Dear Producers of American Idol,
I found last week's theme to be fucking bullshit. Was there some specific reason for making it "the Lennon-McCartney Songbook" as opposed to the more general and inclusive theme of "the Beatles"?
As I recall, there were 4 members of the Beatles, all of whom wrote songs (yes, even Ringo penned one or two). I also recall that George Harrison underwent years of creative frustration during which the songs he wrote never got the consideration that they deserved. He wrote beautifully-crafted songs that were, for the most part, on par with what Lennon and McCartney were creating. They may not have the technically-perfect melodies of Paul's songs, or the apeshit-alienated lyrics of John's, but they have a simple sincerity, a level of humanistic connection that makes them very special. Not to mention his amazing guitar work and--this is a recent observation--he for some reason brought out the best in Ringo. Listen to the drum-work in some of George's songs compared to the others', it has generally stronger and more complex rhythms. George was also the first of the Beatles to release a solo album after their breakup, which also happened to be the first triple-album released by a single artist in rock history.
For all of the reasons above, this exclusion is both incomprehensible and unacceptable. I cannot fathom a reason why you would have chosen to show such disrespect intentionally, nor can I imagine that this was a forgetful omission. Whatever the reason, this neglect is despicable, as is your decision to extend the theme to next week's episode (not to mention redundant).
Most sincerely disgusted,
Jessica Filippi
I would really like to actually send this to the producers of American Idol, however, I can't seem to find any contact information on the website. The only forum that seems available to me is the message boards at americanidol.com. Given their typical content, which consists of bitching about Simon Cowell's attitude, various trivial injustices, and unpunctuated comments about the contestants' relative abilities, I don't think this is the appropriate place for my letter. So, it's here, because I have to unleash this rant somewhere.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
abandon
My new favorite video. If anyone is ever planning on throwing me a party, this is how I'd like it to be.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
daylight savings
This weekend we will change the clocks and "spring forward" into daylight savings time. It is earlier this year for the 2nd time. Last year it was changed from April to March, providing a small, early respite to the winter-weary by giving us some more afternoon sunshine while we wait for the warm weather to come save us.
Something I've noticed, though, is that when I express happiness about the impending change, I invariably get the following response:
"Doesn't that mean we get less sleep?"
Ok. Yes, it means that we are putting the clocks forward one hour, so I guess that means "less sleep". But seriously, are we that sleep deprived that one hour one day is going to make that big of a difference? It's on a Saturday night for crying out loud...why don't you just sleep an hour later on Sunday to make up for it?? Or stay home and go to bed early if you're really that worried about it. All I'm trying to say here is get a grip because...here comes the sun.
Something I've noticed, though, is that when I express happiness about the impending change, I invariably get the following response:
"Doesn't that mean we get less sleep?"
Ok. Yes, it means that we are putting the clocks forward one hour, so I guess that means "less sleep". But seriously, are we that sleep deprived that one hour one day is going to make that big of a difference? It's on a Saturday night for crying out loud...why don't you just sleep an hour later on Sunday to make up for it?? Or stay home and go to bed early if you're really that worried about it. All I'm trying to say here is get a grip because...here comes the sun.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
"The man behind the mix"...is my Bobba.
I'm a proud beep! Read this article, recently published on Columbia's blog about Rob.
The Sound of Music
For careful listeners, the best soundtrack on campus is the rotation of Vampire Weekend, Radiohead and other indie darlings at Cafe 212. Bwog cultural correspondent Merrell Hambleton sits down with the man behind the mix.
I find Café 212 manager Robert Bell working to hang up two small bulletin boards. "I'm actually doing something with the music," he says. "The music" he's referring to is precisely the reason for our meeting—Bell, tall with longish brown hair, dark framed glasses, and a neatly trimmed chinstrap, has earned a reputation in his year at Columbia for playing some non-traditional Muzak. In fact, its not Muzak at all, it's actually, well, good. If you're haunted by memories of 212's old soundtrack, you'll likely be pleased to hear the likes of Radiohead, Cat Power or the of-late-ubiquitous Vampire Weekend while you wait in the sandwich line.
So what prompted Bell to buck the trend of non-descript instrumental world music and hit-or-miss pop (read: Ferris Booth)? The Virginia native moved to New York (Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, to be specific) in 2004, where he first "got excited by working with food" while working at an Au Bon Pain branch. But chain stores don't offer a whole lot of flexibility. According to Bell, "One thing that really bothered me... was they had this Frank Sinatra thing going on. They had it very carefully orchestrated, so in Hong Kong they had an Au Bon Pain that was also playing Frank Sinatra at 8 AM."
When he arrived at Columbia in 2007, Bell had the opportunity to indulge his pop sensibility—which began, unsurprisingly, with the Beatles. "My dad had a copy of Yellow Submarine, which has got to be the worst Beatles album, but it had 'Hey Bulldog' on it." From there, Bell's taste has expanded significantly, though when I ask if there's a band he plays more than others, Bell admits, "there're a lot of Beatles on." (As we talk, "Get Back" is playing—part of the "Brit Pop" mix). Spoon has been on heavy rotation lately, and when In Rainbows came out Bell let the whole record play through. "Vampire Weekend and Cat Power's Jukebox came out a few weeks ago and I mixed that together and played that in the morning." Of course, Bell doesn't have total freedom, even if the boundaries are self-imposed. "You can't play Gang of Four; you can't play J.U.S.T.I.C.E. here when people are trying to study and digest."
The music Bell plays is almost entirely his own. "Because of the way the music is set up here," He says, "I play CDs, so its not like I'm streaming Pandora... I actually mix CDs from stuff that I have, which fortunately at this point is a large amount of music." Aside from living in Brooklyn and frequenting the Siren Festival, Bell used to read Inkblot Magazine to keep abreast of new bands. "I think a couple of those people broke off and went to Pitchfork. PopMatters is another one."
When he isn't re-ordering Movie Size Junior Mints (incidentally, these are selling really well) and feeding ravenous undergrads, Bell is in class. Intro to Comp Lit is the second course Bell's taken with Bruce Robbins and he claims to be "enjoying it thoroughly." Though not a matriculating student, Bell hopes to apply in the next year or so. Minus the Dining Services jacket, it seems like he'll fit in pretty well.
So does Bell's presence signal a new, edgier direction for Columbia Dining at large? It doesn't seem likely. Ferris is still blasting the Grease Soundtrack on a weekly basis. Still, Bell says he'd like to get the Ferris manager's input. "I think he likes metal."
The Sound of Music
For careful listeners, the best soundtrack on campus is the rotation of Vampire Weekend, Radiohead and other indie darlings at Cafe 212. Bwog cultural correspondent Merrell Hambleton sits down with the man behind the mix.
I find Café 212 manager Robert Bell working to hang up two small bulletin boards. "I'm actually doing something with the music," he says. "The music" he's referring to is precisely the reason for our meeting—Bell, tall with longish brown hair, dark framed glasses, and a neatly trimmed chinstrap, has earned a reputation in his year at Columbia for playing some non-traditional Muzak. In fact, its not Muzak at all, it's actually, well, good. If you're haunted by memories of 212's old soundtrack, you'll likely be pleased to hear the likes of Radiohead, Cat Power or the of-late-ubiquitous Vampire Weekend while you wait in the sandwich line.
So what prompted Bell to buck the trend of non-descript instrumental world music and hit-or-miss pop (read: Ferris Booth)? The Virginia native moved to New York (Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, to be specific) in 2004, where he first "got excited by working with food" while working at an Au Bon Pain branch. But chain stores don't offer a whole lot of flexibility. According to Bell, "One thing that really bothered me... was they had this Frank Sinatra thing going on. They had it very carefully orchestrated, so in Hong Kong they had an Au Bon Pain that was also playing Frank Sinatra at 8 AM."
When he arrived at Columbia in 2007, Bell had the opportunity to indulge his pop sensibility—which began, unsurprisingly, with the Beatles. "My dad had a copy of Yellow Submarine, which has got to be the worst Beatles album, but it had 'Hey Bulldog' on it." From there, Bell's taste has expanded significantly, though when I ask if there's a band he plays more than others, Bell admits, "there're a lot of Beatles on." (As we talk, "Get Back" is playing—part of the "Brit Pop" mix). Spoon has been on heavy rotation lately, and when In Rainbows came out Bell let the whole record play through. "Vampire Weekend and Cat Power's Jukebox came out a few weeks ago and I mixed that together and played that in the morning." Of course, Bell doesn't have total freedom, even if the boundaries are self-imposed. "You can't play Gang of Four; you can't play J.U.S.T.I.C.E. here when people are trying to study and digest."
The music Bell plays is almost entirely his own. "Because of the way the music is set up here," He says, "I play CDs, so its not like I'm streaming Pandora... I actually mix CDs from stuff that I have, which fortunately at this point is a large amount of music." Aside from living in Brooklyn and frequenting the Siren Festival, Bell used to read Inkblot Magazine to keep abreast of new bands. "I think a couple of those people broke off and went to Pitchfork. PopMatters is another one."
When he isn't re-ordering Movie Size Junior Mints (incidentally, these are selling really well) and feeding ravenous undergrads, Bell is in class. Intro to Comp Lit is the second course Bell's taken with Bruce Robbins and he claims to be "enjoying it thoroughly." Though not a matriculating student, Bell hopes to apply in the next year or so. Minus the Dining Services jacket, it seems like he'll fit in pretty well.
So does Bell's presence signal a new, edgier direction for Columbia Dining at large? It doesn't seem likely. Ferris is still blasting the Grease Soundtrack on a weekly basis. Still, Bell says he'd like to get the Ferris manager's input. "I think he likes metal."
Friday, February 29, 2008
Busey
After not having thought about the great Gary Busey for what seems like several months, I had a passing thought about him the other day. Then, to my surprise, headlines began appearing about his behavior at the Oscars which, as you can probably guess, was fucking crazy.
He bombarded his way into an interview that Ryan Seacrest was conducting on the red carpet with Laura Linney and Jennifer Garner. This is how it started:
"You ... Ryan Seacrest ... I've been looking for you for years," Busey yelled.
"Why? What have I done," stammered Seacrest.
"It's not what you've done - it's what you haven't done that I'm interested in," Busey replied.
Hahhahahahaha. How could you be looking for Ryan Seacrest for years? He does the same thing all the time, Idol and the radio show in LA. It's not like he's on "Where in the World is Matt Lauer?"
The crazytalk continues as he congratulates Laura Linney and then gives a bear hug to Jennifer Garner. Seacrest, using all of his cunning, deftly maneuvers away from Busey by telling him that they'll talk "at the party later." Jennifer Garner, visibly shaken, makes some prissy bitch comment about being kissed on the neck by "that man", oblivious to having been in the presence of an insane genius.
He bombarded his way into an interview that Ryan Seacrest was conducting on the red carpet with Laura Linney and Jennifer Garner. This is how it started:
"You ... Ryan Seacrest ... I've been looking for you for years," Busey yelled.
"Why? What have I done," stammered Seacrest.
"It's not what you've done - it's what you haven't done that I'm interested in," Busey replied.
Hahhahahahaha. How could you be looking for Ryan Seacrest for years? He does the same thing all the time, Idol and the radio show in LA. It's not like he's on "Where in the World is Matt Lauer?"
The crazytalk continues as he congratulates Laura Linney and then gives a bear hug to Jennifer Garner. Seacrest, using all of his cunning, deftly maneuvers away from Busey by telling him that they'll talk "at the party later." Jennifer Garner, visibly shaken, makes some prissy bitch comment about being kissed on the neck by "that man", oblivious to having been in the presence of an insane genius.
Friday, February 15, 2008
hmmm?
I was just thinking about this: Are we defined by our personal choices of excess?
What I mean is, for example, that I have the ideal of living generally healthily as far as eating habits, exercise, drug and alcohol use, and other general abuse to my body. Because I like to take care of myself. But then there are, of course, pleasures that I allow myself. What I was thinking about is how people can be defined by their choices in this area, meaning what's their poison and in what circumstances they choose to employ it.
Jenny Lewis says, "I'm not my body or how I choose to destroy it." What does anyone else have to say about this? (I'm pretending that anyone other than Rob actually reads this, which they don't).
What I mean is, for example, that I have the ideal of living generally healthily as far as eating habits, exercise, drug and alcohol use, and other general abuse to my body. Because I like to take care of myself. But then there are, of course, pleasures that I allow myself. What I was thinking about is how people can be defined by their choices in this area, meaning what's their poison and in what circumstances they choose to employ it.
Jenny Lewis says, "I'm not my body or how I choose to destroy it." What does anyone else have to say about this? (I'm pretending that anyone other than Rob actually reads this, which they don't).
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