Idol Gives Back

Every year the famous competition show, American Idol, holds an "Idol Gives Back" episode. This year they have raised money on three different episodes of the show. Creator, Simon Fuller, started this organization to help out with communities around the globe. Idol Gives Back is a way for the millions of Idol viewers to donate money to several different charities, while they are entertained by several different musicians who perform on the show. This year's "Idol Gives Back" was last Wednesday. It was a very successful year for "American Idol." It was a very fun and exciting show, yet very emotional as they showed different clips from people and places around the world that are suffering. The show featured celebrities like, Victoria Beckham, Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Garner, and many more. Exciting performances from artist such as, Elton John, Alicia Keys, and Carrie Underwood excited the audience. They also showed cameos from actors, Jim Carrey, Jonah Hill, and Russell Brand to bring in a comedic factor. The show was a huge success and they raised nearly 45 million dollars for five different organizations. It is also an easy way to give money, all you have to do is call the number on the screen while you watch the show! I think this is a great way to bring America together.

Why So Much Abuse?

I just recently reas about Kim Kardashian who spoke out about the four years of abuse she received from her former husband, Damon Thomas. The two secretly eloped in Las Vegas when Kim was only 19 years old. Kim claims that the abuse started very soon after the wedding, which her family did not approve of. Kim stated that Thomas punched her in the face several times and would choke her. He wouldn't only physically beat her, but he forced her into things, such as, receiving liposuction (so that she would look perfect) and cooking him meals when he would arrive home at 4 in the morning. After reading all of this, I realized how many celebrities have been victims of domestic violence, including the most recent incident between Rihanna and Chris Brown. I was surprised to hear about some others such as, Christina Applegate, Christina Aguilera, Missy Elliot, and Mary J. Blige. It was shocking for me to read about the abuse that these celebrities went through. I cannot believe what some people in this world have to live with. I can only hope that all victims of domestic violence can survive it and one day live happy lives.

Pretty Wild?

E's newest show, "Pretty Wild" is about former playboy model, Andrea Arlington, and her three wild daughters. The three girls, Tess, Alexis, and Gabby are wannabe models who are living in Los Angeles and pretty much do nothing but party and talk about the things they wish they had. I have seen one episode of this show and could barely sit through it. I know I have been complaining a lot in my past few blogs, but I am just frustrated with entertainment these days. Why is this show even on tv? There has been much noise made for years about reality television and how most of it is destroying society, but now I feel we are hitting an all time low with shows like this. Why do we want to watch three spoiled girls who are desperate to get into the spotlight. And sadly, the show has obviously been created to make fun of this crazy family. The thing that makes me the most upset is seeing how their mother lives in the shadows of her daughters. I guess the truth is, this is what the majority of our society wants to watch these days.

What is music turning into?

I don't know about you, but I am getting sick of some of the music on the radio. I feel like I am constantly changing the station because I am not satisfied with most of the songs. What happened to real musicians who wrote their own songs and could ACTUALLY SING? Don't get me wrong, I do think that there are still talented artists who can really sing, but for the most part, I think musicians nowadays are really not talented artists. One in particular that really bothers me is new artist, Kesha. The first song I heard from her was Tik Tok. How this song reached number one on the charts, I don't know? I feel like all she is doing in her music is speaking in an annoying voice. I really felt strongly about this when I saw her perform live on American Idol. It was even worse live! Now, this is all my opinion, and I don't mean to offend any of her fans. But, I would really like to know your opinions on Kesha and her music.

"Treme"

Last night was the premiere of HBO's new hit series, "Treme." David Simon and Eric Overmyer created this drama to give an insight on what life was like for New Orleanians after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The show is set three months after the hurricane, and follows a group of people whose lives have been turned around after the horrible storm. I was very excited to see the show's premiere and have to say that I am very pleased with how it turned out. Critics have been raving about it and say that it will turn into a huge hit! There was a point in the show that really hit home for me. They showed one character walking into his house for the first time since the storm. Everything was completely destroyed and it looked like a war zone. I can remember seeing my home, and other family and friend's homes after the storm and seeing exactly what this character saw in the show. All I could think about was how many other people watching the show were feeling such real emotions, remembering when they saw their destroyed homes for the first time after the storm.
A very interesting part of the show was how they showed New Orleans's musical culture. They showed, and plan to show in future episodes a great deal of New Orleans musicians, including Kermit Ruffins and Trombone Shorty. The premiere opened with showing the first second-line since the storm, which was led by the Rebirth Brass Band. There was also alot of jazz and blues played throughout the show.
If you missed the show, I really recommend watching it next week. It's full of creative writing and is really a treat to watch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWKSHbdwrQo

Gaga and Beyonce's Racy Video

About ten minutes ago, E premiered Lady Gaga and Beyonce's nine minute music video for their song, "Telephone."Gaga said during an interview on E, "Most predominately i am trying to convolute what people think a pop music video is."  It was a very risque video which began with Gaga being stripped in a jail cell full of half naked inmates. While Gaga steps out into the yard of the jail wrapped in chains, she receives a call from Beyonce. Then featured is a dance around the jail cell with beer cans wrapped in Gaga's hair. Beyonce then arrives to pick up Gaga from jail where they then pull up at a diner. After poisoning Beyonce's "boyfriend," Beyonce and Gaga begin to poison the entire restaurant. The video ends in a very "Thelma and Louise" style with the two driving off in a car together. In my opinion, the video was very random. There were some cool parts with interesting graphics, but overall, I was not a fan of it. I can't uplad the video as of now, but check it out and let me know what you think. 

The Issue of Capital Punishment

In class we have been discussing the horrible act of lynching. This relates to the issue of capital punishment that we are dealing with in our society today. Capital Punishment is an issue that I feel very strongly about. We always hear about how if somebody commits a crime, they should be killed. Well, I completely disagree with this. How is this teaching the person who committed the crime any better? Yes, what the criminal did is absolutely horrible, but why do to them what they have done? How is this helping our society? Last month I was watching the news with my parents in my hometown of Covington. They announced that a man would be killed the next day for a crime he had committed a couple of years ago. Although I hated to hear that he had murdered his daughter, is killing him in return any better? I couldn't believe that this was still being done in the 21st century. I hope that one day in our near future the act of capital punishment will be illegal. I think this will help our society change for the better.