Hip-hop/fashion/all-media mogul Sean Combs tried to spread theDiddy magic even further last year with a foray into civic education -- his catchily named 'Vote or Die' effort. Now he's enduring aclassic political rite of passage: the FEC complaint!
The National Legal and Policy Center filed a complaint with theFederal Elections Commission this month against Combs ('a/k/a 'P.Diddy' or 'Puff Daddy,' ' the filing states, though everyone knowsthe Puffy thing was eons ago) claiming his Citizen Change projectstrayed from its nonpartisan mission into Democratic electioneering.The conservative ethics watchdog cited campus rallies in which celebssuch as Leonardo DiCaprio and Mary J. Blige blasted President Bushand cheered John Kerry. It also charged that the effort, with itssnazzy 'Vote or Die!' T-shirts, was geared to promote Combs'sclothing line.
NLPC President Peter Flaherty said he filed the complaint afterthe NAACP Legal Defense Fund gave Combs an award for his efforts.'That gave us some motivation to expose it.'
Yesterday, the NLPC was crowing that the FEC had agreed toinvestigate, posting a letter from the agency on its Web site. But,said an FEC spokesman, 'that goes out to everyone who files acomplaint.'
Combs's publicist declined to discuss the claims beyond an e-mailed statement: 'Citizen Change accomplished what it set out to do:educate, motivate, and empower the millions of young people andminorities about the power of their vote.'
He's a legendary Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach with a 255-49-3record and a place in the College Football Hall of Fame. So why isRep. Tom Osborne (R-Neb.) coaching a bunch of rookies? He's leading ateam of congressmen for tonight's flag football game against the U.S.Capitol Police, with all proceeds going to families of two officerskilled at the Capitol in 1998.
'The opposition has some advantages: Their guys are in theirtwenties and thirties and work out every day,' said Osborne. Yeah,but the Reps have a better coach. 'Coaching only takes you so far inthis business,' he deadpanned.
His best players are the guys who played a little ball in college -- linebackers Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.) and Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) andquarterbacks Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) and Ron Kind (D-Wis.). The hour-longgame at Gallaudet University will kick off with a coin toss by ex-pro Jack Kemp and Gallaudet President I. King Jordan.
There will be none of those nasty partisan plays: This match willbe more like the Nebraska-Oklahoma games. 'That's a friendlyrivalry,' said Osborne. 'I'm for that.'
Date With Destiny: Oprah Winfrey says a date with Roger Ebertchanged her life. Our first thought was . . . Oprah? With 'Thumbs Up/Down' Roger?
The very one. On Monday's TV lovefest celebrating the 20-yearreign of Her O-ness, the talk show queen revealed it was the Chicagofilm critic who put her on the multimillion-dollar path to fame.
'Roger Ebert and I had gone on a date. . . . We went to a movie,'Winfrey told the audience. 'He told me that syndication would be agood thing for my show, that there were people who syndicated hisshow [with Gene Siskel] who'd be interested in talking to me aboutit.'
What movie? (Bet he got the tickets free.) Did her buy her dinner,at least? Did they kiss good night? Thumbs up? The only thing we knowfor sure is that she took his advice, her show went into nationalsyndication in September 1986, and now she runs the world.
Special literary news flash:
Writer Candace Bushnell, whose 'Sex and the City' column was amonster hit for HBO, will adapt her latest novel into an NBC series.'Lipstick Jungle' will follow three successful NYC career women wholike being on top.
Rapper 50 Cent will lend his name to a line of hip-hop novellasand graphic novels starring his G-Unit rap crew. Pocket/MTV Bookssays the books will 'tell the truth' about sex, guns, 'brutal highsand short lives.' You know, kinda like Hemingway.
Newlywed/newly rehabbed Robert Downey Jr., checking intoGeorgetown's Aveda salon yesterday for a shiatsu massage, sporting agoatee and a traffic-stopping diamond wedding ring.
