Janet Jackson Will Kick Your Butt If You Dis Her Family: You Here That Bey?

Ms. Jackson: 'Beyonce Has a Lot of Growing Up To Do'

Obama Chides Blagojevich's Move to Fill Seat
Senate Appointment Creates Rift Among Black Leaders
Diddy Gives Free Cab Rides Home For New Year's Eve
Influx of Black Renters Raises Tension in Bay Area
Man Charged in Hudson killings Appears in Court

Naturi Naughton as Lil' Kim in 'Notorious'

Judge Retirements Leave Racial Void in Kentucky
Kanye West Slams 'Stupid' Spiritual Chanting Reports
Black Sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha Celebrates 100 Years
50 Cent Shaves $4 Million Off Farmington Property
Jamaica Installs Surveillance Cameras to Thwart Crime

Watch Night... Bringing In The New Years Right

Although New Year's Eve church services were started in the mid-1700s by John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, the event, known as Watch Night, occupies a special place in black communities across America.

In 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln announced that the Emancipation Proclamation would take effect Jan. 1, freeing all slaves in Confederate states, abolitionists and slaves reportedly gathered together on what was called "Freedom's Eve" to await and watch what the new year would bring.

This act would eventually become known as Watch Night. Many black churches even continue the tradition of reading the Emancipation Proclamation during the ceremony.

The story continues: Watch Night Services Celebrate the Emancipation Proclamation

Black Folks Make For Lousy Tenants: True or False?

Antioch African American Renters Raising Tension Big Time

As more and more black renters began moving into this mostly white San Francisco Bay Area suburb a few years ago, neighbors started complaining about loud parties, mean pit bulls, blaring car radios, prostitution, drug dealing and muggings of schoolchildren.

In 2006, as the influx reached its peak, the police department formed a special crime-fighting unit to deal with the complaints, and authorities began cracking down on tenants in federally subsidized housing.

Now that police unit is the focus of lawsuits by black families who allege the city of 100,000 is orchestrating a campaign to drive them out.

"A lot of people are moving out here looking for a better place to live," said Karen Coleman, a mother of three who came here five years ago from a blighted neighborhood in nearby Pittsburg. "We are trying to raise our kids like everyone else. But they don't want us here."

City officials deny the allegations in the lawsuits, which were filed last spring and seek unspecified damages.

Across the country, similar tensions have simmered when federally subsidized renters escaped run-down housing projects and violent neighborhoods by moving to nicer communities in suburban Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles.

But the friction in Antioch is "hotter than elsewhere," said U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development spokesman Larry Bush.

An increasing number of poor families receiving federal rental assistance have been moving here in recent years, partly because of the housing crisis.

A growing number of landlords were seeking a guaranteed source of revenue in a city hard-hit by foreclosures. They began offering their Antioch homes to low-income tenants in the HUD Section 8 housing program, which pays about two-thirds of every tenant's rent.

Between 2000 and 2007, Antioch's black population nearly doubled from 8,824 to 16,316. And the number of Antioch renters receiving federal subsidies climbed almost 50 percent between 2003 and 2007 to 1,582, the majority of them black.

Longtime homeowners complained that the new arrivals brought crime and other troubles. In 2006, violent crime in Antioch shot up about 19 percent from the year before, while property crime went down slightly.

"In some neighborhoods, it was complete madness," said longtime resident David Gilbert, a black retiree who organized the United Citizens of Better Neighborhoods watch group. "They were under siege."

So the Antioch police in mid-2006 created the Community Action Team, which focused on complaints of trouble at low-income renters' homes.

Police sent 315 complaints about subsidized tenants to the Contra Costa Housing Authority, which manages the federal program in the city, and urged the agency to evict many of them for lease violations such as drug use or gun possession. Lawyers for the tenants said 70 percent of the eviction recommendations were aimed at black renters. The housing authority turned down most of the requests.

Coleman said the police, after a complaint from a neighbor, showed up at her house one morning in 2007 to check on her husband, who was on parole for drunken driving. She said they searched the house and returned twice more that summer to try to find out whether the couple had violated any terms of their lease that could lead to eviction.

The Colemans were also slapped with a restraining order after a neighbor accused them of "continually harassing and threatening their family," according to court papers. The Colemans said a judge later rescinded the order.

Coleman and four other families are suing Antioch, accusing police of engaging in racial discrimination and conducting illegal searches without warrants. They have asked a federal judge to make their suit a class-action on behalf of hundreds of other black renters. Another family has filed a lawsuit accusing the city's leaders of waging a campaign of harassment to drive them out.

Police referred questions to the city attorney's office.

City Attorney Lynn Tracy Nerland denied any discrimination on the part of police and said officers were responding to crime reports in troubled neighborhoods when they discovered that a large number of the troublemakers were receiving federal subsidies.

"They are responding to real problems," Nerland said.

Joseph Villarreal, the housing authority chief, said the problems in Antioch mirror tensions seen nationally when poor renters move into neighborhoods they can afford only with government help.

"One of the goals of the programs is to de-concentrate poverty," Villarreal said. "There are just some people who don't want to spend public money that way."

Tensions like those afflicting Antioch have drawn scholars and law enforcement officials to debate whether crime follows subsidized renters out of the tenements to the suburbs.

Susan Popkin, a researcher at the nonprofit Urban Institute, said she does not believe that is the case. But the tensions, she said, are real.

"That can be a recipe for anxiety," she said. "It can really change the demographics of a neighborhood."

Was Charles Barkley Driving Under The Influence Even Before New Year's Eve?

Charles Barkley was busted for suspicion of drinking and driving early Wednesday in Scottsdale.
An officer with an Arizona law enforcement task force that targets drunken driving saw the former African American NBA star with political aspirations to run a stop sign around 1:30 a.m.

Seeking to one day run for governor, the brother who at one time insisted that athletes are not role models declined to submit to a breath test but was given a blood test. The results weren't immediately available.

After Barkley was processed, he was cited and released. He left in a cab, Shuhandler said.

Authoriites said there was nothing remarkable about the 45-year-old Barkley's arrest and that it is customary to release people after they've been arrested on suspicion of DUI."There was nothing unusual about how he was taken into custody," said a spokesperson. "He was treated exactly like we treat anybody else."

Barkley was arrested in Scottsdale's Old Town area, one of the trendiest spots in the Phoenix metro area.

A television commentator for NBA games, the former Auburn player was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame last month.

He played 16 NBA seasons for the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets, and played on the 1992 and 1996 Olympic teams. Barkley was an 11-time NBA All-Star and league MVP in 1993.

Selected one the NBA's 50 greatest players in 1996, he was inducted into the 2006 Basketball Hall of Fame.

CNN/AP

Mychal Bell Of Jena 6 Fame Shoots Himself!!!

Mychel Bell was one of six black teenagers who faced adult felony charges in the 2006beating of a white classmate in the town of Jena. The beating followed months of racial tensions in the community of 3,000 after three white students hung a noose in a tree whose shade was traditionally off limits to blacks at Jena High School.

Now comes word that the troubled young man "accidently" got shot.

The case of the "Jena 6" drew national attention from civil rights groups who argued that the charges were excessive. An estimated 15,000-plus people turned out for a September 2007 rally in the Louisiana town on the black youths' behalf.

Bell eventually pleaded guilty to battery in a juvenile court, served several months in a youth home and later moved to Monroe, about 70 miles north of Jena.

On Tuesday Bell was in the hospital after a shooting that his lawyer said was accidental.

CNN is reporting that Mychal Bell was cleaning a gun when it accidentally discharged, shooting him in the shoulder, his attorney, Carol Powell-Lexing, told CNN. He had surgery Monday night at a hospital in Monroe, Louisiana, and has not yet been able to talk, she said.

Monroe police Sgt. Cassandra Wooten said the wound was not life-threatening.

This story comes courtesy of CNN.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich Goes With Brother Roland Burris And Keeps Things... Interesting

Why Barack Is Not Feeling This Black Man!

Embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich today named former Illinois Atty. Gen. Roland Burris, the first African American to hold statewide office, to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.

If nothing else, Blago is defiant i n stirring the pot. The action comes despite warnings by Democratic Senate leaders that they would not seat anyone appointed by the disgraced governor who faces criminal charges of trying to sell the post, sources familiar with the decision said. Although Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid may want to watch his own back, with reports that some Dems are trying to kick him to the curb.

Shortly after Obama's Nov. 4 victory, the 71-year-old Burris made known his interest in an appointment to the Senate but was never seriously considered, according to Blagojevich insiders. But in the days following Blagojevich's arrest, and despite questions over the taint of a Senate appointment, Burris stepped up his efforts to win the governor's support.

Guess he figured if a black man should retain the seat, it might as well be him.

Though he is 71, Burris has said that Obama's replacement should be able to win re-election and he has noted that despite a string of primary losses in races ranging from Chicago mayor to governor and U.S. senator, he's never lost to a Republican.

Meanwhile, president-elect Barack Obama said Tuesday that it is disappointing that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich ignored warnings from Senate Democrats about appointing a successor to his Senate seat.

"Roland Burris is a good man and a fine public servant, but the Senate Democrats made it clear weeks ago that they cannot accept an appointment made by a governor who is accused of selling this very Senate seat," Obama said in a statement. "I agree with their decision, and it is extremely disappointing that Gov. Blagojevich has chosen to ignore it."

Obama added that the best resolution would be for Blagojevich to resign office and "allow a lawful and appropriate process of succession to take place. While Gov. Blagojevich is entitled to his day in court, the people of Illinois are entitled to a functioning government and major decisions free of taint and controversy."

Also, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White said Tuesday that Burris' appointment will not be certified by his office.

But Blagojevich said at a news conference Tuesday that he is confident the U.S. Senate will seat his appointment. "This is about Roland Burris, not about the man who appoints him," he said after announcing his choice.

But Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Illinois, who appeared at the afternoon news conference, warned senators about blocking Burris from being seated.

"There are no African-Americans in the U.S. Senate. And I don't think any U.S. senator who's sitting in the Senate right now wants to go on record to deny one African-American from being seated in the U.S. Senate," he said.

"I would ask you to not hang or lynch the appointee as you try to castigate the appointer and separate the appointee from the appointer," Rush said. "Roland Burris is worthy."

Rush said he will take that argument to the Congressional Black Caucus as well as U.S. senators -- including Dick Durban, a Democrat and Illinois' senior senator.

"This is not about race at all," Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Illinois, told CNN on Tuesday.

"The problem is the appointer, not the appointee. ... The governor in this act of defiance is doing more harm than good," she said.

Blagojevich, however, defended his pick, calling Burris a "wise and distinguished senior statesman" with "unquestioned integrity."

Blagojevich asked the media not to visit any of his political troubles on Burris.

"Please don't let the allegations against me taint this good and honest man," he said.

Burris said Tuesday that it's "incomprehensible that the people of the great state of Illinois will enter the 111th Congress shorthanded."

"I welcome the challenge that awaits us ... have faith that the record I have forged in the past four decades, and I'm proud of the accomplishments as a public servant."

Burris, a principal at Burris & Lebed Consulting in Chicago, would serve the remaining two years of Obama's Senate term. Burris previously ran and lost bids for the U.S. Senate and governor, losing the gubernatorial nomination once to Blagojevich.

Burris on Tuesday also responded to questions about Blagojevich's legal troubles. Watch Burris accept the Senate appointment »

"I have no comment on what the governor's circumstance is," he said. "As a former attorney general of the state, I know ... that in this legal process, you're innocent until you're proven guilty."

Source

Oprah Duped With Another Book Hoax...Who's The Real Loser?

Herman Rosenblat's memoir, "Angel at the Fence," deemed by Winfrey as "the single greatest love story" she's ever featured on her show, may now be coined by some as the single fakest love story, after the author admitted he fabricated the story of how he and his wife met at a Nazi concentration camp.

They did not, as Rosenblat falsely wrote in the book, meet at a concentration camp during World War II, where Rosenblat claimed his wife had thrown him apples and bread over the barbed-wire fence that separated them.

In reality, Rosenblat and his wife, Roma, were set up on a blind date in New York years after the war was over.

In the end I submit to you Oprah is not the loser in this hoax...we the American public are.

You see Oprah, in one of her rare selfless acts, is promoting these books not so much has to hype herself or the authors; as much as it is to hype reading. Wow!, there's a concept, reading books. There are a lot of ways to escape the stress of our real lives; drugs, alcohol and turning family members into punching bag, to name a few. But reading a book is a great alternative to all of these.

The effect this latest hoax has on the publishing world may do a lot of damage. First of all these lies make the publishers look like idiots for not fact checking. Then it makes it harder on new authors to get their books published with thoughts of not telling the truth.

And what about Oprah? Should Oprah get tired of people taking advantage of her and not confessing straight up that their book is a fake, then we will have no more Oprah book club and yet another reason for Americans not to read.

Pix and material from EMILY FRIEDMAN at ABC News.

Freddie Hubbard "Post Be-Bob" Jazz Trumpeter Dies

Freddie Hubbard, a jazz trumpeter who dazzled audiences and critics alike with his virtuosity, his melodicism and his infectious energy, died Monday in Sherman Oaks, California. He was 70.

Required Viewing: Freddie Hubbard With Art Blakey And The Jazz Messengers---'MOANIN'




The cause was complications of a heart attack he had Nov. 26, said his spokesman, Don Lucoff of DL Media.

Over a career that began in the late 1950s, Hubbard earned both critical praise and commercial success - although rarely for the same projects.

He attracted attention in the 1960s for his bravura work as a member of the Jazz Messengers, the valuable training ground for young musicians led by the veteran drummer Art Blakey, and on albums by Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and many others. He also recorded several well-regarded albums as a leader. And although he was not an avant-gardist by temperament, he participated in three of the seminal recordings of the 1960s jazz avant-garde: Ornette Coleman's "Free Jazz" (1960), Eric Dolphy's "Out to Lunch" (1964) and John Coltrane's "Ascension" (1965).

In the 1970s Hubbard, like many other jazz musicians of his generation, began courting a larger audience, with albums that featured electric instruments, rock and funk rhythms, string arrangements and repertory sprinkled with pop and R&B songs like Paul McCartney's "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" and the Stylistics' "Betcha by Golly, Wow." His audience did indeed grow, but his standing in the jazz world diminished.

By the start of the next decade he had largely abandoned his more commercial approach and returned to his jazz roots. But his career came to a virtual halt in 1992 when he damaged his lip, and although he resumed performing and recording after an extended hiatus, he was never again as powerful a player as he had been in his prime.

The rest of this story and obituary is printed by Peter Keepnews at the International Herald Tribune

Good Ol' Boys In The Republican Party Are Either Stupid, Ignorant, Clueless or All The Above!

RNC Candidate Defends 'Negro' Song / GOP Not Amused
Chicago Tabbed as Most Segregated by Race
Michael Jackson Leases Luxury Mansion
Ghana Presidential Runoff Vote Too Close to Call
Canadian Writer Calls NBA 'Ghetto Garbage'
Blagojevich Defense Wants Top Obama Aides to Testify

Some But Not All Find Obama Family Attainable Ideal
UFC Out to Attract the African-American Market
Zimbabwe Child Malnutrition Rises
End of an Era for Bay Area Black TV Journalists
Gay & Bisexual Black Men Have Lowest Use of Prostate Testing
Why Guinea's People Welcomed the Coup

Black Report

LA Times' Faces to Watch 2009 Features One African American: The Talented, No-Neck Melinda Doolittle of American Idol

Doolittle Does A Lot With Solo Debut

She was the little engine that could on the sixth season of "American Idol."

But now is the time for listeners to remember that this gospel-bred former backup singer has an earth-shaking gift, one that places her beyond trends and television watchers' whims.

Doolittle might have stuck with praise and worship music or tried to update her style with hip-hop beats. Instead, she went with vintage soul, and man, does it work. Her brand new offering, "Coming Back to You" (coming out in February on Hi Fi Recordings), connects her to venerable elders like Gladys Knight and, yes, early Aretha, but instead of sounding trapped within an antique box, Doolittle comes across as vital and vibrant.

Producer Mike Mangini helped Joss Stone launch her career, and with Doolittle he's found a partner who delivers not only on technique but also with powerful emotion. The retro-soul trend has primed listeners to appreciate the warmth of live instruments and a strong voice, so Doolittle has a chance to find her place among the airbrushed pop queens of the mainstream.

-- Ann Powers, LA Times

Tracy Morgan & Oprah Having A Baby!

Tracy and Oprah, Why not? Get all the jucy love affair details on David Letterman.

Eartha Kitt, Legendary Entertainer, International Icon Dies

Eartha Kitt, a sultry singer, dancer and actress who rose from South Carolina cotton fields to become an international symbol of elegance and sensuality, has died, a family spokesman said. She was 81.

Andrew Freedman said Kitt, who was recently treated at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, died Thursday in Connecticut of colon cancer. This is our 3BAAS tribute.


Kitt, a self-proclaimed "sex kitten" famous for her catlike purr, was one of America's most versatile performers, winning two Emmys and nabbing a third nomination. She also was nominated for several Tonys and two Grammys.

Her career spanned six decades, from her start as a dancer with the famed Katherine Dunham troupe to cabarets and acting and singing on stage, in movies and on television. She persevered through an unhappy childhood as a mixed-race daughter of the South and made headlines in the 1960s for denouncing the Vietnam War during a visit to the White House. Through the years, Kitt remained a picture of vitality and attracted fans less than half her age even as she neared 80.

When her book "Rejuvenate," a guide to staying physically fit, was published in 2001, Kitt was featured on the cover in a long, curve-hugging black dress with a figure that some 20-year-old women would envy. Kitt also wrote three autobiographies.

Eartha As The First Black Cat Woman On Batman... Sorry Halle

Once dubbed the "most exciting woman in the world" by Orson Welles, she spent much of her life single, though brief romances with the rich and famous peppered her younger years.

After becoming a hit singing "Monotonous" in the Broadway revue "New Faces of 1952," Kitt appeared in "Mrs. Patterson" in 1954-55. (Some references say she earned a Tony nomination for "Mrs. Patterson," but only winners were publicly announced at that time.) She also made appearances in "Shinbone Alley" and "The Owl and the Pussycat."

Her first album, "RCA Victor Presents Eartha Kitt," came out in 1954, featuring such songs as "I Want to Be Evil," "C'est Si Bon" and the saucy gold digger's theme song "Santa Baby," which is revived on radio each Christmas.

AP Writer Polly Anderson has more Eartha history. / ABC News

LUTHER VANDROSS Every Year, Every Christmas

Jose Feliciano - Feliz Navidad

Mr. & Mrs. Nick Cannon Do Aspen In Matching Red Outfits

You Won't Believe What Mariah Had To Say About Nick

"This year, in addition to everything I love about celebrating the holidays, it’s all going to be heightened because of Nick. Aspen is all about the snow and the environment, so it automatically puts you in that celebratory mood. I don’t really do up my New York apartment for Christmas; I save everything for Aspen.” Redbook Magazine

BREAKING NEWS: Michael Jackson Responds To Rumors That He's Dying Of A Rare Lung Disease!!!

Rumors, innuendo and gossip aside, the world may need to prepare itself for the passing of the 'king of pop', Michael Jackson. Or not!

The Internet is going crazy over reports Michael is suffering from a rare lung condition and needs to undergo an emergency transplant operation. And his normally outspoken publicist hasn’t denied the allegations.

“He’s not doing so well right now. This isn’t a good time...,” said Jermaine Jackson.

UPDATE - MICHAEL BREAKS HIS SILENCE!

Michael Jackson, through a spokesperson, has categorized as "wild allegations" and a "total fabrication" recent claims by the writer of a forthcoming unauthorized Jackson biography that Jackson's health is failing.

The statement, attributed to Jackson's "official and sole spokesperson, Dr. Tohme Tohme," came in response to writer Ian Halperin's claims that Jackson is suffering from a number of ailments, including Alpha 1-anititrypsin, a potentially fatal lung disease that, according to Halperin, has left Jackson in need of a lung transplant.
"Michael wants to have the lung transplant, but because of other illnesses he's fighting, he's too weak to undergo such a major procedure," Halperin, in an item posted at his website, quotes an unnamed friend of Jackson's. "He's taking one painkiller after another. I've known him over 20 years and have never seen him in such a frail state. It's very sad."

"He's had [Alpha 1-anititrypsin] for years, but it's gotten worse," Halperin reportedly said during a recent interview with In Touch magazine. "He needs a lung transplant but may be too weak to go through with it. He also has emphysema and chronic gastrointestinal bleeding, which his doctors have had a lot of trouble stopping. It's the bleeding that is the most problematic part. It could kill him."

"Concerning the author's allegations, we would hope in the future that legitimate media will not continue to be exploited by such an obvious attempt to promote [Halperin's forthcoming] unauthorized [Jackson] 'biography,'" Tohme said in a press release. "The writer's wild allegation concerning Mr. Jackson's health are a total fabrication.

"Mr. Jackson is in fine health," Thome's statement continues, "and finalizing negotiations with a major entertainment company and television network for both a world tour and a series of specials and appearances.

The King of Pop may be fighting for his life, New York Times bestselling biographer still insists.

Halperin, author of such tomes as “Love & Death: The Murder of Kurt Cobain” and “Stalking Britney: Under Siege With Britney Spears,” says Jackson has been diagnosed with Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, an occasionally fatal genetic condition. “He’s had it for years but it’s gotten worse,” Halperin told In Touch. “He needs a lung transplant but may be too weak to go through with it.

He also has emphysema and chronic gastrointestinal bleeding, which his doctors have had a lot of trouble stopping. It’s the bleeding that is the most problematic part. It could kill him.” According to Halperin, Jackson “can barely speak” and is having trouble seeing: “The vision in his left eye is 95 percent gone.”

Jackson, who has lived largely out the public eye in recent years, shocked fans in July when he was photographed in wheelchair. The 50-year-old also received help walking when stepped out in Los Angeles earlier this month wearing a Zorro-style face mask.

Source

Yolanda Adams Oh, Come All Ye' Faithful

Black Men Can Shake Their Pom Poms With The Best of Them

Aaliyah Biopic Joins Biggie Smalls As African American Hip Hop Artists Get Their Due In 09

Keisha Chante to Play Aaliyah in '09 Biopic
Mugabe Says 'Zimbabwe is Mine,' Won't Be Toppled
Vietnamese GOP Tries to Crack Black Caucus
Obama’s Choice of Pastor Creates Furor
Sarah Palin Under Pressure Over 'Racist Obama Emails'
Army Should Re-Investigate Death of Lavena Johnson
UN Says Darfur Conflict Shows No Sign of Ending

Condi Rice Talks Successes, Failures of Past 8 Years
NAACP Gives a Stern Warning to TV
Black Middle Class in Crisis
NASCAR Settles $225m Harassment Suit with Ex-Official
Sickle Cell Awareness in Churches Increases Blood Donors
8,000 Sugar Workers Laid Off in Jamaica
Katrina's Hidden Race War

Quincy Jones: 'Sad' about Michael Jackson's Career

Jeremy Wright Gets Thrown Under The Bus And Rick Warren Gets Center Stage? Barack, Me No Likey!

No Prior Convictions

By

Erin Aubry Kaplan

It’s always depressing, at least momentarily, to be reminded that hope has its limits. Or that it can be qualified and moderated, sculpted like limestone, to a point where it no longer resembles hope but something just slightly above the status quo.

President-elect Obama has chosen Pastor Rick Warren to preside over next month’s inauguration, an event as eagerly anticipated as anything in modern American history.

That’s partly because there’s been so little to celebrate on a national scale for so long, folks are already putting on their dancing shoes and ready to see the whole event as a template for a better, more enlightened nation.

It’s a coming-out party for a country that wandered away from its better nature for too many years and suffered in a desert of its own making, a country that’s been wounded badly by culture wars, but not killed by them. Not yet.

This inauguration is not just a message to the world that America is back, it’s a reintroduction to ourselves.
So the invocation and who does it is critical. Invocations are not just for the religious, by the way, but for all of us whose stake in this still-evolving democracy feels spiritual and always has. Of course, I don’t expect that whoever’s delivering the blessing will wear a cloth that covers everybody’s religious beliefs, to say nothing of the secular beliefs. It’s not possible in this case that one can or even should represent the many.

But that one who holds the brief power of the pulpit on Jan. 20 will nonetheless reflect something about all of us, spiritually, politically and otherwise.

Obama knows this very well. Which is why his choice of Warren, the supposedly moderate evangelical pastor from Orange County, is such a letdown. It’s not just that Warren vigorously supported Proposition 8, the anti-gay marriage initiative that just passed in California and opened up new rifts among gays, straights, blacks and other groups, rifts that are still deepening. It’s also the fact that during the campaign, Warren felt entitled to call the presidential candidates into account at his own place of worship.

The debate that he hosted at Saddleback church was really an Oprah interview, during which Warren was perfectly comfortable grilling Obama and McCain about their views on abortion and other “moral” issues that were far more about the mostly white church base than about an American base—a narrow reflection indeed.

Certainly Warren is only one symbol of the kind of faith-based power that’s ruled America for the last decade, but that’s the point—he’s a look backward, not forward. It’s not that he doesn’t have a constituency, but it’s very clear that that constituency as a guiding force should be retired, or at least minimized.

Obama’s already shown that he’s a master of compromise and soother of ruffled feathers when it comes to appointments, but he’s also shown that he can tip that compromise into capitulation. Or at least it looks that way.

I can’t help but think now about Obama’s former pastor and spiritual advisor, Jeremiah Wright. He was chased off the scene by his alleged racial divisiveness, a chase that Obama himself sanctioned in the end. Clearly that was more a political move than a move based on a real conviction that Wright’s scripture-based social critiques of America were wrong.

But now that the politics have paid off and Obama’s got the office he was running for, he can put forward who he wants to; he can articulate his own values without fear of retribution. That he chooses to put forward a very divisive Warren instead of someone one else—not Wright necessarily, but someone—says something about his values I’m not sure I like.

ERIN AUBRY KAPLAN is the first African American in history to be a weekly op-ed columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Her musings continue to appear in the Times, Essence magazine, and a host of other publications. Among her many projects, Kaplan is currently working on her much anticipated book.

CeCe Winans "Oh, Holy Night"

Will Smith Opens in Movie "SEVEN POUND"... But What Is He Chasing?

In the beginning of the film Seven Pounds all we know about Ben (Will Smith) is that something terrible has happened in his past, and that he feels responsible for it. That's all. The film is so roundabout and cryptic that it takes half the running time just to figure out the general nature of what's going on. "Seven Pounds" makes a mystery of its lead character and of what he's pursuing, and for a very simple reason:

If the movie were to announce its subject and story in the usual straightforward way, it would seem so ridiculous, far-fetched and borderline distasteful that no one would want to watch it. It might even seem funny.

So director Gabriele Muccino Muccino's task is clear, if difficult - to generate enough magic and to work up just the right mood so as to cast a spell on viewers. That way, when the movie's intentions and meaning are finally made clear, nothing will seem discordant or strange. All will make sense. For the most part, Muccino accomplishes this precise balance.
Read the rest of this review at Mick LaSalle, S.F Chronicle Movie Critic

Bush Bails Out Brothers In Detroit...To What End

In a statement before the markets opened, President George W. Bush said the government would be providing $13.4 billion in emergency loans to G.M. and Chrysler, with the possibility of another $4 billion in February. Ford has said it does not need immediate aid.

Now the question is will it be enough or is this a cancer that has gone too far. My brothers in Detroit you are getting an early Christmas gift use it wisely

Mr. Bush said an “orderly bankruptcy” — an idea floated by the White House on Thursday — was not possible, but said the automakers need to undergo major restructuring to become viable.

“The only way to avoid a collapse of the U.S. auto industry is for the executive branch to step in,” Mr. Bush said. “The American people want the auto companies to succeed, and so do I. So today, I’m announcing that the federal government will grant loans to auto companies under conditions similar to those Congress considered last week.”
(erase after the remaining post)

It Ain't Just NPR News & Notes: Black Newspaper Journalists Are Getting Kicked To The Curb Too!

With major media outlets laying off reporters and editors at alarming rates, black journalists have been hit particularly hard as The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, The Star-Ledger, National Public Radio, BET and NBC News are among the companies to drastically reduce newsroom staff in an effort to stay afloat financially.

In 2008, an estimated 15,000 people have lost their jobs at newspapers, according to the tracking Web site Papercuts. And by 2010, media experts say, several cities may be without a daily newspaper. Almost every black journalist who is working knows a black journalist who isn't.

Barbara Ciara, president of the National Association of Black Journalists and vice president for UNITY Journalists of Color, said black journalists – and journalists of color – offer readers and viewers a valuable perspective on news.

"When diversity dies in our nation’s newsrooms through layoffs and buyouts, it has a direct impact on the consumer of color,” Ciara told BlackAmericaWeb.com. “People in charge of content who have different experiences and backgrounds produce a more well-balanced product."

The Star-Ledger, New Jersey’s largest newspaper, will cut its newsroom staff about 40 percent by year’s end, one of the largest reductions in a single move by a major American newspaper.

Associated Press, the clearinghouse of U.S. journalism, is firing 10 percent of its staff, or about 400 people. Gannett Co. Inc, with interests in newspapers and broadcast stations, recently eliminated about 2,000 jobs in its latest round of cuts, while NBC News plans to reduce some of its 1,200 employees.

Earlier this year, The Washington Post asked a number of seasoned black journalists to consider taking buyouts – which many did – and other black journalists were forced to leave publications like The Dallas Morning News and The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Black journalists also are concerned about "News & Notes" – the provocative news program geared toward African-American listeners on National Public Radio – that has been canceled after a three-year run. NPR last week cited declining revenue for the cancellation, adding that the network planned to eliminate about seven percent of its workforce.

“Undoubtedly, historically-black radio has been the heartbeat of the black community, from the advent of talk radio through the Sunday morning gospel shows,” Keith Murphy, host of The Urban Journal on XM Radio, told BlackAmericaWeb.com. “We, as a people, go to our local and national talk formatted shows in questionable times because of the trust and bonds that are developed.”

Richard Prince, who writes "Journal-Isms," a diversity column for the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, was among the first to report developments concerning “News & Notes” before the official announcement concerning the program’s demise.

The story continues...

Caroline Kennedy Says Publicly She's 'All In' for NY Senate Seat

Barack Obama is pulling a lot of his administration appointments from the U.S. Senate. So much so that the chase for these vacated seats look like a high stakes poker game. Caroline Kennedy has had her eye on Hillary's vacated seat but thus far has not shown her political cards and said publicly 'yes I want that senate seat'... that was, until today. Caroline Kennedy launched a tour of upstate New York to meet with politicians and power brokers Wednesday, and said publicly for the first time that she wants to be New York's next senator.

Kennedy said in a brief statement to reporters she "would be honored" to be considered for appointment to the seat held by Hillary Rodham Clinton, if Clinton is confirmed as President-elect Barack Obama's secretary of state."I just wanted to say, as some of you may have heard, I would be honored to be considered for the position of U.S. senator," Kennedy said. "I wanted to come upstate to meet Mayor Driscoll and others to tell them about my experience and also learn how Washington can help upstate New York."

Kennedy noted that a number of elected officials who also have been named as possible Clinton successors.

"There are lot of good candidates the governor is considering and he's laid out a process and I'm proud to be in that process," she said.

Gov. David Paterson will decide who gets the job. The new senator will have to run in 2010 to fill the last two years of Clinton's term and then run for a full term in 2012. AP

Oprah Winfrey And HBO Jump The Broom And Hook It Up

After 20 years at ABC, Winfrey's Harpo Films has inked a three-year exclusive deal with HBO to develop and produce scripted programming, including series, miniseries, movies and documentaries.

"This is truly a dream come true for us," Harpo Films president Kate Forte said. "It's part of the natural evolution of our company."

Harpo's deal with HBO was sealed after two meetings -- one at CAA, which reps Harpo, and one at Winfrey's estate in Montecito, Calif.

"It sounds corny, but it was almost love at first sight," HBO's West Coast chief Michael Lombardo said. "The more we talked, the more we realized that our companies are very similar in sensibilities."

The pact starts Jan. 1, after the expiration of Harpo's current first-look longform pact with ABC.

As part of Harpo's long-term relationship with ABC, the company produced a slew of acclaimed and highly rated TV movies and miniseries under the "Oprah Winfrey Presents" banner, including the Emmy-winning "Tuesdays With Morrie" and "Their Eyes Were Watching God." Harpo also made its first foray into unscripted programming on ABC this year with "Oprah's Big Give," produced by Harpo Prods.

ABC approached Winfrey and Forte about extending their deal, but Harpo opted to go to HBO.

"ABC was always incredibly supportive of us. It is much more about the opportunity HBO offers us," Forte said. "There are natural limitations to network TV, including being driven by ratings and commercial sponsorship."

Read the rest of this scoop at THR.com By Nellie Andreeva

The New Sexy: Clean Cut Black Men Who Look Like They Have Some Sense!

Super hot Jason Taylor, the star new defensive end for the Washington Redskins and former contestant on Dancing with the Stars, glams it up for the cover of Capitol File.

Earlier this week it was all about what sexy football players are not wearing in the locker room. Now some previews of what some sexy ballers are wearing off the field.

Source

The City of Compton Tries For An Image Makeover!

Compton Holds Annual Christmas Parade
Halle & Tyler To Host “40th Naacp Image Awards”
Intellectually Challenged Black Bible Thumping Homophobes???
Holiday Special: Jumpin' the Broom DVD on Sale
When Ignorance Leads to Murder
Wanted: Courageous, Effective Black Leadership
Concerning Kwanzaa, Race and Religion

Subprime Lending Has Robbed Blacks of Billions
N.Y. Governor Says 'Saturday Night Live' Skit Went Too Far
In Georgia, Stir Over Plan for Black Colleges
Like Lincoln, Obama Will Ride the Rails To D.C.
Chris Rock: My Girls Want a Playdate with Obama's Daughters
Don King Impressed with Bush's Ability to Bob and Weave

Taraji P. Henson's Oscar Nomination Buzz

Brian Nichols, Atlanta Courthouse Shooter Sentenced to Life

Great Discount Shopping This Sunday December 14th Only! A.S.A.P. Benefit Boutique And Silent Auction

Great discount shopping deals, silent auction, food and fun for ONE DAY ONLY can be found this Sunday December 14th at the ASAP Holiday Boutique and the proceeds go to a worthy cause, the Alliance for Safety Awareness for Patients (ASAP). 1:00 PM TO 4:00 PM Domini Salon 201 N. Westmoreland Ave. #109 Los Angeles, Ca 90004213-389-7896 Phone

Some of you may remember Alicia Cole. For the last two and half years she has been battling a man-eating flesh eating disease...

It is a form of the infection MRSA called Necrotizing Fasciitis(NF). Because of lax sterilization practices Alicia contracted this infection at Burbank Saint Josephs Hospital, a top notch hospital in Los Angeles area. She has now created the Alliance for Safety Awareness for Patients (ASAP)a non-profit who's goal it is not to have anyone suffer as she has.

Alicia Cole, is now on the slow road to recovery although not entirely out of the woods yet. Her days are spent changing the gauze on her yet unhealed gaping wounds in her abdomen and with what little energy she has left Cole is trying to make sure this never happens to anyone else.

The Sherman Oaks, California resident and actress has become the poster child
for hospital-acquired infections, which kill around 100,000 Americans each year.
“This is one of the worst cases I’ve ever seen in my life. I don’t know how she survived it,” RN Chris Cahill tells IB News. The public health nurse worked in infection control for 30 years for the state Department of Health Services and has become familiar with Cole’s case.

Federal estimates are 6 to 10% of hospital patients will contract some form of infection. About one-third of patients die unless the disease spreads to internal organs, as it did with Cole. Then fatality rates rise to about 70 percent.

NF is, like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a form of hospital acquired infection that is difficult to contain with antibiotics. NF can be caused by Staph or more commonly the group A Streptococcal (GAS) bacterium, which also causes strep throat. It is a particularly aggressive bacterial infection that can rapidly spread through the blood destroyingskin, fat and tissues and eventually can shut down the organs.

Alicia in better times
The first symptom of a hospital acquired infection is a high and sudden fever within 48 hours of admittance to a hospital for another condition. No one knows why in some cases these aggressive infections can affect an otherwise healthy patient, as was Cole.

Lying in the Intensive Care Unit after five surgeries Cole tells IB News, she made a promise. “Lord just let me live and I’ll make sure no one goes through this” she says.

And she’s making good on her promise.

She has established the website www.Amendthecap.com to create awareness about California’s medical malpractice cap of $250,000 for pain, suffering and emotional distress, even if your injury is caused by the hospital.

Cole is telling her story to the National Necrotizing Fasciitis Foundation is part of an online community of thousands.

As a consumer advocate, Cole has created a compelling and articulate video on YouTube where she stands outside of the Los Angeles County Health Department just before testifying before a state advisory committee urging hospitals to make public their rates of infection and failures of surgical procedures. Restaurants get a letter grading, why can’t hospitals she says.

Read a complete interview of Alicia's Drama and How important it is to have friends and family by your bedside when having surgery at injuryboard.com

Did Race Play Into LAUSD Supt. David Brewer's Payoff???

From the moment a faction controlled by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa seized control of the Los Angeles Unified School District board, the conventional wisdom has been that LAUSD Supt. David Brewer’s days as the district’s chief executive were numbered.

This being L.A., the issue was, from the beginning, viewed through a racial prism, because the school board’s leader, a Latina, led the charge to remove Brewer, who is African-American. Race even played a role in bringing this drama to its climax: LAUSD Board President Monica Garcia first attempted to engineer his ouster last week; however, apparently afraid of how things would look, pulled back the effort when the board’s only Black member, Marguerite LaMotte, would not return from a previously scheduled trip to take part in a show trial — one in which everyone involved knew a verdict had already been rendered.

The only thing left was the posturing. So the blur of activity that resulted in Tuesday’s board decision to buy out Brewer’s contract, to the tune of an estimated $500,000, was really just the coda to a distracting melodrama that has finally played itself out.

Most reasonable parties understand that Brewer’s ouster was less about race, and more about who will ultimately control the LAUSD — officially or not. Like Garcia, Brewer’s expected temporary replacement, Deputy Superintendent Ramon Cortines, is a close ally of Villaraigosa — whose legislative bid to take control of the city’s schools was deemed unconstitutional by a state appeals court last year.

By taking out Brewer, who was selected by a former school board majority hostile to Villaraigosa’s dream of expanding his political portfolio, the mayor moves a step closer to pulling all the strings on an ineffective board that is far too eager to abdicate its core responsibilities. All to appease an ambitious mayor who has not yet proven himself capable of improving student achievement.



Especially in times like this, when the state of urban education is in serious crisis, school superintendents in big cities across the United States tend to come and go.

But even with all racial considerations aside, it seems particularly unfair to place the de facto blame for LAUSD’s failing schools on Brewer’s head by orchestrating his departure halfway into a four-year contract. In terms of test scores, the single factor that is currently — and perhaps unfortunately — in vogue as to measuring student achievement, Brewer has shown marked improvement during his brief tenure. He also won plaudits for placing an emphasis on Black student achievement — a high-profile effort that gave rise to suspicions that race did indeed play a part in his unpopularity with the school board.

This is why the racial suspicions persist, which Brewer has done little to dispel. And the community is reacting: On the day this editorial is published, a group of the city’s African-American leaders will hold a press conference responding to Brewer’s exit.

During it, they plan to demand substantial representation on a selection committee that will help choose a new permanent superintendent, and the formation of a task force to address the specific needs of Black students. According to an announcement aboutThursday’s event at Dorsey High School, this would also include “a strategic plan for African-American students with a focus on Black males who make up approximately 274 gangs in 17 cities and five unincorporated areas in Los Angeles County.”

Fine, the school board didn’t want to give the former Navy admiral more time to build on his successes. As long as they understand that it is going to take one hell of a soldier to guide LAUSD through a political morass that has grown thornier due to the hasty — and costly — actions of this week.

Obama Staffer Turns Down Blagojevich On Senate Seat Sale

President-Elect Barack Obama claims he knew nothing of Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich desire to sell his vacated U.S. Senate Seat to the highest bidder. In fact the F.B.I. has on recorded tape Governor Blagojevich reaction to someone in the Obama camp who turned down his request for money if Obama wanted to name his own replacement. The FBI recording goes something like this, "F... Obama and F... all his people if they don't want to pay up..." So to me it is clear someone from the Obama camp was turning down Governor Blagojevich or his people who were soliciting the bribe on his behalf. But a big question should be asked. Did the Obama representative inform police or the FBI that this illegal activity was going on?

Julian Bond to Seek New Term as NAACP Board Chairman
Lawyers: Most Ex-Simpson Defendants Face Probation
Police Called to Stevie Wonder's Home Over Fight with Cousin
Common: Obama Will Change Hip-Hop's Attitude
Obama Works to Distance Himself from Ill. Governor
Zimbabwe Claims Plot for Invasion
Oprah Mad at Herself for Ballooning Weight
Whole Foods Helps Fund Microfinancing in Kenya
Colin Powell Helps Raise $1M for MLK Memorial
Group Looks for Ways to Educate Blacks on Breastfeeding
Hampton University Band to March in Inaugural Parade
Court Writes a Happy Ending for Tyler Perry's Diary

Leno's New Show Puts Thousands In Hollywood Out Of Work

Up till now the big worry in Hollywood was whether in the midst of a recession and after the devastation of last springs Writers Guild Strike, would the Screen Actor Guild(SAG), representing Hollywood actors, have the nerve to call a strike. Well that possibility is now minor to television work, when you consider the jobs lost as NBC announces that Jay Leno will retire from the Tonight Show, but will have a new daily hour long show Monday thru Friday at 10pm each night.
This new show will wipe out five hours of regular NBC episodic production affecting thousands of television production jobs. And unlike the SAG strike possibility; this is a done deal.

It is all about bang for the buck and NBC trying to save money and embarrassment. If NBC had let Leno just walk away, he probably would have wound up on another network competing against new Tonight Show Host Conan O'Brien. The Tonight Show would have definitely lost a big chunk of it's audience to the competing Leno show and that would have been embarra
ssing.

But the "bang for the buck", is once again a network succeeding in finding programming that cost little to initially produce and does not give residual payments to producers directors, writers and actors. We see this now as reality TV programs are a main stay of television viewing 8pm to 9pm. The Monday thru Friday 10pm time slot, up till now, was still the one guaranteed television home for hour long dramas.

Right now it cost each network approximately 2 million dollars to produce one episode of an hour long drama. So the cost to NBC for 5 different hour long dramas(Monday thru Friday 10pm to 11pm) is approximately 10 million dollars. The networks recoup this money thru advertising and when the shows are sold in to reruns (aka syndication). The producers, directors,writers and actors receive residual payments for reuse of their services. It will only cost about 2 million dollars for the "entire week" of the new Jay Leno show. Saving NBC 8 million dollars a week.
Multiply that 8 times a 22 week regular schedule and that is a savings of $164 million dollars!

Further savings for NBC and job loss for industry workers will be seen during Pilot Season. More Math: For every one hour drama committed to a time slot, there are at least 4 other dramas made/produced, but do not get picked up. So on the conservative side, if 3 new one hour dramas are picked up for broadcast, there were at least 15 total pilots made. Those 15 shows are usually filmed when other production has stopped and everyone is unemployed. These 15 pilots and the jobs they'd bring are now lost.

For NBC, and also ABC, CBS there is an added bonus. With the loss of the 15 pilots, the 3 new shows, syndication/reruns; there are no jobs, no residual payments or pension and health contributions to unions. Therefore the unions and members are weakened for the next round of negotiations.

And just so no one thinks this article is union propaganda, lets not forget about the loss to other non union jobs that will be lost. Copying and printing, caterer, wardrobe shops, agents, managers, security, lumber sales for set construction, trailer car truck and light equipment rental, makeup, food and fuel sales, location scouting, bookkeepers and payroll services... just to name a few.

NBC has just put the first major hit on Hollywood for 2009, thanks and Oh', good luck with the new gig Jay.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Leaves Retirement to Fight Champ Pacquiao

Last Saturday night Manny Pacquiao dismantled the Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya in a fierce boxing match. De La Hoya did not even answer the 9th round, he just quit. So what is Floyd Mayweather Jr. thinking about when he announced yesterday that he was coming out of retirement to challenge Pacquiao? Money. Well perhaps Mayweather should see the video highlights below of De La Hoya getting "thumped" by Pacquiao before he makes his final decision.

Kennedy Centers Honors Morgan Freeman and Barbara Streisand

Louisiana Voters Oust Indicted Rep. Jefferson
Bush's New Neighborhood Barred Non-Whites Until 2000
UNCF President: Don’t Close Historically Black Colleges
Oprah Named Entertainment's Most Powerful Woman
Girls Flee Circumcision in Kenya
Obama Says He Won't Be Smoking in White House
Jamie Foxx: Obamas Need a Pit Bull
Ghana Votes in Rare Example of African Democracy
Some Say O.J. Simpson Sentence Too Harsh
Trina Organizes Toy Drive in Miami
Rep. Charles Rangel's Ethics Inquiry May Put Pelosi in a Bind
Morehouse Wants Men with Class

Movie Cadillac Records With Beyonce and Jeffery Wright Opens This Weekend

O.J. Simpson Could Have Taken Plea Deal for Less Time
Teacher Sorry for Binding Girls in Slavery Lesson
British Prime Minister Brown Tells Mugabe: Enough is Enough
Oprah: I'm Not Seeking Job with Obama
High Court Unlikely to Hear Suits about Obama's Citizenship
Obama Campaign Weighs $30 Million Surplus
Nigeria's United Bank for Africa to Launch in Kenya
Two Years Later, Jena Six Youths Still Await Day in Court
Publicist Confesses to Rihanna & Jay-Z Rumors
Federal Judge Blocks NFL’s Suspension of 5
Jesse Jackson Plans Rallies to Support Automakers
A Glance at the State of Democracy in Africa