Sometimes I just can't take it. Maybe one positive result of gathering world strife will be the de-emphasizing of celebrity and pop culture in America. Seriously, would anyone else be sorry to see the days of $20 million paychecks for spoiled imbecilic actors go away? I wouldn't. Maybe we'd actually get art that way. Anyway, here are my headaches lately:
One of the lead singers for the Black Eyed Peas has released a song so bad that The Cachinnator's Greatest Hits, (see sidebar at bottom left), seem like musical gold. "London Bridge" has lyrics that make "My Humps" seem subtle and a beat that makes me want to curl up in a corner, hugging myself, saying, "Head On, apply directly to the forehead! Head On, apply directly to the forehead! Head On, apply directly to the forehead!"
In the words of one reviewer on iTunes, "I think I just blacked out from the agony of listening to this. Just horrendous."
I honestly do feel sorry for this little girl. Her world expanded faster than her maturity and her body developed ahead of her mind. She's lead a life filled with people who have done nothing but exploit her and use her like a tool. How do you watch this video and not hear her screaming to be something, anything, but who she is and is being forced to be?
Head On
Speaking of... this just makes me nuts.
Also, for a poll wrap up and change:
I stinkin' love good commercials. I hate the bad ones. The poll has been "Who makes the best commercials?"
In the end, Geico beat out Sonic. But I realized that this poll was flawed since I gave no 'other' option. So go ahead, who makes the best commercials? And what's your favorite commercial of all time? And who makes the worst commercials? (I vote for Burger King. Can you say, "Trying too hard???)
Next poll is up! Tell me what you think. I, personally, loathe computer slang. But what's the worst? You tell me.
Additionally, if any of you are curious about my theatre, I just put a post together on its blog to help our new Tech Director get a feel for the place. It's got a lot of pictures of the theatre. I'm quite proud of the place.
We still have four slots left in the Cachinnator Fantasy Football League. If you want one of them, claim it quickly! Rex? Grant Miller? Seth? Toby? Bueller? Beuller? Beuller...?
Look for a post about Art and War in the next day or so. I've been thinking about it quite a bit.
19 Cachinnations
I have an entire soapbox dedicated to the embecilic actors/performers that like to refer to themselves as artists and musicians. Paris Hilton is at the top of the list. I'm sorry. No amount of money can make you talented.
Commercials: You forgot AFLAAAC!!!
Posted on 8/14/2006
Re: Art and War. Check out the website Voices in Wartime (www.voicesinwartime.org) that deals with the necessity of art during wartime. The site is connected to a movie my uncle produced last year, "Voices in Wartime", that focused on poetry in wartime.
Posted on 8/14/2006
i can't believe geico beat out any of those.
--RC of strangeculture.blogspot.com
Posted on 8/15/2006
She is about as smart as a box of dirt. K-fed at least sounds like he has a few more electrodes firing in that gray matter up there than his blonde sugar-momma counter-part. sheesh. That was embarassing. What complete and total moron thought that was a good idea? It was kind of like watching a national geographic where some mother kangaroo, for some reason, eats her babies.
Posted on 8/15/2006
It's pretty tragic alright. Am I the only one who sees how robbed and used she is? It's really pretty heartbreaking.
RC, welcome! Not a fan of the Geico commercials, eh? Who do you think is any good? I like Sportscenter's commercials. They're always entertaining even if they're always inside jokes.
Posted on 8/15/2006
Head on, apply directly to the forehead.
Does anyone know what head on is used for?
Posted on 8/15/2006
I would love to play fantasy football! Is there still an opening?
Posted on 8/15/2006
Steve, you're in! We're down to three available slots guys and gals. Just say the word; it's first come first served.
Q3... I think it's for headaches... but I'll be honest, now that I think about it, I have no proof of that. It's just a hunch. I've also heard people on the radio discussing it by saying, "That stuff really works. My wife got some the other day and it's like miracle!" But they never said what it did!
Anyone know for sure?
Posted on 8/15/2006
No, I definitely see the abuse. Very sad. However, it must be noted that she is what she is in some ways. She is no Charlotte Bronte and some of that is truly her. The opposite extreme of the scenerio is her idol Madonna. I think because Brit. is kind of an imbecile that she might come out okay in the end. Her kids might bring back some of her innoncence and she might be able to see fame for what it really is rather than be plagued by the addiction to it and find herself at 50 years old strapped to a disco cross screaming for attention.
Posted on 8/15/2006
Well I must say, both of you have certainly awakened something that I never thought would arise from a cold, dark, deep, grave. -Sympathy for Britney Spears. I watched it again and I made it to the end this time and I think you are right. She has been really robbed of something.
Posted on 8/15/2006
I was just standing in line looking at the tabloids with my sweet innocent children today, basically depressed that our culture puts a high emphasis on such low, degrading things. why do we care so much?
it's too bad that other countries tend to "monkey see, monkey do" whatever we do. when i went to europe, i was shocked that they all had our tabloids. I thought, "is this who they think we are?" sad. Even some muslim cultures have movie stores filled with our movies. yikes. it's no wonder they think we are godless infidels.
(sorry so dark)
Posted on 8/15/2006
just read your last comment on einstein anyone. VERY INSIGHTFUL. thank you.
Posted on 8/15/2006
For those of you who don't know what Operamama is talking about, here's a link to that discussion. I warn you: it's lengthy. I think it runs a post and 138 comments.
I'll repost a sort of digest of that conversation here soon. It's a very interesting topic. It starts off talking about Intelligent Design vs. Darwinian Evolution as both are or are not taught in schools, but it eventually morphs into a discussion about the nature, inspiration, and authority of Scripture. Mas fun.
Posted on 8/15/2006
Personally i'm a big fan of the "Where's the Beef" Commercials. Nothing beats a little old lady screaming "where's the beef??" Makes me think of queeniii when she hits 84!!
I don't know if I feel sympathy for Britney yet...I still feel sympathy for the world that she's the cover story for every ridiculous news correspondant out there...what I do know is that I like Spearing Britney
Posted on 8/15/2006
Those "head on" commercials make me want to die. I would never buy a product that tries so hard to annoy me. The Geico commercials make me want to squish that stupid smug lizard... and their "fake-out" radio commercials are just irritating. OK, guys, everyone's expecting it now! Get a new gimmick. Sonic has me hooked, though. I personally am grossed out by their food, but those idiots on their commercials make me laugh in spite of myself. Then I get mad at myself for laughing and always end it with a "Cursed Sonic! You did it again!" chagrined fist-shake toward the TV.
Oh, and while moving I accidentally-on-purpose caught the last half of Britney's Matt Lauer interview and by the end, I was completely depressed. Yes, she's an idiot, but she never had a chance. What a sad, sad young woman.
(Magic word: kluemju)
Posted on 8/15/2006
Cach - Lots of great fodder for discussion in this mish-mash entry.
First, regarding Head On: For the life of me I can't figure out what it's supposed to do. Seriously. That was my first comment to my wife after being annoyed by the commercials -- "Okay, so you apply it directly to the forehead, but for what?". Following your link to their website, I see that they are equally ambiguous there.
I have a suspicion what that's all about. There's this ongoing battle between the vitamin, herb and supplement industries Versus the U.S government (and international) regulatory agencies. I think if you are ambiguous enough about what your "holistic" products are alleged to cure, you can't be held to the high standards of accountability and labeling under the law that pharmaceuticals and other medications are. So they just don't make any claims, but hope that inquiring people will hear from a friend or some "unofficial" source what the alleged benefits of the ingredients are.
Second, Britney: Very sad. My first response is similar to Seth's -- critical, sarcastic, tired of hearing about her, etc. But after watching this video and really thinking about it, it really is sad. Essentially, she's the epitomy of what "success" looks like to those who trust in this world as the end-all and be-all. So much attention, so much image, so much material for media coverage. But behind the facade -- emptiness, loneliness, loss of purpose and direction. It really is very sad, and very instructive to those who have ears to hear.
Third, commercials: I think I've seen some really funny Sonic commercials lately. I feel like the Gekko's 15 minutes are pretty much up, he's starting to be like the Taco Bell chihuahua (cute at first, then beaten to death). Jack in the Box occasionally has funny commercials. Usually a new idea or routine is interesting or funny for a short time, then it gets old. So they have to keep coming up with new things.
I notice that one of the apparent goals of commercials now (not surprisingly) is to break through the roaring din. To get noticed. They have become increasingly narcissistic, sarcastic, pessimistic, snarky, and kitschy, partly as a reflection of our culture in general, but also because that's what currently has emotional appeal in pop culture.
The Burger King guy -- that's freakin' creepy. They managed to do to a man dressed as a statue what those creepy clown movies and Chucky movies did to clowns and puppets -- make them absolutely skin-crawling satanically freakish and scary.
Posted on 8/16/2006
That Britney Spears video was pretty sad. I truly believe she had to have been "on something". Was she eating grean beans?
Posted on 8/16/2006
Yeah, sorry for the mish-mash nature of the post. I've been under the weather the past few days and buried with work too. I'm trying to finish up some thoughts about art and war, and want to do the subject justice, so I filled in the blanks with this post. Honestly the impetus was hearing that Fergie song. I thought, "Man, that crap gives me a headache..." You can see where it went from there.
As for Britany, I just can't muster any loathing or malice for her. She only gets pity from me. I so badly wish that she had normal and/or strong and good voices in her life, but it doesn't seem so. Poor girl.
Posted on 8/16/2006
Now that my Dell has been worm-patched and the sound is working, I finally got to hear the Britney video. I have to agree with susiebadoozie. She was STOOOOONED. She's never that stupid in interviews and K-Fed was having too much fun taping her in that moment.
Posted on 8/17/2006