Black Presidents Not New to Hollywood

"The Man"
When the President and Speaker of the House are killed in a building collapse, and the Vice-President declines the office due to age and ill-health, Senate President pro tempore Douglas Dilman (James Earl Jones) suddenly becomes the first brother in the Oval Office. The events from that day to the next election when he must decide if he will actually run challenge his skills as a politician and leader.

"24" (Seasons 2 and 3)
President David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) had his work cut out for him, working with Jack Bauer to save Los Angeles from the threat of terrorist thugs, dealing with traitors, knocking heads with his shady ex-wife Sherry Palmer (played brilliantly by Penny Johnson Jerald) and dodging attempts on his life.

"24" (Season 6)
David Palmer's death paves the way for his younger brother Wayne (D.B. Woodside) to move into the Oval office. He helps free Jack Bauer from the Chinese government, fakes a nuclear bombing, is severly injured by an explosion at a press conference, and ends up in a coma by the season's end.

"The Fifth Element"
250 years in the future, ex-soldier, cab driver Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) works to save the planet from extinction with the help of Ruby Rhod (a whacky role played by Chris Tucker). Dallas saves the world, but only because President Lindberg (Tommy 'Tiny' Lister) said so.

"Deep Impact"
A comet is set to collide with planet Earth, and President Beck (Morgan Freeman) has devised a plan to save a million lucky people to keep the human race going.

"Head of State"
Mays Gilliam (Chris Rock) gets his party’s nomination for presidency. But after speaking his mind about society’s ills (as well as hiring a Klan member to endorse his White opponent).

"2012"
Coming in July 2009, Danny Glover will play preisdent Glover in a fight to counteract the apocalyptic events that were predicted by the ancient Mayan calendar.

Idiocracy”
Terry Crews plays President Camacho. Imagine President Obama with that hair.


Hollywood, despite all its stereotypical crap, has often been ahead of the national curve and was ready for a Black president long before America was. On television and in movies, Black actors such as acclaimed as James Earl Jones to the other end of the spectrum as Tommy Lister have played commanders-in-chief. Sammy Davis Jr. was only 9 when he assumed the POTUS in 1933’s "Rufus Jones for President."

A Black man in the Oval Office has provided ample joke routines for comics such as Richard Pryor and Chris Rock. On one episode of "The Richard Pryor Show," he played a president hosting a press conference. During the sketch, he tells reporters that he'd seriously consider Black Panther Huey Newton for the job of FBI director -- and nearly decks one journalist who inadvertently insults his momma. And when he's asked about his fetish for white women, he jokes, "They don't call it the White House for nothing."

In the 2003 film "Head of State," Chris Rock's president, Mays Gilliam, is an even more exaggerated character. His language is filled with slang and he is partial to baggy jeans and Kangol caps and looks less like the leader of the free world than the latest star of Def Jam Records. His running mate, played by Bernie Mac, thinks NATO is a person. Gilliam is catapulted onto the public stage after the sitting president dies in a plane crash.

It is not the first time a Black man on screen has risen to power through calamity. In "The Man," James Earl Jones becomes the POTUS after the entire cabinet perishes in a series of freak accidents. It's not on DVD, but if you can find it on VHS it is well worth the search. In "Deep Impact," Morgan Freeman has to calm the nation as he contends with wayward comets threatening to destroy the planet. Morgan Freeman looks and sounds conventionally presidential in the way that only a Visa pitchman can. And in "The Fifth Element," set in 2263, Tommy “Tiny” Lister's President Lindberg has to battle asteroids and an enemy named The Great Evil. Lister—a 300-pounder best known for playing a larcenous thug in Friday—Lindberg is not a suitable role model. Too "angry." Too "hostile." Too much "bestial grunting." That said, his menacing glare somehow suggests he'd stand firm against lobbyists.

It's not until the hit series "24" that things start looking up for the Black president. Dennis Haysbert's character, David Palmer -- in the first season a senator running for the presidency -- is handsome, composed and ready to lead on Day One. We were in good hands with David Palmer who radiated dependability. His race is a non-issue as he struggles with modern-day threats such as terrorism, bomb scares and a social-climbing wife. Yes, he's eventually assassinated, but only after he leaves office. And Palmer's equally self-confident younger brother, Wayne, takes the reins shortly thereafter. Another “24” alumni Roger Cross, who played Agent Curtis Manning from 2005-2007, was the President in a Sci-fi Channel made for TV movie, “Polar Storm”, this past weekend which started me thinking about this post.

Taylor the Tailor Helps Celebrities Dress for Success

As millions of people are searching for work and business owners struggle to attract consumers, Ryan Taylor may be better positioned than most to weather the economic crisis. Taylor is a custom tailor who brings his showroom to clients' homes and offices. The day before singer Johnny Gill left for a U.S. concert tour in March, Taylor sat in the musician's condo taking measurements for a customized shirt and suit that needed to be completed and shipped in a few days. Even on short notice, "Taylor the Tailor," delivered on his promise -- and made Gill a loyal and satisfied customer.

Ryan Taylor says he wants to change the apparel business model by personalizing a customer's needs, instead of having large inventories and high overhead costs that can quickly put someone out of business in a bad economy. His recipe for success: virtually no inventory and prices competitive with brand name department stores.

His story in the apparel business began with the word "wardrobe" itself. He wondered why would a word associated with business suits or casual attire have such a negative prefix? He decided to remove the word "war" and create a brand called DROBE that would offer professionals and smaller mom-and-pop boutiques his personalized custom style. But his first foray into the apparel business began and ended about 10 years ago at a trade show in Las Vegas. He borrowed money to pay for a booth, but like many entrepreneurial designers getting started, Taylor found out that buyers were not interested in clothing without established brand names. Soon after, Taylor was broke.

Several months later, Taylor was surprised that some of his personal customers were coming back for more shirts because of his attention to size and detail. "I discovered that clothes off the rack fit less than 50 percent of the consumer population," he said, "and that my custom clothes can be generally close to the same price as those on the rack." He also began visiting his clients in their living rooms or offices for custom fittings and offering a range of fabrics, textures and designs favorable to an individual's style.

Although he discovered his custom-tailored clients looked great in his shirts, he noticed that most Main Street customers wore pants and suits that did not properly fit, so Taylor saw that as another opportunity to expand. With no inventory and a small staff on commission, Taylor's reputation spread throughout the Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta business communities, partly with the help of fellow Hampton University alumni. He said television shows and celebrities began to take notice, and soon he found himself in the fitting rooms of major motion picture and recording studios.

His first celebrity clients was the late Bernie Mac. Some of his other celebrity clients include Al Pacino, Martin Lawrence, Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel, George Lopez and musician and multi-Grammy winner Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men. But his reputation did not change his business style. The vast majority of men and women who make up Taylor's clientele earn a living on Main Street. Ryan Taylor eliminates the cost to have your clothes tailored and eliminates the time it takes to go shopping.

His business has expanded to include custom-tailored dresses, ties, shoes and accessories. What began as a small loan has turned into 1,300 loyal clients. He averages close to $30,000 per month in revenue, and sales are down by only about 15 percent this year. In a volatile economic climate, Taylor is not cutting back. He recently opened a second DROBE office in Pasadena, California, and wants to add 200 clients before the end of the year. "To survive in this tough economy, you have to be willing to customize your product as well as your service for the specific tastes of individual people so they will talk about you with glow -- with a feeling of excitement about your product," said Taylor.

Real Change Comes to Mississippi Town

Philadelphia, Mississippi is the town best known for the killings of three civil rights workers in 1964. And nothing about James Young’s childhood ever made him think he could be the mayor of that town. What Mayor James Young still remembers is the Ku Klux Klan tormenting his neighborhood. He can still see his father holding a gun on the living room couch ready to shoot anyone who threatened his family.

That's the way it was for Black kids growing up in this place of racial hostility -- big dreams were often killed. Sitting on a sprawling Southern front porch, Mayor Young broke down in tears about what it means to be elected the town's first Black mayor. Young described the victory as "an atomic bomb of change." Another resident rejoiced, saying Young's win symbolized the scab finally falling off this town's wound.

Philadelphia was the site of one of the most notorious killings of the civil rights era. On June 21, 1964, three civil rights workers -- James Chaney, a 21-year-old Black man from Mississippi; Andrew Goodman, 20, and Michael Schwerner, 24, both Jewish White men from New York -- were shot to death at the edge of town. The killings inspired the 1988 movie "Mississippi Burning."

The 53-year-old Young was elected the mayor of Philadelphia, a town of about 8,000 in the east-central part of the state. Despite a 55 percent white majority, Young defeated Rayburn Waddell, a White, three-term incumbent, by the slim margin of 46 votes. "I couldn't even have [written] that in a fairy tale," Young said. "Who would have thought a little country boy like me would be mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi?" The mayor-elect says his election symbolizes a dramatic shift away from his hometown's racist past. And for many Black residents, it means they can finally call this place home. "The places where we were locked out, I'm gonna have the key," he said. "The places we couldn't go, I've got the key."

The groundwork for Mayor Young's climb to the top of Philadelphia's political world started decades ago. Young was one of the first Black students to integrate Philadelphia's White schools. After graduating from high school, he worked in a motor factory and then as a hospital housekeeper. A White boss noticed Young's charming people skills and recommended that he become a paramedic. He eventually worked his way up to become the director of the EMT unit, and that catapulted him to his first elected job as a county supervisor in 1991. He is also a Pentecostal minister preaching on Sunday and organizing weekly Bible studies.

Michael Vick Leaves Prison for Home Confinement

Suspended NFL star Michael Vick slipped past waiting cameras and reporters undetected to leave a federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas before dawn Wednesday to begin home confinement in his house in Hampton, Virginia. It is the latest step on a journey that he hopes will lead to his reinstatement after serving 19 months for financing a dog fighting ring. He will begin two months of home confinement before a scheduled released from federal custody on July 20.

Vick was traveling by car accompanied by his fiancé, Kijafa Frink with several members of a security team arranged for by his team of lawyers and advisers. The drive from Leavenworth to Vick’s Hampton home is expected to take about 19 hours.

Ultimately, Michael Vick’s goal is to rehabilitate his image and return to the NFL, but his first priority is spending time with his children and his loved ones. Vick, once the NFL’s highest-paid player, is scheduled to report to a probation officer Friday in Norfolk, Virginia. He will be allowed to leave the house to work a $10-an-hour job as a laborer for a construction company and for other limited purposes approved by his probation officer. He will be handed a new set of rules when he begins serving three years of probation after he is released.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who suspended Vick indefinitely in August 2007, has said he will review Vick’s status after his criminal case is concluded. Vick has said he wants to work with the Humane Society on a program aimed at eliminating dog fighting among urban teens.

Michael Vick’s NFL future is uncertain even if he is reinstated. He and the Atlanta Falcons have parted ways, agreeing to a contract settlement that will allow him to sign with another team. However, there are some risks; a public backlash being one and there’s no telling how much his skills have eroded after two missed seasons. One certainty is that he will not command the kind of money he once earned. Besides his 10-year, $130 million Falcons contract he had several lucrative endorsements, all lost because of the dog fighting. The minimum salary for a player with Vick’s years of experience is $620,000. Yeah, I know $620,000 a year is a lot of money, but not compared to $13 million a year plus endorsements.

Michael Vick, like anyone else who has served their time, should be given an opportunity to resume his career. The United States has always been a country of second chances. You have some remorse for what you did, apologize, go pay your price and then come back and become a better person. We have never been one strike and you’re done. “Let any of you who is without sin, cast the first stone.” I understand people love their dogs, and it was a horrible thing. But has he paid his debt? I think so. To err is human.

Janelle Monáe: Girl from Another Planet, Fugitive Android or Time-traveling Songstress

Janelle Monae is a girl from another planet, and she's invading your world. Open your minds, earthlings, and prepare to be launched into an alternate universe. "I'm an alien from outer space," declares Janelle Monáe on the first song of her debut album, Metropolis: The Chase Suite (Special Edition). Toto, we are no longer in Kansas anymore.

Be prepared for a sci-fi soundtrack with elements of musical theater, funk and the dirty south. Her alter ego, Cindi Mayweather, the heroine of The Chase, is an "Alpha Platinum 9000 android." She is on the run because she's fallen in love with a human being, a situation that is forbidden in the future landscape of Metropolis. Monae insists that her real identity is Cindi Mayweather, an android traveling through space and time to escape destruction ordered because she fell in love with a human, a fatal infraction of robots' rules.
Along the way, she's making music that moves into the future while drawing from decades past.

Monáe has carved out her own path by following her instincts. "I want to be looked at as a leader and a businesswoman…My goal is to help bring as many people as I possibly can together with my music." She may be living in a fantasy world of her own creation, but Janelle Monáe is confident you won’t want to leave once you’ve visited.

When her song "Many Moons" was nominated for a Grammy in December, it was in the urban/alternative category. At a Los Angeles show this month, she mixed 20th-century classics with her own futuristic songs. Monae delivered a sweet version of Nat King Cole's "Smile" while standing atop a barstool. Senior citizens danced the "Twist" when her band broke out into the Beatles' 1964 hit "I Saw Her Standing There."

Janelle Monae: The next big thing? Poised to (possibly) break out in a major way, Monáe certainly has the pedigree to justify the buzz. Once a protege of fellow Atlantan Big Boi, Monae signed to Bad Boy Records last year, thereby making Diddy one of her biggest cheerleaders. She plays herself in two episodes of the Sci Fi Channel's "Stargate Universe" this fall. Sightings of the singer-songwriter will include this week's "American Idol" finale, the Hollywood Bowl and concert stages across America this summer. Janelle Monáe is a Grammy Award-nominated American urban/alternative singer, and performer.

Monae clearly has her own sound and style. Usually garbed in a dapper suit-and-tie -- and sporting some sort of combination of a mohawk and Afro -- the lady stands out in a crowd. So, what's the problem? Well, her music is, shall we say, odd. Her dense, other-worldly songs manage to sound both futuristic and throwback to Motown. While interesting, her mass-appeal is questionable. Monae seems like a love-her-or-hate-her artist who isn't going to change for the sake of commercial success. In other words, the next Rihanna or Beyonce she’s not. We have no idea who her closest contemporaries might be without hearing a full album. Is she just another example of an artist whose buzz has been artificially created by the internet? Only time will tell.

Some of Janelle Monáe's musical influences include Judy Garland, James Brown, Michael Jackson, Jackie Wilson, Grace Brown, Karen O, Lauryn Hill, Mick Jagger, Stevie Wonder, Outkast, Nona Hendryx, Bach, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Fiona Apple, Björk, Anita Baker, and The Hives.

Pack House 2000 Gets Extreme Makeover

In the season finale of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” the beneficiaries are Bernard McFarland and his three sons, Courtney, Curtis and Dominique. Bernard McFarland is an amazing guy and even more amazing father. He knew he wanted to give something to youngsters in his community where they could be involved after school. And with that aim in mind, McFarland started “Pack House 2000” to mentor and give food to the minds of young people and to keep them away from street. He provides them with books and a place to hang out. He tries to instill a habit of reading in them.

Pack House began as a shed in Bernard McFarland's backyard in Indianapolis. But through his perseverance and hard work Bernard has been able to help so many people from his old house, but now with the new library, Pack House 2000 will live on. With all of the educational tools, and the books, and the new technology that was placed in there, these kids will be able to expand their horizons to new levels.

Bernard McFarland grew up in an impoverished household, but graduated from college and served in the military. When he returned to Indianapolis with his sons, he found that in his community violence was on the rise and young people were dropping out of school. He embarked on a mission to change those scenarios via his “Pack House 2000” program that is dedicated to expanding young minds and horizons.

In another surprise, all three McFarland boys were given full ride scholarships at Butler University. We hope they take full advantage of this opportunity. Knowledge is power.

Amobi Okoye Gives Back to Africa

Amobi Okoye, defensive tackle with the Houston Texans of the National Football League, started a project with other athletes called the Athletes in the Diaspora Community Interventions (ADCI) which provides humanitarian support for change on the African continent.

For one of the projects, Changing Africa Through Education (CATE), Amobi traveled to Nigeria with several other professional athletes (Adewale Ogunleye, Israel Idonije (Chicago Bears), Osi Umenyiora (New York Giants), and Ahman Green (Houston Texans), to work on programs that included scholarship endowments, soccer camps, and, clean water programs and they held five mobile clinics for over 1,000 residents. In addition, medicine was distributed in partnership with physicians from Integris Health of Oklahoma. The players held two physical activity camps which exposed youth to the fundamentals of American Football and they included girls as a part of their commitment to the advancement of women in sports. During the trip, Okoye and ADCI launched the ADCI Academy of Sports and Learning which will be built in Nigeria. ADCI is presented in conjunction with the Sports and Marketing Management firm founded by Okoye, InVictus91. Additional programs that Amobi Okoye leads through C.A.T.E and the Amobi Okoye Foundation include the funding of clean water wells and the ongoing sponsorship of a maternity ward, the only hospital within 100 mile radius in Nri, a developing village in Nigeria. Other athletes who donated but were unable to make the trip include Nnamdi Asomuga and Adimchinobe Echemandu (Oakland Raiders), Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (Green Bay Packers), Akbar Gbaja-Biamila (Miami Dolphins).

Amobi Okoye was born in Anambra, Nigeria. He moved to Huntsville, Alabama when he was 12 years old. After only spending two weeks in middle school, he tested into the 9th grade. He first started playing football as a sophomore at Lee High School, knowing virtually nothing about the game before his high school coach suggested he go play Madden NFL football to learn. By the time he was a senior, he won first-team All-State honors as both a defensive and offensive lineman. At the age of 16, Amobi Okoye became the youngest NCAA student athlete of all time. Amobi successfully graduated from Louisville within 3 ½ years, prior to entering the NFL as the youngest athlete ever drafted into the NFL in the modern draft era. Okoye was drafted by the Houston Texans as the tenth pick of the first round of the 2007 NFL draft.

The Amobi Okoye Foundation was founded on the belief that all youth have the basic human right of hope for a brighter future. Programs and services have been implemented domestically and abroad that address the basic needs of children and their surrounding communities.
These programs include: Kick-off for Kids, Tackle Hunger, Amobi’s House, C.A.T.E (Changing Africa Through Education) and AO’s Young Professionals.