BOBBY BROWN ‘SADDENED’ BY DIVORCE: Singer talks to People magazine; plus Whitney counseled by Courtney Love?
*Bobby Brown was in his hometown of Boston last weekend when he got on his pre-paid cell phone and spoke to People magazine about his separation from wife Whitney Houston.
"I'm really saddened by the whole situation," said the 39-year-old entertainer, in Boston to celebrate the 17th birthday of his eldest daughter, Laprincia (with ex-girlfriend Kim Ward). The full interview appears in the magazine, on stands tomorrow (9/22).
Brown, who was served papers shortly after Houston filed for
separation on Sept. 8, was also seen Sunday night at Boston's Comedy
Connection, where he took in a set by comedian Mike Epps. A source told the
magazine that Brown seemed to be in good spirits, mingling with the crowd of
500 and taking a picture with Epps after the show.
As for Whitney, more reports have surfaced regarding her current drug
treatment. According to Us Weekly, Houston’s music mentor Clive Davis has
recruited rock singer Courtney Love to help shepherd the R&B singer toward
sobriety.
Love, the lead singer of Hole who has long appeared in public sloppy
drunk and sky high, is now clean and sober and has reportedly introduced
Whitney to her own addiction counselor, Warren Boyd. According to Us Weekly,
Davis is footing the bill for Whitney’s sessions with Boyd.
The New York Post’s Page Six is reporting that Davis is also looking
to stage Houston’s big comeback performance at his 2007 Grammy party, to be
held early next year. His master plan is for Houston to also have an album
out in 2007.
"We are reviewing material right now. It is too early to say if
Whitney is going to perform, but I would hope she would be in the running,”
Davis told Page Six. "She looks radiant and is clearly together. She is
talking enthusiastically and is articulate. We are going to make a great
album. In my opinion, the best singers in the world are Aretha and Whitney.
That's not to knock Mariah. Mariah is a friend of mine, but I think Mariah
would even say those two are the best."
Houston and Brown were married for 14 years and have one daughter,
Bobbi Kristina, 13. In her filing, Houston reportedly asked that she get
custody of Bobbi Kristina and that Brown be allowed visitation rights.
Divorce proceedings are expected to begin next month.
DMX SAYS HE WAS ‘RAPED BY A D.C. FEMALE’: Rapper tells Sister2Sister that incident resulted in out-of-wedlock child.
*The October issue of Sister 2 Sister magazine features an article
with rapper DMX who claims that his recent child with a Washington, D.C.
woman was the product of rape…her raping him, that is.
"She raped me," the Yonkers native told editor Jamie Foster Brown.
"I mean, you know, that might sound like some bullsh**. No man has ever
been... you know what I mean, like never? Is that the only thing in the
world that's not possible?"
X’s wife, Tashera Simmons, was also featured in the article lending
support to her man and his rape account. She says she “blocks out” thoughts
of her husband’s experience in order to cope everyday, and tells Brown of an
earlier run-in she had with the so-called “D.C. woman.”
“Before the stuff hit the fan, she came up to us while we were in
court and said ‘I work for kids that are sickly,’” Tashera said. “So [DMX]
said 'Give her my number.' That's how it goes all the time. At first, I said
OK. But, then I thought she looked deranged and obsessed with him.”
Mirroring the blunt openness of his recent BET reality show “DMX:
Soul of a Man,” the artist spoke candidly about a number of touchy subjects
brought up by Brown, including his issues with New York radio station Hot
97, his anger problems and how to get away with the murder of anyone who
does him harm.
CHAMILLIONAIRE GETS THE ‘WEIRD AL’ TREATMENT: Yankovic turns ‘Ridin’ Dirty’ into ‘White and Nerdy.’
*Having a single hit the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 is one thing,
but seeing it parodied by master lampooner Weird Al Yankovic pretty much
solidifies the song as a cultural staple.
Even Oprah Winfrey attempted to sing Chamillionaire’s “Dirty” during
Monday’s season premiere episode as she ridiculed her best friend Gayle
King, who was apparently singing it to death while they drove across country
last spring.
Yankovic, best known for his classic parodies “Eat It” (Michael
Jackson’s “Beat It”) and “Amish Paradise” (Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise”),
switches out Chamillionaire’s line “ridin’ dirty” with the phrase “white and
nerdy,” which is also the name of the parody tune. View video here:
http://media.bmgonline.com/zombalabelgroup.com/weird_al/video/white_and_nerd
y_300.ram
Meanwhile, Chamillionaire's sophomore album, “The Ultimate Victory,”
is expected to be released in February via Universal.
WAYNE BRADY TO VISIT CW’S ‘CHRIS’: ‘Celebrity Duets’ host to appear on
Thanksgiving episode as Uncle Louis.
*Wayne Brady, the jovial host of Fox’s “Celebrity Duets,” will guest
star in a special Thanksgiving episode of Chris Rock’s “Everybody Hates
Chris,” which will air on Sundays at 8 p.m. this fall on the new CW network
beginning Oct. 1.
The 34-year-old Brady will star as Uncle Louis, the successful
brother of Julius (Terry Crews) and uncle to young Chris (Tyler James
Williams). In the episode, premiering Nov. 19, Louis visits Chris’ family
for Thanksgiving dinner.
“Everybody Hates Chris” is based on the early childhood of its
executive producer Chris Rock, who was the oldest of three kids in a
Brooklyn neighborhood and bused out of his black neighborhood to a
predominantly white school.
No word yet if the Uncle Louis character will be as much of a
departure from Brady’s G-rated, family-friendly image as his role in a now
famous “Chappelle Show” skit, where he played himself as a thug pimp and
barked the line, “Is Wayne Brady gonna have to choke a b***h?”
TRIAL BEGINS FOR MAN WHO SHOT PROOF: Mario Etheridge facing weapons charges stemming from incident.
*Mario Etheridge, the man who shot and killed rapper Proof at
Detroit night club CCC in April, saw opening arguments begin Monday in his
case stemming from the fatal incident.
Etheridge was not charged with the death of Proof, whose real name
was Deshaun Holton, but rather with illegally firing a weapon in an occupied
building and carrying a concealed weapon.
According to the Detroit News, assistant Wayne County prosecutor
Elizabeth Walker claims that Proof never reached for his gun until
Etheridge, 28, fired a warning shot into the ceiling during Proof’s
altercation with another man.
As a result, the incident was taken "up a notch," Walker argued,
adding: "That was the first display, the first use, the first time anyone
knew about a weapon."
Etheridge fatally shot Proof after the late member of D12 shot
Etheridge’s cousin, Keith Bender, in the face. Authorities said that Proof’s
actions were precipitated by Etheridge firing in the air. Proof died at the
club of multiple gunshot wounds. Bender died a week later.
The trial, held in Wayne Circuit Court, was expected to last two
days.
‘TOP MODEL’ VETS FACE OFF IN ‘COMPLEX’: Plus, new prizes added to current Cycle 7.
*As “America’s Next Top Model” begins a new season, two former
contestants of the reality show are facing off in an online model
competition from Complex magazine.
Models Keenyah (Cycle 4) and Nik (Cycle 5) are competing in the
semifinals for the magazine's Casting Call model competition, where readers
vote for the beauties they'd like to see featured in the magazine.
The semifinals kicked off this week and will run until Sunday. The
winner of this week's competition will face the victor of next week's
semifinals. The winner will receive a feature in an upcoming issue of
Complex. Votes can be cast on www.complex.com.
Meanwhile, last night’s two-hour season premiere of “Top Model” came
with a new bounty added to the grand prize. In addition to a $100,000
contract with cosmetics giant CoverGirl, this year’s winnings will include a
contract with Elite Model Management and a cover and six-page fashion spread
in Seventeen Magazine.
MASTER P AND ROMEO HEAD TO GITMO: Father and son to perform for troops at Guantanamo Bay.
*Rap mogul Master P (Percy Miller) and his rapping son, Romeo, will
perform for U.S. troops at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba next month as part of a
Navy-sponsored goodwill trip.
Their scheduled Oct. 13 concert marks the first time a rap act will
take center stage at the U.S. Navy base, which has been under fire in recent
years for its treatment of military prisoners from the Afghanistan and Iraq
wars.
Past performances at Guantanamo Bay have included John Secada, Joey
Daniels, Hootie and the Blowfish, Charlie Daniels, Toby Keith, Joan Jett,
and Jimmy Buffet.
The Millers will be flown on a U.S. Navy jet from Jacksonville to
Cuba, where they are likely to perform a 45 minute set. Last June, P and
Romeo joined country star Lee Ann Womack to perform a “welcome home” event
for soldiers stationed in Vicenza, Italy.
The father/son duo will drop a new DVD/CD, “God’s Gift,” on Nov. 14.
DIDDY’S PROMO TRAIN ROLLS THROUGH MD/DC: Mogul takes ‘no excuses’ message to Baltimore middle school.
*The latest stop on Sean “Diddy” Combs’ cross country promo tour was
a Baltimore middle school, where the entrepreneur spoke to a select group of
students who scored high on achievement tests.
According to Baltimore Sun columnist Greg Kane, the Bad Boy founder
told the assembly of seventh- and eight-graders at Winston Middle School
that he grew up in a town not unlike their area of Winston, which is located
in North Baltimore.
"I didn't buy into all those statistics about what's supposed to
happen to us," Combs said. "I didn't listen to that. I don't want y'all to
listen to it. Y'all need to take responsibility for your own futures."
Before introducing Diddy, Marc Clarke and Troy Johnson of 92Q
reminded the students why they were selected to be in Diddy’s presence. More
than 78 percent of them have passed the state algebra assessment test, the
radio jocks noted, and the pupils had the highest reading score and
third-highest math score of all noncharter middle schools in the city.
“Today I'm here to talk to y'all about no excuses,” Diddy told the
kids. “Y'all are in control of your own destinies. It's up to y'all to
believe in yourselves first."
Addressing the necessity for good grades, the entertainer added: "You
can't go home with no C's. That's not a hot look. Go home with some A's."
RAS KASS VS. GAME, ROUND TWO: Latest rap war escalates with Ras’ video
response.
*The beef between Ras Kass and The Game has taken a sad-but-typical
turn into complete ghetto nonsense.
A crude home video from Ras has landed on You Tube and features the
rapper and his homies dissing the Game for over four minutes straight.
After a bunch of typical posturing – complete with the display of
bullets, firearms, knives, threats and “real Blood” gang members – Ras Kass
comes in about three minutes into the clip and shows off his black eye at
the hands of The Game, boasting that it wasn’t a big deal considering the
fight was “30 to 2.”
Ras follows that up with the following message to the Compton MC:
“Before you start trying to sell your records off me, n***a we on yo’ head,
homie. …You are so f***ed and you know it.”
See the mess here, but this is in no way safe for work.
EUR DVD REVIEW: The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Stunts Again Trumps Plot in High-Octane Franchise
By Kam Williams
*The original Fast and the Furious featured Paul Walker along with Vin
Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and gangsta' rapper Ja Rule in a practically
plot-free adventure which explored the underworld of L.A. street racing.
FF2, another action-oriented thriller, starred Walker once more, but
shifted from Los Angeles to Miami, and introduced a few new faces in
important roles, including Tyrese, Eva Mendes and Ludacris.
FF3, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, has the most coherent plot
of the lot, though that still really isn't saying very much. Fans of the
franchise shouldn't expect to recognize any of the actors, since the cast
has been totally overhauled again. This time, it's topped by Lucas Black as
Sean Boswell, a rebel with his pedal to the metal whose divorced mom (Lynda
Boyd) ships her delinquent teen overseas to live with his father (Brian
Goodman) in Japan so he can avoid jail time for totaling his auto in an
illegal drag race.
But between bad parenting and a bad attitude, Sean is back on the
street before you can say sushi, and mastering a new form of driving known
as drifting where the cars appear to defy gravity during their high-speed,
spin-out-inspired slides around hairpin turns. Sean also soon has an army
brat buddy (Bow Wow), a nefarious Nippon nemesis (Brian Tee), and a femme
fatale (Nathalie Kelly) to fight with his archrival over.
That's about all one needs to know to about the formulaic storyline,
which isn't worth recounting any further. Just remember that the hot rods
burning rubber are the real stars of this spectacular, high-octane tribute
to testosterone.
Good (2 stars)
Rated PG-13 for sex, expletives, violence, and reckless and illegal behavior
involving teens.
Running time: 105 minutes
Studi Universal Studios Home Video
DVD Extras: Deleted scenes, director's commentary, a couple of
"Behind-the-Scenes" featurettes, and more.
STREP THROAT A ‘FIASCO’ FOR RAPPER: Chicago’s Lupe Fiasco forced to cancel interviews and gigs surrounding album release.
*Taking a page from Jessica Simpson, whose voice left her high and
dry during the frenzied week of her album release, Chicago rapper Lupe
Fiasco was forced to cancel some performances and interviews surrounding
Tuesday’s release of his debut album because of strep throat.
According to MTV, the MC was diagnosed Friday, and cancelled shows
over the weekend and interviews this week. “Food & Liquor,” released on his
1st & 15th imprint under Atlantic, features the singles "Kick, Push," "I
Gotcha" and "Daydreamin'" featuring Jill Scott, as well as contributions
from Jay-Z, Kanye West, the Neptunes and others.
The promo stops that were on Fiasco’s schedule prior to Friday’s
diagnosis included a MySpace Secret Show at the Metro in Chicago Tuesday
night, a performance Wednesday on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” and
pre-recorded stints on MTV's "Sucker Free" (airing Sept. 25th) and "Wild 'N
Out" (airing Oct. 5th). The MC will also help profile his hometown of
Chicago on an upcoming installment of MTV's "My Block," due to air on Oct.
9th.
Fiasco has also been invited to perform on several Jay-Z tour dates
in the UK beginning this Saturday in Birmingham, England, followed by shows
in London and Dublin.
HIP HOP CAUCUS TO PROTEST AT THE WHITE HOUSE: Church-based group to call for withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
*Vibe.com is reporting that the religious-based Hip Hop Caucus of
Washington D.C. is scheduled to hold a press conference in front of the
White House today to urge the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Iraq.
“We are in a time of peril in which people of morals have to stand
up,” said the group’s CEO Rev. Lennox Yearwood. “We are willing to do
whatever it takes—all on peace—to urge Congress and the administration to
take a new course on Iraq, including a timely and responsible withdrawal of
troops.”
The Church of God in Christ minister also plans to present the
"Declaration of Peace" to President Bush by linking arms with protesters and
approaching the White House gates.
“We will do whatever it takes [even] if it calls to be arrested or
bodily harmed, we must make a stand,” said Yearwood.
Under the banner “A Week of Action,” Yearwood will continue peace
efforts through Sept. 28th with vigils, fundraising dinners, workshops,
peace caravans, pole planting and parades scheduled throughout 270 cities
and 350 organizations nationwide.
EUR BOOK REVIEW: Diary of a Lost Girl -- The Autobiography of Kola Boof
By Kam Williams
*"The Hip Hop Holocaust would signal the birth of a new ideology amongst
American blacks, a new cultural ethic that would eventually migrate to
blacks all over the world-a cultural ethic that now openly embraced and
promoted materialism, misogyny, disloyalty and anarchy. Whereas the Civil
Rights and Black Power Movements had unified black people worldwide and
brought about independence and nation-building in Africa, and a huge
renaissance in self-love, unity and empowerment. -- the Hip Hop Holocaust
destroyed all that.
This was the music that eventually renamed the mothers of the men who
performed it-'bitches' and 'hos' - and made it fashionable to be colorist
(against black women) and self-centered (bling-bling). I call it a
'holocaust' because it effectively killed the core community in Black
America and completely bamboozled the black youth and separated them from
their true worth. No one was willing to stand up to the Hip Hop anarchists.
I was there, a new American and a black child in 1980. What others praise as
a revolutionary new expression of the 'black man's' experience in America. I
regard, in retrospect, as a poison against the people." -- Excerpted from
Chapter Six, "The Stuff That Dreams Are Made of"
For some reason, it often takes an expatriate to make a seminal
contribution to a culture. Such is the case with Kola Boof, whose
heartbreaking and brutally-honest autobiography, Diary of a Lost Girl, might
be the most brilliant deconstruction of the plight of present-day
African-Americans yet written.
The title of this alternately thought-provoking and moving memoir was
ostensibly inspired by Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl, the literary
classic which chronicled the last days of a Dutch teenager trying to
maintain her sanity, humanity and a sense of optimism while making sense of
the Holocaust as Nazism enveloped Europe.
Well, Ms. Boof, whose real name is Naima Bint Harith, has written an
equally-evocative account of her own harrowing tale of survival.
Born in The Sudan in March of 1972, she was orphaned at the age of
seven after her parents were murdered for speaking out against the
government's involvement in the revival of the slave trade. After being
abandoned by her grandmother for being too dark before finding temporary
political asylum in Great Britain, she arrived in the United States a year
later a "trembling, frightened wreck." She was adopted by a kindly African
American couple with a big family which lived in a nice house in a
residential section of Washington, DC.
Sadly, the host of woes of Biblical proportions being visited upon the
unfortunate little immigrant just continued. Tested more than Job, besides
hearing her mother and father die, Kola suffered circumcision, a heart
attack, betrayal by a bisexual boyfriend, molestation, statutory rape,
discrimination, ostracism and accusations of being a witch, all before
getting out of her teens.
It is important to note English is not her native language, so she had
the additional burden of learning to communicate in a new tongue. But of all
the challenges she would face in America, it appears that none would prove
to be as difficult as dealing with the self-hatred and second-class status
she found among blacks.
Speaking frankly about such taboo subjects as the color-coded caste
system among African-Americans, she bemoans how brothers "judge the worth of
black women by (a) how light-skinned they are, (b) how Euro-slender they
are, and (c) the texture of their hair." But she doesn't let sisters off
easy either, indicting them for trying to adapt to a European standard of
beauty and thereby "becoming walking billboards for the general society's
message that whiteness is superior."
Kola Boof is never one to mince words; thus, her iconoclastic ideas
aren't for everyone. "You should not come into this book expecting to like
Kola Boof," she warns. "My purpose as a literary artist is not to be liked,
but to be understood-regardless of whether I'm right or wrong. I spent my
whole life being dictated to by American media and nigger media about what
to believe and think-and so now it's my turn, as an African woman and
womb-bearer, to do the dictating. If you don't appreciate my candor-then
write your own goddamned book; this one is mines."
Reserving perhaps her harshest words for Islam, which she repeatedly
criticizes as anti-female, the Kola claims to be in hiding due to death
threats. If true, this development is no surprise, given the serious
accusations leveled on these pages, and the fatwas issued by Muslim
fundamentalists in reaction to such relatively-mild detractors as Salman
Rushdie.
When not excoriating Islam, with a refreshingly unguarded honesty Boof
recalls her assorted sexual and romantic liaisons ranging from Osama bin
Laden, at one extreme, to a married Jewish businessman, at the other, with a
rainbow coalition of lovers betwixt and between, with a stated preference
for black men. In sum, Diary of a Lost Girl is an admirable addition to the
genre of African-American autobiography. For warts and all, it represents
the unalloyed emotions of an intelligent, defiant, controversial, frequently
profane and proud black woman, a survivor who somehow overcame one of the
worst childhoods imaginable to share an abundance of intriguing, if
debatable insights about her adopted homeland.
Postscript: While the Internet is abuzz with rumors and speculation
surrounding Kola Boof, for purposes of this review this critic simply
assessed Diary of a Lost Girl on its own merits, without entertaining
extraneous issues raised elsewhere.
Diary of a Lost Girl: The Autobiography of Kola Boof By Kola Boof (aka Naima
Bint Harith)
Doors of Kush
Harcover, $25.00
441 pages, illustrated
ISBN: 0-9712019-8-6
TV BITS: Richardson on ‘Knights’; ‘Class of 3000’ airdate; ‘Mandrill’ on
BETJ; ‘Ray,’ ‘Phil’ ratings;
*Actor Kevin Michael Richardson has been cast in the new ABC sitcom,
“The Knights of Prosperity,” which has its season premiere on Tuesday Oct.
17 at 9 p.m. The series stars Donal Logue as the leader of a loose-knit crew
who scheme to rob the posh Central Park West apartment of Mick Jagger. The
Rolling Stones legend will also appear in the series. Richardson has done
extensive voiceover work and starred opposite Holly Robinson Peete in WB's
“Like Family.”
*Andre 3000,’s Cartoon Network series “Class of 3000” will premiere
in November, the network announced. Andre voices the lead character of
Sunny Bridges, a superstar who returns to his performing arts school alma
mater and teaches music to inner city kids. As previously reported, each
episode features original music from Andre and an animated music video.
*BET’s new channel BETJ will premiere a 45-minute performance segment
from the new DVD “Mandrill Live at Montreux 2002” this weekend. The piece
will run on the cable channel’s “Club J Concerts” program Friday (9/22) at
11 a.m., 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. the following morning; and Sunday (9/24) at 2
p.m. and 3 a.m. the following morning. The CD/DVD was released on Tuesday
via Wilson Bros. Records and Kindred Rhythm.
*Oprah Winfrey’s latest Harpo enterprise, a morning talk show hosted
by food network queen Rachel Ray, earned the highest rated debut for any
first-run syndicated show premiere since the Sept. 2002 launch of "Dr.
Phil," also a Harpo product. “Rachel Ray’s” Monday premiere drew a healthy
2.8 household rating/9 share in 55 top metered markets, according to Nielsen
Media Research. "Dr. Phil’s" fifth-season premiere Monday earned a 4.9/12
average in 54 overnight metered markets.
*NBC’s Monday premiere of "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,"
co-starring D.L. Hughley, delivered 13.4 million viewers and a 5.0/13 in
adults, according to Nielsen. While it was up from what "Medium" did last
year in the time period, it also showed a significant erosion in its last
half-hour: down 15% between 10-10:30 p.m.
*Former “West Wing” star Anna Deavere Smith and opera diva Jessye
Norman were among the celebrities participating in a private memorial
service Monday for former Texas governor Ann Richards. According to
columnist Liz Smith, the veteran stage actress “channeled Ann and offered up
a dramatic celebratory performance.” The service in Austin, Texas also
included “fabulous music from the great Jessye Norman and the incredible
African-American Wesley United Methodist Church choir,” wrote Smith.
EVENT CALENDAR: TBAAL in Dallas; we remember Oji Pierce; T.I., Nelly at
Boost Mobile’s NY gig; Obama on HotSoup.com.
*Over 30 stage, film and music legends are due in Dallas, Texas
today to attend the 30th anniversary of the Black Academy of Arts and
Letters (TBAAL), America’s largest non-profit black cultural arts
institution. The 30 invited guests, including Erykah Badu, Ruby Dee and
Keith David, will receive a special award (designed by Elizabeth Catlett) in
honor of their work and support of TBAAL over the last three decades. For
more information and the full list of honorees, visit
http://www.tbaal.org/calendar/details/09220630anniversarygala.html.
*The music industry is mourning the passing of Oji Pierce, a
songwriter/composer who helped to pen Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do
It” and has worked with such artists as Stevie Wonder and Ruff Endz. Pierce,
age 46, died on Aug. 6 from complications brought on by sarcoidosis, a
disease that inflames the lungs. The Statesville, N.C.-born, Washington
D.C.-bred talent was buried in Statesville at the Mt. Pleasant AME Zion
Church on Aug.26. A celebration of his life is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 3
in Hollywood, CA at the VanGuard (6021 Hollywood Blvd. - east of Gower).
*T.I., Nelly, Nas, Kelis and Young Jeezy are scheduled to perform at
the Boost Mobile Rock Corps concert on Sunday (9/23) at New York City’s
Radio City Music Hall. The concert is in recognition of the 5,000
hard-working local youth who volunteered four hours of community service
through BMRC to earn tickets. Nick Cannon will host the event, which also
includes performers Fabolous, Don Omar, Panic! At the Disco and Taking Back
Sunday. To become involved in Boost Mobile RockCorps please call
888-ROCK-889 or log onto www.boostmobilerockcorps.com.
*Senator Barack Obama will participate in discussions during next
month’s launch of www.HotSoup.com, billed as “the first online community to
unite ‘Opinion Drivers’ from across the spectrum.” The Web site will unite
two types of Opinion Drivers: famous personalities, as well as the everyday
people who influence friends, colleagues and peers at the community level
(i.e. PTA members, firefighters, homemakers, small business owners, etc.)
"Americans are tired of the spin they get from too many leaders today,” said
Obama of the site. “If an online community can give grassroots opinion
leaders a platform for smart, civil debate, it will fill a huge void in
today's politics."
