Photo: Mango

Shakira has shimmied her way onto my “Most Beautiful Celebs” list and now she’s designed her way into my heart with a line of charitable tees to benefit South Africa.

The tees come in four designs and include graphics such an illustration of a lion’s face and the phrases “Waka Waka” and “This Time For Africa.” Those phrases are a nod to her single and World Cup anthem, “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).” Proceeds from the shirts will benefit the singer’s Barefoot Foundation, which supports elementary education in South Africa. The shirts will be available in Mango stores and online at mangoshop.com.

In case you missed her great performance, you can catch the video below. P.S. How great was her outfit?

Tiny and her Father

It’s no secret that I love Tiny & Toya. Since the first episode, these Southern gals have completely won me over with their friendship and sweet personalities. One of my favorite things about the show is how they chronicle Mr. Charles’ (Tiny’s dad) battle against Alzheimer’s. We watch how she and her mom handle his fleeting memory and other challenges that the disease presents.

In a recent episode, Tiny decides to host a benefit for Alzheimer’s research, and to launch a foundation in her dad’s honor and in memory of T.I.’s father, who passed away from the disease. The foundation, called For the Love of Our Fathers, will help fund research, as well as provide financial assistance for families living with Alzheimer’s. I love everything about this idea, and I’m glad to see these two making this happen.

If you haven’t seen an episode yet, then I definitely think that you should check the show out. The way that they depict her family and this situation is very honest and real. Thank you, Tiny, for opening up about this part of your family’s life.

To learn more about the disease, you can visit alz.org.

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Now, I’d much rather get a hug or a cool million from Lady O, but beggars (even the fab ones) can’t be choosers. If you’ve always wanted to get a piece of Oprah’s wardrobe, here’s your chance! Harpo is auctioning off over 150 pieces from her personal wardrobe to give you a piece of fab and to raise money for her Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. Items in the collection range from Christian Louboutin boots (size 41) to black Ferragamo bags. This auction is like a fashionista’s dream house. From Prada to Manolo to Carolina Herrera, it’s alllll there! The auction ends on March 11th and all items can be found on her eBay site!

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Photo: Ruven Afanador (Oprah.com)

This morning on Good Morning America, Rihanna opened up about her relationship with Chris Brown and how domestic violence (and that night) affected her.

I was very touched by the strength yet vulnerability shown by Rihanna and am looking forward to her full interview tomorrow night on 20/20. She’s sharing her story to help other young girls who may be in the same situation and I admire her for that.

Also, speaking up and out is Mariah Carey, who talked to Larry King about the emotional abuse that she’s experienced by a significant other.

October was Domestic Violence Awareness Month, but I’m glad that this issue remains in the forefront and hope that we stop sweeping the issue under the rug. If there’s anything that I’ve gathered (and I’ve always known) is that domestic violence/abuse can happen to anyone.

To learn more about domestic violence and resources in your area, check out the following sites:

National Domestic Violence Hotline – www.ndvh.org

National Coalition Against Domestic Violence – www.ncadv.org

The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence – www.nrcdv.org

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Intermix, has teamed up with artist Marilyn Minter to create the limited-edition Green Pink Caviar tote to commemorate breast cancer awareness month.

Proceeds will benefit Bright Pink, an organization often featured on The Fabulous Giver. Bright Pink is a non-profit breast & ovarian cancer organization dedicated to early detection, awareness and education for young women.

The tote is $48, and can be purchased at Intermix stores and online at intermixonline.com. Princess Rhi Rhi has been seen in the streets of NYC rocking hers. Now, you definitely have NO excuse not to get yours!

If you’re in Chicago, join Bright Pink, Intermix and CS Magazine for a cocktail reception celebrating breast cancer awareness month and this awesome partnership. The event will be held on Wednesday, October 27th at Prairie Productions (1314 W. Randolph) from 6-8p. If you’re down, send your RSVPs to RSVPCHICAGO@ModernLuxury.com TODAY (10/23)!

Hope to see you there!

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Photo Credit: Style News Daily

Stylelist.com is reporting that Mary J. Blige has teamed up with Gucci to develop a watch benefiting her charity, the Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN). The stylish watch, which is laced with all-black diamonds, retails for $1,985 and is engraved with “Gucci for FFAWN.” It’s a little too pricey for my current budget, but I will definitely add it to my Wish List!

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Alright, music fans…This fall, some of your favorite artists (and mine) will be putting on some hot shows. And, not only will the concerts entertain fans, they will also do some good for various communities!

September 11th: Jay-Z will once again grace Madison Square Garden with his presence as he puts on a benefit concert correlating with the release of his “The Blueprint 3 album. All of the proceeds will benefit Answer the Call, a charity of the New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund. No word on when tickets will be available, but you will be able to purchase them on LiveNation.com.

September 26th: Common will host his second annual “Common and Friends” concert at LA’s Hollywood Palladium to benefit his Common Ground Foundation. Nas, The Roots, and Ludacris are scheduled to also perform at the show. General admission tickets are $100 and VIP Balcony Seats will run you about $200. You can get more information at www.commongroundfoundation.org.

Not in NYC or LA? Then, Voluntour may be your best best. Causecast has partnered with United We Serve to reward volunteerism with free concert tickets. When you make a pledge to volunteer, you enter yourself into chance to win tickets to see bands like Fall Out Boy, Blink 182, Chester French, Panic at the Disco, and many more! Sign up and learn more at thevoluntour.org.

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Queen Bey has partnered with Hamburger Helper and Feeding America to help fight childhood hunger in America. The goal of the “Show Your Helping Hand” campaign is to help Feeding America deliver 3.5 million meals to food banks across the country.

According to Feeding America, one in eight Americans struggles with hunger. And, here are some additional statistics:

• Households with children have nearly double the hunger rates of families without children.
• More than 40 percent of families who visit food pantries served by Feeding America live in the suburbs.
• Nearly 40 percent of those who visit food pantries are the working poor: those who work, but whose paychecks do not cover the basic necessities of life.
• Nearly 3 million elderly people are served by Feeding America each year.

You can help in three ways:

1. Enter codes found on specially marked boxes of Hamburger Helper. For every code entered, Hamburger Helper will make a donation to a local food bank…enough to provide one meal.

2. Bring non-perishable food items to Beyoncé’s “I Am Sasha Fierce” tour dates. (Chicago – July 17th)

3. Donate funds directly to Feeding America.

In addition to the concert dates, Show Your Helping Hand has hosted several retail events at grocers in select tour stops. The events allow people to donate canned goods, learn more about hunger, watch a multi-media tribute to Beyoncé’s philanthropic/career achievements, and record a testimonial about what you are personally doing to fight hunger. The remaining retail events are:

July 10 – Safeway
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
5130 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94611

July 12 – Vons
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
500 E. Manchester Blvd, Inglewood, CA 90301

July 15 – Cub Foods
4:30 PM – 7:30 PM
7555 West Broadway Ave, Brooklyn Park, MN 55428

July 15 – Dominick’s
4:30 PM – 7:30 PM
2550 N. Clybourn Ave, Chicago, IL 60614

July 17 – Jewel-Osco
4:30 PM – 7:30 PM
103 South Randall Road, Algonquin, IL, 60102

To learn more about the campaign and related news, please visit www.showyourhelpinghand.com. Here is the beautifully shot commercial. Bey looks gorgeous by the way…

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZKtJKWtruI&feature=related]

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This weekend, LaLa Vasquez, the host of Charm School, tipped her hat to charity in two great and fabulous ways. First, she put her super-fabulous 2006 custom pink Range Rover up for auction, in order to raise funds for US Doctors for Africa.

The current bid on the SUV is $27,100, and the auction closes on June 21. For the details and to place your bid, click here.

Now, yesterday, she embraced her inner glam punk goddess and shaved off the side of her head, in a remix to a style displayed by singer, Cassie, a few weeks ago!

LaLa posted a picture on Twitter, and also stated that she donated the shaved hair to “Locks of Love,” an organization which makes and provides wigs for disadvantaged children living with long-term illnesses.

I’ve always been a big fan of Lala’s, so I’m very happy to give her a TFG thumbs up for her charitable deeds!

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Ever wondered which celebrities do the best job of using their stardom for good? Well, Celebrity Charity Examiner, Linda St. Cyr, has compiled a Top 10 list over at her page. The list is below…

10. John Legend

9. George Clooney

8. Sir Elton John

7. Ellen DeGeneres

6. Brad Pitt

5. Bono

4. Bill Clinton

3. President Barack Obama

2. Annie Lennox

1. (Saint) Angelina Jolie

Check out her article to find out what makes these folks so great!

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