Malik Yoba first came to fame with role in New York Undercover. More recently, he has appeared in Tyler Perry's 'Why Did I Get Married' and the upcoming 'Why Did I Get Married Too.' I was fortunate to have the opportunity to chat with the actor, musician and activist about a wide variety of subjects, including recent relationships and current projects such as 'Shop Talk,' his web series on BET.com.

So you have a new movie, 'Why Did I Get Married Too,' written and directed by Tyler Perry, coming out April 2nd, which we'll get to in a moment. But first I'd like for you to talk about a project that I know you're passionate about and one that you're not only starring but also writing and directing.

So my boyfriend has a thing for wearing socks when we have sex. I can't tell you how much I hate his footwear habits in bed. Maybe I'm too particular, but it seems very odd and silly looking. - Carla in Chicago

Thanks for raising the issue. The do's and don'ts of sock-wear, both socially and sexually, is vastly overlooked and under-discussed. Beyond your personal pet peeve, which I'll get to momentarily, there are several other sins of the socks that make the average man look like a fashion Antichrist.

For instance, with dress attire and even business-casual wear, the color of a man's socks should match his trousers, not his shoes. Dark blue pants, for example, require dark blue socks, gray pants require gray socks (of a similar shade) and red pants or anything of the primary palette requires a complete wardrobe intervention, as sock color suddenly becomes less important. So unless a man is colorblind, it's really that simple. And he should know that black socks, regardless of how enticing they may seem, should be saved for a black suit, which by the way should be saved for funerals and formal occasions.

And then we have the slinky socks -- the ones that no longer have the functional elasticity that allows the fabric to sit properly on a man's calves. Those need to be removed immediately and set on fire. Look, no one wants to see a man's hairy shins when he sits down and crosses his legs. Impotent socks that are unable to get up and stay up on their own are a pathetic sight to behold.

This leads me back to your original issue. Regardless of color or elasticity, there are three occasions when a man should never be caught wearing socks. One is when his feet are subject to get wet, as in bathing, swimming or being water-boarded. Two is when he wears sandals, despite his "frat boy" inclinations to do otherwise. And three is when he's about to "tap it." Yes, "tap it". Because, Carla, you are absolutely right; it's the silliest looking thing I've ever seen.

Marriage is overrated unless your spouse allows you to date and have sex with other people. This is what Tiger Woods keeps telling himself he has to stop telling himself, because it never ends well when said spouse has access to your golf clubs and believes the exact opposite. But according to surveys, 4 to 9 percent of married couples subscribe to the philosophy of "open marriages," an arrangement in which each partner is free to enter into side relationships without guilt or jealousy from the other.

Earlier this week, there was much tabloid titillation about Mo'Nique's remarks to Barbara Walters about her own open marriage. The New York Daily News headline read 'Mo'Nique Says Her Husband is Allowed to Cheat.' That's not what she said, but that's how it's been widely interpreted. "Cheating" implies sneaking behind someone's back to carry on external affairs. But open marriages are, well, open, and therefore the word "cheating" isn't apropos. In fact, this isn't the first time Mo'Nique has publicly discussed the arrangement with her husband Sidney Hicks, but in this particular interview, scheduled to air this Sunday as part of Walter's annual Oscar special, she provides some clarity:

My wife talks too much. She goes non-stop. I don't even know what she's saying half the time because I tune her out. I try to listen but instead of getting to the point she goes round and round and she loses me. Many of my friends complain about the same thing with their wives and girlfriends. Any thoughts on this?

- Dajuan


Is it that she talks too much or you don't talk enough? Let's be honest about this. Most of us (as in men) would rather whack a hornets' nest repeatedly with our bare hands than hold conversations of any great length with our significant others. Early in relationships, it's different though. We're talkative. We're more expressive. But when the chase is over, so is the conversation in a lot of cases. And with that, the communication in many relationships gets reduced to a bastardized form of sign language or a never ending game of charades.

We all have issues we wrestle with. Warranted or not, some of us try to charge it to our parents, or some other factor in our childhood. But try as we may, sometimes, we simply can't. There are times when we own the issues outright. The titles are in our names -- no co-signers. Whether it's a fender bender or a full-on emotional car wreck, ultimately we're the ones behind the wheel and we have to take responsibility for our issues and behavior.

I say all that to say -- real talk -- what's up with grown men wanting grown women to call their men "daddy" and, accordingly, what's up with the women who go along with it? This is a psychological doctoral dissertation waiting to happen. For my purposes, the question recently surfaced thanks to Usher's new single, "Hey Daddy", now in heavy rotation.

If you watch any television whatsoever, in the last few weeks, you've seen the commercial for the upcoming film Valentine's Day which opens this weekend to a sea of white women crushing on the idea of starry-eyed love. It's not that black women don't harbor the same sentimental longing for a love unlimited, but from what I glean only the who's who of white Hollywood (and the ambiguous Jessica Alba) are depicted as googly eyed love birds. If it helps, however, Jamie Foxx plays a comedic news correspondent of color that gets to report on the anglo-geneous love that springs eternal around him.

My girlfriend has issues. She gets upset every time I go out to a strip club with my friends. I try to tell her it's just entertainment, but there's always an argument when I get home. Why can't she just relax about it?

-- Myron

So here's the deal: Every couple has their own version of what's known in broadcast media as "standards and practices." They guide the moral and ethical decisions that are made within a relationship. Ideally, both parties are in agreement on what they'll tolerate in terms of edgy content, but that's not always the case. Specifically, the entertainment value of disrobed women, seductively gyrating in stilettos for a night's pay, seems to be a point of contention for a lot couples.