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Rollins’ Road Shows
Sonny Rollins is called “jazz’s greatest living saxophonist” so routinely that it is almost a nickname and probably a curse. Yet his new recording, Road Shows, Vol. 1 (Doxy/Emarcy), is another affirmation of his greatness and may be a sign that the curse is lifting. The recording is a compilation of highlights from Rollins’ live…
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Wilmore's World
Larry Wilmore is the “Senior Black Correspondent” for “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” The joke is that he was the only black correspondent. If you think that’s funny, you’ll enjoy his new collection of essays, “I’d Rather We Got Casinos and Other Black Thoughts” (Hyperion). Wilmore is the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning creator and…
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Hillary Clinton: Every Woman
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton takes a hit Tina Turner-stylee (who famously thanked hell-spawn husband Ike Turner once), thanking Pimpin’ Bill for a “lifetime of all types of experiences.” Say what you want about Hillary, but I have always admired the way she has stood by her man, despite his philandering. Like Dr. Coretta Scott…
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The Rebirth of David Duke
David Duke’s not a big fan of Lt Gov. Michael Steele’s installation as RNC leadership, calling him “Obama Jr.,” and a “servile dog of Israel.” Duke has fallen off in recent years, but raised his head out the sand long enough to make a scene. I think more and more professional racist will goose-step into…
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Ashes To Ashes
Been to any good funerals or memorial services lately? Seems as if the best ones give comfort to the living by doing a good job of remembering the dearly departed. The worst ones? Where the people speaking clearly did not know the person about whom they were speaking very well. (Or at all.) So if…
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Steele Tries Real Talk on Race and the GOP
The election of Michael Steele as the first black head of the RNC set the political world on its head last week, as the party whose membership claims it wants to be “more like Sarah Palin” finds itself looking more like Barack Obama. Steele’s “first” has been characterized as a case of GOP falling for…
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Black and Right
Saaret Yoseph is a writer and Assistant Editor at TheRoot.com. She manages and blogs for \”Their Eyes Were Watching …\” The newly elected chairman of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele. Ward Connerly — founder and chairman of the American Civil Liberties Institute and crusader against affirmative action. Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell conceding to Ted…
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J. Hud's Back With a Shining Glory
OK, so whether you watched the Super Bowl or not, you’ve probably seen Jennifer Hudson’s performance of the “Star Spangled Banner.” MTV News reports that she lip-synched the performance, but who cares? It’s the friggin’ Super Bowl! All the noise, technical glitches that could have went crazy! Pre-recorded track just seems logical. The Chicago Sun-Times says that her…
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Medicine for Melancholy: Blacks in the Indie Scene
A friend of mine posted a Facebook video blog claiming Barry Jenkins’ debut film Medicine for Melancholy was the best film he’d seen in years. And since I’m a sucker for anything that’s smart, meaningful, witty and, in this case, revolves around an indie black couplet… well I ran to the theater. Medicine for Melancholy…
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Civil Servant Chic
Two years ago, I sat with college sophomores at Princeton University to discuss their professional futures. My pitch was for public service, federal government service to be exact. I was leading the university’s Scholars in the Nation’s Service Initiative, and I faced a youthful, academically accomplished group with hearts that embraced the ideals of service…