Usher Plans A "For Ladies Only" Tour

Usher is preparing a tour for ladies only. The R&B singer tells the Associated Press he will soon announce details of his "One Night Stand" tour. He said specific dates are still being worked out for about 15 "intimate" venues.

Asked why he wanted to perform a "ladies only" tour, Usher said he relishes the challenge.

"There's only a few artists that can pull that off," said the 29-year-old singer. "I feel like I've had such a connection with my audience. This album, I felt like, was definitely the type of one that was more intimate. So what better way to get up close and personal than to make it all women?"

Last year, Usher married Tameka Foster and the couple had a son, Usher Raymond V. Though now a family man, Usher hasn't relinquished his sex symbol status."The ladies like to see that masculine build," he said. "They question if I still got it."

To go with the theme, Usher is also planning his own line of lingerie and men's undergarments. He already has a fragrance and cologne.Usher, who's working on a video for his new single "Trading Places," will perform at the National Football League's annual kickoff concert tomorrow (Sept. 4) in New York along with Keith Urban and Natasha Bedingfield.

America's Next Top Model Premieres...

For those of you that have been patiently awaiting the return of the long over-run series of "models are really dumb" aka America's Next Top Model... wait no more. You're favorite honey flavored diva Tyra Banks is back and this time, with a little twist.

Seems that Ms. Banks probably got wind that the show wasn't doing too hot, so she added in a splash of flavor dressed in drag, also known as contestant Isis. From looking at trailers for this season, it actually might make for great t.v. I think I might just watch this season. Yes, I know I just dogged it out, but I love good dumb television... what can I say, I'm American!

ANTM Premiere's tonight 8 p.m. EST.

Bristol "Pete" Palin Strikes Again

More pictures of Bristol "Pete" Palin are surfacing, and I swear John McCain has got to be wondering what the *uck did he get himself into. It seems that young Bristol, like every other teenager has posted pics on the net with boozing and such. I see she not only loves to indulge in the flesh, but she loveth the booze and the guns. Sounds like something straight out of the trailer parks don't it? No offense to those of you who live in one, but it is what it is. I guess her actions can't be too much different than those Bush twins huh? Way to follow suit young lady!

Sneak Of Da Week: Adidas ZX 800 Footpatrol

If I could have a pair of these in every color combination I would. I've always been a fan of Adidas sneaks and I always will be. Sure, most say that all of their shoes look the same just in different flavors; And you may be right. But that's the good thing about them. Well, for me it is. I don't need a large variation of sneaks in my closet. Give me the same low-mid top sneak but switch up the color scheme and I'm straight.

London's Footpatrol crew knows the importance of the adidas ZX series and its relevance within UK sport and fashion. Taking the ZX 800 - a key model as their 'F' position in the A to ZX alphabet, the aqua blue, yellow and purple will immediately resonate with connoisseurs who remember the definitive ZX 8000 colourway. And where the ZX 800's reflective forefoot patterns cemented the design's appeal, here, all the blue of the upper shines in the right light, completed by a neoprene material application and a logo lace jewel for an intelligent moment of reflection on the shoe's undeniable impact on UK subcultures.

Akon In Court For Assault On Fan

Akon will go to trial on criminal charges he tossed a fan offstage at a concert last summer in New York. The 35-year-old singer is accused of tossing a teenager off the stage during a June 2007 concert at a minor league baseball stadium near Poughkeepsie. Another concertgoer said she suffered a concussion when the boy landed on her.

Akon asked for the jury trial in Fishkill Town Court on Wednesday. He's due back in court Dec. 1. He pleaded not guilty in December to misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a minor and second-degree harassment, a violation.

True indeed, he shouldn't have been tossing anybody off of a stage, and I'm still trying to figure out why the boy just didn't leave the stage the normal way. But if you go to a concert shouldn't you be aware of what's happening? It's like going into a mosh pit and suing the band because you got stomped the hell out. You knew what you were getting into before you went. If there are hoards of people around you, expect the unexpected!

Blind Item~ Cheater Cheater Pumpkin Eater!

Before stardom, she was involved in very shady and illegal stuff with a relative. She broke away but the relative refused to give up the lure of the streets and quick cash. The relative decided to support her claim to fame. A few years later, our star hit it big, real big!

Needless to say, the relative felt slighted when our star distanced herself from her due to her shady dealings and gangsta friends.

Our star would hook up with a muscle bound non-white action hero actor. They would carry on a discreet sexual relationship until he caught her cheating.

Apparently, all of the men she has been involved with say she’s not faithful, she seems to have a big problem with fidelity despite glowing press reports about her devotion in relationships. Rumors have it that she’s also stepping out on her current significant other behind his back. When the urge hits, which is often, she cheats!

Who is she and who is the action hero?

Hint: Very famous

Who Is Tristan Wilds?

I'm sure that there are quite a few of you out there wondering who this fresh faced cutie is right? If you don't know him, then where have you been? Tristan Wilds is best known for his role on the hit HBO series "The Wire" as Michael Lee. But he's got a new gig now.

Ya'll remember “Beverly Hills, 90210,” from back in the day, where the whole cast was white and not one chocolate or cinnamon speck littered the bunch? Well those days are gone; Enter Tristan Wilds.

Tristan who is half Dominican and black says, "I get offered a lot of black roles, because apparently I don’t look Latino enough,” He made his debut last night in a lead role, as Dixon Wilson, in the CW revival “90210.”

The son of a Dominican mother and black father, Wilds, who is from Staten Island, NY, has been acting since he was seven but didn't start acting professionally until 2003. Next month, you can see him in movie theaters in “The Secret Life of Bees,” co-starring Queen Latifah, an adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd’s book about racism and segregation in the ’60s.

Meanwhile, he’s having a blast working on the updated, more provocative version of “Beverly Hills, 90210,” the show that all but invented TV teen drama.

“We are a close cast. It’s like a fraternity, like being back in school,” he says. His character, a teenager with behavioral problems, ends up adopted by an Irish family in Kansas and given a second chance. “They basically save him,” says Wilds. “And then he has to adapt to life in Beverly Hills when the family moves to California to take care of an alcoholic grandmother.”

Wilds, who stands 5 feet 11 and is beautifully tanned, can light up a room with his sunny smile and dimples ? just like his character.

The original “Beverly Hills, 90210,” which ran for 10 years, had kids dealing with a host of issues, including abortion, addiction, eating disorders, homosexuality — even mother/daughter fashion shows gone horribly wrong. To prepare for the role, Wilds had to watch the full run of the original show, but found it too female-oriented for his taste. “I keep my manhood intact,” he says, only half-joking.

Wilds says he expects the new show to be edgier, wilder and more in tune with the experiences of today’s teens. He is one of two nonwhite cast members. The other is half-Ecuadoran Michael Steger, who plays Navid Shirazi, a high-school journalist of Iranian descent.

Wilds says he likes the weather and the beaches out West, but there are some things about New York he just can’t get off his mind.

“I love L.A. — don’t get me wrong. But I miss everything about New York,” he says. “I don’t eat cheese, but I miss the smell of pizza in the city. I’m a really big fan of Latino food.” What he really wants, he says, is “to go back home and have some good arroz con pollo.”

Stevie Wonder Honored By Library Of Congress

The Library of Congress loves Stevie Wonder. The Washington, D.C., instutition has tapped the 26-time Grammy winner to receive the second-ever Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, which was established to honor the career achievements of singers, songwriters and composers whose work has helped champion popular music as an art form while serving as a cultural touchstone that unites disparate groups around the world.

Wonder, fresh from a main-stage performance at the Democratic National Convention in Denver last week, is due to receive the award Feb. 23, 2009 at a ceremony held in the Library's Great Hall. A concert is in the works for the following night.

As part of the prize, the 58-year-old artist, whose 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life was added to the National Recording Registry in 2005, will also receive a musical commission from the Library of Congress, a gig offered in the past to composers such as Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein.

"It’s an immense privilege to join such a remarkable roster of musicians and composers," Wonder said in a statement. "I am touched to receive this honor, and look forward to creating music for the celebration."

Floyd Mayweather Get's Robbed For $7 Mill

So I'm hearing that Mr. Young, Fly, and Flashy, Money Mayweather himself was robbed for $7 milli. Whoever the thieves were that did this were awefully bold. One for robbing someone who has a ton of "security", and secondly, they did this in broad daylight. The perps got away with $7 million in jewelry right out of his home in Las Vegas. Mayweather has confirmed the robbery and issued a reward for $100,000.

The thieves broke into his bedroom window and got busy when the boxer wasn’t home. Apparently, the house wasn’t armed, there were no cameras and no guards. Now there are. You would think that someone so flashy with his wealth would be completely protected! I'm thinking it's someone from his own camp. Honestly, because he's known for throwing fake money when he comes here to Atlanta, and I'm sure it's his boys throwing that fake money and pocketing the real stuff. So it's all a conspiracy to me. I get it from my friend who is a conspiracy theorist to the max!!! LOL!!!

To cash in on the reward or help with the crime, check out Sherbrooke, Jelan and Associates at (678) 457-5858 or (404) 786-1321. You can even remain anonymous

Jeezy Get's Out The Vote

In celebration of the release of his new album titled, "The Recession", Atl rapper Young Jeezy has added a voter awareness to the line-up of events to celebrate it's release. This is Jeezy's third solo album which came out yesterdayc(September 2).

In addition to a full day of events in his hometown of Atlanta, including an in-store appearance, concert and star-studded release party, it was announced that Jeezy and his CTE label mates and staff will host a voter registration drive on Thursday (September 4).

The CTE Voter Registration drive will be held from 5pm-8pm at Sean "Diddy" Combs’ Justin’s Restaurant, which is located at 2200 Peachtree Road in the posh Buckhead section of Atlanta.

In addition to encouraging fans and others in the local community to take part in the electoral process, Jeezy, who turns 31 in October, will also join in the process, by registering to vote for the very first time during this year’s presidential election.

In support of The Recession, Def Jam Records and CTE will also host a special Jeezy performance tonight (September 3) on Wednesday at the Tabernacle, bringing home a hectic promotional run which has seen the Def Jam trap star traveling across the country in the last two weeks.

Tiger Woods Expecting Second Baby

Although the golf season is done for the year, Tiger Woods found something to celebrate Tuesday: His wife is pregnant with their second child.

Woods said on his Web site that Elin is expecting in late winter without being more specific on a due date. He has not played since his U.S. Open victory in June, and two weeks later had reconstructive surgery on his left knee that put him out for the year. Woods’ first child, daughter Sam, was born the Monday after the 2007 U.S. Open.

“Elin is feeling great and we are both thrilled,” Woods said. “While my injury has been disappointing and frustrating, it has allowed me to spend a lot of time watching Sam grow. I can’t begin to tell you how rewarding it is being a dad and spending time with her and Elin. “The injury has been a blessing and a disappointment.”

The world No. 1 player has begun rehabilitation and has traveled recently to Dubai and New York for business projects. Woods had said after he married in 2004 that he wanted more than one child. Woods was an only child, while Elin has a twin sister.

Jay Z Responds To Foxy Brown and Teairra Mari

Within the last few months, rap mogul Jay-Z has come under fire from two ladies who looked up to him and had major respect for him. Those two ladies being two former protoge's of Jay's, Foxy Brown and Teairra Mari. Jay-Z found himself the target of strong criticism from ladies and after all that, we all waited for Jay to respond... and now he finally has.

During a recent interview with AllHipHop.com, Jay-Z replied to the accusations levied at him by both artists, whom he personally signed during his reign as CEO of Roc-A-Fella and President of Def Jam.

“As far as Foxy or Teairra Marì, these are people that I have given chances to. It’s understandable that they would be upset, but you got to look at it from my point of view as well,” Jay-Z told AllHipHop.com. "I gave Teairra Marì the same shot I gave Rihanna. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.”

Foxy also was just on the cover of XXL magazine, and inside, she talked about the lack of support or even communication from Jay during her incarceration. Emphasizing that everyone else in her circle made time besides him.

“There are times when I just really needed him and he just wasn’t there,” a disappointed Foxy disclosed. “That broke my heart more than anything. When they sent me to jail, I just knew he would be there, everyone came. But he never showed up.”

R&B upstart Tierra Marì is equally upset at Jay’s absence from her career. In a July interview with AllHipHop.com, Marì expressed her hurt that the man she called a "father figure" would not even call to let her know she was being dropped from Roc-A-Fella Records. Jay-Z defended his actions from the perspective of a businessman.

“You know that stuff is going to happen, eventually it’s going to happen,” Jay-Z told AllHipHop.com. “What I’m happy about is, that no matter what people say, no one has ever said that I am dishonest or that I have taken one dime from them…I’ve never cheated anyone out of a dime. No one’s ever said that, right?”

Way to defend yourself Jay!

Ludacris Keeps It Movin

Ludacris has going to have his hands full come this fall. He's in the process of completing the final tracks for his sixth Disturbing Tha Peace/Def Jam album, "Theater of the Mind," due Oct. 21, and that month will also yield co-starring roles in "Max Payne" (Oct. 17), adapted from the popular videogame, and Guy Ritchie's "RocknRolla" (Oct. 31).

I know it feels good to Luda to have things going so well for him. His album career has never really faltered, and his acting career seems to be taking off really well. Congrats homeboi!

Ne-Yo Tells R Kelly... Double Up Homie!

Ne-Yo is showing that big Cheshire Cat smile of his real big right about now. The R&B star has scored a nice payday for being dumped from R. Kelly's road show last year. A Los Angeles judge has ordered Kelly's promoter to pony up $700,320 to the "Because of You" Grammy winner.

Ne-Yo went to court in December, alleging he was bounced from the Double Up tour because his opening set was getting better reaction from fans and critics than Kelly's. The bill also featured Keyshia Cole and J. Holiday.

Superior Court Judge Malcolm Mackey made his default judgment after Georgia-based Rowe Entertainment refused to respond to the lawsuit filed by Ne-Yo under his real name, Shaffer Smith.

Per his suit, Ne-Yo was supposed to earn $785,000 on the 25-date jaunt, but the 25-year-old performer was canned by Rowe after the second show on Nov. 15 and only received a fraction of the contracted amount.

At the time, the promoter blamed the dismissal on Ne-Yo's camp for not completing the proper paperwork.

There was no immediate comment from either Ne-Yo or Rowe on the judge's ruling. Kelly was not named as a defendant in the suit.

It's shaping up to be a big month for the rising star, whose third studio album, Year of the Gentleman, drops Sept. 16.

She Said What? Cindy McCain On Governor Palin's Foreign Policy Experience

I'm am completely not surprised by this. Cindy McCain did an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, and try to give testament as to the experience in foreign policy and national security that Gov. Palin brings to the table.

When asked about Palin's national security experience, Cindy McCain could not come up with anything beyond the fact that, after all, her state is right next to Russia. "You know, the experience that she comes from is, what she has done in government -- and remember that Alaska is the closest part of our continent to Russia." <----ARE YOU SERIOUS CINDY???

Yeah, I'm convinced that the Republicans already know that they've lost the fight so they're just saying anything to bring attention to themselves. Even if it means slitting their own throats in the process. Cindy my dear... stick to looking good and being the perfect little Barbie wife that McCain wants. Just look good... DON'T SPEAK!

Fox 5 Fires Back At Solange's Outburst

This is hilarious! Ya'll saw last week where I posted the interview that Solange did with Fox 5 News and how she attempted to let the chick interviewing her have it. Well today, this video of two other anchors doggin Solange out was posted. Dude is funny as hell. He told Solange to "stop gravy traning off your sister and do your own career"... that is classic!

Jacksonville's Richard Collier Fights For His Life

Ok... Football really needs to hurry up and get started because these football players are getting in to too much trouble. Last week, I gave you the story on Jacksonville's Wide Receiver Dennis Northcutt supposedly having his baby mama beat up by his cousin. Now, Jacksonville's offensive tackle, Richard Collier is in a Jacksonville hospital fighting for his life right now.

The 26 year old Collier and former teammate Kenneth Pettway were waiting in a car outside an apartment building when a gunman shot into the vehicle, said Jacksonville Sheriff's Office spokesman Ken Jefferson. Collier was shot several times but it's not clear where he was hit.

The shooting happened around 2:45 a.m. in a middle-to upper class neighborhood just west of downtown Jacksonville. Collier was in critical condition at Shands Jacksonville Medical Center, a hospital official said. The motive behind the attack was unclear, and the sheriff's office was investigating.

Tyson Beckford Get's Nekkid!

*SIGH*... there are no words! None that can thoroughly express the emotions running through my body by looking at this waste of a beautiful black man.

Model Tyson Beckford attended a Marie Claire cocktail party in Australia over the weekend and for some strange and oddly inappropriate reason, decided that he wanted to show his goodies, along with that unshaven pubic region that should have been under wraps! I'm officially convinced that we have lost him to the dark side ladies! And what the hell kind of party for Marie Clair were you at that had ya'll getting naked? There was a time when I would literally salivate just looking at this man... those days are looooooooooong gone! He's still fine though!

Bobby Brown In Love Again

Ahhh, to be in love. I'm sure it's a wonderful thing for those who truly want it; and apparently Bobby Brown still wants love. Bobby recently declared his love for his manager/girlfriend Alicia Etheredge to Sister 2 Sister Magazine saying, "That one, the relationship is gonna work 'cause I'm gonna make it work."

It hasn't quite been stated when and actually if the two will walk down the aisle, but Ms. Etheredge has been quoted as saying, "I think that Bobby is a big romantic and really does believe in love. His parents are still married after all these years and I think that he will find that again."

Bobby and Whitney divorced after 14 years of marriage. So we'll see if this one pans out to be something good.

The King of Voiceovers Has Passed Away

Most of us only knew him as "that dude with the voice that does all of the movie trailers and previews", while others dubbed him as the "King of Voiceovers". But his name was Don LaFontaine, and he passed away Monday afternoon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. LaFontaine's agent, Vanessa Gilbert, tells Entertainment Tonight that he passed away following complications from Pneumothorax, the presence of air or gas in the pleural cavity, the result of a collapsed lung. The official cause of death has not yet been released.

Over the past 25 years, LaFontaine cemented his position as the "King of Voiceovers." Aside from being the preeminent voice in the movie trailer industry, Don also worked as the voice of Entertainment Tonight and The Insider, as well as for CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox and UPN, in addition to TNT, TBS and the Cartoon Network. By conservative estimates, he voiced hundreds of thousands of television and radio spots, including commercials for Chevrolet, Pontiac, Ford, Budweiser, McDonalds, Coke, and many other corporate sponsors.

He recently parodied himself on a series of national television commercials for Geico. At last count, he has worked on nearly 5000 films, including appearances as the in-show announcer for the Screen Actors Guild and Academy Awards. Based on contracts signed, he has the distinction of being perhaps the single busiest actor in the history of SAG. Don is survived by his wife -- singer/actress Nita Whitaker, and three children: Christine, Skye and Elyse

Healthy Eating: Blackberry Yogurt Cheesecake Parfait

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes(plus overnight for yogurt to drain)

Chill time: 4 hours

Nutrition Score per serving: (½ cup yogurt cheese, ¾ cup berries, 2 cookies): 302 calories, 2 g fat (7% of calories), 1 g saturated fat, 54 g carbs, 16 g protein, 6 g fiber, 531 mg calcium, 2 mg iron, 297 mg sodium

Ingredients

4 cups lowfat plain yogurt

3 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 gingersnap cookies

3 cups fresh blackberries *If you can't find blackberries, use strawberries

Directions

The night before (or up to three days ahead), make yogurt cheese. Place two paper cone coffee filters over two large mugs or small bowls. Put 2 cups of yogurt into each filter and place both in the refrigerator overnight. The liquid will drain out, leaving approximately 1 cup of thick yogurt cheese in each. Discard the liquid. Combine ½ cup of the yogurt cheese, honey, and vanilla in a bowl. Mix thoroughly with a whisk. Add the remaining yogurt cheese and mix until combined.

In each of four parfait glasses or large wineglasses, alternate layers of yogurt cheese and berries, starting and ending with yogurt cheese. Serve immediately, or cover and chill up to 4 hours. Before serving, garnish each parfait with 2 gingersnap cookies.

Meagan Good Helps Her BF Thomas Jones Celebrate His Birthday

Fresh off of her own birthday celebration earlier in the month of August, actress Meagan Good came back to the NY to help her NFL pro football player boyfriend Thomas Jones of the NY Jets, celebrate his. The couple looked very happy and had a great time while celebating Thomas' birthday at the Guest House in NYC.

50 Cent Destroys A Nice Song... You Won't Believe It!

*sigh*... OK!!! I'm soooooooo tired of everybody re-doing everybodies damn songs! Yet and still, here is another. This time, 50 has been bitten by the biting bug! Say that 5 times fast. Anyways, 50 gives his rendition of T-Pains I Can't Believe it. Only his is titled, You Won't Believe it. This -ish is straight up Garbage. I don't even know why T-Pain let this dude murder this song like this.

50 Cent and T-Pain~ You Won't Believe It

Soulja Boy Signs First White Rapper and Attacked By Hackers

The rap sensation, a teenie bop cutie, Soulja Boy Tell Em, recently announced the signing of White Tee to his Stacks On Deck (S.O.D)label, the first white rapper on the roster.

Soulja Boy made the official announcement while in Las Vegas for the Magic fashion tradeshow this week, where he was promoting his new line of sneakers with Yums Shoes.

"I want to introduce you to the newest artist of S.O.D. Money Gang Entertainment," the rapper said from the Yums booth. "He goes by the name of White Tee, if you ain't heard of him, you've been under a rock. His album is coming. 2009. First single droppin' at the end of 2008 on iTunes. Get the ring tone."Soulja Boy founded his S.O.D. label in 2004, under Interscope/Collipark Music labels. His roster currently includes rappers Arab, Jbar, and now White Tee.

In other Soulja Boy news, the rapper's official pages on MySpace and YouTube -- both of which boast hundreds of thousands of views and friends -- were hacked.

The hacker messaged the rapper in hopes of extorting money, but Soulja Boy didn't give to the threats."My sh** got hacked," Soulja Boy said in a video blog posted on Monsay (August 24). "N****s send me a message on MySpace saying 'I got your sh**, send me $2,500 is you want it back.' I texted him back 'F*** you bitch, do what you do.' After that, he deleted all my sh**. I was like, 'Well damn, the n**** wasn't bluffing.'

"After losing control of his MySpace page, the rapper's label contacted the social networking site, who reset the passwords and returned control back to Soulja Boy.However, as far as his YouTube page, Soulja Boy was able to get his page back, thanks to a fan. Once the rapper told the hackers he wasn't paying, they send messages to all the rapper's friends, giving away his passwords for free.One fan, a 12-year-old, got a hold of the passwords and locked the rapper's YouTube page, so no one would do any further damage."He locked it for me. He was like 'Soulja Boy, I'm your fan. I didn't wanna f*** up your YouTube page,' the rapper said.Needless to say, Soujla Boy's social networking pages have been recovered, and he's back to posting blogs and videos.

Sarah Palin's 17 Yr Old Pregnant

Well well well. What have we here? Governor Sarah Palins 17 year old daughter is pregnant. But what's even more strange is the fact that despite this bit of information, Sen. John McCain knew that the Alaska Gov. teenage daughter was pregnant when he picked her for his running mate - he had learned about it in a private conservation with Palin last week, according to McCain's chief campaign strategist.

But campaign chief Steve Schmidt, calling it a "private family matter,'' says the campaign only decided to disclose the pregnancy when "smear'' rumors started surfacing on the Internet. He suggested somewhat ruefully today that once word got out, the media could not be trusted to handle the matter with "decency.'' It should have no bearing either on the race or Palin's ability to serve as vice president, he said.

"Life happens in families,'' Schmidt told reporters crowding around him in the basement of the arena where the Republican National Convention is opening today. "If people try to politicize this, the American people would be appalled by it.''

The campaign was forced to disclose the information, the manager suggested in his talk with reporters here. "We knew that Gov. Palin's daughter was pregnant,'' Schmidt said, "and there were frankly a lot of disturbing, nasty smears moving around on the Internet.'' So the family decided to issue a statement today. "You have hope on issues like this that our very coarse media culture will act with some level of decency,'' he said. "The fact is that's probably a naïve view.''

The campaign also knew that Palin's husband Todd, a commercial fishermen, had been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol 24 years ago, Schmidt said, and also decided that should have no bearing on her candidacy.

McCain learned about the pregnancy in a private meeting with Palin, Schmidt said. "It was a private conversation. Sen. McCain was aware of this private family matter... He became aware of it last week.'' Schmidt wouldn't specify whether Palin volunteered the information, but he did agree that it would have been an inappropriate question for McCain to ask Palin - indeed perhaps an "illegal'' question in the course of a "job interview.'' The campaign is playing it as a private matter that was disclosed today and will not be raised again. "The children deserve to be left alone,'' Schmidt said. "Her daughter has made a decision to have this child. She'll get married. Like any young couple with a child, it's hard.... "She's proud of her family and she loves her daughter''

Will the daughter's pregnancy have any bearing on Palin's ability to serve as McCain's running mate?"I think your question is offensive,'' Schmidt said to a reporter asking the question. "It's a private family matter. The notion that that would bear on her capacity to be vice president is demeaning. I don't think you would ask that question if she was a man.''