Here Now The News

TAVIS SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT: Smiley discusses why he left Joyner Morning Show, Obama, and other topics.

By Cory King Jr.

(October 9, 2008)

*Tavis Smiley stopped by the Mo’Kelly radio show recently to discuss a whole host of topics.

Of course, the main thing Mo'Kelly and most EUR readers want to know is why he left the Tom Joyner morning show.

Specifically, Mo'Kelly went to the heart of the matter and asked if it was due to the pressure he received from listeners in response to his critique of Barack Obama and whether or not he is a supporter of the Democratic nominee?

When asked directly if he left the Tom Joyner show for any reason having to do with Barack Obama, Tavis replied:

“I left Tom Joyner because I had been there for 12 years ... and I wanted to do some other stuff.”

Smiley also pointed out that his intentions were to leave the show after 10 years, but with the unexpected success of his book “The Covenant with Black America,” he believed the timing was not right to leave at the end of the 10 year mark.

The radio and TV talk show host also stated that it was Tom Joyner himself that went on air and publicly suggested the reason for Smiley’s departure was due to the “hate” he received from Obama supporters over his commentary on Barack. Smiley once again confirmed that the criticism he got over his Obama comments had no bearing on his final decision, but rather he left to explore new ideas and ventures, and also to give others the chance to be heard.

Bloggers and pundits alike also questioned whether or not Tavis endorsed Hillary Clinton. Mo’Kelly asked Smiley whether or not he endorsed Clinton, Smiley responded by saying:

“Given the role that I play on public television and public radio ... the public deserves from me fair and balanced commentary. Because of this reason I do not endorse candidates.”

Smiley went on to state that his job is to hold all officials accountable about their politics. He also confirmed that he and Barack have a good relationship, and despite the differences in opinion they have a mutual respect for one another.

On another note, one of the projects that Smiley has been working on since his departure from the Tom Joyner show is a compilation of some of his commentaries called “On Air: The best of Tavis Smiley on the Tom Joyner morning show 2004-2008.” It’s a 4 CD set documenting some of Tavis’s most memorable commentaries. One that I found very interesting was the commentary he provided after the atrocities of Hurricane Katrina. He really captured the sentiment that not only Black Americans, but most Americans felt at the time.

Whether you agree with him or not, Tavis continues to remain at the forefront in the struggle for equality for Black Americans. Through his books, radio, or television programs, Smiley continues to pose the questions to all politicians and activist alike: “How are you going to help black people? Tavis unashamedly comes from the paradigm that a boost to Black America is a boost to all Americans and there is noting wrong with that.

To hear the interview in its entirety click here.

***********************************************************

Wed Oct 8, 1:34 PM ET


Los Angeles (E! Online) - Lil' Kim has a big problem on her hands.
ADVERTISEMENT

A New York judge has temporarily barred the Hardcore rapper from
recording any new material in light of a breach-of-contract lawsuit
filed by her latest label, Brookland Media.

The upstart company accused Kim (real name: Kimberly Jones) of making
diva-esque demands and then backing out of a deal, after Brookland had
paid Atlantic Records $200,000 to get her out of her previous
contract, spent $240,000 to produce eight songs and shelled out
$12,000 per month in rent for a pad near Kim's Alpine, N.J., home.

Per the lawsuit, Brookland had planned to spotlight Kim as its debut
artist.

Which, if you ask Kim, could still happen—although, if it doesn't,
it's no fault of hers.

"We think they're wonderful people and we expect to do business with
them," Kim's attorney Londell McMillan told the New York Daily News.
"But they did not honor the terms of the agreement."

****************************

T.I.'s new hit "Live Your Life" (featuring Rihanna) vaults from #80 to
#1 on Billboard's Hot 100, setting a new record for the biggest jump
into the top spot in the chart's 50-year history. The old record, set
just six weeks ago, was by the rapper's previous release, "Whatever
You Like," which surged from #71 to #1. "Live Your Life" sold 335,000
downloads this week to also debut at #1 on the Hot Digital Songs
chart. That's the largest weekly tally of 2008. In the history of
downloading, only "Low" by Flo Rida featuring T-Pain has sold more
downloads in a week. It sold 467,000 in the week after Christmas, when
"Low" was in its ninth week. So "Live Your Life" sets a record for the
most paid downloads by a debuting single. (Mariah Carey had held the
first-week record when "Touch My Body" opened with sales of 286,000
downloads in March.)

"Live Your Life" bumps "Whatever You Like" out of the top spot on both
the Hot 100 and Hot Digital Songs. T.I. is the first artist to replace
himself at #1 on the Hot 100 since July 2004, when Usher followed
"Burn" with "Confessions Part II." (Usher is featured on "My Life Your
Entertainment, " a track from T.I.'s new album.) T.I. is the first
artist to replace himself at #1 on Hot Digital Songs since December
2005, when Mariah Carey followed "All I Want For Christmas Is You"
with "Don't Forget About Us."

T.I.'s new album, Paper Trail, debuts at #1 on The Billboard 200 with
sales of 568,000. That constitutes the third biggest debut of the
year, behind only Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III and Coldplay's Viva La
Vida Or Death And All His Friends. Paper Trail sold more copies this
week than the next four albums on the chart combined. And those four
albums are all high-powered releases: Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson's
long-awaited debut; blue-eyed-soul smoothie Robin Thicke's follow-up
to an album that sold more than 1.5 million copies; an album of covers
by boomer icon James Taylor; and a smash album by Metallica.

Paper Trail is T.I.'s third consecutive album to debut at #1 with a
first-week tally in excess of 450,000. King bowed at #1 in April 2006
with sales of 522,000. T.I. Vs. T.I.P. started on top in July 2007
with sales of 468,000. Mariah Carey, a major star for 18 years, has
never had a first week tally as potent as any of T.I.'s last three
albums (though her current album, E=MC2, came close.) At some point,
T.I.'s fame will catch up with his record sales.

It's telling that two of the three albums with the biggest first-week
tallies so far this year are rap. What's more, both Lil Wayne and T.I.
debuted with the biggest first-week totals of their careers. If albums
are becoming "relics of the past," evidently nobody sent T.I. the
memo. This big debut proves that when artists put out something that
fans want, fans will buy it. And that's true whether we're talking
about T.I. or Metallica, whose Death Magnetic this week becomes the
12th album to top the million mark in 2008.

T.I. has two other entries on The Billboard 200. King Of Oneself, a
Best Buy-exclusive EP, bows at #125. T.I. Vs. T.I.P. re-enters the
chart at #199. It has sold 1,309,000 copies to date. How long will it
take Paper Trail to equal that tally? Place your bets.

Jennifer Hudson debuts at #2 with her debut album, Jennifer Hudson.
Hudson was part of the ensemble on the Dreamgirls soundtrack, which
logged two weeks at #1 in January 2007. (She also sang a song on the
Sex And The City soundtrack, which hit #2 in June.) Hudson, who won an
Oscar for her performance in Dreamgirls, is the first artist to follow
an Academy Award with a chart-busting album since Jamie Foxx, who
debuted at #1 with Unpredictable two years after he was named Best
Actor for Ray. That movie, of course, was about R&B legend Ray
Charles. Dreamgirls tells the story of a fictional group with more
than a passing resemblance to another icon of `60s pop, Diana Ross &
the Supremes.

Hudson had first-week sales of 217,000. That's the biggest first-week
sales tally for a debut album since Taylor Hicks' Taylor Hicks started
in December 2006 with sales of 298,000. (I'm not counting Hannah
Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus as a debut album, on the grounds that it
was half franchise soundtrack/half debut.) Hudson and Hicks were both
contestants on American Idol. Hudson finished seventh on Season 3.
Hicks won Season 5. Hudson has climbed higher on the chart than any of
the contestants who finished ahead of her on Idol. Fantasia, who won
Season 3, peaked at #8 with her debut album, Free Yourself. (The two
women sing a duet, "I'm His Only Woman," on Hudson's album.)

Hudson is also higher on the chart than Jennifer Holliday, who
originated the Effie White role on Broadway, ever climbed. Holliday's
highest-charting album was her first, Feel My Soul, which peaked at
#31 in 1983.

Christmas In October: Remember the quaint idea of waiting until after
Thanksgiving to start thinking about Christmas? Or at least Halloween?
Times have changed. It's not even Columbus Day and we already have two
Christmas albums in the top 50. Disney's Nightmare Revisited,
consisting of such acts as Marilyn Manson and the All-American Rejects
singing songs from Tim Burton's 1993 cult classic The Nightmare Before
Christmas, debuts at #31. Faith Hill's more traditional Joy To The
World bows at #49. The albums enter the chart one week earlier in the
year than Josh Groban's Noel did last year. Noel entered the
Nielsen/SoundScan chart (at #10) on October 14, 2007.

Garth Brooks started this trend to early holiday releases when he
issued Beyond The Season in late August 1992. It entered the
Nielsen/SoundScan chart on September 6. Brooks' strategy worked:
Beyond The Season became the #1 holiday album of 1992. Two subsequent
early releases likewise became the #1 holiday albums of their years.
Mannheim Steamroller' s Christmas In The Aire hit the chart on Sept.
17, 1995. Michael Bolton's This Is The Time--The Christmas Album
charted on Oct. 6, 1996.

Noel stunned the industry last year when it became the #1 best-seller
of the year--a first for a holiday album. The album sold 3,699,000
copies in just 12 weeks. Hill was a guest star on Noel, singing "The
First Noel."

Here's the low-down on this week's top 10 albums.

1. T.I., Paper Trail, 568,000. This is the rapper's fifth album in a
row to make the top 10. He first broke into the top 10 with Trap Muzik
in 2003 and kept up the pace with Urban Legend in 2004 before stepping
up to #1 with his last three albums. More than 68,000 copies of the
album were sold digitally, making this the week's #1 Digital Album.
Eight songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs, topped by
"Live Your Life" (featuring Rhianna) at #1.

2. Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Hudson, 217,000. Earlier, I told you that
this is the heftiest first-week number for a debut album since Taylor
Hicks. You may be wondering about Leona Lewis' Spirit. That opened at
#1 in April, but with a smaller total (205,000). This is the second
week in a row that a debut album has started at #2. Demi Lovato
started at #2 last week, albeit with a first-week tally that is less
than half of Hudson's. Two songs from Hudson's album are listed on Hot
Digital Songs, topped by "Spotlight" at #38.

3. Robin Thicke, Something Else, 137,000. This new entry is Thicke's
highest-charting album. The Evolution Of Robin Thicke peaked at #5 in
its 22nd week on the chart in March 2007. (It debuted at #45 in
October 2006, with first-week sales of 20,000, about one-seventh of
the current album's opening tally.) Thicke was known as just Thicke
when he first charted in 2003 with A Beautiful World. "Magic" vaults
to #89 on Hot Digital Songs.

4. James Taylor, Covers, 95,000. This is Taylor's sixth top five album
and his first since October Road in 2002. Taylor first made the top
five with Sweet Baby James in October 1970, which gives him a 38-year
span of top five albums. It's ironic that this legendary
singer-songwriter, who (along with Carole King) defined the
singer-songwriter era of the early `70s, is scoring big with an album
of covers. (Come to think of it, four of Taylor's five top 10 singles
were written by other people.) The album is being sold at Starbucks
and through QVC in addition to all the usual outlets.

5. Metallica, Death Magnetic, 86,000. The album slips to #5 after
logging three straight weeks on top. This brings sales of this album
to 1,045,000, making it the #9 album for the year to date. If the
album maintains this pace, this will be the third year since 1992 that
Metallica has had an album in the year-end top 10. Metallica was #9
for 1992. Load was #7 for 1996. "The Day That Never Comes" dips to
#106 on Hot Digital Songs.

6. Ne-Yo, Year Of The Gentleman, 70,000. The album slips from #3 to #6
in its third week. Two songs from the album are listed in the top 40
on Hot Digital Songs. This is the first week that "Miss Independent"
(at #26) has ranked higher than "Closer" (at #31).

7. Kid Rock, Rock N Roll Jesus, 56,000. The album concludes one full
year on the chart by holding at #7. This is the album's 14th
consecutive week in the top 10. In this 14-week period, the album has
more than doubled its total sales, from 1,057,000 to 2,142,000. That's
not bad for an album that dropped out of the top 10 after just three
weeks and fell as low as #82 before coming back to life on the
strength of the multi-format smash "All Summer Long." Rock N Roll
Jesus is the first album to log 17 total weeks in the top 10 since
Taylor Swift's Taylor Swift.

8. Jack's Mannequin, Glass Passenger, 49,000. This is the first top 10
album by the rock band from Orange County, California. The group's
only previous album, Everything In Transit, hit #37 in 2005. The
group's leader, Andrew McMahon, previously played in the group
Something Corporate, which had a #24 album, North, in 2003. Two songs
from the new album are listed on Hot Digital Songs, topped by
"Resolution" at #104.

On a much more important note, McMahon recovered from a bout of
leukemia to make this comeback.

9. Kellie Pickler, Kellie Pickler, 43,000. Hudson isn't the only
former American Idol contestant debuting in this week's top 10.
Pickler, who finished sixth in Season 5, lands her second straight top
10 album. Her 2006 debut, Small Town Girl, debuted (and peaked) at #9
in November 2006. Two songs from the new album are listed on Hot
Digital Songs, topped by "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" at #133.

10. Jazmine Sullivan, Fearless, 42,000. The album dips from #6 to #10
in its second week. "Need U Bad" is a former #1 R&B hit, but it isn't
much of a crossover hit. It drops to #155 on Hot Digital Songs.

Six albums drop out of the top 10 this week. Demi Lovato's Don't
Forget tumbles from #2 to #16, the Pussycat Dolls' Doll Domination
drops from #4 to #17, Kings Of Leon's Only By The Night falls from #5
to #20, Joe's Joe Thomas New Man drops from #8 to #21, Young Jeezy's
The Recession dips from #9 to #12, and Jonas Brothers' A Little Bit
Longer drops from #10 to #15.

Ben Folds lands the highest-charting album of his career as Way To
Normal debuts at #11. This edges out Folds' 2005 album, Songs For
Silverman, which bowed at #13. "You Don't Know Me" enters Hot Digital
Songs at #145. Ben Folds Five debuted in 1997 with the hit album
Whatever And Ever Amen and radio hit "Brick."...Anberlin also has its
highest-charting album as New Surrender debuts at #13. This is the
Christian rock band's second album in a row to debut in the top 20.
Cities opened at #19 in February 2007.

Lil Wayne Watch: Tha Carter III, the year's #1 album, dips from #11 to
#14. This is the 18th consecutive week that five or more songs from
the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs. Those five songs have sold
a combined total of 5,314,000 downloads. So Lil Wayne has sold more
than twice as many individual song downloads from the album than he
has copies of the album itself (2,523,000 as of this week).

Grateful Dead's Rocking The Cradle-Egypt 1978 debuts at #35. It's the
legendary band's highest-charting album since Hundred Year Hall hit
#26 in 1995. That album was recorded in concert in Germany in 1972.
The Dead's last newly-recorded top 40 album was Built To Last in 1989.

Catalog Report: I Can Only Imagine: Ultimate Power Anthems Of The
Christian Faith returns to #1 on the Catalog Albums chart for a ninth
week on top. The Time/Life collection sold 17,000 copies and would
have ranked #34 on the big chart if older, catalog albums were
eligible to compete there.

Ups & Downs: Joshua Radin's Simple Times re-enters The Billboard 200
at #72. Sales jumped 379% compared to last week, a bigger gain than
any other album on the current chart. On the down side, Randy Rogers
Band's eponymous album dropped from #29 to #144 in its second week.
That's a 73% sales slide, steeper than any other album on the chart.

Heads Up: Two greatest hits albums, Tim McGraw's Greatest Hits 3 and
Sarah McLachlan's Closer: The Best Of Sarah McLachlan, are among the
top releases due on next week's chart. McGraw's first two volumes of
Greatest Hits each made the top five on The Billboard 200. Also due
next week: Oasis' Dig Out Your Soul, Jon McLaughlin's OK Now, Bob
Dylan's 2-CD set Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Vol. 8, Marco
Antonio Solis' No Molestar, Rise Against's Appeal To Reason and WOW
Hits 2009.

Christmas Spirit: Faith Hill seems to really like Christmas. She added
exclamation points to three of the song titles on her album: "Joy To
The World!," "Oh Holy Night!" and "Silent Night, Holy Night!" Kenny G
swiped what may have been a perfect title for Hill when he called his
second holiday album, Faith--A Holiday Album. But I'm guessing she
would have made it, Faith-A Holiday Album!

*****************************
Are Sen. John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin puppets of the Money Masters?

With 4 more weeks in the 2008 Presidential Election Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin are resorting to mud slinging. To avoid talking about the real issues, like the economy, of which they have no real plan of altering, they have fallen back on the oldest trick in the book; fear mongering. Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf6YKOkfFsE

Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 15:24:49 GMT

John McCain's description of Barack Obama during debate has mogul furious.

*Diddy takes on Sen. John McCain in his latest vlog entry for referring to Sen. Barack Obama as "that one" during their presidential debate Tuesday in Nashville. In the video, titled "John McCain Scares Me Even More than Sarah Palin," Diddy shows the clip of McCain making the dismissive comment, rewinds it several times in disbelief, then cries out, "This is 2008, not 1962!"
Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:26:48 GMT

The Associated Press: Episcopalians meet in Pa. to apologize for slavery

Episcopal leaders gathered in Philadelphia expect to formally apologize Saturday for their ancestors' slave ownership - and to discuss the "white privilege" they say endures.

Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:35:08 GMT

Tavis Smiley discusses why he left Joyner Morning Show,
Obama, and other topics.

*Tavis Smiley stopped by the Mo'Kelly radio show recently to discuss a whole host of topics. Of course, the main thing Mo'Kelly and most EUR readers want to know is why he left the Tom Joyner morning show.
Publ.Date : Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:39:32 GMT

Ludacris among the reported 38 percent of African Americans
casting ballots before Nov. 4.

*Chris "Ludacris" Bridges won't have to worry about standing in line at his local polling station next month on Election Day. "I already voted," the Atlanta-born rapper-actor told the New York Daily News. The supporter of Democratic nominee Barack Obama added: "I think it's very clear who I voted for."
Publ.Date : Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:35:42 GMT

Rep. Barney Frank claims conservatives
are trying to pin Wall St. woes on minority lending laws.

*U.S. Rep. Barney Frank is furious at conservatives who are blaming the nation's economic woes on black people who purchased homes under a federal program designed to help poor people. "This is an effort I believe to appeal to a kind of anger in people," Frank, a Democrat who chairs the House Financial Services Committee, told a Boston foreclosure-prevention forum on Monday.
Publ.Date : Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:43:40 GMT

11 Racist Lies Conservatives Tell to
Avoid Blaming Wall Street for the Financial Crisis

It's always easy to tell when the cons are completely lost at sea. The lies get more absurdly preposterous -- and also more transparently self-serving. But when they go so far as to openly and unapologetically latch onto race and class as an excuse for their woes (which this is, at its heart), you know they're taking on water fast -- and scared of going under entirely.

Publ.Date : Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:37:44 GMT

US Supreme Court rejects new trial for former Black Panther

The US Supreme Court Monday refused to hear arguments for a new trial for Mumia Abu-Jamal, a former Black Panther accused of killing a police officer who has become an icon for anti-capital punishment campaigners.

Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:17:28 GMT

The Politics of Hip Hop: Jay Z Stumpin' For Prez?

*Just like a pimped out E. F. Hutton, when Shawn "Jay Z " Carter talks, people listen. And I'm not just talking about the boyz in tha 'hood, I'm talking about the white collar boys in executive suites.
Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:16:25 GMT

Promotional Guru Details How to Make Money Sponsoring Events

Promotional Guru Details How to Make Money Sponsoring Events What do you do when you need money and the bank says "no." A challenging answer to that question comes from veteran promotional experts, interviewed for a new e-book, is "sponsor a money-making event." Producing handsome profits by sponsoring events ranging from financial seminars to beauty pageants can be accomplished by following a series of tried and true steps. Interviews with several promotional experts explain how with modest effort a person or group can double; triple or even quadruple their upfront expenditures by sponsoring the right, well-publicized event. The profitable event starts with five fundamentals:
Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:09:39 GMT