Warning: Read at your own risk, a reality of aging may follow
I was living my life, oblivious to a reality I didn’t want to face. I went through daily life happily in the dark about a milestone that was happening without my knowledge.
This was until this season’s “Dancing with the Stars” and my friend Madge posted a fact I would have rather not known as her Facebook status.
In November, Ralph Macchio turns 50. What? It can’t be.
Then the reality set in. It was undeniable. The people in the posters lining my walls in the 1980s are now getting old.
I tried really hard to deny it and then I did the unthinkable. I went to the cursed Google, the source for the world’s useless knowledge. Google confirmed not only will Macchio be 50 but next month Michael J. Fox turns 50.
“Gasp,” I thought. “It can’t be.”
The posters of these two young men at the time, papered my walls. Forget Bieber and Pattinson of today, Macchio and Fox were two of the heartthrobs of my day.
I was first introduced to Macchio in “The Outsiders.” Ah, the classic tale of the greasers and soces with the heart stabbing ending with the death of my favorite star. Then, oh yes, then he was “The Karate Kid.” Twice we got to see Daniel-san beat the odds and use the famous karate crane move. I have to confess I tried the move several times and in my clumsiness the attempts resulted in many bruises.
Like many of the teens today watching some modern heartthrob, I would watch anything Macchio was in including “Teachers” and “Crossroads.” Years later he appeared in “My Cousin Vinny” and then he kind of dropped out of sight until DWTS.
Through DWTS we saw him complain every week of knee problems and back aches associated with his age.
Then there was Fox. While I watched him on “Family Ties” he showed up on my wall after he appeared as Marty McFly in the “Back to the Future” series. I wasted a lot of time watching many of his movies that followed as well. Yes, even “Teen Wolf,” which I think I at one time owned on VHS.
The same friend who keeps letting me know which stars are hitting the half century mark sent me a link that read “40 things that will make you feel old.” Yes they made me feel old. It included statements like what the kids on shows 20 years ago look like now and how old the guys in all the boy bands are now. Not funny Madge, not funny at all.
So yes, as I celebrated a birthday last week, and no it wasn’t one of the big ones, I thought about how things, including myself, are growing old.
In the words of the great Bilbo Baggins, “I’m old … I know I don’t look it, but I’m beginning to feel it in my heart.”
Another friend posted on Facebook that “Top Gun” was released 25 years ago. Where did the time go? And someone tell me why music from the 1980s is now playing on oldies stations.
What blows my mind most is it will be time for a 20 year high school reunion next year. Really? Seriously? I feel a bit faint.
There’s one solace to this aging story. When I was discussing all the heartthrobs turning 50 a coworker asked, “What about Kirk Cameron?” Don’t worry, Mike, from “Growing Pains,” is not quite as bad. He’s only 40.
http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content/warning-read-your-own-risk-reality-aging-may-follow
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011
This Week's Column
Redbox killed the video store
Driving on Dixie the other day, I realized another part of my childhood disappeared.
I heard about this kind of thing from my parents. They would lament about the disappearance of record stores and turntables. The “good old days,” you might say.
My lament is the death of the video rental store. Redbox and Netflix might be to blame for this.
As I was driving, I saw an empty and stripped Blockbuster store. Vacant shelves were all that remained in the darkened store. It was the last hold out in Elizabethtown. Hollywood Video and Movie Warehouse both already disappeared.
It made me kind of sad. Without a drive outside of Elizabethtown, I can’t just walk into a video store and rent a movie. Now I have to wait for it to come to a Redbox or arrive via mail.
Gone are the days of just walking in a store and picking up a movie. You might say Internet rental is the answer. It is if you don’t have to wait ten hours for it to download. Not everyone has one of those devices to rent them straight from the TV either.
But I guess it’s just the generation I grew up in. I remember the beginnings of video stores. I go all the way back to the Betamax and VHS.
Before this time, if you wanted to watch a movie again, you either had to wait for it to re-release in the theaters or be shown on television. Instant access to films was unheard of. This might blow some of the young folk’s minds.
I can remember a time when my family didn’t have a VCR. We would go to my cousins’ house to watch movies on their BetaMax machine.My family’s first VCR came around Christmas sometime in the 1980s. It loaded from the top and seemed almost robotic. We thought it was very cool. It had a remote, too. It was attached by a wire to the VCR.
I can even remember the first movies we rented: “The Right Stuff,” an old John Wayne collection and “The Ice Pirates.” Don’t waste your time watching that last one, it’s a running joke in my family. If someone says a movie is bad, we will ask, “Is it as bad as ‘The Ice Pirates’?”
The trip to the video store was different, too. You would take an empty box off the shelf and take it to the counter where they would rummage through drawers and shelves to find the video. They usually handed it to you in an ugly plain case, the cover boxes with the film artwork on the outside were only for the shelves.
I think I still have some of the VHS tapes of films bought at some of these stores. I remember getting excited to pre-order “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “E.T.”
But now it’s just another thing of the past. BetaMax and VHS have given way to DVDs just as DVDs will soon give way to Blu-ray and soon online access will get rid of that, too.
When things like this happen, when records turned into 8-tracks and cassettes in my parent’s generation and when Redbox killed the video store in mine, you feel a bit of nostalgia for the past.
Even though, in most cases, the new things bring improvement of the old, the old still lingers in your memory, creating a fondness for the things of the past.
I will miss the video store, especially because I don’t have cable and my internet downloads films slowly. I will miss buying the previously viewed movies at a cheaper cost. I will miss walking through the store and browsing all the movies, carefully choosing which one I want. If I’m suddenly in the mood to see an old classic I don’t own in my collection, I can no longer head to the video store and rent it.I wonder what will go by the wayside next.
I guess it’s time to upgrade my technology before I’m completely out of entertainment options.
http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content/redbox-killed-video-store
Driving on Dixie the other day, I realized another part of my childhood disappeared.
I heard about this kind of thing from my parents. They would lament about the disappearance of record stores and turntables. The “good old days,” you might say.
My lament is the death of the video rental store. Redbox and Netflix might be to blame for this.
As I was driving, I saw an empty and stripped Blockbuster store. Vacant shelves were all that remained in the darkened store. It was the last hold out in Elizabethtown. Hollywood Video and Movie Warehouse both already disappeared.
It made me kind of sad. Without a drive outside of Elizabethtown, I can’t just walk into a video store and rent a movie. Now I have to wait for it to come to a Redbox or arrive via mail.
Gone are the days of just walking in a store and picking up a movie. You might say Internet rental is the answer. It is if you don’t have to wait ten hours for it to download. Not everyone has one of those devices to rent them straight from the TV either.
But I guess it’s just the generation I grew up in. I remember the beginnings of video stores. I go all the way back to the Betamax and VHS.
Before this time, if you wanted to watch a movie again, you either had to wait for it to re-release in the theaters or be shown on television. Instant access to films was unheard of. This might blow some of the young folk’s minds.
I can remember a time when my family didn’t have a VCR. We would go to my cousins’ house to watch movies on their BetaMax machine.My family’s first VCR came around Christmas sometime in the 1980s. It loaded from the top and seemed almost robotic. We thought it was very cool. It had a remote, too. It was attached by a wire to the VCR.
I can even remember the first movies we rented: “The Right Stuff,” an old John Wayne collection and “The Ice Pirates.” Don’t waste your time watching that last one, it’s a running joke in my family. If someone says a movie is bad, we will ask, “Is it as bad as ‘The Ice Pirates’?”
The trip to the video store was different, too. You would take an empty box off the shelf and take it to the counter where they would rummage through drawers and shelves to find the video. They usually handed it to you in an ugly plain case, the cover boxes with the film artwork on the outside were only for the shelves.
I think I still have some of the VHS tapes of films bought at some of these stores. I remember getting excited to pre-order “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “E.T.”
But now it’s just another thing of the past. BetaMax and VHS have given way to DVDs just as DVDs will soon give way to Blu-ray and soon online access will get rid of that, too.
When things like this happen, when records turned into 8-tracks and cassettes in my parent’s generation and when Redbox killed the video store in mine, you feel a bit of nostalgia for the past.
Even though, in most cases, the new things bring improvement of the old, the old still lingers in your memory, creating a fondness for the things of the past.
I will miss the video store, especially because I don’t have cable and my internet downloads films slowly. I will miss buying the previously viewed movies at a cheaper cost. I will miss walking through the store and browsing all the movies, carefully choosing which one I want. If I’m suddenly in the mood to see an old classic I don’t own in my collection, I can no longer head to the video store and rent it.I wonder what will go by the wayside next.
I guess it’s time to upgrade my technology before I’m completely out of entertainment options.
http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content/redbox-killed-video-store
Thursday, April 28, 2011
This Week's Column
One freaked out CorgiThe past couple weeks were full of storms and have left me with little sleep. Not because they wake me up, I find sleeping through stormy weather quite soothing.
My lack of sleep is because, for some reason, Duke the Corgi suddenly has become scared of storms. Furthermore he believes when he is scared I have to be awake. Boo, my Chocolate Lab, is quite annoyed by this as he grumbles at Duke and then flops back asleep.
I’m not sure where this new fear of storms came from, but the lack of sleep is beginning to wear on me.
I discovered over the stormy weekend he can now sense when a storm is coming. His heightened canine senses can tell me when a storm is coming before I even hear the thunder. I know this because the poor little thing freaks out.
When the storms rolled in Saturday, he started whining and wouldn’t leave my side. I almost tripped over him several times. I would sit down on the couch and he would run as fast as his little legs could take him to the couch and sit next to me shaking, trying to sit as close to me as possible.
After hearing the tornado warning on television I opened my basement door in case we had to go down in a hurry. Duke didn’t wait for that. I noticed I hadn’t tripped over him for a while and found him sitting in the basement. I called for him, and he wouldn’t leave the basement. He stayed there until the storm rolled through and he was happy.
This would have been fine and dandy if he hadn’t sat right in the middle of a puddle of water that had settled in my basement, tracking said water throughout my house when he emerged from his safe zone.
The worst is at night. The little booger wakes me up and makes me stay awake until the storm has passed and he feels safe again. Early Monday morning I was woken by his barking. It’s kind of funny. It’s almost as if he’s whispering at first but then when I don’t wake and immediately give him attention he gets louder.
Each time it storms, I roll over to the Corgi who is crying in my ear and pat him on the head and say a little “it’s OK, boy” and roll over to try to go back to sleep. This does not satisfy his majesty so he usually starts crawling all over me until I give him satisfactory attention. Again, Boo will grumble and then go back to sleep, annoyed.
Usually, this is the routine during any storm. That morning in particular he added a new part to the routine. He hid under the covers.
I was slightly relieved because I thought maybe if he can hide under the covers he’ll be OK and won’t need me to be awake. Sadly, that was not the case. He would hide and then emerge to make sure I was awake and if I wasn’t he’d wake me up again.
While dogs can often sense things that humans cannot I will never be able to tell if Duke is trying to alert me to danger because he does this with any rumble of thunder, not just the dangerous storms.
So, the past couple weeks I’ve been dealing with a freaked out Corgi. I placate his nervous moments and then tiredly go throughout my day with lots of coffee and little sleep the night before.
I can understand when people have to do this for their children, but Duke is a dog. I try to remind him of that fact, but I’m not sure it’s sinking in.
With more spring storms to come, I will expect many more restless nights ahead. Maybe he’ll get over his fear as quickly as he developed it. Probably not. Boo and I will just have to learn to tolerate him.
My lack of sleep is because, for some reason, Duke the Corgi suddenly has become scared of storms. Furthermore he believes when he is scared I have to be awake. Boo, my Chocolate Lab, is quite annoyed by this as he grumbles at Duke and then flops back asleep.
I’m not sure where this new fear of storms came from, but the lack of sleep is beginning to wear on me.
I discovered over the stormy weekend he can now sense when a storm is coming. His heightened canine senses can tell me when a storm is coming before I even hear the thunder. I know this because the poor little thing freaks out.
When the storms rolled in Saturday, he started whining and wouldn’t leave my side. I almost tripped over him several times. I would sit down on the couch and he would run as fast as his little legs could take him to the couch and sit next to me shaking, trying to sit as close to me as possible.
After hearing the tornado warning on television I opened my basement door in case we had to go down in a hurry. Duke didn’t wait for that. I noticed I hadn’t tripped over him for a while and found him sitting in the basement. I called for him, and he wouldn’t leave the basement. He stayed there until the storm rolled through and he was happy.
This would have been fine and dandy if he hadn’t sat right in the middle of a puddle of water that had settled in my basement, tracking said water throughout my house when he emerged from his safe zone.
The worst is at night. The little booger wakes me up and makes me stay awake until the storm has passed and he feels safe again. Early Monday morning I was woken by his barking. It’s kind of funny. It’s almost as if he’s whispering at first but then when I don’t wake and immediately give him attention he gets louder.
Each time it storms, I roll over to the Corgi who is crying in my ear and pat him on the head and say a little “it’s OK, boy” and roll over to try to go back to sleep. This does not satisfy his majesty so he usually starts crawling all over me until I give him satisfactory attention. Again, Boo will grumble and then go back to sleep, annoyed.
Usually, this is the routine during any storm. That morning in particular he added a new part to the routine. He hid under the covers.
I was slightly relieved because I thought maybe if he can hide under the covers he’ll be OK and won’t need me to be awake. Sadly, that was not the case. He would hide and then emerge to make sure I was awake and if I wasn’t he’d wake me up again.
While dogs can often sense things that humans cannot I will never be able to tell if Duke is trying to alert me to danger because he does this with any rumble of thunder, not just the dangerous storms.
So, the past couple weeks I’ve been dealing with a freaked out Corgi. I placate his nervous moments and then tiredly go throughout my day with lots of coffee and little sleep the night before.
I can understand when people have to do this for their children, but Duke is a dog. I try to remind him of that fact, but I’m not sure it’s sinking in.
With more spring storms to come, I will expect many more restless nights ahead. Maybe he’ll get over his fear as quickly as he developed it. Probably not. Boo and I will just have to learn to tolerate him.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
This week's column
Heroes, we can’t help but like them. They can do things that go beyond human expectations. The onslaught of comic book hero movies hitting theaters this summer makes me wonder why we like these characters and, for that matter, who was my favorite superhero growing up. Comic book heroes have been around for a while, but does today’s society latch on to them because it is searching for heroes? When my parents were younger, astronauts were going to the moon for the first time, the cowboys on TV didn’t have shady real-life personas and athletes really were athletes without medicinal assistance. Today, unfortunately, if any supposed “hero” makes his or her way to the public eye the premier is quickly followed by a major crash from the pedestal. And movie superheroes really don’t do much better. They all seem to have a bit of an anti-hero edge to their heroic endeavors. But back to my original question, why do we like superheroes? Maybe it’s because they often come from other planets as Superman did. Or is it because, like Batman and Iron Man, they are ordinary people who find ways to make themselves super? Maybe it’s that an ordinary student can be bitten by spider and suddenly become superhuman. And let’s not forget “The Greatest American Hero,” or at least, we can’t forget the song. “Believe it or not I’m walking on air/I never thought I could feel so free-ee-ee/flying away on a wing and a prayer/Who could it be?/Believe it or not it’s just me.” Sadly, I didn’t even have to look up the lyrics on that one. Regardless, I think we all have our favorites. My brother’s were the man of steel and a masked cowboy. Growing up he loved Superman. He might have even had a pair of Superman Underoos. Anybody else remember Underoos? But I think the Lone Ranger was his all-time favorite. He’s still a big fan of Westerns today. I remember when we took him to see the 1981 film version. He was one excited 4-year-old. Dressed in his cowboy hat and six-shooter on his belt, he sat wide-eyed and excited when the lone crusader turned around with his mask on and the iconic music played in the background. But for me, my hero drove an invisible jet, had a lasso of truth, could deflect bullets with her golden bracelets and had some killer boots. That’s right, Wonder Woman. Imagine 6-year-old little Becca spinning like crazy to turn into Wonder Woman just like Lynda Carter did on the show. This is how it usually went down. I had a specific outfit to wear as her alter ego Diana Prince. It was a plaid skirt with a ruffled blouse, like many outfits I saw her wear on the show. With my hair pulled back and wearing glasses I began my transformation. I would begin to spin and under my outfit I had blue shorts and a red top. I would also wear my mom’s boots which were way too big and hit me above the knees. Then there were the bracelets: the biggest I could find in my mom’s jewelry box. When my hair came out of the pony tail I would put on either a headband or tiara. Also included in the outfit was one of those 1970s-style gold rope ties that would go around the olive green curtains in the living room, for the lasso. I should also tell you this all happened while I was still spinning, creating a very dizzy Wonder Woman when it was all complete. After the transformation was complete I was then ready to hop in my invisible jet and fight the evildoers … often with the Lone Ranger by my side. So yes, I’m a sucker for a good superhero story as well. I’m excited about “Thor,” “Captain America,” a new X-Men flick this summer and the promise of a Justice League and Avengers film in the future. And let’s not forget a new Lone Ranger movie next year. I’m not sure if I’ll ever find the true answer of why we like these films, other than the coolness factor, but I like that kids can still dream of knights, cowboys and caped crusaders. C.S. Lewis may have said it best. “Since it is so likely that (children) will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.” http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content/reflecting-childhood-superheroes
Thursday, March 31, 2011
These are a few of my favorite things...
I am a complete movie nerd. I have been since I saw my first movie, “The Jungle Book.” I loved them so much my undergraduate degree is in film and television, and I once aspired to be a film screenwriter and director. Last week the inner movie nerd came out once again while watching the “ABC News and People Best in Film: The greatest movies of our time.” For their list go to http://abcnews.go.com/entertainment/best_ film/. Some of the top picks I agreed with and some I did not, but it did make me think of my favorites, overall and in specific genres. These might not be the best films ever made, but personal favorites are not always critical favorites. So here are a few of my favorite things, and yes, that’s a bit of foreshadowing. I'll start with a few genres. First, comedy. My favorite in this genre is “The Princess Bride.” I’ll admit, this film had to grow on me, but once it did, it stuck and always makes me giggle. It also contains my favorite movie quote: “I do not think that means what you think it means.” There’s a film that scares me every time I see it. Da dum, da dum ... that’s right “we’re going to need a bigger boat,” for the classic “Jaws.” Spielberg created a cinematic classic with this man-eating shark. The unseen menace beneath the waters creates suspenseful tension that doesn’t go away no matter how many times you see the film. I’m also a sucker for a good Western, and “McLintock!” and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” are my favorites. Animated films are not just for kids. Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty” was always my favorite growing up, but I also enjoy “Up!” and “How to Train Your Dragon,” often tearing up when watching them. Some films transcend genres and almost don’t even fit in personal “best of” lists because they are just that good. These films include “Sound of Music,” “Gone with the Wind” and “Ben Hur.” Films are not made like this anymore. If the chariot scene in “Ben Hur” was made today it would be mostly CGI. It’s a scene that can never be topped. For films like this in classic Hollywood, it was go big or go home. Because most of my favorite films are Sci-fi, I do enjoy special effects, but in a industry drowning in computer-generated special effects, watching a old Hollywood studio film shot on location with big sets, costumes and drama is often a refreshing break from the matrix. But my all-time favorites that transcend these genres come with a lot of imagination and, ironically, all come in trilogy form. The first three “Indiana Jones” flicks (“Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Temple of Doom” and “The Last Crusade”) took adventure to another level and created a major, lifelong crush on Harrison Ford. The last of the three is the first film I ever remember standing in a long line for only to find out it was sold out. I do not count the fourth film in this because it was a disaster and great disappointment. The original three films are so good that perfectionist film maker George Lucas couldn’t even find anything he wanted to touch up or recreate when they were released on DVD. Second in my favorite films is “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy (“Fellowship of the Ring,” “The Two Towers” and “Return of the King”). Admittedly my passion for these films began with the books, and I do recommend reading those first. The venture into Middle Earth is only made possible on film by the writings and crazy intense imagination of J.R.R. Tolkien. I look forward to seeing “The Hobbit” on screen sometime next year. But my favorite above all favorites is the original “Star Wars” trilogy. Known today as Episodes 4 through 6, in my day they were simply known as “Star Wars,” “Empire” and “Jedi.” Any true fan of the films will tell you “Empire” is by far the best and will confess great disappointment in Episodes 1 through 3. The first time I saw “Star Wars,” I was hooked and became fascinated with film, wanting to learn how each frame was shot. All six films in the saga are scheduled to be released on Blu-ray in September. Throw in “E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial,” “Witness,” “Braveheart,” “Roman Holiday,” “Rocky,” “Glory” and a little film called “Dear Frankie” and you have most of my favorite films. Even though I think films today are not as good as they used to be, the best still live in my imagination, in the flickering screen of my mind. What’s your favorite film? http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content/these-are-few-my-favorite-things
Thursday, March 17, 2011
This Week's column
The problem with Gaga
I know some people have gone gaga over Lady Gaga, but I think it’s time to get real here. Despite the dramatic overtones of everything she does, is there any talent there?
I won’t approach this from a moral or ethical standpoint, but there are issues to discuss there. I mean, come on, she did an interview on “Good Morning America” in an outfit she said was inspired by a condom.
I want to look at her from a musical standpoint.
Is her flair for the dramatic masking the fact that she lacks musical talent?
There have been many musicians who have had outrageous productions, but they had the talent to back it up.
John Lennon, for example. In the Yoko years, he seemed to live on another planet at times, but musically he was a genius.
Elton John. The man wore sequence, feathers and platform shoes in the “Crocodile Rock” days. But no one would ever question his talent as a musician.
Prince, or the artist formally known as. He went through some pretty “Let’s Get Crazy” moments himself but the drama didn’t drown out his artistry in music.
And let’s not forget Michael Jackson, the king of weird himself. No matter what he did or how strange it seemed, his music never came into question.
I’m not defending any these individuals, but their musical talent cannot be questioned.
That brings me back to Gaga.
If you take away all the costumes, make up, staging and eggs, is the music good enough to stand up to her hype and does she even live up to her own hype?
Has anyone noticed most of her music has the same backbeat only sped up or slowed down depending on the song? Think about it. “Bad Romance” and “Poker Face” are pretty much the same song with different lyrics.
If she’s supposed to be such an accomplished piano player, why are her songs all electronic pop in sound? It would be nice to see some of her piano skills expressed in her music rather than in short bursts during a Grammy performance.
For some reason she’s being praised for lyrics like “rah rah ah ah ah, roma roma ma, gaga ooh la la.” Seriously? My friend’s 1-year-old can come up with a line like that.
And let’s not forget a lot of what she does is just an act. It’s not coincidence that her behavior has become more and more outlandish since her release of the “Just Dance” single. When her outlandish live productions got some attention, they kept getting crazier. That’s not by accident. She’s using the attention to promote substandard music.
She preaches self-esteem and being who you are, but in reality she lives behind a mask. She’ll don horns, hats and crazy costumes to cover whatever it is she doesn’t like about herself. If she wants people to be themselves so badly, why does she constantly contradict that message by having to recreate herself so often?
I think sometimes we, including me (I did grow up in the 1980s which was full of all sorts of craziness), forgo all sense of musical taste to fall all into something because it’s popular or because it has a beat we can dance to. I think we sometimes should look at things more seriously and evaluate why we like things or if we even should.
In reality, without the costumes, antics and outlandish behavior, Gaga’s music would have just faded into the background of pop music. It’s the image that drives her, not the music.
If you want to hear true musical coolness, check out the “Dueling Cellists Play ’Smooth Criminal’” YouTube video attached to this story on http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/. That’s talent.
http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content/problem-gaga
I know some people have gone gaga over Lady Gaga, but I think it’s time to get real here. Despite the dramatic overtones of everything she does, is there any talent there?
I won’t approach this from a moral or ethical standpoint, but there are issues to discuss there. I mean, come on, she did an interview on “Good Morning America” in an outfit she said was inspired by a condom.
I want to look at her from a musical standpoint.
Is her flair for the dramatic masking the fact that she lacks musical talent?
There have been many musicians who have had outrageous productions, but they had the talent to back it up.
John Lennon, for example. In the Yoko years, he seemed to live on another planet at times, but musically he was a genius.
Elton John. The man wore sequence, feathers and platform shoes in the “Crocodile Rock” days. But no one would ever question his talent as a musician.
Prince, or the artist formally known as. He went through some pretty “Let’s Get Crazy” moments himself but the drama didn’t drown out his artistry in music.
And let’s not forget Michael Jackson, the king of weird himself. No matter what he did or how strange it seemed, his music never came into question.
I’m not defending any these individuals, but their musical talent cannot be questioned.
That brings me back to Gaga.
If you take away all the costumes, make up, staging and eggs, is the music good enough to stand up to her hype and does she even live up to her own hype?
Has anyone noticed most of her music has the same backbeat only sped up or slowed down depending on the song? Think about it. “Bad Romance” and “Poker Face” are pretty much the same song with different lyrics.
If she’s supposed to be such an accomplished piano player, why are her songs all electronic pop in sound? It would be nice to see some of her piano skills expressed in her music rather than in short bursts during a Grammy performance.
For some reason she’s being praised for lyrics like “rah rah ah ah ah, roma roma ma, gaga ooh la la.” Seriously? My friend’s 1-year-old can come up with a line like that.
And let’s not forget a lot of what she does is just an act. It’s not coincidence that her behavior has become more and more outlandish since her release of the “Just Dance” single. When her outlandish live productions got some attention, they kept getting crazier. That’s not by accident. She’s using the attention to promote substandard music.
She preaches self-esteem and being who you are, but in reality she lives behind a mask. She’ll don horns, hats and crazy costumes to cover whatever it is she doesn’t like about herself. If she wants people to be themselves so badly, why does she constantly contradict that message by having to recreate herself so often?
I think sometimes we, including me (I did grow up in the 1980s which was full of all sorts of craziness), forgo all sense of musical taste to fall all into something because it’s popular or because it has a beat we can dance to. I think we sometimes should look at things more seriously and evaluate why we like things or if we even should.
In reality, without the costumes, antics and outlandish behavior, Gaga’s music would have just faded into the background of pop music. It’s the image that drives her, not the music.
If you want to hear true musical coolness, check out the “Dueling Cellists Play ’Smooth Criminal’” YouTube video attached to this story on http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/. That’s talent.
http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content/problem-gaga
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Rescued from a grain bin
http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content/rescued-grain-bin
Cecilia farmer Pat Owsley came face to face with a farming danger Thursday. It brought him within seconds of a suffocating death in his own grain bin and he credits God for circumstances that led to an amazing rescue.
He was checking corn in the top of a bin when suddenly he found himself being pulled down in the corn like quicksand.
As he began to sink deeper, he yelled for help. He thought the sound of machinery might swallow his cry. Still sinking, he grabbed a shovel and threw it. It passed through a small opening in the top of the bin.
Mark Williams, who was hauling the corn that day, had started up the ladder when he saw the shovel fly past. He quickly turned off the auger that was loading the corn into the truck. That stopped the vortex of pressure pulling Owsley under.
Owsley calls his ability to get the shovel through on the first try GPS, “God’s Precision Sovereignty.”
Williams went up the ladder to find Owsley stuck in corn up to his armpits. His arms and head were free but the rest of his body was stuck.
Williams dialed 911 and then called neighboring farmer Kerby Grey. After Grey arrived, he knew what to do because he had just attended a farm safety training that reviewed the exact situation.
Rescue workers arrived and the farmers, firefighters and EMTs started to work.
A rope was tied around Owsley and attached to the top of the bin. Then a barrel with both ends cut out was slid over his body and a wet/dry vaccum was used to clear the corn around him. When they cleared enough corn, to a level a little lower than his waist, they were able to pull him out.
Owsley was trapped for a few hours, but surprisingly, even being claustrophobic, he remained calm.
Williams, Grey and a rescue worker stayed with Owsley the entire time. Rescue workers in the bin and on the ground worked tirelessly to free him, even discussing alternate plans if the current one didn’t work.
When Owsley emerged from the top of the bin, he was surprised to see so many people and vehicles on the farm lot. Along with the fire trucks and other rescue vehicles were dozens of pick-up trucks.
Once farmers in the community found out about what had happened, they showed up in force. That’s how farmers are, a community that cares.
Owsley came out of the incident unharmed. He knows how close he was from a triumph becoming a tragedy. Seconds really.
He is grateful for Williams and Grey’s quick thinking and the rescue workers who worked to free him. But most of all he is thankful to God and how he used these people to free him from the corn.
He believes that all the events leading up to the situation — the shovel going through the opening on the first try, his calmness through the entire ordeal and the training Grey had received — was no coincidence. He has seen God working throughout and gives him the credit for coming out of this incident unharmed.
I am grateful too, because this farmer is my dad.
I have lived each day since amazed by how God helped him through it, grateful for those who helped and thankful my dad is safe and able to tell his story.
Words cannot express the joy I felt just being able to stand next to him in church Sunday and the time that has been cherished since Thursday.
Time may pass and the other events will float in and out of our memories but the gravity of the situation of March 3, 2011, and the blessings that followed always will be remembered.
THANKS TO ALL
Pat and Linda Owsley would like to thank the emergency personnel who responded so quickly to our emergency on Thursday. Everyone was very calm and professional and sought only to make a bad situation easier for us. We also would like to thank Kerby Grey and Mark Williams for their quick thinking and for using their knowledge and skills in a way that makes us very proud to be farmers in Hardin County.
Thank you to our friends and family who started praying the minute they heard and then called with well wishes and offers of help if we needed it. Praise be to God, for he is good.
Cecilia farmer Pat Owsley came face to face with a farming danger Thursday. It brought him within seconds of a suffocating death in his own grain bin and he credits God for circumstances that led to an amazing rescue.
He was checking corn in the top of a bin when suddenly he found himself being pulled down in the corn like quicksand.
As he began to sink deeper, he yelled for help. He thought the sound of machinery might swallow his cry. Still sinking, he grabbed a shovel and threw it. It passed through a small opening in the top of the bin.
Mark Williams, who was hauling the corn that day, had started up the ladder when he saw the shovel fly past. He quickly turned off the auger that was loading the corn into the truck. That stopped the vortex of pressure pulling Owsley under.
Owsley calls his ability to get the shovel through on the first try GPS, “God’s Precision Sovereignty.”
Williams went up the ladder to find Owsley stuck in corn up to his armpits. His arms and head were free but the rest of his body was stuck.
Williams dialed 911 and then called neighboring farmer Kerby Grey. After Grey arrived, he knew what to do because he had just attended a farm safety training that reviewed the exact situation.
Rescue workers arrived and the farmers, firefighters and EMTs started to work.
A rope was tied around Owsley and attached to the top of the bin. Then a barrel with both ends cut out was slid over his body and a wet/dry vaccum was used to clear the corn around him. When they cleared enough corn, to a level a little lower than his waist, they were able to pull him out.
Owsley was trapped for a few hours, but surprisingly, even being claustrophobic, he remained calm.
Williams, Grey and a rescue worker stayed with Owsley the entire time. Rescue workers in the bin and on the ground worked tirelessly to free him, even discussing alternate plans if the current one didn’t work.
When Owsley emerged from the top of the bin, he was surprised to see so many people and vehicles on the farm lot. Along with the fire trucks and other rescue vehicles were dozens of pick-up trucks.
Once farmers in the community found out about what had happened, they showed up in force. That’s how farmers are, a community that cares.
Owsley came out of the incident unharmed. He knows how close he was from a triumph becoming a tragedy. Seconds really.
He is grateful for Williams and Grey’s quick thinking and the rescue workers who worked to free him. But most of all he is thankful to God and how he used these people to free him from the corn.
He believes that all the events leading up to the situation — the shovel going through the opening on the first try, his calmness through the entire ordeal and the training Grey had received — was no coincidence. He has seen God working throughout and gives him the credit for coming out of this incident unharmed.
I am grateful too, because this farmer is my dad.
I have lived each day since amazed by how God helped him through it, grateful for those who helped and thankful my dad is safe and able to tell his story.
Words cannot express the joy I felt just being able to stand next to him in church Sunday and the time that has been cherished since Thursday.
Time may pass and the other events will float in and out of our memories but the gravity of the situation of March 3, 2011, and the blessings that followed always will be remembered.
THANKS TO ALL
Pat and Linda Owsley would like to thank the emergency personnel who responded so quickly to our emergency on Thursday. Everyone was very calm and professional and sought only to make a bad situation easier for us. We also would like to thank Kerby Grey and Mark Williams for their quick thinking and for using their knowledge and skills in a way that makes us very proud to be farmers in Hardin County.
Thank you to our friends and family who started praying the minute they heard and then called with well wishes and offers of help if we needed it. Praise be to God, for he is good.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)