Roland Martin Takes Over for Campbell Brown (Will You Watch?)

Firstly, does anyone actually watch Campbell Brown's "No Bias, No Bull" on CNN? I'm guessing most people on this blog watch Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, Sean Hannity -- either for serious or for giggles -- Bill O'Reilly or absolutely nothing because you hate them all.

Or maybe you're like me and you're watching "Ugly Betty" or the "Lost" repeat with the obvious pop-ups or something.

I always saw No Bias, No Bull as the world's most unnecessary show (with the most ludicrious title), largely because Brown is kind of boring to me ... Just like Paula Zahn was and CNN doesn't seem to know how to nurture a proper polemic, even a so-called unbiased one.

But if you watch CNN you may have noticed that Brown is super pregnant and will be taking a leave of absence. With that leave, CNN has finally decided to free TV commentator/host/pundit/personality Roland Martin from the "Pundit Plantation" and have him sub for Brown.

I thought Martin, who was signed by CNN but has barely been used by the network (other than one special and some Obama-based, election punditry), was going to end up in that same closet where they keep Soledad O'Brien, but now Martin will get his chance to helm a show and possibly later, get his own show, if things go well.

But some are wondering if he's the man for the job.

Click to read more ...

NAACP Image Awards Red Carpet 2009

Eva "The Diva" Marcelle

I've gotten away from more of my fluffy celeb reporting. Thank goodness there are a million and one other blogs to take up the slack and invest in a WireImage account. Today's random gossip blog I'm pointing you to is Red Carpet Colors, where they keep an eye on blacks who strut their stuff on the crimson way.

They chronicled the hits (and misses), here's a few teasers after the jump.

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Obama's Press Office "Too White?" Let the De-Bunking Commence!

Meet Bill Burton, deputy White House press secretary, who, despite having a black parent, was not "minority-ish" enough to be considered a minority member of Obama's press office in a recent column by Roland Martin and other critics of Obama's minority higher practices.Since radio talker/pundit Roland Martin wrote his column on what he saw as a lack of diversity in Barack Obama's press office people have debated back and forth whether or not blacks and other minorities were being shut out. But many have murmured that a lot of this (including some Snob blog readers/posters who have relatives working in the press office) that this story is all kinds of bull.

Finally some reporters have done the research to back up the reality.

Yes, people, there are minorities in Obama's press office.

Click to read more ...

Discuss: Roland Martin Sez Obama Needs to Diversify His Press Office

From CNN:

I got an e-mail Tuesday listing all of the various press folks and contact information, and hardly any African-Americans or Hispanics were listed. Granted, the deputy press secretary is African-American and the director of broadcast media is Hispanic. That's not sufficient.

Unfortunately, this shouldn't come as a shock, because the campaign press staff of then-Sen. Barack Obama was just as weak on diversity.

Just because there is a black president doesn't mean that issues like diversity should be cast aside. President Obama should be held to the same standard when it comes to this issue as any other occupier of that office. I am a former national board member of the National Association of Black Journalists, and my support for diversity never wavers, no matter who is running the show.

One of the reasons this is important is because just like in the media, where there are bigger and better things awaiting the White House correspondent, a position in the White House press office positions someone for the next level.

On one hand, yeah. I'd love to look at TJ Holmes, White House Press Secretary everyday. On the other, Obama just made Eric Holder the first black Attorney General. On one hand, yeah ... TJ. Answering questions. Being pretty. Love it. On the other, there are quite a few minorities in numerous places in the administration.

When do you have a point and when are you just being picky? Because, Roland kind of has a point and he's kind of being picky here. Discuss!

UPDATE: Roland Martin, Michelle Obama and TV One's Hour Long Interview

Jack and Jill Politics reported Thursday that Michelle Obama would be resurfacing in an hour-long interview she's to give to none other than radio host and CNN regular Roland Martin on TV One.

There's not a lot of news leaking to be found of the interview but I seriously doubt that this thing is going to be hostile.

Now, TV One ... which network is that again?

The interview will air at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 24. AOL's Black Voices reports that Martin will talk with Michelle about everything "from the secret of her happy marriage to the surprising reason why she decided to support her husband's pursuit of politics."

Um ... booooo. If I wanted to hear that I'd pick up a copy of one of the eleventy-billion magazines where she's on the cover. You have to come harder than that, son. I need some dinner before desert and I'm sooo bored with desert Michelle. I want the Michelle that eats bacon and takes names. Would someone free Michelle O. from her own personal 'shut the black lady up' prison! Free! Free! Set her free!

Roland Martin totally reads my blog

Or at least he read enough of it to take some umbrage over my incorrect hyperbole. I erroneously reported that he was flacking for a presidential contender in my original February 14 posting. Neither the serious journalist in me or the lazy blogger inside did not vet that particular nugget out. Sincere pologizes to my readers and to Martin. Click the above link to read the previously offending, now fixed, posting.

Seriously. I mean, The Snob knows people read her blog, but I just had no knowledge it would be attention worthy of someone several rungs higher on the black journalist ladder. Not as big as Oprah. But bounds better than Juan Williams. I guess I'm going to have to start taking things half-ass seriously now. Dammit. And I was enjoying being lazy.

More NAACP Delegate Drama

Julian Bond voting along side Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Bond is now the head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

Can't get enough of Roland Martin's Julian Bond, "let's seat the Florida and Michigan delegates" drama? Read more from fast and furious emails between Martin and Mary Frances Berry, who helped write Julian Bond's letter to DNC head Howard Dean.

Needless to say, she doesn't really appreciate Martin's coverage:

Roland by the way what makes you disrespect Julian Bond so much as to attack him because he didn't think of doing something at one time and now that its getting closer thinks of it after complaints from his membership. Julian has paid his dues; is nothing sacred? I guess not.

She's not alone though in her anger. The comments on Roland's blog were all eye-rolls and sighs over the ineptitude of the NAACP and whether or not Julian Bond was talking out of order, making a move without the NAACP boards approval or whether they were all in on it. Either way, folks are fed up with the shenanigans.

Sayeth commentator "Lawrence":

Wow. If we can thank Barack for one thing, it's that we're seeing how out of touch, entrenched and entitled these Civil Rights leaders are. The idea that Julian Bond can't be criticized because of his prior work is extraordinary. There's an arrogance to Ms. Berry's comments that says I know best, I don't have to answer your questions, and how dare you question my motives. Well, the days of blindly following these folks are over. We honor your service, but a new day has dawned and you're going to see a bunch of 30s and 40s year old brothers and sisters taking over the reins of leadership within the community. It's too bad that the last people who understand that their time is gone, are the very people who prepped the road for the leaders they who will take their place.

Politico.com also pointed out another twist in the delegate drama. Despite the diversity of the presidential race, of the DNC's more than 700 superdelegates more than half are white men. This concerns many as it reflects who's traditionally the boss in American politics.