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Whitney Houston: Call It a Comeback
In 1985, Whitney Houston made her MTV-ready debut, the latest product spit-shined to perfection by legendary hitmaker Clive Davis. Back then, it was hard to match the glamour quotient—and she made for great copy: She was polished, pristine, the scion of entertainment royalty, possessing a squeaky-clean rep and cover-girl looks. Dubbed “The Voice,” her vocals…
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Chris Brown Looks Innocent
Chris Brown was never supposed to be this kind of boy. Mothers always warn their daughters about those other types: the Lil Waynes, the Mike Tysons; the “tough guys” with rap sheets as harsh as their public personas. That guy was not doe-eyed, dimple-cheeked Chris Brown. Or at least not until seven months ago. Before…
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Why Still Stereotype Generation Y?
I came across an article titled “Economy Hands Generation Y a Rude Awakening.” In it the author profiles various 20-something working professionals and how they have coped with the declining economy. However, the premise of the article irritated me. Gigi Douban, the author of the piece wrote: “We’ve all met them, 20-somethings who’ve been coddled…
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Smacking Children Not Your Own
Maybe Roger Stephens was having a bad day. Maybe it was a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder flashback from his own days as a parent. Whatever it was, when he heard 2 year-old Paige Matthews wailing in a Wal Mart near his Stone Mountain, Ga home, he stepped up to the toddler’s mother and told her…
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Roxanne's A Sham
I had my suspicions when I heard the story: Roxanne Shante’s tale of the clause in her contract that compelled Warner Bros. Records to pay for her Ph.D didn’t past muster. Ever. And as it turns out, according to Slate, she doesn’t even have an undergraduate degree. Mad ups to Ben Sheffner for sniffing this…
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Let's Do it Again…
No sooner did the Supreme Court press office release details about the September 8th formal investiture ceremony of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, than word on the street (Massachusetts Avenue, that is) began to circulate that Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens will resign at the end of the Court’s term next spring. Justice Stevens has apparently…
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Bring Me That Old Time Reporting
Back in the ‘90s, when I was a cub reporter for the Chicago Tribune, I had the privilege of being hazed by my very first editor, Jim Gallagher. Gallagher was your serious Old School metro desk editor: Irish-American, New Yorker, chain smoker, a man possessing an exceedingly big voice and an exceedingly short fuse. “Wiltz!”…
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So, About Dr. Roxanne Shante…
From Ben Sheffner at SLATE: It was the feel-good story of the summer. According to the New York Daily News, Roxanne Shanté, a 1980s female hip-hop pioneer famous for the 1984 underground hit “Roxanne’s Revenge,” had finally gotten her own revenge on Warner Music, the record label she accused of “cheating with the contracts, stealing…
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A Response to Hair Haters
Black hair is having its season. The New York Times declared it “still tangled in politics” and my story in Time explored why Michelle Obama’s hair matters. These were against the backdrop of The Michelle Hair Challenge, The Politics of Michelle Obama’s Hair, Beauty, the Brush, and Black Girl Pain, and abundant chatter all over…
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Bolt May Go for Four Golds in 2012; Tyson Gay, Others Sad
We’re thinking Usain Bolt has at least a puncher’s chance of capturing four golds in London. But according to the trackster, whether or not he’ll attempt it is not up to him. From the AP: “For me, I don’t know,” Bolt said, when asked about the possibility of chasing four golds. “I always leave the…