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Michelle Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton will headline the first two nights pf the Democratic National Convention, accordng to a statement from the Convention organizers. The Convention will take place August 25-28 in Denver, Colorado. As is customary, the Vice-Presidential nominee will speak on the 27th and Obama will make his nomination acceptance speech on the last night of the convention at the city's famous Mile-High stadium. The Obama campaign also announced that supporters can sign up by email or text message to receive advance notice of who Obama's pick for Vice President will be.
Sen. Clinton's speech will coincide with the 88th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the US constitution, which gave women the right to vote. Since 1971, that date, August 26, has been known as Women's Equality Day. Sen. Obama's acceptance speech will coincide with the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech at the 1963 March on Washington.
As expected, Sen. John Edwards name is not on the speakers' list. According to news reports, former President Clinton will speak on the third night as well.
At Corrente, there is a discussion about the possibility that Clinton will seek to have her name placed in nomination at the Convention. Reportedly, Obama's campaign is trying to avoid that prospect, fearing that a floor vote will jeopardize the unified front he and Clinton have tried to portray since he clinched the nomination in June. And speaking of the goings-on in the Clinton camp, BlogHer CE Joanne Bamberger has an interesting post on the MOMocrats site about the damaging role top Clinton campaign strategist Mark Penn played in her failed Presidential bid.
Olga, who blogs at On the Trail With Barack Obama, is guessing that the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee will be Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, "but now I'm thinking it could be someone who's been very quiet."
Bloggers haven't had much to say about Michelle Obama's upcoming convention speech yet, but Carmen at Michelle Obama Watch has a roundup of some of her recent activities and press coverage, including Tyra Banks' impersonation of Obama for a Harper's Bazaar photoshoot.
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Although it's not related, I couldn't let today pass without noting the death of Isaac Hayes, one of the great soul musicians of the age. Hayes died this afternoon at the age of 65, apparently of natural causes. A self-taught musician, he was an architect of the "Memphis sound" which gave rise to 60s music icons such as Sam and Dave, Booker T & the MGs, and Otis Redding. In the late 60s and early 70s, he transformed soul music with his extended, blues and funk-inflected takes on pop standards as "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" and "Walk on By," His critically and commercially acclaimed soundtrack for Gordon Park's movie "Shaft" is widely considered a masterpiece.
Later in his career, he became an actor, appearing in such films as "Hustle and Flow," "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" and "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka." He acquired a new generation of television fans after voicing the character Chef in "South Park." His latest film, "Soul Men," with Samuel L. Jackson and the late Bernie Mac, is scheduled for release in November.
This afternoon, I noted on my blog that this was yet another story that seemed to move first on twitter even as mainstream media were assembling their stories.
In parting, here's a couple of videos. One shows Hayes, aka "Black Moses" at his height, and the other is a reminder of his impact on popular culture in the 1970s. Enjoy.
