Source: WENN

We told you earlier this month that to the disappointment of a great deal of people, Roland Martin and his ascots would be leaving CNN for good. This definitely had everyone talking especially since it was starting to seem that all the “color” on the channel was being given the boot, including Soledad O’Brien, whose morning show is going in a “different direction” without her. But she will continue to produce documentaries/specials for CNN through her very own production company. As for Martin, his last day is reportedly set to be April 8, but homeboy isn’t going out quietly. According to reports, after announcing his last day on Twitter earlier this month, he allegedly tweeted that the “new boss wants his own peeps.” That new boss being Jeff Zucker. But he’s taking things a step further as of late, claiming said new boss doesn’t have a soft spot in his heart for minorities hosting their own programs. Seeing as how Martin was a contributor for the channel for years, he’s not feeling the way the game has been played.

In a conversation with Huffington Post Live, Martin spoke on the fact that after years of hard work, he was never given his own show, but was never really given a reason why:

“What do we do to get from here to get to there? To get from here to be able to host a show? That was never made clear. There’s this fear of making the leap.

You have largely white male executives who are not necessarily enamored with the idea of having strong, confident minorities who say, ‘I can do this.’ I’m just saying, give folks a shot.”

Martin went on to explain that his gig hosting Washington Watch on TV One and many other specials for CNN and bringing in huge numbers should have been proof that he could handle such responsibilities, but he wasn’t given the opportunity:

“We deliver, but we never get the big piece, the larger salary, to be able to grow from there.

Bernard Shaw left CNN as the top news anchor how many years ago? Two decades ago? So who right now is in the position to get a primetime show??

If it’s a ratings game, and we won, how is it I never got a show?”

Guess we can’t say no hard feelings this time around…Thoughts? 

See Martin’s conversation with Marc Lamont Hill on HuffPostLive on the next page: 

Source: WENN

We already know that Roland Martin will have his last day at CNN on April 6. But could the network be trying to shut him down even earlier than that? Fishbowl DC says that, with more than two weeks left to his contract, the network is already cutting him out of the programs he has been contributing to.

“We knew something was awry when we noticed Martin hadn’t tweeted his usual #bringthefunk alert on Twitter that he’d be appearing on Erin Burnette’s [sic] ‘Out Front,’ which he hasn’t done in a month,” the site says. “On Wednesday he tweeted that he did Canadian TV. The Canadians can find time to bring Martin’s funk, but not CNN?”

The story goes on to note that he’s been absent from other shows that he had also been appearing on. Fishbowl DC says it tried to contact both CNN and Martin, but apparently hadn’t heard back. We did see Martin tweeting about Scandal last night, so he hasn’t gone completely MIA.

Separately but in other CNN news, TVNewser and the New York Post (which has been following this story closely) says that the network is interested in bringing on Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

Lots of changes, but will it bring on the viewers?

Photo by Ryan Miller/Invision/AP

There had been talk of his departure more than a month ago, but now it’s official: Roland Martin is leaving CNN.

In a tweet, Martin said his last day is April 8. The Hollywood Reporter reports that Martin tweeted at another point that he was leaving because the “new boss wants his own peeps.”

Of course, the new boss is Jeff Zucker, who has been cleaning house since he took the top job at CNN in recent months.

Martin went into further detail in an email to Politico, saying that he will miss “the folks I tried to speak for and represent the most when I was on the air: the men and the women who worked on the crew; the security guards; and even the janitorial workers. Those were the people I most spoke for; those were the people who would cheer me on as I walked down the streets, in the grocery store; and at airports.”

Taking a dip into more melodramatic waters, Martin added, “In my final days at CNN when I’m on the air, I will to do as the Tuskegee Airmen did, fight to the last hour, last minute, last second, for what is right. And I will do that as long as there is breath in my body.”

He also reiterated — both in his statement and in a tweet — that he “won’t be silenced” even though he’ll no longer be with the cable network. He says he will continue with the “Tom Joyner Morning Show,” his TV One program Washington Watch, and his nationally syndicated column.

Martin has been a contributor with CNN for six years.  A number of other contributors, including James Carville and Mary Matalin, have also recently left the network.

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

The cuts at CNN could get deeper very quickly.

Just yesterday, we reported that Soledad O’Brien has been removed from her morning anchor position, among other changes. Now, Fishbowl DC is reporting that Roland Martin and Donna Brazile could be the next two on the chopping block. The website notes that three new faces — civil rights activist Van Jones, The New York Times’ Charles Blow, and Democratic strategist Cornell Belcher — have appeared regularly on the network as of late. And both Martin and Brazile were excluded from the network’s coverage of the inauguration.

Charles Blow. via Twitter

Brazile is also an ABC correspondent; Martin has a program on TV One and serves as an analyst on Tom Joyner’s program.

In other media news, Long anticipated cuts are going to be made at Time Inc., which, like many media companies, is suffering at the hands of dropping newsstand readership and advertising sales. According to Bloomberg, 500 positions are being eliminated, about six percent of the company’s workforce. Essence, Real Simple, and People are among the magazine titles at Time. Cuts are expected across all divisions.

For many Americans, we’ve pretty much counted reality TV out where wholesome, life-affirming television is concerned. It found its place in the “strictly for entertainment” pile. And it’s understandable considering the mindless stereotype-perpetuating drivel that most reality television churns out. We get a good laugh, a good face palm, a good shaking of the head from it. That’s all. So, it’s almost surprising when a gem like “Save My Son” comes along.

Having been introduced to Dr. Steve Perry’s passionate and tireless work with the children of Hartford, Connecticut’s Capital Prep on Soledad O’Brien’s “Education In America” specials, I was intrigued by this black man striving not only to make a difference in the these kids’ lives during the school day, but going out of his way to see to their well-being even after school hours. We see these unsung heroes in our own home towns and admire their work, but sometimes, deep inside we fear that their work will never reach far enough, root deep enough into the lives that most need them. So, I applauded Dr. Perry and eagerly tuned in to “Save My Son” to see Black young men unfold from a life cramped with worries, low self-esteem and unchecked anger and begin to exercise their freedom to be more, to be better, to be fully functioning members of society and their own families. Dr. Perry’s process is more than effective. It’s brilliant.

He first familiarizes himself with the home, school and social lives of each of the young men he has been summoned to help. He finds out the facts – good or bad. We don’t see him jumping into a situation, only taking a parent/guardian or teacher’s word for it. He looks at the young man’s track record and the course of events in his life and lets the facts speak to him. After which, he opens a dialogue about the reasoning and the temperament of the young man he wants to help. He isn’t judgmental or overbearing. Dr. Perry provides them with a safe space to speak their peace – a safe space that  perhaps they felt they did not have prior to “Save My Son” stepping into their lives.

What I also love about the show is that Dr. Perry holds these young men accountable for their behavior and their attitudes. He does not let them off the hook or encourage them to explain away their behavior. He presents them with their own actions – holding up a mirror so they can clearly see who they are – with no mother to protect them from consequences and no system or “The Man” to blame for their downfalls. Dr. Perry also begins the process of equipping them to deal with whatever issues they are brave enough to open up about. As is revealed through each episode, many of these young men just want to be loved and as one young man stated, he wanted to know that he was the reason someone smiled. They want to belong to something, to know that they matter. The street life gives them that illusion. “Save My Son” seems to be giving them the real thing, which might be the antidote for the poison that the streets, misplaced anger or feelings of abandonment have poisoned them with.

The show brings in as many men to help get the job done as are willing to be of service. Dr. Perry does not try to save all of these young men alone. He calls upon the life experiences and expertise of seasoned vets of sports, radio, television, education, music, etc. to reach out to these young men and deliver a wake-up call to them that they haven’t effectively received in their neighborhoods, homes or schools. Having had guest mentors such as CNN and TV One’s own Roland S. Martin, Pooch Hall of “The Game,” Steve Harvey, NBA legend Charles Barkley, music producers and athletes, “Save My Son” definitely allows these broken young men a chance to see the bigger picture, what their lives COULD be if only they stand up and begin the process. I’m sold on this show because it presents these young men with positive alternatives instead of just trying to scare them straight. There is a message of hope in each phase of each episode and it is an amazing (and sometimes tear-jerking) transformation to watch.

Have you seen “Save My Son”? What are your thoughts on its work and message?

ELa Truly is a late-blooming Aries whose writing is powered by a lifetime of anecdotal proof that awkward can transform to awesome and fear can cast its crown before courage. La seeks to encourage thought, discussion and change. Her blog: www.hersoulinc.com and Twitter: @AshleyLaTruly. 

Source: Rnbphilly.com

Once GLAAD called for Roland Martin to be fired for sending “homophobic tweets” during the Super Bowl, it seemed the political commentator would never see the light of day again on CNN. But after a brief suspension, the network has decided to bring Roland back.

Only a few days after the Super Bowl, CNN said they were suspending Roland indefinitely and that his tweets during the game were “regrettable and offensive.” While suspended, Roland met with leaders of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, who seemed to be satisfied with the gesture, citing the meeting as the “beginning of an open and honest dialogue.”

Yesterday, Roland issued a formal apology for his comments, but maintained that they were not at all homophobic, and he was truly joking about soccer. Either way, CNN had decided to support him on this issue and bring him back on-air.

Are you glad Roland got his job back?

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

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GLAAD achieved it’s mission. Today, CNN announced that Roland Martin has been suspended indefinitely for the non-gay friendly Superbowl tweets that landed him in the hot seat with the Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Sunday, and I think we all know that indefinite suspension is code for he will be fired—eventually.

Angry, I immediately took to Twitter, and was probably on my way to proving I learned nothing from this situation about Twitter restraint, when a tweet from Carolyn Edgar stopped me in tracks. She wrote:

“Instead of getting upset that GLAAD had the juice to get Roland Martin suspended, how about we figure out how to get some of that juice?”

As much as that’s not something Roland Martin supporter’s want to hear in this instance, the words are a dose of harsh reality. If people want Roland Martin to maintain his post at CNN, they’re going to have to figure out how to be just as clever, convincing, organized, and dedicated to the cause as GLAAD, because they’ve basically achieved their goal.

A lot of people say as a black person, if you are upset at Roland Martin’s suspension then you should disagree with Don Imus’ firing but I think there is a crucial difference there. Don made his racist remarks on-air with Fox, Roland tweeted homosexually insensitive comments from a personal Twitter account that are not reflective of CNN. When you look at those facts, black people have a right to be mad. Although this isn’t necessarily a race issue, it is interesting that neither CNN contributor’s Dana Loesch or Erik Erickson were fired for the controversial statements made on their radio shows, yet a Twitter comment gets this response.

But shouldn’t we do more than get angry? A lot of people liken the gay rights struggle to that of black civil rights activists, and while I don’t agree with that comparison, there are some things the black community can learn from the gay community because in an overly simplistic, two-worded summation of LGBTQ activism: they move.

That’s sort of the unspoken joke about gay activists—they have eyes and ears everywhere and they will make you pay for saying, doing, and possibly even thinking anything remotely anti-gay. Why can’t the black community do the same? In just the last few months, several racially insensitive situations have come to light. Newt Gingrich singled out black people as welfare hoarders, French Elle said we’re only stylish because we adopt white codes of fashion, Michelle Obama’s been blasted for her backside, likened to the Grinch and Marie Antoinette, and been labeled an angry black woman, Tea Party members have called for the lynching of the entire Obama family, and there are countless other instances that are too numerous to name. But every single one of those individuals still has his position and is free to offend the black community again while we go one writing open letters and waiting for change.

Commentors on this site say it best whenever suspect behavior is exposed: simply stop supporting it. But there’s another next step that has to go beyond not buying a rap CD, or watching reality TV, or purchasing a magazine—organized action. It’s not enough for a handful of people to make a personal decision about what they expose themselves too, the black community’s agenda has to be made known and be seen clearly. GLAAD didn’t hesitate to bring popular members of the gay community in on his efforts to get Roland Martin fired. They did their homework, they disseminated information, and they got results. Now it’s our turn.

Do you think Roland Martin and Don Imus’s suspension are equal? Do you think there are things the black community can learn about getting results from gay activists?

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

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The superbowl is a time for fun and ish talking both in person, and now thanks to social media like Twitter, online. But there’s always someone who takes on the role of inappropriate police, and this year that “someone” is the Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).

The alliance is calling for CNN to fire political correspondent Roland Martin for tweets sent yesterday that they deem homophobic. The situation all started when Roland saw David Beckham’s H & M ad and tweeted:

“If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him!”

GLAAD immediately responded with the tweet:

“@rolandsmartin Advocates of gay bashing have no place at @CNN #SuperBowl #LGBT”

Roland, a man who argues for a living, shot back, tweeting:

“@glaad @CNN well you’re clearly out of touch and clueless with what I tweeted. Way to assume, but you’re way off base.”

Roland then sent out tweets to his followers, letting them know his comment was really bashing soccer—which he does frequently—not gay men, but it didn’t help his cause when he later wrote:

“Who the hell was that New England Patriot they just showed in a head to toe pink suit? Oh, he needs a visit from #teamwhipdatass”

Unsurprisingly, GLAAD has now launched a full-fledged campaign to have Roland fired, saying “Advocates of anti-gay violence have no place at CNN or Time Warner.” They also reference Roland’s defense of Tracy Morgan’s controversial routine about what he would do if his son was gay, saying:

“Martin’s tweets today advocating violence against gay people weren’t an accident — they are a part of a larger pattern for Martin.”

Roland’s history of supporting conversion therapy is also being used to back up GLAAD’s stance. In 2006, he wrote on his website that his wife is an ordained Baptist minister who has counseled many men and women to walk away from the gay lifestyle, and to live a chaste life, seemingly encouraging others to do the same.

It doesn’t appear that CNN has made any comment on the situation just yet, but GLAAD likely won’t back down until the network does, or they get what they want.

Do you think GLAAD is being too sensitive or does Roland Martin seem to have a history of anti-gay/homophobic behavior? Should CNN fire him?

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

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Ebony magazine has put together an interesting mix for it’s hot couples of 2012 feature. On one end you have political commentator Roland Martin and Jacquie Hood Martin, “The View” co-star Sheri Shepherd and her new hubby Lamar Sally, and singer Eric Benet and his wife Manuela Testolini, while on the other u have you have T.I. and Tiny, Keyshia Cole and NBA baller Daniel “Boobie” Gibson, and notorious “Basketball Wife” Evelyn Lozada and Ochocinco.

The six couples have a cute spread in the February issue where they share what attracted them to one another and how they make their relationships work. When the magazine asked Keyshia why she decided to give Daniel a chance, she said:

“I was kind of through with relationships. I didn’t feel like guys were mature enough. What made me gravitate toward Gib was his faith in God, more than anything. He seemed like a loving person. He talked a lot about his grandmother, who had passed away, and the things she instilled in him.”

What does Daniel love about Keyshia?

“She has morals and a big heart. Once we met things happened fast. I felt like she was perfect for me. I proposed to her on New Year’s Eve, right when the ball dropped. I got down on one knee at the same time.”

Chad and Evelyn also talk about what makes their relationship work (sorta). Evelyn said:

“You must be open. That’s something I had never done before. I didn’t want anyone telling him something about me. He doesn’t judge me on my past or anything.”

And what attracted Chad to Evelyn from the beginning?

“She was up-front and honest. I never had that before. I always [say to] people in early conversations, ‘Tell me about yourself.’ They always skip a story and try to come off squeaky clean. They tell me what they think I want to hear. She didn’t send her representative. She told me what she went through. She gave me A,B,C. She said, ‘Take it or leave it.’”

Check out pics of Keyshia Cole’s photo spread on Jae Ink Speaks.

What do you think about this list? Who do you consider hot couples of 2012?

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

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Award-winning journalist and author Roland Martin, who has interviewed everyone from President Barack Obama to Winnie Mandela, offered up a few words of career advice to Madame Noire readers. You can check out Roland Martn on his show “Washington Watch” on TV One.