born 26 January 1970

Alberto Pernet, Buenos Aires, Argentina, short filmmaker

David Perry, Rambouillet, France, porn star

Katreniah L. Washington, Harrisonburg, Virginia, secretary

Kirk Franklin, Fort Worth, Texas, singer-songwriter/impresario

Kristine Maitland, Toronto, Ontario, researcher

Louanne, Fort Worth, Texas, actress/“Gong Show” contestant

Markus Baldwin, Wichita, Kansas, actor/writer

Petteri Jussila (died 27 July 2004), birthplace unspecified, Finnish businessman

Rob Hornbuckle, Melbourne, Australia, sound recordist

Tracy Middendorf, Miami Beach, Florida, actress

I sought comment on the subject of Today’s Winner from a friend of mine who has superior expertise in the area of contemporary gospel R&B. All he had to say was:

“Like Andre Crouch’s coke & LSD addiction before him, Kirk’s struggle with internet porn only makes his gospel music that much more ‘hallelujah anyhow’ [italics his].”

OK fine, I admit, when I was reading up on Franklin’s (mostly) charmed career, I kept waiting for the scandal to erupt. And sure enough, yes, in 2006 he did have to seek professional resurrection from The High Priestess of American Virtues in order to reboot his reputation.

But on the subject of anguish and redemption, I will choose here instead to highlight Franklin’s most recent contribution to the national conversation. And god bless the gospel community for being unashamed to indulge in the second greatest* lost art of secular mass communion, the All-Star Charity Recording.

*…the greatest lost art of secular mass communion being the non-sports-related New York City tickertape parade (this last link specially dedicated to my Pacific Rim readership).