Say It Ain't So.....Jigga for Mayor of NYC.....Can't Truss It!

The above picture may demonstrate what the new Hizzoner may look like-Heaven really help us. This little tidbit of news must be taken with a grain of salt as it comes from MediaTakeOut.com but according to the gossip site, a noted politician is claiming that Mr. Carter may throw his hat in the race for '09. Here's an excerpt, courtesy of MediaTakeOut:

November 03, 2008. Hold your horses guys, this rumor is crazy. MediaTakeOut.com spoke with a prominent New York City politician who claims that Jay Z is contemplating running for mayor of New York City next year.

According to he politician, who asked to remain anonymous, Jay Z is "serious" about politics and is "strongly looking into" a 2009 Mayoral run.

The pol told MediaTakeOut.com, "[Jay Z] has discussed [running for mayor] with me and with others. I believe he's serious about it."

WOW!!!

I Understand the Sentiment But This is An "A" Plus "B" Conversation, Capt. Kirk......I Mean Denny! So You Should C(See) Your Way Out Of It!

I came across the above clip while perusing fellow conservative, Debbie Schlussel's blog. In the interest of full disclosure, Mr. Starks and I mouthed the very same words that William Shatner's character emotes in this clip concerning a certain segment in the African-American community. This lower tier faction insist that Senator Obama's potential presidency shouldn't tangentially mean anything regarding personal behavior or responsibility. The clip is very amusing but is this an internal conversation for the Black community where Whites dare not tread? Perhaps the internal conversation that some in the White community should have could entail the dismantling of perceiving all Blacks as being the same. Perhaps taking off the "tribal binoculars" when viewing Black culture would be a fresh start. I stated my opinion for the record on Ms. Schlussel's site but I would suspect that my meanderings fell on deaf ears. What do you guys think of the above clip? Would Denny Crane give the same speech to a White thug since McCain is in the running? Or does disproportionate Black crime change the argument? Again, a quarter (adjusted for inflation) for your thoughts.

More evidence that debunks the Black monolith:



If Mr. Obama wasn't the shot in the arm that African-American imagery needed, I would (and do, to a certain degree) concur with the young men interviewed in this CNN piece. But despite my conservative leanings, the Republicans (the neo-cons, specifically) dropped the ball the past two terms-time to pass the ball to someone who actually has a mean three-pointer. Let's hope that he at least remains in the center position-it worked for Clinton.

Well, Our Music Show Has Been Canceled (Perhaps a Music Show Should be AFTER Nov. 4th-God Willing) But Check 4 the Comic Shoppe, Mon at 7pm eastern!

Due to time constraints we will have to postpone our special Afronerd Radio music broadcast for next Sunday (and as the title of this entry states-let's see what happens after Nov. 4th) but do stay tuned for tomorrow's Comic Shoppe Show hosted by Max, Daryll and yours truly. The topics to be discussed are the following: the real reason Terrence Howard will not be reprising his role in Iron Man 2; Spiderman 4 news and perhaps one of my favorite graphic novel scribes, J. Michael Straczynski has been opted to write the screenplay for another one of my favorite things-a remake of the classic Forbidden Planet film. Will we see Robbie the Robot and Leslie Nielson worked into this effort? And speaking of "Robbie," we will also try to fit in a discussion regarding a new robot themed comic entitled Gigantic. We would also be remiss if we did not chop it up about our top pulp reads from last week. So you guys know how this works......the Shoppe opens tomorrow 7pm eastern-feel free to call in with your questions/comments at 646-200-0104 or via email/IM-thecomicshoppe@yahoo. Nuff said!


Comic Shoppe's Week in Review

Don't forget to check out the two treats above and below (Tobor, a Japanese robot anime contemporary of Gigantor-before my time but it's peeked my curiosity nonetheless)-Enjoy!

It was Bound To Happen.....Introducing Black Sarah Palin!

Hat tip to "Prince Uwakwe" for forwarding this Giant Magazine clip to my attention. It is to laugh.

And do you remember these guys? This clip has three million plus views and counting. Wassup 2008:

Ok Folks Let's Party Like It's 1999.....ok, Nov. 4th 2008-Check Out Our Special Music Show on Afronerd Radio-Sun at 7pm eastern!

Watch more YouTube videos on AOL Video

Well we have a special treat (hey, it is Halloween) for you guys this Sunday-let's have a party....of sorts. Let's take a break from political discourse and get into some music while we await the election results for November 4th. Join Mr. Starks, special guest Mike Dean of the FreedomTrainOnline site and yours truly to discuss the state of music 2008-09 while we, of course, highlight some jams that we would like to hear on terrestrial radio. So you have a formal invite and free admission-just call in with your thoughts, contributions and questions at 646-915-9620 or via email/IM-afronerdradio@yahoo. Let's jam folks!

Join Afronerd on the Soul Train Line!

And...oops, perhaps all music is not going to hell in a handbasket as the latest single (above), Broke Your Window by Jazmine Sullivan still gives me hope that the soul has not totally left us....Enjoy!



Annnd one more thing-in honor of Halloween and our comic book roots....a gratuitous shot of Kim Kardashian as Wonder Woman. More serious fare to follow in a few.

I Think It's in The Bag Now.......A Pictures Says a Thousand Words!

Hat tip to Sergio of the Bloodsport blog for this pic.

Links of Interest

Our readers probably are aware of my disdain for what passes as Black commercial music-check the above video for further clarification. The excess gloss, materialism and inability to relate to the realities of actual people amazes me. And this diatribe is not necessarily an ode to the past as I am always looking for new music. I just want to know where has the superior musicianship gone? Do you need further evidence of the state of Black music? The Roots are perhaps the last Black band (I know that there are others....somewhere) and the virtual disappearance of the female hip hop artist should serve as examples of Black music's demise. But perhaps all is not lost or has gone unnoticed. Take a look at a decent list of songs from the Soul Bounce blog that have (lyrically) critiqued the state of Black music:

7 Songs That Criticized The State of Music


And while you're at it check out the latest Bloggers Roundtable session from NPR's News & Notes (yours truly is scheduled to appear on Nov. 19th)-


Roundtable: Blacks Turning Red States Blue?

Uh oh....I missed calling in for fellow conservative Kevin Ross' show since the heated conversation (on the Bloggers Roundtable) concerning D.L. Hughley's new show was carried over on Ross' program. Check it out:

The Kevin Ross Show - Final 2008 Pre-Election Push!




Next up, CNN discovers a shocker.....Black folks are not a monolith:

Commentary: Black vote isn't monolithic


And lastly, from the mouths of babes-courtesy of Claude Johnson's Black Fives blog:

Obama Informercial: Reaction From A Four-Year-Old

Can President Obama Put An End To This Sh%$t......I'm Just Saying....

I go on and on about this tired minstrel act but can someone make it stop? The rapper getting caught with guns and getting incarcerated act has been done to death. Again....make it stop.



I almost desire these classics....almost. Check out this documentary:




Blacks & Vaudeville-Part 2.

Black Rock Spotlight.........TV on The Radio Takes the Baton From Prince? Maybe...

A excerpt from Chron.com:

TV on the Radio wants you to groove in the face of doom
By ANDREW DANSBY Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Oct. 28, 2008, 6:25PM


Despite the band's penchant for dark electronic rock, Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio doesn't come across as the brooding, contemplative type in conversation.

If the End of Days is coming, TV on the Radio wants you dancing. Dear Science, the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based band's third album, is the soundtrack for that day, sort of an apocalyptic update of Prince's 1999.

With two albums and an EP, TV on the Radio had been a band I admired more than I enjoyed, particularly its densely produced and persistently angry Return to Cookie Mountain two years ago. It was an intriguing album — a more polished version of the band's novel approach to making dark electronic rock with touches of doo-wop and Afro-beat — but listening to it felt like homework.

Dear Science is about shaking a leg while shaking a fist. From the album's title down through its beats and lyrics, Dear Science is about contrasts and mixed meanings. Singer Tunde Adebimpe says the band deliberately picked a vague title, allowing it to be read either as a missive addressed to science or a statement of affinity for it.

He says the name sprang from a letter multi-instrumentalist David Andrew Sitek wrote (to science, naturally) expressing some anxiety about the impending use of the Large Hadron Collider, a multibillion-dollar physics project that some feared could create black holes or other possibly destructive phenomenon.

"We sat around thinking, 'Great, now what?' " Adebimpe says. "Is this really something we want to poke in the eye just to see what happens?

"The whole funding aspect is just awesome. I feel like there are genuine problems on this planet, but to my knowledge there's no current threat of a black hole advancing on Earth. So we don't need our own Godzilla version of the black hole to fight it off. Maybe instead we could develop a plant that could grow anywhere."

He pauses. "Dear Science was also the least offensive of the titles we came up with."

The album begins sprightly enough with Adebimpe playfully rattling off ba-ba-bas. The song rides a lighter groove than any Sitek created for the previous record. Adebimpe's voice moves from a warm whisper to a paranoid falsetto.

It closes with Lover's Day, written by guitarist Kyp Malone, about celebrating the end with a last roll in the hay.

For more of the Chron article, click here.


But then there's always the classics:

Prince - 1999
Uploaded by djarnaldo

Discussing Black Angst In the Wake of a Black presidency & More for Thursday's Afronerd Radio broadcast, 7pm eastern!

Stop by Afronerd Radio for imaginary tea and crumpets this Thursday (at 7pm eastern) while we discuss just what our readers/listeners think an Obama administration will mean for identity politics going forward for this new century? Does such a presidency (again, if it does indeed occur) really spell the end of Black grievance style politics (as so many articles have posited)? And despite the fact that an assassination plot has successfully been quelled; will there be more plots forthcoming? Amazing how melanin and power make for a dangerous elixir-for Blacks and Whites. Check out the video (at the top), courtesy of WorldStarHipHop.com and then peruse a snippet of a Miami Herald piece which attempts to encapsulate the above titled angst that Obama's potential presidency might engender:

But surely, how race might tilt the vote isn't the only racial issue worth reporting. What about exploring what an Obama victory would do to race relations? What would become of the myriad, passionately divisive policy issues that have been inextricably tied to race for the past half-century: the huge population of young black males behind bars, early childhood intervention, job training, the war on drugs, poor housing, the whole reality of race-tainted social justice? We're beyond those? Even the subprime lending debacle, which disproportionately hit minority homeowners, has been whitewashed into a race-neutral industry bailout.

I suppose this is partly because the black political establishment has been sidelined. Their constituents are already voting for Obama. So he doesn't need to stick up for their issues -- affirmative action, criminal justice reforms and job programs -- which have made race a perennial hot-button issue and driven off white voters.

But the upshot is Obama has promised black America nothing, and it's impossible to know what his victory would mean for race relations. Already some white commentators say his candidacy alone proves racism is over, and policies meant to compensate for its corrosive effects are anachronisms.

I can't even say what African Americans expect, beyond a powerfully symbolic vindication. Amazingly enough, when I turned to Time and Newsweek magazines for the same week of October, I saw both running columns with ''What if Obama loses?'' in the title -- as if they're unwilling to give up the master narrative of black victimhood , even while the most remarkable African-American politician of the last half-century is within sight of a victory that was once unimaginable.

For more from the Miami Herald piece, click on the link below:

Black issues invisible in this campaign

And for Thursday....as always, don't forget to call in with your comments/questions at 646-915-9620 or via email/IM-afronerdradio@yahoo.


And lastly, for the flipside of the racial issue take a look at a recent experiment which was implemented by GQ magazine's senior correspondent, Devin Friedman. Mr. Friedman (who we are attempting to contact for an interview) in the latest issue of notable mens fashion zine, is trying to find a Black friend. If you haven't figured it out thus far, Friedman is White and started noticing that his world was becoming more detached from people of color. So with the help of Craigslist, he embarked on a trek to find African-American friends. Why so much work on something that should be natural? One can only guess. I found out about this through the Field Negro blog last week and frankly I am confused about the concept. Here's a link to Mr. Friedman's article:

WILL YOU BE MY BLACK FRIEND?

Is this too much work? Is it condenscending? Why not meet people without the specificity? What say you all?

The Closer Obama Gets........Reality Also Comes Into Focus-Obama Assassination Plot Foiled!

As much as I would like to see a person of color ascend to the presidency, it is becoming increasingly evident that for some, a Black POTUS shakes the very foundation of a White power structure. It is unfortunate that simply having a
president of color should be perceived as especially groundbreaking for the 21st century, but to many racists such a phenomenon is not only unfathomable but intolerable. I sincerely hope that Black folk (perhaps one of the few times that tribalism may be necessary) really prepare to protect Senator Obama and his legacy as he will be getting hit from so many forces, his life (literally) will depend upon it. This latest crazed assassination plot may be just the beginning if history is made. It's one thing for a Black Commander-in-chief to be the fodder of comedy and sci-fi in the world of pop culture, but as Obama prepares for his "close up," be prepared for the ultimate reality show-starring the KKK (or is it the CIA?....just as JFK or RFK). Check out the latest news pertaining to an assassination plot dismantled, courtesy of Black Voices:

Feds Bust Skinhead Plot to Kill Obama
AP
Posted: 2008-10-27 17:39:57
Filed Under: Elections, Top News
WASHINGTON (Oct. 27) - Federal agents have broken up a plot by two neo-Nazi skinheads to assassinate Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and shoot or decapitate 102 black people, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives said Monday.

In court records unsealed Monday, federal agents said they disrupted plans to rob a gun store and target a predominantly African-American high school in a murder spree that was to begin in Tennessee. Agents said the skinheads did not identify the school by name.



Jim Cavanaugh, special agent in charge of ATF's Nashville field office, said the two men planned to shoot 88 black people and decapitate another 14. The numbers 88 and 14 are symbolic in the white supremacist community.

The men also sought to go on a national killing spree, with Obama as its final target, Cavanaugh told The Associated Press.

"They said that would be their last, final act — that they would attempt to kill Sen. Obama," Cavanaugh said. "They didn't believe they would be able to do it, but that they would get killed trying."

An Obama spokeswoman traveling with the senator in Pennsylvania had no immediate comment.

The men, Daniel Cowart, 20, of Bells, Tenn., and Paul Schlesselman 18, of West Helena, Ark., are being held without bond. Agents seized a rifle, a sawed-off shotgun and three pistols from the men when they were arrested. Authorities alleged the two men were preparing to break into a gun shop to steal more.

Attorney Joe Byrd, who has been hired to represent Cowart, did not immediately return a call seeking comment Monday.

Cowart and Schlesselman are charged with possessing an unregistered firearm, conspiring to steal firearms from a federally licensed gun dealer, and threatening a candidate for president. The investigation is continuing, and more charges are possible, Cavanaugh said.

P.S.

For our readers and radio listeners-Afronerd Radio's Thursday night broadcast returns. Stop by at 7pm eastern, to discuss the following: what will an Obama presidency really mean to Black/Brown folk in the 21st century; is overt racism making a comeback (i.e the assasination plot above) and fellow blogger Nikia Phoenix of the Model Liberation site stops by to chop it up about her run-in with a racist blogger. More info is forthcoming....

To coincide with the upcoming NBA season, the critically acclaimed film "Black Magic" is released on dvd tomorrow.

An important film whether you are a fan of basketball or not...


Black Magic is a dramatic film about the injustice which defined the Civil Rights Movement in America, as told through the lives of basketball players and coaches who attended Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Narrated by Academy Award Nominated actor Samuel L. Jackson and jazz great Wynton Marsalis, with introductions from New Orleans Hornets star point guard Chris Paul and basketball icon Dr. J Julius Erving. Helmed by award-winning director Dan Klores and co-produced by basketball legend and Winston-Salem State University graduate Earl The Pearl Monroe.


Posted by Mr. Starks

The Comic Shoppe is Open for Business-Mon at 7pm eastern-Discussing Last Week's Comics, Terminator Saved 4 the Season

Comic Shoppe Radio returns and is open for the business of talking about graphic novels and sci-fi-so join Max, Daryll and I (tomorrow at 7pm eastern) as we discuss the following: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was given a reprieve of sorts; there's additional Watchmen preview footage to gab about; the trailer for Underworld: Rise of The Lycans has just turned up online and of course our analysis of our favorite comic reads for the last few weeks. So come in and grab a seat with your comments and questions by calling-646-200-0104 or via email/IM at thecomicshoppe@yahoo. Excelsior, folks!


The Comic Shoppe's Week in Review

And shout out to our resident supporter/commenter Sergio, for forwarding the latest Watchmen poster to our attention:

More Obama Vs. McCain Talk as The Clock Whines Down, Black Folk & Ageism, Reverse Brawley Hoax-Next Afronerd Radio Sun at 7pm eastern!

First off, you have to admit that the above video is not only hilarious but also may be what will be required as this election comes down to a close. Folks, you know the routine-join Mr. Starks and I this Sunday at 7pm (eastern) for Afronerd Radio's Week in Review segment as we discuss the following: the Jennifer Hudson family tragedy, Black lower tier perceptions of aging and the reverse Tawana Brawley fiasco. Call us at 646-915-9620 with your comments and/or opinions. You can also join in the conversation via email/IM-afronerdradio@yahoo. And as always....Be there, Be Square and try to dodge lower tier violence.

Oh and as an aside-I was initially apprehensive about giving my analysis of the Hudson story but as a preview, check out the Nat Turner 's Revenge blog for sentiments similar to our own:

Jennifer Hudson: the hood closes in

Afronerd Radio's Week in Review

When Opie Taylor & Richie Cunningham Endorse You, You're Set! Obama Visits Mayberry...Funny Stuff

Check out the above clip just to see Ron Howard, Andy Griffith and Henry Winkler reprise their famous roles to support Senator Obama. The Happy Days segment especially brings back memories circa 1981 B.C. (before cable). Let's cross our fingers folks-less than 2 weeks remaining.




And for more of the surreal....check out the latest in the Sulu vs Kirk drama.

Ignorance is truly running rampant folks. The bear may have been dead in the last story but stupidity and racism sure aren't.

Damn.........


Posted by Mr. Starks

It's Getting Worse as We Get Closer To History Being Made-Dead Bear With Obama Signs Attached

We really do try to steer away from wholesale racial issues here at Afronerd as it is our belief that people of color may be able to wrestle greater control over Black pathology as opposed to institutional racism. But as this election season comes to a close, it is becoming extremely difficult to ignore stories such as the one depicted in the above Youtube clip. For more on this reprehensible act (which now has been deemed a prank-not) , check out this piece from the Associated Press:

Police in NC: Dead bear under Obama signs a prank
3 hours ago

CULLOWHEE, N.C. (AP) — Authorities said Tuesday that a student prank, not a political statement, was the motivation for dumping a dead bear cub draped in Barack Obama signs on a North Carolina campus earlier this week.

Seven Western Carolina University students were involved, and possible charges were being discussed with the local prosecutor, said Campus Police Chief Tom Johnson. Police did not release the students' names.

The students told authorities they took political signs at random to cover the bear's wound and prevent blood from spilling into the bed of the truck they were driving.

They discovered a carcass of the cub, which had been shot in the head, while camping over the weekend and brought it back to a gathering at an apartment near campus Sunday night, according to a statement from the school.

It was during that gathering, officials said, that a student suggested placing the bear at the base of a statue at the main entrance to the campus.

Maintenance workers found the bear cub's body early Monday morning near the school's entrance.

"I am pleased to hear that this situation appears to be a stupid prank," Western Carolina chancellor John W. Bardo said.

Again, I'm not comfortable in accepting that the aformentioned matter was an innocent college prank. I suspect that as Senator Obama gets closer to retrieving the keys to the mansion at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, more anecdotal incidents will be forthcoming. It is even hitting closer to home based on an email I received from Nikia Phoenix of the Model Liberation blog. Ms. Phoenix who is an established fashion model by trade, recently found herself embroiled in an online racial altercation with another blogger who is undoubtedly a White supremacist. Not only is this blogger a racist but he is also blind as he intimated that Phoenix and Black women in general are not attractive. Mr. Starks has stated many times (as has our mentor, Dr. Alvin Poussaint-check our past Afronerd Radio interview) that racial prejudice is a mental disorder-and should be treated as such. In the interim, let's follow Mr. Obama's lead-remain calm, professional and collected. Excellence (and success) is the best strategem against ignorance.

Oh and lest I forget, check out my latest Bloggers Roundtable appearance on NPR's News & Notes, hosted by Farai Chideya:

Roundtable: Campaign Imagery In Focus

Comparing McCain/Palin To Nazis? The Folks at Family Guy Thought So.....on FOX!

It’s no secret to Afronerd readers/supporters that we are animation aficionados but I wondered if the creators of Family Guy went too far with this past Sunday’s episode entitled, Road to Germany. I have to admit that when I viewed the episode in question, which showed the "Stewie" character in full Nazi garb (with a McCain-Palin button); it did make me twinge-after I initially laughed. It even gets more ironic as Fox News has an article discussing the controversy. Doesn’t Fox (the Corporation) own, produce and broadcast this property? Check out this piece from……well…..FoxNews.com:

The animated sitcom 'Family Guy' is no stranger to controversy, but on Sunday night the show went into uncharted territory as it seemed to weigh in on the presidential race by likening the McCain/Palin ticket to the Nazi party in World War II.

In the episode, two of the characters, Stewie (a talking baby) and Brian (a talking dog) are transported to Poland during the Nazi invasion of World War II. In one scene, the characters beat up and steal the uniforms of two Nazi officers. Stewie looks down at his Nazi uniform and notices a McCain/Palin campaign button attached to its lapel, remarking “Huh, that’s weird."

The McCain campaign did not have an immediate comment. A rep for the show defended the episode, telling Foxnews.com: "From its inception, 'Family Guy' has used provocative concepts and biting satire as the foundation of its humor. The show is an 'equal oportunity offender.'"

The show's creator, Seth MacFarlane, is an ardent supporter of Barack Obama. MacFarlane has given thousands to the Democratic presidential nominee and the Democratic Party, and even spoke at an Obama rally in Ohio earlier this month.

In the past, MacFarlane has gotten into hot water for his skewering of several subjects, including actor and Scientologist Tom Cruise.

Comedian Carol Burnett also unsuccessfully sued the program for its depiction of her cleaning-woman character.

The Fox sitcom was cancelled in 2002 after failing to find an audience, but has improved significantly in the ratings since being brought back to the network in 2005. The show centers on a dysfunctional family living in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island.

The Esteemed Colin Powell Endorses Obama & As Expected Some of My Fellow Conservatives Cry Race.....NOT!

As many of you already know, former Secretary of State Colin Powell formally announced his endorsement for Senator Barack Obama's presidential bid and some on the far right are blaming race or tribalism as the cause for Powell’s alleged heresy in crossing party lines. I hate to state the obvious, but it still amazes me how Whites are able to support “White” interests without tribal criticism and yet Powell’s support must be viewed through a racial microscope. I have alluded to this unfair dynamic countless times since Afronerd’s inception and my greatest desire would be for people of color to speak more frequently and forthrightly as it pertains to such a grotesque double standard. Take a look at an excerpt from the Huffington Post regarding Republican backlash toward Powell’s decision:

Colin Powell's decision to endorse Barack Obama has sparked a mini-debate of sorts over both the significance of the endorsement itself and the role that race has and will play during this campaign.

In the immediate aftermath of his appearance on Meet The Press, several prominent GOP officials - ranging from the established to the extreme - defined the announcement more by skin color than ideology.

The most crass interpretation came from talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, who wrote the Politico's Jonathan Martin the following:

"Secretary Powell says his endorsement is not about race... OK, fine. I am now researching his past endorsements to see if I can find all the inexperienced, very liberal, white candidates he has endorsed. I'll let you know what I come up with."

Later in the day, Pat Buchanan echoed Limbaugh's refrain. "Alright, we gotta ask a question," he declared on MSNBC, "look would Colin Powell be endorsing Obama if he were a white liberal Democrat..."

The esteemed conservative columnist George Will did not go so far, but he did seek to explain the impact of Powell's decision as part of a larger, more psychological sway that Obama held over other African Americans.

There will be "some impact," Will declared. "And I think this adds to my calculation -- this is very hard to measure -- but it seems to me if we had the tools to measure we'd find that Barack Obama gets two votes because he's black for every one he loses because he's black because so much of this country is so eager, a, to feel good about itself by doing this, but more than that to put paid to the whole Al Sharpton/Jesse Jackson game of political rhetoric."

For more, click on the link below:

Some Conservatives See Race In Powell's Obama Endorsement

An interesting use of ad placement and videogames by Obama

Video games feature ads for Obama's campaign

By DEVLIN BARRETT
Associated Press Writer



WASHINGTON (AP) - Too busy playing video games to watch presidential ads on television? Barack Obama has found you, too, by becoming the first presidential candidate to buy ad space inside a game.

Nine video games from Electronic Arts Inc., ranging from the extremely popular "Madden 09" football game to the street racing "Burnout: Paradise," feature in-game ads from the Obama campaign. The ads—they appear on billboards and other signage—remind players that early voting has begun and plug a campaign Web site.

The idea of embedding advertising temporarily inside a video game is relatively new, having only begun about 18 months ago, and Obama is the first presidential candidate to buy space, company officials said.

The Democrat's ads are aimed at gamers who like sports, including NASCAR, NBA, NHL and skateboarding, meaning EA Sports' motto, "It's in the game," now applies to presidential politics as well.

EA spokeswoman Holly Rockwood would not say how much the ads cost, but she said they are running on the Xbox Live versions of the game through Nov. 3. They began earlier this month.

The timing of the Obama ads within the video game varies from state to state. Players in smaller states may see the Obama ads for the whole month, while users in bigger states may see them for a shorter period.

"It reaches an audience that is typically hard to reach—young males, roughly 18 to 34," said Rockwood. "That's very appealing to our advertisers."

For those who still associate video games with clunky "Pac Man" or "Space Invaders" consoles, here's how in-game advertising works: The Xbox 360 console connects to the Internet, so it can be updated with new features, including ads. In the case of "Burnout," the game came out in stores in January, but the Obama ads were only inserted this month.

Rockwood declined to say how much revenue the company generates from selling ad space in its games.

"What we're trying to do is offer ads in games where we're simulating a real-world environment, so our racing games, our sports games lend themselves to that," she said.


There seems to be a bit of a backlash against this. Do you think politics and gaming should mix?


Posted by Mr. Starks