If you could give three adjectives to describe Sarah Palin, what would they be? Wacky? Delusional? Busty? I think any of these would work so much better than something like “rad.” After all, we’re not talking about some sweet sweatband or a kegger or anything. But it seems like it doesn’t bother Wyclef Jean to throw around such words, because he had a mouthful of them to say about his very favorite, Sarah Palin:
“I have to tell you this: I am a huge fan of Sarah Palin. Cause she’s rad. She’s shrewd. She’s cool. Because at the end of the day, I’m for the people, because this is the United States of America…this is what America’s really about. Anyone should have the right to say, ‘Look I can do the job and this is what qualifies me to do the job.’….Now my wife probably will debate and disagree with me. I’m not saying she could be the next president, you know, but there’s something about her. Heavy debates in my house. Whenever I say Sarah Palin, people think I’m crazy, but I like her, I do. I can like whoever. This is America, right?”
Yeah, Wyclef, this is America: for better or for worse.
Earlier this week Sean Penn blasted Wyclef Jean for running for the president of Haiti, as did Wyclef’s former Fugees band mate Pras. Sean and Pras seem to think that Wyclef’s run is more self-serving than anything. Sean was quoted as saying, “This is somebody who’s going to receive an enormous amount of his support, if he continues this campaign, from the United States. I have to say, I’m very suspicious of it, simply because he, as an ambassador-at-large, has been virtually silent. For those of us in Haiti, he has been a non-presence.”
Wyclef has now responded to Sean’s remarks, which was probably good practice, because it seems like he’ll be having to defend himself quite a bit throughout this campaign.
“The first thing I’d like to say to Sean Penn is that the area which he operates in Haiti is one area in particular. He hasn’t seen me for six months—I’ve been going to Haiti for over five years…I am not absent in Haiti, maybe the tent city you’re in, maybe I’m absent in that…My country is not a city of tents, meaning I can’t use the excuse of people living in tents to say that I’m going to make Haiti a better place. I would like to tell Sean Penn I do not react on emotions when it comes to the Haitian people. I do not have to sacrifice my life and live inside of the tents to prove I am for the Haitian people.”
Ummm, well. I don’t know if that’s the most convincing argument, but it’s a valid one. Personally, I’m not for celebrities blending into government because I just know that more often than not, celebrities are a little bit removed from “the people” in exactly the way that a politician shouldn’t be. Even if they do everything in their power to stay down-to-Earth, after someone has experienced a certain amount of fame (not success, fame), it’s nearly impossible for them to remove themselves from it or even scale back on their lifestyle. That may not be what a recovering country needs in a new prez.
The singer, who’s originally from Haiti, has been heavily involved in providing relief for the earthquake victims ever since it happened. Now it looks like he’s going to take that aid up a level by running for president! Sure, he might have had one or two semi-shady events that occurred with his charity for Haiti, but it’s cool, I’m sure he’d do a much better job running the whole country.
Nothing has been set in stone yet – Wyclef told CNN that right now, he’s still just considering it. He’s already filled out the paperwork though, and his foundation released this statement that serves to beat around the bush some more:
“Wyclef’s commitment to his homeland and its youth is boundless, and he will remain its greatest supporter regardless of whether he is part of the government moving forward. At this time, Wyclef Jean has not announced his intent to run for Haitian president. If and when a decision is made, media will be alerted immediately. Please let us know if we can help with anything else.”
This should turn out wonderfully. The election is in November, so we should be hearing relatively soon about Wyclef’s decision. I’m going to go ahead and make a list of “Gone Till November” jokes, just in case.
Oh, hey guys. I don’t know how I missed this yesterday, but I should have totally posted it. It’s the video for We Are The World 25, a remake of the classic celebrity collaboration that was recorded to benefit Haiti. It’s a really crappy, elevator-type song but you know, it’s one of those things you have to watch once because everyone famous ever is in it. Also, it’s kind of hilarious. I laugh every single time I see Josh Groban’s face. And the parts with Enrique Iglesias, Celine Dion and Wyclef are pretty lulzy as well.
As you’ve probably heard by now, there was a 7.0 earthquake in Haiti earlier this week and Hollywood is coming out to show their support. It was announced today that the Hollywood Foreign Press has donated 100,000 dollars to the relief fund, and yesterday it was announced that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie cut a check for one million dollars to go toward the cause.
Statements from Angelina and Brad were published on People.com:
Angelina: “It is incredibly horrible to see a catastrophe of this size hit a people who have been suffering from extreme poverty, violence and unrest for so many decades.”
Brad: “We understand the first response is critical to serve the immediate needs of countless people who are now displaced from their homes, are suffering trauma, and most require urgent care.”
While it’s hard (OK, impossible) to donate on that level, there are ways that everyone can help. Right now if you text ‘HAITI’ to 90999, you can donate 10 dollars to the American Red Cross. The donation will be added to your cellphone bill (meaning you don’t have to worry about paying for it until your bill comes) and the service was set up by the U.S. State Department, so you know that it’s legit. Also, if you text “YELE” to 501501, you can donate $5 to Haiti native Wyclef Jean’s fund. You can check out Yele’s website here. Finally, American Airlines is offering free flights to Haiti for doctors and nurses who will be able to provide aid. If this is something that applies to you, you can call 212-697-9767 and sign up.
We talk about some pretty fun stuff over here, but it’s always important to keep in mind that there’s bigger news going on in the world than last night’s American Idol auditions.
Where are the Miley Cyrus naked photos when you really need them? (I know, I know, she’s underage … but I’ll conveniently forget as soon as those photos surface.)
Anyway, Wyclef Jean has a new album out, and I’ve been jamming to it for the better part of the week. There’s this song on it called “Sweetest Girl,” about some chick who was really smart and full of potential in high school and now is a hooker. It’s a pretty dope song, and I love that it references Wu Tang and “CREAM.” This one time, back in my past life when I was in business school, our corporate finance professor was trying to teach us the importance of your cash assets. He was this real young, hip, Irish guy — we used to drink rum & Coke in his class, just because we could — and he was like, “Can anyone tell me what CREAM means?” It stumped all of us — Cash Reserves for Equity And Materials? — except for this one quiet kid in the back who stuck his hand up and was like, “Cash Rules Everything Around Me! Wuuuuuuu-Tang!” We laughed for like ten minutes. In part because it was the funniest thing ever, and in part because we were all a little drunk.
The official video is below:
And here it is by the Chipmunks.
Seriously if nothing happens today, we’re just gonna be running videos all day. We’ll be like MTV in the ’80s. I can do this all day, people. I truly have nothing else to do today.
Robyn looks like an albino Adam Richman from the Travel Channel’s “I eat too much food in one sitting” . I would not call that flattering. Key word ‘albino’
Really ? someone thought it was a good idea to give this kid a couple of drinks and some pills ? How about someone just stepping up to the plate and acting like an adult with a shoulder for her...
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