andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

New legislation from the Obama government is urging American prosecutors to crack down on violent marijuana dealing circles, rather than reprimanding those who legally buy and sell the drug.

Fourteen states in America have legalized the selling and smoking of medicinal marijuana, which is where the new policy will be enforced.

According to My Way News, two Justice Department officials say the legislation will encourage prosecutors to avoid wasting their time pursuing people who comply with state laws to provide medical marijuana. However those using medical marijuana to cover other crimes will still be under scrutiny.

The Bush administration enforced federal anti-pot laws across all states, regardless of the individual state laws in Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

Dispensaries - that is, stores selling marijuana (similar to the ones you see in Weeds) - are common California, and Colorado is catching up. Rhode Island and New Mexico are currently working to provide licenses to some businesses, according to My Way News.

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Seth Meyers, head writer for NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, said he was pleased with the fresh material provided by President Barack Obama, reports CBC.

“I was here for the eight years of the Bush era,” said Meyers, who joined the cast in 2001 after doing improvisational theatre in Chicago. “While it started fun, it got a little redundant for a lot of comedians. Anything new is great for us. That being said, you need to get to know someone before you can poke fun at them and we’re getting to know Obama more. The trickiest thing with Obama is he has a great sense of humour, he’s so self-aware and he may beat comedians to the punchline.”

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Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have been good friends and writing partners for awhile, but now it’s reveled the two are actually distantly related, reports E! News. The New England Genealogical Society says both actors are descendants of bricklayer William Knowlton Jr., making Damon and Affleck tenth cousins, once removed.

Affleck is also revealed to be related to 16 American presidents, and Princess Diana, while Damon shares DNA with 11 former presidents.

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The New York Philharmonic Orchestra has had to cancel two concerts planned for Havana, Cuba on Oct. 30 and Nov. 2, due to American travel restrictions, reports CBC.

“This shows that the U.S. government is the only party responsible for the failure of this major cultural project,” said Alejandro Guma, vice-president of the Cuban Institute of Music. “This is a project, by the way, that was not conceived by Cuba, but by the American institution, and we imagine that at this point, the organization must be disappointed.”

U.S. President Barack Obama said he will not lift a trade and travel embargo against Cuba that has been in effect since 1961 unless there are democratic reforms put in place.

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President Barack Obama’s controversial statement hadn’t even aired yet when he got on the phone from Air Force One Thursday night to apologize for comparing his infamously bad bowling skills to the Special Olympics.   

While on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno, Obama talked about how he’d gotten better at bowling and had been practicing in the Whilte House bowling alley.  It was toward the end of his approximately 40-minute taping when he told Leno, “I bowled a 129.”

Leno replied with a sarcastic, “That’s very good, Mr. President.”  

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Late-night television is set to welcome one of its biggest guests yet: U.S. President Barack Obama.

The commander-in-chief will drop by “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on Thursday as part of his trip to California, which also includes two town hall meeting and a factory visit.

Obama will discuss his economic plan and other topics with Leno over three segments, according to a “Tonight Show” spokesperson.

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President Barack Obama surprised the world with his dance moves alongside wife and first lady Michelle Obama. The couple danced at the Neighborhood Ball, and “America’s Best Dance Crew” judge Shane Sparks has given his opinion on the President’s moves.

“I think they did really good,” Sparks told MTV News. “I was actually really proud. It looked like my man got rhythm. It looked like he was in control. … It looked like he really loved her, and I loved that.”

However, the judge did give the Obamas some constructive criticism, “Their posture wasn’t perfect. I would honestly say I’m sure they could take a few lessons. They could use a little Shane Sparks in there,” Sparks joked to MTV News.

Still, the President and the first lady get at least one thumb up from Sparks, “”It was really smooth,” he told MTV News. “It looked like they knew exactly what they did and when they wanted to do it. It was 50/50. It wasn’t perfect, but the good thing was they didn’t look uptight”.

The Tragically Hip, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young were among the artists who came out on top after Canadians cast more than 130,000 votes to compile a playlist that would help define Canada for new U.S. President Barack Obama.

Listeners of CBC’s Radio 2 made their voices heard over two weeks to choose “49 Songs From North of the 49th Parallel,” with the results released on Tuesday, Inauguration Day.

The final playlist included tunes ranging from classical (Glenn Gould’s “The Goldberg Variations”) to francophone (Gilles Vigneault’s “Mon Pays”) to pop/rock (The Weakerthans’ “One Great City!”).

Six artists had two of their songs chosen: the Hip, Mitchell, Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Oscar Peterson and Leonard Cohen.

Click here to check out the complete playlist on the CBC website.

An estimated two million people descended upon Washington, D.C., to see Barack Obama sworn in as the new U.S. president on Tuesday, and among those were a number of famous faces.

Jay-Z and wife Beyonce, Denzel Washington, Bruce Springsteen, Muhummad Ali, Diddy and Dustin Hoffman were just some of the celebrities present at the ceremony.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Leonardo DiCaprio was snapping photos on his camera, while John Cusack and Steven Spielberg were seen chatting with each other.

After the swearing-in ceremony, many of the stars moved on to one of the 10 official inaugural balls or dozens of parties being held around the city.

The Neighbourhood Ball at the Washington Convention Center featured performances from Jay-Z, will.i.am, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, Shakira, Sting, Faith Hill, Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder and Maroon 5, with Beyonce singing Etta James’ “At Last” for the Obamas’ first inaugural dance.

Later on that night, revellers aged 18 to 35 were treated to performances by Kanye West, Fall Out Boy and Kid Rock at the Youth Inaugural Ball at the Hilton Washington.

It was quite the sight at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. today, as Barack Obama’s “We Are One” concert left America nothing short than inspired.

With an amplified message of patriotism, the country’s greatest stars took the stage.

A-list actors Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks, each took held the spotlight- Washington, addressing the crowd the theme of unity, and Hanks paying tribute to Abraham Lincoln.

Laura Linney then reminded everyone of FDR’s “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” speech with Martin Luther King Jr.’s son by her side.

The event then saw countless star musicians such as Mary J. Blinge, Jon Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, John Legend, John Mellencamp, Usher, Beyonce, Will I Am, and many more, spreading their message through music.