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       *The beautiful Nia Long graces the February cover of Essence as she attempts to set the record straight on baby daddy drama.  Rumors had to be squashed regarding the tumult between her, now, ex- “friend” and her ex-fiance. More on that shortly.

      Long also talks about her career and being back on television after doing shows like Third Watch and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.  She can currently be seen on Boston Legal opposite William Shatner and Candice Bergen. 

      “The writing on Boston Legal is so beautiful, so layered and full of life, and I’m working with the crème de la crème—true professionals who take their craft very seriously. So it’s been challenging, but in such a great way. Of course, there’s the constant struggle to find the balance between work and motherhood…”

      She also reveals her best leading men and she’s had more than her share of Hollywood’s best Black men.

      “The most natural chemistry was definitely with Larenz. But Will set the standard for leading men. He really knows how to make a woman feel special.”

      Additionally, she lets readers in on her latest projects and her feelings on the industry as it pertains to Black women.  She has a couple of films due out at the theatre as well.

      “I’m on a great show and I have two films [Premonition, opposite Sandra Bullock, in March, and Are We Done Yet? with Ice Cube, in April]. I’m happy…”

      OK, now about that situation at The Grove, an upscale mall in LA. Yep, Essence went there:

Essence: So there really was a fight?

Nia Long: Yes. But I want to get this straight: It wasn’t my fault. I didn’t start it; I didn’t throw any punches. It was one man’s ego against another man’s pride. It was all about them.

Essence: But how do two grown men start fighting at a mall?

Nia Long: What happened was, I’d gone out to dinner with my son and a friend of mine. This was the first time I’d ever brought my child around someone I was dating, so it was a big deal. After dinner, my son’s father [to whom Long was previously engaged; the couple broke up when their son was a toddler] needed to pick him up, so I told him to meet me. Really, I had no intention of introducing him to my friend right then, because my life is my business. He knows I’m a good mother, and that’s the most important thing. But he got to the mall a lot faster than I thought he would. It’s like he put on his Batman wings and flew [laughing]. When I saw him I thought, Okay, this is nothing to get excited about, and I introduced him to my friend. They shook hands, and then I guess my son’s father just got emotional, because he basically punched my friend in the face.

Essence: He shook his hand and then popped him for no reason?

Nia Long: Words were exchanged, but I’m not going to repeat them. Really, I don’t think that fight had anything to do with me. I think it had to do with our son. Men are very protective of their children, and ours is his first and only child. I think my child’s father was like, “This is who’s around my son?” and just kind of lost it. Then they started fighting, so I walked off because I didn’t want my son to get the idea that this is appropriate behavior. That’s when the mall security came and broke it up, and the police were called. [Long’s ex did not return repeated phone calls from Essence.]

Essence: How did you explain to your 6-year-old son why his father just hit a man in the face?

Nia Long: I told him his father got emotional and lost his temper, and he didn’t use his best judgment.

Essence: Did the friend you were with happen to be 21-year-old first-round NFL draft pick Reggie Bush?

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