Everyone’s been to a wedding (or at least seen one on YouTube) that falls into this category. After you spend all of the time and money planning the big day, you absolutely do not want a wedding that falls into the “hot mess” category. Here are some tips to avoid this wedding nightmare:

Lie To Your Wedding Party -- I’m not normally a fan of lying to people, but sometimes it’s necessary with your wedding party. This group usually contributes to unnecessary stress for the bride. So, lie to them. If you want them at the ceremony site at 1pm, tell them 12:30. If you know that your group has notoriously tardy individuals, you may want to tell them 12pm, just to be safe.

Start Your Wedding Pics EARLY — Wedding pictures can often hold up the big day. To avoid hours of picture-taking after the ceremony, start pictures early. As a planner, I like to start photos TWO HOURS before the ceremony. I start with the guys and do all of their pictures first. This consists of the groom by himself, with his groomsmen and with his family. Then, I send them to their holding area. At that point, we’ll do the bride’s photos with all of her attendants, family, etc. This way, you only have to do group photos after the ceremony.

Call The People Who Haven’t Sent Their RSVP -- A big mistake is to not contact the people who haven’t responded to your wedding invitation. If you don’t follow-up with these people, you could be presented with the uncomfortable situation of having guests show up and not having a seat for them. At that point, you’ll need to figure out if you want to turn them away (yikes!) or if you want to squeeze them into your seating plan. Avoid all of this by calling the guest at least twice to inquire about their attendance. If they don’t respond, make a final call and indicate (in a nice way) that you won’t be saving a seat for them at the reception.

Click For More Hot Mess Wedding Tips

4 Things That Will Make Your Wedding Look Like You’re Stuck In The 1980s

How To Avoid An Ugly Wedding…Even If You Don’t Have A Big Budget

Start enjoying what feels like a longer weekend by clicking on the link and following the tips inside!

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/8kZqsu/www.wikihow.com/Make-the-Weekend-Seem-Longer

“This show will comb the world to find a new breed of talent. I am happy to be creating it alongside Simon Cowell, the Sony team, and my partner Miguel Melendez, on behalf of the Overbrook family,” says Jada.

In addition, The Help was nominated in the Best Picture category, and Jessica Chastain also received a nomination for her role in the film.

See the complete list of nominees for 2012 Oscars here. Congratulations to all!

“The Help” Wins Big at Critics Choice Movie Awards

Actress in a Leading Role
Glenn Close in “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis in “The Help”
Rooney Mara in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady”
Michelle Williams in “My Week with Marilyn”

Octavia Spencer Of “The Help” Wins Golden Globe! [PHOTOS]

Actress in a Supporting Role
Bérénice Bejo in “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain in “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy in “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer in “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer in “The Help”

5 Reasons Why Black Women Should See “The Help” [ORIGINAL]

Best Picture
“The Artist” Thomas Langmann, Producer
“The Descendants” Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” Scott Rudin, Producer
“The Help” Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
“Hugo” Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
“Midnight in Paris” Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
“Moneyball” Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
“The Tree of Life” Nominees to be determined
“War Horse” Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

Here’s a look at all of the competitors in their respective categories…

So far, the movie is exceeding expectations. However, studio execs don’t expect the support to last. Red Tails is currently on track to make$15-$18 million this weekend, and $6-8 million today (January 20th). This would make Red Tails the No. 2 film in theaters, behind Underworld Awakening starring Kate Beckinsale and Michael Ely, which should bring in $24-$27 million.

Find out more about this weekend’s box office results right here.

She died from complications from leukemia with her husband, Artis Mills, and her sons by her side, De Leon said.

She was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010, and also suffered from dementia and hepatitis C. James died at a hospital in Riverside, California. She would have turned 74 Wednesday.

” This is a tremendous loss for the family, her friends and fans around the world,” De Leon said. “She was a true original who could sing it all — her music defied category.

“I worked with Etta for over 30 years. She was my friend and I will miss her always.”
The powerhouse singer, known as “Miss Peaches,” lived an eventful life. She first hit the charts as a teenager, taking “The Wallflower (Roll With Me, Henry)” — an “answer record” to Hank Ballard’s “Work With Me, Annie” — to No. 1 on the R&B charts in 1955. She joined Chess Records in 1960 and had a string of R&B and pop hits, many with lush string arrangements. After a mid-decade fade, she re-emerged in 1967 with a more hard-edged, soulful sound.

Throughout her career, James overcame a heroin addiction, opened for the Rolling Stones, won six Grammys and was voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Despite her ups and downs — including a number of health problems — she maintained an optimistic attitude.

“Most of the songs I sing, they have that blue feeling to it. They have that sorry feeling. And I don’t know what I’m sorry about,” she told CNN’s Denise Quan in 2002. “I don’t!”

Through it all, she was a spitfire beloved by contemporaries and young up-and-comers.

“Etta James is unmanageable, and I’m the closest thing she’s ever had to a manager,” Lupe DeLeon, her manager of 30-plus years, told CNN in admiration.

British songstress Adele named James as one of her favorite singers, along with Aretha Franklin.

“If you were to look up the word singer in the dictionary, you’d see their names,” Adele said in an interview.

Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles to a teen mother and unknown father. (She suspected her father was the pool player Minnesota Fats.)

Her birth mother initially took little responsibility and James was raised by a series of people, notably a pair of boardinghouse owners. But she was recognized from a young age for her booming voice, showcased in a South Central Los Angeles church.

In 1950, her mother took her to San Francisco, where James formed a group called the Peaches. Singer Johnny Otis, best known for “Willie and the Hand Jive,” discovered her and had her sing a song he wrote using Ballard’s tune as a model. “The Wallflower,” with responses from “Louie Louie” songwriter Richard Berry, made James an R&B star.

Her signing to Chess introduced her to a broader audience, as the record label’s co-owner, Leonard Chess, believed she should do pop hits. Among her recordings were “Stormy Weather,” the Lena Horne classic originally from 1933; “A Sunday Kind of Love,” which dates from 1946; and most notably, “At Last,” a 1941 number that was originally a hit for Glenn Miller.

James’ version of “At Last” starts out with swooning strings and the singer enters with confident gusto, dazzlingly maintaining a mood of joy and romance. Though the song failed to make the Top 40 upon its 1961 release — though it did hit the R&B Top 10 — its emotional punch has long made it a favorite at weddings.

James’ career suffered in the mid-’60s when the British Invasion took over the pop charts and as she fought some personal demons. But she got a boost when she started recording at Rick Hall’s FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Her hits included the brassy “Tell Mama” and the raw “I’d Rather Go Blind,” the latter later notably covered by Rod Stewart.

She entered rehab in the 1970s for her drug problem but re-established herself with live performances and an album produced by noted R&B mastermind Jerry Wexler. After another stint in rehab — this time at the Betty Ford Clinic — she made a comeback album, “Seven Year Itch,” in 1988.

James mastered a range of styles — from R&B and soul to jazz and blues — but she was always one step behind the popular genre of the day, said Michael Coyle, a Colgate University professor who has written about jazz and R&B and reviews records for Cadence Magazine.

“She never really got her moment in the sun,” Coyle said.

But James soldiered on, and by the end of her life she had made so much meaningful music that she was considered a living legend. “By the mid-’90s, she’s survived so long that people start to look up to her,” Coyle said.

James was portrayed by pop star Beyonce in the 2008 film “Cadillac Records,” about Chess. After Beyonce sang “At Last” at one of President Barack Obama’s 2009 inaugural balls, James lashed out: “I can’t stand Beyonce. She had no business up there singing my song that I’ve been singing forever.” She later told the New York Daily News she was joking.

Earlier this year, news reports revealed that the singer’s estate was being contested in a legal struggle between her husband, Artis Mills, and son Donto James. (Donto and her other son, Sametto, both played in her band.)

Over the years, James had her share of health problems. In the late 1990s she reportedly weighed more than 400 pounds and required a scooter to get around. In 2003 she had gastric bypass surgery and dropped more than half the weight, according to People magazine.

However, until her latest issues, James maintained a steady touring schedule and appeared full of energy even when sitting down — as she sometimes did on stage, due to bad knees and her weight battles.

Even while sitting down, James gave it her all on stage, singing as though possessed, caressing every note like a long-lost love. If that seemed a little much to critics, well, the legendary singer had a show to put on, she told Quan.

“They said that Etta James is still vulgar,” she said in the 2002 interview. “I said, ‘Oh, how dare ‘em say I’m still real vulgar! I’m vulgar because I dance in the chair?’ What would they want me to do? Want me to just be still or something like that?

“I gotta do something.”

Announced Thursday morning in Beverly Hills, CA, music related nominations also went to breakthrough R&B group Mindless Behavior, Mary J. Blige, Wynter Gordon, “21″ singer Adele, Chris Brown, Jennifer Hudson, Melanie Fiona and Gospel duo Mary Mary.

Thanks to “The Light of the Sun,” her fourth studio album, Jill Scott earned a leading four NAACP Image Award nominations. Those nods include Outstanding Song, Female Artist and Music Video. Beyonce ties Scott with four nominations as well, sharing all of the aforementioned categories and Outstanding Album (“4″).

Mindless Behavior, Diggy Simmons and Wynter Gordon are honored with nominations for Outstanding New Artist, following breakout efforts including “#1 Girl”. America’s Got Talent winner Landau Eugene Murphy and The Sing Off winners Committed join them in the ‘New Artist’ field.

The Queen of Hip Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige and Jennifer Hudson earned three nods a piece. Among them, Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration for “Mr. Wrong” (ft. Drake) and Outstanding Album for “I Remember Me”.

The 43rd Annual NAACP Image Awards will broadcast Friday, February 17 at 8pm on NBC.

See music-related nominations below.

Outstanding New Artist
Committed (Epic)
Diggy Simmons (Atlantic Records)
Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. (Columbia Records)
Mindless Behavior (Streamline/Conjunction/Interscope Records)
Wynter Gordon (Big Beat/Atlantic Records)

Outstanding Male Artist
Anthony Hamilton (RCA Records)
Bruno Mars (Elektra Records)
Cee Lo Green (Elektra Records)
Chris Brown (Jive Records)
Common (Warner Bros. Records)

Outstanding Female Artist
Beyoncé (Columbia Records)
Jennifer Hudson (Arista Records)
Jill Scott (Warner Bros. Records)
Ledisi (Verve Forecast)
Mary J. Blige (Geffen)

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration
Boyz II Men (Benchmark Entertainment/MSM Music Group)
Cee Lo Green feat. Melanie Fiona (Elektra Records)
Mary J. Blige feat. Drake (Geffen)
Sounds of Blackness (Malaco Music Group)
The Roots (Island Def Jam Music Group)

Outstanding Jazz Album
“Chano y Dizzy” – Terence Blanchard and Poncho Sanchez (Concord Music Group Inc.)
“Friends” – Stanley Jordan (Mack Avenue Records)
“Guitar Man” – George Benson (Concord Jazz)
“Legacy” – Gerald Wilson (Mack Avenue Records)
“Road Show Vol. 2″ – Sonny Rollins (Emarcy)

Outstanding Gospel Album – (Traditional or Contemporary)
“Becoming” – Yolanda Adams (N House Music Group)
“Church on the Moon” – Deitrick Haddon (Verity Gospel Music Group)
“Hello Fear” – Kirk Franklin (Verity Gospel Music Group)
“Something Big” – Mary Mary (Columbia Records)
“The Journey” – Andraé Crouch (RiverPhlo Entertainment)

Outstanding World Music Album
“Afrodiaspora” – Susana Baca (Luaka Bop)
“Carnival Fever” – Brother B (King Chero Records)
“Live at 2011 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival” – Boukman Eksperyans (MunckMix, Inc.)
“Sounds of Blackness” – Sounds of Blackness (Malaco Music Group)
“The First Grader” – Alex Heffes (Varese Sarabande)

Outstanding Music Video
“25/8″ – Mary J. Blige (Geffen)
“Hear My Call” – Jill Scott (Warner Bros. Records)
“I Was Here” – Beyoncé (Columbia Records)
“Someone Like You” – Adele (Columbia Records)
“Where You At” – Jennifer Hudson (Arista Records)

Outstanding Song
“Best Thing I Never Had” – Beyoncé (Columbia Records)
“Fool for You feat. Melanie Fiona” – Cee Lo Green (Elektra Records)
“I Smile” – Kirk Franklin (Verity Gospel Music Group)
“So In Love feat. Anthony Hamilton” – Jill Scott (Warner Bros. Records)
“Someone Like You” – Adele (Columbia Records)

Outstanding Album
“4″ – Beyoncé (Columbia Records)
“F.A.M.E” – Chris Brown (Jive Records)
“I Remember Me” – Jennifer Hudson (Arista Records)
“Lasers” – Lupe Fiasco (1st & 15th/Atlantic Records)
“The Light of the Sun” – Jill Scott (Warner Bros. Records)

The world’s largest retailer just launched the ‘Get on the Shelf’ contest.

It’s being described as an ‘American Idol’ type competition, where contestants submit videos of their inventions and the public will vote online for the winners.

The top three products will be sold on Walmart.com. The grand prize winner’s product will be sold online and at select Walmart stores.

Submissions can be made until February 22.

The first round of voting will take place March 7 through April 4, at which point the top 10 finalists will be announced.

The second round of voting will take place April 11-24, at which point the top three contestants and grand prize winner will be announced.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the ‘Get on the Shelf’ contest.

One of reasons Ne-Yo elected to join the reality competition was because the show focuses on vocal talent. “It’s about the talent. Before there was music videos; before there was the internet and all of that stuff; all you had was the voice — that was it,” said Ne-Yo.

Lionel Richie will be a mentor on Christina Aguilera’s team along with Jewel.

The Voice premieres in the post-Super Bowl time slot on Sunday, Feb. 5 at 10 p.m., and returns to its regular slot the following day on Monday, Feb. 6 at 8 p.m.