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Happy New Year

After nearly a year break from this blog I am back! Whole new look coming soon.

mac chick

amazing...

HORSE SHIT..

• Second big disaster: not a single nomination for Mariah Carey or anything from her "E=MC2" album. Not even a throwaway nod in R&B. Just an outright, across the board snub. What's worse: they put Carey through the agony of participating in the Grammy live telecast last night and then giving her nothing! [...] Of course, there may be more to the snubs than meet the eye. In the cases of Alicia Keys and Mariah Carey, it could be a punishment for appearing on the American Music Awards last month, and accepting awards from them. There has long been an unwritten rule that if an artist did anything with the AMAs, owned by Dick Clark Productions and considered a minor rival, the Grammys wouldn't allow you on their show. What happened on the AMA's: Keys won two "favorite album" awards there, and performed the show ending blockbuster, her "Superwoman," with Queen Latifah and opera diva Kathleen Battle. Carey took home an honorary lifetime award and sang the hell out of "I Stay in Love." (Fox News)

• It's Grammy time again, and each year there are a few nominations (or lack thereof) bound to leave music fans baffled. No mentions of Mariah Carey or Taylor Swift during Wednesday night's concert event, though both appeared on the show. And although Alicia Keys got three nods, including one for her duet with John Mayer, "Lessons Learned," her album didn't make the cut in the major categories! (People)

• In the past, Mariah Carey has won such prestigious awards as best new artist and best contemporary R&B album. She even opened the Grammy nomination special Wednesday night. This year, her "E=MC2" was shut out of major categories. But she wasn't the only R&B star to go unrecognized in top categories by Grammy voters. (Los Angeles Times)

• Mariah Carey and her backup dancers refused to be disheartened by the current economic climate. Carey's Christmas-themed opener featured all the trappings of excess, including fur-trimmed-mini-dresses to shiny red shopping bags. Proving that nothing comes between a diva and her diamond-studded microphone. (The Envelope)

• Mariah Carey, looking very Nancy Sinatra-ish, sang "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" in red jumper and white boots. Great song and Carey sang the heck out of it. But where's Darlene Love, who sang the spectacular, Phil Spector-produced original? Love is alive, well and still performing. How about a duet, at least? How cool would that've been? (Chicago Tribune)

• Mariah Carey, who received no noms for her "E=MC2" album, opened the evening a bit stiffly, singing the Phil Spector-produced Darlene Love classic "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)." (Variety)

• Mariah Carey, who can be thankful that the Best Gospel Performance category--she's up for a group sing-along--saved her from getting zip. (E! Online)

a new day

CHICAGO – Barack Obama promised "a new dawn of American leadership" in a troubled world Monday, announcing a strong-willed national security team headed by Hillary Rodham Clinton, who fought him long and bitterly for the presidency, and Robert Gates, the man who has been running two wars for George W. Bush.

The president-elect said he hadn't changed his mind about bringing most U.S. combat troops home from Iraq within 16 months but added a cautionary note — he'll consult with his military commanders first.

While his new team may be a bit more centrist — some war opponents might even say hawkish — than many Obama supporters might prefer, he said the withdrawal timetable he emphasized in the presidential campaign is still "the right time frame."

Clinton, as secretary of state, and Gates, remaining as defense secretary, will be the most prominent faces — besides Obama's own — of the new administration's effort to revamp U.S. policy abroad.

At a Chicago news conference, Obama also tapped top advisers Eric Holder as attorney general and Susan Rice as ambassador to the United Nations. He named Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano to be homeland security secretary and retired Marine Gen. James Jones as White House national security adviser.

The choices had been telegraphed days earlier but were remarkable all the same — still another major turn in Clinton's extraordinary career, a show of faith in Gates and action to support Obama's frequent talk of desiring robust debate among seasoned, opinionated people in his inner circle.

Denouncing White House "group think," Obama signaled a break from President Bush's tendency toward an insular management style and go-with-the-gut diplomacy.

"The time has come for a new beginning," said Obama, flanked by flags on a stage with Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his six newest appointees. While Gates will stay at the Pentagon, Obama said the military's new mission will be "responsibly ending the war in Iraq through a successful transition to Iraqi control."

He said a newly completed agreement between Iraq and the Bush administration covering U.S. troops signals "a transition period in which our mission is changing." He added: "It indicates we are now on a glide path to reduce our forces in Iraq."

Obama has now selected half his Cabinet, including the high-profile jobs at State, Defense, Justice and Treasury. A week ago, he named his economic team, led by Timothy Geithner as treasury secretary. And soon he plans to announce New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as commerce secretary and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle as health and human services secretary.

Obama's picks suggest he is mindful of his own relative inexperience; most of the appointees have decades more experience in government than he does as a former one-term Illinois senator. The selections also reflect his long-voiced desire to invite divergent viewpoints to chart the best course for the country.

"I assembled this team because I'm a strong believer in strong personalities and strong opinions," he said. "I think that's how the best decisions are made. ... So I'm going to be welcoming a vigorous debate inside the White House."

"But understand I will be setting policy as president," he added. He said he will be responsible for "the vision that this team carries out, and I expect them to implement that vision once decisions are made."

Quoting Harry S. Truman, Obama said: "The buck will stop with me."

"The time has come for a new beginning, a new dawn of American leadership to overcome the challenges of the 21st century," Obama said.

Without naming Bush or directly referring to what administration critics see as America's tarnished world image over the past eight years, Obama called for a new strategy for dealing with global issues.

"We're going to have to bring the full force of our power, not only military but also diplomatic, economic, and political, to deal with those threats not only to keep America safe but also to ensure that peace and prosperity will exist around the world," he said.

Referring to his security team, Obama said: "They share my pragmatism about the use of power and my sense of purpose about America's role as a leader in the world."

Asked by reporters about his choice of Clinton, who traded barbs with him and questioned his readiness for the presidency during the campaign, he praised her and shrugged off any suggestions of future problems.

He said of the New York senator, "She possesses an extraordinary intelligence and toughness, and a remarkable work ethic. ... She is an American of tremendous stature who will have my complete confidence, who knows many of the world's leaders, who will command respect in every capital and who will clearly have the ability to advance our interests around the world."

The former first lady repaid the compliment: "I am proud to join you ... and may God bless you and our great country."

Likewise, Gates said he was "honored to serve President-elect Obama."

He said he was "mindful that we are engaged in two wars and face other serious challenges at home and around the world."

"I must do my duty as they do theirs," he said of the men and women in uniform in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. "How could I do otherwise?"

At the news conference, Obama expressed sympathy for the victims of the terror attacks in Mumbai but twice declined to say whether the Indian government would be justified in pursuing terrorists in next-door Pakistan.

"This is one of those times when I have to reiterate there is one president at a time," he said. "We're going to be engaged in some very delicate diplomacy in the next days and weeks, and I think it would be very inappropriate of me to comment."

Obama had drawn criticism during the campaign — including from Clinton — when he said the United States would be justified in pursuing al-Qaida terrorists in Pakistan if it had "actionable intelligence."

Clinton will give up her seat as a senator from New York to join the Cabinet. Her appointment was preceded by lengthy negotiations involving her husband, the former president, whose international business connections posed potential conflicts of interests.

Napolitano, too, must resign her current job as a border state governor. She was among the earliest Obama supporters, when Clinton seemed the likely Democratic nominee.

Gates' appointment fulfilled a campaign promise by Obama, the naming of a Republican to his Cabinet.

Holder, a former Justice Department official in the Clinton administration, led Obama's vice presidential search, while Rice was his top foreign policy adviser. Jones, meanwhile, advised both Obama and Republican presidential nominee John McCain during the campaign on national security issues. Last year he led a commission that advised Congress on progress in training Iraqi security forces.

Clinton, Holder, Napolitano and Rice require Senate confirmation. Jones, as a White House official, does not. Nor does Gates, already confirmed to his post.

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