T.I. has had a successful year but one also filled with a variety of obstacles. 2008, which saw the Atlanta emcee drop one of the most notable albums of the year, will be followed by a trying 2009. T.I. may have to serve time in jail in March.

Regardless of the impending time to be served, T.I. is optimistic about his plans.

“Presumably, while I’m there, I’ll be able to strategize my comeback,” he said in a recent MTV interview. “All those days will be spent speaking to people who are interested in being in the T.I. business. Preparing myself for the days those doors open, when I put my feet back on the ground of the free world. It’s just months of planning. It’s just a long time to roll the project out. I ain’t gonna just be sitting still doing nothing. The wheels will be turning, just the car ain’t going nowhere.”

This has not stopped him from working on a new album and a new movie.

“The film I’m producing over at New Line, For Sale, we’re trying to put that together, and hopefully we’ll be able to do that before March. We’re getting offers every day, checking on our availability, on whether or not we’ll be able to take advantage of certain opportunities, film-wise.”

For Sale isn’t the only movie set to be released with T.I. on the screen. Bone Deep will also be hitting theaters soon. Expect that film to be released in 2010, featuring Matt Dillon, Chris Brown and others.

SOURCE: HipHopDX

Let it be stated: You will never again see Jim Martin walk out to booty-shaking bass and shake hands with three hip-hop stars. Absurd moments like these only happen on the eve of a runoff where a Democrat-controlled Senate is at stake.

On Monday night in front of the Capitol, standing at a podium underneath a statue of one of Georgia’s most perplexing racists, the U.S. Senate Democratic nominee addressed a bundled-up crowd of nearly 1,000 people that braved the cold to see Ludacris, T.I. and Young Jeezy. (Martin admitted as much.)

But Democrats hope those supporters will return to the polls on Tuesday to vote for the Party’s candidates — and tell their friends and families to do the same.

Flanked on stage by more than 30 city, state and federal Democratic notables, Martin repeated the phrase he’s used to describe his role if voters send him to Washington — to be a “bridge” to Pres.-elect Barack Obama’s initiatives, not a “firewall,” as Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss has branded himself.

“You did the right thing,” Congressman John Lewis told the crowd. “You did it. And we must do it again… I’ve served in Congress for a little while. Saxby is not our friend. I tell you, he’s not our friend. If you really want to help Barack Obama, let’s do it.”

“Just vote Jim” was the night’s mantra, a reference to Martin and Georgia Public Service Commission Democratic candidate Jim Powell, a former U.S. Department of Energy executive who has run a tough race against Republican candidate Lauren “Bubba” McDonald.

“We need a senator who’ll work with Obama to fix the economy,” Ludacris said, adding that Chambliss’ “firewall” stump speech “lets me know he’s all about politics and not helping America.”

Then came Jeezy: “We won the battle, it’s time to win the war,” he said, urging the crowd to vote for Martin.

And East Point native T.I.: “Jim Martin, we got your back. You don’t have to worry about young people. We got your back.”

But there was a sobering moment amid the bass boom thump and wild applause for the entertainers. When V-103’s Frank Ski asked the crowd who voted on Nov. 4, less than half of those in attendance raised their hands. The Republican get-out-the-vote effort has been intense.

Political observers say early voting statistics don’t bode well for Martin — African-American turnout is below the historic numbers seen leading up to the General Election. On the other hand, Matt Towery of Insider Advantage says the large number of white female voters plays into the former state lawmaker’s favor. Democrats have been aided largely by Obama’s campaign infrastructure; the president-elect has lent his voice to robocalls and radio ads as well. This is in addition to the barrage of commercials both candidates and special interests have unleashed upon our simple, wholesome state. All those observations could prove meaningless, however, if voters turn out for Martin tomorrow.

Polls are open tomorrow from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visit Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel’s website to locate your polling place.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is set to headline four rallies around the state Monday with Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Democrat Jim Martin is scheduled to stump with Rep. John Lewis and other prominent Georgia Democrats. Martin will end the day with a rally at the state Capitol with Atlanta rapper Ludacris (LEW’ duh-criss).

The Georgia visit will mark Palin’s first foray back onto the campaign trail since her failed bid for the vice presidency. She was the big draw at a pair of high-dollar fundraisers for Chambliss at an Atlanta hotel Sunday night.

Tuesday’s runoff will help determine if Democrats win a 60-seat, filibuster-proof majority in the U.S. Senate.

Vick drowned dogs that did not perform well in a five-gallon pail of water, according to a report released by US Department of Agriculture on Friday.

The 17-page report also said Vick and his three partners, Quanis Phillips, Purnell Peace and Tony Taylor, “thought it was funny” to watch their trained pitbulls kill family pets and other dogs.

“They drowned approximately three dogs by putting the dogs’ heads in a five-gallon bucket of water.”

Vick is back in the state of Virginia to answer state dogfighting charges, and is being held in protective custody at a Richmond, Virginia area jail until a hearing on Tuesday.

The former all-star quarterback with the Atlanta Falcons arrived on Thursday from Kansas, where he is serving a two-year sentence for a dogfighting conspiracy conviction.

Vick, who was once the highest paid player in the NFL, is scheduled to be released in July 2009.

On a tip from Morgan Denise, word breaks that two people were taken to a local hospital after shots were fired between 11 a.m. and noon Friday, according to university spokeswoman Loretta Heyward.

Heyward said SWAT was called because officials believe the shooter was still in an apartment in the residence hall.

There were unconfirmed reports that the injured student was shot outside a classroom, according to MyFOXAtlanta.

The campus was locked down immediately following the shooting. Cars were allowed to leave the school around 2 p.m. but weren’t allowed to travel back onto the campus.

“We have locked our doors and are keeping our students inside,” said Tara Cox, a marine biologist at the Georgia school.

Campus and local police, including a S.W.A.T team, are at the university, along with investigators from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Savannah State University, a historically black college, was founded in 1890 and has a student population of about 3,200.

Clinton will be presented the foundation’s “Humanitarian Award” and serve as keynote speaker for a Jan. 8th dinner in Miami to help raise money for the project. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will sponsor the dinner, reports the Associated Press.

The memorial foundation has raised $100 million of the $120 million needed to complete the project. The memorial, planned for the banks of the Tidal Basin between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, would be the first major tribute to a black leader on the National Mall.