Romeo and Juliet-like Muisic Videos

I noticed that there is a trend with Drake’s and Alicia Keys’ new music videos. The videos for “Find Your Love” (by Drake) and “Un-thinkable (I’m Ready)” (by Alicia Keys) have a Romeo and Juliet like plot to it, but still slightly different. One takes place in Jamaica  and the other takes place in the US. One is more action packed, the other one is more tame, but they both have conflict. Overall both videos have similar plots. Both these videos kept me interested and left me hanging at end, which added to the intrigue. I’m a real sucker for music videos with a good plot.  I have the videos embedded in this post, I’d advise you watch the video and read my commentary after so you can form your own opinions, before I poison your thoughts.

The “Find Your Love” video is the more masculine out of the two videos, complete with violence and scantily clad women. Set in the slums in Jamaica, the video, is about Drake falling in love with the girlfriend (well not really, more like something between a personal slave and a prostitute)  of a Jamaican gang leader (played by reggae artist, Mavado) which as a result, the gang leader sets out to kill Drake. What really stood out to me was the contrasting relationships with Drake and the girl and the girl and the gang leader. Its seems the relationship between the gang leader and the girl is purely sexual, like the scene in the club, the girl is all over him while he just sits there (not like she wants to) , no romance, he just treats her like an object. The relationship between Drake and the girl is more romantic, for example when Drake approached her in the club, he kisses her on her hand first. Unlike the gang leader he treats her like a person, not a sex object (points for Drake for being a gentleman). In the end, the gang leader catches Drake and the girl comes out. The gang leader gives the girl a gun to kill Drake and the video blacks out a with a gunshot, leaving  viewers wondering. Who did she shoot? Personally, I think she shot the gang leader because Drake treated her like a lady while the gang leader treated her like dirt.   

I really like this video and the song. I got her CD, “The Element of Freedom”, in December and “Un-thinkable (I’m Ready)” was a standout song for me. So I was already sold on this song, so when I was on YouTube and saw the ad for the “Un-thinkable” video,  I had to see it. I was shocked that Alicia picked former teen heart-throb, Chad Michael Murray because he was much different from the guys she usually picks for her videos. But when I found out the concept of the video, I understood the choice. Alicia took a more socially conscious route for this video. The video is about an interracial relationship between Keys and Murray characters across the decades to present day. The two make a cute couple in a way that I can’t explain. My favorite scene in this video is the grocery store scene, where Alicia is shopping while Murray is looking over from the adjacent aisle. I think Murray channeled that bad good guy vibe very well, especially when they get to the end of the aisle when he’s defiantly checking Alicia out. Another standout was the fight scene, and Murray shouted to Alicia’s brother, “What! I’m not good enough!?”. It like one of those lines that are worth 10,000 words, it really brought out the feeling in the video. I like how it transitions through the decades with the standout stuff like the Godzilla cellphones from the 80′s. In the end Murray drives to Alicia’s house and Alicia standing at the door, which leaves us wondering did she follow her heart, and date the white guy or do what her family wants her to? I commend Alicia for taking such a bold route with this video.

Overall, these were very well made, creative,  statement-making videos, that are good in different ways. I’d recommend these videos to people with an eye for art or just good music videos.

What Someone Can Learn From “The Nanny Diaries”

1. Servers Are People Not Slaves: One of the main points that are brought up is the class issue. The X’s treat Annie in a condescending manner by doing such things by addressing her by ”Nanny” and making her take the rap for everything that goes wrong. And what really gets me about the wives is how they don’t think that “the help” are people, they go to these special classes on how to deal with their nannies. News flash: Get off you high horse and you won’t have any problems, but no they go to these dehumanizing classes to make them feel better about how they treat working people. Bottom line treat the people you call the help with respect, no matter how rich you get.

2. Stay True to yourself: In the movie, Annie secretly takes the nanny job against her mother’s wishes to find out if she should go into finance (like her mother wants her) or go into anthropology (what she wants to do).Over the course of the movie she goes through a journey that makes her a stronger and self-assured person. In the movie she talks about “going native”, a term that describes someone completely putting oneself in a culture that it affects their personal behavior. With the X’s she ”goes natives” and by doing this she finds out what she doesn’t want to be. In the end, he is bold enough to stand up to the X’s and tell her mother that she wants to be anthropologist.

3. Good Friends Are Forever: I like the friendship between Annie and her friend Lynette. Number one they are completely different, Annie is uptight and Lynette is laid back. But they have each others backs. When Annie’s mom was in town, and she needed a cover, Lynette let her use her apartment, so make it look she was living there. Lynette gave her real advice when Annie was going extremely native. She did push Annie against her will at the bar to talk to Harvard Hottie and his boys, but because of it he came by to apologize to her and they end up going out. Good friends have your back and tell you the things you NEED to hear.

4. Somewhere on your journey you can meet your “Harvard Hottie”:  In the movie Annie’s love interest, “Harvard Hottie” is an interesting character, he is blue blooded, but he’s not snobby like Mr. and Mrs. X. He explores many parts of NYC, even the parts where the rich people wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole. Over the course of the movie, they meet over several awkward meetings. But he liked her even though every time he saw her it was a disaster. Ladies hold out for your “Havard Hottie”, who still likes you even when you look your worst.

5. Money doesn’t equal happiness: Its corny and obvious, but its true. take the X’s for example. They are very wealthy, but Mr. X is a cheating jerk, which makes Mrs. X a bitter controlling not-so-much of a housewife, which affects the child, Grayer, negatively. Over the course of the movie, Grayer is closer to Annie than he is to his own parents, mainly because when they are there, she shoos him away when he comes to lovingly greet them. They passively make up for it by giving him fancy things he doesn’t need, like the French clowns. Annie took Grayer to the oh- so- simple Museum of Natural History, and Grayer liked it. Think about it.

Why I Think Justin Beiber is the Spawn of Satan

If you frequently read this blog, you know that I’m a fan of good music, while accepting the fact that every one needs their trash music. But Justin Bieber is in a whole other category… and that not a compliment. Everywhere you walk you hear the chipmunk voice of an underdeveloped 16-year-old with an ugly bull cut thats sweeps over his uglier face whose utterance of the word “shawty” makes people with sence angrily grit their teeth. What is it about Justin Bieber that makes him so popular when its obvious that he sucks. When there is so many people with actual talent waiting in line for their big break, this talentless hack becomes famous overnight. One of the reasons I have so little faith in mainstream pop music.

The first annoyance, his music. If you look him up on Wikipedia, the article describes him as an “Canadian pop/R&B singer”. I listen to his music and I don’t think R &B, instead I think bathroom singing FAIL. His songs have no cool,  when I listen to his songs I don’t fall in love with him, I can’t take him seriously enough to fall in love with him. Bottom line all R&B is supposed to be cool, and there is nother cool about Justin Bieber’s music.

I don’t understand the hype about him. The media propped him up to be this “major hottie” when in real life he’s average (he’s not like Taylor Lautner or anything). It seems like any average looking guy becomes famous he suddenly turns hott. And whats up with him saying “shawty” everywhere he goes. It’s not like he’s gangsta and I don’t want to sound racist, but Justin Bieber is a middle class WHITE CANADIAN, he shouldn’t be saying shawty until he gains at least a shred of street cred. Artists like Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke actually had to WORK for the R&B crediblity they have. Justin Bieber can’t roll up and act all gangsta because he suddenly got famous– sorry the hood pass system doesn’t work like that (same goes for Asher Roth). And why does he have a “swagger coach”? If he truely has all the swagger he thinks he has then he won’t need someone to coach them into being a swag master, that stuff comes natural. He just seems like a huge pile of fake.

And the hissy fits…really?! He’s been famous for a year and he’s starting to turn into a diva…or is he supposed to be a divo because he’s a guy, um never mind lets call him a diva. During an appearance in Australia, one of the TV workers tried to move him some where and he said to him “don’t  f*****n touch me ever again”. That is rude and it proves that he’s is a serious prima donna. No one should say that to a person, especially a working person. This is sad especially coming from him, who grew up in a single parent home where his mom did temp work to support the two of them. He should have more humility.

I hate Justin Bieber. I hoe he gets some therapy for his identity crisis.

About the Lack of Posting….

I’m sorry, I’m usually busy during this time of year, but I promise that there will be more posts soon
P.S. To hold you over I’m posting some Michael Buble

What was Quincy Jones Thinking?!

This was the question I was acheing to know  when I heard the new “We Are the World”, redone for the Haitian relief. When I heard about this, I was happy until  they announced Miley Cyrus and Justin Beiber and other C-listers were doing the song, my hopes automatically sank. Which made me think if they are the world then i should probably move to Mars. Seriously, if I was one of the Haitians affected by the quake and I heard that song I would think my people deserve a better song than that. One of the problems off the bat is that there was a lack of talent and starpower, I’m not saying that everyone on the song was aweful. There were people who deserve to be on the song like Wyclef, Kayne, Mary J. Blige, and people with talent. But they should’ve had artists like Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Rihanna, Jay-Z and other neglected heavyweights. Maybe the reason such artists wern’t picked because Jay-Z was openly against the remake and advised his wife (Beyonce) and acts that he discovered (Rihanna, Kayne) not to participate. The next problem I have with this song is the singing wasnt as good, mainly caused by the mediocre choice of artists, which causes the 10 artists with talent to carry the whole song (which failed, but good effort). Which comes to the conclusion that the original was better, eventhough we may have superior recording equipment, it doesn’t beat pure talent (which this song obviously lacks).  And will people stop complaining about Wyclef’s part, it is the way they sing in Haiti and it brings a deeper cultural perspective to the country the song is supposed to help. So people who are complaining about Wyclef’s part, BRODEN YOUR CULTURAL HORIZONS AND STOP BEING UGLY AMERICANS FOR CRISSAKES! I could rant about that more ,but I wouldve gone horribly off-topic. I’ll save that for another post. Furthermore the new “We Are the World” was a COMPLETE AND ABSOLUTE FAIL! Quincy Jones needs to a) take Jay-Z’s advise and make another song b) use the same song but pick a different combination of artists. For the time being I, like other people are going to listen to the original and not waste y money on this musical crap, I’ll find other ways to show Haiti my support.

The Return of Taking the Stage

from l to r: Anna, Ian, Carlton, Tyler, Emily Sones., Emily Seilber, Adam

 It’s back, after a long year, MTV’s “Taking the Stage” is back! With new students and the only people from last season are Tyler and Mia. The new cast members are dancers: Anna, Carlton, and Emily; and musicians: Ian, Adam, and Emily S.  

The season starts off with an audition special. You get to see a glimpse of the new students and know their stories. It gives a chance  for viewers pick their favorites and hope for them to get in (well it obvious that they will all get in).  

First there is Anna a dancer who suffers from sclerosis and has had surgery that leaves titanium rods stuck in her spine. Her doctor said that she shouldn’t take dance as a career, but being a fighter pursues dance anyway. Because of this she is one of my favorites so far and I hope she lives her dream.  

Then there Ian, who probably one of the hottest guys on the show, is an ultra talented rapper. He has participated in rap battles all over Cincinnati and has released his own CD. So far he seems pretty focused, not in any drama, unfortunately that why he barely get any air time.  

Then there is the triple threat, Carlton,  who is singer/dancer/actor, who is becomes Tyler’s new competition. He was like Tyler last season, the hot new dancer who threatens the best dancer in school.    

There is Emily the musician, who suffered from anorexia and put her frustrations into music. She is one of my favorites because so far she seems real and wholesome.     

There is Emily the dancer, who decides to pursue her dream to be professional dancer even though she doesn’t have the right body type for it. In her romance with Tyler, I think she is a match for him because I think she’s breezy with with and doesn’t put her all into him. She seems very headstrong and she knows what she wants and goes after it.    

Then there is Adam, another hottie, a musician who moves from a small town to Cincinnati to go to SCPA and pursue his music career. He’s been home school and is adjusting to going to a regular school. He seems like you nice, boy next door with values.  

Then there is ol’ Tyler back with his womanizing antics. His current catch of the moment is Emily the dancer, who ,so far, seems pretty chill, not bitchy like his ex, Jasmine. I just hope Tyler doesn’t play her because she seems like a nice girl. But this year he not only going to be a dancer, he is going to do music and acting     

This season Mia is sticking around, ”teaching” at SCPA while she chases her dream with her band. Her and Tyler have seemed to have maintained their friendship and she seems like she’s swooping down trying to save him from relationship horrors.     

On the 1st episode, the cast is preparing for the talent show. Mia and Aaron fight over the future of  their band, Mia Carruthers and the Retros. This isn’t the first time there has been conflict between Aaron and Mia. Mia debates with herself whether she should keep Aaron in the band or kicks him out, risking their friendship. In the end Aaron gets kicked out of the band.  Adam and Emily decide to do their act for the talent show, during their rehearsal Emily takes a liking to Adam. For his act Tyler rounds up Ian and a bunch of dancer girls. While Carlton does and MJ style dance to dethrone Tyler as the #1 dancer in school. On the day of the performance Emily the dancer complains that her hip hurts and she might not perform. Fortunalty she performs and totally rocks it! Emily and Adam did a vocal/guitar duet.  Mia closes up the show with her band. The first show is was nice and kept me interested for more, especially the budding relationships and the new performances.  

In the second episode the relationship between Tyler and Emily Seilber heat up when he offers to take her to the upcoming singer/songwriter show. Emily, who plans to tell Adam her feelings for him at the singer/songwriter show. But trouble comes when overzealous slut , Holly, attempts to scoop him up. Holly succeeds in this endeavor, even though Adam was torn between Holly and Emily Sones. Honestly I don’t know why Holly and Adam are together. Holly is a fat FUGLY wannabe party girl, I hope she jumps into a hat and disappears. On the night of the singer/songwriter show Tyler picks up Emily Seilber. And a heartbroken Emily Sones comes out and sings Adam’s song for the performance.I think that Emily deserves to be with Adam  because they seem to be at the same pace and Emily will treat him right. I think Adam is just another boy-toy to Holly. Then there is Adam’s performance a song he wrote called, “She’s the Brave One”, which is about his grandma who is a cancer survivor. She was the crowd crying tears of joy. I thought his song was so sweet.   

Overall, Season 2 of  Taking the Stage is worth watching. I’m excited for what is to come during this new season.      

My Grammy Rant

It was an amazing night of shocking moments, memorable performances, and things to go on blog rants about. It’s the Grammy’s! The night started off with an eclectic performance by Lady Gaga and Elton John. It was set up as a “Fame Factory” and Lady Gaga was a defective product in this factory and thus thrown into the fire. She then reappears playing the piano with Elton John. I like this performance, it  was a nice mix of old and new music. And the special effects and the atmosphere was cool.   

Another notable performance is Green Day and American Idiot cast performance. It makes me want to go see the American Idiot musical. What I liked is the rock against broad way pop voices. I also like afro-girl’s outfit.

P!nk’s perfromance was cool, but it sorta played out because she did the acrobatics that at the VMA’s. What is up with her wearing basically wearing ribbons?  The song was nice though.

This is one of the things about the night that grinded my gears. It starts with a STONED Ke$ha and a chipmunky Justin Bieber. It’s a fail waiting to happen. They were supposed to remind viewer to vote for the song that Bon Jovi is going to play. Instead of saying Bon Jovi, the little tool says Beyoncé instead and he attempts to play it off saying “Beyoncé’s always on my mind, sorry Jay.” Like Beyoncé would give this guy the  time of day! In all of this Ke$ha is trying to keep from falling off the stage. MILA.

This was the best part of the show was the “Earth Song” performance by Usher, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, and Carrie Underwood. This was the part where the 3D glasses come in handy. unfortunately, I didn’t run over to Target and get them so it didn’t see images popping out of my TV. The 3D part was  the “Earth Song” from This Is It with the cute little kid. The performance itself was excellent.

The greatest FAIL of the night was when the gave “Album of the Year” to Taylor Swift. Everyone knows that was a pity win because of the Kanye West incident. unfortunately when we actually needed Kanye to interrupt something, he is not there (the Grammy people banned him from the event). It’s not I have anything against Taylor, but some of the other nominees deserved it more simply because they had stronger albums than Fearless. KANYE OFFICALLY RUINED THE GRAMMYS!