(Reriani Communications)--- When Hillary Clinton made a strong showing and Sarah Palin was named to the Republican ticket in the 2008 U.S. presidential race, the election of the first female president seemed not so far off.

Author Anne Kornblut argues that Clinton and Palin were at a particular disadvantage because they were women and that a number of hurdles will need to be cleared before a woman succeeds in winning the White House.

(SkyNewswire.com)--- Fans know that Asher Roth loves college, parties and perhaps most of all, women. One thing he apparently doesn't love is Internet rumors about his sexuality.

The rapper was the subject of rumors in recent days that claimed he would be coming out of the closet during an E! News special to be broadcast over the holidays. Other rumors said that Roth would soon be dropped from his label, SRC Records, to which he's signed via a deal with Universal/Motown Records.

Asher Roth is a white suburban rapper who broke through to mainstream success in 2009 with his commercial debut single, "I Love College." Born on August 11, 1985, in Morrisville, PA, a predominantly white suburban community of 10,000 people located northeast of Philadelphia, he began rapping as a high-school teenager and later began to develop a fan base while attending West Chester University, thanks largely to social networking websites such as MySpace and Facebook.

(SkyNewswire.com)--- Along with Swift and Beyoncé, the Black Eyed Peas, Lady Antebellum and Maxwell are among the first acts announced as performers at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards, which airs live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on CBS. Additional performers and presenters are set to be announced in the coming weeks.

The grammy awards ar annual awards given by the Recording Academy (officially the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences). The first Grammies (the name is a dimunitive of "gramophone") were given in 1958. The awards, which reflect the votes of the Academy's large membership of musicians, producers, and other music professionals, have expanded considerably to reflect the variety of musical taste and production; today awards are given in dozens of categories.