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largedude

Member since: Jul 26th, 2006

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Don Kirshner, Songwriter and Monkees Musical Director, Dead at 76 (Spinner)

Jan 18th 2011 4:23PM Don Kirshner's Rock Concert is not to be confused with In Concert, the late-night show ABC created to compete with Midnight Special (NBC) and Rock Concert (syndicated).

Don Kirshner, Songwriter and Monkees Musical Director, Dead at 76 (Spinner)

Jan 18th 2011 4:15PM Those who saw the first appearance of the Blues Brothers on Saturday Night Live were treated to Paul Schaffer's parody of Kirshner; on his Rock Concert show, he introduced each act, from the control booth, in that unmistakable hard New York accent of his.

The Rock Concert series should be re-mastered on DVD, just like Burt Sugarman's Midnight Special. It emcompassed so many different types of popular music, from rock to soul, blues to country, even giving stand-up comedy some needed attention. Both Steve Martin and Billy Crystal appeared here, before SNL got started.

RIP, and props to a behind-the-scenes American music icon.

Seven Key Masters Have the Power to Restart the Internet (Asylum)

Jul 30th 2010 6:15PM Wonder Twin powers, ACTIVATE!!

'American Idol' Lowers Age Limit to 15 (AOL TV)

Jun 22nd 2010 11:00AM The name of this show has always belied its' intent... they want an 'idol' for millions of teenage girls to worship, much like the time when Beatlemania swept the country. However, modern music production techniques make it much easier to conceal the increasing lack of talent from contestants. A few slick computer tricks and boom - instant singer. (I mean, come on, there's even an iPhone app for it!)

As for the show itself, they know their time is running out, and they're grasping at straws. The process isn't getting them the solid performers they hoped for; they've let some of the 2nd-place finishers slip through their fingers (Jennifer Hudson comes to mind). They've got stronger competition, too: Cowell's had his own talent show in England for many years, and now he's bringing it over here... that's why he left Idol. Although I'm not sure the market will bear "America's Got Talent", "Idol" and Simon's show all at once. Someone's got to go.

Boy, 14, Allegedly Tattooed Against His Will By Bullies (ParentDish)

May 25th 2010 3:11PM To adpot a "no tolerance for bullying" position, the kids would have to be monitored in every aspect of their lives, from the moment they woke up to when they went to sleep again.

Bullies lie in wait for their victims.. ambush them in bathrooms, in locker rooms, in lunchrooms, under stairwells, on school buses, anywhere the faculty and parents can't see or are otherwise occupied. They'll even hang out at malls, school events and parks, everywhere 'normal' kids go. As far as the grown-ups are concerned, they ARE 'normal' kids.

Bullies are rapists and stalkers in training. I speak from experience -- I'm a man in my late 40's of substantial stature, but at the time, I was at a physical disadvantage; this person was first-string on the school football team. I still remember the response from the student counselor when I told her I was attacked.

"Oh, I'm sure it wasn't serious. You know how boys are! Just take it with a grain of salt." I don't take somebody trying to pull my pants down and have his way with me with a grain of ANYTHING... the fact that I'm straight has nothing to do with it. It took me more than a decade of therapy to get my head on straight.

Don't blame anyone but yourselves if the next time this happens, the kid gets a Saturday-night special and blows away half his homeroom.

Be Careful Who You Ask For. You Just Might Get Him. (BV on Love)

May 24th 2010 4:12PM It seems that no matter how we try, we can't please you. If we're too gangsta, we're not refined or well-mannered enough. If we're too nice, we're not manly enough. You want the bad boy, but the bad boy mistreats you. The nice guy, the one who bends over backwards to give you everything you want or need, is too soft.

We accomodate you, appreciate you, love and honor you, but you still treat us like we're not good enough. If we express dissatisfaction with our situation, we're labeled as whining crybabies.

Bored? You're bored with us for quietly indulging your flights of fancy, hopping from one interest to another, and you think we're not masculine because we'd rather have peace in our lives than a Jerry Springer shouting match?

You want assertion? Here it is:
MAKE UP YOUR MIND ABOUT WHO YOU ARE! ARE YOU AN "INDEPENDENT WOMAN" WHO DOESN'T NEED A MAN? FINE! GO GET A DILDO AND LEAVE US ALONE.

IF YOU WANT A REAL MAN IN YOUR LIFE, LET HIM BE WHO HE IS AND LOVE HIM NO MATTER WHAT... BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT REAL LOVE IS. STOP TRYING TO MOLD US INTO YOUR IMAGE OF PERFECTION, BECAUSE THAT IMAGE IS A LIE. NO ONE IS PERFECT.

Funkmeister Bootsy Collins Opens a University of Funk (BV Black Spin)

May 13th 2010 12:30AM Bootsy Collins was the bass player on James Brown's "Sex Machine". He was touring and recording with James for years before he joined the Mothership (George Clinton's name for his two groups, Parliament and Funkadelic). Clinton had so much going on, that he had the same band recording for 2 different record labels, under 2 different names!

No, he's not a worthless clown, he's been a working musician since his teens (40+ years). Those who don't know, had better ask somebody.

Alice Tan Ridley:'Precious' Star's Mom Heading to Television? (BV Newswire)

Mar 20th 2010 10:29AM There's a lot of misunderstanding on the part of those who think Ms. Ridley is auditioning for "Talent" on the coat-tails of her daughter's success. Tan has been performing for decades. I was one of her backup musicians at New York's Cotton Club, and we also played at the Kabila jazz festival in Morocco, among other places.

She's had recording contracts waved in her face, but she said 'no', because her family came first. Besides, Tan has already been a contestant on a Fox talent contest (pre-Idol) and won! It wouldn't be hard to recover the tape for that show.

People seem to forget how Gabby got where she is today... following the example of a bold, strong, talented, intelligent woman. An Ocsar-nominated role, in her first movie, on her first audition as an actress? Her mom had a lot to do with that.

Walmart Princess and the Frog necklaces recalled over Disney's cadmium concerns (WalletPop)

Feb 1st 2010 5:07PM Wal-Mart caters to the people who are trying to save money... i.e., most of us. If we could afford higher-priced domestic goods, we'd buy them. So we shop at the store with the reputation for low prices.

If one really thinks "buying American" is going to solve things, then how do we know what's really "made in America by Americans" anymore? Remember Kathie Lee Gifford getting upset when a investigative reporter busted a Chinese factory sewing "made in America" labels into her signature line of clothing? She made a big stink about how her clothes were "American made", until he showed the footage of the factory, the workers, and the clothes themselves. She back-pedaled real quick on that one.

Even those companies under American ownership know how to maximixe their profit: get the least expensive (read: offshore) parts, the cheapest (read: foreign) labor, and either sell for the highest price possible, or sell for a lower profit margin, and dump them out the factory door by the train load.

Now, does Wal-Mart want us to quit shopping in their stores, for products we can trust? Of course not. So, what do they do? They get most of their goods from overseas companies, companies using the brand names of old products formerly made in the US: Magnavox, RCA, Motorola, Kodak, IBM, and so on.

Only in the last 30 or so years have we really started to emphasize environmental standards for retail goods.. but we have been woefully lax in enforcing trade (import/export) laws. US investors are so horny for overseas money, they let other nations send the cheapest crap imaginable.

We shouldn't be so smug. Before China did it to us, we did it to the world. That's the lesson we taught the world, and now the world is using that knowledge to kick our asses.

Should America Be English-Only -- or Speak More Than One Language? (Lemondrop)

Jan 26th 2010 3:00PM This has less to do with illegals than it does law-abiding citizens coming to spend their hard-earned money on American tourist attractions. We have pumped millions of dollars into foreign aid programs over the decades from WWII to today, and now it's time for those countries to reciprocate by spending their money on us. If they don't know which airport gate to enter, which door to walk through, etc., they won't bother. Our nation has never been "English only", not even from its birth. If we were, the the names of states like California, Texas, Florida, Colorado, Hawaii and many more would have to be changed... and we'd have to give the Statue of Liberty back to France!