All Articles Tagged "roland martin"
Exclusive Interviews With TV One’s Black Hollywood Stars
At the TV One Programming Showcase at New York’s famous Cipriani, Madame Noire caught up with a slew of black entertainers you know and love! Check out what are your favorite stars are doing now! Oh and peep Mint Condition’s performance! They sound exactly the same. Black (voices) don’t crack.
Roland Martin's Foray Into Fashion: Should Politics and Commercialism Mix?
by Charing Ball
CNN political analyst Roland Martin has parlayed his way into the fashion business. Recently, Martin, along with Verse 9 Neckwear, has created his own line of men’s ascots called the “Roland S. Martin,” which they labeled as the “new definition of swagger.” Besides the ascots, the new line also includes an array of paisley-printed bow and regular ties, which I guess serves as Martin responses to the age-old question floating around in the hip-hop community, “you fancy, huh?”
What man, in this day and time, would want to wear an ascot besides Mr. Peanut, Thurston Howell III and, maybe Hugh Hefner is beside the point. I am much more interested in Martin’s sudden foray in the dress cravat apparel mostly reserved for the gentlemen of the high Victorian society.
Please don’t misunderstand me, there is nothing dishonest with a man or woman, moonlighting as a fashion designer and making a little extra money on the side. Heck, to some degree, this column I write for the Post would put me squarely into that category. However, what I commit to on pen and pad are often the results of my own beliefs and desires. But when it comes to Martin, I’m not quite sure he holds the same principle.
I may be wrong, but I don’t recall Martin rocking an ascot while dishing out commentary on CNN prior to his latest venture. He sure as heck didn’t have one on during his infamous and ill-informed berating of Shirley Sherrod, the former Department of Agriculture secretary, who was unjustly framed and fired for racial discrimination.
Much like the rappers and singers, who endorse products, not only in their music videos but their songs as well, Martin could be accused of using the time that supposed to be dedicated to critical analysis on current issues of the day, to hawk products – even if its as harmless as a necktie – for his own financial benefit.
Much like Al Sharpton, who often times uses his prestige – or what little of it he has – to sell everything from DNA paternity testing to climate change with Newt Gingrich, too much marketing gained from political and social commentary denotes a credibility problem. In other words, I shouldn’t have to mull over whether the activist really cares about the issues or if he is using the issues to gain celebrity status or an appearance on an episode of wildly popular World Wrestling Entertainment.
While its not against the law to push products, it does beg the question if a public figure such as Sharpton or a commentariat such as Martin are breaking some sort of ethical standards by using their positions for marketing purposes. In my honest and almost-free opinion, it borders on the line of sacrilegious.
TJMS: Roland Martin Calls Out Glenn Beck Over Comparisons To MLK
(News One) –Roland Martin discusses the fears of America becoming a majority minority country. Thirty-years ago we would often hear that phrase. People said that it was thirty years away but now it is here. In seven states across America, minorities under the age of seven-teen out number whites. In speaking with John Avalon, author of Wingnuts, about all the craziness with the Tea Party and people making outlandish comments came to the conclusion, we are of watching the rise of White victimhood.
ROLAND MARTIN: Losing Florida Senate Race may Haunt Dems in 2012
(News One) –A lot of the attention this week was focused on the female Senate and gubernatorial candidates winning primaries in California, Arkansas, Nevada and South Carolina. Their wins were huge as they fought back salacious rumors of affairs and charges of buying an election, fended off a huge battle against big labor, and rode the tea party express to victory. Yet with all of the drama in those races, Florida always seems to be the gift that keeps on giving. It could end up being the most interesting race with long-term ramifications.
Q&A: Roland Martin and His Fateful Journey
By Tarice L.S. Gray
In the past few years, Roland S. Martin has emerged as political pundit, celebrated media personality and civic leader. He is a CNN Senior analyst, program host of TV One’s “Washington Watch with Roland Martin” as well as network commentator, syndicated columnist and author of three books: “Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives of Faith”, “Speak, Brother! A Black Man’s View of America” and “The First: President Barack Obama’s Road to the White House as originally reported by Roland S. Martin”.
The award winning journalist no doubt maintains a busy schedule, juggling a bustling career and preparing for an even brighter future. Recently he took a moment to speak to us about the national media, and his blossoming role in it.
Congratulations on your show Washington Watch with Roland Martin. It’s a political watchdog show, is it not?
To some degree. We speak to issues that are of importance African-Americans. Our goal is to feature African-Americans in the administration, in Congress, experts, political journalists, political consultants, things along those lines. We’re also broad. So for instance on a recent show we had Charlie Wilson talking about prostate cancer, but also talking about his career. Kirk Whalum was on the show talking about what he was doing with education with the Stax Museum. So we try to definitely mix it up, but we certainly represent the perspective of African-Americans and want to present that in everything that we do.
But your niche is politics?
I say it’s the primary. There are three distinct areas that I tend to focus on: politics is one, and I would say faith issues are second and social/cultural issues third.
Black politicians have had it rough in the past couple of years. Why do think that it’s important to have a journalist of color interviewing and commenting on these stories and other issues relevant to people of color?
I think first and foremost you need journalists of color speaking to issues whether they are black politicians or not. The fact of the matter is that we vote. We are involved in the process and therefore our voices deserve to be heard. When you read Cynthia Tucker [of the Atlanta Journal Constitution], Dewayne Wickham [of USA Today], we are presenting points of view that others may very well ignore.
I remember right before the inauguration there was a meeting of various columnists; Derrick Jackson of the Boston Globe was there, Dewayne Wickham was there and I was there, we were the only three, and I think Eugene Robinson was at this one as well. One of us raised the point of HBCUs. The reality is that it would not have come up if we were not in the room. So I think that is important. But also I think we talk about what happens with black politicians. I mean a lot of us have unique perspectives because we have been covering them versus other folks may have just heard about them so they can only speak to the issues on periphery. So I think it’s important again for the folks who have been there to be able to comment on the issues taking place.
You had an opportunity to interview President Barack Obama and you also put out a book. How did your interview evolve into a book?
I decided to do the book because one, it was really a compilation of the election coverage. There were all the columns and blog items and things along those lines that I actually wrote during the campaign and so it allows for you to track it from day one up through the inauguration. And we included my interviews with him as well as Michelle Obama during the campaign. Then we got a number of different pages of photos as well, and so it really was a compilation. That’s why we refer to it ‘as originally reported by Roland S. Martin.’ From day one, I wanted to do second volume of my first book “Brother Speak! A Black Man’s View of America”. Once we realized [we had enough] pieces for this book, we decided to go ahead put this out.
ROLAND MARTIN: Voters Want Leaders, Not Politicians
(News One) –Excuse me for not shedding a tear for the recent electoral losses of Sen. Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania and Rep. Parker Griffith of Alabama. Instead of sticking to their principals when it came to their politics, both decided to play crass politics by switching parties in order to make it easier to be re-elected. Well, we see how well that worked out for them.
Oh, Come On, CNN… It’s Okay to Turn 30
As good ol’ fashioned journalism supposedly goes out of style, Ted Turner’s non-partisan news network, CNN, insists on not collapsing under the noise of opinion news. Quietly, the network has turned 30 years old. No confetti, no fanfare. Back in 2000, when they’d turned 20, they’d thrown a big party. So, why no celebration now, CNN? Are you forgetting that 30 is the new 20? Get it together and shake that news network thing!
Roland Martin: Tea Party Protests Are a Good Thing
(CNN) — An angry bunch of Americans has taken to the streets to protest government spending and the direction of the nation, and judging by the massive media coverage, it’s as if we have been invaded by a foreign entity, marching on state capitals and Washington ready to lead a coup d’état against our elected officials.
The rise of the Tea Party is being chronicled as a threat to democracy, or a grassroots collective unlike anything we have seen in many years.
