Combs Proves Why He's A 'Bad Boy'

CLEVELAND - Sean "Diddy" Combs has been a key figure in the evolution of hip-hop, fashion and materialistic excess for close to 15 years now and it just truly dawned on me how he's gotten to this point.

Simply put: The man is relentless.

Combs' new reality show, I Want to Work For Diddy airs Monday night's on VH-1 and thus far has ran nine episodes with the 10th and final one scheduled for next week. It debuted on August 4, 2008 with several contenders vying for the highly challenging job of his personal assistant.

Each week, another person gets "eliminated" from contention. Currently, there are four (possibly three) folks left. Admittedly, Combs is an extremely demanding person and has a tendency to come off as condescending to those not on his level. It's a well-earned reputation, even former colleagues such as Lil' Kim and The Notorious B.I.G. expressed frustration at Diddy's "micromanaging" and "arrogant" style.

For the record, I do not believe Combs to be arrogant or condescending. While I completely get how he can be construed as such, I believe that he is an eminently successful mogul and entrepreneur and understands how difficult it was and is to ascend to such lofty heights and not only maintain it, but expand and achieve new high standards.

He doesn't want to take his foot off the gas.

On yesterday's episode, Combs was in the middle of an effortless, all-out jog in New York's Central Park while his contending group struggled to keep up. He then asked them if they wanted "to be great today" to which they all replied "yes."

The wealthy executive smiled and said, "I'm gonna be great today" before picking up his speed and leaving them in his dust.

The symbolism in that was quite obvious.

New Season Of Family Guy Hits The Ground Running

CLEVELAND - The highly anticipated seventh season of Fox's Family Guy premired last night with yet another uproariously funny episode, this one entitled, "Love Blactually."

Needless to say, it's pretty raunchy!

For anyone that wants a good laugh (and isn't a stuffy, uptight conservative), this is the show to watch and if this episode is a sign of things to come...then we're all in for the time of our lives!

Us fans that is!

Check Out The VAR-city

CLEVELAND - I've mentioned my friend Shavar Ross before, but now I want to take it a step further.

This guy is a true mover and shaker!

What I admire most about him is just how driven he is. To me, that eclipses even his wide array of talents. I often call him the J.O.A.T. because he's a true "jack of all trades!" Besides being an outstanding actor, he's a ton of other things that Wikipedia would run out of room for if it were to get his profession factually correct.

Hmmm.

Actor, director, producer, photographer, pastor, blogger, editor, author, screenwriter, podcaster, husband, father, acting consultant, web designer, media mogul, entrepreneur, visionary ...

I can't remember the other thirty things!

Bottom line is, Mr. Shavar Ross is on his way back. Not back in business, because he never stopped being in business.

What could I possibly mean?

Good things come to those who wait, so ...

The Great Debaters

CLEVELAND - Senators John McCain and Barack Obama squared off last night in Mississippi in the first of three Presidential debates and had a surprising outcome.

Even Steven.

Both men acquitted themselves well, each displaying a keen knowledge of the key issues that this country faces, most notably the economy and the war as well as foreign policy. McCain, with an enormous edge in experience over his rival was expected to excel, but both his sharpness and focus were perhaps a surprise. The Republican senator had threatened to not attend the debate just two days prior in a supposed effort to help assist the Bush Administration in reaching a bailout deal to help the nation's plummeting economy.

Obama, a relative novice by comparison displayed coolness under fire and in spite of consistently uttering the words, "Senator McCain is right...," frequently underlined the older man's flawed agenda and paralleled his policies to that of the incumbent Bush, whom many in the U.S. hold responsible for the near-catastrophic state of the countries' financial industry.

With Obama leading in recent polls, the fact that the two men battled to a standoff serves as a pseudo victory for the Illinois senator, particularly since he was supposed to be the "inexperienced newcomer" to McCain's "thousand years of experience."

I liked the fact that after 90 minutes of a sometimes heated and intense battle, the two candidates remained just as conciliatory as they were going in.

There wasn't much mystery or anything new in this debate. That's why the real treat's going to be watching Gov. Sarah Palin crash and burn in her V.P. debate with Sen. Joe Biden next week.

Ya gotta love it!

McCain Sucks ... And Drinks Bush!

CLEVELAND - If ever there were irrefutable evidence that Sen. John McCain is a George Bush clone, this is it. Not only would a McCain White House represent a de facto President Bush third term, it would dig the U.S. into a deeper hole than we're in now.

America doesn't need that.

This isn't for me to debate though. Tonight, Sen. Barack Obama will go one-on-one with McCain and do all of the debating for us.

Stay Tuned.

McCain Is Cowardly Lyin'

CLEVELAND - Sen. John McCain announced the temporary suspension of his Presidential campaign yesterday to "focus on the economy," an obvious and pathetic attempt to gain an edge in the national polls in which he is slipping fast.

Talk about transparent.

McCain also encouraged his rival, Sen.Barack Obama to follow suit with his campaign as well as postpone their highly anticipated first debate on Friday, a request that Obama declined. "The American people need to hear from the person who'll be in charge of this mess in forty or so days," said Obama.

I concur.

The Illinois senator also noted that one of the president's chief responsibilities is to be able to handle "more than one thing at a time," a reference to McCain's supposedly new found urgency to tend to the economy. Indeed, the elderly Republican is headed to Washington today for a meeting with President George Bush at The White House to discuss a plan to lift the nation from its economic dungeon.

Obama will also meet up with the two Republicans today along with congressional leaders in an effort to hammer out a viable economic solution, something Bush discussed in an address to the nation last night.

This suspension by McCain is clear evidence that the man is a coward. He's spent his entire campaign living off his tired tale about his toughness and brave resilience in the face of turmoil while a P.O.W. decades ago. He brags about his "service" to this country. Now he displays, not the heart of a lion, but the heart of the Tin Man and the courage of the lion.

None.

Both McCain and his eye candy running mate Gov. Sarah Palin have become a national embarrassment of late. The only reason they're still within shouting distance of the nomination is because of a still-racist U.S. population that can't fathom a country run by a Black man.

If McCain is so concerned with the countries' financial crisis, he needs to face Obama on Friday head on and assuage the fears of Americans with an outline of solid and intelligent strategies to repair the economy.

He already says he won't attend the debate, which will prove him to be a full-fledged yellow belly.

What a joke.

Queen Elizabeth

CLEVELAND - Elizabeth Young was the greatest teacher (and biggest fan) I ever had. Hailing from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she relocated to Cleveland as a young woman and continued to build an adult life that produced seven children in twenty-one years.

One of those children birthed me.

Elizabeth is my grandmother. She passed away on this date 10 years ago and at the time, I was very much upset, albeit detached and a bit in denial. In spite of it all, I did not fully understand the life-changing impact she had on me since my inception.

Actually, Grandma was crazy about me from before Day One. Given the snide remarks and vicious rumors my teenaged mother endured during and after her gestation, she acted as both caring mom and dependable ally for my ma against the tyranny inflicted by my grandfather.

What I remember and admire most about my grandmother was that she always had unshakable faith in God, always believed a better day was just around the corner and most of all, believed I was just as good as the next man. Devoid of self-esteem, she always encouraged me to love myself and she always stood up for me.

No one was going to slight me. Not on her watch.

As with anyone, she had her faults. But I've never met a person whose positives completely cancelled out their negatives. She loved me unconditionally and insatiably.

I love her the same exact way.

Better Late Than Never

CLEVELAND - Sometimes, I discover great things long after other people. Last night was one of those times.

Lord Help Us is an outstanding film.

The Direct-to-DVD motion picture, released about a year and a half ago in 2007 was directed by my friend Shavar Ross and I must say, it really caught me off guard. The story (I won't reveal much about it) was terrific but more importantly, Ross' direction was outstanding as was the editing, particularly when one considers that this was his first feature (two short films preceded it). Ever the perfectionist, he modestly claims that it "could have been better."

Don't let that fool you. It's great fun.

Ross, 37 you may remember began his Hollywood career 30 years ago when he landed the role of Dudley Ramsey on T.V.'s Diff'rent Strokes, still widely considered his signature role, though he has done countless other projects since then.

I highly recommend Lord Help Us, and I hope to see him behind and in front of the camera for another 50 years!

Nicely done, Mr. Ross!

Another Masterpiece

a Date with Deante (Looks Can Be Deceiving) from Deante Young on Vimeo.
CLEVELAND - Another brilliant installment of a Date with Deante hits the airwaves today as the irreverent Deante Young goes one-on-one with Kristen for several shocking revelations and a twist ending. Meanwhile, Rachel and Max provide several laughs and dish interesting insight on the upcoming Presidential election.

It's brilliance personified. It's history-in-the-making.

Episode 17 has officially arrived.

New Eminem LP on the Horizon

CLEVELAND - Incognito rap superstar Eminem is reportedly crafting his fifth solo studio album after a nearly four year hiatus, though no official release date has been disclosed.

I can barely contain my joy.

The once controversial and insanely gifted MC, real name Marshall Mathers, has focused the past few years on producing music tracks for artists on his Shady Records label. Talk of a new LP from him has persisted for at least the last couple years but has become close to reality this past week with confirmation from both Mathers and his parent label Interscope.

The long anticipated album will most likely arrive in the next few months which is about 10 years since his stunning and groundbreaking 1999 debut, The Slim Shady LP.

Let's just say that all of us fans are on a string indefinitely.

Collision Course: One Week To Go

CLEVELAND - The 2008 U.S. Presidential election will always be remembered as a watershed moment in our history, and the groundbreaking election (whatever may happen) set for Nov. 4th, will put either the first black President in the White House (Sen. Barack Obama) or the first female Vice-President (Gov. Sarah Palin) and oldest President (Sen. John McCain).

Next friday, the two men go head-to-head.

Their wildly popular campaigns have taken on lives of their own, particularly in recent weeks as numerous false and misleading statements have emanated from, most blatantly, the Republican Party, unfairly attacking the Democrats. In recent days, however, the horrific economy has taken center stage, replacing the "Sarah Palin fawn-fest" as the pre-eminent news story in America.

The first Presidential Debate commences next week which will focus on, get this: THE ISSUES!

Imagine that.

One more week until we really begin to see what Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain are truly about.

America's waiting.

O.J. Simpson: An Innocent Victim

CLEVELAND - O.J. Simpson became something of an outcast, a pariah if you will, following the 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole, and her friend Ron Goldman. His unlikely acquittal in 1995 only added fuel to the fire. A nation of people still insist to this day that Simpson is guilty of double murder, largely based on the evidence presented at his criminal trial. Now, 13 years after his stunning acquittal, Simpson is on trial again.

Wow.

That's right. This time, the former NFL star is charged with armed robbery and it is safe to say that I personally am not nearly as transfixed by this trial as I was with the criminal one. I will say this though;

Simpson is an innocent victim.

By innocent, I mean that in spite of every stupid and ill-advised thing he has done, he was still found "not guilty" in a court of law which doesn't exactly mean he didn't do "it", but it does mean that in the eyes of the justice system, he was not the one who murdered those people. However, the nation continues to take him to task and treat him as though he is a proven murderer when in fact, he is not.

Assumption isn't fact. Only facts that can be proven are facts.

The biggest perpetrator of the "Simpson is Guilty" team is none other than murder victim Ron Goldman's father Fred. Ever since the murder took place, the elder Goldman has been on a crusade to basically smear O.J.'s name. He even successfully earned the rights to Simpson's book, If I Did It and re branded it, "Confessions of the Killer."

Simpson should have grounds for a lawsuit for slander.

Look, I know Simpson wasn't the best husband to Nicole and I know he is often his own worst enemy. But I also know that if a man has his day in court and he is found not guilty, he should be able to walk free without having people publicly brand him a murderer. We all have a right to our opinion, but we have no right at all to publicly disgrace and disparage someone whom we have zero evidence of said person actually committing the crime. Let's get footage of Simpson in the act before we treat him like this.

It's only fair.

Sweet 16

CLEVELAND- It is only fitting that Entertainer Deante Young debuts the 16th episode of the racy series, a Date with Deante on today, the 16th of September. As the first season draws to a close, Young continues to remind the world why he's a once-in-a-lifetime talent.

Check out the new stuff. You'll dig it.

a Date with Deante (Freak Ho's, Corny Bro's) from Deante Young on Vimeo.

Shakur's Friday the 13th Death Was Worst Than a Scary Movie

CLEVELAND - Rap music legend Tupac Shakur died on this date 12 years ago from wounds he suffered in a Las Vegas drive-by shooting six days earlier.

Hip-hop hasn't been the same since.

Shakur, 25 at the time of his stunning death had enjoyed a bittersweet meteoric rise to fame, rising to national prominence in 1991 with the release of the urban drama, Juice followed by his musical debut 2Pacalypse Now. By the summer of 1996, 'Pac (as he was famously called) had become the most controversial and insightful artist in all of hip-hop. On the heels of a nine-month prison stint, a deal with Death Row Records, film projects and the release of the epic double LP, All Eyez On Me, he was on the fast track to becoming an industry himself.

Then, he was gunned down on the Vegas strip after a Mike Tyson prizefight.

The hip-hop nation prayed for his speedy recovery and held vigils all over the U.S. By September 11, it seemed as if he were getting better. When the stunning news came down of his passing, it hit like a ton of bricks. I personally, even though I had not yet become a rap music fan, felt the enormity of the situation. In the days that followed, every person I knew (and some that I didn't know) paid tribute to the fallen star with clips of his music on their pager voice mails.

What made the entire saga horrific was the fact that no one was willing to come forward with any information they knew that could lead to solving the crime. There was also a sense that the Las Vegas authorities went about the investigation with very little motivation, urgency or desire for the truth. Shakur was seen as a militant and hot-headed troublemaker and his murder might have been a relief for law enforcement.

That's messed up.

Now here we sit, a dozen years hence and the crime is still unsolved. Forget 2Pac's celebrity and his money. This was a human being that lost his life at the hands of possibly another black man. I can only hope that the harsh reality of his life is never lost on ensuing generations of us black males.

Let us all get a clue and prove our manhood with our minds, not weapons.

An Experimental Change

a Date with Deante (One Tyke, Two Dykes) from Deante Young on Vimeo.
CLEVELAND - Filmmaker and entertainer Deante Young debuts the 15th episode of his much ballyhooed Internet series, a Date with Deante, albeit with a few subtle changes.

The episode is available in the clip above.

Young, 31, is currently gearing up for the second season of the series this Fall. A source at his production company April Fool's Entertainment confirms that the changes to the show are "neither set in stone, nor are they necessarily temporary."

Watch and comment on yet another cutting edge installment from Mr. Young.

September 11, 2001: Let Us Pray

CLEVELAND- Here we are, seven years after that horrific day in America and I'm not sure if a single one of us has truly learned anything that it should've taught us.

That's insane.

The shock and horror of that day was not fully understood by anyone at the time, least of all me. Hell, I was 24 years old back then and all I seemed to care about that historic day was Michael Jordan's pending return to the NBA (Washington Wizards) and the release of Jay-Z's future classic LP, The Blueprint.

It's not that I didn't care ... I did. I suppose it was just not something that affected me because I didn't see the attacks on the U.S. as being "close enough" to me. Rest assured, that was a very nerve wrecking day for this country. I was on edge the entire day thinking a plane or bomb or something else awful would come to Cleveland.

Sheesh.

As the years passed and I had a chance to learn of the true loss and heroism of that day, I became very sad and outraged at this cowardly act by Osama bin Laden and his henchmen. I now look back on that day with a great deal of humility and my heart goes out to every family directly involved.

God Bless us now and shield us from this pain in the future. Let us pray.

The Last Round of Shots

CLEVELAND- Tupac Shakur was gunned down 12 years ago today in a Las Vegas drive-by shooting, setting the stage for his shocking and untimely death six days later from those same wounds.

God bless him and his family.

Shakur, 25 at the time had become, along with East coast rival Christopher Wallace (The Notorious B.I.G.), the pre-eminent rap [stars] on the planet. In the years since, he has attained a mythical status in pop culture and music history. The conflicted genius turned martyr also has become an unlikely inspiration to many people.

I was not a real fan of rap music at the time of 2Pac's shooting, but at age 19, I was very familiar with his endless stream of run-ins with the law as well as his controversial (yet beloved) music. When he was shot, it began a downfall within the hip-hop industry that took years to recover.

Hard to believe how much has changed in the past dozen years since that awful night in Sin City. My only hope is for our nation of young black men to have learned valuable lessons from this senseless (and still unsolved) tragedy.

God help us all.

Palin's Likeability and Gender Alone Won't Sway Most Women

CLEVELAND - Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) scored a home-run last night by painting herself as a down-to-earth mother of five with an impervious will, all of which bodes well for the Republican Party, but doesn't say much about her or her parties' plans to improve the U.S. and its awful economic status.

Score one for both parties.

Palin, 44 is Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) choice for VP in this year's presidential election. Initially a shocking choice, the spunky governor overcame the recent disclosure of her underage daughter's pregnancy to swing and jab at rivals Barack Obama and Joe Biden of the Democratic Party, ridiculing Obama's lack of experience and serving up a series of sarcastic and witty remarks about his very candidacy.

Wow.

Palin's no seasoned veteran herself. Though clearly intelligent, driven and likeable, she will need far more substance and sensitivity to Obama and Biden's adversity-filled past to win most over enough to gain their vote. She continued to feed the overworn theme of McCain's Vietnam experience and decades-old POW status and in the process, belittled her rivals' hard-knock life.

Last night looked like a huge coup for the Republicans, but it just may backfire. Let's reserve judgement until Obama and Biden go at it with McCain and Palin.

That'll tell it all.

Obama's Race Makes This Presidential Race Still a Race

CLEVELAND - For all of his great attributes, Sen. Barack Obama's historic and wildly popular presidential campaign should easily culminate in a victory for the Democrats, but he has one glaring weakness.

He's Black.

I know, he's actually bi-racial but in reality, America will always see him as black. Truth is, in spite of Obama's lack of political experience (in comparison to rival Sen. John McCain), he has a decidedly better case for becoming the 44th U.S. Commander-in-Chief and first African American. Why is the race still so close is almost completely about White America's still deep-seeded racism.

Obama is a quarter-century younger than McCain and endlessly more vibrant. McCain's recent medical history is less than desirable and he appears hopelessly out of touch with what this country truly needs going forward. The Bush Administration has allowed the genocidal Iraq War to persist with no real explanation why. The economy has been a joke for years (in sharp contrast to the Clinton White House) and McCain has supported these counter-productive policies. A McCain victory in the Fall would be a slap in the faces of Liberals who desperately need positive change, not the same "politics as usual" as Obama so succinctly put it at his DNC acceptance speech last week in Denver.

Another shortcoming of McCain's campaign became public knowledge in the past week. With his choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, he gave the country another surreptitious red-flag as further proof of the high risk his candidacy brings. Palin, an obviously inexperienced beauty, brings her own dirty laundry as it was just revealed that her unmarried, 17-year old daughter is pregnant. This means that should the elderly McCain take ill or worse, the fate of the U.S. would fall into the hands of a new grandmother and mother (Palin herself has a five-month old) whom by her own admission is little more than a "hockey mom."

Obama chose Joe Biden as his V.P., who makes up for his own inexperience and foreign policy shortcomings. Obama (and his young children) also brings youth and vigor into the White House much like JFK did in 1961 and Bill Clinton did in 1993.

The choice is clear. Obama should win this race going away.

Except his race won't just "go away."