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That the career of Isaac Hayes could be neatly packaged into two generationally specific cultural touchpoints like Shaft and the Comedy Central animated series South Park says volumes about the man’s longevity. But the timeless soundtrack that Hayes produced in support of Gordon Parks’ groundbreaking blaxploitation film, the animated character of Chef (a hammer-like nod…

We actually don’t know yet what killed Bernie Mac, born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough in 1957, so it’s hard to say just yet what lessons grieving fans should be reading into the comedian’s demise. (Keep your weight down? Rest? Eat right? Take your statins? None or all of the above?) Mac did suffer from an inflammatory…

The news of Bernie Mac’s death has his fans learning a new word—”sarcoidosis”—as they grieve over the comedian whose blunt, earthy humor took him from Chicago’s streets to Hollywood’s boulevards. Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease that usually hits the skin, the eyes, lymph nodes and lungs. Mac had been treated for the condition, and it…

My father grew up without his father. Actually, he’s not entirely sure it was his biological father, but in any case, the man left when my father was 6 years old. Growing up without a father had a devastating effect on his material and emotional well-being, and he constantly tells me about the hardships he…

At my second wedding, I had the piano player play the theme song from Shaft as I walked down the aisle. For my MFA, I wrote my critical thesis on the ’70s film classic. Ernest Tidyman, the white author/screenwriter who created John Shaft (and many more iconic characters), was a cops reporter for Cleveland’s Plain…

Does it really matter whether LeBron James endorses Barack Obama for president? And why should anyone care that he recently threw his support—and money—behind the presumptive Democratic nominee’s campaign? After all, James is 23 years old, plays basketball for the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and is one of the stars of the 2008 Olympic hoops team.…

This week’s trade of legendary Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre to the New York Jets should make Packer fans happy and the NFL brass must be elated. But, how do the Jets fare? The fans in Packer land should be delighted for several reasons. Favre, the team’s all-time leader in many passing categories, as well…

Between the start of the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing—or, if you’re feeling particularly pretentious, the Games of the XXIX Olympiad—and the closing ceremonies on Aug. 24, more than 5,000 hours of live competition will be broadcast in this country by NBC and its affiliated platforms (cable and online). That is more than the amount…