| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| RockGolf |
Posted - 02/22/2008 : 23:02:33
There's something new with American Idol this year. iTunes is posting every performance for sale. If you have iTunes, go to the Store, then if necessary switch to the "United States" store at the bottom of the page.
Enter "American Idol Performance" in the Search key and all 24 performances from this week will appear. Then right-click on any of the column headings, such as "Name" or "Time". Select "Popularity" from the list of available columns. When it appears, click on the new "Popularity" column to sort in that sequence.
Two boys lead the rest of the contestants by about a 3-to-1 margin. Not. Even. Close. The leader is Jason Castro who currently holds about a 15-20% lead over 2nd place David Archuleta. With that kind of a lead in sales, I just don't see how they can be anything but the final two.
If you're a bettor, you've just been given an inside edge. |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Wheelz |
Posted - 05/28/2008 : 14:24:24
quote:
Originally posted by wildheartlivie
If we were pressed to choose a new national anthem today, I'd wager the vote would lean toward Greenwood's song.
Even with the country sliding more and more to the right, I can't imagine we'd ever have a National Anthem with "God" in the title. America the Beautiful would be a better choice, but I'd still wager the line "God shed his grace on thee" would piss enough people off to kill any serious consideration.
As clunky and un-singable as it is, I don't see the ol' Star-Spangled Banner going anywhere soon. |
| ChocolateLady |
Posted - 05/28/2008 : 11:42:52
Funny, I hardly ever got to go to Rock concerts growing up. Probably because I didn't have money for tickets and spent most of my evenings working or baby sitting. I'm also not much for noisy crowds and prefer to listen to music in the privacy of my own home or car. We did go to see Paul Simon in 1978 or 1980. That was his tour that had all the financial problems and I can tell you that one of the reasons he lost money on that tour is people were never billed for the tickets they bought with their credit cards. I know we were never charged for our tickets, and we actually called the company and told them we owed for those tickets, and they said they couldn't charge us because they had incorrect information regarding the recipient of the funds.
(But I buy his albums regularly, so I hope I've made up for it since then.)
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| w22dheartlivie |
Posted - 05/28/2008 : 10:54:10
I feel very lucky to be getting to go see CS&N. I'd actually sworn off of concerts, mostly because I didn't think there were any performers left that I had a desire to see. I've seen almost all of whom I considered "essential": The Who doing Quadrophenia (but Daltrey's voice had dipped), Paul McCartney & Wings, Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles (when hell froze over), Elton John, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, Santana (who had Iggy Pop open for him, while he was the second act in one of the Rolling Stones tours). There were a LOT of non-essentials, the best of which were Joe Walsh and Van Morrison. That doesn't include all who played the three Lollapaloozas that I attended, the highlights of which were the Black Crowes, but not Hole (oh, and wasn't THAT a treat the summer after Cobain died - geez was that woman pissed off). Deer Creek Music Center (don't even know what it's called now) is only about 25 miles from me, so we took advantage of the closeness and the relatively cheap lawn seats.
I always liked America the Beautiful, but I'm betting Roseanne would mess that up as well.
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| ChocolateLady |
Posted - 05/28/2008 : 06:18:32
quote:
Originally posted by wildheartlivie
I don't watch American Idol much, it's not "my cuppa," as they say. However, I did listen a bit on YouTube and I agree that David Cook is a good choice. I don't think David Archeluta's chances were helped by his father's antics, and he probably has a good future. I also listened to Graham Nash and Brooke... Miller?... singing Teach Your Children, and must confess, it brought tears to my eyes. Could be that it was a theme song for my friend whose daughter is gone and it was played at her funeral. In any case, I discovered on the clip that Crosby, Stills and Nash are going to be on tour this summer and will be in Kettering, Ohio, which is closest to me. My friend (with the daughter) and I are going to go. I'm completely excited about this, although it is not until July. I rarely go to concerts anymore, though I have been to dozens of them in my life. A combination of being broke and getting old, I suppose.
Oooh! CS&N? I am SOOOOOOOO jealous! I would KILL to go see them in concert!
quote:
I had one comment about "God Bless the USA" which will probably not come out the way I mean it, but anyway...
Besides the timing of the song during the 1984 Olympics, it also appeals to that category of "America, love it or leave it." It was widely played after 9/11 and was much more embraced because of that. Those people who love country music, monster truck pulls, the Dukes of Hazzard, Texas barbeque, and muscle cars love this song. In its time, God Bless America was embraced this way, as was The Star Spangled Banner and This Land is Your Land. If we were pressed to choose a new national anthem today, I'd wager the vote would lean toward Greenwood's song. It challenges one's basic patriotism and national pride and right now, this country could use a solid shot of that. Simon was right, it was a brilliant choice.
Well, since it talks about losing your job and your home but gosh-darn it and dag nab-it, at least you'll still be 'fahree', I guess it would be extremely relevant today.
As for it being voted a new national anthem, my vote would go to "American the Beautiful" - that's a song that has a lovely sentiment - think about it, it just praises the beauty of the country (of which it certainly has lots) as well as asks god to "crown thy good in brotherhood", which we all could use a bit more of.
Of course, not to mention that musically, it has enough of a range that good singers would sound great and could still show off with, but not too much that everyone couldn't sing along.
I seem to recall that Wild Bill Hickock and his Wild West Show tried to get that song to become America's national anthem instead of the Star Spangled Banner, which is not only impossible to sing, but is very militaristic. |
| w22dheartlivie |
Posted - 05/28/2008 : 05:16:57
I don't watch American Idol much, it's not "my cuppa," as they say. However, I did listen a bit on YouTube and I agree that David Cook is a good choice. I don't think David Archeluta's chances were helped by his father's antics, and he probably has a good future. I also listened to Graham Nash and Brooke... Miller?... singing Teach Your Children, and must confess, it brought tears to my eyes. Could be that it was a theme song for my friend whose daughter is gone and it was played at her funeral. In any case, I discovered on the clip that Crosby, Stills and Nash are going to be on tour this summer and will be in Kettering, Ohio, which is closest to me. My friend (with the daughter) and I are going to go. I'm completely excited about this, although it is not until July. I rarely go to concerts anymore, though I have been to dozens of them in my life. A combination of being broke and getting old, I suppose.
I had one comment about "God Bless the USA" which will probably not come out the way I mean it, but anyway...
Besides the timing of the song during the 1984 Olympics, it also appeals to that category of "America, love it or leave it." It was widely played after 9/11 and was much more embraced because of that. Those people who love country music, monster truck pulls, the Dukes of Hazzard, Texas barbeque, and muscle cars love this song. In its time, God Bless America was embraced this way, as was The Star Spangled Banner and This Land is Your Land. If we were pressed to choose a new national anthem today, I'd wager the vote would lean toward Greenwood's song. It challenges one's basic patriotism and national pride and right now, this country could use a solid shot of that. Simon was right, it was a brilliant choice. |
| ChocolateLady |
Posted - 05/26/2008 : 08:53:53
Oh, by the way, I was wondering if Ryan Seacrest's heavy emphasis on the word "American" every time he said "this is American Idol" might have had something to do with the premature voting off of Michael Johns and Carly Smithson. What do you guys think?
(Both of them are far more talented than Syesia and I would have preferred to see either of them in the 3rd spot.)
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| ChocolateLady |
Posted - 05/26/2008 : 08:44:45
Well, now we have a new American Idol. David Cook. And to tell you the truth, after seeing his interviews on Larry King Live and Jay Leno, I really do think the best man won. Not just talent (which is very special and I'll certainly be looking to buy his debut album) but a presence in front of the camera that people can really like.
Archuleta's awkward innocence and inability to put together a straight answer to the questions put to him might have been part of what cost him the contest. Still, he's got a bright future ahead of him as well.
(Funny thing, about two weeks ago they began running promos for the next season of "Friday Night Lights" here in Israel. For the background music, they used Cook's rendition of "Billie Jean"! I guess if we had been able to vote that landslide would have been even bigger!) |
| ChocolateLady |
Posted - 03/31/2008 : 06:43:02
quote:
Originally posted by turrell
Pandering is the way to go to get votes - just look at various candidates NAFTA policies - but I digress.
Is God Bless the USA any worse than God Bless America lyrically? The Star Spangled Banner is perhaps more poetic, but by design these are somewhat cheesy make you feel good type songs - Lee Greenwood wrote this when we had the Olympics in Los Angeles and we were feeling good about our country for the first sustained time since Kennedy was killed - in short its pandering, cheesy, but she sang it well enough certainly was better than the titular singer from this thread.
See, now this makes sense to me. Everything is relative. I didn't know the history of this song, so I wouldn't have known this. It reminds me something similar here in Israel. Around Israeli Independance Day people like to put little Israeli flags on their cars. At one time, doing this was distasteful to me as it seemed that most of the people doing it were those religious people who were of the political opinion that was against any land concessions in the name of peace. As I did not, and still do not identify with these people, I didn't put flags on my cars because of it. But things change and these people now run around with orange ribbons on their cars and bags and briefcases (an outcome of the fight against the Gaza pullout) so the stigma of putting a flag on your car has gone. (Now, however, I have a deep-set aversion to the colour orange instead.)
So, while that song might have felt sincerely brilliant back when the Olympics came to the USA, hearing it today feels very different.
quote:
Lastly, I'll say that this is purely a matter of taste and given your deep-rooted disdain for Will Ferrell, we'll just have to agree to disagree on such topics (and don't you also dislike Seinfeld, Chocky??) 
True. "De Gustabus..." and all that!
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| ChocolateLady |
Posted - 03/31/2008 : 06:18:23
quote:
Originally posted by duh
quote:
Originally posted by MisterBadIdea
But Simon was absolutely right when he called it brilliant. It was brilliant. But he, and I, meant it in a completely cynical way. It was pandering, and it was done brililantly.
AHA! Thanks for the explanation.
That was my point.
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| ChocolateLady |
Posted - 03/31/2008 : 06:17:26
quote:
Originally posted by duh
Where does love of one's home end and nationalism begin? Could one say that Israel was founded from a seemingly irrational sense of nationalism or religious pride or ethnicity? Does everyone in Israel enjoy a comfortable and no-cost level of living provided by the work of other people?
Actually, Israel was founded on a very rational sense of self-preservation and survival. If some countries decided today to finally act and make real their deep-rooted desire to push us into the sea, there's not a country in the world that would welcome all 6 million Jews there with open arms - even today. But that's besides the point.
quote:
After having traveled to some 'underdeveloped' countries, my husband says that our poorest people in the US are better off than most of the residents of those places.
Let's remember that 'underdeveloped' doesn't always mean a bad quality of living. My visit to Ethiopia showed me that graphically. Albeit Ethiopia isn't the worst off of all the 3rd World countries on this earth, but one thing is sure - they aren't dieing in the streets even though the majority of them live in dirt-floor huts. Bringing in progress - as we in the West think of it - is sometimes the worst thing one can do to a country. So while your poor in the US may look better off than someone who you would call poor in Ethiopia, the truth may be just the opposite. But again, that's not my point.
quote:
I'm not defending or criticizing the US or any place else; just offering my limited perspective.
And I appreciate that. But again, that wasn't my point.
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| turrell |
Posted - 03/31/2008 : 05:37:45
Pandering is the way to go to get votes - just look at various candidates NAFTA policies - but I digress.
Is God Bless the USA any worse than God Bless America lyrically? The Star Spangled Banner is perhaps more poetic, but by design these are somewhat cheesy make you feel good type songs - Lee Greenwood wrote this when we had the Olympics in Los Angeles and we were feeling good about our country for the first sustained time since Kennedy was killed - in short its pandering, cheesy, but she sang it well enough certainly was better than the titular singer from this thread.
Lastly, I'll say that this is purely a matter of taste and given your deep-rooted disdain for Will Ferrell, we'll just have to agree to disagree on such topics (and don't you also dislike Seinfeld, Chocky??) |
| duh |
Posted - 03/31/2008 : 01:08:36
quote:
Originally posted by MisterBadIdea
But Simon was absolutely right when he called it brilliant. It was brilliant. But he, and I, meant it in a completely cynical way. It was pandering, and it was done brililantly.
AHA! Thanks for the explanation. |
| MisterBadIdea |
Posted - 03/30/2008 : 22:58:39
quote:
The lyrics were inane, the tune was boring and yet Simon called it "brilliant".
Let me say that I love this country, in a way that only someone who comes from a political refugee immigrant family can. I love America, unashamedly. That said, I hated that performance, and the song is banal and dull. That's not to say that Cook performed it badly -- it's probably her best performance of the finals -- only that I hated that she chose to perform it.
But Simon was absolutely right when he called it brilliant. It was brilliant. But he, and I, meant it in a completely cynical way. It was pandering, and it was done brililantly. Cook has been picked as the worst in the competition for weeks, and this was a great way to pull in that cheap patriotic vote. Simon clearly recognized it too. |
| duh |
Posted - 03/30/2008 : 19:51:27
quote:
Originally posted by ChocolateLady
Yeah, at least he's free to sleep on the streets, go without health care and maybe get food stamps since the economy is so shot he can't even buy food while 4000 (and counting) American soldiers died half way across the world in a war that his President put them into through total deception.
When it comes to that kind of freedom, I can only be reminded of Janis Joplin's line "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose".
(What, me bitter?)
I am reminded of a fundy Xtian friend I used to have who once said something to the effect of how she thought of how she might have been born into poverty in an underdeveloped nation and then she praised God for his generosity.
I was dumbstruck at the egocentricity of that remark.
---
Where does love of one's home end and nationalism begin? Could one say that Israel was founded from a seemingly irrational sense of nationalism or religious pride or ethnicity? Does everyone in Israel enjoy a comfortable and no-cost level of living provided by the work of other people?
After having traveled to some 'underdeveloped' countries, my husband says that our poorest people in the US are better off than most of the residents of those places.
I can't say that I am personally acquainted with anyone who is as destitute as your hypothetical citizen, Chocky. In the community I live in, there are support services for everyone, including my mentally ill cousin who lives comfortably on government handouts. My mother's family were 'poor white trash' (some were alcoholics) who frequently required welfare.
My parents were children during the Great Depression of the 1930's and the horror stories they have to tell of life in those times is enough to make me realize that as bad as the economy is now, it hasn't yet gotten as bad as it was then. Mom and her sisters each had only one pair of underwear, no shoes, and frequently had nothing at all to eat.
My mother and her oldest sister were hard workers and they stayed sober and made good choices for themselves and their families. My mother made an excellent choice of man to marry (my dad) and the two of them worked and stayed together even when it wasn't fun.
Whereas, my mom's next older sister and younger brother took to drinking and whoring and partying.
So many immigrants have come here with nothing but their work ethics and became successful. As I see it, people in the US rarely have anyone but themselves to blame for their own bad choices in life.
I'm not defending or criticizing the US or any place else; just offering my limited perspective.
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| ChocolateLady |
Posted - 03/30/2008 : 10:48:23
A hell of a lot more relevant than:
If tomorrow all the things were gone,
I�d worked for all my life.
And I had to start again,
with just my children and my wife.
I�d thank my lucky stars,
to be livin here today.
�Cause the flag still stands for freedom,
and they can�t take that away.
And I�m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I�m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
Yeah, at least he's free to sleep on the streets, go without health care and maybe get food stamps since the economy is so shot he can't even buy food while 4000 (and counting) American soldiers died half way across the world in a war that his President put them into through total deception.
When it comes to that kind of freedom, I can only be reminded of Janis Joplin's line "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose".
(What, me bitter?)
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