Weekend Classifieds

I'm about to dip to NYC for the weekend. I need a break from the same ol' same in Connecticut. I didn't want to leave y'all hanging, so in the meantime here's a couple things you WON'T want to miss this weekend. Stay in the know, and as always......stay classy people.

1. Our boy, President-elect Barack Obama will be doing his first post-election interview on 60 minutes this Sunday at 7pm ET.
2. Two great NBA games tonight - Nuggets vs. Celtics and the Lakers host A.I and the Detroit Pistons. *Special note: Kobe is 3pts shy of tieing Larry Bird's all-time scoring record.

I'll holler at you beautiful people Monday. Enjoy the weekend!

~Crossy~

A New Dawn of American Leadership

My heartbeat went from zero to 60 in a matter of seconds when I saw the words:

CNN projects: BARACK OBAMA IS PRESIDENT!

What?! No? Yes! Oh my GOD! We did it!

Wait... flip to FoxNews to make sure...

OK! Great, FoxNews projects him as the winner too!

So many parts of me wanted to run laps around the world until I passed out, but after belting out a few good yells all I could do was stand there in awe.

Dude, this is really happening.

Even though it was a semi-warm autumn evening, I had chills man, chills.

Not only do we have a Black president, but he is the right president. He is the face of change. He is the voice of reason. He is an ambassador for Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, disabled, non-disabled...you heard the speech! We are the United States of America! I never fully understood the meaning of "united" until today.

What a proud moment.

What an historic feat.

From fantasy to reality. From the Cosby's to the Obama's. Our dreams have unfolded right before our eyes. Contrary to popular belief, Barack Obama is not a messiah. He will not cure the hate and bigotry in this world. However, Obama's presidential victory puts a spotlight on the thought that: Anything is possible.

Here are a couple Obama nuggets I found today:

• 68% of newly registered voters voted OBAMA! And 93% of registered voters in Washington D.C. voted OBAMA! In Diddy's words -- take that, take that! :)
  
  



• Even Sherri Shepherd from ABC's The View got emotional over Obama's win.
  
  



• I'm a sentimental person. Dates, pictures, momentos -- I love them. Am I the only one who has been collecting every newspaper with Obama on the front page? Check out these frontpages from around the globe.

Stay Classy!

~Crossy~

Obama's X-Factor is....

.....the XBOX 360.

Too busy playing video games to watch the debate? Well Barack Obama is targeting you, the "couch potato" voter who would rather play Madden NFL '09 than flip on CNN.

Barack is already present on various social networks like Myspace, Twitter and Facebook in an effort to get young voters to the polls. But now, for the first time EVER, Obama is utilizing dynamic in-game advertising on games that are updated through the internet on game units like XBOX 360.

Barack has strategically placed ads and billboards in 18 online video games. Video gamers will see Barack ads in everything from every guys favorite (Madden) to Guitar Hero. The ads appear in 10 battleground states with a picture of Sen. Obama and directions to visit voteforchange.com.

I'm not sure who Sen. Barack Obama's PR director is but, uhm, he or she is on point like Stacey Adams. I'm just sayin'...

This election is truly going to be one of the most historical events in my lifetime...and i'm glad i'm going to be a part of it!

I'm mailing off my registration today...(I know, I know, I should've done it a long time ago, but hey, as long as its done, that's all that matters!)

Remember the deadline to register to vote is Tuesday, Oct.21st!

Hopefully Obama's X-factor is enough for you to place an "X" in the box next to Senator Barack Obama for President.


You Decicide. Decision 2008.

Crossy

Obama or the Olympics?

Who ever thought we'd see the day that politics would garner higher ratings than the Olympics? Well, this year just might be the year.

Love-Love

Right now we're on the heels of two of the biggest announcements in 2008. Who will be selected to ride shotgun in the White house with Senator Barack Obama and John McCain? The more important question is: when will they make the announcement?

15-Love

Timing is everything. It is important for Obama to choose the right time to make the announcement because positive momentum will only propel his campaign. If you look ahead at the calendar year, there are a few things that may impede his progress. One road block is the Olympics. Although ratings have dropped over the years, it is still a major event. I think Obama would be a strong rival against the Olympics though, as long as it isn't during the opening or closing ceremonies. So when should he reveal his running mate?

Here are some dates to consider:

The Olympics are from Aug. 8th - Aug. 24th

The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is Aug. 25th - Aug. 28th

The Republican National Convention (RNC) starts Sept. 1st

With these factors in mind, I think Obama has two options. Either make the announcement the week before the Olympics or do it on Monday, Aug. 18th which falls exactly one week before the DNC. It's all about strategic planning here folks! I believe the Obama campaign is strong enough to level the playing field in terms of ratings. If he rolls out everything the week before the DNC, prepare to standby for a news media frenzy. Interviews, parties, a campaign tour, Obama playing golf with Tiger, a BET marathon of Malcom X...the works.

One nugget to consider: Barack Obama's b-day is August 4th. Could the B-day be D-day? Hmmm.

Advantage McCain

The RNC is a exactly four days after the DNC. To put it simple and plain, McCain has the advantage of knowing who Senator Obama picks as his running mate in advance. This is major leverage for McCain's campaign as he has ample time to figure out how to balance his ticket. [I smell drama lurking like hot trash in the alley.] Let's hope McCain won't completely trounce Obama's lift. We'll see who outlasts who.

Game. Set. Match.

Timing the unveiling of running mates will be tricky.

Obama & ________ vs. McCain & _______

You decide. Decision 2008.

Move Over BET...

Black Entertainment Television, better known as BET. I think at one time, this network was relevant. However, I can't recall exactly when that was. Maybe it was back when Joe Clair was hosting Rap City, or when Dajour and Ananda Lewis hosted Teen Summit. Either way, I can't stand the network. BET does not represent me. Nor does it uplift our youth or teach them anything. If you're bored, College Hill might keep your attention...or there's always Hell Date! Now that's quality television programming!

Here's the good news: The Black Television News Channel (BTNC) has announced plans to start up the nation's first 24-hour cable news network dedicated to the African American community. It's expected to begin in 2009, and will be offered in Philly, D.C, Atlanta, and Baltimore. No love for the West coast I see...but I guess they are trying it out in areas heavily populated with "us" first to see how it is received.

The mastermind behind the BTNC is J.C Watts, a former republican congressman from Oklahoma.

I think BTNC will be welcomed, because it fulfills a certain niche that has yet to be tapped. For those of you who remember, the only news programming BET ever offered was BET Nightly News with Jacque Reid. Now while Miss Reid is a Clark Atlanta University grad, a diva of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, a former CNN news anchor, and gorgeous to say the least - the show was pretty irrelevant. It came on at 11pm and the presentation was simply not appealing. For lack of a better term it looked "BOOTLEG!" Even though the black-owned TV One boasts a substantially better television programming lineup than BET, it still only offers small news briefs throughout the day - which doesn't suffice.

BTNC's move comes right on time. With Senator Barack Obama vying for the title of President in the White house, 24-hour coverage will be essential. Owners of BTNC say it's formatting will mirror the like of CNN and Fox News Channel, but will hold a different point of view. This means not only will there be Black on-air talent, but there will also be talented Black producers, directors, and editors making magic behind the scenes. Let's just hope they pay better than BET! Word has it that I could make more working at 7-Eleven! I'm just saying...

It's a known fact that African Americans exponentially make up the majority of TV watchers. However, news is the one arena where we are underrepresented. It's not that Black folks don't engage in seeking out news, it's just many times the "majority" tend to only pay attention to news that affects them. For example, the Jena 6 movement where everyone wore black for a day, or the presidential debates.

I'm not sure who they plan on recruiting as anchors and reporters for the network, but standby...

My resume is a send button away. ;)

I hear Michael Baisden is also interested in BTNC's effort. Michael Baisden is popular for his self-titled radio show: The Michael Baisden show. His ultimate goal is to host his own late night show. Baisden has not only become a familiar voice on the radio, but he's also a political activist too. I wouldn't mind seeing him do his thing on the TV side. Plus, he'd have a good following that would draw people to tune into the network. Name/face recognition goes a long way.

I look forward to seeing where J.C Watts' vision for the network goes.

Stay tuned...