One of the greatest vocalists of our time, Whitney Houston has certainly been on and off the radar for quite a while. Sadly, during that time, it seems as if her personal life issues (drugs, Bobby Brown, etc.) have overshadowed her amazing vocal talents. Set for a comeback with the release of her new single "I Look to You" and a new album, Whitney performed on Good Morning America yesterday. Unfortunately, this might be one of the more lackluster comeback performances I've seen... Whitney's vocals were quite strained, almost as if she had no voice, which she claims is due to a long-winded interview with Oprah that occurred prior to the performance - Oprah and long-winded? Imagine that...
Whitney's power vocals have created a really high expectation for her performances. People basically expect her to hit the powerful high notes that send chills up your spine every time she sings. Sadly, singers of this nature aren't allowed much room for error. In that respect, I feel for you, Whitney. In the clip of the performance, you will notice she has high energy and a bright smile, just not the strong, smooth, and silky vocals we're used to hearing from her. And with a live televised performance such as Good Morning America, one cannot really reschedule such an event. I commend you, Whitney, for giving it your all and doing the best that you could. No one can be expected to be on at 100% and give top-notch performances all the time and perhaps you simply just weren't having the best of mornings vocally. I mean, who can hit the high E above middle C at 8am? Seriously?
So what have learned? Well, even all-star performers have less than stellar performances sometimes...and when in doubt, blame Oprah.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Nerd Alert: Nerds Party Down with Megan Mullaly
Megan Mullally joins the cast of Starz's Party Down. YES! I'm so sad to see that Jane Lynch really is gone, though. It was the perfect cast before. I was glad that Jennifer Coolidge, her Christopher Guest co-star, stepped in while Lynch filmed Glee full-time. Now MILF Megan Mullally will join. She was hilarious in her failed sitcom "In the Motherhood," and she proved her funny bone in Will & Grace. I think she'll fit in well. Maybe she'll be singing a little bit too. I'm crossing my fingers for that! If you haven't seen this show, you'll love it! Adam Scott is funny because he's a normal person surrounded by uber-ridiculous idiots. One said idiot is Martin Starr (Bill from Freaks & Geeks), and he's back to being a full-fledged nerd. He's a struggling scriptwriter and highly regarded movie blogger. He doesn't like it when porn stars show interest in him but declare they are sci-fi nerds when they love dragons because dragons are from the fantasy realm. He hates dragons. AND it's got Lizzie Caplan. Mmmmm. Nerd candy. Seriously watch this show.
Sway the right way
Although I am a follower of popular music, sometimes I am not on the ball. This is probably because I listen to top 40 radio stations that claim to be "family-friendly" (they tend to not play the same songs 50 times a day). As a result, I often miss hearing hit singles that everyone else knows about.
As you might have guessed, the stations I listen to do not play songs by the musical group The Pussycat Dolls, so imagine my surprise when I learned today that the group covered the song "Sway" for a film back in 2004. The song was originally made popular by Dean Martin back in 1954.
This bit of information on its own is not upsetting to me. Artists record covers, it happens, especially with classic standard songs such as "Sway." What upsets me is the fact that today I discovered that apparently several newlyweds are using the Pussycat Dolls version as their first dance song.
Seriously? The Pussycat Dolls version? Okay, I know that not everyone is a fan of Dean Martin and might want a more modern sound for their first dance. And one could argue that the PCD version isn't SO different. The melody has not been compromised at all, but it still upsets me. What this says to me is that the couple wasn't aware of the song before the PCD recorded it. And that breaks my heart.
I still prefer Dean's version (or Michael Bublé's or Peter Cincotti's). But listen to the tracks below and decide for yourself.
Geek Chic: A Modern Proposal
H1N1 is attacking our schools. It’s another plague! With hand sanitizer in every room and around every corner of every hallway and encouraging students to use it every time they touch anything, sanitizer must be taking a toll on the school system budget--hand sanitizer that will eventually kill our immune systems making us more vulnerable to currently harmless diseases. A common cold will become the whooping cough, and chicken pox will become small pox. We will die. So in order to protect ourselves and our resources, the school board should order Hazmat suits for every student.
This would solve a multitude of problems. First and foremost, disease prevention. It would keep airborne viruses from spreading and fluid spreading. The Hazmats will prevent lip locking, or tongue twisting in some cases, in the hallway by making it harder to do so. There will be no reason to sanitize hands if no one can touch anything besides the inside of their own suit, acting similarly to a condom. This comparison may also lower teen pregnancy rates in teaching safe sex. Hazmats can be reused, with going through at least two bags of sanitizer per post a day, surely the cost of Hazmats will be less than a continuing supply of sanitizer.
I’d bet that Hazmats can be the next fashion trend, partly due to force. Decorate them by painting on them. Personalize, stylize, and accessorize your Hazmat. They can come in a variety of colors, and you can even make them unique to you. I’m going to do mine in green and paint the Irish flag on it. And maybe a small picture of Danny DeVito in his tighty whities. I know I needz to haz a Hazmat!
This would solve a multitude of problems. First and foremost, disease prevention. It would keep airborne viruses from spreading and fluid spreading. The Hazmats will prevent lip locking, or tongue twisting in some cases, in the hallway by making it harder to do so. There will be no reason to sanitize hands if no one can touch anything besides the inside of their own suit, acting similarly to a condom. This comparison may also lower teen pregnancy rates in teaching safe sex. Hazmats can be reused, with going through at least two bags of sanitizer per post a day, surely the cost of Hazmats will be less than a continuing supply of sanitizer.
I’d bet that Hazmats can be the next fashion trend, partly due to force. Decorate them by painting on them. Personalize, stylize, and accessorize your Hazmat. They can come in a variety of colors, and you can even make them unique to you. I’m going to do mine in green and paint the Irish flag on it. And maybe a small picture of Danny DeVito in his tighty whities. I know I needz to haz a Hazmat!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Help! My Mom's on Facebook!
The other day my sister and I went to dinner and she relayed this bit of information to me: Mom has a facebook. My sister then expressed her dilemma whether or not to accept our mother's friendship on the very popular social networking site. Honestly, I knew it would all come in time. It's kind of like when my mom began texting. I personally don't have a problem with my mom becoming tech-savvy mom - my mom and I are pretty cool. Now my dad joining social networking would be a different story...
Recent research shows that social networking logins are actually down from recent years, particularly among teens. Could this be because their parents (not to mention employers and school administrators) have invaded their technological space? Check out this relevant and comedic video from The Onion:
Facebook, Twitter Revolutionizing How Parents Stalk Their College-Aged Kids
Recent research shows that social networking logins are actually down from recent years, particularly among teens. Could this be because their parents (not to mention employers and school administrators) have invaded their technological space? Check out this relevant and comedic video from The Onion:
Facebook, Twitter Revolutionizing How Parents Stalk Their College-Aged Kids
Idols on the Rise this Fall!
As a follower of pop culture, mainstream entertainment, AND reality television, American Idol simply can't not be on my radar! The program has become a staple of today's pop culture and has proven it can turn out some superstars. As the annual Idol summer tour begins winding down, eyes begin looking to the November releases of Idol winner Kris Allen, runner-up Adam Lambert, and also 4th place finisher Allison Iraheta. Rumor has it that Allen and Lambert will release on the same day, lining things up for yet another Idol showdown between the two! I know I'm on the edge of my seat! My take on these contenders shortly following the results of last season were this: Allen would sell records, Lambert would sell out arenas, and the Iraheta would be the most successful of them all. We'll see how that pans out, but for now here's some more indepth words on these upcoming Idol releases.
My opinion: Allen will make a great pop singer-songwriter record. He's been working with the likes of the Fray and Matt Kearney, which makes me feel pretty confident that his upcoming release will suit my tastes. Lambert is an outside-the-box performer who will take some risks and give us something new and fresh. Working with Linda Perry and RedOne among others, it should be a very high energy, high personality, and highly anticipated release! Iraheta is going more melodic rock, which suits her. Working with David Hodges and Kevin Rudolf - her release should also fit well in today's mainstream market.
Timing is everything for these Idols - with their 15 minutes over, now is the time for them to prove themselves as mainstream artists, not just reality TV has-beens. We'll see what happens this fall with their album releases and likely returns to perform on the Idol stage once again. With Paula Abdul removed from the judges panel, it surely won't be the same as they remember. Also, having auditioned for the show myself this past summer in Chicago, I took note of some possible Hollywood contenders that I hope to see on the show! We're in for another great season, folks. Get ready!
P.S. I heard on the radio yesterday that Danny Gokey (3rd place finisher this past season of Idol) is going country?! Not sure how I feel about this...
My opinion: Allen will make a great pop singer-songwriter record. He's been working with the likes of the Fray and Matt Kearney, which makes me feel pretty confident that his upcoming release will suit my tastes. Lambert is an outside-the-box performer who will take some risks and give us something new and fresh. Working with Linda Perry and RedOne among others, it should be a very high energy, high personality, and highly anticipated release! Iraheta is going more melodic rock, which suits her. Working with David Hodges and Kevin Rudolf - her release should also fit well in today's mainstream market.
Timing is everything for these Idols - with their 15 minutes over, now is the time for them to prove themselves as mainstream artists, not just reality TV has-beens. We'll see what happens this fall with their album releases and likely returns to perform on the Idol stage once again. With Paula Abdul removed from the judges panel, it surely won't be the same as they remember. Also, having auditioned for the show myself this past summer in Chicago, I took note of some possible Hollywood contenders that I hope to see on the show! We're in for another great season, folks. Get ready!
P.S. I heard on the radio yesterday that Danny Gokey (3rd place finisher this past season of Idol) is going country?! Not sure how I feel about this...
Mickey Mouse joins the Avengers!
Disney has bought Marvel for only 4 billion dollars! 4 billion! Marvel is a cash cow these days. With Marvel rides and characters all around Universal Studios Theme Park, I can see that. And I guess that's what they get for at temporarily keeping the entire Marvel staff. Hopefully they don't slowly fire them all and give a new line of comics. I think they want to expand from superhero comics to more of the literary graphic novels. I think it's a great idea! Marvel has been lacking in those, but definitely not great writers or critical depth. And then there's lines like X-Force and The Punisher, which is incredibly bloody and violent. Will it last? Will they demand that the creators take out a lot of the gore? If so, will it work anymore? You can't have a team of sharp objects and bullets without blood! I guarantee that at the free comic book day next year Spider-man and Goofy will have a team-up. "Garsh, Spidey!" Hopefully the animalistic cast won't touch our sweet, sweet comics.
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