Prince, with his frilly silk shirts and high heel everything, has long been the victim of rumors about his sexuality, and his libido-infused party jams have helped acquire the Minnesota-born musician a devoted gay fan base. So you can imagine our surprise upon learning that the Purple One, who has for several years been an outspoken Jehovah's Witness, went on a homophobic rant during a recent interview with the New Yorker, saying that, in the past, God came down and wiped out homosexual activity.

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Prince made a rare public appearance at Fashion Group International's annual Night of Stars event last night in New York. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a photo of Prince that showed his shoes, which are always one of the best parts of his outfits.

• Kanye West calls his new song "Love Lockdown," which he wrote a week and a half before his performance at the VMAs, his "favorite song 2 date." [MTV]

• Universal and Prince really need to let some things on YouTube go. [EUR]

• If young guys are going to get arrested for sagging, then this is fair game. [Jossip]

• Jordin Sparks knows that people who don't wear purity rings aren't "necessarily sluts," but she meant what she said at the VMAs and she isn't sorry. [EW]

• All right, Georgia politicians. I'll say it slowly. Stop. Calling. Black. People. Uppity. [TPM]

With the Dark Knight breaking all kinds of box office records in its opening weekend, it's only right to commemorate the occasion with Prince's very odd "Batdance." It was on the soundtrack for Tim Burton's 1989 Batman, which now seems like a gazillion years ago.

Ebony celebrates the oft-mentioned "cool black man" with eight collector's-edition covers featuring Barack Obama (clearly they stayed away from this photo), Denzel Washington, Jay-Z, Billy Dee Williams, Marvin Gaye, Muhammad Ali, Prince, and Samuel L. Jackson. Inside, the editors count down the 25 "Coolest Brothers of All Time." Who do you think should be on the list? It should be noted that sisters can be pretty cool as well. I might not be one of them, but still.

• The marketing exec at Universal in charge of Ashanti's album might want to rethink his or her career path. [WAOD]

• The Wire gets some love, finally. But I'm still really dreading the Emmy nominations. [BV]

• Nas's "Be A Nigger, Too" video is out. That's all. [CL]

• A new study shows that blacks are the most frequent hate crime victims in Canada. [AFP]

• His Royal Purpleness is now 50. And still rocking the stilettos. [E!]

• This is Webbie. When did rap names get so weak? [C+D]

• Is "white Oprah" well on her way to being just that? [DListed]

• "…we’re seeing an increase in areas where you saw low black voter turnout earlier and this is actually, I believe, would be a plus for the Democratic party in the future. One of the things we see about voting is that it’s habitual so just like brushing your teeth, going to church, once you get into a habit you keep doing it over and over again and so if you can kind of start this routine, people will turn out to vote.." [News8]

• Morris Day and The Time are playing the Essence fest! Hey, somebody's gotta work while Prince's hip recovers. [Fox]

• "…11 of the 15 states with the highest poverty levels are in the South." [FS]

• The St Mary's County Sherrif's Office in Maryland has signed a pact with the local chaptr of the NAACP chapter saying that they agree that they employ too few minority officers. Headway! [WP]

Prince, litigious bastard* that he is, makes it extremely difficult for me to use him as the subject for a Rewound. His lawyers probably have a team dedicated to combing YouTube on the daily and sending anyone using his likeness or his voice a cease and desist letter. All I wanted to do was honor him, since he's getting his hip replaced and all.

Here's "Get Off" from 1992's Diamonds & Pearls album. Watch it while you can.

*I mean that in the most affectionate way possible.

Oh, Father Time. You are so, so cruel.

Prince was once a beacon of all that was sexy and cool and hip. And now, it's his hip that needs to be replaced.

"For months Prince, who always puts on the most energetic shows, has been complaining of pain every time he moves.

"He is totally crushed because he knows he will never be the same again."

The surgery will involve removing the ball and socket of Prince's damaged hip and replacing it with a titanium joint…"

Prince is crushed? Me, too. I always thought of him as a stiletto-wearing Peter Pan. [SMH]

It's the most wonderful time of the year… for people in Hollywood who were nominated for Oscars, that is. The Academy Awards were last night, and I am really finding it difficult to pull some Stereohyped-relevant nuggets from last night's telecast, since, if you take out the presenting duties bestowed upon Denzel, JHud, and Forest and the Best Supporting Actress nod for Ruby Dee, the whole thing was pretty white-washed. And Ruby Dee didn't win, in case you hadn't heard. Actually, not a single American won an award for acting last night. There's a lesson in there, somewhere.

Anyway, No Country For Old Men was the winner of the big prize. After the jump, check out more red carpet pics, plus photos from some of last night's Oscar parties.

Get the full list of winners here.

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Like Prince did earlier this year, Michael Jackson has decided to share a much-anticipated concert series with the British instead of the supportive, unconditionally-loving denizens of his homeland. Ungrateful much, MJ?

The superstar is set to play “between seven and ten” dates in February, with an ­official announcement now said to be imminent.

A source close to the Thriller singer told thelondonpaper: “Details are being finalised as we speak. It will be a mini-residency at The O2, not like Prince’s 21 nights or anything but about seven to ten dates.

Perhaps he thinks Londoners will be less put off by the blatant evidence of his most recent plastic surgery.

• 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]