Nia Long Dishes About The Best Man Holiday With Us

Fans of the 1999 hit movie The Best Man have long been looking forward to the sequel, The Best Man Holiday, which finally hits theaters today. One of the film's stars Nia Long, who plays sexy-smart Jordan Armstrong, stopped by Glamour HQ to talk about why the original film resonates with so many and what to expect from the much-anticipated sequel.

Tell us about the movie!
Nia: The film is basically about a group of friends that reunite after 15 years, real time. They reunite for the holidays. My character, Jordan, is a television producer. She’s now kind of running a network. Her challenge is that she’s not quite sure how to balance love and career. There’s a bunch of other characters, but Jordan is one of the characters from the original film. The movie is really about a group of friends getting together for the holiday and any and everything that could possibly happen happens. The good stuff, the bad stuff, you need tissues, there’s a lot of laughter, there’s beautiful women, sexy guys—there’s a little bit of everything. And it kind of kicks off the holiday spirit.

What do you think this film is going to mean to 20 year olds who may have not seen the original film,The Best Man?

Nia: Well, you know what’s interesting? I feel like the audience that knew us 14 years ago are now all the professional women who were just starting out in their careers. So it’s like, oh wow, my trajectory is good. And the women who are just starting out their careers are going to look at these characters and go, “OK, that’s where I want to go. That’s where I want to be.” Because each character has a really good profession. They're very contemporary characters. I think it‘s always great when you can go to a film and see something that you see in yourself or see in a friend, you know, something in common with the characters on film is always a great thing. And I think the younger audience is going to appreciate it just as much, and I don’t think you need to see the first one to get the second one.

Is the chemistry sort of still the same between your character and Taye Diggs’ character?
Nia: Well, it’s different now because obviously he’s married—he got proposed to in the last one. So he’s married, but I feel like there’s still those beats of, “Is he the one that got away?” You know how you have that one guy where you’re like, “Did I make the right move and the right choice?” Or maybe he’s thinking that about you? I still feel like we have that report with one another in the film, for sure.

Have you stayed in touch with everyone over the years?
Nia: We’re all friends. It’s kind of scary. I’m flying home with Terrence Howard tonight, which I’m really looking forward to. I just have to tell the flight attendant when to stop the liquor because I could see it getting real fun up in there! We’re all really good friends, and most of us have actually worked together before. Like, Morris Chestnut and I were in Boys in the Hood together, Terrence Howard and I were in Big Momma’s Housetogether, Sanaa Lathan and Taye did Brown Sugar together, and then Melissa De Sousa and Harold Perrineau actually went to college together and danced for Alvin Ailey together. There’s a scene in the film where the guys do Air Band and perform a song from New Edition, and you can tell the real dancers from actors because the real dancers are in your face and dramatic, and the actors are like, what? They’re good, but you can see the difference! It was nice because the ladies actually got to sit back and watch the men. You know, usually it’s us, the women, who are put on display. So we got to do a little objectifying ourselves by watching the boys perform. It was good.

Read More

Family Friendly Paradise in Fiji

Travel writer Fiona Harper discovers one of her all-time favourite hotel rooms and more at the Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort in Fiji. 

“Sorry I’m late, I fell asleep on the massage table.” It’s not a bad excuse is it? Slick with scented Pure Fijian body oil and looking slightly unkempt thanks to ‘spa hair’, I’ve kept my fellow passengers waiting for our jaunt to Nakawaga rainforest and waterfall.

Lulled to sleep post massage, in true ‘Fiji time’ therapist Selai allowed me to slumber on for 35 minutes before I woke myself embarrassingly by snoring. It’s usual for the masseuse to give a gentle yet firm shake a few minutes after a massage is complete. But not today. Which sort of sums up the attitude of many Fijians whose mantra seems to be ‘take your time’, reflecting their warm generous nature, where nothing is rushed, knowing that everything happens eventually.

This attitude is in abundance, in the nicest possible way, at Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort, a few minutes from downtown Savusavu on the island of Vanua Levu. A serious contender for one of the finest family friendly resorts on the planet, every child is allocated their own private nanny upon arrival. Predominantly women (though I’m sure a male nanny would be available if requested – nothing is too much trouble at JMC), their orange and blue shirts are spotted everywhere. Each has a young child in their arms, riding their backs, walking hand in hand or poking around the shallows on the beach. It’s hands on, interactive child minding with a subtle environmental educational approach, that enables parents to share adult time with eachother, rekindling romance or allowing time to talk uninterrupted, knowing their kids are in the very best hands.

While many Kids Clubs are tacked on as an afterthought at JMC, the Bula Club is one of its main features, taking up a good portion of the vast landscaped grounds. With its own commercial kitchen, swimming pool, waterslide, tree house (which looks like so much fun I’m tempted to climb into it myself), miniature tennis court, table tennis table, crèche, quiet areas and noisy areas, it’s the key to extraordinary repeat guest numbers. Indeed, some families have been spending annual holidays here for years. Beyond the kid’s facilities, the attraction for adults is equally enticing, combining luxurious bures, fine food, child-free serenity zones, activities aplenty or peaceful daybeds for doing absolutely nothing. Designed on a traditional Fijian village, it’s a winning combination that ensures JMC appears on ‘best of’ lists worldwide.

In a crowded field of would be contenders there’s a plethora of resorts laying claim to offering the very best hotel rooms, service and facilities. But what qualifies as ‘best’? And who is qualified to make this claim anyway? Sure there are strict criteria when it comes to hotel star ratings that determine whether a property rates (and retains) its coveted five stars or is relegated lesser status. But a star rating is not necessarily the best indicator.

So, while any ‘best’ assessment or list is subjective, I’m prepared to risk the wrath of more worldly travellers and place The Villa (or simply Bure 25) at Jean Michel Cousteau Resort Fiji in my list of Best Hotel Rooms. Why?

Firstly, for the rather unsexy reasons of an abundance of natural light and ventilation – an absolute essential in the tropics. I have a love/hate relationship with air conditioning, preferring the sensation and aromas of tropic-infused air wafting over warm bare skin. Feeling cold is not a sensation I embrace whilst in the tropics. Banks of timber louvers fitted with insect screens keep the bugs out and the breeze in. A shower with double overhead roses has a glass sliding wall opening onto another one outdoors (there are actually four showers in The Villa, because one is rarely enough right?). The bathroom is palatial with a glass wall beyond the stone hot tub that looks into a high-walled garden courtyard with waterfall.

Secondly, space. There’s plenty of it. A master bedroom is dominated by a muslin curtained four poster bed. Slide back the louver doors to welcome the south easterly trade winds and enjoy the view across the deck, raised day bed and horizon edge private plunge pool which in turn flows onto grass, a beach and the ocean beyond. So much space.

Other reasons I rate The Villa highly include a pavilion living room with mini kitchen, linked to the bedroom by undercover dining area, which doubles as another bedroom with its own bathroom. There’s a full sized fridge to store fresh fruit snaffled from the organic garden nearby.

Did I mention the swimming pool? Located on the point, and therefore some distance from the main pool and restaurant area, The Villa is the only bure with its own private pool.

If your budget is a little more modest, ocean front bures, both one and two bedroom are spacious, beautifully appointed and oh so romantic. I particularly like Bure 24’s layout and island view, though another repeat offender swears by Bure 5. Limited to 25 bures, there are actually no bad ones.

But the main reason I rate JMC so highly is for the intangibles. With a strong environmental focus, a team of warm, hospitable staff and an ethos of sustainable tourism that supports the local community, JMC offers a holiday with heart. The place just has a good soul – you can feel it. Much like Fiji itself.

Read More

14 Things Our Parents Taught Us About Love

I admit Jerry Springer isn’t the soundest purveyor of wisdom, but my parents’ relationship reinforces those (considering the content of his show, ultra-ironic) words he offered at every episode’s end: “Take care of yourself…and each other.”

As parents, my mom and dad are so selfless and invested, I think as spouses they often lack the emotional energy for themselves or their relationship. Here’s hoping the new empty-nesters can follow Sage Springer’s advice, even more apropos because my dad’s name is JE-RRY, JE-RRY, JE-RRY.

I asked readers, “What did your parents teach you about love?” Here’s what they said:

1. Being a good listener is the best way to show someone you love them.

2. Love is work, not an emotion. But just because it's work doesn't mean it isn't a lot of fun.

3. My dad always said to look at the way a boy treats his mother and you'll see exactly (well, almost exactly) how he'll treat you.

4. It's not like in the movies.

5. Indeed, love is patient. But love is also very silly and enjoys giggling.

6. We are imperfect beings. Why should we expect love to be perfect?

7. My dad taught me dependence, and my mom taught me independence. Thankfully, she had a much larger influence over my life than he did. Mom always told me to love myself first.

8. Having separate hobbies and activities is important because personal time is a necessity for surviving life.

9. Love is not an experience; it is a process of growth.

10. My mom, out of bitterness, told me that love is not enough for a marriage.

11. Put your marriage first—before your children—because a strong marriage is the foundation for raising a happy family.

12. Trust and love are synonymous.

13. Don't get pregnant.

14. Women are always right. And I'm right about her being right, so I also win.

Read More