Although it might seem like Oprah Winfrey was never "leashed" to begin with, she took the opportunity to really let loose on her post-election show yesterday. Sporting a t-shirt that said "Hope Won," Oprah told her audience, "During this long campaign, I made a vow in the beginning to not use my show as a platform, so I kept my mouth shut and supported Barack Obama as a private citizen. Today, though, the election is over, and I'm unleashed!"

She also spoke directly to John McCain supporters and said that, although times must be rough for them, she would probably be near death if he had won. And, really, that would be a tragedy. She was joined by Henry Louis Gates, John Lewis, and Gloria Steinem, who is still making amends for that New York Times piece. [EUR]

We all probably wanted to forget James Watson. Actually, you might have already forgotten him. Here's a refresher: He's a Nobel Laureate and one of the co-discoverers of DNA. He made headlines last fall when he made some very special comments about blacks
"inferior intelligence" to London's Sunday Times. It goes without saying that he was quite mistaken. Now, Henry Louis Gates has pulled Dr. Watson out of hiding for an interview on The Root. Watson told Gates that he had no recollection of making those statements, agreeing that they were wrong and offensive. But then most of what he says in the interview renders that denial and apology pretty unconvincing. Skip Gates concludes that the guy's not a racist, but he is a racialist, which pretty much boils down to "scientific racist." Check out a sports-themed excerpt from the interview after the jump.

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AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES NBC just ordered several episodes of a Lisa Kudrow-hosted reality series called Who Do You Think You Are? that traces the genealogy of celebrities. They say it's based on a wildly popular show in the UK, but it sounds a lot like PBS and Henry Louis Gates' (fascinating, I think) series, African American Lives. On the UK series, as well as AAL, participants are often "brought to tears" when they learn of about their ancestors hardships and triumphs. No matter what, the producers are going to need some somber mood music on reserve if they ever invite any Black American celebs to participate. Slavery's pretty much a universal downer. [HR]

The Washington Post launched a new online magazine with news and views geared toward African Americans called The Root. With Henry Louis Gates of Harvard (and African American Lives) at the helm, there's a heavy emphasis on genealogy, with prominent links to Gates' DNA testing company, although, before you're directed to his site, they give you a few other DNA testing services.

According to the New York Times:

Several well-known authors and scholars have agreed to contribute to The Root, including Malcolm Gladwell and William Julius Wilson. The managing editor is Lynette Clemetson, who was until recently a reporter in Washington for the The New York Times and previously was a national and foreign correspondent for Newsweek…

Much of the news and commentary, Ms. Clemetson said, “will not have an explicitly black angle” but will address issues like health care and housing.

Today on The Root there are a variety of Obama stories as well as pieces on Kwame Kilpatrick's text message scandal and the black-brown divide.

In a sneak peek from the new season of African American Lives, the Henry Louis Gates-hosted PBS series that helps black celebrities trace their ancestry, Chris Rock gets choked up after hearing about a relative that served in the Union Army during the Civil War. If you didn't see the previous installment, it's a fascinating show that's worth watching. It premieres February 6th.

• The eight-volume African American National Biography compilation, edited by Harvard's Henry Louis Gates and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham will bring a lot of would-be-famous black names out of obscurity. [WP]

• Mitt Romney shows he can relate to the black youth. That "Who Let The Dogs Out" song is so happenin' right now. [FOX]

• Foxy Brown gets no love from the judge. [6ABC]

• Sean Hannity fulfills expectations. [NH]

• The case for HBCUs.