Diddy To Start a New Music Television Channel

 

After making a deal with Time Warner Cable, Diddy's Revolt cable channel is almost all set to go. Hip-Hop mogul P. Diddy wants to bring music videos, news interviews, performances, and more to his new potential channel.
 
Diddy says, "My mission is to bring kids back to television" as apposed to channels such as MTV which used to be strictly music. P. Diddy is blaming reality TV for taking over these once "music channels." He wants to create an outlet where young people of ages 18 to 34 can enjoy the art of music without the unnecessary baggage.
 
"If I was in that position, I probably would have bit at that apple too, to be more than just a music channel and be more of a youth culture network. But sometimes it's better to do one thing great. The most powerful thing that brings us together is music," says Diddy.

However, Diddy doesn't plan to make his network a straight Hip-Hop channel. He says it will be a predominately "urban-based channel" but it will not discriminate.

Read More

This might be a good idea because there isn't a cable network that 's strictly dedicated to music anymore. There was a time when MTV, BET and VH1 were dedicated to music but now those channels are all about reality shows.

I hope this project from Diddy is successful, and I hope he's able to keep it independent. Because we all know once the corporate media comes in and buy a station out, the station is never the same.

Animals Twerking: One Dance To Unite All Species (VIDEO)

This is kind of funny, everybody is twerking now...including the animals!

Warning, the music is NSFW:

Republican Woman - New Video by Jasiri X

Jasiri X appears to be an intelligent young rapper. It's hard to find conscience rappers these days so whenever someone like Jasiri X come along, it's good to give em props and support them as much as possible. Jasiri's latest video is about those crazy ass Republican women running in the 2010 elections. Check it out:



LYRICS

Look what Sarah Palin done started
A bunch of candidates with the intellect of starlets
On the surface they seem like they’re harmless
But what if they win and end they up in congress
The result would be carnage I’m just being honest
How high’s your education if you can’t name your college
I guess your resume needed polish
I’m you you not me that’s y’all witch
Look what at what they’lll do to win a office
Pour 100 million dollars down a faucet
Now that’s flossin but you cut cost when
Them undocumented workers you was bossin
And whose crazier than Michele Bachmann
And the loonies in that tea party caucus
Plus her wild eye ranting causes
More shame for Minnesota than all the texting Favre did

Republican Woman stay away from me
Republican woman you are so crazy

Don’t come hanging ya signs on my door
I don’t wanna see ya debate no more
I got more important things to do
That waste my vote casting it on you

Now woman I said stay away
Republican woman listen what I say

Dear God I wonder could you save me
Cause these republican women are so crazy
Like that Governor out west in AZ
Saying we got headless bodies but still come my state please
And she must have never heard of debating
Really, how do you mess up on ya opening statement
plus ya hatin made ya state look racist
The fact that your even governor’s amazing
It’s like they candidates don’t even know the basics
but if you watch em they use the same playlist
every time they see the press they skating
unless it’s fox news where they can do fund raising
if they positions not popular they change em
hoping Rush, Hannity and Beck can save em
They faker than wrestling it’s something to see
they even drafted the chick from WWE

Kanye West's Telethon Controversy

It seems my boy Kanye West's reputation is catching up with him. There are reports that says he will be banned from the up coming Telethon for Haiti due to his reputation of going off script.

Who can forget his "Bush don't care about black people" comments during the 2005 Katrina Telethon and most recently the comments he made during the MTV Music Awards when he interupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech. Here is a story from the Huffington Post that are being reported about Mr. West:

Will Kanye West be allowed at the Clooney-helmed Haiti telethon airing this Friday?

"After what he said on the Katrina telethon and the way he behaved at the MTV Video Music Awards, everyone agrees it's just best that he does not participate," a source told AOL's PopEater. "Kayne has to make everything about himself. He will do anything to steal the spotlight and, well, this night it's just not about him."

It doesn't take an insider to point out Kanye's loose cannon tendencies, but "everyone" does not agree that he is disinvited from 'Hope for Haiti.' MTV, which is hosting the telethon, says there is no truth to AOL's reports of a Kanye ban.

"That's absolutely not true. We DID reach out to Kanye," a rep told Us Weekly.

I noticed Kanye was absent from this years Grammy Awards so I don't know what's really going on, I guess we will see...

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith Interview with Barack Obama

Video time: 7 min 13 sec

Rap legend Tupac Shakur makes it on the Vatican playlist

The Vatican recently released an official music playlist -- and slipped in among the Mozart and Regina Coeli, the late Tupac Shakur made the cut.

On the Vatican's MySpace page, the playlist is described like so:

This playlist is a perfect mix of classical, world and contemporary music. The genres are very different from each other, but all these artists share the aim to reach the heart of good minded people.

The Tupac song picked is Changes. Listen to it below:

Michael Jackson's Plastic Surgeon Tells All

Allure has done an exhaustive retrospective on Michael Jackson's face with the help of Steven M. Hoefflin, his plastic surgeon through the 1980s and '90s, and his dermatologist/suspected sperm donor, Arnold Klein.

Here are a few of the reference points from his metamorphosis:

1979: Jackson falls and breaks his nose. This gives him an opportunity to change the feature he has come to detest, thanks to merciless teasing. He will later tell Oprah Winfrey, "I'd hide my face in the dark." The results of Steven Hoefflin's surgery are visible on the Off the Wall album cover.

1990: Jackson's skin tone here is much lighter, the result of skin-bleaching creams, pale makeup, or both. There is no sign of the blotchy pigment caused by vitiligo, but as a friend points out, "You'll notice that Michael often wore long sleeves and military high collars to hide his neck." What he can't cover with clothing and wigs, he covers with makeup. The tip of his nose seems narrower, more pointed, and upturned.

2009: Jackson's gaunt look reflects a loss of fat in the face. Klein has said he was using injections of Restylane, a temporary tissue filler, to build up some areas and even out others. Previous steroid injections in the nose have likely made the skin there so thin that the tissue-filling gel injected by Klein seems visible underneath. One expert says the indentation on the side of his nose may be from a recent skin-cancer biopsy.

Source

Terrell Owens bashes NFL for treatment of Michael Vick

T.O. speaks! And surprisingly it was highly relevant. Terrell Owens recently spoke on Michael Vick’s recent conditional reinstatement and suspension. Owens suggested Vick has paid his debt to society and he shouldn’t have been punished further by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Speaking at Buffalo Bills training camp the wide receiver recently issued the following on Vick:

"I think the way the commissioner is handling it is unfair to Michael Vick," Owens said. "I think he's done the time for what he's done. I don't think it's really fair for him to be suspended four more games. It's almost like kicking a dead horse in the ground.”

Owens continued: "A lot of the guys around the league need to speak up. I think the players' union needs to step in because the guy's already suffered so much, and to add a four-game suspension onto a two-year prison sentence, I mean, that's ridiculous."

Also, after his press conference Owens suggested Goodell should try spending 23 months in prison and see how it feels.

Halleluiah! There is hope!

When Owens spoke out I was pleasantly surprised that an African American athlete used their platform for something other than self-promotion and to appease to white corporate America. Finally, someone said something that was relevant and timely and yet it the media didn’t give it much attention.

Gee, I wonder why.

Source

Was B.I.G really that influential to deserve a biopic?

By Fanon Hutchinson:

"The most important film of our time" goes the tagline for the new biopic "Notorious” which is the story of the life and death of slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. aka "Biggie Smalls."

Really?

This is a more important film than Malcolm X? And it’s more important than the films about Martin Luther King or films such as "Cry Freedom" or "The Great Debaters?" I don't even think it’s the most important Hip Hop movie. What about Krush Groove or Beat Street?

I’ve loved hip hop since I first heard "Rock Box" by Run-DMC in the early 80's. From the era of Run-DMC, Kurtis Blow, the Sugarhill Gang, the Whodini, Fat Boys, LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys in the mid-80's.

In the late 1980s it was the EPMD, Boogie Down Productions, Eric B. & Rakim, Public Enemy, NWA, the Tribe Called Quest, De la Soul, Queen Latifah, Compton's Most Wanted, and Dr. Dre. They are the legitimate pioneers of rap and hip hop.

Now granted, I can't stomach much of what passes as Hip-Hop nowadays as it seems like it’s geared more towards a segment of the population that wear "skinny jeans" and Mohawk hair styles. In other words most of the stuff nowadays is more for little kids and adolescents.

This brings me back to “Notorious.” His entire career can be confined to two albums. TWO ALBUMS! The first album was "Ready to Die." This album is labeled as a classic but I would have to disagree. Can you really compare it to Public Enemy's "It takes A Nation of Millions." or to Ice Cube’s "Death Certificate" or a Tribe Called Quest’s "Low End Theory?"

These albums defined a generation and helped to revolutionize the way Hip-Hop was viewed. These albums made you think as well as made you move. While all three of these albums are as different as Obama is to Ronald Reagan they are lyrically and musically on point. "Ready to Die" is mostly filled with the usual tales of hustling, sex, standard rap braggadocio and party songs. It is no different than anything that has come before it. The only thing that set this album apart is the beats, which deviated from the mid 90's grimy east coast sound which permeates throughout the albums of such New York artists as Wu-Tang Clan, Black Moon, and Onyx. But this is more attributed to P Diddy and his Hitmen production team and not Biggie himself.

Biggie's first album did showcase a sort of hard-luck case who was able to pull himself up out of a bad situation and become a winner. This could have been inspirational to a lot of people but the whole rags to riches story was nothing new or innovative and neither was the whole "I had to sell drugs to feed my daughter" song and dance which was supposed to make his actions seem honorable without any remorse on his part. At least, when NWA or Ice T. told a tale of drug hustling there was some kind of repercussions within the song. On Biggie’s second album "Life after Death" the content remained the same as the first album except now the tone was less bleak now that he had made it. There were less hard luck songs and more "lets party, drink champagne, and bone random chicks" songs. He even had the good sense to include a how-to song on the rules of selling drugs (the Ten Crack Commandments. This is just what black youth need). However there are a few notable songs contained on "Life after Death" such as "Notorious Thugs" which pairs Biggie with the rapid fire delivery of Cleveland rap quartet Bone Thugs & Harmony and even showcases Biggie impressively going toe to toe with the nimble tongued Bone group.

I don't think that Biggie was without talent. On the contrary I think he was a very talented wordsmith. But to label him as "the greatest rapper of all-time" as a lot of people have done is a slap in the face to all the great emcees that came before and after him who have had more of an impact in the development and evolution of Hip-Hop. What about Krs-One, Big Daddy Kane, Ice Cube, or the man who I think should be in everybody's top-five, a person who revolutionized Hip-Hop music, and in my opinion truly took rap to a new level, that’s Rakim? When are their movies coming out about their lives? That’s not a notorious question.

Lil Kim not happy with Biggie biopic

From the Associated Press

Lil Kim was a big part of the Notorious B.I.G.'s life, but she's not happy about the way she's portrayed in the new biopic about the late rapper.

The Notorious B.I.G. was Lil Kim's mentor and was also romantically linked to the rapper. Their sometimes rocky relationship is depicted in the new movie "Notorious," but Lil Kim doesn't think it's very accurate.

In a statement, she said: "The film studio and producers involved were more concerned about painting me as a 'character' to create a more interesting story line instead of a person with talent, self-respect and who was able to achieve her own career success through hard work."

She added: "Even though my relationship with Big was at times very difficult and complicated (as with most relationships we have all experienced at one time or another), it was also genuine and built on great admiration and love for each other. Regardless of the many lies in the movie and false portrayal of me to help carry a story line through, I will still continue to carry his legacy through my hard work and music."

But Wallace's mother, Voletta Wallace, dismissed Lil Kim's criticisms of the movie in an interview on Monday.

"This is not a Lil Kim movie," she said. "This is a Christopher Wallace movie. It has nothing to do with Lil Kim. If she's disappointed and upset, that is her problem."

I'm not sure why Lil Kim is pissed but I recall when she came out in the mid 90's her entire act was her being a money hungry materialistic slut but now she want to scream foul because she is being portrayed as a money hungry materialistic slut in the new film about Notorious BIG. Lil Kim should've thought about her image when she first came out.

Lil Wayne Nominated For Eight Grammy Awards

From Hiphopdx.com:

The Recording Academy awarded 2008's highest-selling artist in any genre with six Grammy Award nominations. During Wednesday night's nomination ceremony/concert, Lil Wayne received nods for Album of the Year, Best Rap Album, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and two additional nominations for Best Rap Song. To date, Tha Carter III has sold approximately 3 million copies.
Other notable Hip Hop nominees were Kanye West and Jay-Z, who both received nominations as featured guests on the T.I. track “Swagga Like Us,” in addition to their four awards in other categories. Lupe Fiasco and T.I. also received four nominations in various categories.

Nominations were given for recordings released during an eligibility period which ran from October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008. The 51st Annual Grammy Awards air on Feb. 8, 2009 on CBS from 8:00 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). Nominees in all Hip Hop/Rap categories, as well as R&B nominees are listed below.

Album of the Year:

Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
Ne-Yo - Year of the Gentleman
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raising Sand
Radiohead - In Rainbows

Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group:

Big Boi (featuring Raekwon and Andre 3000) - “Royal Flush”
T.I. (featuring Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and Kanye West) - “Swagga Like Us”
Lil Wayne (featuring Jay-Z) - “Mr. Carter”
Ludacris (featuring T.I.) - “Wish You Would”
Young Jeezy (featuring Kanye West) - “Put On”

Song of the Year:

Estelle (featuring Kanye West) - “American Boy”
Adele - “Chasing Pavements”
Jason Mraz - “I’m Yours”
Sara Bareilles - “Love Song”
Coldplay - “Viva la Vida”

Best Rap Album:

Jay-Z - American Gangster
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III
Lupe Fiasco - The Cool
Nas - Untitled
T.I. - Paper Trail

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical:

Danger Mouse
Nigel Godrich
Johnny Karkazis
Rick Rubin
will.i.am

Best Alternative Music Album:

Beck - Modern Guilt
Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple
My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
Radiohead - In Rainbows

Best Rap Solo Performance:

Jay-Z - “Roc Boys (And the Winner Is...)”
Lil Wayne - “A Milli”
Lupe Fiasco - “Paris, Tokyo”
Nas - “N.i.*.*.e.r. (The Slave and the Master)”
Snoop Dogg - “Sexual Eruption”

Best Rap Song:

Lil Wayne - “Lollipop”
Flo Rida (featuring T-Pain) - “Low”
Snoop Dogg - “Sexual Eruption”
Lupe Fiasco (featuring Matthew Santos) - “Superstar”
T.I. (featuring Jay-Z, Kanye West & Lil Wayne) - “Swagga Like Us”

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration:

Estelle (featuring Kanye West) - “American Boy”
Flo Rida (featuring T-Pain) - “Low”
John Legend & Andre 3000 - “Green Light”
Lil Wayne featuring T-Pain - “Got Money”
Lupe Fiasco (featuring Matthew Santos) - “Superstar”

Best Short Form Music Video:

Erykah Badu - “Honey”
Gnarls Barkley - “Who's Gonna Save My Soul”
Alicia Keys and Jack White - “Another Way to Die”
Radiohead - “House of Cards”
Weezer - “Pork and Beans”

Brother-In-Law Arrested In Hudson Family Murders

From The Huffington Post:

Police arrested the estranged brother-in-law of Jennifer Hudson on Monday in the deaths of the entertainer's mother, brother and young nephew, taking him from a prison where he had been held on a suspected parole violation.

William Balfour was arrested at Stateville Correctional Center and released to detectives as he awaited formal charges in the shooting deaths of the singer and Oscar-winning actress' relatives, said Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond.

Until Monday, police had identified Balfour, 27, only as a "person of interest" in the investigation. He had not been charged by late Monday afternoon, said Andy Conklin, a spokesman for the Cook County state's attorney's office.

The bodies of Jennifer Hudson's mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, were discovered Oct. 24 at the family's home on the South Side of Chicago. The body of 7-year-old Julian King was found three days later in a sport utility vehicle on the West Side. All three had been shot.

I hope this William Balfour character get a fair trial, and if he is indeed guilty I hope they throw the book at his ass. I don't like to judge a person before they have had their time in court but if he is guilty of murdering that little 7 year old child and Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother then he need to get the maximum sentence. I'm not an advocate of capital punishment but this crime was just senseless and just foul. This negro murdering his own relative like he's some psycho Norman Bates.

Rapper MC Breed Dead At 37

From EONLINE:

MC Breed is joining his pal Tupac in the great rap hall in the sky.

The Michigan hip-hopster best known for the 1993 hit "Gotta Get Mine," featuring Shakur, died of kidney failure Saturday at the age of 37.

Breed (full name Eric Breed) had been ill for some time and died in his sleep at a friend's house in Ypsilanti, a suburb of Detroit.

"We are saddened by our great loss. More than just an artist, we mourn the loss of a beloved father, son, brother and friend," his family and management said. "We are thankful and blessed to have been in his presence and want him to be remembered for his creative, caring, talented and hard-working spirit."

Breed's 1991 debut, M.C. Breed & DFC, spawned the single "Ain't No Future in Yo' Frontin'." His 1993 release, The New Breed, featured "Gotta Get Mine" with Tupac. After Shakur's death in 1996, Breed released 10 more albums but never really broke through the mainstream again.

1993 Video "I Got To Get Mine" - MC Breed feat. 2Pac:



Mc Breed established his name in Hip-Hop during the early 90's, some would argue the that the early to mid 90's was the best era in Hip-Hop so I have to give props to MC Breed and may he rest in peace.

Comedian Wanda Sykes Comes Out Of The Closet

From The Huffington Post:

Comedian Wanda Sykes says the passage of a same-sex marriage ban in California has led to her be more outspoken about being gay.

"You know, I don't really talk about my sexual orientation. I didn't feel like I had to. I was just living my life, not necessarily in the closet, but I was living my life," Sykes told a crowd at a gay rights rally in Las Vegas on Saturday.

"Everybody that knows me personally they know I'm gay. But that's the way people should be able to live their lives," she said.

Sykes, who is known for her feisty and blunt style, said the passage of California's Proposition 8 made her feel like she was "attacked."

"Now, I gotta get in their face," she said. "I'm proud to be a woman. I'm proud to be a black woman, and I'm proud to be gay."

I didn't know Wanda Sykes was gay, I wonder who is next to come out of the closet, Queen Latifah?

What Obama Can Learn From The Wire (TV Series)

Yo, I am a huge fan of the HBO series The Wire, I feel a void in my life now that The Wire has ended. During an interveiw early in the primary season, Barack Obama said his favorite TV show was The Wire and his favorite character on the show was Omar Little.

As people that watched The Wire know, the show dealt with a lot of problems we face as a nation. From drugs, violence, education and corrupt politics, Barack could learn a few things from the show. I came across this post over at Daily Kos where a blogger laid out the things Barack could learn from watching the Wire, a show which paints a bleak picture of the decaying city of Baltimore:

Foreign Policy

If Obama was watching The Wire carefully, he could learn a lot about foreign
policy from two of the major characters from the first three seasons, Avon
Barksdale and his cohort, Stringer Bell. While Avon was always willing to go
to war for territory and fight over pride, Stringer was more pragmatic,
realizing that war was bad for business. Like Obama, Stringer was willing to
negotiate with his enemies, including Proposition Joe and Marlo Stansfield.
Rather than war with other drug dealers over territory, Stringer built an
alliance of huslters from both the east and west side to share a common
package and economic interest.

Obama could take Stringer's role and avoid wars unless they are absolutely
necessary, negotiate with countries previously hostile to the US and build
alliances with other countries. He should not however be shady and
conniving, the characteristics which led to Stringer's death.

Drugs

Addiction and distribution of drugs have played a big role in all 5 seasons
of The Wire. If anything is clear from The Wire, it is that the War on Drugs
is a failed war, that only keeps the cycle of addiction, poverty and
violence going. For many, the War on Drugs, is a war on black neighborhoods.
In the Wire, we see that incarceration of drug dealers has little effect, as
there always is a new one to take his place. Obama could learn a lot about
how to deal with drugs from Bunny Colvin's Hamsterdamn experiment. Rather
than brutality and incarceration, treatment and counseling were used in an
area where drug dealers were free to sell drugs. With drugs less of a
priority, police were able to stop violent crime, burglaries and rape.

If Obama was paying attention to Season 3, he will put more money into
treatment, and less emphasis on incarceration. While the American War on
Drugs has focused primarily on the black community, millions of white
Americans have become addicted to prescription pills and methamphetamine.
While surveys have shown that white people use drugs at the same rate of
black people, blacks are incarcerated five times as much for drug crimes.

Education

Season 4 of The Wire highlighted the educational crisis in urban areas.
Through the eyes of four poor black children and a white teacher. In Season
4 we see the failure of No Child Left behind, as teachers are forced to
teach to tests rather than using their own skills and knowledge. We also see
the apathetic teachers and the overcrowded classrooms and the social
problems that lead to dysfunctional students.

Season 4 also makes it clear that students in urban areas who aren't
involved in the educational process get educated on the street to become
drug dealers. John McCain called education the Civil Rights Movement of the
21st century, probably the ony thing he said during the campaign that I
agreed with. Education in urban areas is not a black problem but an American
problem, a problem all Americans must unite to solve.

Politics

Clearly Obama paid close attention to Mayor Tommy Carcetti's campaign
against Mayor Royce. Both Obama and Carcetti were good looking, with
excellent debate and oratory skills. Just like Tommy Carcetti woke up white
in a city that wasn't, Barack Obama woke up black in a county that wasn't.
Carcetti managed to overcome his race problem by splitting the black vote
between Royce and Gray just like Obama managed to split some of the white
vote between Edwards and Clinton in the primary. Carcetti kept a cool head
while his opponents tried to connect him to unsavory characters and reached
out to people outside of his base to develop a strong coalition.

Obama must also learn from Tommy Carcetti's brief term as Mayor. Carcetti
found himself in a budget deficit as Mayor and unable to complete his
campaign promises. He also realized that he would have to eat "bowls of
shit" from several interest groups in Baltimore. Obama must also confront
this problem in dealing with the military, Wall street and religious
leaders. With a failing economy, he must be both pragmatic and idealistic in
his decisions on what to cut, what to keep and what to expand.

Obama must also be like Carcetti and build alliances with his opponents who
did not support him in the election, such as Carcetti's alliance with
council president, Narise Campbell. He must also crack down on corruption in
politics, whether it be from the Clay Davis's of the world or the Tom
Delays.

New Song By Dead Prez - Politrikkks Feat. Malcolm X

Well it doesn't seem like all black artist are excited about Barack Obama winning the presedency, the political Hip-hop rap group Dead Prez think Barack Obama is nothing more than a tool for corporate America. I've been a fan of Dead Prez since they first came out even though I may not agree with everything they say, they do make some thought provoking music. So check it out and take it for what it's worth:

Eddie Murphy / Richard Pryor - First Black President Skits

Some of you young motherfuckers may be too young to remember this, but this is a video from Delirious by Eddie Murphy. This was in the mid 80's when Eddie Murphy was the shit. In his stand up routine he did this skit about the first black president and at the time Jessie Jackson was running for president. Since we now have actually chosen a black president, I think this skit is relevant today. Check it out:



Below is a skit from The Richard Pryor Show which aired back in the 70's. It has Richard playing the 1st Black President. It's kind of funney also.



Back in the 70's, 80's and even 90's I would say, a black president was just a fantasy created in Hollywood. But today it's a reality.

Obama Says "No" To His Celebrity Supporters

From Chicago Sun Time:

It's probably not surprising that a lot of Barack Obama's biggest celebrity supporters -- both from Hollywood and the music world -- were clamoring for VIP invites to tonight's big rally in Grant Park.

While the Democratic nominee and his staff are thankful for both the big checks and outspoken expressions of support from all those famous faces, I've learned from a key Obama insider that a number of big-time boosters have been told politely -- but very firmly -- to stay away tonight.

Reportedly, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Sean ''Diddy'' Combs, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins and Ben Affleck are among those advised to skip the Chicago festivities and focus on attending the expected Obama inauguration in January.

''There really only needs to be one star in Grant Park, and that's Barack,'' said the source, a high-profile elected official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, since he's not authorized to speak for the campaign on this issue.

''There will be plenty of time for a new President Obama to be surrounded by famous fans, all hopeful about a new administration.''

• That said, one of Obama's biggest star supporters -- Oprah Winfrey -- has confirmed that she will be on hand in Grant Park tonight, and it's assumed she will join the candidate and his family and true inner circle in his suite at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Wacker.

As we know -- no one says ''No'' to Oprah!

I'm sure Obama's celebrity supporters will understand, this should be a night for the ordinary folks. I'm sure they will have front row seats at the inauguration. I was kind of hesitant to post this article because the votes are currently being counted and Barack hasn't been declared a winner yet. I hope this pre-planning for a victory party doesn't jinx Obama.

Spike Lee: Hip Hop Changed American Politics, Race Relations

From Hiphopdx.com

With a body of work that includes Bamboozled, Jungle Fever and Do the Right Thing, Spike Lee has never been gun shy about voicing his opinion on race relations in America. When the Academy Award nominated director was asked about the "Bradley Effect" and how it relates to the upcoming presidential election, his candid answer gave credit to an unlikely source.

"I don't go with this Bradley Effect," Lee tells MSNBC's Joe Scarborough. "That was what, 1984? That's last century. America's made a seismic shift as far as race goes. These young white kids who grew up listening to Hip Hop don't have the same views that their parents and grandparents had. I think these polls aren't reaching these young white kids. There aren't enough African Americans in this country to get Obama elected. He took the Iowa caucus! There's two black people in Iowa...maybe three."
When the subject turned to Lee's beloved New York Knicks, he said he still held out hope of landing LeBron James as a free agent in 2010. Since Jay-Z has a minority stake in the team, there has been speculation that James will to join the Nets when they move to Brooklyn.

"LeBron told me himself, that his decision will not be based upon his friendship with 'Hova,'" says Lee. His hopes for James to join the Knicks come as an unnamed New Jersey Nets official, tells the Bergen Record that the current financial crunch is having adverse effects on the team's hopes of moving to Brooklyn.
"Bruce [Ratner] just won’t end up with the money to do it," the official said. "Forget it."

Spike Lee's latest directorial effort, Miracle At St. Anna, is in theaters now. Lee can also be found alongside Ludacris, 9th Wonder and Common on "Do the Right Thing" from Ludacris' upcoming album Theater of the Mind.

D.L. Hughley CNN Show .... An Embarrassment To Blacks?

You've probably heard by now that CNN gave comedian D.L. Hughley a show. The
show is titled "D.L. Hughley Breaks the News" and Hughley is suppose to
present the news with a comedic twist to it like The Daily Show with Jon
Stewart and the Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central. Based
on the first episode which premiered on October 25, some black people do not
think it was funny at all as a matter of fact some blacks think it was an
embarrassment and a disgrace.

Before we go any further take look at a segment from the show and remember
this is a program on CNN not BET or Comedy Central:



Joe Madison, black talk show host on XM 169 the power had a discussion about the program on his show this morning and the listeners calling in basically said the new D.L. Hughley show is an insult to African Americans. Here is what Christopher J. Metzler at the Daily Voice had to say about the new Hughley show:

As the election draws to a close, one major cable news network decided to
discuss race in a mephitic way, reminiscent of "Amos and Andy", a situation
comedy based on reinforcing stereotypes about blacks and widely popular in
the United States from the 1920s through the 1950s.

The show's anchor warned that the election of a President Obama would lead
to a health plan with grills for all. Grills are shining metal caps worn on
the teeth of blacks while they drink malt liquor from a paper bag. His
guest, "Freddie Mack," attired in the traditional pimp attire complete with
hat and bling, described Obama's fund raising prowess as "Big pimping." In
fact, Freddie Mack went on to say, "Politicians are pimps and the electorate
are their hoes." Thus, he reasoned, "bitch better have my money." In a
response dripping with racism and misogyny, he reminded Americans that the
financial crisis was about his sister Fannie May or Fannie may not again,
utilizing the hoe moniker for black women.

The anchor also predicted that the election of a President Obama would
result in a meteor striking America. His expert guest assured him of two
things. The first is that such would not happen during an Obama
administration and that if it did, blacks would be protected because of the
complexion of our skin while whites would not. As if this was not enough,
the anchor conducted an interview in which a black maid of a Jewish woman
decried her years as a maid for that Jewish woman and warned that she would
"clean her clock" if the old Jewish woman did not vote for Obama. Of course,
besides portraying black women as violent, it also escalated the issue of
Jews voting for Obama during this election. The message, it seems, is that
blacks cannot convince with the facts but with fists.

***
McCain and Palin [has] created a racially charged atmosphere at some of
their rallies which resulted in shouts of "kill him, off with his head, and
terrorist" referring to Senator Obama. I have said that such an
atmosphere is akin to the lynch mobs rallies which resulted in the
gratuitous lynching of black men especially during the Jim Crow era. These
rallies and the attendant racially tinged atmosphere were condemned by CNN.

Now, in a shameless show of hypocrisy, CNN -- like the slave masters who
profited from racism and slavery -- has decided that there is still money in
racism and found just the Negro to help it cash in. At 10 P.M. on Saturday,
October, 25, 2008, CNN premiered D.L. Hughley Breaks the News.

Now I've never really had a problem with D.L. but dude got to come better than
he did on the first episode. That shit was corny. Barack Obama has raised
the bar if you get a show on a major news network you can't go on there
with your Shucking and Jiving routine, you got to represent. D.L. need to get some more writers or something and come up with some witty intelligent shit, or he need to tell CNN thanks but no thanks.