from the week of February 4 2007

I've been doing a lot of media lately, and I haven't had a chance to to let you know about it in advance.

Over the weekend, I did a show on ABC News Now called "Speak Freely." It's a half-hour talk show targeted to black audiences, and the topics we discussed were all black.

First we talked about a white member of Congress who wanted to join the Congressional Black Caucus. Next we talked about Joe Biden's controversial "clean" and "articulate" remarks about Senator Barack Obama.

And last but not least, in honor of the two black coaches in the Super Bowl, we talked about black quarterbacks in the NFL. We each had to give our pick for the best black quarterback in history, and I chose Doug Williams.

Williams led the Tampa Bay Bucs when I went to high school in Tampa. He later became the first and only black quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory.

Joining me on the show were ABC's Vicki Mabrey (formerly from 60 Minutes) and Eddie Pinder and commentator Lesley Renee Adams.

Posted on February 4 2007, 10:32PM | Permalink

I'm in Washington, DC this week and I have a speech at the U.S. State Department this afternoon.

The last time I spoke at the State Department was 10 years ago. I had just gotten back from a presidential trade delegation to Zimbabwe, where I had a chance to meet and question President Robert Mugabe and other top officials about their policies.

I also met with leaders of the gay group in Zimbabwe, GALZ, which stands for Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe. It was a significant event back then for President Clinton to send an openly gay American representative to a homophobic country.

Given the change in politics since then, I was pleasantly surprised to be invited back to the State Department in the new administration to speak again. The event is sponsored by GLIFAA.

I don't have dependable Internet access here, but I will report back on the speech when I get a chance.

Posted on February 6 2007, 12:42PM | Permalink

Now that I'm back home, I want to respond to a reader who challenged me on my Super Bowl commentary.

I wrote on the site that Prince's Super Bowl performance was the second best I had ever seen. The best, of course, was Diana Ross's 1996 performance.

Surrounded by hundreds of dancers and thousands of balloons, Diana sang 8 songs, changed outfits 5 times, and then, with her hair blowing in the wind, strapped herself to a helicopter and flew away! Nobody else has ever come close to that.

If you don't believe me, check it out for yourself. It's now on YouTube.

Posted on February 7 2007, 6:36PM | Permalink

Could this be the next Whitney Houston?

Her name is Ebony Jointer. She has the look, the hair, and even the thin frame that made Whitney famous. Most importantly, she has a great voice.

No, she's not Whitney, but she did sing Whitney's song "I Believe In You and Me" last night during the American Idol auditions.

Of the tens of thousands of people who auditioned for American Idol this season, only 172 of them will be going to Hollywood next week.

Unfortunately, two of the singers from last night's show may never make it. Akron Watson, who auditioned following his cousin last night, was disinvited from Hollywood, supposedly because the producers learned of a previous drug-related offense.

Meanwhile, Ashlynn Carr, who was rejected and then accepted on last night's show, may be cut as well because of an incident in which she was allegedly arrested for pouring sugar in her ex-boyfriend’s gas tank.

Posted on February 8 2007, 2:22AM | Permalink

Today we're spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of magazines. We start in New York, where the new magazine UNeQ hits the news stands this month. I believe it takes over where Ballroom Rockstar left off. That's Crystal McCrary Anthony and b. michael on the cover. The UNeQ launch party is tonight in Manhattan.

Next we go to Brazil, where G magazine features Big Brother contestant Iran Gomes on its cover.

And finally we travel across the pond to Paris, where the French magazine Babyboy is out with its new February issue, which focuses on blacks in the fashion industry. The question they ask: "Is the fashion business racist ?" Just in time for the close of fashion week here in New York.

Posted on February 9 2007, 10:39AM | Permalink