10 Hottest Couples

Ebony, Feb, 1999

THE 10 hottest examples in Black American include a celebrity author and her young husband, an NBA superstar and his Grammy Award-winning fiancee, and a radio superjock and his fitness expert fiancee. Like other couples on EBONY'S 1999 list of torrid twosomes, Terry McMillan and Jonathan Plummer, Grant Hill and Tamia, and Tom Joyner and Donna Richardson have reset the curve in love and romance for 1999. They are the loving duos who are constantly photographed by the paparazzi as they attend awards shows, celebrity galas and fund-raisers. They are the seemingly inseparable couples who hold hands, exchange loving gazes, snuggle and smooch in public--all the time appeasing to be oblivious to weekend movie grosses, ratings and wisecracks from critics and gossip columnists. It is obvious that the love and soul connection they share with their partners is what sustains them through the ups and downs of the volatile professions they have chosen. In addition to a passion for the bright lights and cameras, they also share a love for their soul mates.

Included on the 1999 EBONY list of hot couples are newlyweds Jasmine Guy and her groom Terrence Duckette and Vivica A. Fox and her fiance Sixx-Nine. Making an encore appearance on the list are comedian-actor Chris Rock and his wife Malaak Compton-Rock. New couples include actor Djimon Hounsou and his long-time girlfriend Victoria Mahoney.

Since February is the month for love and lovers, we all can take cues from these celebrity couples who find time in their fast-paced lives for love.

SEAN (PUFFY) COMBS & KIM PORTER

Sean (Puffy) Combs and Kim Porter, the mother of his youngest son, Christian, are one of entertainment's hottest couples. The prolific singer-songwriter-producer says if he were to get married, it would be to Kim. But he says, right now, he's not ready for marriage, although he does want to tie the knot one day and have a large family. (Combs also has a 5-year-old son, Justin.) The music mogul admitted that his bad-boy image and indecisiveness about making a commitment have taken its toll on his relationship with Porter, a former receptionist at Uptown Records. She has "left me" a couple of times, he reportedly has said.

TOM JOYNER & DONNA RICHARDSON

In the past year, radio superjock Tom Joyner and fitness expert and author Donna Richardson have become a loving, playful twosome. They first met when Richardson was a guest on the Tom Joyner Morning Show. Later, Joyner asked Richardson to design a fitness and training program to help him lose weight (he eventually lost 77 pounds). During long fitness walks, they started sharing and caring. In the summer of 1997, Richardson invited Joyner to accompany her on a business trip to Italy. In this romantic setting, they shared their first kiss. "There were fireworks outside, but there were more inside," recalls Richardson. In April 1998, Joyner proposed to Richardson while they were vacationing on St. Maarten. Donna says what attracted her to Joyner are his generous and sincere nature, his wit, his charm and his honesty. "He is sexy and romantic," she says. "He has a big heart, and I love that about him." Joyner says Richardson makes him "feel special," that she "inspires and motivates" him, that she is sexy and makes him laugh. The couple plan to wed on Valentine's Day, 2000.

TERRY McMILLAN & JONATHAN PLUMMER

In a classic case of life imitating art, How Stella Got Her Groove Back author Terry McMillan, 46, wed Jonathan Plummet, a twenty-something student she met while on holiday in Jamaica about three years ago. The barefoot bride and her groom said `I do' in September on a beach in Maui while the best-selling author's son and sister looked on. "Our attitude is `Yeah, we're going to get married; however long it lasts, it lasts,'" McMillan recently was quoted as saying.

VIVICA A. FOX & SIXX-NINE

The whirlwind romance of actress Vivica A. Fox and Atlanta singer-producer Sixx-Nine ended in a fairy-tale celebrity wedding in Hollywood in December. Fox--whose most recent screen credits include Why Do Fools Fall In Love, Soul Food and the Fox sitcom Getting Personal--and her new hubby felt an instant attraction when they met three years ago and soon after moved in together. The two have been best friends and lovers since. The lavish Cinderella-style wedding, attended by television and film stars, was just the thing to top the night that Sixx-Nine proposed to Fox after filling the house with candles and yellow flowers.

GRANT HILL & TAMIA

The courtship of Detroit Pistons basketball star player Grant Hill and actress-singer Tamia reached a turning point last year when the couple announced their engagement. Considered one of the cutest couples in the entertainment industry, the NBA All-Star and his Canadian-born sweetheart have been keeping a low profile and have yet to announce a wedding date. Already a Grammy Award-winning performer for "You Put A Move On My Heart," Tamia's self-titled solo album generated the hit songs "Imagination" and "So Into You."