Barack Obama: The Symbol of 2008

CLEVELAND - With the new year arriving tomorrow, I feel that it is a great time to reflect a little on the outgoing year of 2008. I made many individual strides in many of my endeavors, experienced great loss and tragedy and many superlative moments. But one person exemplified what 2008 was all about more than anyone else.

Barack Obama.

Obama, our president-elect was by far the story of '08. Not only did he make history by becoming the first ever African-American man elected to the U.S. presidency, he also inspired a remarkable sense of hope and confidence in all Americans, not just Black folks.

Barack's campaign was fraught with adversity after adversity but in spite of the divisive nature of opponent John McCain's campaign, he actually brought us all together and showed us that being focused and driven can get any of us as far as we want to go and beyond.

He also proved that we're more alike than we are different.

Here's hoping that 2009 is just as amazing, if not more so for Mr. Obama as well as the rest of us. He takes office on January 20, 2009, and it can't come fast enough.

Happy New Year.

James At 24 is NBA's Best

CLEVELAND - LeBron James, the demigod forward of the Cleveland Cavaliers is the best player in the league. 

Amazing considering that today marks only his 24th birthday. 

That's right. James has finally eclipsed the venerable Kobe Bryant as basketball's top dog and with today being the anniversary of his birth, I felt it necessary to bring up how far he's come. The Cavs, a perennial NBA laughingstock prior to his arrival has stunned the world this season with their blistering early season success. At 26-4, they are easily having the best season in franchise history.

Birthday boy James is the catalyst.

Of course, the acquisition of Mo Williams has done wonders for the team, as well as the outstanding play of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Delonte West. But with LeBron's stunning improvement on defense, his career best free throw shooting and his always splendid scoring and playmaking, he has given Cleveland an elite identity and killer instinct that they've never possessed.

It should be mentioned that no player, not Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan or the aforementioned Bryant is on LeBron's level of basketball superiority right now. That amazing skill set of his will only continue to seperate him from everyone else as time goes on.

Tonight, James leads his team into Miami for the completion of a home and home with the Heat. A couple days ago, he out dueled Miami superstar, Dwyane Wade to push the Cavs' home record to 16-0. Whether or not Cleveland wins their first ever NBA title in June remains to be seen. But win, lose or draw, James is still # 1 in the game.

The championship would just be icing on his cake.

Eastwood is Bad Ass In Gran Torino

CLEVELAND - Some actors and actresses were born to play certain roles. A few of them, the legends, do such masterful jobs that they can evoke real emotion in their audience.

With that said, Clint Eastwood scares the heck out of me!

Eastwood, 78 is a cinematic legend. His latest flick, Gran Torino does nothing but build on that iconic status of his. Forever known as Dirty Harry, the man who famously uttered the words, "go ahead, make my day" in 1983's Sudden Impact, Eastwood is a senior citizen now, but in this new film, (which he also directed) he seems more dangerous and macho than ever.

Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski, a Korean War veteran who has just lost his wife. Kowalski seems to be a bitter old man, resistant to the changes around him and frustrated at the influx of Hmong people into his neighborhood. When one of them tries to steal his prized 1972 Ford Gran Torino, he puts the boy in his place and eventually has the young man working for him. Kowalski uses a plethora of epithets throughout the film (delivered in Eastwood's trademark gruff rumble) and never backs down from the "young punks" that are causing trouble in the neighborhood.

"I'll blow a hole in your face and sleep like a baby," says Eastwood as Kowalski.

Kowalski refuses to be cowered by anyone and always carries his trusty M-1 rifle from the war. Eastwood's legendary reputation as a tough guy makes him seem even more menacing when he simply points his index finger and shoots an imaginary gun, as he does several times in the film.

Despite a stunningly sad conclusion, Gran Torino is an excellent movie. Eastwood has done it again.

He's "made my day."

54 Candles For Denzel

CLEVELAND - Academy-Award winning film actor Denzel Washington has played a wide array of characters with stunning precision in his long tenure in front of the camera.

Now, he plays something he never has: A 54-year old legend.

That's right. The iconic actor and underrated director celebrates yet another birthday today and while he may be getting older, his ability and brilliance remain timeless. His coming-out-party may have been 1987's Glory, his tour-de-force may have been 1992's Malcolm X and his Oscar winning performance in 2001's Training Day may have been historic, but I am more impressed with his overall body of work and longevity. His acting is so scintillating that it seems as if no one could ever eclipse it.

Talent and accomplishments aside, I really admire him as a person. During many interviews, I have discovered that he is a humble and philanthropic man who cares deeply about his wife and children in particular and all people in general. There is never a trace of arrogance in him, nor is he the least bit pretentious.

Go figure, the greatest actor of the past 20 years is at his best when he's not acting. Happy Birthday Mr. Washington.

20 Amazing Years on Top

CLEVELAND - Daytime television has long been a favorite of mine for one reason and one reason only.

The Young and the Restless.

CBS's flagship serial, which was created by William J. Bell and his wife and debuted in 1973, has been a constant fixture in my life since I was four years old. This month, the outstanding drama celebrates being the number one rated soap opera every single week for 20 years.

Sheesh!

The show has taken on iconic status in my own personal history and present. Bell, who died in 2005 created a brilliant masterpiece with indelible characters, many of whom have been on the show for more than twenty or twenty-five years.

Eric Braeden, the amazing actor who has portrayed impervious billionaire Victor Newman since 1980 is one of my favorites and is one of the biggest reasons the show is so incredible. Jeanne Cooper, who has played Katherine Chancellor almost since the show's inception is also one of the most amazing forces the genre has ever known.

And oh yeah, the writing is excellent.

So here it is ... I salute the show that puts a smile on my face every day. I salute my grandmother for bringing it to my attention as a impressionable toddler.

Ya know, back when I was young and restless!

Obama and Simpson Were At the Top of Every Wish List

CLEVELAND - With today being Christmas Day, I felt that it was only fitting that I made mention of the fact that America got its gifts early.

Barack Obama and O.J. Simpson.

In the 230-some odd years that there have been U.S. presidents, there has never been an African-American one. This year, on November 4 that fact changed forever when Obama defeated Sen. John McCain to become our next Commander-in-Chief. Blacks all over the country rejoiced and shed a trillion tears at the seminal moment which has become something of a flash point in the long history of this country. After intense racial inequality that has lasted basically all of our lifetimes, this event was and is still huge!

Obama in the White House? Merry Christmas, Black folks!

For Simpson, his Christmas won't be so great, but White America is loving every minute of his recently imposed prison sentence of nine to 33 years. The NFL legend has never outran the double murder charges he faced back in 1994 and 1995. With a "mountain of evidence" heavily suggesting that he murdered his ex-wife and her friend on June 12, 1994, he was shockingly acquitted in the fall of '95 to the dismay of millions of Whites.  On October 3, 2008, exactly 13 years after his historic acquittal, Simpson was found guilty of armed robbery and kidnapping, much to the delight of White folks all over the planet.

Simpson in the Big House? Merry Christmas, White folks.

Me personally, I'm just happy to be alive and well on yet another Christmas Day. Happy Birthday to Jesus and Merry Chistmas to my children, fans and everyone all over the world.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

CLEVELAND - Hugh Hefner is not only the greatest hedonist in history, he's also a human blueprint for how to live life to the fullest, on your own terms and without care of anyone else's disapproval. 

He's the man.

With the recent break up of the luscious triumvirate of Holly, Bridget and Kendra (and subsequent departure from the iconic Playboy mansion), Hefner had been in a funk. The legendary publisher was indeed in love with Holly Madison, one third of the female stars of The Girls Next Door. Deciding that she wanted children and realizing the 82-year old Hefner was incapable of fulfilling that wish, she broke things off and hooked up with another guy.

Why that little...

The other two girls followed suit but, Hefner kept a stiff upper lip and almost instantly acquired a pair of hot, teenaged twins as his new human blow-up dolls: Karissa and Kristina Shannon.

You go boy!

Per tradition, Hefner has just released his latest Christmas card (pictured above) which features the great man flanked by the aforementioned 19-year old sexy treats. In the spirit of the holidays, and since 'tis the season to be giving...let's give the man his just due.

He's really, truly living his life...like ALWAYS!

Obama's Physique A Metaphor For His Competence

CLEVELAND - President-elect Barack Obama has been on a much needed vacation in sunny Hawaii and even though he took to the beach, he made a bigger splash just walking around.

He went shirtless ... and women all over the U.S. got all hot and bothered.

Obama, the most unique president we have ever had is a skilled basketball player and now we learn, possesses incredible abs. The photos, taken by a relentless member of the paparazzi (no surprise) illustrates the young democrat's vitality and vigor. In my estimation, saying that he is "fit to lead" is more than just a cliched pun.

It's the truth.

When juxtaposed against the image of outgoing President Bush getting shoes tossed at him, Obama's silky smooth gait and sculpted abdomen provides a remarkable dichotomy in philosophy and competence. I'm not saying that his great body is the reason he'll steer the country out of its crippling malaise. But I am saying that the way he keeps his body just happens to be the way he'll lead us.

Just watch. 

Smith's Latest Masterpiece Showcases His Amazing Evolution

CLEVELAND -  Once upon a time, Will Smith was known as a rap artist named "The Fresh Prince." On his popular 1990's television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, he was often called Master William.

That name has never been more fitting than right now.

Smith, 40 has been a Hollywood phenomenon for several years now. His latest film, Seven Pounds hit movie theaters nationwide today and will most likely open at number one, the 9th consecutive Smith flick to do such a thing, which would add to his all-time record. I attended an early morning screening of the film today and was blown away.

For real.

Smith plays conflicted and mysterious IRS agent Ben Thomas, who seeks out seven ailing strangers for an initially unknown reason. One of them is Emily, beautifully played by Rosario Dawson and whom Smith's character develops an intimate, if not complex relationship with. Emily has a serious heart condition, which in many ways drives the narrative to its tearjerker conclusion. 

With something awful in Ben's past haunting him (through perplexing flashbacks), his unlikely mission becomes less altruistic and more of a guilt-ridden, self-cleansing which somehow comes off as near revolutionary, as far as spiritual, thought provoking films go. 

I had to fight hard to keep those tears locked up.

In addition to Seven Pounds, Smith's previous three films have signaled a dramatic shift in the stories he wishes to tell the world and have showcased his stunning development as an actor. In 2006's The Pursuit of Happyness, he skillfully stepped into the unglamorous shoes of a tough luck homeless man who stopped at nothing to achieve the life he wanted. 2007's I Am Legend was brilliant because of Smith's outstanding execution of a script that essentially called for him to power the film singlehandedly and with no other actors to feed off of.

He pulled that off in a huge way.

This past summer, Hancock was, on the surface, just another superhero action flick. But add in the drunken, dysfunctionality of the title character and Smith's nuanced portrayal becomes even more magnified.

Seven Pounds may or may not be Smith's tour-de-force. But in his 15-year film career, I cannot find another performance nearly as well done or as meaningful as this one.

He is LEGEND.

Walsh Murder Made America Focus on Child Safety

CLEVELAND - Adam Walsh was a young boy born just a couple years before me. When he was abducted and murdered in the summer of 1981, he transformed a nation that far too often neglected its innocent youth. Shamefully, his murder remained unsolved for all these years.

Until yesterday.

A Hollywood, Florida police chief officially closed this iconic case at a news conference by naming Walsh's long suspected assailant; deceased pedophile Ottis Toole. The young boy's parents and siblings that he never lived to meet were present and struggled to hold back tears and heavy emotion. His father, John Walsh became a relentless activist for justice against fugitives and child abductors and became the host of a show he created in 1988 called, "America's Most Wanted." His response to the closing of this haunting case:

"For 27 years, we have been asking ourselves, 'Who would take a 6-year-old boy and murder him and decapitate him? Who? ' " Walsh said. "We needed to know. Today we know. The not knowing has been a torture but now that journey is over. It is only fitting that it ends here at this police department.

The boy's mother, Reve thanked her other children as tears streamed down each of their faces.

This historic case transformed America in its aftermath. Young Adam went missing from a Sears store while shopping with his mother on July 27, 1981. His severed head was found in a canal more than a hundred miles from where he was last seen. His body was never found.

The awful scenario inspired a 1983 television film based on the crime. Every time I saw it, it was a truly chilling experience. It always makes a person wonder how anyone could do something so heinous. Thankfully, much good has come from the tragedy. The elder Walsh was able to influence the passing of critical legislation which aimed to protect children from these nut jobs. As a result, the faces and vital statistics of missing children have appeared on milk cartons and mailers for decades. There's even safeguards in place at department stores all over the country with the code for a missing or potentially missing child called, "Code Adam."

Thank goodness.

With the mishandling of the evidence in '81, Toole was essentially allowed to escape justice in spite of the fact that he twice confessed to the crime years ago. He also recanted both times and ended up dying while imprisoned on unrelated charges in 1996.

I hate that the entire situation happened to begin with, but I am very grateful that real healing can finally begin for Mr. Walsh and his family. They have been given a life sentence that they didn't deserve and an innocent child lost his life.

I was four in 1981. That could have been me.

Bush's Close Call Symbolic of His Legacy

CLEVELAND - President George W. Bush made his final visit to Iraq as U.S. commander-in-chief this past weekend and actually cemented his legacy.

It wasn't in the way he expected though.

The lame-duck president, increasingly unpopular in the United States was standing at a podium in Baghdad having just finished a speech in front of a group of reporters. When he was about to field questions, reporter Muntadher al-Zeidi suddenly hurled a shoe at Bush, and then another. 

Bush masterfully dodged both attempts with a smirk.

As hilarious as the incident was to me and I'm sure to many others across the country, the whole incident happened because al-Zeidi was frustrated at Bush and all of the blood shed in the Iraq war that he feels Bush is largely responsible for. He felt that the shoe throwing episode was a way to humiliate the man who has served as the 43rd U.S. president since January 2001.

Fascinating.

Since the horrific events of September 11, 2001, Bush has consistently been on a slippery slope of descending popularity. Between the ensuing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the awful mishandling of the Hurricane Katrina debacle and the trashed beyond belief economy, our president has been seen as maybe the worst in history.

Recently, Bush has expressed concern over what his legacy will be, given the fact that he has been so unpopular. He was elected in 2000 after a highly controversial election during which Al Gore was thought to be the winner. He won re-election in 2004 when Democrat John Kerry was seen as the likely victor. Through it all, he has been ridiculed by talk show hosts in a way that a president never has and reviled by private citizens like myself for being so inept.

My belief is simple: the shoe throwing incident represents what many of us Americans think about the man. Not only is he a joke, he's also a contemptible bastard who destroyed our country. He's ducked and dodged responsibility for it for nearly a decade and he keeps doing it all with a smirk.

Just like at the podium in Baghdad.

Here's Bush's take on the incident:

 

"Let me talk about the guy throwing his shoe. It's one way to gain attention. It's like going to a political rally and having people yell at you. It's like driving down the street and having people not gesturing with all five fingers."

The guy is nothing if not totally clueless. He behaves as though he hasn't brought any of this on himself. He is an embarrassment and should never have ran this country in the first place.

But then again, he never actually "ran" our country. More like ran from blame. Good riddance ya bum!

McCain Just As Skeptical About Palin As The Rest of Us

CLEVELAND - Sen. John McCain's bid to become the next U.S. president crashed and burned like it was set up by an angry Mob boss.

Either that, or Sarah Palin was really that bad.

Palin, the comically clueless governor of Alaska was handpicked by the supposedly sharp McCain in August to be his Republican running mate. She was a curious choice initially, then became a Wonder woman as she sparked the GOP and gave it new life. Then suddenly, her remarkable ignorance began to surface. She soon became an eyesore and a huge burden to the Republican Party and is at least partly to blame for McCain's stirring defeat to now President-elect Barack Obama.

Too funny.

Since the election ended a month and a half ago, Palin has become a fixture on television to the point of being nauseating. This past weekend, McCain was asked if he'd support Palin for president in 2012 and his response was incredible. "I can't say something like that. We've got some great other young governors. I think you're going to see the governors assume a greater leadership role in our Republican Party," he said.

Ouch!

Let's be clear, though. McCain still admires Palin and believes in her "viability" to be president. He is simply being honest (finally) about other folks who would be better and smarter candidates.

Hey John...we've been feeling that way for months, dude!

Bottom line: McCain just might be a stand up guy after all, and maybe he hasn't lost all of his marbles. You gotta admire his frank language, even though he still hasn't admitted that Palin was the worst choice of his life.

One day though, he just might admit THAT too.

Ross Return Proves A Big Tease

CLEVELAND - The cable television event of the year was scheduled for December 10 at 10:30 PM and had folks all across the country waiting with baited breath.

Shavar Ross was returning to acting.

Ross, 37 is one of the most driven and talented people I've ever known. He's also a friend and colleague of mine, so I was more stoked than anyone to find out that the former co-star of Diff'rent Strokes and Family Matters was going to be on David Alan Grier's new sketch comedy, Chocolate News.

Call it the biggest tease in recent memory.

Ross has always been a very underrated actor. Since he added filmmaker to his expansive skill set several years ago, he's been "slept on" there as well. But his appearance on Grier's show last night was the equivalent of a dehydrated man being given a 100 gallon bucket with only a drop of saliva in it as opposed to being filled with water in the Sahara desert.

It left us all thirsty as heck!

In the episode, Ross portrays one of many "dysfunctional" folks trying out for a supposed new show called, "America's Next Top Black Preacher," ironic because of the man's history of being a real life pastor. His appearance was brief at best, but it was also a welcome occurrence after such a long absence. As for the brevity of his clip, Ross told me it was "whack."

The show is still surprisingly hilarious, though.

I realize I'm just being spoiled. I know that Shavar is a great actor and has played some of the best unsung sidekick characters in television history. It's going to take a little time before he's back in full bloom. But rest assured, he's not done.

This was just the beginning.

Oprah's Confession Tells An Ironic Story About Wealthy Folks

CLEVELAND - Media icon Oprah Winfrey says in the forthcoming January 2009 issue of her magazine that she currently tips the scales at 200 pounds and is embarrassed that she has "allowed this to happen to her again."

I love her always brutal honesty.

Winfrey, internationally revered and endlessly wealthy has publicized her constant struggles with her weight for 20 years. During a 1988 episode of her show, she famously rolled a wagon of fat onto her stage to provide a stunning visual of her just lost 67 pounds.

Two years later, she reached an all-time high of 237 pounds.

As recently as 2006, Winfrey weighed a svelte 160 pounds. She intimates on the highly anticipated Jan. 5 episode of her show that she has become paranoid about working out due to a previously disclosed thyroid condition that she has. Her vast weight fluctuation has been the subject of a long list of punchlines against the legendary talk show queen for two decades. Nonetheless, she continues to insist that admitting that she "fell off the wagon" is a necessary step to make when trying to get back on track.

Incredible.

The thing that really amazes me is how, despite her vast fortune and staggering resources, she is still just like so many of us weight-battling Americans. The fact that she has lost so much weight from time to time is remarkable, but I am fascinated that she has proven right before our very eyes that money truly can't buy everything.

She even admits that in spite of all that she knows how to do (in losing weight and dieting), this has happened to her again. She can, and has hired the most world renowned personal trainers and staffed her sprawling estates with the planet's best chefs to prepare super healthy but still delicious meals for her day in and day out. She could build a world class gym with every exercise machine known to man and put Balley's and Fitworks to shame if she wanted to.

But she still has to provide the effort and drive.

The flip side of her immense financial status is that she can also dine at the most exclusive restaurants on Earth and eat like a king and queen from Paris to L.A. Exotic foods and desserts that cost a fortune are easy pickings for Ms. Winfrey. Most of the rest of us can't even dream of that type of global latitude and financial freedom. In that regard, Winfrey is truly in a class all her own.

But in terms of the challenges of losing weight, Oprah is our equal.

Bottom line, this story about the beloved "queen of talk" isn't necessarily a bad one or a sad one. It is quite inspirational and I don't even think that it "tries" to be. The fact that the great Oprah is having problems picking out her dress for the upcoming inauguration of Barack Obama due to her weight issues is truly unreal. But the best part of it all is that the billionaire/super inspiring Oprah is very REAL and doesn't try to hide her flaws.

That might be her enduring legacy.

Obama Is A Master At Dealing With Ignorance

CLEVELAND - President-elect Barack Obama has famously made history by becoming the first African-American elected to the U.S. presidency. He's also maybe the first public figure to deal with unrivaled ignorance so flawlessly.

He never appears to get angry in public.

During the course of his election campaign, he was constantly up against opponents and voters alike that made ignorant or disparaging remarks about him. From Hillary Clinton to John McCain, his rivals tried endlessly to destroy his character by linking him to several unsavory individuals, most notably Obama's former pastor Jeremiah Wright and 1960's radical William Ayers.

Though Obama acquainted with those people, it was the malicious way that his rivals tried to make his affiliation with them sinister and the most important aspect of the campaign. McCain's running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin made frequent use of the "guilty by association tactic" which in turn, influenced voters into believing Obama was a horrible candidate and person.

That was low.

There was also the matter of him being incorrectly labeled a Muslim. There was even an insanely stupid and ignorant woman in Minnesota that called him an Arab. The ignorance even went as far as to utter his ironic middle name of Hussein and "accidentally" call him "Barack Osama" in an attempt to stir up ill feelings and hatred towards him.

Wow.

In the closing days of the campaign, Obama spoke often of the constant attacks on him by both McCain and Palin. He always exhibited a remarkable cool and unparalleled temperament that fueled his relentless focus. Those are the key reasons he won the presidency.

In recent weeks, he has been criticized for many of his choices for his cabinet and national security team. Just this past weekend, Obama mentioned to Tom Brokaw that the economy is going to get worse before it gets better. Many people have accused him of hedging on his promises of "change" that he made during his campaign. Not only that, but some folks are going so far as to regret him being our next president.

Unreal.

I think the thing that really gets me is, in the past week, Obama's eligibility to be president has come into question due to his birthplace and father's Kenyan ethnicity. Some people were actually trying to get his electoral victory rescinded. He had to provide a copy of his 1961 birth certificate to prove that he in fact was born in Hawaii and thus, a U.S.-born citizen qualified to run for president.

Barack Obama has handled every annoying instance of ignorance with an otherworldly calm and focus that inspires the heck out of me. Shame on you ignorant people all across the country.

And kudos to you Mr. Obama for always being the bigger person.

Emotional Simpson Sentenced to Many Years In Prison

CLEVELAND - O.J. Simpson's great fall from grace continued today as he was sentenced in the same Las Vegas courtroom that he stood in two months ago when his latest trial came to an end.

He will serve a minimum of nine years. A max of 33.

Simpson, 61 was found guilty in October of a host of charges stemming from his masterminding of a 2007 armed robbery and kidnapping caper in a Vegas hotel. Simpson had rounded up several henchmen to take back (by force) his memorabilia which essentially make up the valuable artifacts of his celebrity life.

The football Hall of Famer reportedly brandished a gun during the confrontation which was surreptitiously audio recorded by Thomas Riccio and was the genesis of the prosecution's case against Simpson.

Judge Jackie Glass sentenced both Simpson and co-defendant Clarence Stewart after both men gave spirited soliloquies on their own behalf. An emotional Simpson mentioned that he was "sorry" and that he "didn't mean to hurt anybody, he just wanted his property back."

Glass didn't budge.

She told Simpson that she believes that he is both ignorant and arrogant and is only remorseful now after having spent the past 64 days behind bars. This after a brilliant preamble given by Simpson's attorney Yale Galanter, who also filed last ditch motions for Simpson's possible release on bail, which were denied.

Simpson went from achieving the American Dream to achieving infamy when his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman were killed in a posh Los Angeles neighborhood in 1994. After a highly publicized and historic murder trial, Simpson was acquitted in the fall of 1995 to the dismay of many who felt him to be guilty. 

Murder victim Goldman's father and sister were present in the courtroom and were very happy with the sentence. "It was bittersweet, but that S.O.B. is where he belongs now," said Fred Goldman. Did the public perception that Simpson was guilty but got away with a double homicide in his murder trial contribute to the verdict and the sentence? The judge says no.

I strongly disagree. 

At 39, Jay-Z Remains The Best In Hip-Hop

CLEVELAND - Shawn Carter is without question one of the greatest artists in the history of hip-hop.

With the arrival of his 39th birthday, he remains the best of today's elite.

Carter, professionally known as Jay-Z has achieved a tremendous amount of success and wealth in the 12 years since his major label debut, 1996's Reasonable Doubt and is the man behind a truckload of hit singles over the past decade. With 12 albums (including two full LP collaborations with R. Kelly) and countless guest appearances on other artists' songs, Jay has been consistently successful for longer than anyone in the genre's history.

He hasn't lost his touch, either.

With the forthcoming Blueprint 3 album, the Brooklyn bred Jay continues his remarkable relevance. Though his lyrics these days tend to be less about frivolous spending and relentless debauchery and more about his mature take on all he's seen and done, Jay hasn't lost his considerable hubris on the mic. On a recent collaboration with Ludacris and Nas, he proclaims that "these other rappers couldn't wash [his] socks."

I second that emotion.

Lil' Wayne may get all of the attention as being the "best rapper" nowadays, but in reality he's simply "the hottest." With the great Eminem in a self-imposed sabbatical the past four years, Jay is not only peerless. The gap is enormous between him and his closest challenger. Wayne and T.I. are outstanding, Ludacris is brilliant and Kanye, when he wants to be is a phenom. But nobody is on Jay-Z's incomparable level.

Happy Birthday Mr. Carter.

Jackson's Concept For Thriller Film Was Scary Brilliant

CLEVELAND - Michael Jackson revolutionized the music video in the 1980's to such an enormous degree that his impact continues to resonate today in spite of his long absence from public view.

Credit Thriller for that.

Thriller, the seminal music video which Jackson correctly referred to as a short film made its world premiere on MTV 25 years ago today to stunning global reviews. The album of the same name had been released a full year earlier and had sold an unprecedented amount of copies throughout the close of 1982 and much of 1983. Sales began to decline sometime around the fall of '83 but with the release of the unbelievable Thriller film, the album began an eye-popping climb back up the charts and sold better than it had previously!

Before Jackson's historic Thriller album, music videos were very basic and watered down. Often, the performer of the song would be different from the performer in the video. It was Jackson that transformed conventional thinking and used his formidable creativity to fuel his project's singular uniqueness.

Jackson's fame had risen to astronomical levels in early 1983 with the release of his classic "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" videos. Then, a Spring appearance on Motown 25 and a super stylized public image catapulted him into the realm of legendary pop star. He was ultra popular worldwide but no one expected the groundbreaking success that would become the Thriller film.

Directed by film director John Landis, Thriller was a semi-macabre 13-minute horror/musical complete with a storyline and closing credits. It was even released theatrically for a brief time to make it eligible for an Academy Award.

The Thriller album went on to garner eight American Music Awards and another seven Grammys. It sold an astounding 104 million copies worldwide, a historical accomplishment so staggering that most of the greatest artists of all-time haven't even sold that much with their entire discography. As for the film, the quarter century since its premiere has given it a firm place in pop culture lore and it has been mimicked and praised as an iconic creation that has raised the bar tremendously on creativity in the music industry.

Special salute to the great Michael Jackson for making every creative person on the planet better than we ever dreamed of being.

James Needs To Get Over His Ego

CLEVELAND - I am an enormous admirer of Cleveland Cavs superstar LeBron James. He is, in my estimation, the best that the game of basketball has to offer.

But he needs to get over himself.

James, 24 at month's end was a wunderkind from the time he first picked up a basketball. In high school, his unusual brilliance drew professional players to his games, which were actually broadcast nationally on occasion. He was driving an $80,000 Hummer as a high school senior and was signed to a shoe deal worth more than $90 million by Nike Inc. before he ever played an NBA game.

Given those facts alone, it is easy to understand why James feels a sense of entitlement. The man has been called "King James" for years and dubbed "The Chosen One" beginning in 2001. During this past summer's Olympics in Beijing, it was announced that a European team would pay him $50 million for one season of his services, plus other lucrative perks. Currently, his already gargantuan ego has been fueled by the highly anticipated summer of 2010 when the basketball megastar becomes a free-agent and can sign with whomever he wants.

He's been eating it up.

Teams such as the New York Knicks and the soon-to-be Brooklyn Nets have been said to be the frontrunners in the "James Sweepstakes." The Knicks just shipped off a slew of players, including star Zach Randolph in an early effort to clear salary cap space for James. Hip-Hop legend and close friend Jay-Z is a part owner of the Nets and has a huge influence over James. Many Cavs fans have expressed fear that the allure of playing in a bigger market may sway James' decision and send him to one of those markets.

It wouldn't surprise me. 

LeBron has made recent comments that have been both brutally honest and stunningly selfish. He maintains that there is no loyalty in the NBA and that he is keeping his options open. He tries to make it seem as if winning championships are the most important thing, but choosing between Cleveland (which has consistently improved every season since his 2003 arrival) as opposed to a hastily assembled new team with no chemistry seems like an obvious choice if he's truly about winning. He's already rich beyond belief so money should matter less.

Right?

During the past two years, his affinity for The Big Apple and their sports teams has become palpable. Even Nike releases "special edition" versions of his basketball shoes every so often for release only in New York. Last week, the surging Cavs visited Madison Square Garden and the fans were instructed to cheer James early and often!

Say what?

LeBron continues to behave as though this is the way to conduct business. He seems to be dangling a coveted carrot in front of Cavs management enticingly only to yank it away at the last possible moment, never with the intent to part with the carrot.

Look, I understand the business side of this whole thing. James needs to do what is best for himself. It is just annoying how he is going about it. If this is a clever attempt to force the team's front office to make key moves to ensure that the team remains highly competitive, it would normally be very shrewd. Problem is, he's not being very smart. When NBA great Charles Barkley criticized him last week and advised him to "shut up," James responded by getting defensive and called Barkley "stupid."

Hey LeBron, Barkley was right.

With the Cavs playing so amazingly awesome (14-3 record thus far), James' comments don't matter as much as they would if the team were struggling. Even still, he should let the obvious be the obvious (management needing to keep him surrounded by a winning supporting cast) and just shut up and play.

His mouth isn't as talented as he is.