Grover gets over with Lena Horne

From “Sesame Street,” 1973.

Colin Powell endorses Obama

And he did so in the strongest possible terms.

This endorsement will dominate the public discussion of the campaign for at least the next 24 hours, robbing John McCain of yet another day in which to try and shift the momentum.

Two weeks, people. Two weeks to go.

Jigga what, Jigga who?

Sarah Palin’s America

Hat-tip to Washington Post columnist Colby King for spotlighting an Al Jazeera English news report about a Sarah Palin rally in Ohio.

Check out what some working-class white folks be saying about Barack Obama. (One old fella actually uses the word “nigra.”)

A free Eminem download

Yeah, Eminem has a new album coming out at some point.

Freshly uploaded to the Web is a track called “I’m Having a Relapse.” It’s available as a FREE MP3.

To stream “I’m Having a Relapse” on my Vox blog, click here. To download it, follow this link to The FADER.

If you dig Eminem, then you know what to expect.

MBP of the Week: Internet Movie Database

A Misidentified Black Person on IMDb? Say it ain’t so!

As you can plainly see, that picture above is not Tristan Wilds, the young actor who got his big break on “The Wire” and now co-stars in “90210.”

It’s Tyler James Williams, the star of “Everybody Hates Chris.”

To make matters worse, check out the photo below. That is Tristan Wilds... at the L.A. premiere of “The Secret Life of Bees.” But IMDb says it’s Nate Parker (who also co-stars in the movie).

Yo Tristan, don’t let it get you down, young’un. Just get used to being misidentified in the media... because it will happen again.

(Thanks for the tip, Mani.)

Some free Black Kids downloads

Got some Black Kids news to share. First, my favorite new rock band is scheduled to perform tonight on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” Go, Black Kids!

Next, the Kids recorded three new versions of songs from their debut album (live in-studio) for the indie-music site Daytrotter. Those tracks are available as FREE MP3s.

Click here to hear one of them – “I Wanna Be Your Limousine” – on my Vox blog. To download the freebies, follow this link.

Levi Stubbs (1936-2008)

Levi Stubbs, the longtime lead singer of the Four Tops, passed away today at his home in Detroit. He was 72.

The Billboard.com obituary is here.

Mr. Stubbs’s voice soared on such great Holland-Dozier-Holland songs as “Reach Out, I’ll Be There,” “Baby I Need Your Loving” and “Standing in the Shadows of Love.”

But I want to stream one of the group’s post-HDH hits – “Still Water (Love),” co-written by Smokey Robinson. Click here to listen.

And below is a heartbreaking video of Levi Stubbs – wheelchair-bound and overcome by emotions – performing with Aretha Franklin. (I have no details about when this took place.)

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