Some Notable Quotes

I've come across two quotes that are worthy of reprint, at least in my world.

Joni Mitchell, New York Magazine:
"All my battles were with male egos.  I'm just looking for equality, not to dominate.  But I want to control my vision."   

Being a female and working in the music industry, I know exactly where she is coming from.  It seems to me that it's still this way.  No matter how many females are at the top of the charts or working behind the scenes, we still haven't made significant inroads. The music biz is still a good old boys network.  You couldn't imagine how sickening it was to hear male radio promotion people tell me, we can't get your your artist (who was female) added to radio station playlists because there are already 2 female artists on the charts.  What???  In their little scope of the world, two female artists was enough in the top 10.  They couldn't handle having a few more.   What would happen?  Would radios start exploding?

Howard Stern this week on Sirius:
(This might not be verbatim, but it's close)
"The one thing I'm going to miss when I die is listening to this song."

I've been a huge fan of Cheap Trick since their second album.  If You Want My Love is another in their string of perfectly written and executed songs.  Rick Nielsen is a songwriting genius.  Robin Zander has one of the best rock voices. This song was recorded without bassist Tom Petersson, who was on hiatus from the band.  

Don Henley is Suing Again

Don Henley's lawyers must love him. He's at it again and I never tire of these stories.  TechDirt  points out that he is suing a retailer for this ad: 

 

He is possessed enough to trademark his name, but only for recordings and live music, so it rules out clothing.  What was not mentioned in the article is that he didn't write Take It Easy,  Jackson Browne did.  His band recorded the song, but has no claim on ownership of the song, only their recording. I'm sure he doesn't have that either, it's in the hands of the record label.  To misquote Styx, I think Henley has Too Much Time On His Hands. 

Which SNL Alum do you think has the biggest box office appeal?

According to Bloomberg Business Week, it's Eddie Murphy.  His 38 movies have grossed $5.79 billion dollars.  Rounding out the top 5 are Dan Ackroyd, Robert Downey Jr, Ben Stiller and Bill Murray.

The female with the highest score and this is not really a surprise as she has had support roles in tons of successful movies:  Joan Cusack at #10 with $2.81 billion. 

It does seem like their is a Saturday Night Live alum in almost anything you watch these days.  What a training ground. 

C'mon Get Happy

On this Day In History: 1970 - The Partridge Family premiered on ABC and I watched every episode.

Any Song That Borrows From Wichita Lineman Is Ok With Me

Pacific State is duo singer songwriter Berri Farley and writer-producer Simon Marlin.  They seamlessly use the unforgettable strings/horns from Glen Campbell's Wichita Lineman in their first musical offering Coming Home.  The bastard child of Adele and Massive Attack is their self-description of the music.   Morcheeba also comes to mind.  Simon sent out a demo of the song desperate to find the right singer.  Berri ran with it.  Simon was the mastermind behind The Shapeshifters aka Shape:UK.

According to their Facebook page, the band name:  It references the eponymous classic rave track from 808 State but it also encompasses the American music the pair love, from Crosby, Stills and Nash to Sly and the Family Stone: “It’s 808 folk,” says Marlin with a grin. 

They have recorded an album's worth of material so let's assume they'll be a lot more to hear in a short amount of time. 

Unpracticle Tips From A Bachelorette

A guilty pleasure:  The Bachelorette/Bachelor TV show.   Besides being a ridiculous scenario, it is a fascinating unreality to watch.  Can't be called reality TV.  There is nothing that relates to reality in the 8 or so weeks spent sifting through 25 or 26 people to find your forever mate.

Courtney Robertson, was chosen by Ben Flajnik to be his wife in season 16.  The wedding never took place.  According to her, the relationship went sour minutes after he proposed.  Ben invited some crew members to join them for dinner several times during the few days they had to spend together.  She just released a book (with Deb Baer) I Didn't Come Here To Make Friends, which chronicles her time before during and after the Bachelor. It's dishy and it's informative-if you're a fan of the show. 

Courtney gives the reader insight into what a day is like for a contestant. It doesn't sound that pleasant.  For every one-on-one date a contestant might get (and those are few,  Courtney had 4 or 5 and she was the "winner"), there are way more times she/he is held up in hotel rooms with no communication.  No cell phones, no newspapers, no internet, no books  are allowed. Why no books?  She recalls a story where a few of the ladies were psyched to go to the gym in the hotel as there were TVs and they could watch the news.  Towards the end of filming, to Courtney's surprise, she got a dial tone on the hotel phone.  She immediately called her father and said she was cheating.  His response was no you're not and he hung up the phone. Turns out he was in the presence of a Bachelor producer who was setting up the hometown date. 

The producers and editors make most of the dates look glamorous.  Courtney points out that the helicopter ride around the Matterhorn was terrifying.  There were endless picnics.  Courtney said Ben planned dates around things he wanted to do, not taking into account what his date might like to do.

Courtney owns up to her mistakes. She played the game, which is what this was and was crucified for it.  She made an interesting season out of what could have been as bland as Ben's personality was portrayed.  She realized she was cast as the villain after she watched the first episode.  She thought she was being funny at times and it didn't come off that way on TV.  She was no saint, but the editors are the real storytellers of this show.  She did love Ben. From her accounts, she was trying to hold on to a relationship that never really was there. She highlights their night in the fantasy suite. 

The book is filled with useless tips unless you want to be a model or a Bachelor contestant. 

• For newbie models  Tip #1 Keep a nude thong, nude strapless bikini and heels in your car at all times in case of last minute casting. 
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• Filling Out The Bachelor Application:  Be heartbroken.  A good breakup story in which you've been dumped cruelly and callously helps your chances. 
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• Questions For The Bachelor:  Do you have a good relationship with your Mom?

Bottom line:  It's a fun, quick read for fans of  The Bachelor/Bachelorette.

On a series note, I've got my money on Andi picking Josh.  

Getting the Perfect Concert Photo

Everyone has a camera on them at all times, which makes it that much harder to get a perfect concert photo. 

There are phones and cameras blocking views pretty consistently.  I was guilty of that today in Central Park.  Not that this shot was during the middle of a song, but the timing of the woman whose hand graces my photo could not have been better.  She completely blocks out Keith Urban.  Well not completely, you can see his elbow if you look close.  It made me laugh. 

Keith Urban's performance  on GMA today was as always A-1.  Hearing him live in Central Park was the perfect kick off to the weekend.  He performed:  Somewhere in My Car, Even The Stars Fall 4 U, You Gonna Fly and Long Hot Summer.