Is CNN's Soledad O'Brien On Her Way Out?

Numerous outlets are reporting that veteran CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien is on the chopping block.

The era of Jeff Zucker begins.

The former NBC executive became the president of the struggling cable news network. His first mission is to clean house. As president of CNN, Zucker made it clear that he wants CNN to be on top. With his network struggling in ratings, he's finding the old guard isn't feasible, so he's letting go of the familiar faces.

In the early months, Zucker canned John King, James Carville, Bill Bennett, Mary Matlin, and Erick Erickson. He hired former ABC reporters Jake Tapper, Chris Cuomo and is gunning for Ann Curry (once NBC lets her go)!

With this new vision, some heads will roll. Erin Burnett's primetime program canceled. He wants to put her in the morning spot. So that was done and it left Soledad O'Brien without a spot.

So what's left for her?

The possibility of quitting the network she's been on for nearly 8 years.

The New York Post reports Soledad O’Brien is on her way out at CNN as new boss Jeff Zucker moves Erin Burnett into her morning slot.

We’re told award-winning journalist O’Brien has indicated she is ready to leave after she was initially promised a plum prime-time slot, but that role has so far failed to materialize.

A source tells us: “The deal to move Erin to the morning alongside Chris Cuomo is basically done. Soledad had been told she’d get a prime-time slot, but that hasn’t yet happened, and now she is telling friends she is likely to leave.”

The source added, “Soledad is talented at producing in-depth, serious pieces of journalism, and is a tough interviewer. That doesn’t seem to fit the direction the network is going.”

Another source added, “Soledad is a big star, and would only stay for the right show. There’s word there will be a flurry of announcements at CNN very soon, including Erin’s move to the morning.”

O’Brien jumped from NBC to CNN in 2003, anchoring “American Morning,” and then moved on to anchoring specials. She’s anchored the current morning show, “Starting Point,” since January of last year.

She said in a recent interview that she was sure she would not be hosting a lighter morning show once Zucker, her former boss at NBC, took the reins. “I’m fairly confident that I’m not going to be cooking salmon and doing fashion shows on CNN,” she told the Times.

She added, “Listen, I have been doing this gig for a while. People go crazy with speculation every time there’s a shift in leadership. I can’t comment on every rumor, but so far I’ve read reports on me, Anderson [Cooper], Piers [Morgan], Ann Curry and Erin Burnett, and all that’s clear to me is that somebody’s busy dialing Page Six.”

Soledad, who fronted documentaries “Black in America” and “Latino in America,” was a favorite of former CNN Worldwide president Jim Walton, who stepped down at the end of last year. A CNN rep said, “We don’t comment on speculation.”

Lou Myers Passes Away!

Lou Myers played Mr. Gaines on sitcom A Different World.

A Different World was a sitcom spin off of The Cosby Show. It followed Denise Huxtable to a historically Black college. As Denise explores college she meets Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert. They would later become friends. Denise Huxtable was played by Lisa Bonet. Bonet appeared only on the first season of A Different World.  Dwayne was played by Kadeem Hardison. Whitley was played by Jasmine Guy.

Voice actress Cree Summer, media mogul Jada Pickett-Smith, actresses Charnele Brown and Karen Malina White would later join the show.

One character who made an impact on the sitcom was Lou Myers who had the role of Mr. Gaines, a wise and yet often crafty owner of The Pitt Diner.He played the mentor of Kimberly Reese, Freddie Brooks, Lena James and Charmaine Tyesha Brown.

Lou Myers died today according to the Associated Press. TMZ reports that the actor died on February 19 at Charleston Medical Center in West Virginia after undergoing a heart-related emergency and falling into a coma. He had previously been hospitalized in December for pneumonia. AP reports that Myers was 76 years-old.

"A Different World" ran from 1987 to 1993 in which the characters attended a historically black university.

Myers starred on the show alongside Lisa Bonet and Jada Pinkett. In his later years, Myers would also make memorable appearances in numerous other television shows and films such as "The Wedding Planner," "How Stella Got Her Groove Back," "Tin Cup" and "All About the Andersons."

Myers is survived by his mother and a son.

Forrest Whitaker Racially Profiled

Obama Is Chasing A "Tiger" Through The Woods!

This is how the American conservative media treats the president .

Conservatives quickly attacked the president for not allowing the press to watch him on a golf outing with famed golfer Tiger Woods.

The very same conservatives who whine about the media being "in the tank" for President Barack Obama are gleeful that they weren't invited to the private outing.

President Barack Obama took a weekend off while First Lady Michelle Obama and his daughters Malia and Sasha were spending a week in Colorado with friends.

Of course, conservatives are livid about the president taking vacations. Even though the president has taken less than 50 vacations, to conservatives one vacation is too many for them.

Limbaugh riled up over the president taking a golf outing. He wasn't invited to the gathering so I guess he concludes that sexual misdeeds are afoot since President Obama is with Tiger Woods.

Rush Limbaugh, the big voice on the right, and anchor around the neck of the Republican Party has some choice words for the president.

“By the way, there are some in the Drive-Bys (and we have the evidence coming up) who are not happy that Obama invited Tiger while Moochelle is half a continent away with the children.  It’s a guy’s weekend, and there’s Tiger in there, and there are no cameras. So there are some people in the media, particularly over at CNN, who are very, very worried about this.”

“Not us here at the EIB Network. It never crossed our minds. I saw a busload of women when I was out yesterday on 95.  I was up as far as Jupiter, and I did see a busload of women heading north on 95.  Now, I had no idea where it was going.  It was the afternoon. It was after, like, three o’clock. (interruption) No, no, no, Snerdley! I’m not leveling any accusations, but I did see a busload of women. (interruption)  No, Clinton’s not there. Well, that’s a good question.  I don’t think Clinton’s in town.  Anyway, hee-hee, we have the evidence coming up.”

“Tiger’s a one percenter! The fear of the photo op had nothing to do with the fact that Tiger’s had a whole bunch of different girlfriends. [You see] if you are a successful, national-level politician – and Obama claims to be that – then you can’t afford to hang around with people who aren't going to give you money. You must hang around with the wealthy. But you don’t want pictures of it — because that just rams it down the throats of the middle class — that you actually aren't one of them, and that you don’t want to be one of them, and that you don’t want to hang out with them. I think it’s safe to say, folks, that Obama’s now spent more time with Tiger Woods than he has with the Republican leadership.”

In Limbaugh's tirade it's basically a consideration that the president must be cheating on the First Lady since he's associated with Woods.

In 2010, Tiger Woods admitted he had numerous affairs with women while he was married to his wife. Woods is permanently tarnished by the scandal and kept a low profile during the last few years.

After emerging from the shame to reclaiming his glory, Woods is spirited and willing to take another swing.

But conservatives aren't done with him nor the president.

Sean Hannity spent Monday night on his program bashing the president on his golf outing. He claims that the president spent 106 days at the golf course and is spending "our hard earned" tax dollars on the "rock star" life.

So in other words, insert a "racial slur", an Obama name toss and a few Tiger Woods jokes and there you have it! Another conservative themed conspiracy theory about the president.

Tiger Woods meets President Obama at The White House.

It's often times very funny to see how far they'll go to pull in ratings. Profit rage is helping Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Fox News, Sean Hannity, Michelle Malkin, Herman Cain and Bill O'Reilly get them fat checks.

The continue to profit off of the ignorance of their supporters.

The Republicans really need to put some distance from these individuals.

It's funny that Rush Limbaugh talks the dirty about Tiger Woods. This windbag was married more than four times. His current wife is in her mid thirties and probably cheated on her .

Limbaugh has no room to talk.

But his "stans" will dismiss this as another attempt by the radical liberal elite to tarnish a great man's success as a radio host. A man who spends approximately three hours in a studio somewhere in the basement of his huge mansion.

Yeah, President Barack Obama is entitled to vacations. What he does in his private life isn't the public's business.

He's the President of the United States, and never in my day I've seen such nastiness and racial undertones from this particular person. Barack Obama may have opened Pandora's box of ignorance and hate.

Last month, Rush Limbaugh and Fox News were livid about the president's New Republic interview. He told the writer Chris Hughes that if the Republicans want to continue to lose, follow the strategy of Rush Limbaugh and Fox News. The president wants the Republicans to dismiss these figures in the conservative media.

Racist Slaps Black Baby...

Is Facebook On The Decline?

Has Facebook reached the peak? Will it head for the decline!

Yes!

Today, I offer my honest opinion on the world's largest social networking website and the potential for a mighty downfall. As Facebook reached the peak of 1 billion active users, the world's largest social networking website has finally "jump the shark" and the peak of its popularity!

I can testify as a member of this!

For years I wanted to be with the "IT" crowd. I wanted to be "friends" with anyone and anybody!

My family, friends, ex-girlfriends, co-workers, and even my boss were friends on Facebook. I kept in touch with them through birthdays, anniversaries, new children, deaths and celebrations. I've posted on their walls about my life and how I'm doing! The more friends I've gotten, the better I felt. It's was one of the greatest feelings to be wanted. I mean "how cool is that?"

Then I realized that I wasn't moving as fast as my friends and family. They're celebrating weddings, births, and new achievements. I haven't experienced any in the past four years. So I seen myself at a peak of jealous and depression.

Longing for the days of success, I seen myself as a failure!

Since I gotten involved in politics, sports and social issues, I let myself become a somewhat popular figure on social networks. I have talked about issues in politics, my community and the media. I done it on my YouTube page and sometimes on my Facebook page.

Some didn't like the way I talked about it! So of course, these individuals bait you into a hostile discussion. Of course I'm getting angry with a complete stranger on a social network? Kind of silly right? Well when you're exhausted all you could of the individual you block that person!

You thought it would be over!

Wrong.

Well some didn't like that! So they pretend to be a friend and you add them! And of course they start stealing your pictures and learn how you operate online! They get a hold of this and then create many phony profiles of you. Then they prowl on your friends and bait them into a hostile debate.

Then you get harass by "yourself".

"I don't care what you do!" So why would I care about Facebook and other social networks?

I grown tired of MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube!

I mainly focused on social blogs such as this one and others I've done!

Reasons for Facebook's decline!

1) Jealousy Among Friends And Family Members: Seeing your ex-lover showing off their new partner. One of your ex-lover became a first time parent and you thought it would been you! Your friend was invited to a wedding of a rival. You had a friend who shows off their new "ride"! Too many pictures of your friend's children or changes to their home. Your family members have a special relationship and your not apart of it! Family members brag about winning the lottery, new home or meeting famous celebrities.

You always thought you could of had a piece of the action!

You're not alone!

Many psychologists see that Facebook has contributed to a rise of anger, depression and resentment towards friends, family members, celebrities and politicians. To think that when you hear a person say that "Facebook is so much like high school!" you're thinking damn it's too much drama! Of course we're all human! Facebook triggers emotions. I have seen friends and family members share emotions online and it's never enough!

2) Social Networking Etiquette: How is that, LOL (Laughing Out Loud)?

You know most Americans are trying to shorting their language online. We learned that the possibilities are endless for the newest "it" word.

Many people on Facebook lack the social etiquette when it comes to issues. Some people are failing into the trap of Facebook's don'ts. For one thing, we're all human and we have emotions. We like to share things to friends, family and even complete strangers.

The most dangerous thing to do is add "everyone"! Not everyone is your friend. For far too long, I've accepted friends from across the world. Some were cool, others weren't.

The 'friends" that were accepted weren't so nice!

You set yourself for a potential of hacking into your account. Your most happiest or embarrassing pictures are going to be on a file sharing site or a porn website. A cyberbully/cyberstalker will take your pictures and make derogatory themes using Photoshop and Photo Magic.

You may find some things objectionable. Say if you're a fan of Barack Obama and your friend is a fan of Mitt Romney. You would see a bitter fall out over politics.

Say if you're speaking in abbreviation (ROFL, LOL, and LMAO), some may understand these. Others think you may have to educate yourself!

3) Mark Zuckerberg. A billionaire before 30. He and his co-founders have became exceptionally rich. But have they've become a product of the very thing they've hated! Being one of the elites?

You hear stories about the often hoodie wearing social nerd and his vast expansions. But like every citizen in this country, he's a success story. Having dropping out of Harvard to become the CEO of a major social networking company, it pretty neat.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The young billionaire urges high school students to get involved with innovation.

Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg with his college roommates and fellow Harvard University students Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes.

Last year, Zuckerberg announced that Facebook was going to trade publicly on the NASDAQ stock exchange. When the bell drop, it help propel him into an instant millionaire.

He would later marry his longtime girlfriend a few days later.

Facebook purchased photo sharing website Instagram.

The Facebook stock bust. Now people were expecting the Facebook stock to soar. It didn't. It's trading between $19 and $35 a share. Still a lot of money involved. But a major fail.

What happened?

Are you addicted to Facebook?

People are still very cautious about investing in the internet. Hence the Silicon Valley bust of 2001.

It seems like now even responding on his personal wall may cost some funds. The Wall Street Journal reported that it may cost you money to post on famous celebrities "personal" pages. It's being tested and most aren't hip to the idea.

It's always free for you to create a Facebook profile. But the added features that come with it will start costing you some cash.

Some decry this a Facebook selling out to the very heart of its existence.

4)  Randi Zuckerberg. The sister of founder Mark Zuckerberg was in the news last year. She was the chief marketing director for Facebook. She became a victim of the very thing that millions of users complained about, their privacy.

A friend of a friend saw a personal picture of her with her brother and family.

Randi was really pissed at a user using her personal photos on Twitter. She took to Twitter and responded to the user with some not so nice comments.

The woman responded back to Randi and apologized. She stated that since she's a subscriber of the feed, she (and hundreds of others) saw Randi's photo and wanted to share it.

Randi didn't see that. Although she accepted the apology, she made a snide comment afterwards.

Hence this little spat made the news. In all the fuss, the media made light of it and people labeled her a hypocrite for allowing Facebook to use pictures of others without their permission. And seeing that privacy was a major concern among parents, who's to say what's your and not Facebook's.

5) Privacy. As Randi saw it, her business isn't your business.

And that's a problem here on Facebook. With the new features on the social networking website, one could figure it's not that hard to keep your most important pictures out of the limelight.

Your job interview could go sour if the person who is doing the hiring searches on your Facebook profile and find some picture that find offensive.

You may support a political candidate but your business doesn't.

You trashed your former job, your former co-workers and your old boss. You bragged that you've gotten a job interview before you've got hired.

Your pictures of that last party where you're totally wasted.

It's all a part of the social norms you're going to regret when you post online.

Privacy advocates are trying to convince Facebook to make it harder for employers to search your profile and even obtain your passwords.

Some people are willing to take a huge risk in order to get a job. They'll allow the employer to search their profiles.

Cyberstalkers and cyberbullies love the opportunity to see a lapse in privacy. Some will steal your photos and use them for offensive themes.

6) Phony Profiles: We're only one person. Probably with the same name but different looks! Facebook has a rise of this problem. Since it's free to create a social networking page, Facebook can't stop the ongoing issue with fake profiles and bogus links to steal information.

Do you like a television show like Modern Family?

Did you like singers like Lady Gaga's Facebook page?

Did you want to post a comment on the "official" page of Labron James?

All of these profiles explained are created by their representatives to keep you informed about their appearances or events coming up! They rarely if ever be on the internet. Celebrities do have a Facebook page that stands alone without the glamour and glory. When you're on top, many want to take you down!

It's mostly MEN who create phony profiles of you!

Some men can't take "NO" for an answer! It's a famous quote for women who can't get rid of their ex-boyfriends or husbands.

Yes, this is a big issue! Some who create phony profiles never understand the consequences of it!

Some people have no lives so they'll try to ruin yours in order to make themselves feel better!

7) Breeding Ground For Hate Speech: I don't like you and your kind!

I'll create pages for hating you and those who think or look like you!

Etiquette is a theme that is commonly ignored on social networks.

When you have a disagreement with a person, do you let it go or do you jump into the fray?

Ideological changes in our society has pitted Americans into a colorblind mentality! If it didn't happen to me, why should I care?

I can tell you that there's more hate themed pages on Facebook. The freedom of speech allows these individuals to put up websites disparaging women, Blacks, Hispanics, those in LGBT community, those who practice in Christianity, Muslims or Jewish.

White supremacists and political junkies alike have taken to Facebook to vent off inflammatory rhetoric!

Many extremists online have personally vented off their hatred of President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Republican nominee Mitt Romney, New Jersey governor Chris Christie, and among others in the political arena.

8) Cyberbullying/Cyberstalking: I'm you or at least I'm pretending to be you!

I've had people use my photos without my permission. I had people create multiple Facebook profiles, YouTube profiles, Blogger pages with the intent to "shame" me, slander me and paint me to be something I'm not.

I want to make this clear: MEN ARE LIKELY THE ONES WHO ENGAGE IN THIS BEHAVIOR!

The cyberbully/cyberstalker creates emotional distress. The individual can ruin your reputation and cost you your job. Having someone posting your personal address and phone number in a fake profile is the ultimate insult. The cyberbully/cyberstalker invite problems by harassing you with personal threats and unwanted advances.

It's only funny, until someone gets hurt. And believe me it's getting worse on Facebook.

The legal ramifications are coming. Some are resulting to suing Facebook to subpoena the person who created the website.

Megan Meier, Phoebe Prince and Tyler Clementi were victims of not only bullying but cyberbullying and cyberstalking. Each of these individuals committed suicide.

9) Stock Price Tumble/Tax Breaks: The Facebook stock fail already signals the demise. When Facebook went public, many thought that this would be the new digital bubble. Alas, it wasn't!

Stock traded below the intended value and so far managed to keep above the average of $30.00 a share.

In shares, you could have $300 million if you play the stock market right!

And recently, Facebook came under scrutiny for getting a nine figure tax break. That $1.1 billion in earned revenue gave the social network $429 million.

Click it.

10) DCMA, Usage Of Pictures And Videos Without Permission: With the copyright being the center of social networking, you may end up posting someone else property on Facebook and it's likely going to have you paying royalties.

11) Who's Your "REAL" Friends: You are loved! You've felt the need to keep on adding friends. Friends of friends. People who are complete strangers. Wow, you're looking like a winner! Wait a minute!

Your best friend dropped you a friend. You sent an invite to a girl you like and she's not accepted your friend request. Oh wow, you didn't get invited to an event of a friend. Your friends missed your birthday and didn't like your important moments.

People usually get really riled up with friends dropping friends on Facebook. Somehow if you spurn someone online, it may come back to haunt you in the long run.

12) Crime: Only an idiot would post an unlawful act on Facebook. Yet, there's hundreds of people who do this. From the young woman who robbed a bank and posted on social networks to a person admitting he killed a person, Facebook is the bragging rights for criminals.

You go on a long vacation and have a picture of your home in the background. It's an invitation for a burglar.

People have the opportunity to look at a person's location marker to determine where they live or where they work.

It's like catnip to the criminals who figure since you're not at home! You bragged about having an Xbox, iPad, or Samsung digital television you got for Christmas. You leave for work or vacation and when you come home, it's gone.

13) Suicide: The most horrible thing in life is to lose a family member or a friend to a suicide. Like this is a common theme here with Facebook. It allows hate speech, cyberstalkers, cyberbullies and privacy invasions to occur online. Some people ignore it. Others let it drive them to death.

When MySpace was at its peak, Megan Meier hung herself. The young teenager killed herself after a former friend and her mother created a fake profile to lure the girl into thinking this was a boyfriend.

Phoebe Prince, a young teenager from Massachusetts killed herself after her tormentors bullied her at school and on Facebook.

Tyler Clementi was the Rutgers Student who committed suicide after his roommate and another woman broadcast online Clementi's relationship with another man to the college campus. The young man jumped off the George Washington Bridge because of it.

Facebook does create suicide for hundreds of individuals who felt the world is too cruel and they have no other option but to end it all.

In closing, Facebook also can inspire grassroots activism in the terms of suicide among those who use the website.

Many should understand the plight of Facebook and how it's impact has made social networking easier.

I say this with no regrets.

I'm taking an indefinite break from Facebook crowd. It's too much drama and I don't want to be in it!

Chicago: New Mom Killed In Urban Warfare!

Janay McFarlane was killed a few hours after her sister attended President Barack Obama's event.

We here at Journal de la Reyna send our condolences to the family of Janay McFarlene.

The president was told about another incident in his hometown. One of the children who was onstage with the president just lost her sister to another tragic gun incident in Chicago. With this being one of the 50 confirmed deaths in a two month period, the need for gun control is necessary.

The third largest city in the nation is on the verge of losing its ranking. The population of Chicago is decreasing by the negative news coverage. Gang violence is a huge problem there.

Once again, gang violence is domestic terrorism.

Since this made it through the conservative/white supremacist bubble, I already assume there will be a lot of racial slurs, Obama name dropping and blaming the Democratic Party for the woes of gun violence.

It's 24/7 for arm chair generals online. They'll figure that since it's Chicago, conservatives/white supremacists are rooting for the urban warfare. They rather see Blacks kill one another.

Mom Angela Blakely and sister Destini Warren.

President was condemning at Hyde Park Academy in Chicago.

McFarlane, of the 8900 block of South Lowe Avenue, was visiting friends and family in North Chicago when she was shot on her way to a store in the northern suburb, her family said.

She was pronounced dead at 11:30 p.m., shortly after sustaining a single gunshot wound to her head, according to the Lake County Coroner’s office.

North Chicago Police officials did not return calls for comment Saturday.

Angela Blakely, the mother of both girls, said that the family had been anticipating the President's visit to the school where Destini is a freshman.

Leading up to the visit, McFarlane frequently mentioned the recent death of Hadiya Pendleton, 15, whose own shooting death a mile from the Obama's home spurred the President's visit.

Janay and her son Jayden.

“It's terrible, it's terrible the only thing I can remember is my daughter telling me, 'Mommy, it's so sad about Hadiya. That makes no sense,'“ Blakely said. “She always asked me a lot of questions about death.”

Blakely said that McFarlane was still trying to make sense of the violence that claimed Pendleton’s life. She kept questioning why someone so innocent could die from violence.

McFarlane, who attended Hyde Park Academy before she became pregnant with her son Jayden — 3-months-old — and dropped out, was excited that her younger sister was able to attend Obama’s speech.

Destini said that during the days before the President arrived to Chicago, her sister would come by and talk to her about the visit. Destini said she last spoke to her sister on Thursday night before the younger girl went to sleep.

“She was like 'Just tell me how it's going to be.' She was excited for me,” said Destini. “ (The violence) was really wracking her because she was talking to my momma about Hadiya.”

Destini said she was sitting on a bench about two rows behind the President on stage listening as he spoke about gun violence.

“I could relate to it because that's been happening to a lot of people,” said Destini.

The speech resonated even more when her family got the call from McFarlane's father in North Chicago, who told Destini that her sister was dead, she said.

“It was like real painful,” said Destini, her voice choking back tears.

Since President Obama's speech on Friday, two people have been killed and six injured by guns in Chicago.

csadovi@tribune.com

Freelance reporter Ruth Fuller contributed.