Ashes, ashes ...

... they all fall down!
After Tuesday night's primary, presidential hopefuls are becoming as scarce as rain in the Southeast region of the country.
Edwards has "suspended" his bid for the presidency. He hasn't dropped it, it's suspended. I guess it got out of hand and it needed to be disciplined. At any rate, I don't think we were in any real danger of him getting the nomination. He was gaining momentum but I don't think he was going to have enough to carry him into "Super Tuesday."
The odd thing is he declined to endorse either of the remaining candidates. That's not so strange because Bill Richardson didn't either. The difference between the two in this situation is Edwards has a precentage that can actually help one of the other candidates.
Lucky for him he is still eligible to be someone's running mate although it would make no sense for either of the remaining two to ask him. He would bring absolutely nothing to the campaign that the other two don't have. Granted he did have his own version of the "Poor People's Campaign" but for whatever reason that isn't what the Democrats are focused on because it is not the focus of my media industry counterparts.
My main focus right now is education and then health care. Schools all across the country are in dyre straits and it seems that none of the candidates care about that. That could be because their children are (were) in private schools.
I imagine it would be kind of hard to care about public schools when your kids aren't in 'em. I went to public schools my entire scholastic career and they weren't in the best shape then. Now they've taken money out to fund this war and given them the crazy mandates so that they can continue to get some money to teach these kids. But don't get me started, I can type all day and still have more to say tomorrow.
Anyway, I think an Obama/Clinton or Clinton/Obama would be a dream ticket for a lot of Democrats. On the other side of the coin it would be a pleasant nightmare ticket for a lot of Republicans. I know that was an oxymoron but it will be pleasant because Clinton poloarizes a lot of people.
I don't understand why people hate her, she's alright with me. Granted she should have left Bill with his cheatin' self, but she does know what she's talking about. She didn't admit her mistake of voting for the war but at the same time she shouldn't have answer to anyone but her constituents because they are the ones who voted her in.
She, like everyone else who voted for the war, did so under false pretenses. You can't fault her for following the advice of her president. It was still early in his first term, we didn't know he was that stupid yet.
And speaking of Republicans who don't have a clue, Rudy Giuliani dropped out too. I'm kinda happy about that though. He just rubbed me the wrong way. Plus, it's kinda hard for me to take people with speech impediments seriously. Think I'm lying?



Look at him, he holds his "s" and not like my flaming gay friends. He holds his "s" because his tongue gets in the way and I just can't take him seriously. Plus, his glasses look like the bottom of those old Coke bottles and for whatever reason I just think I wouldn't be able to watch him in a State of the Union address without laughing.
The next order of business now is to get rid of John McCain. That guy is like the next Dick Cheney, but with power. I don't care where you're from, that's scary! I swear man, the only think McCain is missing that Cheney has is that, "I hang out with Lucifer" look. You know the one, that smirk with his lips pressed together while he gives you that evil eye over the top of his glasses.
I swear if he wins I'm really gonna move to Canada, like for real.

And just when I needed another reason ...

... to not believe in monogamy, here comes Kwame Kilpatrick, Detroit mayor, FAMU graduate and certified Grade A DAWG!
Ol' boy got caught lying under oath about an affair that he had with his chief of staff Christine Beatty a couple of years back. Now they are trying to get him on felony perjury charges where he can face up to 15 years in prison. That's right, 15 years, for lying - about having sex.
You don't have to say it, I'll say it for you. "Day-um!"
I mean dag on, I know he lied but he was just obeying the first law of nature, self-preservation. Think about it, it is human nature to lie to get yourself out of trouble. And if there were ever a time when he needed to get out of trouble it was when he was sitting on the witness stand "testi-lying" about whether or not he slept with a staff member.
Usually when you tell a lie of gargantuan proportion, you do all you can to make sure that if you're caught, it can't be proven. It was almost like this dude wanted to get caught. They sent 14,000 text messages over the course of two months in 2002 and two months in the 2003. That's 14,000 text messages in four months, 3,500 a month and 1,750 each. That's a lot of messages. I don't believe I've sent or received 14,000 messages in all my 25 years. And I mean text messages, voice messages, e-mails and instant messages - combined.
And since that was in '02 and '03, I'm assuming that the messages were on two-way pagers. City-issued two-way pagers mind you. I know they had to know they were being monitored. Plus if they were using two-ways, I know their thumbs must have been hurting like hell!
Anyway, I am co-signing what Sam Jackson's character said on "The Boondocks."
Take a look:

I just consider this whole situation he's going through to be his payment to the "stupid tax."
OK, maybe I shouldn't call the brotha stupid, but that wasn't a smart thing to do.
I know we all make mistakes and deserve second chances, but if your mistake gets you a felony charge and disgraces your whole family, I think it is safe to say you're screwed. For once I'd like to see a man admit to his wrong-doing when asked the first time instead of people having to dig for it.
He could have admitted to it and just been a cheater. Now he turns out to be a liar and a cheater and he's gonna be forced out of his job too - for some booty. Umph, umph, umph. I ain't judging the brotha but I'm just saying, he should have been a little more discreet about his personal life. At any rate, I hope it all works out for him and he has another job lined up because he's gonna need one.
Speaking of somebody who needs another job, I think a couple of producers at CNN, Randi Kaye and my girl Soledad O'Brien are going to be perusing JournalismJobs.com in a few minutes. They did what I thought was a couple of nice pieces about the roles that race and gender are playing in this election. Take a look here: Black Women in Politics.

They did these stories and black women all over the country got pissed off saying that CNN portrayed them as ignorant and unable to vote the issues. I liked the concept but I think they should have asked about the issues that concern them rather than asking which do they plan to vote, gender or race.

Actually, I think it is a fair question. I think that a lot of women of color, particularly black women tend to vote for Democratic candidates. Well, the black women I know vote Democratic and we all have a lot of the same issues. We're concerned about the economy, education, health care, you know, everything the Republicans think we're too stupid to understand.

The bottom line is we can act like this whole thing doesn't hinge on race and gender or we can act like we live on Earth and realize that women will always be seen as week and black folks will be seen as inferior. Even if one or the other gets the nomination and the other is on the ticket as the vice president, they won't get elected. Granted we're long overdue for a change in leadership but this country is not ready. We all say we are but act like we aren't. And we all know, actions speak way louder than words.

It's been a helluva news day ...

First off, a key interest rate was cut by three-quarters of a percentage point today. Now, to be completely honest with you, I have no clue as to what that means. All I know is the stock market took a major nose dive and it affects my 401K. I know I got to do better but I just can't help you right now.
Secondly, I am sad to report that critically acclaimed actor Heath Ledger was found dead in an apartment in the Soho neighborhood of Manhattan. According to a report on CNN, the "Brokeback Mountain" star was found lying naked and unresponsive on a bed by a housekeeper with over-the-counter prescription medication strewn about.
The 27-year-old, Australian-born Ledger left his hometown for Sydney at the age of 17 with $.69 to his name to pursue his dream of acting. He got his first acting job in the 1997 independent film "Blackrock." He went on to appear in several other independent films but got his biggest break when he appeared in "10 Things I Hate About You" and later "Monster's Ball" playing opposite Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton.
My heart really goes out to his family. It's hard enough to lose a family member, but to lose one so young and unexpectedly and to have to go through that in the public eye has got to be horrible.
He is survived by his two-year-old daughter Matilda from his relationship with "Brokeback" co-Michelle Williams, his parents and his three sisters.
In political news today, Fred Thompson called it quits in his bid for the White House. He made the announcement today saying only that he's "withdrawn his candidacy" and he hopes the nation and party have benefited from his effort.
I just shook my head and kept it moving. I would love to say that I am surprised about his decision to drop out I mean, I don't think he was ever in a position to be elected. He came into the game in the third quarter expecting to take it over. I don't know if he thought he was the ringer or not. Honestly I hope that he goes back to "Law & Order." Watching him on those dang debates has been throwing me off. I keep waiting for Arthur and Jack to have an argument about putting some witness on the stand that the defense is going to rip to shreds.
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are still going at it like cats and dogs. I think those two are going to argue themselves right out of the White House. They need to watch themselves because John Edwards is gaining on them.
On a brighter note, the striking writers and Hollywood execs have entered into impromptu talks again. Let's hope this will yield some results. I am tired of reruns and reality shows. If I have to watch the same five episodes of "Private Practice" again, I am going to strangle somebody.
Oh and before I go, the trailer for Tyler Perry's "Meet the Browns" is online. The movie premieres nationwide on March 21 and I can hardly wait. Take a look here at Black Voices
I'm excited. I think it is going to be a good movie. I just want everyone to prepare themselves. Know that Hollywood critics will be unkind to the movie and everyone involved in it down to the moviegoers themselves.
In the past, every review I've ever read about Perry's films have called him juvenile, slapstick, unrealistic and too religious. I might be crazy, but I thought people went to the movies to be entertained, not find the meaning of life.
I hope the movie does really well and will once and for all silence the critics because they wouldn't know a good movie if it slapped in the face.

It's my 100th post ...

... and it's all come full circle. My first real post was talking about an ill-fated celebrity couple and whaddaya know, this one is about another ill-fated couple.

It seems that Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds will not be putting their relationship on paper. In case you've been living under a rock, the two had a "symbolic" wedding of the French island of Bora Bora. Since they did not wed in the states, their marriage is not legally binding and they don't plan to make it so.

Hmmmmmm. It's only been two weeks, I wonder what's going on now that wasn't going on two weeks ago.

Now, I'm not one to speculate, but I heard somebody say that Johnny Gill might have something to do with that. I certainly hope not, but that rumor has been following them for years. A rumor doesn't stick around much longer than a year unless there's some truth to it.

I'm just saying. Besides, I think the picture says it all, they're going in different directions (lol) - and they need to separate while they're still friends.

The two are quoted in People magazine, the same People magazine who supposedly had pictures of their "intimate" wedding.

"After much consideration and discussion, we have jointly decided that we will forego having a legal ceremony as it is not necessary to define our relationship further," Murphy and Edmonds told PEOPLE in an exclusive statement.

"While the recent symbolic union in Bora Bora was representative of our deep love, friendship and respect that we have for one another on a spiritual level, we have decided to remain friends.”

I wonder if they have the same deep love that Brandy and her babydaddy had that made him out the fact that they were never married. Oh well, I get the feeling that Babyface is somewhere laughing and singing, "You never know, you never know when. You never know, you never, never, never, never, never know, know, know, know, know oooh oh ..."

There shouldn't be any crying in football either!

For one thing, it is a man's game, well men play it, and it is just ugly!!!
If there's one thing I hate to see it is a grown man crying over spilled milk. I am speaking of course in reference to T.O. This dude has lost major brownie points with me.



I used to LOVE T.O. I mean, really, really LOVE him. It wasn't that he was big and dark and that his stomach is cut up like a washboard. I liked his arrogant swagger, that linger sense of 'I'm the shizzle and I know it.' I actually found it quite sexy.
This year, he became a team player. He toned down his "over the top-ness" in press conference and to rub salt in the wound, he cried during the dang presser after last night's loss to the Giants. In spite of what you read in magazines and see on TV, some of us women DO NOT find it sexy to see a man cry. And to add injury to insult, he was crying over the treatment of a fellow teammate.
"It's not fair," he said.
I say it is. He shouldn't be crying to the press, he should have been chewing out his quarterback for traipsing off to Mexico with the Crowned Princess of Stupid. I know we all need a vacation every now and then but he gets a vacation from February to August. Maybe it's just me, but I think Mexico could have waited a couple of weeks. I mean dang, it's been there for how many centuries already?
Either way, he'll never be able to live this one down. Sitting up in a press conference, wearing Stunnas and crying over how his quarterback is being railroaded in the media.
"It's not fair."
I'll tell you what's not fair - Mike Vick got sentenced to dang near two years in jail for fighting dogs - that ain't fair.
Marion Jones got caught using steriods - that ain't fair.
My Carolina Panthers didn't even make the playoffs this year - that ain't fair either.
And to top it off, the Hollywood writers are still on strike and the last episode of Grey's Anatomy came on Thursday - that really ain't fair.
All of those are reason enough to cry but do you see me crying in a press conference? No. I'm gonna ride it out, just like everyone else. I'm not going to sit down and cry about it.
Here's a word of advice to T.O. for next season. Man up!

There's no crying in politics!

Right?!

Apparently there is and it worked out smashingly for the former First Lady. Of course I am addressing her quivering voice moment last week before the New Hampshire primary. It's a little old but I am still pissed about it and let's face it, she won the primary because of it.
Think I'm lying, take a look. She looks so beat down and tired and someone asked her a question and I guess she couldn't take it anymore. OK, I hope you picked up just a hint of sarcasm in that last statement.

That crap was calculated or miscalculated I should say. I don't know why she thought crying would solve her problems. To be completely honest with you, I think she played right into the hands of all her naysayers.

These folks have long said that a woman can't make it in the White House. That the stress of it all coupled with PMS will make for quick, rash decisions and I personally think that she's set us back a few decades with all this fake boo-hooing nonsense.

Yea that's right, I said fake! Even if it is not fake she still needs to get herself together because if she can't handle the stress of the campaign, how is she going to handle the stress of running the country? I think she just lost herself the election.

And speaking of politics, why won't you guys leave Tavis Smiley alone for his comments about Barack Obama? I applaud Mr. Smiley for stepping up to say what so many other folks are thinking.

Take a look.

The man is simply saying 'do your research before you vote Obama in.' I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I do think it is wrong to vote for somebody based on what they look like, what their gender is and who they are connected to. I'm not saying Obama is the wrong candidate, I'm not saying he is the right one, I am saying that he needs to be researched.

Personally, I don't trust anyone who WANTS to be the president. That's the hardest job in the world and it doesn't pay much so he or she would have to be in it for the perks. It just kind of makes me wonder, what perks are they in it for?

Things are heating up in New Hampshire ...

... and I don't mean the weather either.
Voters in the New England state have taken to the polls to vote in this year's first primary election and I am excited.
Under normal circumstances, I detest politicians but lately, watching this has been my alternative to The Young and the Restless. I keep waiting for an illegitimate child to pop out or for Hilary to announce to the world that she's been having an affair.
This whole process has been amusing to me and with the help of the good Lord, it'll all be over soon - on the Democratic side anyway. Joe Biden and Chris Dodd have already called it quits and Bill Richardson is hanging on by a thread - and nobody knows why. Now, it's a battle between Barack Obama, John Edwards and Hilary.
I can't say I'm surprised by that, but I can say that I am surprised that Obama and Clinton have not formed one of those Survivor-like alliances. I was surprised that the folks caucusing in Iowa picked Obama over Clinton and that Edwards came in second.
It was not unusual that Huckabee won in Iowa. I mean he is a Baptist minister and from what I understand, those folks in Iowa love them some Jesus! Then came Mitt because I guess he's closer to Jesus than Giuliani and Fred Thompson who said one of my favorite quotes last year. "I'm OK with the Lord, and the Lord is OK with me." That was a classic!
But there's also the Vietnam POW John McCain who is supposed to fare well in New Hampshire. I'm not really sure what he's trying to do by staying in the race but I think it will all be downhill after today.
I watched the debates on Saturday and saw a few things that kinda stuck in my craw and had me in stitches all at the same time. Huckabee made the statement that he wants to see less government in people's personal lives. This from a man who wants to isolate all the people who have HIV/AIDS and ban gay marriage and civil unions. Maybe it's me, but I don't think he's going to fare well with the country's LGBT community.
Something that surprised me is how Edwards started outright attacking Clinton saying that she was the "status-quo." I tell ya'll, this whole thing is turning into a high school drama and one of my favorite columnist/satirist Rick Horowitz got it right. Take a look:


Hopefully we can all come to an agreement on the lesser of both evils without settling this thing in the parking lot at 3:15.
Now, I am going to do something that I swore I wouldn't - make a prediction for the nominees for the November election.
That's right, you saw it here first!
I predict that it will be an Obama/Edwards ticket against a Huckabee/Romney ticket. Now who's gonna win, I can't tell you. I think that they should settle the whole thing in an American Idol-like competition. They can all perform as a quartet, then in duos and then separately to see who is the best.
It may be unorthodox but at least we know people will watch and vote.

Nonsense has taken over ...

... all of the major headlines - again.

Britney Spears is once again all over the news because she finally snapped. Does this really come to anyone as a surprise? This is the same chick who shaved her head, is repeatedly caught without drawers on and has battled drugs and alcohol addiction?

According to various media reports, Brit lost her visitation rights after being under the influence of "an unknown substance." In the temporary custody agreement, while she is having visitation with her kids, she is not supposed to be under the influence of anything. Now TMZ is reporting that she has to be treated for severe bi-polar disorder.

Usually, I don't visit the TMZ site, but since they seem to be all Britney all the time, I had to go and grab some research. At any rate, I don't know if I agree with her being bi-polar, but it would explain a lot.

According to http://www.mentalhealth.com/, Bipolar I Disorder is one of the most severe forms of mental illness and characterized by recurring episodes of mania and depression. The site doesn't really give a cause but says that the disorder runs in families, like a lot of mental health issues, like depression and addiction. I will spare you the psychology lesson but I will tell you that some of her behavior falls in line with the Web sites symptoms.

To be completely honest, we can say a lot of things about Kevin Federline but we've never heard about him barricading himself in a room with his children or being escorted to the hospital for a 72-hour hold. She needs some help and I am talking Jesus + Dr. Phil + Oprah + Iyanla Vanzant kinda help.

Maybe her mom should sit down in a one on one session with Whitney Houston's mama. Remember a while back, Mrs. Houston was in church up in New Jersey praying and binding spirits in the name of Jesus? Well apparently it works. Whitney is sober and poised for a comeback.

It looks like to me that the family would leave Dr. Drew Pinsky and Dr. Phil where they are and enlist the help of Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, Benny Hinn and Rod Parsley. It can't hurt to call Paula White too. Shoot, call Farrakhan if it'll help that child, truth be told, she needs all the help she can get. Either way, I hope everything works out for her.

Congrats are in order ...

... for the Murphys. Several media outlets have reported that Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds jumped the broom in a tropical island paradise off the coast of the French Polynesian island of Bora Bora.

According to several reports, including one from the Associated Press, the Murphy's wed on Tuesday in front of a small group of friends and family.

I wonder how small that group was. Anyway, the two started dating last fall, around the time Eddie's ex and Spice Girl Mel B. popped up preggors. The two have been engaged since July and I think my girl Tracey deserves the girlfriend/fiancee/wifey of the year award for weathering the storm that has been Eddie's personal life.

People have been calling Murphy's sexuality in question since he got caught giving that tranny hooker "a ride home" back in '97. I think he's being questioned because he didn't say who's home he was giving the hooker a ride to.

Plus, Murphy was made out to look like the worst babydaddy in the world when he outright denied he father Mel B's baby. Well, I didn't really see him deny it, but I did see him in one of those press junket things saying that he was going to wait on the paternity test.

And hey, she's been there for good times too. She was with him all through his roller coaster ride for his part in "Dreamgirls" and for when he took a beating for "Norbit." I guess the two have been through a lot together. I just hope they're fixed because Lord knows he's got all the child support payments he can handle.

Think about it, they have got eight kids between them and six of them are his. Five with his first wife and one with Mel B. She's got two boys from her marriage to Babyface. I hope they went to see Dr. Snippy before the honeymoon because he's already proven that he's fruitful, let's hope they haven't multiplied - again.