Sheryl Swoopes Out the Closet.. Out the Closet *Sing it* - 12:10 p.m.
Houston Comets WNBA All-Star Sheryl Swoopes has admitted that she's of the lesbian persuasion. I screamed in horror last night, when the news tease popped on the TV screen. Without a doubt the WNBA is populated with a large majority of gay women, but Sheryl Swoopes seemed to be one of the more feminine chicks in the league. Married with a kid and all that. Yes, you can call her a downlow sister.

"I feel like I've been living a lie," the Houston Comets star said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I'm at a place in my life right now where I'm very happy, very content. I'm finally OK with the idea of who I love, who I want to be with."

The love of her life would be former Houston Comets assistant coach, Alisa Scott. (Yeah, we're playing the photo game again. That page announces Alisa's resignation.. let's ASSume that it's her. *smile* ) Sheryl said that she had never had feelings for another woman before Alisa Scott.
Sheryl married her high school sweetheart and has an 8-year-old son. She and her husband divorced in 1999. Sheryl says it had nothing to do with her feelings for Alisa Scott. Although she also says that she's been hiding her feelings for women for seven years.

If she says it had nothing to do with the divorce, ok, but the timeline does raise questions. Math: 2005 - 7 = 1998. First feelings for a woman was with Alisa. Divorced in 1999. Hmm.

Sheryl says that she has dreamed about attending an award show, party, etc, with Alisa Scott on her arm. Now she can do that, "We have had to celebrate behind closed doors," she said. "I don't want to have to hide from the world anymore."

Her mother has know for the past five years and doesn't think it's right.. but you know, it's her daughter, what more can you do? "She'll probably never accept it," Swoopes said. "But she's dealing with it." What Sheryl is really concerned about is the response from the public, especially in her hometown of Brownfield, Texas and neighboring Lubbock where she helped Texas Tech win a national championship in 1993. She's a hero to them, "Now what?" she said. "I hope it doesn't change. It's important to me."

I'm telling you now, it's only a matter of time before Queen Latifah makes the same announcement; it was just a few days ago that we talked about that. Someone disagreed, saying that a black celebrity wouldn't do it because of the backlash, but here we have a fairly high profile person admit to just that.

It's a little less shocking being that she's a WNBA player. Unlike female fans of the NBA, I don't know too many men who sit around watching the WNBA for that thick sister who plays power forward, or shorty at point guard. Nah, they all come off as mannish.. to men and women. There's the occasional flash of femininity, and then they turn out.. well, like this.

How bad did this Alisa Scott twist Sheryl out? Toes curling, back scratching, *meow* left ol girl dizzy, and I think.. ended up leaving her husband for her.

Sheryl was concerned about her son's reaction, but she said that he goes to bed peaceful every night. That's nice, but he's just 8-years-old, I think any reaction wouldn't show up until he's older. There is still going to be some explaining to do, especially considering that Sheryl plans on marrying Alisa Scott. Gay marriage is illegal in Texas, but on a personal level it's something she wants if possible, "At some point I would love for that to happen. Right now I think we're very happy with the relationship we have. This is the person I plan on being with for the rest of my life."

Janet Jackson's Little, Not So Secret - 12:41 p.m.
Yesterday news was all over about Janet Jackson's "secret daughter"; for a minute I thought it was 1988, like Janet was in or something. Really, was is that big of a deal? Especially when not one of them was showing a picture of this supposed kid. Well, J. Foster aka a nat(?) hit me with a picture that looks a lot like Janet and a lot like one of the DeBarge family. I'm looking at it for signs of Photoshoping (not you), but it looks like a screen cap from TV. Let me (us) know, Anat.

If you missed this story, here's the brief recap.. During an interview last Friday with Angie Martinez on HOT 97, a local NY radio station, Young Debarge mentioned that Janet had an 18-year-old daughter named Renee. Renee was supposedly conceived between Janet and his brother, James DeBarge. Janet and James were married for about three months in 1984 before separating; Janet was 18 at the time. A year later the marriage was annulled. In 1991, she married Rene Elizondo Jr., you may remember him as the hispanic postal clerk who Tupac joked with, calling him "Esse!" Ahh, here they are. In any case, the marriage lasted until 1999.

If you're doing the math, Young Debarge says this secret daughter is 18. It's 2005.. 2005 - 18 = 1987. That would mean Janet got pregnant somewhere in between marriages. Take that for what it is.. a booty call with the ex or whatever. If you think about it, that would be a good reason to keep her pregnancy a secret. Although I can't recall if she disappeared from the spotlight for awhile during 87'. Young Debarge said Renee has been living with Janet's older sister Rebbie all these years and that she "is a wonderful singer." He added that Renee isn't happy that her mom refuses to acknowledge her.

What's even stranger is why Young Debarge was on Angie Martinez's show. Have you even heard of him before now? Well, he has an ablum coming out. I searched for it, but came up with nothing, guess it's a secret. Sorry, for that bad joke. Haha.

But why, oh why would he decide that he's gonna be the one to let the world know about Janet's daughter? Is Renee so freaking sad that he finally said that he's gonna make Janet take this public? He's not the father. His brother most be part of the keep it quiet plan too.

It's obviously screwed up for Renee, imagine your mother is Janet Jackson and she acts like she doesn't know you - at least in public. Who knows what happens in their home.

If this is true and if it occured the way I think it did, as a hook-up with James after their marriage was annulled, than I can understand Janet keeping it quiet. She had just released Control and in 1989 dropped her career defining Rhythm Nation. Who knows how the news of a daughter concevied out of wedlock to her ex would have affected the public's perception of her. And she could have had an abortion, instead big sister says, I'll take care of her. That's not the worst story in the world.

Now that it's 2005, it's probably not necessary to keep it under wraps. The situation is perfectly understandable.. in my mind. We'll see where if this develops from here. My guess is you'll see Young DeBarge with a dark glasses on it's because Janet punched him in the face. : ]

Rosa Parks, I Really Just Wanted to Get Home - 2:00 p.m.
Rosa Parks died on Monday night of natural causes. Having walked this earth for 92 years, her most memorable moment happened in 1955, when she told a bus driver that she wouldn't give up her seat to a white man who had just got on the bus. ln the 1950's this was a very big deal.

If you're a teenager I'm sure you can't imagine a bus driver asking this in the first place. Pleez, these days the bus driver just wants to do his route without bodily harm. I'm with you. Imagine living in a time when a mofo would outright call you nigger this or that, you have to use the 'colored' restroom, denied service at restaurants, being called boy or told to go around to the back entrance. Not that it's not thought or said behind your back, but that's one of the wins of the civil rights era - putting a muffler on the outright racism.

Taking it back to that day, Rosa Parks spoke on the incident in an interview posted on the Scholastic Teacher's website.

What made you decide on December 1, 1955, not to get up from your seat?
"That particular day that I decided was not the first time I had trouble with that particular driver. He evicted me before, because I would not go around to the back door after I was already onto the bus. The evening that I boarded the bus, and noticed that he was the same driver, I decided to get on anyway. I did not sit at the very front of the bus; I took a seat with a man who was next to the window -- the first seat that was allowed for "colored" people to sit in. We were not disturbed until we reached the third stop after I boarded the bus."

"At this point a few white people boarded the bus, and one white man was left standing. When the driver noticed him standing, he spoke to us (the man and two women across the aisle) and told us to let the man have the seat. The other three all stood up. But the driver saw me still sitting there. He said would I stand up, and I said, "No, I will not." Then he said, "I'll have you arrested." And I told him he could do that. So he didn't move the bus any further. Several black people left the bus."

"Two policemen got on the bus in a couple of minutes. The driver told the police that I would not stand up."

"The policeman walked down and asked me why I didn't stand up, and I said I didn't think I should stand up. "Why do you push us around?" I asked him. And he said, "I don't know. But the law is the law and you are under arrest." As soon as he said that I stood up, the three of us left the bus together."

"One of them picked up my purse, the other picked up my shopping bag. And we left the bus together. It was the first time I'd had that particular thing happen. I was determined that I let it be known that I did not want to be treated in this manner. The policemen had their squad car waiting, they gave me my purse and bag, and they opened the back door of the police car for me to enter."

---

In Barbershop, Cedric the Entertainer said all Rosa Parks did was sit down on the bus. Implying that she wasn't trying to start a big movement. She sat down, that's it. Maybe it's because he actually said.. "All she did was sit her black ass down." or something to that effect, that made Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton get puffed in the chest. Talking about the lack of respect it showed, etc. I'll admit that it kinda made her look like less of the icon that she is for the Civil Rights Movement; especially in the eyes of younger kids. Can you blame them if they were to think the same, when/if it's taught in school.

Funny thing is, she actually does admit that she wasn't thinking about protesting on the level of organizing marches and boycotts, it all sorta just happened..

"I didn't have any idea just what my actions would bring about," she said. "At the time I was arrested I didn't know how the community would react. I was glad that they did take the action that they did by staying off the bus."

Was she afraid to do it?
"No, actually I had no fear at that particular time. I was very determined to let it be known how it felt to be treated in that manner - discriminated against. I was thinking mostly about how inconvenienced I was - stopping me from going home and doing my work - something I had not expected. When I did realize, I faced it, and it was quite a challenge to be arrested. I did not really know what would happen. I didn't feel especially frightened. I felt more annoyed than frightened."

Every movement has a flash point, a moment that sparks collective action. Like, enough is enough. Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat was one of those moments. It's said that she wasn't even the first to ever do it, but it was that point when people said enough is enough. For all the wins for racial equality spurred on from that moment, we should thank her.

The NBA Dress Code: Players Ball Redux - 2:00 p.m.
The NBA season starts on November 1st, it will also mark the beginning of the NBA's new dress code. No longer will the players be allowed to dress in what's comfortable for them, they'll have to dress in what's deemed appropriate by the head muckety mucks of the NBA - that would be the team owners and NBA commissioner David Stern. Umm, from my tone I guess you can tell that I'm against this.. but let me continue.

Here's the official word from the NBA..
"We know that you share our desire that NBA players be appreciated not only for their extraordinary talent and hard work, but also for their accessibility to fans, their community service, and their professionalism – both on and off the court. -- To that end, we will be instituting, effective with the start of the regular season, a league-wide “minimum” dress code."

Players are required to wear Business Casual attire whenever they are engaged in team or league business.

"Business Casual" attire means:
- A long or short-sleeved dress shirt (collared or turtleneck), and/or a sweater.
- Dress slacks, khaki pants, or dress jeans.
- Appropriate shoes and socks, including dress shoes, dress boots, or other presentable shoes, but not including sneakers, sandals, or work boots.

"Team or league business" includes all activity conducted on behalf of the team or the league during which the player is seen by, or interacts with, fans, business partners, members of the public, the media, or other third parties. It includes arriving at games, leaving games, attending games when not in uniform, participating in team or league events with business partners or in the community, conducting media interviews, and making promotional or other appearances.

The following items are banned for life: < my words
- Sleeveless shirts
- Shorts
- T-shirts, jerseys, or sports apparel (unless appropriate for the event (e.g., a basketball clinic)
- Headgear of any kind while a player is sitting on the bench or in the stands at a game, during media interviews, or during a team or league event or appearance.
- Chains, pendants, or medallions worn over the player's clothes
- Sunglasses while indoors
- Headphones (other than on the team bus or plane, or in the team locker room)

So there it is, the question is what prompted these new rules?

I can't think of any players dressing so offensively as to need to impose an official dress code. Although Rasheed Wallace and Damon Jones seem to have prompted two of the banned items: no headphones and no sunglasses. During last year's playoffs, Rasheed Wallace had microphones stuck in his face, while he delivered classic Rasheeditude, he wore huge headphones with the sounds of Mobb Deep bumping through the cones. Damon Jones' moment was also in the playoffs. During a press conference he went to the podium wearing sunglasses, talking smack and flapping his lips about the Heat being great. All the while he's looking like Stevie Wonder - the big grin and all.

That's two instances though, I've never seen a player wearing flip-flops or Timbs on the sidelines. Does the NFL have a dress code? Major League Baseball? Hockey? How does a suit or dress shirt make the players more accessible to the fans.. and what fan has complained that their favorite player isn't in a button down shirt?

It seems to me that this is partly a response to last year's brawl and an ongoing desire to distance the NBA from having any relation to hip-hop and the street attitude. The connection that exists wasn't promoted by the NBA - Nike with their commercials and print ads has more to do with creating that image.

In the 80's there was no official dress code, the players dressed in suits and what not because it was part of the culture. It's what you did. The slick R&B. Now you have players that have grown up with hip-hop and they enter the league with that style in their minds and with the money to make the material end of it come to life.

The changed fashion sense of the players is most on display during All-Star games. That's when you see the Kevin Garnetts, the Chris Webbers, the Allen Iversons, decked out in their finest casual attire and flashy jewels. It's just not a tight in the waist Brooks Brothers suit. It'll be interesting to see if the players have to wear dress shirts or suits to watch this year's All-Star game. Wouldn't that be considered "on the job?" Truth be told, take a look at Michael Jordan's early dunk contests - he's wearing gold chains while he's dunking! He was a young buck, living it up. Just like the young kids in the league today. Then you have players like Shaq who are a little older and look forward to putting on some hard bottom shoes and a slick suit.

That's cool, too. I like to see the Big Man in his suits and matching hats. Haha. I'm just thinking. What's the All-Star Game gonna look like now? The Players Ball. Yeah, David Stern really doesn't know what he's doing. Next year he's gonna say no more pink suits and stop it with the lime green gators. Yeah, Bishop Don Juan is gonna be dishing out fashion tips. Be afraid.

Latifah Scores at Scores - 9:25 p.m.
For Sakina.. here's that Latifah scoop.
I ripped it out of the paper and lost it, but it was on my digital camera. As printed on the NY Post's Page Six on.. oh, this was yesterday

"All hail Queen Latifah - especially if you happen to be a stripper! The rapper/actress and her posse enjoyed lots of lap dances at Scores early yesterday in the topless temple's famed Champagne Room. 'She is so nice,' a buxom, red-headed dancer named Logan told us. 'She treated me like a friend. It's great when someone who you are a fan of turns out to be a good person.' Latifah - who has visited Scores several times in recent weeks - drank only mineral water, even after a high-rolling customer sent a magnum of Cristal to her table."

Hey, can she just do the Ellen Degeneres/Rosie O'Donell thing and come out of the closet? She's always talking about wanting to have kids, like she has a man or is looking for one. Just admit that it's ladies first and we can move on and crown you the Queen for really real.

Latifah is like royalty in the game, I'm betting that she'd actually be praised for being the first rapper to do so. It's like your cousin fessing up, what are you gonna do, tell her not to give you a hug on Christmas?

Foxy! "Huh".. Boogie Brown!. "What?" - 12:24 p.m.
Say what you want about Foxy Brown. I mean literally say whatever you want. She won't hear a thing, the girl is going deaf. Saw something about this a couple of weeks ago, when she was in court for allegedly slapping around some Asian nail salon attendants. You know, like at the end of the item it was mentioned that she was about to have surgery for a hearing problem and you're like.. 'a what?' Just sounding too damn crazy to investigate further.

Well, let's see, "Fookslikebooks" sent me an article from Hip-Hop DX that gives a few details about her situation. Actually they channel a People magazine article, "The problems date back to May 23 when Foxy says she couldn't hear a sound. 'I ran outside to my truck and honked the horn. Nothing. I ran back inside and dialed a number on the phone. Nothing. Then I started breaking down in tears and screaming and I couldn't even hear myself scream. That's when I knew there was a problem.'"

After seeing a doctor, the extent of Foxy's hearing loss was diagnosed as a serious case of sensorineural hearing loss - remember that 's-e-n-s-o-r-i-n-e-u-r-a-l', there will be a spelling test tomorrow. The good doctor didn't break it down in the article, so I did some medical research. According to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, sensorineural hearing loss occurs when there is damage to the inner ear or to the nerve pathways from the inner ear to the brain. It not only involves a reduction in the ability to hear, but also affects speech understanding.. "What?" "Huh?".. exactly.

Though Foxy will or has had surgery to restore her hearing, the Hearing Association says, "Sensorineural hearing loss cannot be medically or surgically corrected. It is a permanent loss."

Foxy Brown is supposed to be a big part of Sean Carter's Def Jam lineup. Hip-Hop DX says that she was recently in the studio and was having problems hearing the music.. she kept telling the engineer to turn the music up, he'd turn the knob, she'd say turn it up some more, he'd say it's all the way up. Then her vocals were said to be "ridiculously loud", which I take to mean that she was screaming like a crazy rock star. *insert exasperated engineers giving her the thumbs up.. they just wanna be done*

You think, how could this happen, like, out of nowhere. It's said that this type of hearing loss is caused by noise exposure, viruses, head trauma, aging, tumors, birth injury and 'drugs that are toxic to the auditory system.' Could it be, and I'm being serious here, that her addiction to pain killers, a few years ago, affected her hearing in some way? Take a look at the fine print on any prescription medicine bottle and you'll see a long list of health warnings. No one ever thinks that things like.. 'your arm will fall off'.. will happen to them, but the pharmaceutical companies don't print it to make the label look pretty. It's to cover their ass for the real effects that some laboratory rat is cursing them for.

Through it all, Foxy is keeping the faith. "I know God is working on me," she says. "I'm on a personal journey. I believe God wants to be the only voice I hear right now. I know I will be all right."

*Edit 1:37 p.m. - Someone in comments mentioned Vicodin. Was that what she was using? In any case, check this out "Rapid Hearing Loss Observed With Overuse Of Vicodin"

Nas and Jay-Z Collaboration on the Way? - 12:47 p.m.
For the past month or so there have been rumors floating around about Nas being seen in the building home to Universal Records and by legal association Def Jam Records. Of course that raised the question is Nas signing to Def Jam, or by some crazy freak of the industry occurence, signing to Roc-A-Fella Records? While not exactly clearing the speculation completely Nas spoke to MTV about the situation at hand.

"There have been conversations. I've been exploring other possibilities for a long time. I loved my situation where it's at [Columbia Records], but you have to look around and see what other shows are in town so you can expand your horizons. It's not just one place where you have to stay forever." He added, "You gotta make your rounds. It's important to make your rounds. Another good friend of mine in the music business is [Atlantic Records CEO] Craig Kallman. He's been trying to get at me to go over there for a long time. I’m really impressed with how he's moving. I'm just out here looking to see, 'Where do I want to go create the biggest legacy for the next five to seven to 10 years?'"

Speaking on Jay he showed that he was willing to put the past behind him, actually recreating the past given that they hung out, if were not friends before the Takeover/Ether outburst. MTV's Shaheem Reid related a recent Nas performance, "I just saw a show in San Francisco where you told the DJ to not play Hov's name at the beginning of "Ether" where everyone goes "F--- Jay-Z!" You actually told the crowd you "love" Jay."

Nas answered that things said on "Ether" and during that time were in the heat of their battle, in 2001. So what's up with that collaboration homie? "Who's to tell? Who knows?", he said.

Real talk: Nas needs to sign with Def Jam and  do that collaboration with Jay. The hype surrounding that sort of thing would not only be benefical to Nas, who's last album did skid numbers, but for hip-hop, which could use a rejuvenated Nasty Nas on the scene. Linking up with Def Jam - as opposed to Atlantic, which would mean nothing to people outside the industry - would infuse him with new blood, shake some life into him to make one of those non-skippable albums that would enlighten the uninformed as to why he's mentioned as one of the best to ever pick up a mic.

Read the entire interview on MTV - he speaks on 50 and his last album as well.

Ashanti Glows on Her 25th Birthday - 12:48 p.m.
Ashanti celebrated her 25th Birthday last Thursday at Glo in NYC. It was a surprise bash, and like most surprise birthday parties, everyone knows about the damn thing, including the birthday girl, but she pretends to be clueless to it all.
"I'll just slip on these $500 shoes, this backless Gucci dress, and get my hair pinned up real nice, to eat a little meat and potatoes with the family tonight." Well, that was Ashanti's story. "They said they were taking me out to dinner, but with family - not on this scale," said Ashanti with a huge smile as she walked into the club, packed wall to wall with chocolate celebrities - Naomi Campbell, Diddy, Irv Gotti, Ja Rule, Oprah's friend to the end, Gayle King, and Ashanti's meal ticket.. I mean, boyfriend Nelly, among others.

Unless it's related to the ongoing money laundering investigation of Murder INC (or is it The INC), not a peep has been heard from them for the past eight-nine-ten months. It's honestly nice to hear that this chick's still breathing. I do think believe that Murder INC's problems are hurting her music career. Sure she gets trashed and bruised as the worst singer to pop out of momma's womb, but is she honestly that damn bad? Come on! Do what I do, take a look at those hips, the swivel in that backside, the legs that hold the key to something much more promising, if you're a chick think lesbo action, and you'll forget about all those offkey notes.. who listens to the actual singing these days anyway? Give me a beat and give me the stink.

Speaking of stink.. While Irv gets his legal work straightened out, Ashanti is branching off into merchandising. She has a new perfume called Precious Jewel by Ashanti. How it tickles the nostrils, I can't say, but the bottle looks nice enough. Speaking of her new venture Ashanti said, "I definitely put one hundred percent into this scent. From mixing the fruity and the floral, I was all about the scent and smelling good. I always said that the perfume field was getting kind of flooded. A lot of people were doing a lot of the same thing. But I also said that if I ever got a wonderful opportunity... of course I'd take advantage of it." Precious Jewel is available exclusively in.. Wal-Mart. I'm not joking. There are other sources for verification but let's go to Teen People. Ashanti mentions the Wal-Mart deal, and ahh.. mists a quote that answers the question. How does it smell?.. "It's very sensual and sexy and girly and fresh and clean. And it doesn't give you a headache!"

That's what you like from your spokesman, the truth. with zero bullshit.. "it doesn't give you a headache."

Then there is the new movie John Tucker Must Die; Ashanti co-stars as a cheerleader named Heather. The movie is still in production but Ashanti's putting the elevator pitch out there. "It's basically about this one guy who's dating all these girls in high school, and we find out that we're all dating the same guy. We find out in volleyball class. We're actually talking about a party, and one girl mentions, 'I'm dating John,' so we end up having this huge altercation. Oh, yeah - we get it popping!" Instead of tearing out each other's weaves, they decide to set the guy up with the new chick in town, so she can dump him and break his heart. But they decide to play a little rougher.. "We try to kill him in the end," Ashanti said.

It's listed as a teen comedy, so don't think you'll see crime scene tape being stretched out.. more like the paint bucket on the head, banana peel slipping, type of revenge.

If that isn't enough, in case you thought you chased her away from her first love, there's talk of an Ashanti remix CD coming out! No release date, but if you're lucky it'll be out in time for Christmas. You know you want it. Happy 25th Shani Bani.

Millions and Millions More Go to Washington, DC
This past weekend Minister Louis Farrakhan called for Millions More to travel to Washington DC to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the Million Man March. The More in this march referred to the women and different ethnicities invited to attend. Farrakhan said, "The time has never been more right for a strategic relationship between the Black, brown, Native American and poor." According to the Final Call the turnout was millions; the mainstream press is reporting thousands. I can't say either way. I went to the first Million Man March - see that little souvenir (haha) - the turnout for that day was incredible, despite what the news reports spit, it was surely the million men that Farrakhan asked to be there.

My experience was incredibly similar to Spike Lee's Get On the Bus.

Although our bus was among the first to arrive, I mean so early that we were a good twenty people away from the front of the Capitol Building. By the afternoon, we wandered off to other areas, to soak in the entire moment and of course, could not get back those spots. It was packed from the Capitol Building to the Washington Monument, people.. men.. everywhere, shoulder to shoulder in the best spirit.

Where I was left wanting was the lack of an action plan. Could have been me, my mind state at that time, 1995, but I expected to hear, 'Okay, now we're gonna do this. Farrakhan said as much during his speech, but it was just that a speech.. the same speech you hear all the time about brothers needing to work it out, fix your homes, fix your families, do right, do it collectively, do it now.

While it was a powerful moment, I thought that it was a call for specific action, a unique action. I didn't need to go to Washington DC to hear that the black man has it bad and we need to raise our kids right. That wasn't a revelation.

The closest we came to a specific action was when he asked for $1 from everyone. There were a few people who seemed hesitant to come out the pocket, but for the most part dollars were being raised in the air. It was done because it felt like a collective action, something specific we all were doing and contributing to change right then and there. By the way, Farrakhan says all that money can be accounted for - bean pies maybe - *lots of laughs*

On the positive side I loved seeing black men from all across the country there for the cause, and without as much as one fight going on. There weren't many women there, and the ones that did show up didn't get treated like it was Black Beach Weekend. This wasn't the time for that.

But when the march ended there was nothing, at least on my bus in the way of plans to take care of when we got back to Planet Brooklyn.

So while I enjoyed the day for the experience, it didn't change my perspective on life. I've heard that it affected other people differently, God bless you. I'm talking of my own experience.

It was cheapened further when 'Million Man March' went into franchise mode: a Million Families, Million Boys and Girls, Million Grandmas with a metal cane, Million People with one good eye. Then came this Millions More Movement, it seemed to be just another in the line of a million sequels to the original blockbuster event.

Needless to say I didn't attend. The question is, did I miss anything?

2Pac's Good Friend, Dr. C. DeLores Tucker Dies at 78 - 1:54 p.m.
C DeLores Tucker died of undisclosed causes on Wednesday at Suburban Woods Health and Rehabilitation Center in Norristown, Pa. She was 78-years old. A baby of the civil rights era she was not one to keep her mouth closed to indiginites to minorites and black women in particular. Her father was a reverend at Ebenezer Community Tabernacle in North Philadelphia. Noted for his fiery speeches she took to giving speeches of her own. At 16-years of age she stood in the back of a flatbed truck parked outside the Bellevue Stratford hotel to protest their policy of not allowing black athletes to stay there.

Born Cynthia DeLores Nottage, after graduating high school in 1946 she married William Tucker and went on to Temple University to earn a real estate license and took business classes at the University of Pennsylvania. She later started an insurance company with her husband. By 1965 she was back to her parking lot protesting roots, marching with Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama. In 1970 she became the first black female vice-chairman of the state Democratic party and vice-president of the NAACP. A year later the governor named her the state secretary of commonwealth, making her the first woman and first African-American to hold the position. She reportedly had a custom license plate on her car it read "3", meaning she was the third most powerful person in Philadelphia government.

During her tenure she helped streamline voter registration and lower the voting age to 18.

In 1977 she was accused of using state employees to write speeches for her, from which she made $65,000. She was fired and despite running for lieutenant governor in 1971 and a US senate seat in 1980, she never held political office again. She said that the charges were racially motivated, noting that if it she were a white male, there wouldn't have been a problem. Not one to stop the hustle, she went back to selling real estate and insurance, all the while keeping a finger on the pulse of politics. In 1984 she founded the National Congress of Black Women.

I'll pause here to say thanks to the writer who wrote this bio, I cribbed liberally. It was one of the few pieces on her.

"How Do U Want It"
"DeLores Tucker you's a muthafucker, instead of tryin' to help a nigga, you destroy a brotha, worst than tha others."

"Wonder Why They Call U Bitch"
"Dear Ms. DeLores Tucker keep stressing me, fuckin' with my muthafucking mind, I figured you wanted to know, you know why we call them hos bitches and maybe this might help you understand, it ain't personal, strictly business baby, strictly business.."

Nothing that would cause her husband impotence or emotional trauma.

This mini-clash will be how she'll be remembered to the hip-hop generation, but she does deserve respect for her civil rights activism and understanding that she's really just your crazy grandmother who stopped listening to music when Marvin Gaye died. To her rap music comes off as mumbo jumbo, especially clear when you take to calling it gangsta porno rap. Not to say criticism of hip-hop wasn't deserved, even back then. But it's safe to say that Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince had it right when they said "Parents Just Don't Understand."

Rest in Peace and best wishes to her husband, who lives on.

I found this clip from an audio interview. Here's the page and here's the link (real audio).

Apple Unveils the Video Ipod - 1:49 p.m.
Apple unveiled the video Ipod yesterday, making it what.. the 20th different version of their new cash machine. I don't have an Ipod because I've been waiting for the variety of models to settle on that perfect point of price and value for the dollar. Nothing like buying an Ipod Nano and the next week, Apple comes out with a new model with 8 gigabytes.. or in this case video.

The Video Ipod comes in 30 gb and 60 gb capacities for $299 and $399 respectively. A new version of Itunes was unveiled as well, giving the immediate ability to download 200 plus music videos and 6 short Pixar movies for $1.99 a pop. Apple also cut a deal with Walt Disney to download ABC and Disney TV shows the day after they air for the same price. So you can get your "Desperate Housewives" or "That's So Raven" on the go. I wouldn't be interested in any of that, but if you can get the previous night's NBA game.. say the Thanksgiving/Christmas game between The Heat and the Lakers you missed because of all the ruckus, I'm in there.

But of course.. you won't be able to burn any of the shows to your PC harddrive without the help of your local hackspot. There is the ability to hook the Ipod to a TV set and play it back that way.. but I think that's called TIVO.

In any case, I'm this close to buying some version of the Ipod. The original thought was to go for the Nano for it's stylish slip in the pocket capability. Then I thought of all the variety of Ipod skins available for the regular version of the Ipod, and more importantly the 40-60 gb hard drive and held back on the idea. Now they throw this video Ipod in the mix.. and I'm thinking this is the way to go. Man.. do you know how many necks would be breaking when you're not just playing music.. but got the videos on full Pimp My Ipod displatitude? <-- Not a word.. don't worry about it. :)

Although I just may fall back and stick with the color screen 60 gb model until they get around to increasing the storage space of the Nano or increase the storage space on the video Ipod just introduced.. 60gb will fill up faster than you think when you have music and video on it. In addition to music videos you can download video podcasts, that's good stuff. If this version of the Ipod succeeds I think they're gonna have to at least let people be able to save the music videos and podcasts.. not sure if you can upload your own videos to it.

On thing's for sure, it'll bring in a whole new wave of Ipod snatchings. Maybe it's because I'm not in High School, but the furthest thing from my mind is being concerned about getting stuck up for an Ipod. That ain't gonna happen. You can be sure it'll be the item of choice for the HS wolves though. One of the best things about being "all growned up" is not having to deal with that kind of petty thievery.

I'd consider another company's mp3 player too, because I hate to be part of the Borg - having what everyone else has. I know people who have bought Ipods for one reason.. because everyone else has one. It's a fashion item that they don't even use. It doesn't even get off the dresser, so it's even less than a fashion item. It just allows them to say, "Oh, I have that."

The number of 3rd party accessories available for the Ipod - skins, sleeves and car hookups make it more desirable for me. Numark even has an Ipod DJ mixer.. no pitch control makes it pretty much useless, but I'd think they'll figure that out for another version of it. When/if that happens I wouldn't want to be stuck with another brand that doesn't fit the thing. I'd be in damn heaven with that - making mixes with two little portable joints with your entire music catalog on a jog wheel, that's about as close to nirvana you can get for a music head who can't tell you where all his records are off the top.

So what's your flavor? Ipod, IRiver, Creative, Sony.. CD player.. or Lord help you, Walkman ( ! )

Gambling and Doin' It on The Ultimate Hustler - 1:56 p.m.
I've watched The Ultimate Hustler for the past two weeks, two shows deep in the season and honestly it's gone from pretty good, to, umm, is this it? The first episode was a lot like The Apprentice with the group being broken up into teams, being assigned a task, and the losing team having one of their members being dismissed by Dame. Their task was to gather the most email addresses at the Puerto Rican Day Parade and a voluntary sparring session against Dame and some amateur boxers. The boxing should have been mandatory, but if your trying to find out who has heart, voluntary participation would do that.

Even better was the shamefully ripped off 'boardroom' at the end of the show. Everyone gathered to determine who would be voted off, Dame is seated at the head of this long table with high backed chairs and mini Pimp Juice goblets all around the table. At one point Dame delivers a little speech.. something about life being Dash.. and everyone stood up and clinked glasses, it was like a deleted scene from New Jack City. I loved it because there has got to be some entertainment factor to these shows, that's if he was in fact trying to entertain and not seriously thinking he's Nino Brown.

The guy eventually dismissed, deserved it: Dame handed out Ultimate Hustler chains to everyone and he was one of two people that lost it the first day, but this guy also got lost at the PR parade and really didn't seem to be enjoying the game at all.

The second show started with the same theme.. Dame taking things over the top. He's watching everyone in the house on the Dash Cam, he's all impressed with the technology, like a webcam can't be bought at Compusa for $79. Then he pops up on a huge screen in the living room like the Wizard of OZ.. the hologram is what he called it. It was dumb at first, but like the New Jack City thing, I liked that he seemed to be purposely trying to do too much.. it was on purpose, right?

Their task sounded decent enough: go to the studio to help produce a hit record. Each group was assigned to real artists MOP, Grafh, and Rell. Someone will say those aren't real artists, but you know what I mean. With their assignments secured they head off to the studios.

Here's where the question mark comes in. One of the groups walk into the Grafh session and find that Swizz Beatz is producing the song and Clark Kent is overseeing things. You've got to wonder, what is the group really supposed to do for this task. Is Jo Schmo supposed to tell Swizz how to produce the song? Well, that's exactly what this kid did. He opens the door of the vocal booth and tells Grafh that he should do this and that on a certain part of the song.. Grafh looks at him like, 'Yeah, whatever son. Sit down and watch a professional.' And continues with his own ideas. The kid gets upset and starts calling the song wack and tells everyone in the room.. "You don't do this, I do."

The group goes into another room to talk and Clark Kent pops in later to tell the kid that he was being disrespectful and that he doesn't 'do this' that HE has been in the game 17 years and that he should have made his point a different way. Agreed. Hey, I've been to Clark Kent parties when he used to DJ, he's definitely been in the game and has done 'it' well for a long time.

At the same time, forget how the kid made his comments. It didn't seem like Grafh and crew were there to take direction from anyone. Clark Kent mentioned how much money he was spending for the session.. which I'm thinking should have been charged to the show in the first place, but for the sake of the show, Swizz and Grafh should have taken their advice, because ultimately the results were supposed to reflect their guidance of the session.

At the start of the same session.. Baby's cousin (that guy over there) is talking smack with Swizz. I think he pulled out some dice. Swizz says they should gamble for the pocket change the group panhandled and 'hustled' that day. Baby says he'll gamble for Swizz's watch. Swizz says what about his Ultimate Hustler chain. "No way!" Baby ain't trying to get kicked off like the last kid, so he puts up his lil watch instead. Swizz laughs and they get at it.. a half-hour later Swizz has two watches.

In the other sessions..
Rell: They actually come out of the studio with a song. The group is allowed to toss in their two cents, after being told to actually have some real advice if they interrupt the session. Don't just say.. you should do something like.. umm..like.

M.O.P.: Nothing but Henny being tossed back and lots of joke telling. They never got around to making a song. And the so-called leader of the group gets pulled to the side to be told that he's acting like a groupie.. they leave the studio with a song that someone gave them from their laptop.

Back at the house, who does Dame fire? Dame pops up on the hologram and basically goes over everything I just mentioned. And fires Baby. It was the most nonsensical thing ever. The team that didn't even complete a song.. none of them get fired. The guy that supposedly disrespected Clark Kent and Swizz Beatz.. he's cool. But this kid Baby Boy, he gets cut for losing his watch in a dice game to Swizz. Dame explained it as how does that look, one of his people losing and risking what little he has for a dice game. To Swizz Beatz? That's embarrassing. Not to mention that he could have spent that time working on the song. Mind you, the MOP session was spent drinking and laughing.. literally, with no song at all.

I could see if the guy gambled his Hustler chain away. Baby explained that he was gonna use the money, $2500 to put on the team's debit card. Don't know how true that is, but I'm firing the Groupie guy that didn't get anything done.

The task really made no sense because none of them REALLY produced a damn thing. If next week's show revolves around so little.. it may be the last one I watch.

N.O. Beating Victim Says It Wasn't Racially Motivated - 1:29 p.m.
No doubt you heard about the beating that took place in New orleans over the weekend. 64-year-old Robert Davis a retired school teacher had a Rodney King moment. Despite civil rights violations being looked into by attorneys, he says that the incident wasn't racially motivated.

In an interview this morning he told his side of the story. Explaining that he had returned to New Orleans to check on his home in the 9th ward, Davis said he was staying at a hotel and had gone out to pick up some cigarettes. Not sure of when the curfew was, like, when should I be off these streets, he asked several officers for clarification.

Getting different answers from different officers, Davis continued his search for this nugget of information.. "So I had asked several law enforcement officers. I stopped this one officer who was on horseback, who was black, by the way, to give me some information as to the curfew. And from there, that's when it began."

"There was another police officer who interrupted me. I told him that that was very rude and unprofessional. And I proceeded to move on across the street going to the store. And all of a sudden, I was hit by this officer, who was white, in the eye and thrown up against the wall. And from there, it's kind of hazy."

Yup. It's hazy and Davis has yet to see the video of what took place when things became hazy - his daughter doesn't want him to see the tape. Hmm. You can right here (Windows Media)

As far as the racial aspect, Davis waves it off as B.S.. or maybe he just doesn't remember.. "This is one of the things that I want to clear up," he said. "Everybody is thinking this is race-related. I'm black, they're white, OK? The black officer who was on the horse, he could have probably prevented this because that was the man that I was speaking to. I think he — and this is just my opinion, I have no proof of it — but I think he sanctioned the efforts of the other officers, you know? So I don't think it in any way is racially motivated. What I'm concerned about is that it doesn't give the city of New Orleans a name that, 'Hey, this is all they do.'"

The officers accused of beating Davis said that he was drunk.. as if that's reason enough to be tackled to the sidewalk.. Davis said that's more B.S... "I haven't had a drop of alcohol in 25 years, and have no intention of drinking. None." He wasn't asked to take a sobriety test when he was arrested. So what does Davis think happened? He sees it as "a couple of rotten apples that need to be dealt with." He's hoping to file a civil suit but isn't looking at as a chance to get money for that new house, he so needs right now, "this isn't the lottery lawsuit," he said.

One officer was charged with assaulting a news producer trying to film the incident. Two officers were charged with assaulting Davis, released on bond, and suspended without pay pending the trial set for January 2006.

Earthquake in Pakistan Kills 20,000 Thousand.. Does Anyone Care? - 2:27 p.m.
On Saturday an earthquake cracked Pakistan in half (not literally) killing 20 - 30,000 people with untold numbers still trapped beneath the rubble. 2.5 million people were left homeless. I didn't watch much news this weekend but this story seems to have been shrugged off, like, "ah, that's too bad." Geraldo Rivera isn't flying into the countryside to take pictures with crying babies and Sheppard Smith isn't shocked at the scene outside the Convention Center. Nope, this ain't New Orleans. This ain't even the United States, so the principle of all bad news is applied: "Hey, as long as it ain't me."

No way that I'm saying that there should be 24 hour coverage going on, but it seems like I should have run into more than I have. This morning Good Morning America was flaunting an Olivia Newton John exclusive. Like I said, maybe I missed the coverage over the weekend, but even other stations were on other topics.

There is no comparison between the number of deaths and the destruction in Pakistan, but the reaction of the people seems to be the same. This morning there have been reports of looting and people waiting for relief and supplies. The Associated Press spoke to a man who had been pulled from the rubble. Tariq was his name, all he wanted was some water, "I haven't eaten in three days, but I'm not hungry." he said. Survivors under the same conditions looted deserted homes and if it were here in the states.. Walgreens, Walmart and the local Footlocker.

Muzaffarabad, the city at the center of the quake is without electricity and water. Pakistan's President General Musharraf has appealed for help in rescuing people in remote areas. The United States sent eight helicopters from forces in Afghanistan and President Bush pledged 50 million dollars in financial aid. Other countries are contributing as well with workers and planes coming from Japan, Turkey, Britain, and neighboring Arab Countries. Russia, China and Germany have also offered assistance.

That's actually the same international relief effort offered to us during Katrina, but as far as I know, they were all turned away.. "We got this, Brownie is doing a helluva job.." Kanye West was gonna say America's 50 mil response wasn't satisfactory, remix his own joint, say that George Bush doesn't care about Arab people, but that's not true, we've seen him walking through the garden with his Butty. Anything for the petro, all crusty lipped like that fiend in Menace II Society.. "Just 20 million more barrels.. Come on, I'll s*ck ya d*ck!"

It seems like every other post these days is about death or destruction.. Pat Robertson said this marks the return of Christ.. I think it's just business as usual. In this instant on media world we live in all things are amplified. News of this earthquake, last year's tsunami and the flood of New Orleans would have taken weeks to months to circulate the globe. And even then it would have been minus the tons of on the scene reporting we have today. I think this is the world we've alway lived in. Global warming plays a part but there has never been a lack of natural disasters.

One good thing could have come out of this. The earthquake happened in the moutainous regions of the country, where Bin Laden has been suspected of camping out. Was his scooter cut down this time? Nah. That dude's way too slippery.

August Wilson Dies, His Work Lives On - 1:35 p.m.
August Wilson died on Sunday, succumbing to the effects of liver cancer. He was 60-years-old. I'll be the first to tell you that I didn't know who he was or what he created during his life, but yesterday this story was all over the news. Then I find out that he's a black man who won two Pulitzer prizes and has a long list of plays, all about the black experience in America. I'm feeling like, where was I when this was going on?

When you realize that he was a playwright, that's a little easier to understand. Not too many black people are going to see Broadway plays these.. I'd say today.. but it'd be safe to say ever. I'm sure the audience that went to see Puff Daddy's turn in Raisin in the Sun was right up there in the record books for black attendance numbers. Sad, but no doubt, true.

Ever heard of a play called Fences with James Earl Jones? Me too. Never thought to see it, or read the book, but August Wilson wrote it. Last night The News Hour with Jim Lehrer had an interview with the director of all of August Wilson's Broadway plays - a black guy. He's comparing August Wilson to Shakespeare and how he needs to be studied just as heavily in schools. Another actor expressed the same sentiment. So now I'm fed up, I have to find more info on the man.

Though he almost looks white in some pictures (his mother was black, father white) there is no questioning if August Wilson acknowledged his roots, or experienced the same prejudice that One Drop of black blood gets you in white america. At sixteen years old, Wilson began sketching out his career path when the racist treatment he encountered in school caused him to drop out. He began a program of self-education by studying at a local library. Kind of different than the dropouts I see today.. who know a whole lot about Playstation and rap music, and not much else. Anyway, he took little jobs to keep money in his pocket, while pursuing a career as a writer. He submitted poems to black publications at the University of Pittsburgh and after moving to St. Paul, Minnesota, wrote his first play Jitney, a drama set in a taxi station.

His next play wasn't received as well, but he continued to write, picking up on a project he had left unfinished. The play was called Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, named after the blues singer Ma Rainey aka The Mother of the Blues. In the play the singer abuses her bandmates as she claims to be the greatest of all time. Some time is spent with her bandmates in a rehearsal room as they talk about their ball-breaking boss and life in racist america. Set in 1927, there was plenty to talk about. A Dartmouth bio on Wilson reads.. "The most resigned member is the group's leader, a trombonist who has learned to accept racial discrimination and merely negotiates around it. The bassist's response is to wallow in hedonism and ignore his nation's treatment of blacks, while the pianist takes an intellectual approach to solving racial problems. The group's trumpeter, however, is bitter and cynical. He is haunted by the memory of his mother's rape by four white men."

The play takes off when Ma Rainey fires the trumpeter and later finds that the recording studio manager conned him out of his recording rights. Having had enough of being abused, the trumpeter decides somebody needs an ass kicking. Back to the bio.. "Hill called the play's climactic moment "a melodramatically violent act." August Wilson won his first Pulitzer Prize for Fences, about a former athlete who doesn't want his son to accept an athletic scholarship. And a second Pulitzer Prize for The Piano Lesson, about a guy who wants to sell the family's piano to buy some land and his sister who says there is too much family history to part with it. That may sound like nothing that could fill an entire play, but writing about another of Wilson's plays, Seven Guitars, a New York Times article said, "Though the frame of 'Seven Guitars' is limited and employs only seven characters, Mr. Wilson writes so vividly that the play seems to have the narrative scope and depth of a novel. When the curtain comes down, it's difficult to remember which characters you've actually seen and which you have come to know only through stories recollected on stage... 'Seven Guitars' plays with such speed that you begin the journey one minute, and the next thing you know, you re leaving the theater on a high."

Having achieved his first taste of mainstream success in 1984, August Wilson's latest work Radio Golf, had just finished a run in Los Angeles. In 1991, Wilson was asked what he would work on next, he answered, "I intend to write at least 15 more plays about black folks in America. My biggest problem is to find the time to sit down and do the work. But what is there to do except to write another play?”

As I said, I knew nothing of his work, but what he created still remains. I owe it to myself read at least one of his books. If you have the time, do the same.