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I don’t know about you but I’m not feeling how this image of Arizona Republican Governor Jan Brewer seemingly telling Obama off shortly after arriving in the Western state is headlining media news around the nation. For one, it seems that folks are getting a little too giddy about the fact that Obama appears to be disrespected by a subordinate. I also have an issue with the Governess thinking she can get away with sticking a finger in the President’s face in such a public way. You don’t have to be from the hood to know that putting a finger in someone’s face is the ultimate sign of disrespect.

Brewer’s confrontation was allegedly sparked by her sentiments on illegal immigration, which clashes with those of the President.

According to USA Today, Brewer told reporters that the President was “a little disturbed about my book, Scorpions for Breakfast. I said to him that I have all the respect in the world for the office of the president. The book is what the book is. I asked him if he read the book. He said he read the excerpt.”

In her book, Brewer claims that during a meeting about illegal immigration in 2010, the President was patronizing and lectured her like a “kid in a classroom.”

Although Brewer has reacted to the above photo and has stated that she would never disrespect the President of The United States, the saying “a picture speaks a thousand words” rings true here. The Governor certainly needs to work on her body language because obviously there’s some subconscious ish going on right here.

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Feeling the spirit of the Apollo theater, President Obama briefly broke into a verse of “Let’s Stay Together” before speaking to a crowd at the Harlem fundraiser yesterday.

Al Green performed before the president took the stage and once Obama finished his line, the crowd broke out into cheers as he said “Those guys didn’t think I would do it, I told you I was gonna do it.

The president can actually carry a little tune, which may be why, as he said, “the sandman did not come out.”

Check out the clip below and tell us what you think.

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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President Barack Obama is no fool when it comes to his campaign strategy. Last year he launched Operation Vote, a program geared to secure voters in the top core constituency groups including African Americans, Latinos, gays and lesbians and other minority groups. Although he had these voters in his corner last election, he knows he needs the brightest movers and shakers to help him gain momentum on his re-election. On Wednesday his campaign announced that to help secure votes in the black community, he hired the young, soulful and focused Stefanie Brown.

This native of Ohio and Howard graduate is only 31, but she knows how to mobilize and create change for her community. In her former position as the national field director for the NAACP, The Root reports that she registered more than 200,000 people to vote. Previously she was the program coordinator for an HIV/AIDS prevention program for black and Hispanic youth in Cleveland. In 2010 she was named one of the “Top 10 Emerging Political Leaders of 2010” by Essence, and in 2007 she became one of Ebony magazine’s “Top 30 Young Leaders Under the Age of 30.”

“Stefanie has dedicated her life to empowering people of color to organize and advocate for justice and equality in their communities,” Jim Messina, Obama’s campaign manager, said in a statement. “She is a natural fit for a campaign who’s fueled by its grassroots strength. Stefanie’s youth, commitment and proven ability to mobilize and energize voters will be an invaluable asset to the campaign.”

In her new position which starts next month, Brown will be tasked with creating a national initiative to engage black voters to exercise their power to vote in the upcoming presidential election.

“African-American voters were among the president’s strongest supporters in 2008, and I am thrilled to help build that fervor again for 2012,” Brown said to The Root. “The president is going to need our community more than ever this year, and I look forward to working together to win a victory on Nov. 6.”

For many of our favorite celebrities, their talent doesn’t just extend to acting or singing, they’re also accomplished authors. Whether they’ve written novels, biographies or children’s stories, these celebrities have found a hidden talent in writing.

Check out these 9 authors that also happen to be some of our favorite actors, TV hosts, politicians and filmmakers.

Read the rest of this entry »

Whether they are followed around during a shopping trip or while enjoying a lunch at a trendy LA restaurant, celebrities barely have any time to themselves and thanks to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, we now have an inside look at their “real lives.”  Twitter allows celebrities to reach millions of fans with just 140 characters.  Fans “follow” their favorite talent and are then able to “tweet” back to their favorite celeb.  So what celebrity is followed the most?  Check out 2011’s top followed celebrities, did any make your list?

Most of the time when we talk about the first family, we’re talking about President Obama’s policies, Sasha’s latest cutesy move or Michelle’s fabulous style. But don’t be deceived, Michelle is not the only one who’s being styled to a tee. The eldest Obama daughter, Malia, is slowly and steadily solidifying herself as a style star as well. Check out some of her best looks below.

I’m a relatively young cat when placed against the historical fabric of American politics. My first legal voting election was 2000, when I, along with the democratic majority of the country, agreed that the other guy should sit at the Oval Office.

An insightful course on politics and journalism in college taught me a few things about the changes that have occurred in the public approach to politics throughout the years, but nothing could have prepared me for the onslaught of mind-numbing f*ckery accompanying the current political zeitgeist.

Succinctly put, white people lost their damn minds the moment a darkie stepped into the big seat. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Republican Party…a group of people with generally specious ideas that seems to have devolved in the past few years into a sad clown show. I can respect a fundamental difference in ideology between two people who simply agree to disagree on the issues. But the problem with politics in this young decade is that the issues have taken an absolute back seat to what makes people feel good on a superficial level. And superficiality is no way to determine the country’s leadership.

It’s been empirically proven that the voting populous gravitates toward attractive, strong-looking leaders (if Obama looked even remotely like Booger from “Good Times”, his ideology and ability to inspire wouldn’t have mattered a damn…he wouldn’t be in office). That’s fair enough, but the Republican Party has demonstrated that the “Dude, let’s be friends!” ethos is all that’s necessary to usher folks into office.

It all started with Palin. This woman came out of obscurity to dominate the political landscape during the 2008 presidential election. Her then-rapidly growing number of fans failed to care about the fact that she was wholeheartedly ill-equipped to run her family, let alone a superpower nation of over 300 million. But she had that support system because people thought they were “like her;” folks related to her willful ignorance to the degree that they thought she would be a good leader.

The current challengers to the 2012 GOP throne follow in this trend. Michele Bachmann – an intensified-in-her-batsh*ttiness version of Palin – got notoriety through her affinity of highly pious Christian values (and not being terrible-looking). Rick Perry can’t string a coherent thought together but looks like he used to bang sorority girls by the houseful. And Herman Cain only exists on anyone’s radar on the strength of a “9-9-9” tax plan proposition that any expert will tell you is devoid of substance.

Rush Limbaugh and Fox News are the patron saints of the party message, which plays up subtle racism the likes of which only those who understand it can recognize best. Even still, I’d like to believe that a rational adult who claims the GOP could tell that the party message is one of lunacy. I know a few Republicans who claim Jon Huntsman and Ron Paul – two “less” crazy individuals – but too many listen to what the media has to say and wind up making woefully sh*tty decisions on what diseased horse to back.

I’m not exactly enthralled with Obama and what he’s got going on in the big seat. But if I were a Republican who looked at the situation objectively, I’d be absolutely embarrassed to claim the party.

The President and First Lady were in the front row to watch Michelle’s brother and the President’s brother in law, Craig Robinson, coach Oregon State against Towson University. Perhaps the President being in attendance served as a bit of extra motivation for the Oregon State Beavers who defeated Towson.

Check out these cute pictures of the first couple below:

JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images

The opposing team, the Towson Tigers, swarmed the President.

Wonder what the President of the United States was doing back in 1991? Well, at one point in the year he was celebrating a great moment in our history.

In 1991, Barack Obama, shot a commercial for TBS celebrating a moment in Black History.

Watch the video of a younger, less gray Obama at Black Voices.com.

Sixty six years ago, publisher John H. Johnson, launched the Ebony Magazine, a monthly lifestyle publication that focused on issues and stars of particular importance to the black community. Everyone from “Hollywood to Harlem” as the magazine toted. The aim of the magazine was to portray a generally positive, uplifting message about accomplishments in the black community. Check out how the magazine has evolved over the past six decades.

November, 1945 You may find it hard to believe but the first issue of Ebony Magazine didn’t have a smiling star splashed across the cover. Instead the magazine sought to draw attention to the issue of race relations by featuring seven boys, six of them white on the cover of the November issue. This first issue, in 1945 sold out with 25,000 copies. The magazine would reach its peak circulation in 1997 at 2 million.