Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Can This Be Real?...
Hola! I'm back again...for a minute anyway! lately I've been absent from the writing scene because I've been on a hiatus (self-imposed) due to "brain-drain" or lack of creative thought. However, today I feel like chit-chatting. First; how about those so-called "Real Housewives?" If "Real" is the operative word here, then why haven't we seen "Real Housewives" of the Projects yet? I mean, come on...who lives like these so-called reality housewives? Let me break it down according to the ones I watch: TRHW of New Jersey; TRHW of New York, TRHW of Atlanta, and the newest addition, TRHW of D.C.. I don't bother with TRHW of Orange County (which started the franchise in the first place), because I can't relate in any way at all! I feel a kinship with the East Coast shows simply because of geography.
Since I don't know any women like the ones portrayed on these shows, I will critique based on my perceptions. Women in general already get a "bad rap" for being catty and envious towards each other so for the life of me, I don't get why seemingly educated, sophisticated, wordly women would want to perpetuate that stereotype? TRHW of New Jersey have proven to be the most volatile and aggressive; TRHW of New York come across as snobby and pretentious, and TRHW of Atlanta as the most "ghetto." So far, the D.C. housewives have shown all of these characteristics except the aggressiveness! They have indeed mastered the snobbery and pretentiousness.
I mean, these women talk behind each other's backs, gossip about one another, change alliances like underwear and act like high school "mean girls" towards one another! So...why do I even bother to watch? We can all use some "guilty pleasure" television sometimes can't we? I can't watch The History Channel, PBS, The Discovery Channel and Sixty Minutes all the time!!! I need some dessert sometimes too! I can only hope that one day the RHW franchise will cast "real housewives" and I'll finally get to see LaQuisha and dem from the projects! Although I can't imagine how they would be different.
Since I don't know any women like the ones portrayed on these shows, I will critique based on my perceptions. Women in general already get a "bad rap" for being catty and envious towards each other so for the life of me, I don't get why seemingly educated, sophisticated, wordly women would want to perpetuate that stereotype? TRHW of New Jersey have proven to be the most volatile and aggressive; TRHW of New York come across as snobby and pretentious, and TRHW of Atlanta as the most "ghetto." So far, the D.C. housewives have shown all of these characteristics except the aggressiveness! They have indeed mastered the snobbery and pretentiousness.
I mean, these women talk behind each other's backs, gossip about one another, change alliances like underwear and act like high school "mean girls" towards one another! So...why do I even bother to watch? We can all use some "guilty pleasure" television sometimes can't we? I can't watch The History Channel, PBS, The Discovery Channel and Sixty Minutes all the time!!! I need some dessert sometimes too! I can only hope that one day the RHW franchise will cast "real housewives" and I'll finally get to see LaQuisha and dem from the projects! Although I can't imagine how they would be different.
Friday, September 24, 2010
"Can You Tell Me How To Get To Sesame Street?"
Howdy-do peeps! Hope all is well in your world! Well, time to rant about over-zealousness and "political-correctness" gone amok!!! I am talking about the Katy Perry video that was taped for a Sesame Street segment, then scrapped because some parents objected to it. Seems it was deemed "too sexy" for viewing by the target audience (2 to 6 year olds). The video features singer katy Perry of "California Girls and I Kissed A Girl" fame cavorting (gosh I love that word) around with Elmo! Katy wears a bustier topped, short dress which is the basic uniform for a twenty-something California Girl. What? You didn't know that? Where have you been recently?
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| Elmo does seem a bit too interested in her outfit though! |
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| See any clothes on this guy? |
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| Hey bird, where's your pants? |
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| Is it true being in green skin aint easy? |
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| Looking quite "dapper" unclothed! |
The last thing I want to want to add as I wiggle my tongue around in my cheek is, "has anyone asked Miss Piggie to weigh in on the controversy? I'd really be interested in hearing her opinion on the matter...afterall, who bares more cleavage on television than Miss Piggy? I mean besides Wendy Williams and Dolly Parton?
Monday, September 13, 2010
"Sleep Walk"...Santo and Johnny
As a "self-proclaimed" music observer/critic/lover/commentator, I felt "compelled" to watch MTV's music awards show. I know, I know...I am not in their targeted demographics! They do not consider my generation when making programming choices. I don't give a rat's behind!...I'll watch what I want and they can't stop me! An ulterior motive though, is that I get such pleasure from comparing "our" music (as in Baby Boomers) with "their" music (as in Gen X!).
It often saddens me when I am reminded that music today seems more about "extreme" stage shows, acrobatic dance moves, outrageous costumes (shades of LaBelle and George Clinton's Funkadelics!), and increasingly less about singing!
Before I go further, I'd like to note that coming up with a title for today's blog proved to be quite a challenge! If you are a follower of my blogs, you already know that I always choose a song title which summerizes the tone of my article. Well, note today's title: Sleep Walk by Santo and Johnny! Does that pique your curiosity in any way?
The show opened with a performance by the "Elvis" of rap...Eminem, including a duet with Rihanna. While Em is usually controversial or somewhat interesting in his performance behaviors, he seemed oddly subdued or even "detached" last night; there was no "sizzle." His and Rihanna's duet even seemed disconnected.
The "star power" of shows past even seemed absent from last night's show, although there were a few surprises: Lindsay Lohan mocking her own "bad behavior" in a skit with Chelsea Handler, who was the MC, for example.~Side bar~ I am a fan of Chelsea Handler and often find her humor "decadently delicious, wonderfully wicked and naughtily nice" but for some reason, she seemed "off her game" and came across as trying "too hard" to be funny and irreverant. Instead, some of her jokes fell flat. One joke directed at Justin Bieber was downright crass, so I won't even repeat it.
The usual male artists did their things: Justin Bieber had 'em screaming; and when Drake and later, Usher took to the stage, they seemed "geriatric" compared to young Mr. Bieber! "Pseudo celebrities" such as The Jersey Shore cast were in the house, as well as other current pop culture ."icons."
The night's big winners include Eminem, who won "best male video" for "Not Afraid" and Lady Gaga who won the first four awards for which she was nominated, including the most coveted "best female video." A surprise moment that woke me back up (hence the title above) was an appearance by the one and only Cher!
As she stepped on stage with her sixty-five-year -old baaaddd self, in that iconic, "barely there" black outfit that shows her in her ancient glory, I had to give props! She still has it! The old gal looked good! She presented Lady Gaga an award and when the camera panned the audience for reaction shots, you could see the looks of awe on the faces of today's "divas." The "other" oldster on the show was Mary J. Blige. Rememer her?
Here's some irony: my young niece Mary Klausner called to ask if I was watching "Rock, Rhythm & Doo-Wop" which was airing all day yesterday on PBS; I answered "no" because I had seen the episodes before; it was a marathon of previously aired shows, some dating as far back as 2001. Many of the artists are no longer with us. Mary is a younger person who appreciates "our" music; no theatrics, elaborate stage shows, funny or outrageous costumes, or controversial lyrics. Just pure vocal harmonizing, meticulous suits and glamorous dresses. And here I was watching MTV!
It often saddens me when I am reminded that music today seems more about "extreme" stage shows, acrobatic dance moves, outrageous costumes (shades of LaBelle and George Clinton's Funkadelics!), and increasingly less about singing!
Before I go further, I'd like to note that coming up with a title for today's blog proved to be quite a challenge! If you are a follower of my blogs, you already know that I always choose a song title which summerizes the tone of my article. Well, note today's title: Sleep Walk by Santo and Johnny! Does that pique your curiosity in any way?
The show opened with a performance by the "Elvis" of rap...Eminem, including a duet with Rihanna. While Em is usually controversial or somewhat interesting in his performance behaviors, he seemed oddly subdued or even "detached" last night; there was no "sizzle." His and Rihanna's duet even seemed disconnected.
The "star power" of shows past even seemed absent from last night's show, although there were a few surprises: Lindsay Lohan mocking her own "bad behavior" in a skit with Chelsea Handler, who was the MC, for example.~Side bar~ I am a fan of Chelsea Handler and often find her humor "decadently delicious, wonderfully wicked and naughtily nice" but for some reason, she seemed "off her game" and came across as trying "too hard" to be funny and irreverant. Instead, some of her jokes fell flat. One joke directed at Justin Bieber was downright crass, so I won't even repeat it.
The usual male artists did their things: Justin Bieber had 'em screaming; and when Drake and later, Usher took to the stage, they seemed "geriatric" compared to young Mr. Bieber! "Pseudo celebrities" such as The Jersey Shore cast were in the house, as well as other current pop culture ."icons."
The night's big winners include Eminem, who won "best male video" for "Not Afraid" and Lady Gaga who won the first four awards for which she was nominated, including the most coveted "best female video." A surprise moment that woke me back up (hence the title above) was an appearance by the one and only Cher!
As she stepped on stage with her sixty-five-year -old baaaddd self, in that iconic, "barely there" black outfit that shows her in her ancient glory, I had to give props! She still has it! The old gal looked good! She presented Lady Gaga an award and when the camera panned the audience for reaction shots, you could see the looks of awe on the faces of today's "divas." The "other" oldster on the show was Mary J. Blige. Rememer her?
Here's some irony: my young niece Mary Klausner called to ask if I was watching "Rock, Rhythm & Doo-Wop" which was airing all day yesterday on PBS; I answered "no" because I had seen the episodes before; it was a marathon of previously aired shows, some dating as far back as 2001. Many of the artists are no longer with us. Mary is a younger person who appreciates "our" music; no theatrics, elaborate stage shows, funny or outrageous costumes, or controversial lyrics. Just pure vocal harmonizing, meticulous suits and glamorous dresses. And here I was watching MTV!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
God Bless The USA...Lee Greenwood
I'd like to simply share a poem I wrote on September 11, 2001:
The Day Terror Struck My City
Terror struck my city today
It rained down from the sky
I fell down on my knees to pray
I asked God in heaven, "why?"
But God no answer had to give
Terror is not God's game
So when you curse and rant and rave
Be careful who you blame
Remember God is a loving God
Who'll see that we get through
The darkest days our eyes will see
Our faith we must renew
Terror struck my city today
God bless the Red, White and Blue
The Day Terror Struck My City
Terror struck my city today
It rained down from the sky
I fell down on my knees to pray
I asked God in heaven, "why?"
But God no answer had to give
Terror is not God's game
So when you curse and rant and rave
Be careful who you blame
Remember God is a loving God
Who'll see that we get through
The darkest days our eyes will see
Our faith we must renew
Terror struck my city today
God bless the Red, White and Blue
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Been So Long...The Pastels
Good morning peeps! I'm back!!! It's been at least four months since I last posted on this blog thingy! I can't really say why it's been so long, other than I guess I had nothing new to say...I was "worded-out" for a spell. So why am I here today you ask? Well, I can only suppose that I felt an urge to be! My focus is still on the music that I love so much and other tid-bits of pop culture, trivia and life! In the world of music, we've suffered so, so many losses this past year: Teddy Pendergrass, Ron Banks, Randy Cain, Ollie Woodson, Harvey Fuqua, Marvin Isley, Robert Wilson, Al Goodman, Big Ron Carter, Abby Lincoln and the biggest name of all: Michael Joseph Jackson! These are obviously not in the order of their transitions and I am sure I am forgetting many others but this is a heartbreaking number as it is.
Yes, many of these artists lived wonderful and long lives...but it's always sad to lose such talented members of our universe. I like to remind myself that they are not really gone... their bodies of work assure us that they will always be around. They have just moved into the "Night Shift" to join the most soulful choir ever. If you close your eyes, open your minds and listen...you can hear them singing.
Yes, many of these artists lived wonderful and long lives...but it's always sad to lose such talented members of our universe. I like to remind myself that they are not really gone... their bodies of work assure us that they will always be around. They have just moved into the "Night Shift" to join the most soulful choir ever. If you close your eyes, open your minds and listen...you can hear them singing.
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