Free and AJ Leave 106 and Park - 8:32 a.m.
Yesterday Free and AJ announced that they were leaving BET's 106 and Park. I caught the end of the midnight replay, saw AJ sitting on top of the couch alone. There was something about him that didn't look right. He was smiling, but it looked like he was holding something in, which would occasionally escape in comments like, go see Destiny's Child on their farewell tour.. "because you never know when you're gonna se the last of something." It was clear that he wasn't leaving the show because he wanted to. So why were they leaving and where was Free?

I missed was the beginning of the show, he had Free on a cellphone when he made the announcement. She wasn't even in the building, her bags were packed, security changed id clearance in the system and everything. AJ didn't give a reason as to why they were leaving or who would take their place. All he said was, "This our last live show, but it won't be the last time you see us." He said he was opening a restaurant called Mahogany's in Brooklyn and was going to get more heavily into management. He said all of this with that tone in his voice and a look in his eyes. Again, not like he was just sad for leaving.. but because he was being forced to. Here he is signing off.. and breaking down. (Real video)

The unofficial story is that Free and AJ were having problems with BET's upper management. Let's strip that down to.. Free was having problems with upper management. Allhiphop posted a rumor that she quit and AJ was gonna continue to host by himself, but decided that was a bad idea, so he joined her. At this time, that's the extent of the information on this, but I'm looking at my stack of magazines, I think I'm gonna speculate as to the root of the problem.

Have you seen the cover of KING magazine this month? Ahh yes, the lovely Free is this month's cover girl. While she's not flashing backshots, she is in bikinis and what not. check the pics 1 - 2 - 3 - 4. We all know how funny BET can be about this kind of stuff. They'll play videos with ass jumping and shaking, but many times.. Snoop's "Beautiful" is a good example, they will block out shots of a girl's ass in a thong. Meanwhile MTV will play the same video as is; mind you, they're owned by the same company. I make this comparison because LaLa was also a cover girl for KING magazine, but she's an MTV host, they had no problems with her spread. BET on the other hand, knowing how they filter videos.. think Marques Houston's "Naked" which he had to be edited to get on BET.. might have been raising eyebrows at their hostess getting umm.. a lil bit revealing.

Not only did she have the pictures, in the article she says.. "I like my butt rubbed. I rub it before I go to sleep. It relaxes me and calms me down like a baby." Pretty tame, but even she finishes that statement with, "I'm gonna be completely embarrassed when this comes out." She also talks about having to wear thongs, "Thongs only. Nothing else.. boy shorts are okay, but for what I have going on, thongs work the best."

This spread follows a guest spot on the remix to "The Whisper Song" with the Ying Yang Twins. Listen to her verse here (Real audio)
She talks about giving amazing head, having a baby soft ass, able to ride it, etc.

None of these things would be something to fire her over, but the combination of all three, I could see BET execs calling her into their office. The magazine's laying on the table, one finger pointing at her delicious thighs, they're all red faced, telling Free she shouldn't be doing things like this. Someone else mentions the remix - "what was that?" They tell her 106 and Park has a predominately pre-teen - teenage audience, how would it look. Blah, blah blah. Free probably told them she wasn't gonna stop shit. She's thinking I came in this door as a rapper (true story) here she is finally seeing some shine and they're trying to put a hold on it. Not gonna happen. What's the big deal, anyway? Some pictures and a verse on a song already playing on BET. Not the remix.. but what's the difference? They insist.. "Stop this whore shit!" She quits. AJ is caught in the middle, he doesn't want to quit, but realizes they are a team.. he has no choice.

You see what happens when the parties involved give one sentence official statements dunked in mystery oil? People have to speculate and put two and four together to make up their own story. Even if I'm wrong, it sounds good. No other reason for them both to quit out of nowhere. Free wasn't even in the studio to announce that she was leaving - and they don't have new hosts waiting in the wings, fresh and ready to go. Free couldn't have left on good terms. You don't leave a show after five years over a cellphone. While AJ will tend to his side businesses, Free will be working on her solo album. When it's released will the video get played on BET? If grudges are held, that could be a problem.

The Spederlines Take A $5 Million Loan - 1:49 p.m.
Did anyone watch past the first episode of Britney and Kevin:Chaotic, you know, that ridiculous reality show that should have never been on the air? I checked the UPN website, they have recaps of all six episodes, but I wouldn't be surprised if they aired late at night, like in-between Blind Date and infomercials.

The latest on The Beverly Hillbillies is that they took out a 5 million dollar loan using their Malibu, California mansion as collateral. I say "their mansion" only in technical terms. Mr. Fed brought nothing to the marriage besides the Dirk Diggler action. At least that's the speculation. There have been rumors that Britney Spears is running low on funds. A whole lot of expenses - $3000 a night hotel rooms, real estate maintenance, and various Starbucks and Red Bull drinks (you've seen the pictures) are starting to lighten that wallet. Not to mention supporting Flip Flop Fed, his child support payments and a kid on the way. More rumors - it might be twins. Double the diapers.

Shortly after the debut episode of Chaotic, Britney said that she has no plans to get back in shape, that she's going to be, basically, a fattie for some time. This is how her body is, live with it. I assume that means that she has no plans to get back onstage either. Even before her 18 hour Vegas marriage and then this situation with Fed, her little suburbanite teeny bopper fans thought she was getting all grown up on them - or in other words, falling off. How she expects to continue to live the lifestyle she lives is a mystery to me. Publishing royalties are the holy grail of the music business, but I doubt she can live luxurious off that alone. Honestly, I don't know how Whitney does it either. I imagine she's smarter with managing her money and has a whole lot more coming in. She did get a $100 million dollar deal from Arista in 2001.

Now that Britney's dysfunctional behavior is being played out in front of the world, her music is gonna have an audience of one. Not million, hundred. There aren't legions of Britney fans ready to support her. The way she's going it's gonna be just her and the kids and Kevin spinning her CDs on a boombox, eating crackers and soda. Although I strongly suspect that once the funds get tight, there are gonna be problems in this marriage. Fed is gonna slip out of the picture, find someone else to prop him up.

You hope that Britney gets her life together before it's truly wrecked. Then again, what the hell would people talk about? Car crashes make the news every day, slide into the rail.

Alec B For President - 2:32 p.m.
It's every hardcore political hound's nightmare, Hollywood actors inking their names on ballots from Florida to Texas, running for mayor to el presidente. Career politicians don't stand a chance against the glow of movie screen sheen. Yes Hillary and Jeb Dub, you've got competition, the actors are coming. Inspired by Arnold Schwarzenegger's successful run for California governor, Alec Baldwin told Britian's Weekend magazine that he's looking forward to retiring from acting to start a new phase of his life in politics.

The 47-year-old has worked in a ton of movies: "The Hunt for Red October," "The Aviator," "Glengarry Glen Ross," "Pearl Harbor," "Path to War," "The Cat in the Hat," and with Jim Carrey in the soon-to-be released "Fun With Dick and Jane." But all things must come to an end, "It's my secret how much longer I want to do this for," said Baldwin. "I want to make the most of the time I've got left."

"Arnold being elected governor of California was very heartening to me, because if the largest, most economically significant state in America could elect a man who is totally unqualified for the job, then they can elect anyone. People didn't vote for a governor, they cast a movie," said Baldwin. "He's a great guy, I've met him, but he had zero credentials for the job."

Before Baldwin starts returning movie scripts he better take a look at the Arnold's current troubles. The honeymoon period has ended. Over the last month or so the bureaucratic mess which is the reality of politics has bogged down his promised agenda. Maybe he can be excused for that, try to keep 25 people satisfied, all wanting an equal share of a few slices of pie. Someone's gonna complain about getting the crust. Even George Dubya has that problem. That his pie is stuffed with bullshit, well that doesn't help either.

More troubling are the accusations that Arnold has been making sure his corporate buddies are taken care of before the people of the state. See here.. here and here. Politics ain't an easy gig. It'll turn your hair white. If Alec Baldwin goes ahead with this second career plan, he's best to lean on his Glengarry Glen Ross performance. In his only appearance in the film he shakes up a group of "loser" salesmen with some slick talk. "You wanna know what it takes to sell real esate? It takes brass balls.. you fucking faggots!" Oh he digs in. Best seen, but listen in (Realaudio) til I figure out how to rip this DVD.

NYC Subway Riders Face Bag Searches - 1:36 p.m.
London police aren't playing games anymore. Today a man suspected of being a terrorist was chased onto The Tube (the subway) by three plain clothes officers. The man ran onto a train, was tackled by the police, who proceeded to dump five shots into his chest. This happened one day after another terrorist attack was attempted that luckily failed.

The continued attacks in London have caused NYC to implement random bag searches on the subway. At one station they were checking every fifth person. Like the airports there was no filtering of who was searched: from white to black to Hispanic, to grandma to teenager. Everyone selected was subjected to either a quick ruffle through their bag or a complete dumping of the contents on a table.

I get on the train in the hood, where they couldn't be bothered with this kind of thing. While that's convenient for me, it also shows how meaningless these bag searches are. There are way too many entry points to the NYC subway system to think that a bag search at selected stations is going to deter anything. First of all, if you have a bomb hidden underneath a tuna sandwich are you honestly going to try to sneak it past a search station? And so far, there are no forced bag searches. If you don't let them search your bag, they tell you to beat it. You can't ride the subway.

It also brings up another thing: making sure your bag is clean of anything that looks nasty or could get you locked up on another tangent. I'm talking about gravy leaking out the lid on the lunch, crushed potato chips lining bottom of your bag, bootleg DVDs, weed tucked into the corner of the backpack.

This morning I had to make sure my bag was looking fresh. It's sort of like wearing clean socks to the clubs that make you kick your shoes off before entering; nothing like a hole in the toe or dirty gray socks to make you the laugh of the night. Not that I do that. Haha. But I've seen some suspect mofos back when the Tunnel was popping. Now you gotta keep the bags buffed and neat. This bag search crap is just an annoyance that will not stop one terrorist act. Guarandamnteed.

Some people are truly upset, citing the Fourth Amendment which protects US citizens from unreasonable searches. I hear many a brotha thinking that their car has been unreasonably searched plenty of times. Those familiar with the law would have broke out the Fourth on them. Jay said it in "99 Problems" when he told the cop that he needed a warrant to search his glove compartment. That's another issue. This guy on a radio talk show was saying that these aren't unreasonable searches; the possibility of a terrorist attack makes it perfectly legal. So that makes you think, if I'm selected for a search, am I supposed to be a terrorist?

About a week ago I was in the 42nd street train station, near the shuttle. There is an area that graffiti writers used to bomb on the regular. There are only faded remnants of that time. But I had my digital camera and decided to take fliks of this lame throw-up on the tunnel wall that you can see from the platform. I started snapping away, when a transit worker walked over and told me I could get arrested for taking pictures of the tunnel. It didn't occur to me that it could look like I was surveying the area for an attack. He had a point. If the station were bombed a week later, I would definitely be a suspect, all on the TV news, "Have you seen this man, last seen taking pictures at the scene of the crime?"

So I'm like, you know, your right. I put the camera away. But this guy was acting way too serious about it. As if I was actually doing work for the deed. I tried to get him to crack a smile, nothing. No way I look like I'm down with the Al Quaeda crew. I would have expected this guy to approach me in a different way, more of reminding me like . "You know you can get arrested for that?.. The terrorist thing.. Hello?" Nope. This brotha is nearly frothing at the mouth. I just shook my head and let him be. As I walked away he's looking at the tunnel where I was taking pictures.

Like the crazy airport searches, these subway searches need some fine tuning. I've yet to see one terror suspect that wasn't of Middle Eastern descent. That raises questions of racial profiling, again going back to what black men have complained about for eons, and for Middle Eastern friends of mine, I can understand them being upset if it was more tightly focused on them. But does it make sense to check grandmas and teenage Hispanic girls? As I finish this.. I hear they're looking at behaviors more than race, which would make sense. Me and the damn camera. I could be in Guantanamo Bay, right now. Haha! Bag searches are still useless. There are too many ways to get around it for anyone serious about doing that kind of damage. *Look that map*

Notorious B.I.G. To Be Immortalized on the Big Screen - 1:33 p.m.
If you're fat, black, and ugly as ever you may just have a chance to become a movie star.. turn that ash into some cash. The life and times of Brooklyn's most beloved M.C. is in development with Fox Searchlight Productions. They've hired Cheo Hodari Coker to write the script; one of the best hip-hop journalists in the game and the last to interview B.I.G. Coker is also the author of Unbelievable: The Life and Times of the Notorious B.I.G. The movie won't be based on the book, although if it's about his life, I don't see how the book won't be incorporated into the script.

The film will be produced by B.I.G.'s mother, Voletta Wallace and his former managers Mark Pitts and Wayne Barrow. Barrow told the Hollywood Reporter that they've been trying to get the film off the ground for the past five years; Fox Searchlight has presented them with the best opportunity to make a movie that's not some cheap hack job. "People wanted to give us check and do a film that they wanted to do, but Searchlight gave us the opportunity to really be able to come in and tell the story the way it was supposed to be told," Barrow said. "It's not just a hip-hop film, it's a film of life and a film of love. We didn't want to sell our souls to the devil, so to speak, just to get a check. The story is too important, not just to us but to hip-hop."

Coker will collaborate with Mrs. Wallace, Pitts, and Barrow in writing the script. That has good and bad implications. It'll steer the movie away from focusing on the East Coast/West Coast bullcrap that a more mainstream Hollywood writer would have zoomed in on. Can't you see that? They'd skip over all the details of his rise and get straight to the beef with Pac. That'd be a bullshit story. With this team of writers it'll hopefully be something that illuminates the vibe that he had on the streets. Obviously his death can't be left out, but it should come as suprisingly as did in real life. And if I may suggest, it should end with his casket returning to Brooklyn - that was a prepackaged movie scene, with all the emotion and finality that would stamp it just right.

Even a good script can be shredded with the wrong director behind the camera. That's why it's great that Antoine Fuqua will direct the film. Antoine Fuqua directed Training Day and last put his touch on King Arthur. His movies have a very polished look. He and Denzel were supposed to be finishing a gangster flick for Universal called "Tru Blu" about the life of 1970's drug kingpin Frank Lucas. Universal stopped production due to Fuqua going over budget. The gangster that Denzel is, he still got the 20 million he was paid for the role. Too bad he's not fatter and blacker, casting for B.I.G.'s film will ultimately be the most important decision.

Who do you know that looks and moves like Biggie? I have no one in mind. Maybe Faizon Love aka Big Worm. But has he done anything besides comedy? They better not cast Guerilla Black. That would be the worst. He sounds like him, he looks like him, but the straight jacking of B.I.G's style is nothing short of blasphemy. No way they should reward that with a chance to gain some legitimacy. As a matter of fact it would automatically delegitimize it with all the controversy surrounding his CD. Then there are the other roles: Lil Kim, Puff, Junior Mafia. Are they gonna play themselves? There are some tough decisions to be made. I'm telling you, casting is gonna make or break this film.

Sticky Fingaz Set To Go "Over There" - 2:12 p.m.
Have you noticed that news about the operations on the ground in Iraq have all but disappeared from the newspapers? Today there is news about Saddam being indicted, but it's almost as if the troops we have over the have become invisible. I trace it to last year, when the media's concentration shifted to covering the elections. Once the elections were over, going back to roadside bomb casualties and suicide bombers was unappealing. On top of that there is just so much you can read about the deaths before you become blind to the whole thing. It's sad but if the soldier or Iraqi citizen isn't one of your friends or family, they melt into the headlines as just another number. 1766 US soldiers have died in Iraq, 426 of them were killed this year. 13189 have been injured, 2795 this year. I scraped those numbers up from The Iraq Coalition Casualty Count which was updated to include the two soldiers that died over the weekend.

Dammit! I know there are all types of people in the military, all races that have either negative or positive attidues towards the war. So you can't say that people like Smoke aren't in the military. But with only two black guys in the main cast of the show why does one of them have to be addicted to drugs and a racist? That has got to be a minority position (no pun intended) why amplify it? To make it worse, his name is Smoke. Ha ha!

Despite that I plan on checking the first episode to see where they take this. Outside of those two issues it looks to be a well crafted show. Check it out, check the site.. take it back to DU.. do whatchalike.

Ja Rule Being Investigated on Murder Charges
As Sticky is shooting guns in movies, Ja Rule is being investigated by the Feds in a conspiracy to murder two people back in December 2004. The NY Post is reporting that the same prosecutors that have Irv Gotti piling up lawyer fees to fight charges of money laundering, have decided to look a little closer into Ja Rule's involvement in a shooting outside a party held in his honor last Christmas.

For whatever reason, Ja Rule and his crew were "enraged" to see these guys, it had nothing to do with their reputation, likely they had problems of their own. So it's 3:30 a.m., Ja Rule is leaving the club. Videotapes from the club's surveillance cameras show that Ja Rule's car is outside the club when Moore and Clark come walking by. A bodyguard runs up to Ja Rule's car and taps on the window, another bodyguard gets out of the car. As Ja Rule's car pulls off both bodyguards bust off on Moore and Clark. Clark dies. Moore is wounded and decides he's not telling the cops anything.

Apparently time heals all wounds; recently Moore spoke to Federal prosecutors recently, which has prompted them to investigate Ja Rule and the bodyguards on federal charges which include conspiracy to commit a murder.

It couldn't come at a worse time. Just a few weeks ago I saw a flyer for Ja Rule performing at a show at BB Kings Bar & Grill. First of all I didn't know he had any new material, but then it's slightly appropriate in that most of the acts that perform there have fallen from the top of the Billboard charts. I almost went to see him, find out what he's been up to these days, but decided against it. Good thing. I'm looking around for more news on the shooting and I come across a string of articles from different cities about him stinking up clubs across the United States.

"Rule must hope he has a better following in Connecticut than he has in Iowa. According to the Des Moines Register, Rule's recent show there attracted no more than 100 people and he performed for less than 25 minutes." - Norwich Bulletin, Connecticut

"The now-fractured, but once fantastic formula of matching his forced, gravelly voice with such lyrically creative and catchy female counterparts as Jennifer Lopez and fellow Def Jam/The INC label-mate Ashanti that made him famous has clearly left the artist with a need for a new direction.. Ending the night around 11 p.m., Ja, who by then had gone shirtless to show off some tattoos, paid homage to his hometown with "New York" and briefly rejuvenated the then-thinning crowd with his hit "Always on Time.".. As the last beat broke, no encore was offered and none was requested." - JSonline, Wisconsin

"The descent from hip-hop's heights can be swift. Just ask Ja Rule. Playing in front of a paltry, largely ambivalent crowd, the New York rapper did his best to revive his sagging career with a short set of gangsta-lite hip-hop last night at Avalon. His best just wasn't good enough" - The Boston Herald, Massachusetts

I'm sure there has to be a good review somewhere, but to be able to pick up three without even digging is a testament to the damage that 50 did to his career. It's really unbelievable how fast Murder Inc fell from grace. It's not just Ja Rule, it's the entire label. Anything with Murder Inc's name on it has the bad taste of that sad story. Much love to "Always on Time," "Holla," "Put It On Me," and a handful more. No one can front like they weren't rocking to those hits. "New York" almost did it but it doesn't look like he'll ever get out of the hole he's in. Best get to ghostwriting, that up front money has dried up. One exception - he had some funny moments in Assault on Precinct 13. Maybe he acts his way back into people's hearts.. ok, maybe not.

Lovin' Being Bobby Brown - 1:29 p.m.
Is there any show on TV this summer better than Being Bobby Brown? Nope. I can't get enough of it. It's so good I'm on bended knees reciting the holiest prayers to God Hollywood that a DVD is released at the end of the season. I'd play it every day. You could leave it on loop and go about your bizness of cleaning and sweeping the house. Lord knows some cleaning needs to be done around this place. I've been watching since the debut episode and was expecting to be revolted. Most of the early reviews slammed it like it was the absolute lowest and degrading reality TV to ever blaze the airwaves. So I was watching the opening minutes waiting to join in the bashing. Instead of swinging the bat, I found myself going through three stages: forced laughter, real laughter, and realization of the truth.. this is a great show.

Forced laughter: Maybe it's because I was half asleep, but I watched that first episode LOLing it up for no good reason. "Haha, look at his crusty lips!" "Haha, Whitney looks crazy!" "Haha, he said doo doo!" Just stupidness like that. After one particularly loud laugh with an actual HAHA coming out my mouth, I had to check myself. Umm, it's not that funny. Don't be an ass.

Real laughter: It was until Bobby Brown starting spitting words of wisdom that I really got into the show. This was truly genius. He jumps into a limo, heading out to enjoy the Bahama nightlife. He's in a club that looks more like a basement party with girls a touch above the age of his daughters. They're dancing and shaking their little asses like lil strippers in training and getting a failing grade. They were horrible. This one girl is getting wheel barreled and slips a little, Bobby watching close by says, "Oh, watch your head." Never mind that she's bent over a table. Then another girl is sitting on a bar stool, trying to pop her butt cheeks Tip Drill style, shake one, shake the other, looking like she needs a whole lot of practice. Soon after that same girl asks Bobby how she can get in touch with him. He tells her he's a married man and she gives him a look like, "Nigga pleeez.'

But the words of wisdom came later. Bobby is back in the limo, after a night of partying he's smoking a cigarette and feeling philosophical. "I don't know. *puff* These young girl's today..*thoughtful pause* .. they just like dancing." That did it for me. It was so stupid, yet so genius. Just a sign of what was to come over the course of the past four episodes. Too many to mention. I say a compilation of the wit and wisdom of Bobby Brown like those Dubya discs gets dubbed along with the DVD. In the liner notes Whitney can throw in her latest quotable: "Ahh, hell to the naw."

The idea for this show came from Bobby's kids. They were watching Flavor Flav act up on his reality show and told Bobby he should have his own show. He figured it would show that he's not the monster that the press makes him out to be. Outside of the drug use, this looks like the life they live on the daily. For some reason the fact that they are so crazy makes them more likable. Bobby's not putting on an act for the cameras and Whitney is probably more nuts than she allowed them to capture. Bobby wanted to do this she's along for the ride. That's why one minute she's dancing and along with him and dipping away from the cameras the next.

It's easy to see why she has stayed with him for so long, even why they hooked up in the first place. There is the sweet and the sour. He keeps her laughing and crying. After riding the emotional rollercoaster they live hanging with a straight laced guy would bore her to tears. Too bad the drugs are a part of the equation. A lot of the situations they are in are for the show. Everyday living with Bobby scratching his nuts has to be something else to deal with. From what we see though, they have a lot of fun together.

It's bizarre that this show ended up on Bravo. All the other networks.. MTV.. VH1.. BET.. FOX. .. on and on.. they all passed on it, which is unbelievable considering the other crap they have on the air. I just can't imagine a network exec getting a peek at this and saying it's not good enough or that it wouldn't have an audience. Last I read the ratings have been sky high. The reporter added that it was only the third week, as if to say it has time to dip. Won't happen in my house, last night's episode was better than expected. Hearing that he was going camping with the boys didn't seem that exciting, but it made for some great moments. Check the pic above and Bobby's pregnant belly. The clip is below. If you don't get Bravo in your part of this globe join me in prayer for that DVD, it's the best we can do.

Bobby Brown and Whitney - Pregnant Belly (Realvideo)
Bobby Brown and Whitney - Super Fisherman (Realvideo)
Bobby Brown and Whitney - Gimme that Jetski (Realvideo)

"Bush's Brain" Close to Being Cooked - 2:15 p.m.
In 2003 US Ambassador Joseph Wilson was assigned by the CIA to determine whether Iraq had acquired uranium from Niger. This would help to settle the questions of Saddam's aspirations to build a nuclear bomb. Joseph Wilson came back with a big negative, didn't see anything. Shortly after Joseph Wilson was personally attacked in the press by the Bushigans and a 2003 Time magazine article outed his wife as a CIA agent: "Some government officials have noted to Time in interviews... that Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, is a CIA official who monitors the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction." This was echoed in a column by Robert Novak: "Wilson never worked for the CIA, but his wife, Valerie Plame, is an Agency operative on weapons of mass destruction. Two senior administration officials told me Wilson's wife suggested sending him to Niger to investigate the Italian report."

The bit about Wilson's wife was true, but whoever the "senior administration" or "government official" was violated the Intelligence Identities Protection Act. which clearly says.. "Whoever, having or having had authorized access to classified information that identifies a covert agent, intentionally discloses any information identifying such covert agent to any individual not authorized to receive classified information� shall be fined.. or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both."

This was a big deal in political circles. Joseph Wilson wrote a book, "The Politics of Truth" which goes into how he felt he was railroaded by the administration. It seems to me that the reporters violated the law by putting her name in the article, but the attention is on the source of the information. George Dub said he was intent on finding out who's responsible, said their head would be on a platter, blah, blah, blah. This case has been under investigation for the past two years, just this week it's become clear that Karl Rove aka Bush's Brain was the source of the leak. Time magazine had emails between their reporter and editors which they've been fighting in court to keep away from investigators. They lost that fight.

So Karl Rove is the guy with the loose lips. The puppet master who is largely responsible for getting Bush elected, re-elected and so much more. Check that Bush's Brain video. I actually respect the guy. As Buzzflash writes, "Rove may be evil, but he is an evil genius. Freedom loving Americans ignore him at their peril. Rove never graduated from a college, but he is a masterful three-dimensional chess player, albeit working for the forces of radical extremism. Rove runs circles around the Democratic leadership. He's a bear hunter who knows how to bait and trap with the best of them."

So will he be fired? Facing charges? .. Yesterday Washington press secretary Scott McClennan began his briefing with a statement from Bush about Bosnia and the triumph of good over evil, but as soon as he opened the floor for questions reporters brushed that aside. They were there to ask him about Karl Rove; McClennan pulled the dodge and deflect routine. In previous briefings, with an ongoing investigation, he freely spoke about Karl Rove having nothing to do with the leak, but now with Rove clearly the one with the loose lips, it's a different story.

The beauty of this is seeing McClennan all uncomfortable as he's getting slammed by reporters. Despite numerous attempts to change the subject they kept hitting him in the head about Karl Rove. I've never seen them so focused, maybe it's because he tried to kick it under the rug.

MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olberman did a piece on it last night, which you can see here. Let me say that I cannot take that chick sitting in for Keith Olberman. She's makes the show hacky. Anyway, towards the end you'll see a montage of McClennan sweating as he fends off the questions. The entire 1/2 hour briefing is on CSPAN. They don't have direct links. Scroll down and you'll see "White House Press Briefing with Scott McClellan."

Terrorist Attacks in London: Call It 7/7 - 1:45 p.m.
One day after celebrating the winning bid for the 2012 Olympics, London has been hit with terrorist attacks that will have a few Frenchmen, who lost to their bitter rivals, privately snickering, "Go ahead and take those Olympics. Better you than us."

I woke up early this morning, 5:30 a.m. and saw the first reports of the explosions in London. Before I go on I have to say I cannot believe the lack of courage the media has to take a stab at reality. This morning they were confirming multiple explosions in the subways at various locations and a double decker bus being ripped to shreds, yet no one could mouth the words "terrorist attack." These idiots are talking about power surge problems, as if a generator exploding in the subway would account for a bus on the street, miles away, exploding as well. Terrorism should have been the first thing they suspected. The situation may have been different in the UK. But over here mufuckas were tap dancing and humming like the various explosions were all some bizarre coincidence.

I get the feeling they were reluctant to say that it was a terrorist attack, not in the interest of journalistic responsibility but because people might get a little frightened given that it came on the heels of London's Olympic announcement (happy times) and that it was splashed in the face of our closest ally. Bombs in Baghdad and Afghanistan, even Madrid, are one thing, but terrorist attacks in London are too close to home. It's the equivalent of a truck bomb in the middle of Times Square.

Understanding that they couldn't outright say it was Al Qaeda I was still screaming, have some balls and face reality. This was an attack, at least say that.

Congratulations to Tony Blair for being the first to say so publicly. At 7 a.m. he talked about how the terrorists won't win and how the G8 Summit to fight poverty and clean up the environment being held in Scotland today contrasts against the killing of innocent people. Looking shaken. He then darted from the podium and went on his way. London has gone from feeling like champions to a somber look over your shoulder attitude. There were four explosions in the UK subways and on two buses. As of this time there are 300 people injured and 40 people dead.

A group called the "The Secret Organization of al-Qaeda in Europe" posted a message on an Islamic website claiming responsibility for the attacks. They also threatened bombings in other countries. A translated MSNBC quote reads: "The heroic mujahedeen carried out a blessed attack in London, and now Britain is burning with fear and terror, from north to south, east to west. We warned the British government and the British people repeatedly. We have carried out our promise and carried out a military attack in Britain after great efforts by the heroic mujahedeen over a long period to ensure its success. We continue to warn the governments of Denmark and Italy and all crusader governments that they will receive the same punishment if they do not withdraw their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan."

It's possible that the message was fake. The translator says that some of the Quaranic verses had mistakes in them.

Regardless of who, what, or why, it's a reminder that regardless if Saddam has been reduced to eating Doritos in his underwear, Bin Laden is in the hills or Zarqaui is limping around on a bad leg, there are people who are dumb enough to kill people who have no direct link to anything they have a problem with. I disagreed completely with the need to go into Iraq, but I do believe that terrorism is a cowardly act. It's a cheap shot at the citizens of a country who are just trying to live their lives. People who have as little control over their government's actions as the terrorists do over their own. These are not the leaders of countries, they are pissed off, disenfranchised citizens whose own governments screw them over in the name of the dollar.

From the killing of Iraqis regrouping under a new flag - because what else can they do at this point - to the killing of Americans in the World Trade Center, to the train bombs in Madrid and now London, it accomplishes nothing in the way of shaking a government. If anything it brings the people together. Immediately after 9/11 the flags were waving and the military was gung ho. The mistake we made was wasting time, money, lives and attention with bringing democracy to Iraq - or was that the plan? Conspiracy theories aside. It diverted attention from a true war on terrorism and has resulted in thousands of Iraqis being killed, who like British and US citizens, have little to do with anything. It's obvious that putting a new Iraqi government in place is doing nothing to stop the capability of terrorists. Saddam and Osama are already out of the picture, who's to blame this time? The saga continues.

Lil Kim Gets a Year and a Day - 5:20 p.m.
Lil Kim was sentenced this afternoon. Facing 20 years max, she got a Martha Stewart-like 366 days. That's a year and a day for the calendar illiterate. What's the point of the one extra day? Does that give the inmates 24 more hours to push her face in the pudding? One more chance to give Big Momma a backrub? The legal system is just stupid, cutting off one day from what's in the books would mean nothing to anyone. How about one extra day to slap the judge?

Angelina Jolie Adopts an Ethiopian Baby - 2:15 p.m.
Last week Angelina Jolie visited Ethiopia to file an adoption request for an Ethiopian baby girl. The child less than a year old, was put up for adoption after her parents died of AIDS. Ethiopia is said to have strict laws to make sure that the kids in their agencies are actually orphans and prevent those with health problems from being offered to adopting families. With that said, Jolie hasn't given the exact age, height, or weight of the child. However she says that shorty will be named, Zahara Marley Jolie.

Angelina Jolie hasn't given birth to kids of her own, but in 2002 adopted her first child, a seven-month old Cambodian boy. She named him Maddox. In 2004 the IMDB reported that the boy may not have been orphan. The FBI shut down the agency Angelina used to adopt him, Seattle International Adoptions Inc, and a "huge legal battle" was to be awaiting her. She and Billy Bob Thornton were together at the time, he was against her adopting Maddox concerned that Cambodian women were selling their kids in a way to escape poverty. Their disagreement about the adoption is said to have been a factor to their relationship ending.

No word on the outcome of the legality of Maddox's adoption, but Jolie was ready to take the fight to the mat. "I will never give my little boy back," she told a friend. "I've given him a home, I've given him love and he's mine." Maddox is now 3-years-old; Jolie tells People magazine that he loves Africa and wanted an African brother or sister. Well, he got his wish. Lucky guy, most kids ask for toys. :T

Despite being plastered in tabloids across the globe, Angelina Jolie has been involved in humanitarian efforts just as much as she has been getting her freak on. And it's not only babies and people with natural tans. In 2003 she went to Chechnya, the war torn republic of Russia. She wrote a journal documenting her time there. The link is still live, in pdf format, right here. Here's an excerpt: "I know that if thousands of people were dying every day in California, London or New York, it would be very different. But most of these people are in places like Africa, Chechnya, the Balkans, Central Asia and Colombia, and maybe the world is used to hearing about their deaths? Is it old news? Are they too many? Or is it that they have nothing we feel to give to us in return? Which is of course wrong because they have everything to offer. At the end of the day, what should that matter, we are equal. They are families like us. And they need our help, our support. And in areas like Chechnya, they need us not to forget."

If there is one thing she did wrong last week, it was bringing Brad Pitt with her to the adoption agency in Ethiopia. At least that's what reports are saying. I don't know if that's a photo of them in Ethiopia, but it looks like a "family" outing to me. This is the same two people who have denied to the point of cursing someone out that they are Mr and Mrs Smith. There are also pictures of them in England that will run in People magazine. Not that it matters that much. Just that there is no point of getting pissed about it when someone brings up the subject. Now photographers jumping out of the trees when you crack the door open of your house, that's another story.

Luther Vandross, Rest In Peace
Yeah, I'm catching up from a long week's vacation. I've got to acknowledge the death of Luther Vandross. Can't say that I was a huge fan of his music. When he was in his prime, I was a kid all wrapped up in Run DMC, Big Daddy Kane, and Rakim, but my grandmother loved him to death. I think to her he was a modern day Nat King Cole or something.
All weekend Luther's songs were on 24 hour radio play or personally mixed CDs. Yup, one of the greats have passed on. Rest in peace, brotha.