President Barack Obama's kick ass rendition of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" at The Apollo last night was GREAT for his campaign ... because it humanizes him to voters ... this according to Al Sharpton.

The Rev -- who ALSO killed it on stage at The Apollo a few years ago with a GREAT rendition of James Brown's "I Feel Good" -- was out in NY today when we asked for his expert opinion.

Rev told us, "The President has SKILLS ... he showed real skills ... he sang an almost perfect falsetto."

He added ... "[The performance] humanizes him, and it makes people understand he knows the words to the song. How many presidents actually know the lyrics to the Al Green song?"

Al Sharpton is on his way to "Occupy Wall Street" in NYC right now -- and he tells TMZ, it's about time people started rising against corporate greed in America.

Al landed in LaGuardia moments ago -- and according to the Rev, he's so moved by the 99% ... he might just camp out on Wall Street himself.

As for what Al thinks of Republican Presidential hopeful Herman Cain -- it involves racism and pizza ... check out the clip.

Rev. Al Sharpton just turned down ANOTHER offer to join "Dancing with the Stars" ... but not because he's scared of the competition -- in fact, Al insists, "I've got moves ... I'D BLOW 'EM OUT!!"



The Rev claims he just doesn't have the time due to his commitments with the National Action Network -- but wants to make one thing clear ... "There would be no chance for anybody to touch me!"

He does do a mean James Brown ... and if you haven't seen it -- CLICK THIS LINK!!!!!!!

Al Sharpton is playing some serious defense for the St. Louis Rams -- The Rev has launched an all-out blitz to keep Rush Limbaugh from buying the NFL franchise.

In the wake of several reports that Limbaugh is serious about becoming an NFL owner, Sharpton fired off a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, begging the football honcho to reject Rush from the league.

In the letter, Sharpton tells Goodell, "Rush Limbaugh has been divisive and anti-NFL on several occasions with comments about NFL Players including Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb."

In 2003, Limbaugh famously argued that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was getting special treatment in the press because the media wanted to see a black quarterback succeed.

But in his letter, Sharpton brought up another Rush-centric controversy, adding that Rush's "recent statement that the NFL was beginning to look like a fight between the Crips and the Bloods without the weapons, was disturbing."

Sharpton's letter comes in the wake of public opposition from the head of the NFL Players Association, who also asked Goodell to reject Rush from the league.

Apparently wrestling fans aren't too keen on fighting ignorance and illiteracy, because as soon as Rev. Al Sharpton stepped into the ring at Monday Night Raw to promote his education reform tour ... all he heard was "Boooooooo!"


On a positive note, maybe they were all just chanting "Booooooks."

Reverend Al Sharpton is set to lay the smack down tonight on WWE Raw -- just don't expect to see him bodyslamming John Cena in the ring.


Yesterday in D.C., the preacher man with the best bouffant in the biz told us the only things he'll be fighting are "illiteracy" and "ignorance" as part of a national tour on education. No word on how "ignorance" looks in spandex.

We're told Sharpton was given a "nominal fee" for travel expenses -- but donated that moolah to the tour.

Paula Abdul's scatterbrained quotables on the "American Idol" panel will be missed by many people -- but Reverend Al. Sharpton sure ain't one of 'em.

The Reverend Al Sharpton is putting the smack down on the New York Post, suggesting racism could be a factor in a political cartoon featured in this morning's edition.


The cartoon (by Sean Delonas) comes in the wake of yesterday's national news story about the cop who shot and killed a rampaging chimp in Connecticut. But the controversy in the comic comes from the dialogue between the two officers -- which reads, "Now they will have to find someone else to write the stimulus bill."

Before most of you woke up, Sharpton already fired off a statement saying, "The cartoon in today's New York Post is troubling at best given the historic racist attacks of African-Americans as being synonymous with monkeys. One has to question whether the cartoonist is making a less than casual reference to this when in the cartoon they have police saying after shooting a chimpanzee that "Now they will have to find someone else to write the stimulus bill."

"Being that the stimulus bill has been the first legislative victory of President Barack Obama (the first African American president) and has become synonymous with him it is not a reach to wonder are they inferring that a monkey wrote the last bill?"

Calls to the Post have not been returned.

UPDATE: The editor-in-chief of the NY Post just released this statement: "The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut. It broadly mocks Washington's efforts to revive the economy. Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist."

TMZ has learned Rev. Al Sharpton's daughter was rushed to the emergency room earlier this week after she was run over by a car outside her dad's NY office building -- and all on the day before her 22nd birthday!

According to Sharpton's spokesperson Rachel Noerdlinger, Dominique Sharpton was "hit by a car the day before yesterday while outside of National Action Network's headquarters in Harlem while walking with two co-workers. A car pulled into the gas station at full speed and she was pinned to the car. Her father rushed home and she is on crutches with several stitches but she is fine and grateful for the outpouring of support from around the country."

As far as we know, Imus has not been named a suspect ... yet.

While political pundits debate whether the First Lady is fair game, Prince Von A-Hole reiterated his disdain for Michelle Obama -- and his fondness for Bush -- as in Laura.


And if you want to see the Prince scream at the top of his lungs outside the Ivy -- keep watching.

The Rev. Al Sharpton may need to reach further into his pockets to pay his debts. A whopping 1.5 mil!

Government records obtained by the AP suggest that the Rev and his business entities owe nearly $1.5 million in overdue taxes and associated penalties.

The U.S. attorney is investigating his nonprofit group. Sharpton's lawyers and the staff of his nonprofit group, dispute the size of the debt under investigation and have been negotiating with the federal government. The group has also been trying to pay off tens of thousands of dollars it owes for failing to properly maintain workers compensation and unemployment insurance.

The Wesley Snipes school of tax evasion may have another graduate!