Retying my tie for the twelfth time before heading downstairs, taking care to smooth it until it hung just so, centimeters above my belt line, I told myself I wasn't going to have red wine until the sun had set. Turns out I wouldn't remember this promise until I had drunk two glasses of the stuff and was feeling lighter with each step on the grass in the backyard.

The sun set beyond the canyon abutting the LA house turned fund-raiser location, and I no longer had to squint to see the growing number of people bouncing about the greenery, each one as effervescent as the champagne they quaffed. Nobody said it, but everyone knew: Michelle Obama was near.

CONTINUED »

NO SLAM DUNK, BUT CLOSE Unless he's of abnormal saintliness, a former famous athlete running for mayor has got to expect a sex scandal or two to come up during an election. Then again, he's also probably got some famous friends. It was no different for former NBA All-Star Kevin Johnson, who had to weather two sex scandals during his run for mayor of his hometown of Sacramento but also had superstars like Magic Johnson show up to his campaign events. He won 47 percent of the vote yesterday, beating the incumbent by 7 points. Because more 50 percent of the vote is needed to win, there will be a run-off election between the two candidates. Charles Barkley is probably somewhere taking notes. [AP]

Remember when boy bands used to be good? I don't either, but that's why I thank the spirits of the Internet for YouTube. Without YouTube, this New Edition video for "My Secret" may have withered away into obscurity before I had ever laid my excited eyes on it. And what a shame that would have been.

But it's a double-edged sword. While seeing this video is wonderful, it also makes me realize how very terrible pop music has gotten, simultaneously making me depressed and desperate to hear another cheery pop song from the 80s. Such is the vicious cycle of YouTube.

Enjoy "My Secret," and remember to look for the Magic Johnson cameo.

• Cookie and Magic Johnson are teaming together in a campaign to cut the number of HIV/AIDS cases in the U.S. by 50 percent. [USAT]

• One in four black male students dropped out of Maryland's public universities after their freshman years last year. Fodder for the next story NBC Nightly News does on black women's success rates? [BE]

• "Middle Income Blacks Are Downwardly Mobile:" one of the saddest headlines of the day. [SPI]

• I can't say that I will ever get this upset about racism. [MG]

• A marathon called "E-Race Racism?" Only in Silicon Valley. [MA]

Oprah Winfrey has spent a lot of time and money on Barack Obama, as have Magic Johnson and other supporters on Hillary Clinton, Danny Glover on John Edwards, etc. But do big name celebrity backers really made a difference when it comes time to vote? Will Al Gore's pending endorsement make any sweeping changes in the polls? Yes and no, experts say. Voters who are big on global warming issues might take a Gore endorsement very seriously. And daytime television watchers and basketball fans might be swayed by Winfrey or Johnson. But many endosements, particularly celebrity ones, don't really show up in the polls.

Shea weighed the importance of other endorsements from labor unions and celebrities. Labor unions, he said, can offer a campaign volunteers who work night and day knocking on voters’ doors and work in “phone banks” to recruit other volunteers and votes. Labor unions also help a candidate with raising money, which Shea called the “mother’s milk of politics.”

He also discussed the importance of celebrity endorsements. Television talk show host Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of fellow African American Barack Obama, for instance, has not helped lift Obama’s numbers in the public opinion polls for president.

Shea said Winfrey has succeeded in going beyond the “color barrier” in America and is “venerated by lots of people, not just in the African-American community.” Winfrey’s endorsement, he said, translates into more money and exposure for Obama.

I feel slighted. The "experts" in this story didn't analyze blog endorsements, which obviously have the power to change the tide of an entire election.

[USINFO]

Why Did I Get Married? It's a question Janet Jackson has asked herself at least two times in her life. It's also the name of the new Tyler Perry film, which premiered in Hollywood last night.

In attendance were the rest of the cast and friends, including Barry Bonds and his pleasant-looking wife, who's probably asking herself that big question right about now, as well.

More pics after the jump.

CONTINUED »

Black mega-celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Magic Johnson are using their millions for good — or bad, depending on which presidential candidate you're rooting for — and possibly changing the face of major political campaigns as we know them.

Both stars are opening up their palatial mansions (and wallets) to host enormous fundraisers for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, respectively. And they're the hottest tickets in town.

"I have never seen the African Americans in the Hollywood community this excited and involved, ever," said Democratic political consultant Kerman Maddox. "I was around when [former L.A. Mayor Tom] Bradley was running for governor and [Jesse] Jackson was running for president. I've never seen it like this.

"You have a lot of young African Americans in Hollywood with disposable income ready to write a check."

Maddox, an Obama supporter, also said that Oprah's Obama fundraiser is possibly the most important one in the history of America. I don't know about that, but Oprah's party, and this primary race in general, is definitely a major moment in the intersection of Hollywood, black America, and mainstream politics. We'll see if it makes a difference when it's time to vote.

[LAT]

Rush Hour 3 premiered yesterday at Mann's Chinese Theater (where else?!?) in LA. I don't need to see it to know that it will likely be as wildly successful as the last two and that Chris Tucker will disappear from the big screen again until it's time to film installment No. 4. After the jump, check out the moviegoers, including Magic Johnson, Chris Rock, and a very, very, very, very tall Chinese basketball star who has a cameo in the film.

CONTINUED »

Celebrities. As soon as they get famous enough to buy whatever they want, they recieve everything for free. It's one of life's many cruelties. This weekend, they got to go to Paradise Island to attend what appears to be a rather random gathering of famous people celebrating the opening of the Cove Atlantis. Disturbingly, one of the parties required disco gear. I need to never see Usher and Tameka Foster in afro wigs again. And notice, he ain't with his mother on Mother's Day. Drama!