Saturday, February 27, 2010

God is Dead. And We Have Bottled Him.


All over the media, bookshops, coffee houses, blogs and personal talks we are lately assaulted with talks of crisis, apocalypse and imminent destruction. Everything from ultra-orthodox predictions to Cameron’s controversial Avatar seems to be trumpeting the advent of the last judgment, in a more or less religiously connoted sense. And in spite of Fran Kermode’s brilliant remark regarding the presence of apocalyptic feeling in all centuries, societies and contexts, the postmodern crisis of identity seems to be one of unprecedented heights and implications. So what is it that actually triggered the feeling of crisis, the almost unshatterable certainty that everything is bound to come to an end, that we have finally hit rock bottom? Answers to this dilemma are various and manifold, ranging from socio-political to environmentalist, religious and psychological. The more pragmatic of us would even say, why bother trying to make out the reasons instead of dealing with the issue head-on? Obviously, because at least since the birth of epistemology we are painfully aware of the limits of our own knowledge. Problem solving often appears far easier to us than it actually is, thus, an even brief retrospective into the past might often turn out unexpectedly productive. The postmodern crisis, in all its more or less destructive aspects, is naturally linked to the changes and shifts of mentality and world order commonly associated with the end of the 19th century and the advent of industrialized society. Freud, Nietzsche, Klimt, Schopenhauer, or D.H. Lawrence were among the many who identified and warned about the crisis already at the offset of the 20th century. The common denominator of all of their discourses was the modern world’s iconoclasm and its renouncing of formerly established values. Even though neither Freud nor Lawrence were believers, they repeatedly stressed the impact that the end of the religios paradigm would have on collective and individual consciousness. The present crisis is not even a crisis in itself, it is the natural and well-prepared outcome of a trashing of idols which is at least two centuries old. But let us briefly commit to mind the major landmarks of Western culture on its way towards the apocalypse are presently witnessing.

Western art, although we love to conceive of it as going back to the antique Greek and Roman models, is to a great extent the product and outcome of the 15th and 16th century religious and artistic paradigm. Much of what postmodern iconoclasm has so deliberately done away with in recent years is the heritage of altar painting dating back to the early Quattrocento. In the attempt to put beauty in the foreground of religious experience, Renaissance masters endulged in a transition from the Gothic polyptych to a single-panel (pala) visual representation, thereby making complex special sequences comprehensible even to the undiscerning eye. The underlying point was, of course, making it easier on the common church-goer to relate to concepts otherwise out of his reach – or, to put it differently, to materialize the immaterial. A beautiful Madonna was always partially meant to arouse the male “auditorium”, who in the next second would be reminded of the gravity of his sin (lust, blasphemy) and would be much more enclined towards repentance, be it in form of personal prayer or absolution papers.

Pierro della Francesca, Madonna della Misericordia. Pierro based his vision on the Medieval privilege that victims of persecution enjoyed in seeking help with high-ranking women: they could be granted asylum “under her cloak”. Beauty of body and beauty of spirit are thus reunited in this altar painting, one of Pierro’s semina works. Medieval and Renaissance sense of beauty was always morally correlated. In absence of beauty of the soul, there could be no beauty of the body.

By nurturing the eye, the Church nurtured the soul. External beauty led to internal one, or at least paved the way to it (with more or less good intentions). It is interesting to note how beauty and morality are intimately correlated in medieval, as well as Renaissance art, whereas ugliness (quite superficially defined and insufficiently treated during much of the period – the first more or less comprehensive treaty on ugliness is produced 1853 by Karl Rosenkrantz) is associated to filth, immorality and later on even withcraft. An even brief look at the depiction of witches during the height of religious persecution and witch hunting proves how even otherwise unquestionable physical attributes turn into grotesque and obscenity. Beauty in the absence of truth, virtue and faith becomes nothing more than moral abjection.

Hans Baldung Grien, Witch and Dragon. The seeming physical beauty of the fallen woman (a subject very dear to Western art well into the fin de siecle period) is disrupted by the vulgarity and obscenity of the scene – beauty is subdued by filth, and falls prey to it.

What classicism hails as the inherent harmony and balance of Greek and Roman sculpture is actually nothing more than an illusion. The antique Greeks were not interested in any kind of correspondence between inner and outer beauty – most Greek gods are cruel, merciless and vindicative – and, what is even more, it seems like the more beautiful they are, the greater cruelties they are capable of.

Titian, Flaying of Marsyas. The satyr Marsyas was punished for competing in an artistic contest against Apollo by being skinned alive. The subject was very popular among Renaissance painters, as it enabled them to combine the expressiveness and brutality of a torture scene with the depiction of Apollo’s supernatural beauty.

Ideological correspondence between beauty and goodness is an invention of the Medieval and Renaissance paradigms. The idolizing of beauty was thus an idolizing of spirituality in disguise, meant to further enforce the power and authority of the Church and its key principles.

However, no matter how skeptical we might be towards the religious paradigm, one of its main merits was undoubtedly the Meccenas role it played in furthering, encouraging and promoting true art and beauty. We do not only owe Michelangelo’s cupola of the Sixtine Chapel or Raphael’s Madonna della Seglia to church and its influential benefactors, but also much more “mundane” and carnal chefs d’ouvre, like Titian’s Danae, commissioned by Cardinal Farnese, who described it as “a naked woman which slips the devil himself underneath your skin”.

Titian, Danae. Church officials of the 16th century were among the most ardent admirers and promoters of art.

Thirsty for novelty and always hailing the revolutionary and innovative, Western art has, nevertheless, rapidly abandoned its love for correspondence, turning towards a much more telluric approach to beauty and art. From Aristotle’s concept of mimesis (art as imitating nature), fin de siecle theory has developed a world-view based rather on life’s imitating art, to paraphrase the words of one of the movement’s most prominent representatives, Oscar Wilde. We need only consider the moral filth and physical deliciousness of one like Dorian Gray, or Klimt’s erotically loaded portraits of high society beauties to realize that already by the end of the 19th century the correspondence theory had been jettisoned altogether, making room for what would become modernism and avant-garde, with all the inherent cultural and social shock that went along with it.

Gustav Klimt, Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer, sold for a record $135 million in 2006.

Amedeo Modigliani, Red Nude. Modigliani was one of the main precursors to postmodernist erasing of formerly established aesthetique criteria.

Bu not even the most outraged and scandalized 1900 damsel would have been able to predict the turn that things were to take in the not so far away future. Not even the most pornographic of Modigliani’s nudes or Odd Nerdrum’s grotesques could equal the level of relativization of values achieved by “high” postmodernity and its ambiguity regarding the distinction between canonic and popular art. If a della Francesca or Mantegna searched God in visualization, postmodernism replaces God with visualization. And because most of us are endowed with working visual organs, it is the eye and the eye alone which becomes the ultimate judge of beauty or lack of it. Nice is what nice appears, with all the terrible subjectivity that goes along with it. We have spent far too much time depicting beautiful naked women, and hey, what’s the use of that nowadays if we have Hef and Playboy? Why should we paint a chair as it is, if we can place a pair of dirty underwear on it and thus turn it into nonconformist art? Why should we still resort to mythology and theology if a big bang of the type of a balloon exploding in a crowded McDonald’s does just fine? Why should we carve in stone if we can bottle shit?

Pietro Manzoni, well-known and acclaimed postmodern artist, famous for his bottling of human feces.

2007 exhibition by the Costa Rican artist Habacuc, featuring crack cocaine in an incense burner, a musical loop of “Himno de Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional” playing backwards, words spelled out with pieces of dog food and a stray dog left to starve tied to a wall.

Innovation is necessary, just as is rebirth. Novelty is progress, but only as long as the two words are not devoid of meaning. And in postmodernism meaning is a politically incorrect term. It goes against our sense of individuality, agnosticism, skepticism and our most priced and cherished illusion, freedom. Which leaves us with one single painful consideration: what Western art actually is, is a long and heterogeneous movement from altar paintings to bottled feces. From God to shit. This is what we are and what we have turned the world around us into, for the sake of liberation and freedom of expression. And now we are sitting amidst the ruins of our former idols, which for the sake of convenience we have turned into a public toilet, contemplating our own ruin. Maybe the next generations will achieve the remarkable performance of not only contemplating, but also loving their own destruction.

MEAN, sorry AMEN to that.

[Via http://jadepaloma.wordpress.com]

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Madonna meets Macy's?

RetailWire panelists have had plenty of chances to weigh in on the trend toward exclusive brands. The latest discussion focused on a possible tie-up between Macy’s and Madonna, crossing from apparel into several other categories. Here’s my point of view:

Madonna had vast influence on fashion and popular culture in the ’80s…but the question is how her iconic status would translate into a design point of view. The brand position should be “contemporary” but the age demographic is frankly not going to be as young as Macy’s might prefer. It’s certainly an idea worth exploring; many of Macy’s marketing initiatives and exclusive brands are celebrity-focused, and a “Madonna Collection” would fit right in.

[Via http://retailinginfocus.wordpress.com]

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Burger King is teaming up with Starbucks

Well this is huge.  With McDonald’s going after Starbucks this is an interesting twist in the game bringing in Burger King into the mix.

As you might recall, over the past few years one of McDonald’s goal has been to chip away at Starbucks business by upgrading their coffee and adding the most popular upscale coffees.

Another thing McDonald’s has done is looking towards offering Wi-Fi and while at all of the Starbuck’s I have been Wi-Fi still costs money to use their Wi-Fi McDonald’s now offers that for free.   I will add, this after offering a failed paid internet based service.

Now with upgraded coffee and free  Wi-Fi and of course, location location location; McDonald’s had a huge lead in capturing more of this segment of business.  This new addition for Burger King I have a feeling will really be big.

Add to the mix that Burger King is also testing the adult beverage segment as well, this should be a pretty interesting year for Burger King.

If you notice they are not using the Starbucks brand, just the Seattle’s Best which Starbucks purchased a few years ago.

Best part of this will be more convenience and better pricing to the average consumer.  Starbucks still has a clientele that will not change their habits however there will be many that do.

The only thing that does bother me out of this is the employees.  In all situations the price point for consumers is better however the quality of the job for the employee diminishes.  We’ve seen this happen many times.

For now, cheers to us!

http://www.king5.com/news/business/Burger-King-teaming-up-with-Starbucks-in-breakfast-coffee-war-84497792.html

[Via http://restaurantmarketingpartners.wordpress.com]

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

GLEE: Madonna Episode Sneak Peak

Fab news for Gleeks around the world jonesing for the new season of GLEE to start on April 13th: Entertainment Tonight teased us with a sneak peak at the all Madonna episode of GLEE.

via poptalkers.com

Rumors are criss-crossing the blogosphere about which songs from Madonna’s 25-year career will be featured on GLEE, the hit Fox show and winner of Best Comedy or Musical Series at the Golden Globes. The preview clip reveals the first official GLEE version of one of Madonna’s hits: “Express Yourself” sung by Michele Lea, who plays the beleaguered Rachel. Dianna Agron, who plays former head Cherrio Quinn Fabray, is reportedly singing “Papa Don’t Preach” while Jane Lynch’s Sue Sylvester takes on “Vogue.”

“It’s got like 10 numbers in it, and the production value is very big,” revealed creator Ryan Murphy about the upcoming episode. “We adore her and worship her, so when I’m directing, I’m always like, ‘Do it for Madonna.’”

What will Madonna’s reaction be if our Gleeks fail to impress with their tribute? This is how Sue sees it: “Somewhere in the English countryside in a stately manor home, Madonna is weeping.”

[Via http://sixpondmeadow.com]

I'm obsessed with the mess that's America

Life in the US  must be great: every time you think they’ve reached the peak of absurdity in their televisual output (Deadliest Warrior, anyone?) they manage to up the ante just a little more. Not that I’m knocking American telly, mind – they’re the ones making House.

It has been announced that Madonna will be a “marriage referee” in a new show. Yeah, Madonna who’s been divorced twice and is currently Queen Cougar thanks to her on-again-off-again romance with Jesus Luz. Come on, non-Heat readers: keep up. It’s like asking Ross from Friends for relationship advice. Plus, her arms really creep me out.

That said, this show does sound pretty damn ace: the likes of Madge and Alec Baldwin adjudicating rows over the taxidermy of dead pets. How does this fall under their area of expertise? This kind of thing would never happen on Jeremy Kyle.

Seriously, sometimes I really do think that I was born on the wrong continent.

[Via http://keepingonthebeat.com]

We Are The World 25 - for Haiti

So, I made it, after a LONG Monday when I couldn’t upload this:

This video is the original (and regularly bought through iTunes) out from the celebratory edition of the longtime classic “We Are The World”, originally recorded on January 28th, 1985 and published a month and half later, on March 7th, 1985.

I edited the credits at the end mantaining only the artists’s ones and the publishers’, plus of course the links to donate for the charity and the iTunes logo, to shorten it from 13 minutes and counting to less than 10

This version, first of all, is a very good remake.

The critics I have heard about this version, for the most part, made me laugh a bit, for how much they totally misunderstood either the spirit of the song and charity and (or) the “myth” surrounding the original recording.

Lots of the critics come out from people who were loving another line up, the old line up, or no line up at all.

This song would have been remade anyway, it was a longtime project to remake it, as you can read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Are_the_World_25_for_Haiti.

The way they have remade it is really contemporary and current. Just like it was logic for it to be.

I know.

I wouldn’t have either included Bieber, Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers.

Actually not either Isaac Slade and Nicole Sherzinger, cos all those five fail to have the multiple Grammies wins ALL of the other soloists have on their credit (which should be enough testiìfying they are more than allowed to stay there, right?), and I would have loved to see in their spaces Rob Thomas (who couldn’t have his actually planned solo due to conflicted scheduling), John Legend, Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston and Maxwell or Jason Mraz – whom would have all being very dignified to appear there, actually, being all great vocalists with a strain of Grammy wins – now also Mraz has them -), BUT on the other hand this is charity, and like it or not, the little tweens will make the kids buy the single TONS and MILLIONS of times more than any other performer on this rerecording (or on the older, actually), and that’s make their presence VALUABLE for the cause a lot, in the end.
It’s clear why they’re in: to cash it in. And as the outcome has to be for charity, let’s be honest: they are good for the cause hence they are good for the song.

I got even to say that (shame on me for admitting) Miley Cyrus sounds better here than she ever did on any of her “stuff”.
She’s the current Britney. The reason why We Are The World 25 was a Twitter trending topic are she and Bieber, let’s face it.

I loved the rap part, I am the hugest hater of AutoTune but if you gotta to paint current music, 90% of hip hop songs have it since 3 years AND then it’s better to have Lil Wayne, T-Pain (whom invented its rise) and Akon vocoding themselves than Rihanna who uses it cos she can’t catch a note otherwise, right?

It’s funny to read the critics: the original version, now so praised, was a huge debate and lots dissed it when it first came out, for lots of reasons that are smilar to those nowadays running (pick up choices for solos, refusals to show off – see Prince – people not being there – Madonna – the level of songwriting, the contemporarity of it, the lack of rock’n'roll… the hate of those NOT being there…): read this freely here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Are_the_World

It HUGELY makes me laugh to hear Jay Z comment then: http://hiphopwired.com/2010/02/15/jay-z-disses-%E2%80%9Cwe-are-the-world%E2%80%9D-remake/

The man who’s got a career by stealing everyone’s melody on his “samples” and who is responsible for the whack “Stranded”, the man whose concept of vocals include Queen of AutoTune Rihanna, is pontificating about what’s “untoucheable”?
PLEASE.
What an hypocrit.
He’s just jalous Beyonce was banned from the Jackson’s family due to disrespect on Janet and Michael. That’s it.

All other people who might have been missed here, and whom I absolutely feel no lacking of (those I miss are the ones listed up),were already on other Haiti charitable projects so no big deal there.
And by the way, if you compare for instance the lacklustre version of Justin Timberlake of “Halleluya” and compare it with the amazing rendition KD Lang did of the amazing classic on the Olympic Winter opening ceremony the other day, you really realize no one is missing in this We Are The World 25 version…

I don’t see any adding to the power of Jennifer Hudson or Celine or Barbra or Groban voices, truly. As for rock gods… Santana covers it pretty darn well, just like Bruce did on the original.

All that said, I also think the original is a gem and no one wants to debate that. It-s one of my longtime favourite classic, and sure it-s the BEST of the two versions. Like it ALWAYS happens with covers, actually.

But this is a very good remake and it will make a new generation of people hopefully fall in love with the beautiful meaning the song keeps carrying on.

So buy it and be good.

People in the chorus are these (and by the way, in the original too there were actors and actresses and socialites.. again this is all a remake of the original thing, in a contemporary way):

* Patti Austin
* Bizzy Bone
* Ethan Bortnick
* Jeff Bridges
* Zac Brown
* Brandy
* Kristian Bush
* Natalie Cole
* Harry Connick Jr.
* Hayden Panettiere
* Kid Cudi
* Faith Evans
* Melanie Fiona
* Sean Garrett
* Tyrese Gibson
* Anthony Hamilton
* Keri Hilson
* Julianne Hough
* India.Arie
* Randy Jackson
* Taj Jackson
* Taryll Jackson
* TJ Jackson
* Al Jardine
* Jimmy Jean-Louis
* Joe Jonas
* Kevin Jonas
* Gladys Knight
* Benji Madden
* Joel Madden
* Katharine McPhee
* Jason Mraz
* Mýa
* A. R. Rahman
* Raphael Saadiq
* Trey Songz
* Musiq Soulchild
* Jordin Sparks
* Robin Thicke
* Alex Williams
* Rob Thomas
* Vince Vaughn
* Ann Wilson
* Brian Wilson
* Nancy Wilson

all artists are listed at the end of the song crediting, anyway.

Enjoy this all, with lyrics old and new, and notes.

Now a little twist and some gossip updates…

[Via http://zairaamaterasu.wordpress.com]

Sunday, February 14, 2010

SPERM ART ~ HAPPY VALENTINES SPERM!

Valentines Sperm

LOVE WILL SAVE THE DAY!

“SPERM ART” by

American woman cartoonist/artist

Bethann Shannon

All Rights Reserved

www.mypetsperm.com

www.thesillyspermshop.etsy.com

www.cafepress.com/sillyspermshop

LEGAL: Bethann Shannon’s work is registered & protected under Copyright Law & Trademark Law. uspto.gov

Licensing Available

[Via http://spermart.wordpress.com]

Happy Valentines Day

“Tis Valentines Day once again. This year my family’s hearts are being warmed by our terrific new kittens. (Nick is curled on my lap as I type. You can see Murray and Nick here. )

A transluscent red heart made from shell

This beautiful heart is a fair trade handicraft purchased from Ten Thousand Villages

I never knew this growing up, but an interesting thing I’ve learned through family tree research was that my paternal ancestor who emigrated from Alsace to Canada was named Valentine.

But of course Valentine’s Day is named for St. Valentine, and over the years (particulary thanks to the greeting card industry) this day has come to symbolize romantic love around the world.

As it turns out, Family Day, the new Canadian Statutory Holiday follows tomorrow.   That’s kind of appropriate as the classic Cole Porter song “Makin; Whoopee” warns, performed by the fabulous Michelle Pfeiffer in this clip from The Fabulous Baker Boys

My son was telling me that in Japan girls make chocolate gifts for their intended beaux, who are then honor bound to reciprocate a few days later with a more substantial gift. Diamonds maybe?

This next clip from Youtube is the magnificent Marilyn Monroe performing the classic Gentlemen Prefer Blondes number Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend

Sadly, Marilyn was the classic example of a woman seemingly with everything but actually unhappy in love. SHe ended her own life a suicide at the age of 36. [Although speculation abounds; Marilyn's Wikipedia entry tells us that neither accidental overdose or murder were ruled out.]

Madonna’s rock video Material Girl clearly payed homage to the classic Monroe number. Perhaps cautionary tales like Marilyn’s helped, but happily Madonna is still going strong past the age of 50. She seems to have a firm grasp on her career and is clearly getting the most out of life.

You go girl!

[Via http://laurelrusswurm.wordpress.com]

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Like A Prayer (1989)

1987:

August 16: Madonna (in London for the Who’s That Girl tour) celebrates her 29th birthday today at the Groucho Club. On hand were actor John Hurt, Lady Helen Windsor (daughter of the Duke of Kent and first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II) and singer Boy George. Also, present was Pat Leonard and his 3 and half year old daughter Jessie. He will tell a British magazine later in 1989:
“Madonna and Jessie have been friends since she was born. Madonna’s a godmother almost. They play and dance. In fact, in London at Madonna’s birthday party they danced for about 2 hours together. In fact, she got her drunk on champagne – I could kill her. Ha ha!” He will also say of the song “Dear Jessie” – “The music was very playful and it sounded like a child and Madonna came up with ‘pink elephants and lemonade’. I was saying it’s got a very Beatles-like attitude like “Dear Prudence” (an old hippy-esque Beatles song) and she said, “Dear Jessie.” Jessie now listens to the album and proudly announces, “It’s my song.” <— I suspect the “pink elephants” reference may be Madonna’s mea culpa that she got Jessie drunk. (thanks to Danny86 for the magazine scan – not sure what magazine it was but I think it was British)

September 22: Prince returns to Minneapolis today from a trip he took to NYC and Paris. He has just finished a screenplay for a film called Graffiti Bridge that he wants Madonna to co-star in with him. A few weeks later, she arrives in Minneapolis to discuss possible collaborations. After studying the script, she calls it “a piece of shit” and tells a flabbergasted Prince that she’s not interested in doing it. (paraphrased from Dance Music Sex Romance: Prince: The First Decade By Per Nilsen)
LATER: In an interview with Rolling Stone (03/23/89), Madonna says:

Prince and I didn’t really finish anything though. We started a bunch of stuff then we would go on to the next thing. We just tried to start as many things as we could. We worked for a few days; then I had to leave to do some other things. I decided that I didn’t want to do a musical with him at that time.

Meanwhile, I went and did Speed-the-Plow on Broadway. He came to see the play and brought me a rough mix of one of the songs we’d worked on. I thought it was just fabulous. I’d sort of forgotten about it. So I called him up and said I loved it and that after I was finished with the play, I wanted to get together with him and work on it for my album. As it turned out, we did it in a very funny way. We sent tapes to each other back and forth between L.A. and Minnesota. Then we would talk on the phone, and he would play stuff for me over the line. I loved working that way.

But “Love Song” does have a spirituality about it, the kind that exists between two people. It’s really about that push and pull of a relationship.

In another interview in 1989 (scan courtesy Danny86, but magazine unknown), Madonna will also say this about Prince and “Love Song”:

Originally, we were going to do a musical together and we were going to write the music for it – that didn’t really pan out. We just kept getting together. He seemed to fight the idea of just writing songs for a record together because he’s done that with so many people. He came to see me in the play I did last summer in NY and he, just for the hell of it, put together a tape of some of the rough things that we’d done in all our meetings that we’d had. “Love Song” was one of the songs and I just said, “You know, this is crazy, it’s such a great song – why not put it on the record? It seemed to relate to all the other songs because it’s about a relationship that’s a love/hate relationship. So he agreed to it and we kind of sent the tapes back and forth to each other and we’d keep building it. It was like he would write a sentence and I would add on to it and then send it back to him and he would continue the story, basically. It was fun. I played the keyboards myself and because I don’t know that much, it kind of came out strange and interesting.

There will also be rumors later that Prince registered a song called “By Alien Means” in 1988 that was a product of these meetings with Madonna but no hard evidence ever comes to light to prove them.

November 26: Sean Penn shows up at her NYC apartment drunk after disappearing for 4 days expecting to spend Thanksgiving with her. Madonna claims this is the final straw in regards to their marriage. (NY Daily News)

December 4: Madonna files for divorce (the first time) in Los Angeles Superior Court today.

December 16: Madonna reconciles with Sean Penn.

December 20: In an interview with the L.A. Times published today, Madonna says she’s been wearing “all black” lately to reflect a starker, more dramatic state of mind. This look will carry over to her next role she’s currently filming in The Bloodhounds of Broadway.

1988:

January-February: Pat Leonard will tell a British magazine that Madonna and he wrote the bulk of their songs for this album in a 2 week time period. It is likely around this time because Madonna will tell Songtalk magazine in 1989 that she wrote “Cherish” just before she left for NYC to start rehearsing for Speed the Plow:
Pat Leonard to the British magazine: “Everything is very quick. We wrote ‘Like A Prayer’, ‘Spanish Eyes’, ‘Til Death Do Us Part’, ‘Dear Jessie’, ‘Promise to Try’ and ‘Cherish’ in a two week period. I was working on another album at the time [probably Marilyn Martin - see details below], so she’d just come in on Saturdays or days off. Nothing took more than 4 hours ever. She sits on the couch, takes a pad out and writes the lyrics and sings it and we’re done.” He also says a track they will do for this album is left off the LP, “Supernatural”: Pat says, “It’s almost a novelty piece. The lyrics are about sleeping with someone who’s dead in a spiritual sense. It’s about sleeping with a ghost. It’s a real kind of weird funk tune with a very strange groove.”

In the same article, Steve Bray will also add: “I come up with some ideas and send them to her on a cassette and she’ll check them out and then we’ll get together and work on the arrangement on the ones she’s chosen. I’ve always kind of made the ribcage or skeleton of the song already – she’s there for the last things like the eyebrows and the haircut, I guess.” Bray will tell the interviewer that he and Madonna wrote 4 songs for this album and two did not make the final cut: “Love Attack” and “First is a Kiss” – the latter is a “safe sex song.” The tracks didn’t make the record because they didn’t fit the mood. Bray says, “She’s very much into a confessional attitude. It’s like a musical National Enquirer episode, that’s what I’m calling it. It’s behind the scenes, definitely, in Madonna’s psyche.” Bray also denies Madonna planned to write such an album. “She writes in a stream of mood, really. This album, she needed to do it. I’m sure of it. I’m sure it was a kind of cathartic thing to do.” He contrast her mood with when they wrote True Blue together: “she was very in love, it was obvious. If she’s in love, she’ll write love songs. If she’s not in love, she definitely won’t be writing love songs. That’s why the love songs we recorded aren’t on the LP. She didn’t feel that they were real enough for her at the time.” (thanks for that scan, Danny86)

Note: “Possessive Love” (Madonna/Pat Leonard/Jai Winding): This track was originally recorded by Madonna in 1988 but was also given to Atlantic singer Marilyn Martin. It was released by Atlantic as a single but did not do very well. Madonna’s original remains unreleased. Martin sang back-up vocals on “Cherish.”

Martin recorded her version of “Possessive Love” in 1987 (with Donna Delory on backing vocals) and the track appeared on her Atlantic sophomore album This Is Serious which was released in March 1988. This song was track 1 of the album and was featured as a single release. The album did not sell and she was subsequently dropped by her label.

February 23: Madonna begins rehearsals for Speed the Plow in NYC.

March: Pat Leonard gives an interview in Musician magazine this month (for their May 1988 issue) in which he says that he and Madonna have laid the groundwork for the next album.
“We’ve written eight new songs so far. And they range from a string quartet to a shuffle. There’s a couple of gospel things that we decided to experiment with. And some things that sound very Manhattan Transfer. There’s one that’s very harmonically dense and much more jazz-oriented than anything you’ve heard from her before. So I think the new album is going to be quite different.”

May-August: Madonna will tell Songtalk magazine in 1989 that she wrote “Oh Father” during the time she was in the play:
Interviewer: I love the beginning of “Promise to Try,” which is just you and an acoustic piano.

Madonna: Yeah, isn’t it pretty.

Interviewer: Yeah. That song and “Oh Father” seem to be companion songs.

Madonna: They are. Yeah, they absolutely are.

Interviewer: Did you write them at the same time?

Madonna: No. We did “Promise to Try” first. Pat and I. Once again, he just sat down and started playing. And I started singing. And we built it from there. We’d start stuff and we’d come back to it. With “Oh Father” he wrote the tracks, and I was doing the play in New York (Speed the Plow). He came to New York and I was in a very, very dark state of mind. We got together in this really dingy, awful little studio in the garment district in New York. It was grotesquely dirty and cramped, and that’s what came out of me.

In another interview in 1989, Madonna will say this of “Oh Father”:

Lots of times, Pat Leonard will come up with a piece of music like ‘Oh Father’ – we did very little to change it musically – he just throws the music at me and I just listen to it over and over again. And somehow, the music suggests words to me and I just start writing words down. Other times, I will come to Pat with an idea for a song, either lyrically or emotionally, and say “let’s do something like this” or I’ll have a melody line in my head which I will sing to him and he will sort of pound out the chords. It takes a lot longer to do it that way because I don’t play an instrument but ultimately, it’s a lot more personal. Then with Steve Bray it’s the same thing. Sometimes he’ll come up with a track and he’ll have a verse and chorus but he won’t have a bridge so we’ll write the bridge – musically – together. (thanks for the scan Danny86)

July: In an interview with Fame magazine (for their December 1988 issue) was done (in part) this month:
Q: Then you’re not thinking of abandoning music to pursue an acting career?

M: Of course not. I’m just letting my creative juices take me where they will. There’s a writer’s strike going on right now and there aren’t a lot of great movies available to do so that just works out fine for me because I haven’t done a record in at least two years. I mean, I’ve had records out but it’s all from my album and I didn’t write the stuff over the past year. I’m going into the studio to record some stuff that’s really different. As long as I can write songs, I’ll make records. When I get tired of that, when it gets old or I don’t have anything to say, then I won’t do it.

September 2: The Miami Herald says today that Madonna will begin recording her new album next week.

September 25: Madonna returns: Madonna’s three-month run in David Mamet’s Broadway play “Speed The Plow” ended in August and she’s ready to dive back into music. She’s starting work on a new album in Los Angeles with co-producer Pat Leonard. The album may be released early next year. (Orange County Register)

September 29: According to Liz Smith, Madonna is locked up in an L.A. recording studio with her producer, Pat Leonard; they are working on her next album (still not titled) which will come out in January or February.
LATER: Madonna will tell Songtalk that “Act of Contrition” was purely conceived in the recording studio on a whim:

Interviewer: “Act of Contrition,” the closing track of Like a Prayer, has backwards masking and other mysterious elements. Did he [Prince] have anything to do with that one as well? The credits only say, “Produced by the powers that be.”

Madonna: Yeah, he [Prince] did. He played guitar on it. He also played guitar on “Keep it Together.”

Interviewer: I noticed on “Act of Contrition” that you have the choir from “Like a Prayer” reversed on that.

Madonna: Yeah, we turned the tape and played everything backwards.

Interviewer: Your idea?

Madonna: Yeah. And then, of course, the whole thing, the saying of the prayer (on “Act of Contrition”) and everything, that was totally conceived of in the studio, in the control room. Pat put out a microphone, and I just started fooling around; and that was free-form, too. Whatever was on my head. It’s totally unedited.

October 11: Madonna cut some tracks of her new record at D&D Recording in NY with Kieran Walsh doing the engineering chores. She is completing the album in Los Angeles. (Manila Standard)

December 16: Madonna has a new album, titled Like A Prayer, coming out in February. (The Freelance Star)

mid-December: Madonna will work with Mary Lambert on the video to “Like A Prayer” – the first single for the album.
Madonna later says of the video:

“Well, originally, when I recorded the song, I would play it over and over again, trying to get a visual sense of what sort of story or fantasy it evoked in me. I kept imagining this story about a girl who was madly in love with a black man, set in the South, with this forbidden interracial love affair. And the guy she’s in love with sings in a choir. So she’s obsessed with him and goes to church all the time. And then it turned into a bigger story, which was about racism and bigotry. I wanted to put something in about Ku Klux Klan, use burning crosses… but then Mississippi Burning came out [released December 9, 1988] and I realized I was hitting the nail on the head a little too hard. Too obvious. So I thought I should take a slightly different approach. My original idea was much sadder. Kind of: this is reality, and reality sucks.

Then Mary Lambert got involved as the director, and she came up with a story that incorporated more of the religious symbolism I originally wrote into the song. The whole album has a lot of religious imagery in it. The video still has the sadness, but it’s got a hopeful ending. I mean, I had these ideas about me running away with the black guy and both of us getting shot in the back by the KKK. Completely insane. So Mary made it more palatable.”

1989:

January: People Weekly reports Madonna has filed for divorce from Sean Penn and that she may provide a musical response with a track called “Till Death Do Us Part” on her upcoming album.

January 25: Madonna signs an unprecendented $5 million deal with Pepsi-Cola for a series of TV commercials and sponsorship of her next world tour. Joe Pytka directs the first commercial. Madonna later tells Rolling Stone (who interviews her today) that is currently overseeing editing of the “Like A Prayer” video – among other things.

February 18: The blitz-tied to the March 21 release of her new album-officially begins March 2 with the splashy worldwide premiere of her already ballyhooed 2-minute Pepsi commercial. (A teaser for the spot will air during Wednesday’s Grammy telecast on CBS)
Bob Merlis, Warner Bros. Records vice president and national publicity director, says:

“I want to emphasize that the record company is not the handmaiden of the corporate sponsor,” Merlis said. “Our release plans have not been affected by their involvement. We’re incredibly glad for the exposure this will afford, but the single was decided on before they were ever involved. That is not a means to get out the music.”

Not to be overshadowed by all this, Merlis and manager Freddy DeMann hope, is the star and her music.

Added Merlis: “The irony is that the album is very human, shows her as a real person with foibles and emotions. She’s not a god, and that comes across-believe it or not-in the Pepsi commercial.”

Boasted DeMann: “It’s the best album she’s ever done, the first time she’s really opened up to the world, taken her deepest thoughts and translated them for the world.” (Los Angeles Times)

March 2: The “Make A Wish” Pepsi commercial premieres on The Cosby Show tonight to a worldwide audience of 250 million. It is the first time an artist uses a new song (“Like A Prayer”) in a promotional campaign before its official release.

March 3: The video for “Like A Prayer” debuts worldwide on MTV. Mass controversy ensues almost immediately.

March 18: Carole Robinson, director of program publicity for MTV and VH-1 says the “Like A Prayer” video is one of the station’s most requested videos. (Billboard)

March 21: The album is released.

June 21, 1989: Madonna’s appeal has a look and a sound. Now, it also smells. A patchouli aroma envelops the new Madonna mystique. The east Indian oil was used to scent the packaging for her “Like a Prayer” album, which has sold 5.8 million copies since its March release.

[Via http://genesistimeline.wordpress.com]

Thursday, February 11, 2010

What do you get when you mix Hendrix with Prince? Answer - Malina Moye

Malina Moye rippin' it up live!

To say that Malina Moye is a unique looking artist in this world of increasing ‘cookie cut, factory molded’ artists would be an understatement. To see a left-handed guitarist in this day and age is also very unusual, but welcoming at the same time, especially for Hendrix obsessives like myself. These are 2 qualities that Moye already brings to the table, before you even begin hearing her music. Then, whenever you hear her music, you are instantly reminded of all the classic blues and souls act from the past, such as James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone. Moye herself in interviews has said she is very inspired by the 2 aforementioned artists, along with Tina Turner and Prince. Certainly, when I first heard her music, I instantly thought of Prince and James Brown, two artists who I highly enjoy also.

Upon further research, I discovered that Moye was also a co-founder of WCE Records, and again, this is a very rare thing in popular music today, artists owning their own labels. The implications of owning your own label are positive, such as controlling exactly what you want to do with your music (another issue that many artists today face from labels), and how to market it accordingly. This led me to think that Moye has entrepreneurial qualities, and was wanting to have a label that could aid her in her own musical vision. This could of course lead me to suggest that Moye has ‘done a Madonna’, who herself founded Maverick Records; and of course, that isn’t a bad comparison to make either. It just further leads me to believe that Moye is a vastly unique artist, with something new to add to the music world.

Going back to the music, Moye released ‘Diamonds & Guitars’; a perhaps very personal album title due to her mix of fashion and of course her musical ability, in late 2009. The album opener ‘Alone’, which was my first experience of Moyes music, became very successful on the radio, and I always get a very Alicia Keys-esque vibe to this song, which again is not a bad thing; as Alicia is one of the most successful artists today.

In tracks like ‘Nobody’ and ‘Yaah!’, there is an obvious Prince and Jimi Hendrix influence here; with a great usage of wah effects on ‘Nobody’, and a rhythm section on ‘Yaah!’ that instantly screams Prince, without it being a copy-cat style either. However, within all of these songs, Moye’s natural soul-style voice retains its strength and beauty.

Upon giving her album ‘Diamonds & Guitars’ a listen, I noticed that her style is very unique, mixing present day R&B, with late 60s Soul and Blues, along with the Rock etiquette of Jimi Hendrix and the eccentricity and bombast of Prince. Moye is moving the R&B and Pop world into a new era, undoubtedly stepping up other artists games, to bring both musical talent and fusing together both new and classic musical genres together to create something that is, in my opinion, brand new and fresh sounding.

Moving away from Moye’s singing and guitar playing, both the production and rhythm section in this band and recording is tight. In a musical world where Compression and making things sound as loud as possible, ‘Diamonds & Guitars’

Within my favorite track off this album, ‘K-yotic’, there is a great main riff that even Steve Vai would be proud of! The closing track ‘Sexxy Man’ is a modern and new take on ‘Foxey Lady’, which of course shows us that Moye is very inspired by Jimi Hendrix, playing the classic riff flawlessly, giving the song a new leash of life and words that can appeal to a female audience.

As you can probably tell, Malina Moye is simply a unique artist who takes the rule book within her 2 hands and rips it up entirely, saying no to the ’standards’ of todays pop and R&B music, and giving us what is truly a fresh new style of music that is sure to give Malina the success that she truly deserves this decade.

[Via http://iainwatt.wordpress.com]

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Madonna likes spanish model Jon Kortajarena

According to British newspaper Daily Mail the Queen of Pop may have already set their eyes on a new conquest. Another model has drawn attention to her, the gorgeous Spanish Jon Kortajarena.

The newspaper suggests that the singer was dazzled by this model, 24, in New York’s premiere of the film A single man, In which Jon is involved. Some witnesses described as “scandalous” Madonna’s flirtation with Kortajarena, that after the premiere shared dinner with the diva and a group of friends.

The same source informs that “Jon looked pretty uncomfortable. However, he felt flattered”. And continues: “She has done some research on it and you know something more about their future career plans, in an attempt to use this information for the benefit of Jon. Madonna intends to invite social event in New York.”

Anyway, next week will be held the premiere of that film in Madrid and is more than possible that the Spanish Basque model attend. Hopefully, the Spanish have better words to Madonna than her last partner, who according to a friend, do not hesitate to say that the singer is “furious and humiliated”.

[Via http://misslopezplanet.wordpress.com]

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Must Haves this Month

There are three music CDs I’ve been eyeing to buy since late last year. On top of this very short list is Madonna’s latest compilation album, Celebration. Being an avid fan of the Queen of Pop, I told myself that I just got to have this album – particularly the two-disc edition. This edition includes practically all of my favorite Madonna songs – well, almost. Each disc contains 18 tracks including the song “Celebration” (love the fan video by the way – the one with Lourdes in it).

The other two must-have CDs for me is Glee: The Music, Volumes 1 & 2. I am one of the millions of Gleeks who tune in every week to watch the cast sing and perform various songs. And since I enjoy their musical performances so much, it’s only natural that I want to have the two volumes in my CD collection. I already have MP3s of Glee songs though but I think I want to buy the albums themselves.

However, due to financial setbacks I had in the past couple of months, I haven’t been able to get a copy of these albums. Hopefully I can get the them by the end of the month.

[Via http://crashingwaves.wordpress.com]

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

2010 Razzie Award nominations

Not exactly sure if I agree with all of these nominations, but I agree with most of them.  However, how important is a Razzie Award anyway? View the full list below.

WORST ACTOR OF THE DECADE
Ben Affleck — “Daredevil,” “Gigli,” “Jersey Girl,” “Paycheck,” “Pearl Harbor,” “Surviving Christmas”
Eddie Murphy — “Adventures of Pluto Nash,” “I Spy,” “Imagine That,” “Meet Dave,” “Norbit,” “Showtime”
Mike Myers — “Cat in the Hat,” “The Love Guru”
Rob Schneider — “The Animal,” “Benchwarmers,” “Deuce Bigalo: European Gigolo,” “Grandma’s Boy,” “The Hot Chick,” “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry,” “Little Man,” “Little Nicky”
John Travolta — “Battlefield Earth,” “Domestic Disturbance,” “Lucky Numbers,” “Old Dogs,” “Swordfish”

WORST ACTRESS OF THE DECADE
Mariah Carey – “Glitter”
Paris Hilton — “The Hottie & The Nottie,” “House of Whacks,” “Repo: The Genetic Opera”
Lindsay Lohan — “Herbie Fully Loaded,” “I Know Who Killed Me,” “Just My Luck”
Jennifer Lopez — “Angel Eyes,” “Enough,” “Gigli,” “Jersey Girl,” “Maid in Manhattan,” “Monster-in-Law,” “The Wedding Planner”
Madonna — “Die Another Day,” “The Next Best Thing,” “Swept Away”

WORST PICTURE OF 2009
“All About Steve”
“G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”
“Land of the Lost”
“Old Dogs””
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (a.k.a. “Trannies, Too”)

WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF 2009
Candice Bergen, “Bride Wars”
Ali Larter, “Obsessed”
Sienna Miller, “G.I. Joe”
Kelly Preston,”Old Dogs”
Julie White (as Mom), “Trannies, Too”

WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR OF 2009
Billy Ray Cyrus, “Hannah Montana: The Movie”
Hugh Hefner (as himself), “Miss March”
Robert Pattinson, “Twilight Saga: New Moon”
Jorma Taccone (as Cha-Ka), “Land of the Lost”
Marlon Wayans, “G.I. Joe”

WORST ACTOR OF 2009
All Three Jonas Brothers, “Jonas Brothers: The 3-D Concert Experience”
Will Ferrell, “Land of the Lost”
Steve Martin, “Pink Panther 2″
Eddie Murphy, “Imagine That”
John Travolta, “Old Dogs”

WORST ACTRESS Of 2009
Beyonce, “Obsessed”
Sandra Bullock, “All About Steve”
Myley Cyrus, “Hannah Montana: The Movie”
Megan Fox, “Jennifer’s Body” and “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”
Sarah Jessica Parker, “Did You Hear About the Morgans?”

WORST SCREEN COUPLE OF 2009
Any Two (or More) Jonas Brothers, “The Jonas Brothers 3-D Concert Experience”
Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper, “All About Steve”
Will Ferrell and any co-star, Creature or “Comic Riff,” “Land of the Lost”
Shia Lebouf & Either Megan Fox or Any Transformer, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”
Kristin Stewart and either Robert Pattinson or Taylor Whatz-His-Fang, “Twilight Saga: New Moon”

WORST REMAKE, RIP-OFF OR SEQUEL (COMBINED CATEGORY FOR 2009)
“G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”
“Land of the Lost”
“Pink Panther 2″
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”
“Twilight Saga: New Moon”

WORST DIRECTOR OF 2009
Michael Bay, “Trannies, Too”
Walt Becker, “Old Dogs”
Brad Silberling, “Land of the Lost”
Stephen Sommers, “G.I. Joe”
Phil Traill, “All About Steve”

WORST SCREENPLAY OF 2009
“All About Steve,” screenplay by Kim Barker
“G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra,” screenplay by Stuart Beattie and David Elliot & Paul Lovett, based on Hasbro’s G.I. Joe Characters.
“Land of the Lost,” written by Chris Henchy & Dennis McNicholas, based on Sid & Marty Krofft’s TV series
“Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen,” written By Ehren Kruger & Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman, based on Hasbro’s Transformers Action Figures
“Twilight Saga: New Moon,” screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg, based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer

WORST PICTURE OF THE DECADE (3 SPECIAL 30TH RAZZIE-VERSARY AWARDZ)
“Battlefield Earth” (2000) — Nominated for 10 Razzies, “winner” of 8 (including Worst Drama of Our First 25 Years)
“Freddy Got Fingered” (2001) — Nominated for nine Razzies, “winner” of five
“Gigli” (2003) — Nominated for 10 Razzies, winner of seven (including Worst Comedy of Our First 25 Years)
“I Know Who Killed Me” (2007) — Nominated for nine Razzies, “winner” of eight
“Swept Away” (2002) — Nominated for nine Razzies, “winner” of five

[Via http://livelyindepthmusicent.com]