Will Colin Powell endorse Obama on Sunday?

Be sure to watch “Meet the Press” on Sunday morning. Colin Powell is scheduled to be interviewed. Speculation is strong that Powell – every Republican’s favorite Negro – will endorse the Democrat, Barack Obama.

Mike Allen of Politico quotes an unnamed McCain official thusly: “It’s going to make a lot of news, and certainly be personally embarrassing for McCain. It comes at a time when we need momentum, and it would create momentum against us.”

Meanwhile, as the days dwindle to a precious few, the Obama-haters on right-wing talk radio are still talking about “Joe the Plumber.” Yeah... that’s the game-changer they’ve been waiting for.

Two degrees of separation

Or is it one degree? I’m not sure how that works.

Anyway, here’s a picture of Barack Obama with my cousin, Prof. Phoebe Farris:

McCain’s got jokes!

For real. Good jokes, too. (Once he gets beyond the obligatory “Joe the Plumber” material.)

These vidclips are from a big charity function tonight in New York City. Sen. McCain got off some good cracks about Bill Clinton (in absentia) and MSNBC. He also poked fun at himself.

And near the end, McCain also said sincere and gracious things about his opponent, Barack Obama.

Coming attraction: ‘The Soloist’

A few weeks ago I saw the trailer for “The Soloist” before “Lakeview Terrace.” (Yeah, I paid to see “Lakeview Terrace.”)

Notwithstanding the “Magic Negro” element – Jamie Foxx plays a musically gifted schizophrenic homeless man who helps Robert Downey Jr. become a better person – I was looking forward to seeing “The Soloist” next month.

The trailer is embedded below. Foxx and Downey look like they brought their best game.

Alas, show-biz blogger Nikki Finke reports today that Paramount has postponed the release of “The Soloist” till next March. The reason given was vague, but apparently it is not a reflection of the movie’s quality.

Oh well. I’ll wait.

‘Obama is for killing babies!’

Guess who said that on the radio today? (Easiest. Question. Ever.)

Who else but America’s favorite clown, Rush Limbaugh? Good thing I have a sense of humor, because it was hilarious to me when he said that.

I thought Limbaugh might be one of the right-wingers today who’d get mad at John McCain for blowing the final debate. Instead, Limbaugh says McCain whipped Barack Obama’s ass, but the media is brainwashing America into thinking otherwise.

Evidently Rush’s plan for the next two and a half weeks is to insist that John McCain can still win this election... and to crank up his insane anti-Obama rants to 11.

Hence the baby-killer remark. (Hey, if the “Obama-is-an-Arab” thing doesn’t stick, you gotta dig deeper.)

Click here to hear a 30-second sound bite from today’s Rush Limbaugh show.

This is my 1,500th post.

Yay me! Thanks to all of you who visit here... especially those who share comments.

The last time I marked a milestone was six months ago – my 1,000th post. Which happened to be a live blog of the Pennsylvania Democratic primary.

Hillary Clinton won in Pennsylvania. That gave her troubled campaign a big boost... while putting fear into the hearts of some Obama supporters. (MSNBC’s Chris Matthews said, “I think Barack Obama has a problem with working white people.”)

That was then. Polls this week show Obama leading John McCain in Pennsylvania by 12 points... 14 points... 15 points... 16 points.

What a long strange trip it’s been.

The night of the Pennsylvania primary, Republican commentator Bill Bennett on CNN hammered Obama on his association with “former terrorists.” Yep, the Bill Ayers/Weather Underground thing.

For six months, this has been a Republican talking point! And it never gained traction with the people. You know why, Mr. Bennett? You know why, Sean Hannity? Because the Cold War is OVER, fucksticks!

Now... below is a treat for funk-loving Obama fans (and/or Obama- loving funk fans): Legendary horn blowers Fred Wesley and Pee Wee Ellis back up a no-name musician (named Willie Amrod) on a loose-but-swingin’ pro-Obama jam.

Here’s my last ‘Joe the Plumber’ joke...

... because by noon tomorrow, “Joe the Plumber” will be played-the- fuck-out.

Anyway... who will be the first rapper to use this lyric: I lay more pipe than Joe the Plumber?

(I suggest rhyming it with: Hittin’ skins like a drummer.)

UPDATE (10/15/08): Pin a medal on Mark Matthews for being first with a song on YouTube:

Live-blogging the final debate

Are you expecting drama? I’m expecting drama. Unless McCain already knows he’s defeated. In which case, that’ll be worth talking about too.

9:06 p.m. (Eastern Time): Anybody notice a tremor or tremble in John McCain’s left hand? What’s that about? ...

9:13 p.m.: Well... Joe the Plumber is getting laid tonight, I bet. ...

9:25 p.m.: One third of the way in, and it looks like Obama has McCain playing defense. Amazing. ...

9:35 p.m.: Obama just opened the door for McCain to talk about the “pals around with terrorists” issue. And what does McCain do? He defends his own campaign crowds. I think Sean Hannity just vomited in his mouth a little bit. Right-wing radio talkers have been waiting for... oh, wait a minute...

9:37 p.m.: Well, I spoke too soon. McCain just threw a jab about ACORN and Bill Ayers. A weak jab. And Obama has his answer at the ready. Now, will McCain keep pushing it? ...

9:41 p.m.: Awww shit. I bet Bob Schieffer catches hell tomorrow from the talk-radio jackals for that question about vice presidential candidates. It plays to a huge McCain weakness. ...

9:46 p.m.: Nice to hear the word “cockamamie” in a presidential debate. Talk about old school. You go, McCain! ...

9:56 p.m.: The clock is becoming a factor. McCain’s got nothing... nothing! ...

10:00 p.m.: Oh for fuck’s sake... Joe the Plumber again?? Right-wingers are gonna destroy McCain tomorrow. You watch. ...

10:25 p.m.: Sounds like McCain is going hard for the autistic vote. ...

11:59 p.m.: When there are no donuts, I will eat an apple. And when there’s no cable TV, I will watch PBS.

Just got through watching the post-debate analysis on “Charlie Rose.” I feel smarter than I was an hour ago. And all those smart analysts on PBS agree: Obama has got a lock on this election.

Good night, all. Sweet dreams are made of this.

Two free Plastilina Mosh downloads

And so we come to the end of Hispanic Heritage Month. I’ll play us out with two FREE MP3s from one of Mexico’s hippest bands, Plastilina Mosh.

Click here to hear “Arriba Dicembre” on my Vox blog. To download it, follow this link to RCRD LBL.

To hear a cut called “Toll Free,” click here. You can download that one by clicking the song title below. Both tracks are on Plastilina Mosh’s latest album, “All U Need Is Mosh.”

“Toll Free” (MP3)
More on this album

Vintage wrongness

Tuesday 12-inch Flashback: ‘Disco Nights’

Remember GQ?

A free Los Lonely Boys download

The Garza brothers – Ringo, Henry and Jojo, better known as Los Lonely Boys – had a big hit single in 2004 called “Heaven.” (You’ll recognize the hook if you don’t recognize the title.)

A live version is available as a FREE MP3. It was recorded in 2000, when Los Lonely Boys were just another struggling Texas bar band.

To stream “Heaven” on my Vox blog, click here. To download it, click the song title below.

“Heaven” (MP3)
Album available at iTunes Music Store
Album available at eMusic
Album available at Amazon MP3

Goofing on Sarah: Yeah, she’s a joke.

It’s quite obvious by now that Sarah Palin hasn’t much helped John McCain as a running mate. But you know what? McCain didn’t help her by choosing her either.

Sarah Palin is now a national joke. What does that mean for her future?

Sure, Palin could be re-elected governor of Alaska. But what if that’s not enough for her? What if the national spotlight and the adulation of the right-wing “base” has gotten good to her?

My guess is that Sarah Palin in a couple of years will be the host of her own TV show... on Fox News. (And she’ll still be a joke.)

A free Ska Cubano download

Only a couple of days left in Hispanic Heritage Month. So let me point you to a FREE MP3 from the London-based band Ska Cubano, which fuses Jamaican and Cuban (and Trinidadian and Colombian) flavors.

The front men are British ska singer Natty Bo and Cuban mambo singer Beny Billy. Can you detect a Kid Creole-ish sense of whimsy in the photo above?

Click here to hear “Ay Caramba!” on my Vox blog. This track is from Ska Cubano’s 2006 CD of the same title.

To download it, follow this link to Calabash. You need to be registered at that world-music site in order to cop.

‘Black First Lady’

There have been plenty of Obama songs this year. Now there’s a tune dedicated to Michelle Obama. It’s “Black First Lady,” and it’s available as a FREE MP3.

The artist is The Lady Tigra, who was half of a one-hit-wonder rap duo called L’Trimm 20 years ago.

To hear “Black First Lady” on my Vox blog, click here. To download it, follow this link to Download.com.

Below is a recent live performance of the song.

Vintage Japaneseness

A free T-Bone download

T-Bone (Rene Sotomayor) is a Christian rapper from San Francisco. His parents immigrated from Central America.

T-Bone’s 2005 track “Bounce” is available as a FREE MP3. Click here to hear it on my Vox blog. To download it, click the song title below.

“Bounce” (MP3)
More on this album

Wanna see Phoebe Snow for free?

Next question: Are you willing to rise before the sun on a Saturday morning?

Listen up, New Yorkers. Phoebe Snow will perform on CBS’s “The Early Show” tomorrow (October 11). She invites you to come and watch.

Just show up at the CBS Plaza on 59th and 5th Avenue by 7:15 a.m.

Ms. Snow’s new live CD drops next week.

Angry old man

Playlist: Crates of vinyl

I’m streaming some choice cuts from my record collection. As far as I know, none of these tracks has been digitally re-released. (Not in the United States anyway.)

I am also taking requests. Wanna hear some hard-to-find funk? Let me know. Maybe I got it.

1. “The Dance Electric” – André Cymone

In 1985, when Prince was at the height of his powers, he hooked up his old high-school bandmate Andre Anderson – a.k.a. André Cymone – with this hot number.

2. “Love the One You’re With” – Mother’s Finest

Stephen Stills’s “Love the One You’re With” has been covered by quite a few black artists – Aretha, the Isleys, Luther Vandross, the Supremes, Sam & Dave, Rockin’ Dopsie... even Billy Eckstine. But nobody rocked it quite like Mother’s Finest.

I’ve blogged about Mother’s Finest before (here and here). The band is best known for its late-’70s records. But its self-titled debut album came out in 1972 on RCA. This is the last cut on it.

3. “Tearin’ It Up” – Chaka Khan

I’ve been waiting forever for Chaka Khan’s 1982 album, “Chaka Khan,” to be released on CD. Exquisitely produced by Arif Mardin, every track is killer. (Remember “Best in the West”?)

This is the 12-inch Larry Levan remix of “Tearin’ It Up.” The horns were arranged by Randy Brecker.

4. “Feel Like Makin’ Love” – Eugene McDaniels

Singer-songwriter Eugene McDaniels has probably lived a life of luxury behind this one tune alone. (He should have, at least.)

Roberta Flack had a huge hit with “Feel Like Makin’ Love” in 1974. The song has since been covered by the likes of Isaac Hayes, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Marlena Shaw and Shirley Bassey.

McDaniels covered it himself... on his 1975 LP “Natural Juices.” He used some of the same musicians from the Roberta Flack session (Bob James, Idris Muhammad, Gary King), but this is a very different arrangement. And McDaniels has a very different vocal style.

I love this version.

Vintage hotness

MBP of the Week: Newsweek.com

My sincerest intercontinental thanks go out to Geneva Girl for catching this Misidentified Black Person at Newsweek.com.

That picture, of course, is not U.S. sprinter Tyson Gay. It’s Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.

A free Alfredo Linares download

In the rock ’n’ roll era, the earliest crossover Latin-music style was called boogaloo. It originated in New York City. It remains popular to this day in Colombia.

Vampisoul Records, a Spanish label, has unearthed some old Peruvian boogaloo tracks... including “El Pito” by Alfredo Linares y su Sonora.

Click here to hear “El Pito” on my Vox blog. To download the FREE MP3, click the song title below. The Vampisoul compilation CD is called “Gozalo! Bugalu Tropical, Vol. 1.”

“El Pito” (MP3)

Name this movie soundtrack, win a prize.

I haven’t had a contest here in quite a while. So let’s do one.

I’m on the East Coast, and I’ve been going through my vinyl LPs. Click here and listen to a mystery track. It comes from a movie soundtrack album. The first person who correctly names that movie will win a prize.

The prize is five Obama buttons. MoveOn.org sold or gave away more than 2 million of these buttons.

They’re small – like, silver-dollar sized – but they’re cool.

So... write your answer in the comments section. Only one guess per person, please.

A free Pablo Gil download

Venezuelan sax man Pablo Gil studied classical music in France. Then he earned a master’s degree in jazz performance from the City College of New York.

Gil has recorded with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Chico O’Farrill Big Band, Ron Carter, Steve Turre and others.

To hear a boppish Latin track called “Breakdown,” click here.

If you want it, follow this link to Download.com. There are six more FREE MP3s from Pablo Gil available there.

Debate open thread

My eyes got kinda glazy, to tell you the truth. But as far as Obama is concerned, boring was good. No game-changers tonight.

What did you all think?

Tuesday 12-inch Flashback: ‘Don’t Stop the Music’

Remember Yarborough & Peoples?

The Chicks with Ukuleles All-Stars!

Why? Because Julia, Whitney and Hayley are spreading love and joy all over teh interwebs!

A free FatKingBulla download

FatKingBulla is a funky bilingual rock ’n’ roll band in Miami. It is fronted by Jose Antonio Leiva (a.k.a. Bulla). He strikes me kinda like a Latin David Johansen.

FatKingBulla’s 2008 single “Niña Infiel” is available as a FREE MP3. To download it, click the song title below.

To hear the song first – and to see what I’m saying about the David Johansen thing – check out the music video.

"Niña Infiel" (MP3)
Album available at iTunes Music Store

Belated MBP: Time magazine

A correction from the September 8 edition of Time:

(Thanks, RP. You are a treasured friend to the Misidentified Black Persons project.)

A free Buena Vista Social Club download

My Hispanic Heritage Month cavalcade of FREE MP3s has been skimpy on Cuban music. I know this.

So here’s one from “Buena Vista Social Club at Carnegie Hall,” a double-CD that’ll be released next week.

Click here to hear “De Camino a la Vereda” on my Vox blog. To download it, click the song title below.

“Buena Vista Social Club,” of course, was the title of a 1997 album (conceived by producer Ry Cooder) and a 1999 documentary (by German filmmaker Wim Wenders) which together shined a worldwide spotlight on Afro-Cuban music.

The new double-CD documents the 1998 New York City concert which was featured at the end of the movie.

“De Camino a la Vereda” (MP3)

More of that ’60s soul fetish

Now Seal is getting in on the action.

Fear of a black step line

The video embedded below is causing a ruckus in the right-wing blogosphere. It shows a group of black teenagers marching and chanting about the inspirational qualities of Barack Obama... and the benefits of his health-care plan.

To white folks unfamiliar with black fraternities and “stepping,” such a display carries overtones of fascism and mind control.

“Nazi Youth – Obama Style,” reads one blog headline. “Freakin frightening.”

According to the NewsBusters blog, “This is reminiscent of North Korean kids chanting out their praises for the ‘Dear Leader.’ ”

My old nemesis Lawrence Auster was reminded of North Korea as well, except “this Obama Youth video is worse, because it has an African primitiveness about it.”

“Scary stuff,” wrote one of Auster’s readers.

“Militant radicals in the making,” wrote another anti-Obama blogger.

This video is now being pushed on the Drudge Report, which is an agenda-setter for Rush Limbaugh and Fox News. So you can expect to hear more about it in the coming days.

Evidently, the video was originally uploaded by the Urban Community Leadership Academy, a Kansas City charter school. It is now being viralized by YouTubers with nicknames such as NoObamaCant.

This isn’t good news for that charter school, which is affiliated with the University of Central Missouri, a public university. Because if taxpayer money is going towards these types of partisan shenanigans, the Urban Community Leadership Academy will likely catch hell.

And rightly so.

Jackie Mason against Barack Obama

If you saw Sarah Silverman’s pro-Obama Web video last week, you might be interested in Jackie Mason’s rebuttal.

A free Latin Soul Syndicate download

Latin Soul Syndicate is a Bay Area outfit founded by bass player Happy Sanchez, who also led the alt-Latin band Los Mocosos.

I bought some Los Mocosos music six years ago when I was on a rock en español kick. I like Latin Soul Syndicate better.

The 2006 track “Shake It” is available as a FREE MP3. Click here to hear it on my Vox blog. To download it, click the song title below.

“Shake It” (MP3)
Album available at iTunes Music Store
Album available at eMusic
Album available at Amazon

Goofing on Sarah: The Master Class (cont.)

I came for part three of Tina Fey’s devastating Sarah Palin impression, which is already the stuff of television history.

But I laughed just as hard at Jason Sudekis and his mockery of Joe Biden. Dude was cutting deep (especially on Scranton).

Random hotness

I have had dreams almost exactly like this about Rachael Ray:

Goofing on Sarah: Wink wink, say n’more

Sarah Palin must figure she reeeally raised hell against “Shoeless Joe” Biden the other night. Because now she’s buckin’ at the big dog... Barack Hussein Obama.

Today in Colorado she was all like, “Obama pals around with terrorists” and “He doesn’t see America the way you and I see America.”

To Gov. Palin: Let me remind you that on the internets (and on late-night TV), you are still a joke! Yep, you betcha.

*wink*

The Penguin

A free Wait.Think.Fast. download

Jacqueline Santillan was born in Argentina and raised in Southern California. Singing in English and Spanish, Ms. Santillan fronts an alternative-rock group called Wait.Think.Fast.

The band’s new 7-song EP, “Veulve al Mar,” is available at iTunes. I can hook you up with a FREE MP3. (By the way, Hispanic Heritage Month goes until mid-October.)

Click here to hear “Clear Our Name” on my Vox blog. To download it, click the title below.

“Clear Our Name” (MP3)
Album available at iTunes Music Store

Did she fuckin’ wink at America?

Spotty live-blogging of the vice presidential debate to follow...

9:41 p.m. (Eastern Time): This is my first time watching a debate on CNN. They have a goofy biofeedback box on the bottom of the screen, measuring the instantaneous reactions of a group of “uncommitted Ohio voters.”

Whenever Sarah Palin starts talking, that graph takes a dip.

9:54 p.m.: How many times does Palin say the word “also”? She just said it five times in one answer – the one about Israel.

Wish I had started counting from the beginning. She’ll probably say “also” a hundred times tonight.

10:14 p.m.: “Say it ain’t so, Joe.” Sarah’s been waiting to uncork that one all night... and it showed. She doesn’t understand, evidently, that the devastating effect of Ronald Reagan’s “There you go again” line was that it seemed spontaneous.

10:25 p.m.: Palin on McCain: “He is the man we need to leave...” She meant to say “lead.” Heh.

She did a good job tonight, though... compared to expectations. But I don’t think I heard an original thought out of her. It was an exercise in talking points.

Sarah Palin may not be an albatross around McCain’s neck after tonight... but no longer is she the wind beneath his wings also.

Goofing on Sarah: The Pro-Am

Will these things still be cute and funny after tonight? Or will they just be sad?

Gwen Ifill becomes the story

PBS journalist Gwen Ifill will moderate Thursday night’s debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin... an event to which the entire English-speaking world will pay attention.

But Ms. Ifill today found herself on the hot seat.

Pro-McCain opinionators such as Michelle Malkin and Dick Morris accused Ifill of having a conflict of interest... because of her upcoming book, “The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.”

I agree with them.

Not that I question Gwen Ifill’s professional integrity. Surely she will perform her debate duties without bias or favor. But, obviously, more people will buy Ifill’s book (which comes out in January) if Barack Obama is elected president. She has a financial stake in the outcome of this race.

For that reason alone, Gwen Ifill shouldn’t be moderating a debate this go-round.

But it’s too late now. The McCain campaign approved of her weeks ago. And the title of Ifill’s book has been publicly known since July. If McCain staffers didn’t know about the book, then they’re incompetent.

Team McCain isn’t asking for Ifill to be replaced. But it seems that they are spinning the media to put subtle pressure on her. If Ifill is too rough with Palin, or is perceived as tricky or snarky, she’ll be attacked as “in the tank” for Obama.

Or maybe McCain is simply laying out a ready-made excuse in case Sarah Palin performs poorly tomorrow. “The deck was stacked against her from the beginning.” It’s all in the game.

Below is a 3-minute promo video from Doubleday Publishing, in which Ms. Ifill discusses her book. It has been up on YouTube (and other video websites) for two weeks.

Sarah Silverman for Barack Obama

Random wrongness

A free Funky C download

Spanish-language rapper Cristian Sol Moraga Farías – better known as Funky C – is the son of a famous songwriter in Chile. But his own sound owes more to Roger Troutman and other 20th century American groovers.

A track from Funky C’s 2007 album, “Joya,” is available as a FREE MP3.

Click here to hear “Amigo” on my Vox blog. To download it, follow this link to KEXP.