Keepingitreal

iPHONE Blog Buzz 08.30.08

The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia CLEARLY, there are major differences between the economic policies of Senators Barack Obama and John McCain. Mr. McCain wants more tax cuts for the rich; Mr. Obama wants tax cuts for the poor and middle class. The two men also disagree on health care, energy and many other topics.Continue Reading  Poised to skate across the waves off Anacortes, Wash., is a 90-foot, three-hulled wonder-yacht designed to crush its competitors in the next America's Cup. With a price tag of more than $10 million, it was built for the racing team of Lawrence J. Ellison, the billionaire who runs the software company Oracle. The July firing of Alaska Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan by Gov. Sarah Palin, who was announced as John McCain's running mate on Friday, has unearthed a stream of soap-opera-like details about Palin, her husband, her family and top state appointees. The controversy has also cut against Palin's reputation for holding an ethical line and standing up to colleagues in the Republican Party over matters of principle. Continue Reading. A dust storm chased away some participants from the counterculture Burning Man festival before its traditional climax Saturday night on the northern Nevada desert, authorities said. Complete Story... Michael Jackson, at 50: 'The Best is Yet to Come' The 13-time Grammy winner, who has sold more than 750 million albums, told ABC News' "Good Morning America" that he's "looking forward to doing a lot of great things. ...I think the best is yet to come in my true humble opinion." Continue Reading... ANN ARBOR Michigan's new era opened in a painfully familiar way for the 100,000-plus fans at the Big House: With an ugly-looking loss. Continue Reading.. Nick Saban's plan to bring No. 24 Alabama back to prominance looks way ahead of schedule. As for No. 9 Clemson, another big game ended with the Tigers on the losing end. Continue Reading.. HUNTSVILLE  Antonio Heffner passed for 292 yards and a touchdown to help Tennessee State beat Alabama A&M 34-13 on Saturday night. Today the Oakland Raiders cut 21 players off their roster and added another to the injured reserve to get down to the league mandated 53 man roster. There were few surprises in the moves today unlike years past. Without further ado, here's a breakdown of the 2008 Oakland Raiders.Continue Reading... New data show New York City residents are contracting the virus that causes AIDS at three times the national rate.The city health department said Wednesday that almost 4,800 New Yorkers were infected with HIV in 2006. That number represents 72 of every 100,000 residents, compared to a national rate of 23 per 100,000.Health officials attribute the city's relatively high rate of new infections to its large populations of gay men, blacks and other groups on whom HIV has traditionally taken a heavy toll. Restaurant robberies making diners uneasy....Continue Reading Falling gas prices might not be enough to entice people to travel this Labor Day weekend, with some keeping a wary eye on dangerous Hurricane Gustav, which is threatening the Gulf Coast. Complete Story...  MOVIE REVIEW: In Babylon A.D. Vin Diesel, the slowest-moving action hero in movies, travels over land and under water from somewhere in the former Soviet Union to New York City in the company of a nun (Michelle Yeoh) and a young woman named Aurora. Aurora is either some kind of biological weapon or some kind of messianic figure. Continue Reading... Scientists for the first time have peered into people's brains to directly measure the ebb and flow of a substance notorious for its role in Alzheimer's disease. Complete Story... Brazil's national intelligence agency will investigate accusations that its agents tapped the phones of top government officials including the president of the Supreme Court, officials said Saturday. Complete Story... RIO DE JANEIRO Amazon deforestation jumped 69 percent in the past 12 months the first such increase in three years as rising demand for soy and cattle pushes farmers and ranchers to raze trees, officials said Saturday. ABC News' George Stephanopoulos reports: Democrats' attacks on her family's wealth are unfair and offensive, Cindy McCain said today in an interview airing tomorrow on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos." Personal incomes fell by a bigger-than-expected 0.7 percent in July, the biggest drop in nearly three years, while consumer spending edged up a modest 0.2 percent, just one-third the 0.6 percent gain in June. Continue Reading..

Black Skin White Masks....

Few modern voices have had as profound an impact on the black identity and critical race theory as Frantz Fanon, and Black Skin, White Masks represents some of his most important work. Fanon’s masterwork is now available in a new translation that updates its language for a new generation of readers. A major influence on civil rights, anti-colonial, and black consciousness movements around the world, Black Skin, White Masks is the unsurpassed study of the black psyche in a white world. Hailed for its scientific analysis and poetic grace when it was first published in 1952, the book remains a vital force today from one of the most important theorists of revolutionary struggle, colonialism, and racial difference in history.

Oakland gunfire kills pregnant teen, fetus

(08-30) 17:31 PDT OAKLAND -- Kennah Wilson, 18, was eagerly anticipating the birth of her daughter this fall. She was going to name her baby Kamilah and had plans for a baby shower in October. Until gunmen opened fire outside an East Oakland apartment complex on Friday night, killing both Wilson and her 7-month-old fetus, police said today.The shooting happened at about 10:15 p.m. in the 8200 block of MacArthur Boulevard, said Officer Jeff Thomason, Oakland police spokesman. At least three people with guns fired numerous shots, hitting several people, police said.The injured victims were taken to area hospitals. Their names were not released.No suspects have been arrested in the case. The slayings bring to 94 the number of homicides in Oakland this year. As police sought a motive and assailants, friends and relatives of Wilson gathered at a makeshift memorial of candles, flowers and balloons in the same block where two other people were shot and killed this year."It shouldn't have happened to her, period," said Vera Jackson, 29, who described the victim as her god-sister. "She was nice, friendly and loud."Wilson had scheduled a baby shower for Oct. 12 and was due to give birth in November, friends said. She graduated from Rudsdale Continuation School in East Oakland.Kamilah "never got to live," said Wilson's aunt, Glenda Anderson, 49. Her niece "never got to see her, never got to cuddle her, never got to love her.""R.I.P. I luv you and miss you," wrote a woman who identified herself only as Figgy. Figgy said her sister, Shaneice Davis, 22, was killed April 7 by a stray bullet as she slept inside her home in the complex. On June 30, Zaire Washington, 24, was shot and killed on the street outside."It's very disturbing," said a 55-year-old woman who lives around the corner on 83rd Avenue and didn't want her name used for fear of retribution. She said she heard at least seven or eight gunshots, then the sound of a car speeding away, followed by four more shots. SOURCE:SFGATE.COM

Multiple Visions of Soul Music’s Past and Future

By NATE CHENIN -- An R&B fanatic with a glitch-prone time machine would have felt right at home in the Highline Ballroom on Wednesday night. For the rest of the crowd it was a game of capricious adjustment as Raphael Saadiq, a retro-soul specialist, and Janelle Monáe, a cyber-soul fabulist, offered multiple visions of the music’s past and future. Both artists were openly obsessive in their pursuits, and both managed to bring the room with them. Mr. Saadiq has a history of nostalgic revisionism, as a member of Tony! Toni! Toné! from the late 1980s through the mid-’90s, and more recently as a songwriter and producer. His fetching solo debut, in 2002, bore the title “Instant Vintage,” which sums up his golden ideal. But his new album — “The Way I See It,” due out on Columbia next month — pushes the retro angle more insistently. And Mr. Saadiq brought the same qualities to his show, an ostentatious throwback carried by hard-working charisma. He took the stage to a vamp from “100 Yard Dash,” one of the new album’s best tracks. His band, nine pieces counting the horns, conjured a classic Motown vibe; his attire, a cream-colored suit with a skinny black tie, served the same purpose. And on the next tune, a shuffle called “Love That Girl,” Mr. Saadiq and his backup singers engaged in a routine of snaps and half-spins, echoing the Temptations in swerve as well as style.Mr. Saadiq is unabashed about such pilfery, in the way that peacocks are unabashed about plumage. He offered a few other songs with a Temptations sound — “Just One Kiss” had the backup singer Erika Jerry ably filling in for Joss Stone, who sings it on the new album — and just as earnestly evoked Stevie Wonder and the Jackson Five. When he left to change into a black suit, the band played the woozy riff from “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” a late-period Beatles tune. As a diligent entertainer, Mr. Saadiq dipped into more recent history, with a brisk medley of Tony! Toni! Toné! hits. (He seemed to treat this as an obligation.) Playing a few songs from “Instant Vintage,” he was looser: “Charlie Ray” took on a Funkadelic bounce, and “Be Here” sprawled into a psychedelic jam.What was missing there, and throughout the show, was Mr. Saadiq’s wickedly sharp electric bass playing. When he picked up the instrument for an encore, “Skyy, Can You Feel Me,” it was a reminder of strengths that had gone buried all night. By contrast, Ms. Monáe left no stone unturned in the opening set, which drew from her willfully eccentric new debut album, “Metropolis: The Chase Suite” (Bad Boy/Atlantic). A song cycle ostensibly set in the year 2719, the album casts its heroine as Cindi Mayweather, an android wanted by the authorities for crimes of human feeling. Ms. Monáe was true to that outlandish theme in performance, right down to the jerk-jointed dance moves. “Are you bold enough to reach for love?” she wailed in her second hyperkinetic song of the set, “Many Moons.” Elsewhere — on a D.J.-enhanced fanfare called “Sincerely, Jane” — she deftly connected future terrors to present-day ills. Her energy dipped only once, on a solid but uninspired version of Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile,” sung with sparse accompaniment from her guitarist, Kellindo. But that was hardly a momentum killer: the mini-set ended a couple of tunes later with Ms. Monáe surfing the crowd, calling up emotions with no time stamp besides the present. SOURCE:NYT.COM

Choice of Palin Is a Bold Move by McCain, With Risks

WASHINGTON — Senator John McCain spent the summer arguing that a 40-something candidate with four years in major office and no significant foreign policy experience was not ready to be president. And then on Friday he picked as his running mate a 40-something candidate with two years in major office and no significant foreign policy experience. The selection of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska proved quintessentially McCain — daring, hazardous and defiantly off-message. He demonstrated that he would not get boxed in by convention as he sought to put a woman next in line to the presidency for the first time. Yet in making such an unabashed bid for supporters of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, he risked undercutting his central case against Senator Barack Obama. “Here’s what I’m worried about,” said Ed Rogers, a Republican lobbyist and former aide to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush. “McCain had to protect his reputation as an opponent of status quo Washington. He had to pick someone with the shortest Washington résumé. He did that. He picked someone the right wing is going to be happy about. But it’s a gamble.” “The question is,” Mr. Rogers continued, “what does it do to the argument that Obama’s not ready?”The question is particularly acute for Mr. McCain, who turned 72 on Friday and would be the oldest person elected to a first term as president if he won in November. His campaign now needs to convince the public that it can imagine in the Oval Office a candidate who has spent just two years as governor of a state with a quarter of the population of Brooklyn.But Ms. Palin, 44, brings clear assets to the ticket. The “gun-packing, hockey-playing woman,” as the Republican strategist Karl Rove described her, instantly bolstered Mr. McCain’s wobbly conservative base, which rejoiced over the selection of an anti-abortion evangelical Christian.Her reputation as a reformer who took on her state party over corruption and wasteful spending could reinforce Mr. McCain’s own maverick appeal.Her personal narrative as a working mother raising five children, including an infant with Down syndrome, with a husband who belongs to a union, might prove attractive to working-class voters in swing states who have been suspicious of Mr. Obama. And her presence on the ticket will allow Republicans to argue that Mr. Obama would not be the only one to break barriers if elected. SOURCE:NYT.COM

JOHN LEGEND: "GREEN LIGHT"

Phelps to present at VMAs

Los Angeles - He does comedy, writes books and mixes it up with the hottest stars in music and Hollywood. With all this, who needs swimming? Certainly not Michael Phelps - not anymore, at least. But as a presenter at the 2008 Video Music Awards, all that fresh Olympic bling will certainly help. The swimmer, who took home a record-breaking eight gold medals from the Beijing Games, joins Miley Cyrus, Scarlett Johansson, Lindsay Lohan and Ciara as presenters at the Sept. 7 VMAs telecast from Los Angeles. British comedian Russell Brand will host. Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale and Corbin Bleu of the "High School Musical" franchise will also present at the VMAs, as will "Twilight" actors Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, MTV said Thursday.Performers already announced include Rihanna, Pink, Paramore, T.I.,  the Jonas Brothers, Lil Wayne and Kid Rock. SOURCE:WASHINGTONPOST.COM

iPhone Daily Blog Buzz 08.29.08

FAITH EVANS & PEPA ON THE MEMOIR CIRCUIT..CONTINUE READING.. DNC '08 ERFORMANCES: J-HUD, JOHN LEGEND, STEVIE WONDER, & WILL.I.AM..CONTINUE READING SOLANGE SPEAKS ON FOX VEGAS DRAMA + BEYONCE SINGS SISTER'S PRAISE ON EARLY SHOW...CONTINUE READING NEW VIDEO: RAPHAEL SAADIQ- “LOVE THAT GIRL  Big Shake Up At Hot 107 Today… Yes We Can…Yes We Did…And We’re Going to Do It Again Come Nov. 4 Young Jeezy feat. Nas: My President Is Black From The Recession (Def Jam, 2008) As far as I know, this new track from Raphael Saadiq isn't a cover song, but it somehow manges to capture the exact tone and feel of early-60s R&B. "Ooh Girl" sounds like a perfect replica of something that The Stylistics or Smokey Robinson & The Miracles might have recorded back in the day. The song's from Saadiq's upcoming album, The Way I See It, which drops Sept. 16 via Columbia Records. On the album, Saadiq pays tribute to classic Stax and Motown-era Soul and R&B music, and the songs from it that yours truly has heard so far, like the addictive "100 Yard Dash" and the romantic "Love That Girl," sound pretty sweet. You can stream "Ooh Girl" by clicking a link below."Ooh Girl" audio (Windows Media) The California Supreme Court decides unanimously that such pregnancies amount to 'great bodily injury,' and offenders can get a more severesentence. CONTINUE READING.. DENVER, Colorado (CNN) -- Despite a stadium packed far past capacity, with nearly 90,000 supporters wildly applauding nominee Barack Obama as he spoke Thursday, Republicans responded with one hand gesture: thumbs down. CONTINUE READING... Are Africans Trumping African-Americans? Today the Wall Street Journal published Jonathan Kaufman and Gary Field's piece entitled "Black in a New Light". An interesting examination of the social and professional momentum among Africans [and yes, I mean the Continent].  The article poses the questions:  Are Africans making more headway here in the States?  And do Africans consider black Americans lazy and race-obsessed?  You don't have to guess where all of this started. Right. Obama, our half-Kenyan Democratic candidate, is America's new shinning star. CONTINUE READING... R&B singer Avant has set October 28th as the release date for his self-titled Capitol Records debut. "Need U Bad" singer Jazmine Sullivan has officially picked up a spot on Maxwell's highly anticipated fall tour according to J RecordsEven though Robin Thicke has been coined a "blue-eyed-soul artist," joining the ranks of Jon B and Justin Timberlake, his blue-eyed soulness wasn't enough to get on the cover of Vibe Magazine. According Robin Thicke, the magazine has a strict policy against having "white" artists on the cover! While promoting his forthcoming album earlier this summer, an interview with Vibe went wrong.. Continue Reading... Hollywood actress Halle Berry has just been added to the multitude of celebrities appearing on the TV charity event Stand Up For Cancer. Joining fellow celebs like Jessica Alba, Mekhi Phifer and Carrie Underwood, Berry will present news segments on cancer research during the September 5th telecast. She also joins previously confirmed singers including Mariah Carey, Beyonce’, Rihanna, Mile..CONTINUE READING

Common Creams Korn, Coasts To First Billboard #1

It's surprising that a rapper as respected as Common, who's been in the game for more than 15 years, never had one of his records open in the #1 slot on Billboard's albums chart — well, until now.Before now, the closest Common had come to the top was with 2005's Be, which bowed at #2, selling over 184,600 units (see "Audioslave Rage To First Billboard #1"). For Korn — whose last studio offering, 2005's See You on the Other Side, opened at #3 with sales of 220,800 — Common's conquest means they'll have to wait for another of their discs to debut on top. The last Korn set to do so was 1999's Issues on approximately 573,800 first-week sales.Sliding two places to #3 this week, selling 122,900 copies, is the 25th release in the Now That's What I Call Music! compilation series, followed at #4 by the Hairspray soundtrack, which generated sales of close to 82,200. Meanwhile, Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus, the latest from the star of the Disney Channel series, falls one spot to #5, scanning 81,600 copies.T.I.'s T.I. vs. T.I.P. hangs tough at #8, thanks to 55,300 week-five scans, while Fergie's The Dutchess tumbles three positions to #9, with 53,400. And rounding out next week's top 10 is Linkin Park's Minutes to Midnight; next week, look for the album's total sales to top the 1.5 million mark. All told, there were just 13 newcomers to next week's albums sales chart. A total of four managed to crack Billboard's top 10, including reggae-influenced rapper Sean Kingston, whose self-titled debut claims the #6 position with 74,700 sold. Following him at #7, with 70,700 scans, is the latest installment in the Kidz Bop franchise, Kidz Bop 12, an album boasting children covering songs by Avril Lavigne, Daughtry, Kelly Clarkson, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Nickelback, Maroon 5 and others. SOURCE:VH1.COM

Comcast to restrict monthly broadband use

Comcast soon will begin cracking down on heavy users of its Internet service in a move that critics fear could be a step toward restricting unlimited broadband access to download and upload files while surfing the Web. The country's largest cable company and second-largest Internet provider said Thursday that beginning Oct. 1, residential users who download and/or upload more than 250 GB of data a month will be notified and asked to curb their use. Customers who exceed the limit a second time in six months will face termination of their account. The limit clearly defines a policy that Comcast has had in place for many years. In the past, excessive users faced similar restrictions, but the limits were never spelled out and actually fluctuated month to month depending on overall traffic. Comcast would not disclose the range of the old limits. Comcast officials said the move will help maintain a smooth experience for the majority of customers, who use far less than 250 GB a month. The current median monthly data use is 2 to 3 GB, Comcast said. The company, however, has no immediate plans to release a meter for customers to track their own usage. "We have some extremely high bandwidth users that consume a disproportionate amount of data, and that can degrade service for others," said Charlie Douglas, a spokesman for Comcast. "To maintain a high quality of service for users we've gone with this." Critics, meanwhile, said they're disappointed with Comcast's willingness to set limits instead of adding capacity. "This wouldn't be necessary if Comcast had chosen to expand its capacity," said Michael Shames, executive director of the Utility Consumers' Action Network in San Diego. "They've chosen instead to degrade service." S. Derek Turner, research director of Free Press, a media nonprofit group, said that while the limit seems high now, it might not be sufficient in the future as technology evolves and broadband use grows. He blamed a lack of competition that allows Comcast to profit from "artificial scarcity."

How big  is 250 GB?

To approach the monthly limit Comcast is placing on its Internet users, you would have to do one of the following:

-- Send 50 million e-mails

-- Download 62,500 songs

-- Download 125 standard-definition movies

-- Upload 25,000 high-resolution digital photos

Source: Comcast

Obama's acceptance speech: 'We are a better country than this'

Excerpts of the Remarks of Senator Barack Obama
“The American Promise”
Democratic National Convention
August 28, 2008
Denver, Colorado

As prepared for delivery “Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story – of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren’t well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to.“It is that promise that has always set this country apart – that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.“It is why I stand here tonight. Because for two hundred and thirty two years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women – students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors — found the courage to keep it alive.“We meet at one of those defining moments – a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more. “Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can’t afford to drive, credit card bills you can’t afford to pay and tuition that is beyond your reach“These challenges are not all of government’s making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed presidency of George W. Bush. “America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.” “This moment – this election – is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight. On November 4th, we must stand up and say: “Eight is enough.” “Now let there be no doubt. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that we owe him our gratitude and respect. And next week, we’ll also hear about those occasions when he’s broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need.“But the record’s clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush ninety percent of the time. Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush was right more than ninety percent of the time? I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready to take a ten percent chance on change.”“You see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in this country. “We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage; whether you can put away a little extra money at the end of each month so that you can someday watch your child receive her diploma. We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was President – when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of down $2,000 like it has under George Bush. “We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her job – an economy that honors the dignity of work.“The fundamentals we use to measure economic strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great – a promise that is the only reason I am standing here tonight.” “That’s the promise we need to keep. That’s the change we need right now. So let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am President.“Change means a tax code that doesn’t reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it. “Unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship our jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America. “I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow. “I will cut taxes – cut taxes – for 95% of all working families. Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class. “And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as President: in ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East. “Washington has been talking about our oil addiction for the last thirty years, and John McCain has been there for twenty-six of them. In that time, he’s said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels. And today, we import triple the amount of oil as the day that Senator McCain took office. “Now is the time to end this addiction, and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution. Not even close. “As President, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I’ll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I’ll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars. And I’ll invest $150 billion over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy – wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and five million new jobs that pay well and can’t ever be outsourced.” “We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don’t tell me that Democrats won’t defend this country. Don’t tell me that Democrats won’t keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans — Democrats and Republicans – have built, and we are to restore that legacy. “As Commander-in-Chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm’s way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home. “I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral standing so that America is once more the last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.”  SOURCE:CNN.COM

Movie review: 'Traitor'

Like Matt Damon's Jason Bourne, Don Cheadle's Samir Horn is an extremely reluctant, traumatized action hero: The opening scene is a flashback of a young Horn watching his father get killed in a Jeep explosion. He would probably object to even being called an action hero, although his ninja moves and steady supply of beautiful leather jackets give him away. In that deeply American way, he's just a guy doing what he's got to do. But Horn might have the honor of being the first Muslim action hero in an American big budget film. "Traitor" tells the story of former Army Special Forces explosives expert Horn, a devout Muslim and suspected terrorist, who is hunted by FBI man Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce of "Memento," who looks like a gaunt Brad Pitt) in a multinational chase. They first meet when police in Yemen, where Clayton and his partner happen to be, pick up an uncooperative Horn. The evidence mounts that Horn, who had been living in Chicago, has gone to the dark side. Writer-director Jeffrey Nachmanoff got the inspiration for the film from none other than executive producer Steve Martin, who apparently began talking about "what if" scenarios a few years ago. This is Nachmanoff's second full-length feature, his first big-budget one, and he shows an excellent understanding of pacing. The narrative is bifurcated, moving between Clayton's hunt and Horn's dangerous ascent up the ranks of an al Qaeda-like terrorist group that he joins in a Yemen prison, where he befriends a young follower named Omar (Saïd Taghmaoui from "The Kite Runner"). Although the action is broken up by occasional conversations about the nature of belief, the morality of terrorism and factoids about Islam (did you know that the literal translation of the word "Islam" is "submission"?), the film only accessorizes with deep thoughts. Horn, from the start, is the moral compass of the film, risking death to give a man food in a Yemeni prison yard, and broad hints as to his real identity are dropped from the get-go. Like any number of Western heroes and comic book good guys, Horn is a man born into his position of hero. It chose him. Cheadle plays Horn with hangdog eyes and a dour face; he takes no joy from his physical prowess, bomb-making ability and stylish wardrobe. Among "The Dark Knight," the Bourne trilogy and this, one longs for another silly Bond movie. At least Bond gets the girl every now and then, and smiles. SOURCE:SFGATE.COM

A Taste of Witty, Lean Triumphalism

“My President Is Black.” So read the slogan adorning the oversize T-shirts, also featuring a black-and-silver American flag, worn by most of Young Jeezy’s crew on Tuesday night at the Blender Theater at Gramercy. After performing “My President” from “The Recession,” due out next week, Young Jeezy expanded on the theme, musing on his role models (or dream ticket?): “In my book it’s Tupac, then it’s Barack Obama.” “The Recession” (Def Jam), his third album, could theoretically satisfy supporters of both. A return to the triumphalism of his 2005 debut, “Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101,” it’s lean, tough and coarse. His templates, topical (cocaine) and structural (simple, punctuated with exclamations), were once narrow, but he has matured. The new album may not be as consistently thrilling as the first, but it’s more consistently interesting. Not all of Young Jeezy’s newfound nuance made it to the stage here, but it didn’t matter. He played up his most natural gift, muscle, often performing just the first verse and hook of a song, as if he were trying to satisfy a rowdy club crowd or just wanted to cut to the chase. Still, “Trap Star,” “Bottom of the Map,” “Go Crazy,” “Soul Survivor”: great first 90 seconds, all. Even relative obscurities benefited from this treatment. On the remix of Fabo’s “Geek’d Up” he didn’t bother to contain his own sly wit, and he began “Trap or Die,” from the mixtape of the same name, whispering a cappella and smiling appreciatively when the crowd rapped along.After his blustery verse from the remix of Shawty Lo’s “Dey Know,” Young Jeezy paused for some inspirational words, giving his childhood address in Atlanta — “the middle of the projects,” he said — and remarking how far he had come. (His motivational appeal isn’t limited to thugs; Michael Phelps recently revealed he listened to Young Jeezy to get pumped up before swim meets. Repaying the favor, the rapper called Mr. Phelps “the Young Jeezy of the swim world.”) SOURCE:NYT.COM

iPHONE Daily Blog Buzz 08.27.08

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Major U.S. airports were operating normally on Tuesday evening after a glitch in the computer system for filing flight plans delayed hundreds of flights, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Continue Reading...WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fewer  Americans went without health insurance last year for the first time since President George W. Bush took office as more people received government coverage, U.S. officials said on Tuesday. Continue Reading... DENVER (Reuters) - Three men were charged with gun and drugs offenses on Tuesday but U.S. authorities dismissed reports that they had serious plans to shoot Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and said they had posed no "true threat." Continue Reading... MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will face increased Western pressure on Wednesday when a senior British official flies to Ukraine to build a coalition to counter Russia's conflict with ex-Soviet Georgia. Continue Reading... According to the SOHH news department some chick named Alexis Miller is alleging that Shaq is stalking her, blah, blah, blah. After going down to the Fulton County Courthouse and speaking with the judge an alleged restraining order was granted. Continue Reading... Controversial rapper DMX has once again been denied bail by a judge in a Florida courtroom today (August 26).According to South Florida’s Local 10 news, the multi-platinum selling rapper was hoping to receive permission to travel to Arizona where he is facing a number of animal cruelty charges. Upon being denied bail, X did not hesitate to show his frustration by uttering “I ain’t going to no f*cking jail,” before being scolded by Judge Lawrence Schwartz. Continue Reading... Simon & Schuster has announced that Olympian superman Michael Phelps will write a book about his exploits in Beijing to be published in time for the holiday season.(Already) titled "Built to Succeed," the memoir will recount the swimmer's experiences enroute to notching a record-breaking eight gold medals at the XXIX Olympiad, which concluded Sunday night. Continue Reading... Faith Evans, Keep the Faith, A Memoir (Book Review) Depending on who's asked, Faith Evans is either a skilled, soulful songstress and lyricist with honeyed vocals and killer hooks, or a ghetto-fabulous, opportunistic gold digger who single-handedly inspired a deadly East Coast/West Coast feud that killed two of her generation's most iconic rappers. With a Grammy award, four successful CD's, over a decade in the entertainment industry and a 2009 film depicting her late husband's life and career (Notorious), Ms. Evans now possesses the strength, courage and wisdom to tell her side of the story, and no matter what camp you belong in, Keep the Faith is an eloquent, heart-rending look at her childhood, her gospel-grown aspirations and yes, those heady love and drama-filled years with Bad Boy Records and The Notorious B.I.G. Continue Reading... Noel Gourdin - the singer of one of 2008's best songs, "The River," - is back with another single off his debut album, After My Time. The new track is "One Love," a breezy, piano-laced jam about a man having an epiphany and wanting to get serious with his woman: "Ever since you’ve been gone, Got me wondering baby, Why it’s taken me so long to make you my baby, Now I know we said we weren’t gonna rush - I was the first to say it, But I’ve been thinking about your touch, My mind keeps replaying it," he sings. If when you hear the song part of the chorus sounds familiar, it's because on it Noel pays tribute to another "One Love," the song of the same name recorded by the rap trio Whodini way back in 1986. To stream Noel's version, click the link below. "One Love" audio stream (Windows Media) Buy/download the song

John Legend Debuts Obama-Inspired Song At Democratic National Convention

'If You're Out There' now available as a free download on Barack Obama's site.

 

John Legend debuted his new politically minded track "If You're Out There" at the Democratic National Convention in Denver Monday night. Legend, who supports Barack Obama and even has a link to the nominee's Web site on his own, mirrors Obama's campaign slogans lyrics such as: "We've been looking for the world to change," and "Tomorrow's starting now." He goes on to say, "No more broken promises, no more call to war/ Unless it's love and peace that we're really fighting for."The singer discussed the song's meaning in a statement, saying, " 'If You're Out There' reflects the themes of hope and change, responsibility and leadership, and commitment to a better tomorrow expressed in the principles of Barack Obama and the hearts of the American people."The track, which features the Agape Choir and production by Trevor Horn and Devo Springsteen, will appear on Legend's upcoming album Evolver, due out October 28. However, the song is currently available as a free download on Obama's Web site, or can be purchased from iTunes.On Friday, Legend premiered the video for the album's first single, "Green Light," on "FNMTV.""I think it's hard to find a general theme [on the album]," Legend told MTV News recently. "It's a lot of love and relationship songs, as people probably would expect from me. There's not an overarching lyrical theme that goes throughout. It's just a bunch of good songs, I think." SOURCE:MTVNEWS.COM

Dr. Dre's 20-Year-Old Son, Andre Young Jr., Found Dead

An autopsy was conducted on Young's body Monday, but a cause of death has not yet been determined, pending the results of a toxicology report, a representative for the Los Angeles County Coroner's office told MTV News. The coroner's rep confirmed that an Andre Romelle Young Jr. passed away Saturday, but was uncertain if he was Dre's son; Dre's rep confirmed that information Tuesday (August 26).Young was discovered in his bed at around 10:30 a.m. Saturday by his mother, who attempted to rouse him, the coroner's spokesperson said. Young was unresponsive, so she called paramedics, who responded to the scene. After their efforts to revive him failed, he was pronounced dead at the scene. According to the coroner's spokesperson, Young had spent the previous evening with friends. His mother told police that he'd returned home Saturday at around 5:30 a.m., and that she'd heard him in his bedroom. Police said they did not suspect foul play. A spokesperson for Dr. Dre issued the following statement Tuesday on the rapper's behalf: "Dr. Dre is mourning the loss of his son Andre Young Jr. Please respect his family's grief and privacy at this time."An outpouring of support flooded Dr. Dre's MySpace page in the wake of his son's passing, with fans offering their condolences and wishing the family strength. "Our prayers are with you and your family," wrote one fan. SOURCE:MTVNEWS.COM

Clinton Delivers Emphatic Plea for Unity

DENVER  — With her husband looking on admiringly and her supporters watching with tears in their eyes, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton deferred her own dreams on Tuesday night and delivered an emphatic plea at the Democratic National Convention to unite behind her rival, Senator Barack Obama, no matter what ill will lingers. Mrs. Clinton, who was once once so certain that she would win the Democratic nomination this year, also took steps on Tuesday — deliberate steps, aides said — to keep the door open to a future bid for the presidency. She rallied supporters in her speech, and, at an earlier event with 3,000 women, described her passion about her own campaign. And her aides limited input on the speech from Obama advisers, while seeking advice from her former strategist, Mark Penn, a loathed figure in the Obama camp. But the main task for Mrs. Clinton at the convention — reaffirming her support for Mr. Obama in soaring and unconditional language — dominated her 20-minute speech, and she betrayed none of the anger and disappointment that she still feels and that, friends say, has especially haunted her husband. Declaring herself to be “a proud supporter of Barack Obama,” Mrs. Clinton urged Democrats to put aside their personal loyalty to her and unite behind Mr. Obama — or else risk continuing Bush administration policies under the presumptive Republican nominee, Senator John McCain. “Whether you voted for me, or voted for Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose,” Mrs. Clinton said. “And you haven’t worked so hard over the last 18 months, or endured the last eight years, to suffer through more failed leadership. “No way, no how, no McCain,” she added. She also made a nod to her husband in talking about how Mr. Obama would handle the economy. “And when Barack Obama is in the White House,” Mrs. Clinton said, “he’ll revitalize our economy, defend the working people of America, and meet the global challenges of our time. Democrats know how to do this. As I recall, President Clinton and the Democrats did it before. And President Obama and the Democrats will do it again.” SOURCE:NYT.COM

Cartoon for Tuesday, August 26, 2008.

A Possible Plot Against Obama

DENVER — City and federal authorities said Monday night that at least three people were under arrest on firearms and drug charges in connection with a possible plot to kill Senator Barack Obama during his speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday night.The United States attorney’s office in Denver has scheduled a news conference for Tuesday afternoon to discuss its investigation. A spokeswoman for the Denver Police Department said that an “aggressive” inquiry had been under way since the first arrest in the case. That occurred during a traffic stop in Aurora, Colo., on Sunday morning, when the police seized firearms and methamphetamine, the authorities said.It was not clear how well along the possible plot was, or whether the people under arrest had found a way to overcome the heavy security surrounding the Democratic convention. Mr. Obama is scheduled to deliver his speech at Invesco Field, near the convention center.The United States attorney for Colorado, Troy Eid, seemed to play down the degree of threat that Mr. Obama faced.“Because this matter is currently under investigation, there is little we can say right now,” Mr. Eid said in a statement. “We can say this: We’re absolutely confident there is no credible threat to the candidate, the Democratic National Convention, or the people of Colorado.”The police said they had found two rifles, one with a scope, in the car, along with walkie-talkies, a bulletproof vest and licenses in the names of other people. One of the rifles was listed as stolen from Kansas.The investigation included the Secret Service, the F.B.I.  and a joint terrorism task force, officials said.Linda Douglass, a senior adviser to the campaign, declined to comment late Monday on reports of the investigation. It is the campaign’s practice not to comment on such reports, which have occurred periodically through the campaign.Detective Marcus Dudley Jr. of the Aurora Police Department, said the first arrest involved Tharin Robert Gartrell, 28, who was taken into custody after the police pulled him over for driving erratically in a rental truck early Sunday morning.The others arrested were identified as Nathan Johnson, 32, who was picked up a few hours later by the Denver police at a hotel.The third arrest took place about half hour later. The suspect was identified as Shawn Robert Adolf, 33, who was arrested in Glendale, near Denver, shortly after leaping from a sixth-floor hotel window, the authorities said. He was taken to a hospital for treatment. SOURCE:NYT.COM

iPHONE Daily Blog Buzz 08.26.08

Regina King is going through some more drama. Well, that's with her next big TV gig. The Los Angeles native will make a return to the small screen in, 'LAPD,' NBC's pilot for an ensemble drama following a group of police officers in Los Angeles. Continue Reading... Michelle Obama's Goal: Define Herself: In opening speech, Mother, Lawyer faces task of defining herself...Continue Reading African-Americans Exult in Historic Leap, Many see symbolism in Obama's nomination acceptance on 'I Have a Dream' Anniversary...Continue Reading Democratic National Convention: First-Time Delegate skips class to Back Barack Obama, Meet John Legend...Continue Reading 'Twlight' Cast heads back to the set to shoot new scenes...Continue Reading When the eighth season of "American Idol" premieres in January, a fourth judge will be joining vets Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson: Grammy-nominated songwriter Kara DioGuardi. Continue Reading The Top 10 Opening Moments in VMA History: From Madonna to the Present...Continue Reading On Friday, thousands of hip-hop fans might have felt just like the Geto Boys' Bushwick Bill: "Ah man, homie, my mind's playin' tricks on me!" A song called "Swagger Like Us" -- featuring the rap dream team of T.I., Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and Kanye West -- leaked onto the Internet. How could a song so big -- a real song, too, not something a DJ patched together by extracting verses from other records -- just appear out of nowhere? Continue Reading... Superman Reboot to have darker tone, thanks to Batman's Success, along with another caped crusader sequel, Warner Bros. readying flicks for at least two more DC comics heroes...Continue Reading The latest spate of takeover holdups of Oakland restaurants and other businesses, including a pair of violent robberies over the weekend, is "clearly unacceptable," Mayor Ron Dellums said Monday as he and police pleaded for tips that would lead investigators to those responsible. Continue Reading...