I saw this commercial on Cartoon Network the other day and my jaw dropped to the floor. Whoever created this condescending piece of crap needs to lose their job immediately. It’s such a terrible idea. Personally, I can’t stand Kool-Aid. It’s completely banned in my household. And that has nothing to do with perpetuating black stereotypes or anything. The stuff tastes nasty, period.

Ludacris crashed The Walter Pyramid at UC Santa Barbara last Saturday, expecting to find some fans. Well, he did. But he also ran into some raging protesters who wanted nothing to do with a “sexist, violent” rapper. (more…)

Sean Bell’s widow angered the NYPD by appearing in Rocawear’s “I Will Not Lose” ad campaign. The president of the Detectives Endowment Association called the move a publicity stunt. (more…)

Diddy is featured in the current issue of Time , where he answers 10 Questions from readers. Some of the Q & As are pretty insightful. Take a look, you might learn something: (more…)

Apparently some people got bent out of shape about Michelle Obama’s comments on C-Span, “For the first time in my adult lifetime, I’m really proud of my country.”

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What do you think about the so-called dream ticket — Clinton and Obama as running mates in the 2008 presidential race? Is this a viable option or a recipe for political suicide?

A CNN reporter cornered Esco at the Grammys and asked him about the Nigger t-shirt.

Word on the street is that XXL’s EIC and HBIC (that’s Head Blogger in Charge for you rookies) Elliot “YN” Wilson has been relieved of his job. I heard through the birdies that Music Editor Leah Rose also walked away from XXL. Rumor has it that Harris Publication is looking to retool the hip-hop rag and focus more on strengthening xxlmag.com. I was hoping it had something to do with all those Lil Wayne covers.

Seriously though, it’s getting harder for magazines to survive in an age of new media. This talk about print vs. online reminds me of what VIBE’s EIC Danyel Smith (who happens to be Elliott Wilson’s wife) said about the future of her own magazine a little over a year ago: “Vibe.com exists because of our magazine, but in five years I think the opposite will be true…I am constantly going upstairs and asking for more bandwidth rather than pages at this point.”

Then again, we don’t know for sure why Wilson got fired.

BET will air a special one-on-one feature with Barack Obama tomorrow evening.

On Tuesday, Jan. 8, BET News profiles the man on a mission to become the first Black man in the White House: Presidential Hopeful Senator Barack Obama. Tune in to “WHAT’S IN IT FOR US? BARACK OBAMA AND THE BLACK VOTE,” airing Tuesday at 10 p.m. (ET/PT).

A revealing half-hour sit-down interview provides a rare glimpse into the Illinois Senator’s life, his family, and his political aspirations as he embarks on an impressive quest to change the complexion of politics forever.

I wonder why BET is suddenly interested in Obama. After all, he’s still going to reiterate the same pro-change, pro-hope talking points he’s been making ever since he joined the race 11 months ago. Oh wait, something changed. Whereas Obama was previously considered a flash in the pan, many now deem him electable. Not to mention now that he’s won Iowa and is said to be surging past Hillary in New Hampshire, other candidates, Democrats and Republicans alike, seem to be swaggerjacking his pro-change theme. So, BET has no choice but to get on the bandwagon or get left behind.

Give Sheila Johnson some credit though. She endorsed Obama back when everyone else (including her ex husband) decided to back Mrs. Bill Clinton. It is also possible that BET was busy kicking the tires and checking under the hood before deciding whether or not Obama deserves attention.

The hip-hop candidate came out tops in last night’s hotly contested Iowa caucus:

With all Democratic precincts reporting, Obama had the support of 38 percent of voters, compared to 30 percent for John Edwards and 29 percent for Hillary Clinton…

Among Democrats, Obama took 57 percent of the under-30 vote, according to CNN’s analysis of entrance polls. Speaking to supporters, Obama called the night a “defining moment in history.” [ Full Story: CNN ]

Mike Huckabee, the only decent GOP candidate, clinched the Republican side of the Iowa caucuses with 34% of voters, compared to 25% for Romney who finished 2nd.

Senators Dodd and Biden have dropped out of the race, so you can stop confusing them with each other.

If you haven’t already donated to Barack Obama’s campaign, it’s not too late to do so.