Today is Election Day, which means that the polls are open and the races for your local school board, aldermen, state representatives and the like are coming to a close with the help of good old-fashioned democracy. There are a handful of notable races happening across the country today, notably for mayor of New York City (something of a foregone conclusion) and for governor of New Jersey (a hotly-contested race) and Virginia (which everybody believes will be something of an early referendum on the job that Barack Obama has been doing). There is also a same-sex marriage law up for grabs in Maine and a civil unions law at stake in Washington (in both situations, laws have been passed but the public has the opportunity to overturn the legislation).
This election cycle obviously hasn't had the same high-profile stars as last year's presidential election (nobody is interested in writing songs for the mayor of Boston), but that doesn't mean your Election Day needs to be completely devoid of tunes. On the contrary, there are plenty of songs that engage our democratic ideals and also happen to be catchy, like Serj Tankian's "Unthinking Majority" and Pink's "Dear Mr. President." Ghostface's "Run" isn't about a campaign, but wouldn't it make an amazing motivational song for voters anyway? Anybody with a more aggro approach to today can sink their teeth into Corrosion of Conformity's "Vote with a Bullet" or (hed) pe's "Represent." And in case you just want to relive last year's historic election, bust out Young Jeezy's "My President."
What's on your voting soundtrack today? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
Though most people probably consider him the rapper behind "What's Your Fantasy" and "Money Maker" first and an actor from films like "Hustle & Flow" and "Crash" second, Luda was right at home behind the NPC podium. With his mother Roberta Shields by his side (she's the president of the Ludacris Foundation), the rapper joked about the possibilities of running for office (he's not interested in challenging Barack Obama in 2012) and plugged his work on "Law & Order." "'Gamer' is in theaters, too," he joked.
Once he got down to business, he spoke candidly about his involvement in philanthropy and defended the work of the hip-hop community for the betterment of communities across the country. He mentioned that his organization helped provide $100,000 to people who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina and ended up in his hometown of Atlanta. He also talked about how his music has crossed over into his philanthropic life, specifically citing the song "Runaway Love" (from his 2006 album Release Therapy), a tune about kids who escape their negative home life that lead to a partnership with the National Runaway Switchboard. "Any song I put out, I want to make it a movement, not just a single!" he said of "Runaway Love."
At the end, he took questions from the audience about his other charity work, violence in hip-hop ("Hip-hop doesn't cause violence — ignorance causes violence, and that's what I'm trying to combat," he said), his relationship status (he's taken, ladies) and his many nicknames. The best one that came out of the afternoon at the NPC? "I have many different nicknames, and LudaFEMA is one of them," he joked.
There aren't a whole lot of bands who came up in the 1980s and are still kicking around. Actually, strike that. There are plenty of bands who are still milking it (including Kajagoogoo!), but most of them are shells of their former selves or simply irrelevant in the 21st century. Even the bands who have retained their size (U2, Bruce Springsteen) have a hard time keeping their new material interesting. But even though they have 25 percent fewer members than they did at their peak, R.E.M. have still managed to keep things lively, thought-provoking and hugely anthemic. Since drummer Bill Berry left the band for health reasons in 1997, the group continued as a trio and constructed a series of quiet, underrated albums in Up, Reveal and Around the Sun. In 2008, they got back to their louder roots with the stunning Accelerate. They remain one of the most relevant and definitive socially-conscious rock bands, having stumped for Barack Obama during last year's election and standing up for gay rights.
Though they retain their relevance in the 21st century, R.E.M. will probably never be as big as they were in 1992, when on this day they released Automatic for the People. Though they had scored a big commercial crossover the previous year with Out of Time (and its accidentally massive single "Losing My Religion"), Automatic for the People represented the band at its commercial peak. The sad-eyed single "Everybody Hurts" was inescapable, but the rest of the album was really stunning: The pulsating "Drive," the head-nodding "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight," the haunting "New Orleans Instrumental No. 1" and the positive jam "Man on the Moon." But the most magical track on the record also had a delightfully lo-fi, moving video, so enjoy "Nightswimming" and remember that three decades of relevance is harder than it looks.
It's hard to believe, but Foo Fighters have actually been around since 1995 (which means that frontman Dave Grohl has been with his own band nearly four times longer than he was with Nirvana), so it's only logical that they'll be putting 14 years worth of hits on a compilation that hits the streets on November 3. Greatest Hits brings together such smashes as "Everlong,""All My Life,""Learn to Fly" and "My Hero." But they've also added two new tunes to the mix. One is a song called "World Forward" and another called "Wheels" (which they originally premiered on the lawn of the White House during an Independence Day party hosted by Barack Obama). The video for "Wheels" just premiered this morning, and it's a low-key performance clip that puts the group in a large, romantically lit warehouse. It's not nearly as visually stunning as some of the Foo Fighters' other work, but it does have one notable prop that makes it particularly interesting: Those old-timey microphones.
It makes sense, because with a decade-and-a-half in, Foo Fighters are one of the more venerable brands in rock music. They've toured the world, sold-out stadiums, played numerous events and award shows, sold millions of records, made memorable videos and experimented over and over again while still remaining true to their core. "Wheels" is a reserved tune about the road, but at this point, there's no better group to explain the ways of the rock world than the dudes who have just about seen it all.
As part of his continued push to sell health care reform to the American public, Barack Obama did something that no sitting president has ever done before: He accepted the guest chair on "The Late Show with David Letterman" last night. The veteran host chatted with Obama about a number of issues, including the Joe Wilson incident, the current state of the economy and the recent suggestion by Jimmy Carter that the criticism of his presidency stems from race. Obama laughed off the idea that racism fueled any sort of vitriol. "I think it's important to realize that I was actually black before the election," he told Letterman.
"How long have you been a black man?" the host joked in response.
Obama was game for the whole interview, which touched on serious issues as well as plenty of humor. He was even the subject of the evening's Top Ten list, which was "Top Ten Reasons President Obama Agreed To Be On The Late Show." The list, read by Letterman, included a handful of gems like, "Said 'Yes' without thinking, like Bush did in Iraq" and "We told him Megan Fox would be here."
The appearance on "The Late Show" last night marked the latest in a flurry of high-profile television appearances for the president, who is trying to drive the biggest health care reform bill in decades, which will certainly be the piece of legislation that will define this term of his presidency. He swept through interviews on CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC and Univision, leaving Fox News out in the cold.
The public discourse has been all about interruptions lately. Just last week, President Barack Obama was delivering a speech about health care to a joint session of Congress when a heckler called out "You lie!" while he was attempting to debunk the myths created around health care reform. It was later revealed that the shout came from South Carolina Representative Joe Wilson, who later said he was sorry but may be censured this week anyway because he refuses to formally issue an apology from the floor of the House. At last night's MTV Video Music Awards, Kanye West took a page out of Wilson's book when he bounded onto the VMA stage at Radio City Music Hall to derail Taylor Swift's acceptance speech for Best Female Video. "Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!" West shouted, thoroughly flummoxing Swift.
An Internet genius managed to bring West and Wilson together in a single, brilliant piece of video that made its way online late last night. It casts West as the party crasher at Obama's barbecue, and it's fantastically funny.
The best moment? Obama's matter-of-fact response to the idea that Beyoncé had made one of the best videos of all time. And Nancy Pelosi's look of absolute shock is not unlike the reaction that Ms. Knowles had after Kanye shouted her out last night during his stage invasion. West, of course, issued an apology on his blog and said that there may be more statements to come. Kanye was spotted taking pulls from a bottle of Hennessey last night — if only that excuse worked for Wilson as well.
Last night, President Barack Obama delivered his much-anticipated address on health care to a joint session of Congress. The President used the speech to attempt to clear up any misunderstandings about his health care reform bill and to get into the details of what the plan would actually accomplish. The results were mixed, as the speech was hampered by tired partisan grandstanding on both sides and an unfortunate heckle care of Joe Wilson, a Representative from South Carolina.
Generally, the decorum was pretty poor for the duration of the speech, which is why it's a shame the President didn't just lift up a commuter bus and start swinging it around, knocking Senators and Representatives around the chamber. Naturally, that's impossible in real life (and almost certainly bad statesmanship), but it's possible in a video game called "Angry Barry." Released back in May and available as a download on the XBox 360 Marketplace, "Angry Barry" lets you take control of a character that looks an awful lot like the current head of state to punch, kick and throw your way through a cavalcade of shady characters. The best part of the highlight video below? It has to be using a live cow as a weapon. Take that, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee! Eat hoof, Sam Brownback of Kansas! And hey, if health care reform can't become a reality, at least we can take out our aggressions on digital enemies (provided we're not so sickly we can't pick up a controller).
On last night's episode of "The Tonight Show," host Conan O'Brien welcomed actor, musician and "America's Got Talent" host Nick Cannon to the program. During his interview, Cannon spent most of the time explaining to O'Brien how he first got together with wife Mariah Carey. "I always say I spoke our relationship into existence," Cannon told the host. "Being an entertainer, they always ask who your celebrity crush is, and I would always say Mariah Carey." Cannon said he first met her at an awards show, then didn't hear from her for a few years until he was contacted about appearing in one of Carey's videos. "First they asked me to be in 'Touch My Body.' The director wanted somebody funny, but when they told me the concept and about the '80s nut-hugger shorts, I passed," Cannon said, noting that the role he was asked to play eventually went to "30 Rock" star Jack McBrayer.
His relationship wasn't the only thing he willed into existence, as Cannon's relationship with President Barack Obama was also the result of his powerful mind. "I was on the campaign trail speaking on the President's behalf, and I had some time with him back stage one day. He told me, 'Thanks so much for doing this,' and I said 'Any time. When you win, just let me be the DJ for the inaugural party,'" he said. "I was just joking, but then I got the call." Cannon said he played Stevie Wonder, Kanye West and "'Copacabana' for the white folks. That's the joint — white people go crazy when that song is on."
Today, President Barack Obama hosts a rather unorthodox event at the White House. He will welcome embattled scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the Harvard professor who was arrested for disorderly conduct following an incident in his home. When Gates raised the idea that it was possible that his arresting officer, Sergeant James Crowley, may have been racially motivated (Gates is black, Crowley is white), the President commented on the case and seemed to draw the conclusion that it was indeed a case of racial profiling. He accused Crowley of "acting stupidly" when asked about the incident.
However, Obama later walked back his statements when he realized they were slightly more inflammatory than he initially intended. As a way of diffusing the situation, Crowley and Gates will meet with Obama today for a beer at the White House. The President will quaff a Bud Light, Gates will sip a Red Stripe and Crowley has opted for a bottle of Blue Moon. The informal meeting will act as a mediation between all three parties, and Obama hopes that this will become a "teachable moment" about race, status and law enforcement. The President has seen his poll numbers dip a bit because of this snafu, though as Jimmy Fallon and Diddy explained to the world two nights ago, those numbers can be deceiving.
The so-called "Beer Summit" is getting a little bit of heat in the media, but it's an excellent idea. After all, as G. Love and Special Sauce have always told us, there's nothing that a "Cold Beverage" can't cure.
Somehow, while nobody was paying attention, Jimmy Fallon became something of a hip-hop lightning rod in the hip-hop community, and his show "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" has become a haven for rappers who just want to have fun. Of course, Fallon recruited the Roots as his house band, which has been a deft move, as not only is the music on the show largely great but they've also reached out to their friends for some after-hours jams (last week, Wale sat in with the group and freestyled his way through an excellent show). Last night during Fallon's monologue, the host busted out a recurring segment called "Slow Jam the News." Normally, it involved Fallon whispering news segments while the Roots' Tariq "Black Thought" Thompson sings the jokes. But last night, Fallon got an assist from Diddy on a remixed version of the news.
Fallon, Thompson and Diddy combined to deliver a hilarious take on Barack Obama's sluggish polling numbers. Later in the show, Diddy sat down to talk about his new MTV show "Making His Band," his vodka (he shared his recipe for the "OG Diddy," which combines Ciroc with lemonade and Welch's grape juice), his production history, his fragrance ("Men gotta smell good, too") and his upcoming album Last Train to Paris, which he promised "will make you dance, make you groove and make you love your woman better." When you look at Jimmy Fallon, you don't necessarily think, "Yep, there's a guy who knows the vibe of the streets," but so far his taste in hip-hop and his willingness to embrace it in late night (not something often seen) has made his show a must-watch for any rap enthusiast.
