An Interesting Read... Forbes Examines The Born This Way Campaign

Gaga blitzes the market with landmark campaign - Forbes.com

For those who have been critical of Lady Gaga's promotional tactics for her album Born This Way, this articles by Forbes (who just named her the most powerful celebrity in the world) puts a really interesting spin on all of the craziness.

What I'm Reading: Crack of the Bat

I'm not going to lie: baseball is not my forté at all.

Actually, that is kind of a lie. I really do like baseball, even if I was raised a Mets fan (for some reason that  I really can't remember, I was always going to Shea Stadium. Maybe because it was close to Queens).

However, I am most definitely not the most knowledgable in baseball, which is why you will probably never see baseball-related posts here.

So, why don't you head over to Crack of the Bat?

This blog is written by my friend Taylor and its dedicated whole-heartedly to baseball. So much so that just reading all of the statistics made my head spin, in a good way. Considering that he plays baseball for Trinity College, I would definitely consider him an expert on the subject.

So if you are looking for a blog about baseball (once again, you really won't find it here, lol), head over to Crack of the Bat, at crack-of-the-bat.blogspot.com.

An Interesting Read... Is The Era of the Pop Diva Over?

Have the days of Mariah, Whitney, and Celine passed?

I was going to post this yesterday, but then the news of Teena Marie's passing hit and I lost focus.

However, her untimely death brings forth fresh context to the question that this New York Times article brings forth: is the era of melisma in pop music over?

Melisma, as this article will tell you, is the vocal technique of extending a syllable over a couple of notes of music. Basically, when Whitney Houston hits that big "and I...." note at the climax of her megahit "I Will Always Love You", that is melisma.

The article claims that, with the success of pop stars like Ke$ha, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga, who forgo pop vocal power notes, there is no longer a need for the big-voiced divas of the 80's and 90's. It is one of the factors that led to Christina Aguilera's downfall, the article also suggests.

Here is a particularly interesting part of the article:

Pop’s new divas may not be able to ascend to vocal heights the way Ms. Aguilera still can in “Burlesque.” But in many ways they’re better suited for the post-crash economy. Every so often even pop music has to downsize.

It certainly isn't a farfetched concept. Ballads are rarely hits these days, Beyoncé notwithstanding. Radio is firmly committed to the dance-pop genre unlike ever before, making it hard for ballads not to seem lame or cheesy.

Teena Marie, an R&B star of the 80's, was also a big user of melisma, and her passing brings even greater weight to the argument. Has pop music moved on from the power ballad pop of the past twenty years? Will ballads ever flood the airwaves like it did in the era of Whitney, Celine, and Mariah?

Share your thoughts with me below!

To read the full article, click here!

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A Fascinating Read... The Truth About The Michael Jackson Trial

The tragic King of Pop during his 2005 molestation trial

A few weeks ago, Charles Thomson published an article on Huffington Post titled "One of the Most Shameful Episodes in Journalistic History", about the media's distortion of the 2005 child molestation trial against Michael Jackson. In the article, he reveals how terrible the prosecution's case was, how strong the defense was, and how bloodthirsty the media was for a conviction against the King of Pop.

Even more fascinating were the questions it posed about the media's effect on Jackson's later and deadly dependency on drugs:

When Michael Jackson died the media went into overdrive again. What drugs had killed him? How long had he been using them? Who had prescribed them? What else was in his system? How much did he weigh? But there was one question nobody seemed to want to ask: Why? Why was Michael Jackson so stressed and so paranoid that he couldn't even get a decent night's sleep unless somebody stuck a tube full of anesthetic into his arm?

Reading about what really happened during the trial was stunning, because I can attest to the media's twisting of the facts. In fact, the only real thing that stuck out from the trial was the mention of "jesus juice". I can't remember the media reporting about the defense at all.

I know why they didn't though. They wanted Michael to fry, if not in the court of law, then at least in the court of public opinion. And they succeeded, because after that disastrous trial, Jackson's career would never be the same.

Now, a year after his death, I can't help but wonder what would have happened to the King of Pop had the trial been reported fairly. Would he have fled to Bahrain, exhausted from a witchhunt that should've never been? Would he have fallen victim to his own neuroses, and then drugs? Would he have been forced into the tour that ultimately end his life? Would Michael be at peace, raising his children and entertaining his millions of fans who never gave up on him?

Sadly, we will never know.

Check out the article below:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charles-thomson/one-of-the-most-shameful_b_610258.html

An Interesting Read...

Idolator.com has posted a spot-on analysis of the impact TRL has had on pop culture. I couldn't agree anymore with what they said here.

Click here to check it out

An Interesting Movie....HOLLYHOOD TV: Beyond Beats and Rhymes

If you haven't seen this documentary yet, I heavily recommend it. I just saw parts of it in my Sociology of Media class today. Your opinion of hip-hop will likely be forever changed.

Among the topics discussed: misogyny, a decline in lyrical content, homophobia, the homosexual undercurrent of hip-hop, role of white people in hip-hop, and the lack of emotional complexity.

Here is the whole series (in six parts, courtesy of HOLLYHOOD):
Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:


Part 4:


Part 5:


Part 6:

An Interesting Read...

I never did finish my analysis of teen pop that I started early in the blog, but it seems like the Los Angeles Times did it for me!

Here is an article about the teen pop music compared to the days of Britney and 'N Sync.

Disney's 9 Most Racist Characters

Damn, I wish I came up with this list!

Some genius decided to put together 9 of Disney's most racially insensitive cartoon characters. Save for Sebastian from The Little Mermaid and the crows from Dumbo, I am not familiar with any of these characters, which I am sure Disney is happy about. The legendary brand has long since been accused of racism and sexual undertones for years. It probably explains why they are so politically correct now (HSM's We're All In This Together, anyone?).

Here's the list: The 9 Most Racist Disney Characters

An Interesting Read...

The UK's Daily Mail has written what could be considered an exposé on movie icon Doris Day...

It's quite interesting, especially if you know her career.

Check it out HERE