaissance Festival, The Bay Area Renaissance Festival and King Richard’s Faire in Carver, Massachusetts. But, that doesn’t mean that renaissance festivals are exclusive to the United States. These festivals are also organized in several other countries such as Canada in North America and Germany in Europe.

Most of the Renaissance festivals finish the hectic day with an end-of-the-day ritual, which is kind of parade where all employees assemble to bid goodbye to their patrons.

Fashion republic already took up the Dance Floor. As we witness ‘Dancing with the stars’ contestants rocking up their fashionable dresses each time they groove. Season 12 of Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) working its way to the grand finale slowly but surely and surprisingly the front runners at this point are the 80′s icons Kristie Alley and Ralph Macchio. It just goes to show you that charisma will get you a long way on DWTS. Not to take away from the rest of the cast’s respectable performances, they’ve been a treat to tune in to. Then there are those stinkers that needn’t be mentioned who have probably been eliminated already for the sake of humanity and good ballroom dancers everywhere. Let’s not forget the fashion on the dance floor. From fashion fabulous to fashion faux pas, we have the scoop below.
Hardly Trying: Kendra Wilkinson
The former Playboy playmate stayed true to her naughty girl fashion. Wilkinson pictured wearing a little sequined baby blue fringe dress that left little to the imagination was a bit clich’. Sexy doesn’t have to involve taking your clothes off to shimmy in front of millions of Americans. Nonetheless, that’s exactly what we get and it is so predictable. I bet America would love to see Kendra step outside her little Playboy box. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if Kendra’s fashion sense will mature as the show progresses.
Making it Work: Kristie Alley
The gutsiest contestant on the show has to be Kristie Alley. She’s carrying her weight well on the dance floor, the judges love her energy and America is voting for her to stay. When it comes to fashion Alley is making it work, showing that she has nothing to hide or be ashamed of. As pictured above, her sparkling black uni-dress compliments her full figure in all the right places. Kristie exudes a confidence on the floor that is keeping her in this competition.
Getting it Right: Nema Petrova
Nema Petrova was a ‘Lavender Dream’ in her gown last time she dance. The bodice is breathtakingly gorgeous and accents her tiny waist in an elegant manner, while the bottom portion of her dress gives her a feminine silhouette. No fair that she’s actually a model, but beauty is beauty and this one is undeniable. Keep watching as Nema gets her Ginger Rogers on.
Indeed the dance floor of DWTS is one pride of the Fashion republic. Those dancers not only can rock the stage but also rock their styles. Two thumbs up guys and Congratulations.

If you scan the news on the Internet like I do, you might have seen the name “Mirthala Salinas” come up. I saw the name, but had no idea who she was, or what made her significant. So I dug deeper. Turns out, Mirthala Salinas is a television anchor for the American television network, Telemundo. Telemundo was founded in San Juan, Puerto Rico by Angel Ramos in the year 1954, but is now US based in Hialeah, FL.. It is known to be the second-largest Spanish language network in the US, right behind Univision. It is said to reach 93 percent of U.S. Hispanic households in 142 markets via over-the-air, cable and satellite TV.

Telemundo is also the only Spanish-language television network that produces telenovelas in the United States at the current time. Many of its programs air with closed captions in both Spanish and English. Its owner, Telemundo Communications Group, is affiliated with the NBC Universal division of General Electric.

Mirthala Salinas, however, has made her mark in current days because the news of her affair with Los Angeles mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa has come to light. In a statement issued Tuesday, Villaraigosa admitted to his affair, or “relationship”, as he calls it, with the television anchor.

“It is true that I have a relationship with Ms. Mirthala Salinas,” Villaraigosa said in a statement published in the Los Angeles Daily News. “As I’ve said I take full responsibility for my actions, and I once again ask that people respect my family’s privacy. For my part, I intend to stay focused on my job, and to work as hard as I can every day to be the best mayor I can be.”

It has been reported that the mayor was a visitor at the townhouse of Mirthala Salinas — bottle of wine in hand — four months after he took office in 2005. Photographer Robert Durrell published photos of Villaraigosa and Salinas together in Sacramento at about the same time. Reports also mention trips where Salinas went along and covered the mayor. There are also news snippets on how Villaraigosa helped Salinas last year when her mother was sick with cancer at Cedars-Sinai. Villaraigosa attended the funeral when Salinas’ mother passed away. Salinas has this to say:

“I first got to know the mayor at a professional level where we went on to become friends,” she said. “The current relationship grew out of our existing friendship.”

Salinas said that while she and the mayor “are both public figures, I hope that everyone can understand and respect my desire to maintain my privacy when it comes to personal relationships.”

Reporter Eric Longabardi of ERS News.com has evidence that before Mirthala Salinas became involved with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, she was the girlfriend of his close friend and ally, Speaker Fabian Núñez. Quoting Longabardi:

“Assembly Speaker, Fabio Nunez, one of Villaraigosa’s best friends, also had a relationship with Salinas from the summer of 2003 until after his swearing in as Assembly Speaker in February 2004. The Speaker’s office confirmed to ERSNews.com that while the Speaker was divorced from his wife Maria (they have since remarried), Nunez and Salinas had a romantic relationship. Salinas attended Nunez’s swearing in as Speaker of the Assembly. Sources also tell ERSNews.com that Salinas would regularly fly to Sacramento to see the Speaker. One insider at Telemundo said that ‘everybody in the newsroom knew all about it and management did nothing about it.’”

Villaraigosa and his wife Corina, stopped making public appearances together last January. When asked why he no longer wore his wedding ring, at that time the mayor laughed and said he had simply been working out and losing weight, and the ring was at the jeweler’s getting resized. Villagaigosa has since admitted that he and his wife are separated and are seeking a divorce. Salinas moved off the political beat about 11 months ago.

The girl who shoved “Teen Mom 2″ star Jenelle Evans before that fight erupted … is dropping a dime — BIG TIME — claiming Jenelle was actually in on a plot to make money off the brawl. Brittany Maggard claims Jenelle only got up the guts to fight Britany Truett — the eventual ass-beat victim — because Maggard, Maggard’s sister, and their friend Nick had her back. Maggard says Nick had the video camera.After the fight, Maggard claims she and Nick came up with the idea to sell the video — and Jenelle not only thought it was a “good idea” … but SHE called “someone she knows at a [photo] agency to purchase the video.”According to Maggard, they sold the vid for $5,000 — and Jenelle wanted a bigger cut because, as she said, “You wouldn’t get any money if I wasn’t famous!”Jenelle’s attorney says he doesn’t believe Maggard’s accusations. See alsoAll 3 Girls In ‘Teen Mom’ Brawl Charged’Teen Mom’ Pusher — ‘I Wanted to See Them Fight!”Teen Mom’ Star In BRUTAL Catfight — ON TAPE