• Has BET blocked two episodes of The Boondocks that blast the much-criticized network's programming and executives? [HHDX]

• The city of Compton wants to ban Suge Knight. [AHH]

• Tracey Edmonds bounces back quickly. [SP]

• This guy has been slapped with federal charges for driving around near Jena with two nooses hanging from the back of his (of course) pick up truck. [CNN]

• How well did blacks really fare under Bill Clinton? [Slate]

BET.com has officially gotten rid of its "B-Girls" section, which has received a lot of flack from bloggers — specifically What About Our Daughters — and BET protesters for its objectification of women.

The "B-Girls" section encouraged women to send in appealing photos of themselves, with many featuring them in risqué clothing and suggestive poses. The photos were sometimes accompanied by a listing of bust-waist-hips measurements.

The "B-Girls" content is unrelated to any of BET's on-air programming. It was simply intended to boost traffic and interest for the Web site, BET says.

BET claims that the removal of the B-Girl feature, which officials compare to something you'd see on America's Next Top Model or in Sport's Illustrated had nothing to do with blogger protests. Somehow that seems unlikely. [MP]

• Cambridge, Mass. now has the first black lesbian mayor in American history. It doesn't surprise us that this racial/LGBT first occurred in Cambridge, Mass. [QT]

• Why does it have to be the rap moguls? [PI]

• We need a serious black news show. BET news is clearly not cutting it. [WP]

• The makers of the for-blacks-only heart drug are halting marketing, laying off workers, and considering the sale of the company. Damn. [HC]

• Do British blacks still face racism? Is that even a question? [FLS]

BET tried to show it's classier side with its BET Honors ceremony in DC Saturday, but hundreds of protesters outside the event were not having it.

That attempt was marred by several hundred protesters from the Enough is Enough coalition. Waving banners that said "I am not a Thug" or "I am not a Pimp" and chanting "BET lift us up don?t tear us down" they decried BET's portrayal of African Americans.

"Their programming denigrates women and glorifies criminal activities and it frankly is a public safety concern" Reverend Delmond Coates, the protest's organizer, told 9NEWS NOW.

Aquanetta Pate, who came to the protest with her pre-teen daughter, Autumn, asked rhetorically "If my daughter watches programming where the only things she sees are pimps, prostitutes and profanity how will she know that she is a princess and can grow up to be anything she wants?"

Inside DC's Warner Theater, the atmosphere was more celebratory as BET kicked off it's first annual BET Honors, which recognize "thinkers, trailblazers and trendsetters whose accomplishments serve as inspirations for current and future generations –" and Tyra Banks. Check out a list of the honorees and lots of pictures after the jump.

CONTINUED »

• The ink on the Knicks' check to Anucha Browne Sanders is barely dry, and two black female security guards are already suing Madison Square Garden for discrimination. [NYT]

• People don't really want to listen to another album from DMX, particularly a gospel album. [BS]

• The NAACP in South Carolina is renewing its efforts to have the Confederate flag removed from the statehouse grounds. This seems to be a losing battle. [CO]

• BET gets in on the presidential race. [PR]

• Mike Huckabee sure knows how to pick his aides. [AP]

As nice as this year's "highs" were in the black community (that list is coming next), the good stories got significantly less press than the following incidents, which will hereby be known as "lowlights." And there were more than a few of them to choose from this year, when it seemed like we took two steps back for every step we took forward. I compiled this list of lows not to be negative, but to put all of 2007's ridiculousness behind us so that we can have a more positive, productive 2008. Deal? Deal.*

*Yeah, right.

CONTINUED »

Predictably, it's Omarion, the one that didn't make a fool out of himself, who is defending Bow Wow for taking a spoof interview on BET way, way too seriously. To make a long explanation short, Omarion basically cops to the duo having major chips on their shoulders and wanting to be treated like 50 Cent or Game. Oh, really?

CONTINUED »

I watch TV One rarely, even more rarely than I watch BET, but forget about me. TV One is creeping up on BET, and, based on the serious, never-ending criticism being lobbed BET's way this year, they leading black network should be afraid. Very afraid. According to the New York Times, TV One, whose slogan is "I See Black People," is now in 42.2 million homes, and is starting to appeal to viewers over the age of 25.

At TV One that means no music-video shows or reality series about affluent teenagers or hell dates, all BET fare. Rather, viewers find reruns of shows like “Martin” and “Good Times,” as well as programs like “Baisden After Dark,” a late-night talk-variety series featuring Michael Baisden, known as the Bad Boy of radio, and “Turn Up the Heat with G. Garvin,” a cooking show with the black celebrity chef.

CONTINUED »

• Wyclef finally decides to bash something besides Lauryn Hill in an interview. [AFP]

• In an interesting role-reversal, a fire department with a noose problem wants an apology from the NAACP. [BS]

• Bank of America grasps at a straw in its class action discrimination lawsuit and misses. [Reuters]

• BET's totally going to be better in about two years. It promises. [LAT]

• A white woman with an "unmistakably urban" accent is president of Georgetown University's NAACP. [CHE]

• Have a video camera? Know how to upload video to YouTube? Maybe one day Dr. Pepper will give you a contract, too. [C&D]

• Knowing BET, they'll probably mess this up, too. [EUR]

• If Brandy isn't charged for the fatal car accident she caused last year by December 30th, the first anniversary mark, then she's home free. [TMZ]

• Remember how Kim Kardashian got robbed at the airport? It turns out she was just lying. C'est la vie. [MG]

• I wonder if there really is someone out there who won't vote for Barack Obama because he has big ears. [Time]

• If this is a beautiful face, then I'm Neferiti…or Cleopatra. Either one works. [AFP]

• Trey Songz was arrested. We'd all care more if he was just a little more famous. Still sucks, though. [AHH]

• And they say our credit's bad? [AP]

• Prince and his lawyers love to sue, and his fans are starting to get pissed. [PH]

• Protesters continue to picket outside the BET execs' houses, and the New York Times just noticed. [NYT]

• Rachel Roy and Damon Dash actually still have sex? [Bossip]

• I hope they burn, too, Megan Williams. [BV]

• Authorities are officially classifying the California fires as arson. [CBS]

• Let's hope that the contestants on College Hill: Interns keeps the ignorance to a minimum. [CL]

• Microsoft paid $240 million for a stake in Facebook. A 1.6 percent stake. [NYT]

• African American medical school enrollment increased this year, as did the number of proud, braggy black grandmas. [DFP]

• BET will air the story of Frank Lucas, the man who inspired the movie American Gangster. But, uh, kids? Don't try this in your home town. [PR]

• Damn, C-Murder must regret his first choice in rap alias every single day. [AP]

• I wrote about this yesterday, but I detected a hints warmth and understanding toward the racist old researcher in this Fox piece. [FOX]

• Let's steer clear of the sugar daddies, ladies. [MNT]

• Have a fear of needles, Jamie? [MG]

• Oh, the young R&B divas. Always biting each other's style. [Bossip]

• R. Kelly is going on tour, his trial be damned. Real talk! [MTV]

• How BET's controversial "Read A Book" skit came to life. [King]

• VH1 is quickly becoming the blackest network on television, for better or worse. [SOHH]