Is this Really Idris Elba?!?!!?

(Before) 

What a difference a shave makes… Idris Elba on the set of Jill Scott’s new HBO Show “No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency”

Excerpts from Obama’s Speech on Race and Politics

“I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles, and cousins, of every race and hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.”

“We saw racial tensions bubble to the surface during the week before the South Carolina primary. The press has scoured every exit poll for the latest evidence of racial polarization, not just in terms of white and black, but black and brown as well. And yet, it has only been in the last couple of weeks that the discussion of race in this campaign has taken a particularly divisive turn.”

“I can no more disown (Wright) than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother- a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in the world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe. These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love. ”

“The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we’ve never realy worked through- a part of our union that we have yet to perfect. And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American.”

“Segregated schools were, and are, inferior schools; we still haven’t fixed them, fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, and the inferior education they provided, then and now, helps explain the pervasive achievement gap between today’s black and white students. Legalized discrimination- where blacks were prevented, often through violence, from owning property, or loans were not granted to African-American business owners, or black homeowners could not access FHA mortgages, or balck were excluded from unions, or the police force, or fire departments- meant that black families could not amass any meaningful wealth to bequeath to future generations. that history helps explain the wealth and income gaps between black and white, and the concentrated pockets of poverty that persists in so many of today’s urban and rural communities.”

“For the men and women of the Reverend Wright’s generation, the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away; nor has teh anger and the bitterness of those years.”

“The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright’s sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning.”

“But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding it’s roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.”

“Most working- and middle class white American’s don’t feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience- as far as they’re concerned, no one’s handed them anything, they’ve built it from scratch. They’ve worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor.”

“So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when the hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they’re told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resent builds over time.”

“Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze- a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns- this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding. This is where we are right now. It’s a racial stalemate we’ve been stuck in for years.”

“In the end, then, what is called for is nothing more, and nothing less, than what all the world’s great religions demand- that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let us be our brother’s keeper.”

Jeremiah Wright Can Be a Problem or Opportunity for Obama

By GWEN RICHARDSON

There is an adage that the most segregated hour in America is at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. Therein lies the difference in reaction to the recently released videos featuring provocative statements by Sen. Barack Obama’s pastor for the past 20 years, Dr. Jeremiah Wright.

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Most African Americans who view these video snippets know that they are taken out of context and can be taken with a grain of salt. Sermons by Black pastors are often filled with hyperbole, colorful language and cultural cadences. In an average year, Wright probably delivered at least 50 sermons on a variety of topics.

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Meanwhile, the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, which Wright pastored for 35 years until he retired in February, continued to be a beacon of light to people in the surrounding community, providing drug and alcohol recovery, marriage counseling, prison outreach and other community services. As in most Black churches, the members of Trinity engage in the Christian rituals of baptism and communion, as well as baby dedications and rites of passage ceremonies. The church’s Afrocentric focus, which teaches the principles of self-reliance and self-determination that conservatives claim to embrace, is designed to build its members’ self-esteem and solve some of the intractable problems within the African-American community.

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Wright himself spent six years in the military, has four earned degrees and has been the recipient of eight honorary doctorates. He is the author of several books, including two titled What Can Happen When We Pray? and Good News!: Sermons of Hope for Today’s Families. He was born in 1941, came of age during the crucible of the Civil Rights Movement and, as do many Black pastors, speaks to the pain and suffering many African Americans feel from the nation’s legacy of slavery, Jim Crow and discrimination.

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Unfortunately, because few non-black people have spent any time in black churches, the recent video clips of Wright shown on cable news channels conjure up fears and anxieties that are, quite frankly, unwarranted but understandable. These video clips were first promulgated several weeks ago on Fox News by commentators Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly. One can only guess at their motivations, but it appears that they want to sully Obama’s image by tying him to Wright and implying that Obama shares the same attitudes that the videos portray. If successful, this could be enough to frighten the bejesus out of enough White voters to deny Obama the nomination and/or the presidency.

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Among the remaining presidential contenders, all have had challenges with religious leaders who have made shocking statements. Texas televangelist John Hagee, who endorsed John McCain last month, has described Catholicism as a contributor to Hitler’s anti-Semitism and a “false cult.” On Feb. 26, McCain appeared at a rally with the Rev. Rod Parsley, an Ohio minister who is notable for suggesting that the United States should be at war with Islam. Hillary Clinton, for her part, belongs to a Methodist church that has decided to perform ceremonies joining homosexual couples.

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However, since race is one of the most powerful motivators in American society, the image of a Black minister who makes inflammatory racial statements is more intoxicating than the others. For Obama, this is not an issue that will go away, nor can it be ignored.

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It has been in Obama’s best interest televise nationally the march 18 Pennsylvania speech on race and politics. Similar to the speeches made by John Kennedy in 1960 regarding his Catholicism, and Mitt Romney about his Mormon faith, Obama has tackled this issue head on. He has been open and honest about his background, his motivations and his vision, as transparent as he was in his memoir, “Dreams of My Father.”

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Obama’s supporters, and those who would like to support him but have questions about how influential Wright has been regarding his spiritual journey, got the opportunity to hear directly from the candidate, not campaign spokespersons.

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Because of Obama’s parentage, he is not a product of generations of American slavery. He is identified as black because American society operates by the one-drop rule: If a person has one drop of black blood, he or she is considered black by American standards. But because of Obama’s heritage, he is in a unique position to talk to the nation from both sides of the divide. He can actually share the points of view of both blacks and whites.

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Going on the offensive regarding Wright’s remarks has been the best way for Obama to put this issue to rest. Otherwise, it might have simmered beneath the surface for the remainder of the campaign, rearing its ugly head and diminishing his message of hope, change and unity.

Gwen Richardson is an entrepreneur and author based in Houston, Texas. Her new book is titled: Why African Americans Can’t Get Ahead: And How We Can Solve It With Group Economics. Richardson is currently writing a book about the 2008 presidential election.

Obama Update: Delegate Lead Widens

Word has it that Obama’s lead is widening despite all the other drama that’s surrounding both the Clinton and Obama campaigns.

The delegates, allocated to John Edwards who has since dropped out of the competition, voted to support Obama during a state-wide convention over the weekend. Seven of the fourteen delegates that were designated for Edwards on the bases of caucus night projections switched their support. So far that leaves Obama with 52 percent compared to rival Sen. Hillary Clinton’s 32 percent of that state’s delegates. About 16 percent of the delegates stuck with Edwards, even though he no longer is in the race. Counting Iowa’s results, Obama’s total nationwide delegate count is now at 1,610 to Clinton’s 1496.

At this point though, there’s no way Hilary’s going to drop out. She’s a fighter, so even despite Obama’s lead, the Democratic party may still be looking at a photo finish at the Democratic National Conference this summer. A lot of critics are suggesting that Hillary should drop out because the Obama/Clinton fight may be damaging the Democratic party’s chances at winning the big prize in November.  

Two Arrested in Ladera Heights Murder of ATM Customer

LOS ANGELES (AP)-Police have arrested two people for investigation of the murder of an off-duty Customs and Border Protection employee who came upon a robbery in progress at a row of ATMs at the Bank of America behind the Ladera Center.

The arrests of the pair, both in their early 20s, followed numerous tips from the community and use of search warrants, the Police Department said in a statement on March 14.

The victim, Mylus Mondy, walked up to an ATM about 11:30 p.m. March 9 on La Cienega Westway, unaware that a robbery was occurring. The assailant demanded money from Mondy, struck him on the head and pointed a gun at him, police said.

Mondy ran but was pursued and shot. He died March 10 at a hospital.

Dyson to Answer Cosby’s Rap Album

“There’s nothing worse than a comedian that’s trying to be serious on a certain level. That could be hazardous to your career. And to your health,” Michael Eric Dyson, told AllHipHop.com in reference to Bill Cosby who says that he is going to record a hip hop album. Dyson has already stated that he plans to counteract with his own hip hop album if this rumor turns out to be true.

Dyson, one of the coolest social commentators that you’ll ever em, effin’ know, has been one of the most openly vocal critics of Bill Cosby’s stand against the hip hop generation, publishing “Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?” in 2006 in response to Cosby’s ultra conservative tirade at an NAACP Convention in which Cosby basically ridiculed and belittled lower class black Americans. To skim over the speech go here: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/billcosbypoundcakespeech.htm. (I personally like the part where he says “You can’t keep relying on God, God is tired of you.”)  

Dyson considers Cosby’s rants at the event, and since then to be an “assualt on the black poor.”      

In response to criticism of hip hop in general, Dyson published “Know What I Mean?” which features an afterword by Nas and a foreward by Jay Z who states: “At this point it might seem hollow to repeat what has been widely said about Michael Eric Dyson: this gifted man is the “hip hop intellectual,” a world-class scholar, and the most brilliant interpreter of hip hop culture we have. But plain and simple that is what he is. He has shown those doubters and critics that hip hop is a vital arts movement created by young working-class men and women of color. Yes, our rhymes can contain violence and hatred. Yes, our songs can detail the drug business and our choruses can bounce with lustful intent. However, those things did not spring from inferior imaginations or deficient morals; these things came from our lives. They came from America.”

Dyson’s resume goes on to include a host of television and radio show appearances, and a laundry lists of book titles in which Dyson comments on every social issued plauging African Americans from hip hop to Hurricane Katrina, to race relations in America. His literary accomplishments also include:  ”Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac,” “Open Mike,” “Why I Love Black Women,” “Mercy, Mercy Me: The Art, Loves, and Demons of Marvin Gaye,” “Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster,” “Debating Race,” and his newest release “April 6, 1968: Martin Luther King’s Death and How it Changed America.”  

Dyson in action, wait for the Jay Z quote:

If you don’t know about Dyson you should pick up one of his books. He’s real as hell. There’s no arguing with this dude, he’ll rip you up to shreds and as Jay Z stated above he’s one of the best defenses the hip hop generation has against all the people who discredit the relevance of the genre. His books have definitely inspired a lot of though in me and has provided me with an abundance of ammunition when I’ve somehow found myself defending the hip hop generation in an office where I’m the youngest person by at least 10 years.

 For more: www.MichaelEricDyson.com

India.Arie Hits Broadway in ‘For Colored Girls…’

India.Arie is currently rehearsing for her Broadway debut this summer. The neo-soul singer is scheduled to star in the Broadway revival of “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf.”

The classic play by Ntozake Shange shares the stories of seven women of color.

For Colored Girls, which has also been described as a choreopoem, had its first run off-Broadway at the Public Theater in 1976 before moving to Broadway where it ran for almost two years, garnering a Tony nomination for best play.

India.Arie has previously acted on NBC’s “American Dreams,” where she portrayed Nina Simone.

Text-Messaging Service to Alert Public to “Where the Ballers At”

So apparently society has fallen to a new all-time low with the creation of Baller Alert™, a new text-messaging service that alerts participants to “where the ballers at.”

The free text service keeps you informed up to the minute with special alerts to your phone when the hottest celebrities, athletes and tastemakers step on the scene.

Not only will Baller Alert™ let you know what’s going down and where but it will keep you updated on everything you missed. Recap the morning after with the interactive Baller Alert™ Web site, your link to the celebrity world. The website will give you all the inside dirt on your favorite celebrities with exclusive gossip, candid pictures and updated information.

The website lets you set up a profile and post pictures, chat with friends and view real time footage. You can even text message a picture or video from the party straight to the front page of the Baller Alert™ site.  

For more: www.balleralert.com

I understand that this service is being marketed to people in the industry who desire to be “in-the-know” but doesn’t this just sound like a service for gold diggers and paparazzi? Who else will kick it into high gear at a moment’s notice just to run behind some celebs- real insiders don’t need texts, so what’s this site really about?

Saaphyri Launches ‘Lip Chap’ Line

Saaphyri, the girl from 54th and Crenshaw who wasn’t even on  ”Flavor of Love 2″ long enough to get a nickname from Flav has turned her 15 minutes of fame (literally) into a business venture.

Everybody remembers when she offered the girl some “lip chap” on the show; now she’s turned that moment into money.

With the $50,000 that she won on “Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School” Saaphyri has launched a ’Lip Chap’ lip balm and hair line.

Saaphyri’s Lip Chap is a unisex lip balm and includes flavors like cookie dough, mojito, piña colada, bubble gum, and wintergreen.  

I got a little nervous when I had to confirm my age just to watch the commercial on youtube but here’s the video anyway:  

In addition, Saaphyri is launching a line of hair. Saaphyri’s Ultimate Indian Hair is supposedly the answer to unrealistic-looking hair weave.  

So what do you think?

For more: www.saaphyri.com.

‘The Game’ Next to be Cancelled After ‘Girlfriends’?

  Looks like it might be time to say goodbye to the CW sitcom “The Game” as it was not named among the six shows receiving early pickup for the fall.

“Girlfriends” which is arguably the best show on the channel has already gotten the ax.

“America’s Next Top Model” and “Everybody Hates Chris” will return in the fall, along with “Gossip Girl,” “One Tree Hill,” “Smallville” and “Supernatural.”

“ANTM,” the network’s most popular series and the top-ranked show among its 18-34-year-old female demographic (along with “One Tree Hill”), will return with its 11th and 12th cycle, while “Chris” will begin its fourth season in the fall. 

 Er’a'um how you gonna get rid of Girlfriends and not Smallville? Does anyone even watch Smallville? 

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