Keifer Sutherland doubts hit show’s clout. The actor whose popular action and suspense show featured television’s first Black president denies influencing Barack Obama’s election. “24″ star Keifer Sutherland disagrees with his former co-star Dennis Haysbert, who played President David Palmer and said his character helped open “the public’s minds.” “You don’t honestly believe that our show helped get the first African-American into the White House, do you?” Sutherland asks. “All we simply did is look into the future. You have a huge African-American population and it was just a matter of time before they were represented politically by a president.” Sutherland, whose two-hour preview of the new “24″ season was shown this past weekend, points out that a woman president is featured in coming episodes.

Jill Scott is expecting, engaged. R&B singer Jill Scott is sporting a new neck tattoo – one with the name of Atlanta drummer Lil’ John, not to be confused with the gold-mouthed rapper. Scott is reportedly pregnant and engaged to the musician, who’s said to be the dad of three other children by different moms. Baby-momma-to-be Jill was quite public about her romance with her ex, Lyzell Williams, until their marriage and eventual divorce. Maybe neck tats make relationships divorce-proof.

She lost her judging spot  on the popular new show “America’s Got Talent” and her career suffered after her involvement in a fatal car wreck. It was many months after a woman’s death on an L.A. freeway that the victim’s blood showed drug use evidence, and that Brandy was cleared of causing the accident. Now the singer will appear in next month’s “America’s Thanksgiving Parade” in Detroit, one of her most high-profile events this year. The singer’s new CD Human will be released two weeks later in December.

For those who may have forgotten, the nation has already seen a Black president – in the form of David Palmer, Jack Bauer’s road dog on the hit show “24.” Dennis Haysbert, who played Palmer until the character was assassinated, won 17 percent of votes for “Favorite On-Screen President” in a recent Blockbuster poll. Haysbert beat out Harrison Ford, who played President James Marshall in the movie Air Force One, Bill Pullman, who played President Thomas J. Whitmore in Will Smith’s Independence Day, and Martin Sheen, who played President Josiah Bartlet in the “West Wing,” among others presidential characters.