Del.icio.us Links 2008-05-01
April 30, 2008
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i’m still not sure what to say on this one
Another Shocker On Idol - American Idol Results 4-30-08
April 30, 2008
The Idol Top Five are doing a medley of Neil Diamond’s songs. If Castro sounded as good last night as he just did he wouldn’t be likely going home tonight. Cook takes the biggest part with Brooke taking the better parts of “Song, Song Blue”
For those who missed last night American Idol here is the recap American Idol 4-29-08. Paula Abdul’s blunder was first must be accounted for. Jason Castro is the first Idol up and is safe, which is a big moment of what the fuck. Archuleta is up second and safe.
After the break we have David Cook up. I have a feeling he is going to be sent to the stools. He is worried that the compliments were the kiss of death, but thankfully for him, no.
Brooke and Syesha are up against each other. Who is going home? Syesha has admitted that song choices have been a problem all season.
After the break with some British Bird I don’t give a damn about and then a Q&A I care even less about we finally get to hear Neil Diamond sin g his new song, “Pretty Amazing Grace”. Neil still sounds good, but I am pretty much “Meh” when it comes to the song. As the idol judges would say I wasn’t wowed. I would have much rather heard him sing “Love on the Rocks” or “Forever in Blue Jeans” to get Jason’s rendition out of my head.
Who will it be Syesha or Brooke? After all is said and done it is Brooke leaving us tonight.
Songs of The Week 4/21 - 4/25
April 30, 2008
While there is no Death Cab for Cutie, Portishead or any of their members in this week’s songs of the week there are a number of really great songs. Here we go!
Sia starts off the list with a bouncing pop diddy in “Buttons” off her latest CD Some People Have Real Problems. This is a real departure from the Sia we know from “Breathe Me” which was the go to song for the final scene of Six Feet Under and the Malaria bit on Idol Gives back.
Kate Walsh with “Your Song” according to Stephen Thompson is likely to get confused with others of Similar name and style like Kate Walsh of Grey’s anatomy, Kate Nash and Kate Maki. Her voice is soft and lovely mixed with a great melody. If I were ever to have a man-crush this would be the song I would play for them.
Van Morrison shows his age through the polished patina of his music. School of Hard Knocks is no Brown Eyed Girl, but you can hear Van’s voice coming through as strong as ever. The rifts are strong, and the message is even stronger. In can’t wait to hear the rest of this album.
“Get Your Head Around It” by the Headlights. Mellow electric guitar builds until we finally hear Tristan Wraight start to sing
“I read a book about a man
who made mistakes all of the time
He didn’t give up,
though, he’d make things right”
This sets the tone for the whole son and when I heard it really got me through a tough day as well.
“Lost Verses” by Mark Kozelek has a definite old school James Taylor feel to the melody. Marks voice is deeper than James so I would love to hear what he could do with a cover, but this is about this “Lost Verses” not being lost in contemplation. However listening to the lyrics lost in contemplation is exactly what happened to me.
These and all songs of the week past, present and future can be heard at NPR’s Song of the Day.
Diamonds In The Rough - Idol Does Neil Diamond
April 29, 2008
American Idol April 29, 2008
Jason Castro is starting out with Forever in Blue Jeans as his first song. This is one of my favorite Neil Diamond song’s I hope he doesn’t fuck it up. His soft voice is well suited for the song, but he starts off rather weak. With inferior audio speakers of the average TV, I am not sure you notice, but those of us who hear it with properly crossed over full range three ways will know there was something wrong.
David Cook starts off really well with I’m Alive. I enjoy he is back to being the rocker. He could have a hit with this song.
Brooke is going to play guitar with I’m a Believer. This comes out as a very country feel, but I am not sure if this will be enough to carry her. It could be a minor country hit, but I just don’t know if it is enough to carry her tonight.
Archuleta is doing Sweet Caroline which I called. He performs for the crowd well doing fluttery fingers and crotch thrusting at the teen twat on hand. He however sounds like crap and now have a lot more hope for Brooke. [Read more]
Don’t Worry, Google Will Let You Know What’s Popular!
April 29, 2008
If it is on TV it is popular on Google. I check my Google trends almost every morning to see what is hot and what is not and how I can profit from that just like any good blogger. What I have found out this morning is neurosyphilis, which was this week’s featured but wrong diagnosis on House sits in the number two slot, right behind Harvey Dent and just ahead of grand theft auto 4 cheats.
I am not sure what it means when the cheats for a new game rank well above the rating for the new game itself. I sometimes long for the days of simple video games that required a quarter slug to cheat. The fact is I just don’t the point of a lot of new video games. I love first person shooter games like Halo or Ghost Recon, but I think that goes with having extra helping of testosterone. Kill! Kill! Kill! I never got that kind of satisfaction out of pacman. [Read more]
Miley Cyrus Spread Wide Open
April 28, 2008
I heard about the brouhaha over Miley’s Vanity Fair spread this morning like most of you and my first instinct was… Meh! The more I went through my day I kept hearing about how they were exploiting this poor young girl, then I had to go see for myself. Now all I can say is get over it. This is no big deal.
While the actual photo will have the fan removed and her hair perfect, this photo is no big deal. While I don’t necessarily think a 15 year old girl has much business in Vanity Fair since it is a magazine meant for adults, I have yet to see what the big deal is. I have seen the reports that say she is in fact wearing a backless strapless bra of some sort, even if she wasn’t her tits are still covered, not that I care (I’m and ass man).
Maybe she is topless maybe she isn’t has become the big debate of the day, but the fact is underneath all our clothes we are all just a bunch o naked people walking around going about our daily business.
Further I can’t stand the fact that she is apologizing for the spread. Annie Leibowitz is one of the greatest photographers of our time, Miley is a beautiful young woman, and everyone including Miley, Her Father, all the handlers and legal people, plus Annie loved the shots the day they were taken and found nothing wrong with them. Now that there is the slightest bit of controversy over them she (Miley) is covering her ass with more than a pair of painted on jeans. She says was really embarrassed over the whole thing” rather than saying how “cool” and “unskanky” they were the day she took them.
Also since when did the back become a sex object? We see no T&A from this girl. She had her girly parts all covered up. Yet we are still making a big deal about her bare back. Her bare backside would be something to make a big deal about, since it does look fabulous in a pair of jeans. The point is if we are going to make a big deal about her showing some not sexual skin then we are in fact validating the Muslim argument that the slightest bit of skin will turn any man into a wanton rape machine and that we should cover our women from head to toe in burkas and lock them away. [Read more]
Why Do Women Like Slash
April 26, 2008
It may be the simple answer, but it’s true. The thought of two guys, especially two hot guys, being together is one of the biggest female sexual fantasies. It turns us on, gets us horny and you, the husband/boyfriend/significant other, are frequently the lucky recipient of that lust.
But it can go deeper than that. We, as slash writers, like to explore the relationships between the two men we slash. Why they love each other or might come to love each other. Why they might have feelings for someone of the same gender and how they came to those feelings, particularly if they’ve only ever been portrayed as straight in the show’s canon.
There really are very few homosexual (and by this I mean male/male) relationships currently (or recently) portrayed on television. Off the top of my head I can name Six Feet Under, Queer as Folk (both US and UK versions), Will and Grace (to an extent) and Torchwood. If you, the reader, can think of others, please feel free to name them in the comments. Recently, soap opera As The World Turns has developed a relationship between the characters Luke and Noah (even though they have so far only kissed). And Joss Whedon (who loving portrayed lesbian relationships in Buffy the Vampire Slayer) hinted that Angel and Spike may have had a one night stand at some point in their past.
Now, while many people relish these relationships and write them (if we follow the show), a majority of slash writers (including myself and those I know) tend to write relationships that are considered non-canonical.
Now, quite a few of these couples have so much onscreen UST (unrequited or unresolved sexual tension) and subtext that it’s hard to believe their relationship is not canon. As my friend Fia and I are fond of saying, their relationships are practically canon, or to use a phrase from Joss Whedon, the subtext is rapidly becoming text. Jack and Daniel (Stargate SG-1), John and Rodney (Stargate Atlantis), Angel and Wesley (AtS), Spike and Angel (BtVS and pre-season five AtS) and Matt and Mohinder (Heroes season two) all come to mind.
Others are more subtle with vague canon hints that there may be more than friendship or enmity between the two characters. Sometimes this takes a little more digging on the part of the writer to find the spark that is hiding. Even rarer are the relationships where the characters have hardly anything in common, have never met in canon, or even those where the characters come from two different shows.
And therein is the challenge for the writer. How to write the how and why of these two people meeting, falling in love (or lust) and having a relationship. It takes a talented writer to make of these things come together in a believable way. It is even harder to make two different shows mesh. But succeeding in doing so makes the story all that more rewarding.
Of course you’re still going to have those authors who write two guys together for no other reason than “OMG they’re hot together!!!!!!1111!!!!!111!!” That can be fun, but it’s ultimately unsatisfying (at least for me), if there is no background for the two meeting or having sex.
So women like slash for the possibilities, for the romance, for the angst. And yes, for the sex. Slash has been around for a long time (forty years, Kirk/Spock anyone?) and I don’t see it ending anytime soon.
Note From Brad: I would like to welcome Katy as our first regular guest blogger and hope she will become a regular contributor to The Other Blog.
Del.icio.us Links 2008-04-26
April 25, 2008
Around The Pop Culture Blogosphere
April 25, 2008
A cool new poster for the Batman movies has surfaced at http://www.firstshowing.net.
The New Your Times provides a piece on the last pinball maker.
Cracked once again has great list up. 7 Common Foods That Can Actually Get You High. #3 I am pretty sure has happened to me as a kid and #1 happens several times a day.
Last but no least I might have a reason for turning on the TV again late at night. Jimmy Fallon is to replace Conan O’Brien. How will the boys of South Park deal with this?
Open Call For Guest Bloggers
April 24, 2008
Do you know so much about your favorite area of pop culture that you should be thought of as a pop culture icon in your own right? Here is the chance to prove it by becoming The Other Blog’s resident expert. I am looking for articulate people with a passion for something. It doesn’t mater if you run a blog or not, all you need to be is passionate about your subject.
The main subjects I am looking for right now are movie reviewers, Reality TV fans, Indie Music, Sci-Fi Fandoms (Trek, Wars, BSG, Stargate, etc), Sci-fi and fantasy readers with book reviews and suggested reading idea, and last but not least what is pop culture without celebrity gossip.
I am also looking for at least one gay and one lesbian who would like to make contributions about gays and lesbians in pop culture, past and present. This could be for a team post or as individuals.
I will consider bloggers from any area of pop culture, but I will need to consider the number of posts you can contribute in a certain area before adding them.
Compensation (for now):
- 1 Post gets you added to the Contributors Page and appropriate links to your blog or website.
- 5 posts gets you added to the Writing Team as well.
- 10 Posts will get you a full bio page with social network links and some of your own advertising. (I have some good affiliate programs if you are lacking)
- 1 post a week after 10 will get your adsense or other marketing links inserted into your posts.
That is all I can offer now besides the increase in traffic to both of our sites, but in the future I want to have a revenue sharing program for regular contributors.
