So, I can't say that I watched Miss USA whenever it was it came on the teevee, but I have heard all about runner-up Miss California. Poor Miss North Carolina (the winner)! Miss C is stealing all her thunder-those pageant girls sure can be mean! No one is talking about her but everyone is talking about the feud between Miss Cali and blogger Perez Hilton. If you have somehow missed this whole debacle, Miss C's question came from Perez Hilton (if you are not familiar: snarky gay celebrity blogger who draws penises coming out of celebrities' mouths and white trails coming out of their noses, among other things), and was along the lines of: Vermont just became the 4th state to legalize gay marriage, do you think the rest of the states should do the same?
Now, Miss C answered like this (quote): "We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised."
Now Miss California says that she believes her beliefs about gay marriage may have cost her the crown. And maybe she is right-I mean, talk about biting the hand that feeds you! Or in her case, did her hair, makeup, and designed her gown. But on the other hand, maybe, just maybe, she lost because her answer was incoherent and did not actually answer the question. I mean, "OPPOSITE" MARRIAGE? LOL! What is she talking about? And the whole point was that MOST people in this country DON'T have the choice-only four states do, but she stated that in this "land' everyone can choose. And "I think that I believe that" is totally bad grammar! If you are stating it, honey, we assume that these are your thoughts and your beliefs, you don't have to clarify that. And then, "No offense" is what you say when you know what you've said is offensive-basically a "sorry, but not really!" kind of thing. Thing is, Perez wasn't really asking her what her personal beliefs were-she offered them up freely! She could have said something like, "YES, since each state determines its own marriage laws, now is a great time to give the people of every state the opportunity to vote on this issue, like we did here in California." She could have left her views out of it, answered the question, and probably won.
Now, clearly she is proud of her stance, and has done many interviews defending her choice not to give a politically correct answer and stay true to her religious beliefs. To say that she lost because of it leaves out the fact that the answer was a rambling mess, regardless of the other implications. Her answer was simply ridiculous. So for her now to basically be saying that she was discriminated against because of her religious beliefs is completely ironic! Maybe if she had a hint of self-awareness she'd think, "hmm, it doesn't feel good when someone leaves you out because of the way you live your life," and connect the dots to see that is what she did when she told the people that fixed her hair, did her makeup, coached her, and were judging her that while they were good enough to give her highlights they weren't good enough to have what she has-the right to marry the person of their choice.
Oh, and to top it all off, this is the woman Michael Phelps is supposed to be "dating." I guess smoking pot and drinking are fine in this religion of hers. Oy!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
It's Almost Tuesday...
Another Tuesday, another American Idol. Country week was pretty awesome, probably from low expectations, Motown week was a'aight, probably because Motown is awesome and as long as you sing in key its pretty hard to totally ruin it, although a couple of them tried (Megan-how could you do that to Stevie? And Danny Gokey-OMG-"Re-tay" is not a word, "Ready" is).
Then came last week. "Top Downloads." In other words: Sing whatever you want, we can't afford mentors every week in this economy. So this is the week they've been waiting for, the week they can be "current" and sing a song out of this decade, right? RIGHT? Sigh. NOT RIGHT. Only three contestants even picked songs sung in the last 10 years, and both got SLAMMED hard. Only one, Matt, picked a song out within the last year-and he got slammed hard-and didn't deserve it. Was it a little "soundalike" as one of the judges said? Sure. But Gokey's Rascal Flatt's cover didn't stray too far from the original either. (Side note: I really hope he is not trying to be a country singer.) Matt always looks so dejected when the judges criticize him. It makes me feel bad for him. It makes me mad that the judges only like him when he sings what they want him to sing. When he sings what he likes, they are mad because its not what they told him to do. Now, I know that (arguably) they are "professionals" and the kids should listen to them to a certain extent-after all, if they knew it all, they wouldn't have had to go on AI to try and get a record deal. BUT, if Matt wants to sing rock, they need to help him figure out how to mesh his abilities with that style. Note to Matt: Forget the Fray. (Love them, liked your in-the-round performance, but trying to keep you in the competition after multiple trips to the B3) Go listen to Amos Lee, Ray Lamontagne, James Morrison, and Ben Harper. Bluesy voices, making it work without having to sing R&B. That is your homework.
Anyway-someone who did knock it out of the park last week was little Kris Allen. Took an old song-one of the best songs EVER IMO-Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine-and made it current, playing the piano (we'd seen him on guitar or solo up to this point-man of many talents!), singing the H-E-C-K out of it, this kid didn't miss a note-and that is a HARD song. Best of all-he experimented with the phrasing and melody, so it wasn't "soundalike" (I think that is the new buzzword for this year). Loved.It.
And tomorrow is going to be "Songs from the Year you were Born" week (which brought us David Cook's "Billie Jean" moment last year) which is essentially 80's week, save for youngin' Allison, born in 1992. So, with everyone else being born between 1980 and '86, I think, here is what I think we could possibly hear come tomorrow night: Pat Benetar, George Michael/Wham, Prince (although I am not sure he clears his songs for Idol), Bryan Adams, Lionel Richie/Commodores, and maybe Bruce Springsteen. Its hard for me to think EARLY eighties because I was pretty young-I think Bon Jovi was probably a little past these folks birth date, but lots of AI peeps have done interesting Bon Jovi covers (the band themselves did an acoustic album of their eighties hits a few years ago). I can totally see Scott doing REO Speedwagon for some reason. LOL. Don't know why...anyway, I am sure I am way off but it is fun to guess!
I hope to NOT hear Phil Collins (or anyone else's version of True Colors for that matter), Chicago/Peter Cetera, Journey, Billy Joel, or Stevie Wonder. Nothing against any of them-love some of them very much-but folks had the chance to do Stevie last week, and the others are just WAY overdone on this show and unless you are going to change it up big time, it's probably not a good idea.
Anyway, I guess we'll see! And SHOUT OUT to the ladies of country music this week-despite country music long being a good ole boys club, the ladies DOMINATED the ACM Awards last night, with the biggest awards of the night going to two pretty young ladies-Carrie Underpants becoming the 7th woman ever to win Entertainer of the Year, and Taylor Swift winning album of the year for "Fearless." Now, I'm not a big Carrie fan, and I've seen her in concert and calling her a master entertainer is fine if you like people with the stage presence of a paper clip-but I am happy to see a lady win nonetheless. (Now Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland-that is an entertainer. But I digress.) And while Taylor Swift is pretty polarizing, you can't deny that selling a bajillion albums in four months doesn't deserve some kind of award, especially when we keep hearing how album sales are in the crapper and the music industry is dying. And I will admit that I am slightly biased, as my best friend's husband is one of Taylor's studio musicians AND I went to high school with that red-headed guy you saw on TV last night accepting the award (her producer). He used to charge me and his sister to drive us around in his old gas guzzling pickup truck. Anyway, happy to see people I know have success! Mazel Tov to the winners.
Then came last week. "Top Downloads." In other words: Sing whatever you want, we can't afford mentors every week in this economy. So this is the week they've been waiting for, the week they can be "current" and sing a song out of this decade, right? RIGHT? Sigh. NOT RIGHT. Only three contestants even picked songs sung in the last 10 years, and both got SLAMMED hard. Only one, Matt, picked a song out within the last year-and he got slammed hard-and didn't deserve it. Was it a little "soundalike" as one of the judges said? Sure. But Gokey's Rascal Flatt's cover didn't stray too far from the original either. (Side note: I really hope he is not trying to be a country singer.) Matt always looks so dejected when the judges criticize him. It makes me feel bad for him. It makes me mad that the judges only like him when he sings what they want him to sing. When he sings what he likes, they are mad because its not what they told him to do. Now, I know that (arguably) they are "professionals" and the kids should listen to them to a certain extent-after all, if they knew it all, they wouldn't have had to go on AI to try and get a record deal. BUT, if Matt wants to sing rock, they need to help him figure out how to mesh his abilities with that style. Note to Matt: Forget the Fray. (Love them, liked your in-the-round performance, but trying to keep you in the competition after multiple trips to the B3) Go listen to Amos Lee, Ray Lamontagne, James Morrison, and Ben Harper. Bluesy voices, making it work without having to sing R&B. That is your homework.
Anyway-someone who did knock it out of the park last week was little Kris Allen. Took an old song-one of the best songs EVER IMO-Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine-and made it current, playing the piano (we'd seen him on guitar or solo up to this point-man of many talents!), singing the H-E-C-K out of it, this kid didn't miss a note-and that is a HARD song. Best of all-he experimented with the phrasing and melody, so it wasn't "soundalike" (I think that is the new buzzword for this year). Loved.It.
And tomorrow is going to be "Songs from the Year you were Born" week (which brought us David Cook's "Billie Jean" moment last year) which is essentially 80's week, save for youngin' Allison, born in 1992. So, with everyone else being born between 1980 and '86, I think, here is what I think we could possibly hear come tomorrow night: Pat Benetar, George Michael/Wham, Prince (although I am not sure he clears his songs for Idol), Bryan Adams, Lionel Richie/Commodores, and maybe Bruce Springsteen. Its hard for me to think EARLY eighties because I was pretty young-I think Bon Jovi was probably a little past these folks birth date, but lots of AI peeps have done interesting Bon Jovi covers (the band themselves did an acoustic album of their eighties hits a few years ago). I can totally see Scott doing REO Speedwagon for some reason. LOL. Don't know why...anyway, I am sure I am way off but it is fun to guess!
I hope to NOT hear Phil Collins (or anyone else's version of True Colors for that matter), Chicago/Peter Cetera, Journey, Billy Joel, or Stevie Wonder. Nothing against any of them-love some of them very much-but folks had the chance to do Stevie last week, and the others are just WAY overdone on this show and unless you are going to change it up big time, it's probably not a good idea.
Anyway, I guess we'll see! And SHOUT OUT to the ladies of country music this week-despite country music long being a good ole boys club, the ladies DOMINATED the ACM Awards last night, with the biggest awards of the night going to two pretty young ladies-Carrie Underpants becoming the 7th woman ever to win Entertainer of the Year, and Taylor Swift winning album of the year for "Fearless." Now, I'm not a big Carrie fan, and I've seen her in concert and calling her a master entertainer is fine if you like people with the stage presence of a paper clip-but I am happy to see a lady win nonetheless. (Now Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland-that is an entertainer. But I digress.) And while Taylor Swift is pretty polarizing, you can't deny that selling a bajillion albums in four months doesn't deserve some kind of award, especially when we keep hearing how album sales are in the crapper and the music industry is dying. And I will admit that I am slightly biased, as my best friend's husband is one of Taylor's studio musicians AND I went to high school with that red-headed guy you saw on TV last night accepting the award (her producer). He used to charge me and his sister to drive us around in his old gas guzzling pickup truck. Anyway, happy to see people I know have success! Mazel Tov to the winners.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Nashville on the Big Stage!
There is a lot going on around town this week-the annual songwriters festival, Tin Pan South, which will bring BIG STARS like Michael McDonald and Hanson to town, not to mention the MANY, MANY local peeps that are totally too many to name-not that I can be stopped: Amy Grant (and ex-hubby Gary Chapman, but not current Mr. Vince Gill, but who wants to bet he pops in between golf games?); Liz Rose (Taylor Swift's co-writer); Bill Lloyd (80s/90s country duo Foster and Lloyd); impossibly pretty Aussie Sherrie Austin; Dave Barnes, Landon Pigg, Shawn Mullins, Ashley Cleveland, Leigh Nash (Sixpence None the Richer fame) and Mindy Smith, who are all some of my fave singer-songwriters; as well as a host of country artists like Lila McCann, Richie McDonald, Kix Brooks, Trent Tomlinson, Suzy Bogguss, and Jamie O'Neal, to name a few. And strangely enough, a girl from One Tree Hill, named Bethany Joy something, who I am guessing wants to sing now?
And the folks that write just about every song you have ever heard, at least on country radio but also beyond like Matraca Berg, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Gretchen Peters, Skip Ewing, Victoria Shaw, Brett James, Jim Lauderdale, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Mark Selby and Tia Sillers.
And, a couple of American Idol connections (because I keep trying to tell you-it always comes back around to Nashville, y'all): Regie Hamm, who wrote the Idol "coronation song" that went platinum for Mr. David Cook last year, "Time of My Life" and Josiah Leming, who auditioned a couple of years back, didn't make it very far-maybe not even past Hollywood? But he was the kid that was from Tennessee (I think) and living in his car, so they did feature him quite a bit.
So seriously, it might look like I named everyone that is going to be there, but I totally just gave you a taste-check out the website for more info! And check out some great shows this week if you have the time/money.
In addition to all that, apparently we are also hosting a soccer game of some kind at LP Field and some other kind of sporting event at the Sommet Center (women's basketball? Gymnastics? I can't remember) so with all of these tourists I am feeling a little fortunate to be leaving town for a couple of days on business......but if you are here, probably a great time to spot some stars around town. I saw Taylor Swift at the mall last week! Anything is possible kids....
http://www.tinpansouth.com/
And the folks that write just about every song you have ever heard, at least on country radio but also beyond like Matraca Berg, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Gretchen Peters, Skip Ewing, Victoria Shaw, Brett James, Jim Lauderdale, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Mark Selby and Tia Sillers.
And, a couple of American Idol connections (because I keep trying to tell you-it always comes back around to Nashville, y'all): Regie Hamm, who wrote the Idol "coronation song" that went platinum for Mr. David Cook last year, "Time of My Life" and Josiah Leming, who auditioned a couple of years back, didn't make it very far-maybe not even past Hollywood? But he was the kid that was from Tennessee (I think) and living in his car, so they did feature him quite a bit.
So seriously, it might look like I named everyone that is going to be there, but I totally just gave you a taste-check out the website for more info! And check out some great shows this week if you have the time/money.
In addition to all that, apparently we are also hosting a soccer game of some kind at LP Field and some other kind of sporting event at the Sommet Center (women's basketball? Gymnastics? I can't remember) so with all of these tourists I am feeling a little fortunate to be leaving town for a couple of days on business......but if you are here, probably a great time to spot some stars around town. I saw Taylor Swift at the mall last week! Anything is possible kids....
http://www.tinpansouth.com/
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