[video] Lil Kim Lost Her Brooklyn Accent? Lil Kim Interview On Black Voice! (Wants To Pursue Her Acting Career & Talks About Her Upcoming Debut On Dancing With The Stars)

When keeping it FAKE goes wrong. Can someone please put a picture of the old Lil Kim on a milkbox and inform her that Hip Hop is looking for her. This imposter is not doing a good job of passing off as Lil Kim.

[video] Chris Brown in Court and Transcripts of the Graphic Police Report

[video] Snoop at Saviour’s Day Praising Farrakhan

Sex party swingers in mini riot over clothed guest at nudist colony

via News.com

A TOURIST who refused to take his clothes off at a swinger sex party has been blamed for “a mini-riot” at a north Queensland nudist colony.

Police were called amid threats of violence and lewd behaviour and ordered the Brisbane man and his wife from the adults-only “anything goes” sex party.

The White Cockatoo resort at Mossman, near Port Douglas, is promoting swingers and sex parties in a month of hedonism for March in a bid to boost sagging tourism figures.

Once billed as the nation’s top group-sex hotspot for swingers, the resort made international headlines last year when The Courier-Mail first reported plans to lift a self-imposed swinger ban.

Owner Tony Fox said the “mini-riot” erupted when four naked female guests protested when confronted by the fully-clothed man.

“They felt uncomfortable with him eyeing them off and I asked him to show some respect and take his clothes off,” said the nudist colony manager.

“He then threatened to bash me, there was some argy-bargy and I ordered him off the premises and police were called.”

[video] RE:GENERATIONS feat. The Roots, NAS, Cee-lo, Will.I.Am, TV On The Radio and more.

Today’s “contemporary” musical genuises pay homage to a timeless LEGEND…Nat KING Cole.

[video] Dj Drama & Cookin Soul- Notorious BIG tribute mixtape trailer – Coming March 9th

Coming next Monday, March 9th 2009, exactly twelve years after his death.

In “The NOTORIOUS BIG Tribute” superproducers and remixers Cookin’ Soul flip the original samples used in Biggie’s classic albums “Ready to Die” and “Life After Death” into new beats and feature original appearances from a whole range of well known artists paying their respects doing what they do best, in a celebration of the late great rapper musical legacy.

Original features & appearances by:
Styles P, LA the Darkman, Wilie Tha Kid, Uncle Murda, Amanda Diva, Lil’ Cease (Junior MAFIA), P. Diddy, Miss Info (Hot 97), Jean Grae, CL Smooth, Skyzoo, Grafh, Emilio Rojas, Nipsey Hussle, Tek (Smif n’ Wesson), Freekey Zekey, Jet Ash Lag, Sen City, Shiest Bubz, De la Ghetto (Massacre Musical) and Chaundon.
20 Brand new tracks.

Hosted by DJ Drama aka Barack Odrama: The Mixtape President.

Mixtape will be available for free download @ www.cookinsoul.com

[Interview]:Bringing Whitney Houston Back

via Parade.com

Move over Britney, Whitney Houston is ready to take the title of comeback queen. And David Foster, the legendary hit-maker for stars ranging from Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion to Madonna and Michael Jackson, is finally talking about his reunion with the superstar.

Foster collaborated with Houston on the blockbuster soundtrack single “I Will Always Love You.” He knows fans are wondering if she’s ready to resume her hugely successful career after years battling her personal demons.

Q: You and Whitney are finally together again. How is she doing?

David Foster: I was in the studio with her last week. She’s in great shape and she looks good. We have this fantastic song that Diane Warren wrote and we went in and recorded it. It went really well. Her work ethic was exactly the way it was when we did the song for The Bodyguard. She worked incredibly hard for two nights and we came up with something really good.

Q: Whitney has been through some tough times. Do you think she has her life and career back on track?

DF: I think she’s going to have a great album out within the year. Whitney is a girl that everybody would like to see come back and, in this case, it really would be a comeback. A lot of people say, ‘Come back? I never left.’ But Whitney did leave and she hasn’t recorded in about 10 years, I believe. So this truly would be a comeback.

Songwriter Diane Warren had something to say about the the song she wrote for Houston.

Obama’s TelePrompter: Never Leaves Home Without It

via Politico

President Barack Obama doesn’t go anywhere without his TelePrompter.

The textbook-sized panes of glass holding the president’s prepared remarks follow him wherever he speaks.

Resting on top of a tall, narrow pole, they flank his podium during speeches in the White House’s stately parlors. They stood next to him on the floor of a manufacturing plant in Indiana as he pitched his economic stimulus plan. They traveled to the Department of Transportation this week and were in the Capitol Rotunda last month when he paid tribute to Abraham Lincoln in six-minute prepared remarks.

Obama’s reliance on the teleprompter is unusual — not only because he is famous for his oratory, but because no other president has used one so consistently and at so many events, large and small.

After the teleprompter malfunctioned a few times last summer and Obama delivered some less-than-soaring speeches, reports surfaced that he was training to wean himself off of the device while on vacation in Hawaii. But no such luck.

His use of the teleprompter makes work tricky for the television crews and photographers trying to capture an image of the president announcing a new Cabinet secretary or housing plan without a pane of glass blocking his face. And it is a startling sight to see such sleek, modern technology set against the mahogany doors and Bohemian crystal chandeliers in the East Room or the marble columns of the Grand Foyer.

[video] MAGNIFICENT-Rick Ross feat John Legend

Damn Boss, why did you have to go and f*ck with Fif? I can’t find myself getting into Ross’ music the way I use to, and I really like this joint here. I just can’t get the “Officer Ricckkkkyyy” chorus out my head. But marketing wise it was slick to tie something into the Kentucky Derby, since that’s like the new Hamptons.

Exclusive: Movie Tupac wrote in jail is back in production (not his biopic)

via Woooha

Tupac x Live 2 Tell. When Tupac Shakur was serving prison time way back in 1995 on sexual assault charges he wrote an entire film screenplay called Live 2 Tell. Rumors of this screenplay being turned into a feature film have been floating around since 2007….and contrary to popular belief, Live 2 Tell is not the recently publicized Tupac biopic that his mother is currently in a court battle over.

Live 2 Tell is actually a completely original screenplay written by Tupac and is centered around a drug kingpin trying to get out of the game. The script had been circulating Hollywood since 2005 and shopped around directly by Tupac’s mother who has executive producer credit. The movie rights currently are held with Insomnia Productions which produced the hit HBO series “Rome” and is slated for a VERY tentative 2010 release. Official synopsis as follows:

A charismatic young man at the dawn of adulthood spirals down the wrong path in life and is brought into the underworld by his once trusted mentor, only to become one of the most powerful and feared kingpins in the city. Eventually his conscience gets the better of him and he is driven to self redemption in life… and love.

Yeti says: Considering this movie has been stuck in development hell for the past couple of years, no director or studio is attached, and Afeni Shakur is now concentrating more than ever on bringing her son’s biopic back to life, it will be no surprise if Live 2 Tell never makes it to the big screen.

Red-state residents buy the most online porn

via WalletPop

A Harvard Business School assistant professor who had access to customer receipts from dozens of adult websites found something titillating: The more conservative and religious a state is, the more likely its residents are to buy Web porn.

As someone who helps big companies like Microsoft and AOL with internet fraud, Benjamin Edelman, Ph.D., had access to two years of credit card data from 2006 to 2008 that included purchase dates and each customer’s ZIP code. Using that with existing demographics, he found that of the 10 states where porn is most consumed, eight of them gave their electoral votes to John McCain. Out of the 10 states with the lowest consumption, only four did.

“Some of the people who are most outraged turn out to be consumers of the very things they claimed to be outraged by,” Edelman told ABC News.

The horniest state, by Edelman’s count, is Utah, with 5.47 adult content subscriptions per 1,000 homes with broadband. (Montana, he reported, was number 50.) States that have passed legislation to ban gay marriage had porn subscription rates that were 11% higher than in states that haven’t.

[pics] The Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce Is Out Of Control!!

via TLF

Can you say gorgeous!!!! The Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce goes from 0-60 in 3.2 seconds and has a top speed of 212 mph. With a 6.5L V12 engine… you’ll most definitely leave the competition in the dust!

Judge drops felony charge against Lil Wayne

via MSNBC

ATLANTA – A judge in Atlanta has dismissed felony drug charges against rapper Lil Wayne.

The Grammy-award winning rapper, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., was arrested in August 2006 at a hotel. Atlanta police said they found unmarked bottles containing hydrocodone and a generic form of Xanax, along with a small amount of marijuana.

On Tuesday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Michael Johnson granted the rapper’s request to suppress on the basis of an illegal search. Carter’s attorney, William Head, said his client wasn’t staying in the room where the arrest was made.

Carter currently faces drug charges in Arizona, stemming from a January 2008 arrest, and a weapons charge from 2007 in New York.

Mercenary King Erik Prince Resigns as Blackwater CEO

via AlterNet

The company formerly known as Blackwater continues its mission to bury its tarnished reputation and soldier on. Early this morning, Blackwater founder Erik Prince released a brief statement announcing he is stepping down as CEO of the infamous mercenary firm he started in 1997. A press release from the company — which last month renamed itself “Xe” — said Prince “will now focus his efforts on a private equity venture unrelated to the company.”

In a personal message sent to his employees and clients, Prince sought to cast his departure as a natural part of the firm’s ongoing evolution. “As many of you know, because we focus on continually improving our business that Xe is in the process of a comprehensive restructuring,” he wrote. “It is with pride in our many accomplishments and confidence in Xe’s future that I announce my resignation as the company’s Chief Executive Officer.”

Prince’s resignation could be seen as a public formality in what has been a dramatic attempt to scrub all public vestiges of Blackwater, given that he remains chairman and sole owner of the network of companies now operating under the Xe umbrella. But it’s clear the firm has been thrown into turmoil in recent months. As the Xe statement says, “These appointments follow the addition and departures of several other key personnel. Recent departures from the company include its former Vice Chairman, Chief Operating Officer, President, and Executive Vice President.” Joseph Yorio, an ex-Army Special Forces officer and former Vice President of the international shipping company DHL was announced as the new Xe president — a somewhat humorous development, given Prince’s fondness for describing Blackwater as the “FedEx of the U.S. national security apparatus.” Meanwhile, Danielle Esposito, a longtime Blackwater employee, was named Xe’s new Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President.

[pics] Jay-Z Covers BEST LIFE Cover

[video] YouTube Dude Reemerges, This Time to Talk about Chris Brown & Rihanna

[pics] HIP HOP’S HOTTEST HONEYS- Natasha Yi

I spotted this knockout over at RealTalkNY and thought I’d share the visuals with you all, enjoy!

[video] Air Yeezy Release Information (3 Colorways Confirmed)

via RealTalkNY

[video] Lil Wayne – Prom Queen

He’s going there! Is Wayne spaced out on this one or what? Tell us what you think.

50 Cent Speaks to ABC News about ‘Blood on the Sand’, Chris Brown & Rihanna

more about "50 Cent Speaks to ABC News about ‘Blo…", posted with vodpod

The Roots Perform With Jimmy Fallon On His First Episode of ‘Late Night’

Who knew Black Thought has such a good singing voice?

[video] When Tryin To Crip Walk Goes Wrong!

Pharrell’s Introduces New Virtual Gallery

via Giant

Pharrell Williams has always sought to brand himself as a renaissance man of sorts. He is a giant in hip-hop, R&B, funk, fashion and even furniture design. But now Pharrell is making a foray into the online networking world with Artst.com, a virtual gallery designed to offer creative people of all mediums a place to showcase their work and build.

Pharrell, being the eclectic impresario he is, drew the idea from his reading on King Solomon’s temple, a sacred place that allowed its visitors to worship their own deities under one roof. Invoking such a hallowed model certainly sets the bar high, but the site will only be as impressive as the ilk of those who choose to join. That said, the idea certainly has enormous potential. A first glance reveals everything from a fresh Latin-beat remix of Jay-Z’s “Roc Boys” to custom-painted Scientology shell toes and a camouflage cargo pillow.

Of course there is also your standard bedroom dance routines and elementary graphics work, but such is the plight of a forum that welcomes everyone to share their work. Artst.com’s ability to rate each member’s pieces and search each medium by popularity may be the site’s saving grace. It’s definitely worth a visit.

[pic] Angela Jolie as CIA operative in ‘Salt’

via HuffPost

Angelina Jolie begins work today on “Salt,” in which she plays a rogue CIA operative trying to clear her name after being accused of working for the Russians. Sony has released two photos of her in character, seen below.

USA Today reports:

Among the many different looks she has in the film are a soft-looking, all-business blonde and a raven-haired femme fatale who easily could be concealing a dagger or a gun.Which is the real Salt? That’s what filmmakers say is the central mystery.

“She’s a character you never know,” says Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who also produced Transformers and the upcoming G.I. Joe. “People who think they know the real her may or may not. Those who think they can tell whether she’s in a disguise also may or may not.

Micheal Jackson set to do comeback U.K. concerts?

I will believe it when I see it.

via Billboard

Reuters

Michael Jackson is expected to announce a series of comeback concerts in London, music industry sources said on Tuesday.

The 50-year-old last appeared at the World Music Awards in London in 2006, but the much-hyped return of one of the biggest selling artists of all time was a critical flop after he sang only a few lines of “We Are The World.”

The sources, who asked not to be named, said the singer may appear at a press conference at London’s O2 Arena on Thursday. His record label Sony did not have any immediate comment.

[video] Ice Cube Performing “STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON” on Snoop’s MTV Show

Even though its a snippet, this is still Classic!

[video] Terminator SALVATION Trailer #3

Flickr allows all of its users to upload Video

via Download Squad

Nearly a year ago, online image sharing site Flickr began allowing paid subscribers to upload videos up to 90 seconds in length. Today, Flickr expanded that program to the general public. In other words, both free and Pro members can now upload and share short videos using Flickr.

There are still some limitations. Free members can only upload 2 videos a month, and those videos can only be in standard definition. Starting today, Flickr Pro users, on the other hand, can upload high definition videos.

So if you’ve got a Flickr account and want to share short videos in addition to photos, Flickr’s now an option for everyone. Or you could just use YouTube, Blip.tv, Vimeo, Viddler, or any of dozens of other online video sites that don’t impost upload limits and time limits.

‘Watchmen’ Game Coming to iPhone and iPod Touch

via Switched

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or perhaps in Iraq), you’ve been hearing about the release of a little low-budget indie art film called ‘Watchmen.’ Based on the twelve-issue comic book by renowned comic writer Alan Moore — and now available in all-in-one form as a graphic novel – ‘Watchmen’ is one of the most beloved franchises in all of comic-dom. And today, Warner Brothers announced that it will be publishing — in addition to ‘Watchmen: End is Nigh’ for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 — an online, multiplayer game for iPhone called ‘Watchmen: Justice Is Coming.’

Described as a “multiplayer online adventure fighting game,” ‘Justice’ lets you and thousands of other characters play at the same time in one virtual world, whose missions, areas and secrets are constantly being updated by the developers. While it’s not quite as advanced as something like ‘World of Warcraft‘ (the most popular, massively-multiplayer game ever), users can chat with and battle other characters as they move through the adventure. Players can even customize their avatars’ looks and skills before hitting the mean streets of Manhattan.

‘Justice’ will be coming to the iPhone and iPod touch in the next couple of weeks. For more on the game, check out G4TV‘s video preview and interview with the developers. [From: G4TV]

Boy, 13, Accused of Killing Rival Brother to Takeover Dope Business

via AOL

HYANNIS, Mass. (March 2) – Like most boys, 13-year-old Mykel Mendes looked up to his big brother, Jordan. The two rode bikes together, did yard work together and hung out together. But when it came to the family business — a major drug ring — Mykel did not want to share, police say.

Carberry holds a photo of Jordan. She said she always thought Mykel was jealous of Jordan, but never thought the boy would harm his brother. "Whatever happened to my brother's keeper?" she said. Because of their age, Mykel and the other 13-year-old cannot be charged as adults for murder. If convicted, they would remain in state custody until they turn 18.

Mykel, a seventh grader, is now accused of masterminding the slaying of his 16-year-old half-brother so he could take over the drug operation — one police say they inherited from their father, who is in prison for running one of the biggest cocaine rings on Cape Cod.

Jordan was found shot, stabbed 27 times and dumped into a pit, where his body was torched. Another 13-year-old friend and a 20-year-old cousin also are charged with murder.

The killing has shaken the normal quiet of winter on Cape Cod, the summer tourist destination known for its beautiful beaches, salt water taffy and famous residents. Jordan Mendes lived just a few miles from the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port.

“It’s very disturbing,” said Debra Dagwan, a Hyannis resident and member of the local school board. “It indicates what drugs can do to people, whether they are involved with drugs or selling them. It’s a dangerous life, no matter how you look at it.”

Mykel’s lawyer, John Cunha, dismissed claims by authorities that Mykel planned his brother’s death to take over his drug business.

“He loved his brother,” Cunha said. “He’s not the 13-year-old Al Capone.”

[video] How to Rob An Industry Hipster

LOL, this one is hilarious.

spotted @ RealTalkNY

[video] Michael Steele Gets Sonned By Limbaugh, Issues Apology

via Politico

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele says he has reached out to Rush Limbaugh to tell him he meant no offense when he referred to the popular conservative radio host as an “entertainer” whose show can be “incendiary.”

“My intent was not to go after Rush – I have enormous respect for Rush Limbaugh,” Steele said in a telephone interview. “I was maybe a little bit inarticulate. … There was no attempt on my part to diminish his voice or his leadership.”

The dust-up comes at a time when top Democrats are trying to make Limbaugh the face of the Republican Party, in part by using ads funded by labor. Americans United for Change sent a fund-raising e-mail Monday that begins: “The Republican Party has turned into the Rush Limbaugh Party.”

Steele told CNN host D.L. Hughley in an interview aired Saturday night: “Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer. Rush Limbaugh — his whole thing is entertainment. He has this incendiary — yes, it’s ugly.”

Study: 1 in 31 U.S. adults in prison system

via MSNBC

NEW YORK – The number of offenders on parole and probation across the United States has surged past 5 million, complicating the challenges for fiscally ailing states as they try to curb corrections costs without jeopardizing public safety, according to a new report.

The Pew Center on the States report, released Monday, says the number of people on probation or parole nearly doubled to more than 5 million between 1982 and 2007. Including jail and prison inmates, the total population of the U.S. corrections system now exceeds 7.3 million — one of every 31 U.S. adults, it said.

The report also noted huge discrepancies among the states in regard to the total corrections population — one of every 13 adults in Georgia and one of every 18 in Idaho at one end of the scale, one of every 88 in New Hampshire at the other extreme. The racial gap also was stark — one of every 11 black adults is under correctional supervision, one of every 27 Hispanic adults, one of every 45 white adults.

The report notes that construction of new prisons will be increasingly rare as most states grapple with budget crises. It said improved community-supervision strategies represent one of the most feasible ways for states to limit corrections spending and reduce recidivism.

“Every single one of them should be making smart investments in community corrections that will help them cut costs and improve outcomes,” said Susan Urahn, managing director of the Center on the States.

Young Jeezy Signs With Hip Hop Since 1978 Management

via HipHopDX

Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy [click to read] is the latest artist to join management firm, Hip Hop Since 1978, a firm that manages artists such as Kanye West and Lil Wayne.

Currently managed by HUSH Management’s Demetrius “Kinky B” Ellerbee, Jeezy will continue to be managed by Ellerbee but will also work with Hip Hop Since 1978′s Gee Roberson and Kyambo “Hip-Hop” Joshua.

“Young Jeezy, along with our artists Kanye West and Lil Wayne [click to read], is at the pinnacle of this culture right now,” Gee Roberson explained in a statement. “So it’s just great synergy to be able to work with him and Kink during this exciting time in his career.”

As part of the partnership, the two management companies will focus on several aspects of Jeezy’s career including music, television, and film.

“With Young Jeezy, we’ve watched a legitimate movement build into an incredible brand over the past several years,” Demetrius Ellerbee said in a statement. “In partnering with Gee and Hip-Hop we are hoping to continue to push his brand further than ever. I’m thrilled to have them on board.”

Most recently, Jeezy released The Recession [click to read] his third studio album on September of last year, the album debuted as number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Young Jeezy is also preparing for his acting debut in Janky Promoters, an upcoming film featuring actor/rapper Ice Cube.

Snoop Dogg & T.I. Support Peace Movement At Nation Of Islam Event

via SOHH

Snoop Dogg, T.I., Doug E. Fresh and more participated in the Nation of Islam’s Saviours’ Day convention over the weekend as a show of solidarity and a call for peace.

Snoop was among many who made the trip to Illinois in support of Minister Louis Farrakhan.

Snoop appeared at the Nation of Islam’s annual convention in a Chicago suburb. Wearing sunglasses, a dark suit and a tie, Snoop Dogg spoke briefly in front of a crowd of thousands Sunday and praised the Chicago-based movement’s Minister Farrakhan. (USA Today)

Despite occasional violent lyrics, the West Coast rap veteran proclaimed his pledge of peace.

“I’m already in the Nation, that’s why I’m here,” Snoop said in an interview. “I’m an advocate for peace. I’ve been in the peace movement ever since I’ve been making music. My whole thing is not about trying to push my thing on you. It’s just about the way I live, and I live how I’m supposed to live as far as doing what’s right and representing what’s right. That’s why I was here today.” (BBC News)

Snoop also made a donation and Tip appeared at the conference via video.

Interpol Issues Arrest Warrants for 15 Israelis for War Crimes

via Press TV

At a news briefing on Sunday, Tehran’s Public Prosecutor, Saeed Mortazavi, said that Iran had referred the case to the organization, known as Interpol, drawing on the Interpol charter and Israel’s violation of the Geneva Conventions.

“ICPO has notified governments of 180 countries to arrest the suspects,” who were involved in the 23-day Israeli offensive on Gaza in December and January he said.

In December, Iran’s judiciary announced its decision to set up a court to look into complaints made by the Palestinian envoy in Iran and wounded Palestinians delivered to Iran, against Israeli atrocities in Gaza, saying it was ready to try the Israelis in absentia.

“In the current week, we have completed our investigation of about 15 individuals who were among those criminals,” IRIB, Iran’s State Television, quoted Mortazavi as saying.

“Based on our investigation and according to article 2 of the Interpol charter, we asked Interpol to arrest these suspects.”

Mortazavi said the charges included war crimes, invasion, occupation, genocide and crimes against humanity.

The Iranian prosecutor was referring to Israeli strikes that started on December 27 on the densely populated Palestinian coastal territory and did not end until it had claimed the lives of more than 1,330 Gazans, mostly civilians.

Many international NGOs and human rights organizations, Palestinians wounded in the Gaza onslaught, more than 5,700 Iranian lawyers and attorneys in the Iranian Bar Association along with a large number of medics were also among those who filed complaints against Tel Aviv, Mortazavi added.

[video] Raw Footage of Israeli Soldier Speaking His Mind

At a time when this country is forced to look within itself and take inventory of the things that it must KEEP in order to GROW it must also do away with dead weight.  HATE is the heaviest sin that afflicts this country, so how heavy does that weigh on the consciousness of the people, especially those that knowingly support, both morally and financially other governments that are hostile towards the sovereign rights of states they are at war with?  This clip of an Israeli soldier harrassing a harmless goat herder helps you peek into the mind of a person who harbors hate for their enemy.  But in order to ruthlessly defeat your adversary don’t you have to implore a heightened degree of HATE for your foe?

I suppose but like KING said an injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere.

[video] Dead Man Running TRAILER- Starring 50 Cent

Official Trailer of the movie “Dead Man Running” starring Curtis 50 Cent Jackson

[video] T.I. Farewell Concert in Florida

Tip getting it in once last time before he goes and does his bullet (one year) in the Feds.

spotted @ RealTalk

The Corporate Media Is Shamelessly Pretending Racism Died When Obama Got Elected

via AlterNet

There were early indications that corporate media coverage of Barack Obama’s candidacy would be squirm-inducing, putting on display the elite (mainly white) press corps’ murky ideas about race much more than any straightforward reckoning of black Americans’ situation or what an Obama presidency might mean for their concerns.

Journalists were sometimes embarrassingly frank about how they interpreted Obama’s blackness and what they hoped his success might mean. “No history of Jim Crow, no history of anger, no history of slavery,” declared NBC’s Chris Matthews (1/21/07). “All the bad stuff in our history ain’t there with this guy.” “For many white Americans, it’s a twofer,” opined the New Republic (2/5/07). “Elect Obama, and you not only dethrone George W. Bush, you dethrone [Al] Sharpton, too.” (See Extra!, 3–4/07.)

Looking to find parallels for the “stuff” they did like, journalists turned to fiction, as when Jonathan Alter (Newsweek, 10/27/08) alleged that voters “decided they liked Obama when he reminded them more of Will Smith than Jesse Jackson,” or when CNN (6/22/08) told viewers that Michelle Obama “wants to appear to be Claire Huxtable and not Angela Davis.”

The fondest hope seemed to be that an Obama victory (if not his strong candidacy alone) would absolve us of any need to talk about racism any more. Newsweek’s Howard Fineman (5/14/08) wrote that, in announcing his run for office, Obama was making a statement: that his candidacy would be the exclamation point at the end of our four-century-long argument over the role of African-Americans in our society. By electing a mixed-race man of evident brilliance, moderate mien and welcoming smile, we would finally cease seeing each other through color-coded eyes.