What happened to the Huxtable Effect? Slate's David Sirota remembers when the New York Times told us that Barack Obama was the beneficiary of a "Huxtable Effect," thanks to the groundbreaking racial progress that The Cosby Show achieved in the 1980s. Now, "two and a half years into a sustained campaign by conservatives to dishonestly bill Obama as more concerned with African-Americans than with any other group," he's trying to figure out what happened.
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Maya Rudolph talks Bridesmaids movie: Maya Rudolph has played keyboards for '90s alt-pop band the Rentals, starred on Saturday Night Live for nine seasons and delivered a critically acclaimed performance in 2009's Away We Go. She's now starring in Bridesmaids (opening nationwide on today), and AOL Black Voices has an interview covering everything from her role in the movie to her craziest costumes to wedding tips for Kate Middleton. Oh, and don't skip the comments section, where readers vigorously debate whether she's trying to "pass" as white ..
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Mom defends giving 8-year-old Botox: Brittany Campbell of San Francisco — the 8-year-old aspiring pageant queen already dabbling in Botox and leg waxing — appeared with her mom on Good Morning America to talk about the extreme beauty regimen this week. The worst part: She admits the procedures hurt, but says they're worth it because afterward, she "looks way better, like, beautiful, pretty, like, all those kinds of nice words." The latest news is that the story sparked a social services investigation into the mother's actions. Good.
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Rap spoof of Obama's bin Laden remarks: Are you still thinking that the president's announcement that Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces could have used more punch? Or maybe you're wondering, in light of the Common controversy, how conservatives would react if Obama didn't just invite a rapper to the White House but actually rapped himself? Check out this spoof by one of the best impersonators around.
In other news: Etta James Hospitalized With Sepsis.