Summer Groove

DWade jacks up a 3 at the end of the half. Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed

Summer Groove

Tim Hardaway nails a three-pointer

Roland S. Martin www.rolandsmartin.com CNN Contributor

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Summer Groove

Kenny "The Jet" Smith

Roland S. Martin www.rolandsmartin.com CNN Contributor

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Summer Groove

It's 52-43 @ the end of the first half. Can you say no defense?! Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed

New School vs. Old School at Zo's, DWade's Summer Groove

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ABC News pays Joe Jackson $200K for video (interview)

Journalism organizations have always made it clear that they don't pay for news interviews. But the ethical boundaries are being stretched as an increasing number of news divisions pay licensing fees for photos and videos of newsmakers.

Such is the case with ABC News, which shelled out $200,000 for family videos of the Jacksons for their interview with Joe Jackson.

Now, as someone who loves to score exclusive interviews, it's easy to get ticked off for a newsmaker essentially selling an interview. But if you think about, everyone is getting paid off the Jacksons. Every news network is scoring massive ratings for the coverage of the Michael Jackson death; newspapers and magazines are putting out special issues and commemorative editions; and online outlets like TMZ are building their reputation on breaking various stories.

So, hey, why shouldn't the Jacksons get paid? If folks in my business are getting paid, why not them?

If you don't like folks paying for news, I totally understand. And I would normally agree. But we do live in a capitalistic society. If one person is getting paid, why not the other?

Memorial best way to ensure Michael Jackson's legacy

As the family of Michael Jackson continues to grieve their son, brother, father and family member, time is of the essence to ensure that the greatest entertainer of all time is appropriately remembered for generations to come.

The family of Elvis Presley was smart in making sure that the world will always remember the musical contributions of the man dubbed the King of Rock and Roll (even though, in my opinion, that title should go to Little Richard or Chuck Berry). Graceland serves as the gold standard for celebrity estates, ensuring a primary location for fans of Elvis Presley fans to gather to honor him.

Think about it. Frank Sinatra is seen as on par with Elvis and Michael Jackson, but there is no such memorial to Sinatra that has generated the kind of attention needed. He's remembered, but not with the same fervor.

There is no doubt that any kind of memorial/monument for Jackson would surpass Graceland in terms of attendance and revenue.

For all of you who want Neverland to be it, forget about it. One, it's two hours away from Los Angeles, and is difficult to get to. Second, the rich folks who were Jackson's neighbors will never go for it. They won' change the laws to allow him to be buried there, and don't even want to think of the traffic of as many as 1 million visitors coming to the ranch each year. Graceland is perfectly situated in Memphis, and is easily accessible.

Michael lived for years in the Los Angeles area, but it isn't really centrally located. Frankly, the perfect choice for a Michael Jackson/Jackson 5 memorial center is their hometown of Gary, Ind. The town is less than 45 minutes from Chicago, has three airports to provide access (Chicago's O'Hare and Midway, and Gary International Airport), and it is in the middle of the country. Fans of Jackson's can travel from both coasts, from the north and the south, to praise their deceased hero.

The city of Gary could definitely use the tourist attraction, and would do anything and everything the family wanted to make it a first-class facility.

Mayor Rudy Clay says he has had talks with Joe Jackson and others about this, and they are hopeful it will happen. 

It should. Jackson is certainly worthy of a memorial, and just like Lisa Marie Presley has been able to further her father's legacy - and establish a consistent source of revenue for her and her children - the same can be done for Michael's three children.

Roland S. Martin to host Sunday news show on TV One

New Orleans, LA – TV One political editor, Essence columnist and CNN analyst Roland Martin will host a new weekly public affairs series on TV One that will focus on issues that are critical to African Americans, through interviews with officials from the Administration, Congress and other policymakers who represent black communities, as well as discussions with journalists and commentators, and a wide range of policy experts,

Each week Roland Martin and a rotating panel of journalists and experts, including American Urban Radio Networks White House Correspondent April Ryan and Comcast Network host and Philadelphia Tribune columnist Robert Traynham, will discuss the top stories in Washington.

The show will also feature regular appearances by members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

In addition, Martin will conduct a one-on-one interview with a key newsmaker each week. 

The hour series, tentatively entitled Washington Watch with Roland Martin,  is slated to debut Sunday, Sept. 27 and will air weekly at 11 AM and 5 PM.

TV One President and CEO Johnathan Rodgers and Martin made the announcement at the Essence Music Festival. 

“With the election of President Obama, Washington has taken center stage in the hearts and minds of African Americans, and with the many critical issues facing our country, this was the perfect time for us to launch a program to help our viewers understand  what impact Washington policy decisions are likely to have on their lives,” said Rodgers. “The positive feedback we received on our coverage of the election of President Obama indicated to us there is a real hunger for information about what’s happening in Washington. 

“In addition, since Roland joined the TV One family four years ago, we’ve wanted to find a way a way to have him as a regular, on-air presence on the network, and this new series is a perfect way to take advantage of his talents as an interviewer and analyst, and capitalize on the way he connects with our audience,” Rodgers added.

Martin said: "I am reminded of the founders of the first black newspaper in America, Freedom's Journal, who wrote in their lead editorial in 1827, 'We wish to plead our own cause; too long have others spoken for us.' The same applies today. The voices of African American elected officials, policy makers, analysts and journalists are important, and need to be a part of the discussion on a weekly basis, and on most Sunday mornings shows, they are not.  

"Our goal is to also speak to a wide variety of individuals, whether they are Democrat, Republican, liberal, conservative, moderate, independent, African American, Hispanic, white, Asian, Native American, you name it. 

"Lastly, this show will be interactive. This is not about us telling our audience what's important. Our viewers from across the nation will have a chance to share their thoughts and concerns and also drive the agenda on improving the state of Black America." 

Roland Martin became a commentator for TV One in the spring of 2005 and was named political editor in 2008. He is also an analyst for CNN, a nationally syndicated columnist, a special correspondent for Essence magazine and essence.com, and a senior analyst for the Tom Joyner Morning Show.

A former editor of leading African American publications the Chicago Defender, the Houston Defender and the Dallas Weekly, and reporter for the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram and Austin American-Statesman, he has won more than 20 professional awards for journalistic excellence, including the National Association of Black Journalists’ President’s Award in 2008. 

Launched in January 2004, TV One (http://www.tv-one.tv/) serves more than 47.5 million households (Nielsen June 2009 estimate), offering a broad range of entertainment, reality and lifestyle -oriented original programming, classic series, movies, and music designed to entertain, inform and inspire a diverse audience of adult African American viewers. 

TV One’s investors include Radio One [NASDAQ: ROIA and ROIAK; http://www.radio-one.com/], the largest radio company that primarily targets African American and urban listeners;  Comcast Corporation [NASDAQ: CMCSA and CMCSK; http://www.comcast.com/], the leading cable television company in the country; The DirecTV Group; Constellation Ventures; Syndicated Communications; and Opportunity Capital Partners.

Roland S. Martin www.rolandsmartin.com CNN Contributor

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Shari Addison singing @ the McDonald's 365Black Awards

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Michael Jackson's will only names children, mom as beneficiaries of estate

Much has been made about whether or not a will was done by Michael Jackson.

The answer is yes and it will be filed in a Los Angeles court this morning.

According to sources who are familiar with the will, it provides:

- 20% of his estate to go to charities focused on children.

- 40% going to his three children

- 40% going to his mother, Katherine. And upon her death, that portion will revert to the children.

The sources also said it is untrue that the Jackson family is contesting the will. It is likely that Joe Jackson and his legal team are not happy with the outcome of what's in the will.