MillionFace

Needless to mention, Atlanta is the adoptive home of the BET Hip-Hop Awards, and this effect Atlanta’s own T.I. and Ludacris opened to a packed house at the Atlanta Civic Center Saturday evening. But before long, the third annual show was shaping up to be as much of a Barack Obama rally as an awards ceremony.

Here are some highlights from the rally, um, ceremony:

Rapper 50 Cent and actress Kerri Washington handed out the show’s first award — The Alltel Wireless People’s Champ Award — to Lil Wayne. Washington, a staunch Obama supporter, encouraged the audience to get out on Nov. 4 and “Barack the Vote.”

The presidential references continued with Young Jeezy, who performed his hit “Crazy World” in front a gigantic projection of an American flag. Next to him was very presidential lectern, also adorned with the flag.

A dedication to women in hip-hop was filled with onscreen images of the Democrat nominee. Rapper MC Lyte did a medley of her hits wearing a fitted Obama T-shirt. Then Lyte, along with Yo Yo, Lady of Rage, Salt N Pepa and Spinderella, dedicated the hit tune “Push It” to Obama.

“In 2008, we’re pushing for change in America, and we’re pushing for Barack Obama,” said Cheryl “Salt” Wray. The entire group of lady rappers then joined in to “What a Man” as monitors showed photos of the Obamas together on the campaign trail.

Lil Wayne did a freestyle a cappella rap that included knocks at both John McCain and Sarah Palin. Each time he came onstage to accept an award, (he also won for lyricist of the year and 2008 MVP), he encouraged people to go out an vote.

In a surprise scheduling change, Atlanta’s T-Pain replaced comedian Katt Williams as MC.

On the black carpet before the show, T-Pain said he would not work from a script: “You don’t need a script when you’re an original like me, baby.”

Producers showed a sneak preview of “Notorious,” a film to be released in January on the life of Christopher “Notorious B.I.G” Wallace. In introducing the clip, the film’s star Jamal “Gravy” Woolard called it “hip-hop’s first ‘biological’ feature,” which prompted laughs and snickers from the audience.

Producers then let Woolard retake the segment so that he could say “biographical” instead.

Award winners

Oddly, BET handed out only five of 15 awards during Saturday’s taping. There were:

• Best Hip-Hop Collaboration: DJ Khaled for “I’m So Hood” remix featuring Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Busta, Big Boi, Lil Wayne, Fat Joe, Birdman and Rick Ross.

• Alltel Wireless People’s Champ Award: to Lil Wayne

• Lyricist of the Year: Lil Wayne

• MVP of the Year: Lil Wayne

• Myspace Music Rookie of the Year: Atlanta’s Shawty Lo

They consider McCain great debator. In fact, he’s declared as one where he has unquestionable edge over Obama; that he doesn’t prepare for hours to put together a speech and deliver to impress the audience. So, taken again, he is spontaneous, lucid and comprehensive in what he says, without preparation ?

They say, he is not good at economic evaluations/analysis too. It’s not just ‘they’, McCain too accepts it. He says that he’s better in foreign politics than economics.

What is happening to him since last few days? Is he to be blame for it?

Excerpts from NYT:

“On Monday morning, as the financial system absorbed one of its biggest shocks in generations, Senator John McCain said, as he had many times before, that he believed the fundamentals of the economy were ’strong.’

Hours later he backpedaled, explaining that he had meant that American workers, whom he described as the backbone of the economy, were productive and resilient. By Tuesday he was calling the economic situation ‘a total crisis’ and denouncing ‘greed’ on Wall Street and in Washington.

The sharp turnabout in tone and substance reflected a recognition not only that Mr. McCain had struck a discordant note at a sensitive moment but also that he had done so with regard to the very issue on which he can least afford to stumble.”

He doesn’t know economics, which he accepts, and that’s understood from the above clipping too. Should he not consult his experts before taking a 180 degree turn in his opinions? Either he should have thought (consulted experts) before delivering the initial note or he should have thought before delivering the second note! That is common-sense, right?!

If I had even the remotest chance to get into the presidential race, I would have refrained from changing so much directionally.

I am wrong, though!!!

Polls, polls, polls … It seems they are the lord of the times. Yesterday, the poll was saying that Obama is leading and McCain is lagging. Today’s poll says that McCain has a slight edge over Obama.

All this cat-mouse play was going on when their were party nomination elections going on for presidential candidates as well. Now, it is between McCain and Obama.

The question is: why is American swaying from one direction to another? Is it just because the candidate is nicely dressed today or gave more smiles or gave more waves around or … ?

When Obama was leading, McCain groups would have sharp remarks for Obama - personal, political, … whatever, all inclusive. It was just that McCain group has stead-fast decided to keep pulling Obama-leg. Obama would give a sarcastic smile to all those Republican allegations, like a ‘cool guy!’!

Now is the turn for McCain to behave like that very ‘cool guy’ !!!

Today’s poll just flashed around America and Democrats have started attacking, McCain and Sarah, alike. What is all this going on?

Why do the presidential candidates get uneasy when they lag behind!?

‘The Cool Guy’ today is McCain. Did Sarah Palin help him? Well, she has been bold enough and, quite honestly, being quite straight in her answers, unlike a typical politician, that includes both McCain and Obama. Sarah is definitely bold. Is she like Hillary Clinton? Is the comparison even apt? It may or may not, but Americans have started comparing the two. Is it just because the two are women and Americans haven’t ever seen a woman at top and presume that all women are same!

Race is getting interesting, friends! My request to the privilidged voters: don’t go with the dress or smile or age or sex of the candidate, but with what he has to offer. Sound ok?

Read the rest of this entry »

With the presidential elections coming close on the heels we have a splurge of negative twist going around in a presidential campaign air filled with worst accusations of race-baiting and gutter politics

Here we have John McCain’s campaign accusing Barack Obama of playing racial politics. The twist in the campaign for the November 4 election was prompted by a McCain television advertisement that called Obama a celebrity akin to star-crossed U.S. personalities Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.

“Barack Obama has played the race card, and he played it from the bottom of the deck. It’s divisive, negative, shameful and wrong,” McCain campaign manager Rick Davis said in a written statement.

Obama responded firmly and said McCain was trying to scare voters away from him by pointing out he has “a funny name, and he doesn’t look like all the presidents on the dollar bills and the five dollar bills.”

Looking at the current scenario, last thing Obama would have wished for is to stay away from the firm support of black rappers in his favor. Obama must be cursing himself for acknowledging Ludacris as his favorite rapper. And look what Luda comes up with, a profanity laced song “Politics (Obama is Here)” that also takes pokes at George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton and John McCain.

Obama camp isn’t exactly embracing the Song. In past interviews, Obama has stated that he likes Luda’s music.

In the song, Ludacris raps of himself:

“You never should have doubted with a slot in the prez’s iPod/I’m one of his favorite rappers.”

Later, he adds: “You can’t stop what’s about to happen/The first black president/We going to paint the White House black/The world is ready for change because Obama is here.”

Luda “Chris Bridges”, calls the current president “the worst,” refers to Clinton using a less than genteel definition of a female canine and mocks McCain’s age and suggests he needs a wheelchair.

On The Politico.com, political blogger Ben Smith reports that the Obama camp is condemning the song. The site posted the following quote from Obama spokesperson Bill Burton: “As Barack Obama has said many, many times in the past, rap lyrics today too often perpetuate misogyny, materialism, and degrading images that he doesn’t want his daughters or any children exposed to. This song is not only outrageously offensive to Senator Clinton, Reverend Jackson, Senator McCain, and President Bush, it is offensive to all of us who are trying to raise our children with the values we hold dear. While Ludacris is a talented individual he should be ashamed of these lyrics.”

Be it a race card or a funny name, or no resemblance to all the presidents on the dollar bills it doesn’t change my opinion on who I’m going to vote for!