AI... Yes I watch AI...

All-be-it mostly in fast forward from my trusty DirectTV DV-R :) Is there any other way to watch reality TV. Besides, why watch it live, turn the channel when an atrocious singer cries out out-of-tune, risk missing something of huge embarrassment and not having the opportunity to rewind because it wasn't recorded on the DV-R... yes I know...GEEK!! And I'll have you know, I'm perfectly ok with that label :P

Ok back to AI (American Idol). If you watched last night, then you know it was Diana Ross "The Boss" night. How, oh how could these young aspiring singers manage to mangle this night. After all, there are so many classic songs to choose from that are timeless and just need to be re-sung in your key of choice, right? WRONG! Oh soooooo very wrong.

Most were average karaoke performances. The two standouts, as usual, were great and did just what I mentioned above. The Jordan kid is cute, but not on their level but above everyone else(for the time being). Now let's get to the meat of my annoyance. DO NOT, and I repeat, DO NOT remix, update, rearrange, or do anything else along those lines to a CLASSIC, TIMELESS Motown song you fracken morons. How hard is it! Hello!!! Do you not understand the terms Classic and Timeless. If not, grab your nearest dictionary (either online or in the physical) and look it up. But just in case you have problems comprehending the written meaning, I'll help you out. In terms of music,classic and timeless means being able to hear the original recording in present day and the song is still flawless and touches your soul. No matter if it's 10 years later or a thousand years later. In other words, DON"T TOUCH IT YOU FRACKEN POMPOUS, BRAINLESS MEDIA WHORE!!

I must add this, I don't totally blame the arrogant twits that took it upon themselves to remix and mash-up their song of choice. I blame the current entertainment atmosphere they were and are raised in. The one that has no value for classics. We've all witnessed the horrendous remakes of motion picture classics, that for some reasons the thought of just re-releasing the original to expose it's greatness to a new generation, somehow escapes the movie-pusher Gods' tiny minds. So it only seems natural that these little peons regurgitate the same bad judgments they've been exposed to.

Either way, I have just one suggestion. Listen to, learn, and feel the meaning and soul behind a classic song before you put your grimy little hands on it. If you do this, and truly do this, you will probably hold this classic song near and dear to you as many of us who understand the pricelessness of the classic song do.

I'm just saying... Stop rewriting the past and learn from it.

All HIP-HOP HEADS need to see this....

Last night I had the honor to attend a screening of what could be an extremely important documentary about the current state of hip hop music and the role it plays in the black and latino cultures.

Is the impact positive or negative?

Does it reinforce stereotypes that blacks and latinos fight so hard to over come on a daily basis? Does it do more harm to the image of black and latino men and women in the minds of the average white American?

Who is responsible for what is portrayed in the music and the videos? Is there only one culprit or a collective culprit?

These were just some of the issues raised in the documentary and during the Q&A session that followed the viewing.

The truth is, there is no easy, cut and dry, black and white answer. However, there is an underlying driving force that seems to blind & drive most involved in the making and distribution of these songs and videos. That force, no matter how you look at it, is the all mighty dollar.

The music industry, is after all, a company who's sole purpose is to make a return on their investment. The artist is trying to attain wealth and fame to make his/her life more comfortable in their eyes. The lawyers, video directors, account execs, etc are all people who are trying to make a living off of the artist and the music industry. So common sense and good business sense tells all involved, make what sells and brings in the most money. And before you even finished reading that last sentence, you already knew what the answer was. SEX & VIOLENCE.

So one may ask, why even make the documentary? Why try to find a culprit? Why question an industry who's sole purpose is to provide entertainment to the masses?

Why? Well I'll tell you why. Because in the black and latino communities, these sex and violent images are shown in a disproportionate amount. There is no balance. You can watch 8 hours of TV and see more blacks and latinos waving guns, shooting at people, treating women as objects to be used at will, fighting, stabbing, and rolling through the ghettos in their expensive cars and blinging from head to toe. Now in those same 8 hours, you may see only a handful of positive images of black and latinos doing something constructive and useful. So in that context, the positive images look like the exception while the negative images look like the rule.

If we lived in a society where people used their common sense and were able to decifer fact from fiction and not let what they see on tv form the opinions of how they view people in reality, there would be no need for this article or documentary. But we all know the truth. There are a lot of people from all walks of life that believe what they see on TV to be fact. Especially after they've been bombarded with these images on a daily basis, month after month, year after year.

Now I'm not blaming anyone or pointing fingers. What I am doing is stating a fact. The negative to positive images are out of balance and need to be balanced out. And no we can't expect the music industry or the entertainment industry to do this for us. We have to do it our selves thru indie music, movies, books, and videos. By networking with one another to provide other outlets to obtain these positive images. By working with the kids in the schools and communities to show them life is not about sex, drugs, gats, and money.

Sounds good, you say, but how? Well that question I'm still working on. But to start, watch this documentary and maybe it will inspire you to do something about the situation. Get the mind wheels turning. Come up with some ideas and hopefully spark some movement to put those ideas into action.

I can go on and on forever, but I'll stop here. This documentary got me going and I'm putting some ideas into motion as we speak. Maybe it will do the same for you.


Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rymes
By Byron Hurt
Preview the doc here:http://itvs.org/outreach/hiphop/preview.html


View it on:
PBS
Independent Lens
Feb 20, 2007
http://www.itvs.org/outreach/hiphop/index.htm

I'm just sayin'... OMG check it out if you love hip hop

Ever Wonder Why Other Countries Hate Americans???

I've just receive this bulletin from a myspace buddy and had to post it so others outside of myspace could see and hear about this BS!!

This clip from Scarborough Country highlights how Bayer knowingly dumped medicine that was known to be contaminated with AIDS virus on the Asian and Latin American markets after it killed people in America.



Then we wonder why other countries hate us???

Here’s a link for more on the story, worth reading:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/05/22/health/main555154.shtml

I think it’s the FDA that should share the blame as well. In fact I’d probably blame them more.

I’m in a bit of disbelief on this still, as I’m sure many of you are, it’s just too cruel, nuts, and too damn heartless.

However, anyone who’s done any research into Bayer is probably not surprised.
Mainly because of their history of working with the Nazis. Read about it.
(Just a little info: Bayer executive Fritz ter Meer, sentenced to seven years in prison by the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal, was made head of the supervisory board of Bayer in 1956, after his release. WTF?!?!)

The things people do for the love of money....
------
Thanks for the info Aspect1

Now for my two cents...

I'm sorry but there is no F--ing way that this can be swept under the rug. We as human beings should not let this slip under the radar and be quietly hushed by greedy corporate moguls and dirty paid politicians. ANY and ALL who had something to do with this heartless deal needs to pay and be held accountable for their role.

Money, under no circumstances, should ever trump human compassion. There is no question about the fact that Bayer and it's board members, the FDA, and certain members of our government knew that this medication was contaminated with the HIV/AIDS virus and still allowed it to be sold overseas to unsuspecting, ill people looking for medicine to treat their hemophilia. What kind of BS is this? What kind of person can sleep soundly and go about their daily lives knowing that they've just killed hundreds of people with a single dose of that contaminated medicine. And for what? Just so they can keep their profit margin up and give out larger bonuses?

GIVE ME A F--ING BREAK PEOPLE!!

Keep a close eye on this story and do everything you can not to let it get swept under the rug and go away quietly.

I'm Just Sayin'....OMG WTF!!!