Nike and Tiger Revive Earl Woods in Time for the Masters

Nike has launched a new ad featuring an austere, motionless and voiceless Tiger Woods while the voice-over of his late father, Earl Woods plays in the background,“Tiger, I am more prone to be inquisitive, to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. And did you learn anything.”

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When I first watched commercial, I attempted to suspend my disbelief and not come to an immediate conclusion. I watched it again. I listened. Then I watched it again.

I reached a conclusion. What Tiger needs is to 1) get a new wingman, 2) hire a new publicist, 3) hit the little white dimpled ball and 4) shut-up. Seriously, just stop talking and play golf.

It seems Tiger’s isn’t a sex addict; he’s an attention junkie. He isn’t so much addicted to sex as he is addicted to admiration. Tiger’s ego supersedes his libido.

Double-digit mistresses fed both. A few weeks after being released from rehab and announcing his first professional appearance would be the Masters, Woods admitted that, “It would be nice to here a couple of claps here and there.”

Tiger just can’t quit…himself. Pre-scandal, his narcissism was glorious, defensible by his amazing athleticism, winning record and praised by the world. Post-scandal, his narcissism is notorious, escalated by the audacity and necessity to exploit his patriarchal bond to try to repair his reputation. He needs publicity-rehab.

Applause and a restored public image will bring him redemption, not forgiveness.

Beneath his brawny resilience, I get the impression he is insecure. Maybe one day he’ll figure out that cheers from the crowd may give him greatness but will not bring him happiness. He has to provide that for himself. It’s called SELF-esteem for a reason.

Happy Birthday Billie Holiday!

Billie Holiday (1915-1959) is a legendary Jazz ancestor. A live recording of her music from a 1956 performance in New York city has been finally uncovered., originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos.

Ninety-five years ago, on April 7th, 1915, Eleanora Fagan was born. By 1929, Billie Holiday began to come alive.

Each year on Lady Day’s birthday, WKCR 89.9FM NY, Columbia University’s student run radio station, broadcasts 24hrs of her music. The birthday party starts at midnight April 7th and continues until midnight April 8th.

WKCR is committed to jazz programming and does it ever deliver! I learned about the Billie Holiday birthday broadcast in my Twitter stream. I clicked on the Mp3 link on the station’s website which opened the channel in my iTunes. The DJs read the liner notes from the recordings, giving ‘props’ to the ‘alligators’ (alligator was the nickname jazz musicians called each other). Jazz DJ and historian Phil Schaap commandeered the controls this afternoon and provided a more extensive account of Holiday’s music, personal history and other fascinating jazz anecdotes.

As I listened to this auditory delicacy streaming live online, I was reminded of WEBR’s “Jazz in the Nighttime” Buffalo’s longest-lasting jazz program hosted by Al Wallack. Those were the days when live performances were featured from some of  the Queen City’s greatest jazz venues.

Then federal government cuts in funding crimped the jazz style and “Jazz in the Nighttime” faded into glory.

WKCR regularly features Birthday Broadcasts, Memorial Broadcasts and other jazz tributes. You can read more about the WKCR jazz programming and history here.

The next jazz Birthday Broadcast is April 22, celebrating the 88th birth-anniversary of Charles Mingus.

I’ll have to remember to bring a cupcake and a candle.

TheLoop21.Com Partners with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.

Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Sorority, Inc. and TheLoop21.com have collaborated to launch “2010 Economic Survey of Black America,” an online survey which will aim to assess the consumerism of Black Americans. You can read more about it here.

Social and economic empowerment is endemic to the mission of many Black Greek organizations. Partnering with a Black Greek-letter organization may likely help to ensure participation and engage Black low-wage earners, collegians and professionals.

Participants will be asked questions relevant to local and global economic status as well as subsequent fiscal impact as well as be eligible for prizes and giveaways.

The survey will launch at April 9 and continue through April 23rd.