A sad story.

It's really sad when you see people you knew make stupid mistakes.  It's jarring to see my old classmates framed in mug-shot fashion in a news article like this.  It's also jarring that they're possibly going to spend some years in prison.

I knew Justin better than Zach.  He played the saxophone in the band that met at the same high school he broke into.  Wow.



http://burnsville.patch.com/articles/burnsville-men-charged-with-burglarizing-nicollet-junior-high


Listening to:  The entire "North" album by Matchbox Twenty.  Streaming on itunes!
Things going on today:  First Tuesday of the semester.  Singers auditions.
Blessings:  No class.  Computer labs at work.
Learned:  The various facets of the human voice.

Midler/Gaga Drama

Here's what I have to say about Bette Midler's recent tweet addressed to Lady Gaga concerning her Sydney Monster Hall...



The whole show looked great, but skip to 1:40 for the mermaid look.


Here's Bette Midler's response on twitter:

I'm not sure @ladygaga knows that I've performed my mermaid in a wheelchair for millions of people -- and many of them are still alive..... Dear@ladygaga if you think a mermaid in a wheelchair seems familiar-it's because it is!You can see it on youtube 24/7-with ME performing it
Ive been doing singing mermaid in a wheelchair since 1980-You can keep the meat dress and the firecracker tits-mermaid's mine.

It's true!  Bette Midler did do a show back in the '80s that was entirely based around a singing, dancing mermaid in a wheelchair.  Check this out... 

I definitely think the Midler version was a lot more complete.  Gaga has yet to expound on the significance of Yuyi the mermaid, though she has made some tweets of late alluding to Yuyi in the next music video.  (I predict the single is going to be "You and I")  So in a way, her performance in Sydney really was really spontaneous and many on the outside could see that as a copy of Bette Midler's work.

However, looking back on the history of Gaga, you will see that both wheelchairs and mermaids have been repeated elements in Gaga's work.  You've got the wheelchair theme in Paparazzi, and Yuyi the mermaid has showed up (sans wheelchair) in her performance at Le Grand Journal.  So it would only make sense for them to be put together.

Gaga responded to Bette Midler's remarks very professionally.  It turns out she had no idea that Midler even HAD a mermaid act.  "I had no idea that she did that, and I'm a huge Bette Midler fan...  It wasn't [originally a tribute to Midler] cuz I didn't know that she'd done it, but I do now, and I think it's great...  Maybe we're just cut from the same cloth.  I obtusely admire her."  (See the whole interview about Midler here.)

Crisis has been averted.  Bette Midler's most recent tweet was as follows...

 @ladygaga, let's drink this over at the Emmys in September. Fabulous mermaids can coexist!

I think they're both "fin-tastic" performers!!

Listening to:  "New York, New York" as sung by Delores DeLago
Things Going On:  I go to Jensen's with a friend, last day in Minnesota
Blessings:  The internet.  My hair.
Learned:  Lady Gaga's grandmother only had intimate relationships with one man:  Her Husband.

It's HARRY FREAKING POTTER

I must write a post about this....

All I really gotta say is this:  If you have read all the books or seen all the movies, you need to see this one.  It's a masterpiece, a crowning achievement that lived up to its hype, and a glorious final act in the Harry Potter saga.  Well done, Harry.  Well done.  

On a similar note, I'd like to tip my hat to J.K. Rowling, for she has successfully changed the world through these books.  Harry Potter is a social phenomenon. What American child doesn't know who Harry Potter is?  Who doesn't recognize the iconic round glasses or the lightning bolt scar?  Even if you haven't read the books or seen the movies, you know who Harry Potter is!  You recognize the characters, the spells, the costumes, the magic!

Harry Potter will never be last year's fad.  I'm sure generations to come will read the books and watch the movies and regard them as classics.  But they are not going to remember the series as a great technical achievement or as a great example of cinematic or literary prowess.  People will continue to read this series because the story is such an important chapter in pop culture history.  People will remember it as the series that swept all of the Western masses off its feet into a new world of whimsy. Harry Potter has become an eternal part of our culture. And the magic will never die.

Listening to:  Nothing at the moment.
Things Going On Today:  Friday, Friday...
Blessings:  Midnight Premieres with short lines
Learned:  You can easily get past a ticket-taker at a movie theater if you just go in a big enough crowd.

The Death of a Legend

Saxophonist Clarence Clemons has died after complications of a stroke from earlier in the week.  He appeared on Lady Gaga's THE EDGE OF GLORY music video just days before his death.  He was 69 years old.

\

Along with his recent work with Gaga, Clemons has been a part of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.  Here's some clips to remember him by...







Listening to: Born to Run (see above)
Things Going On Today: Called my father for Father's day, ate at Uncles house, big father's day tie exchange with the Elders Quorum, filled in for RS president Alicia because she had to work.
Blessings: Toilets.

Edge of Glory Update

So there are some more things I should say about the EOG music video.  I received a lot more information about why it is the way it is...

The video was supposed to be directed by Joseph Kahn, the same guy who directed Gaga's "Eh Eh" video back in 2009.  However, due to a creative dispute, Kahn walked out on the project just a few days before it was due to be shot, and just a few more days before the video was supposed to be released.  All of the costumes, choreography, and concepts that had been planned were now shot, and Gaga needed to improvise.  She didn't even have choreographer Laurianne Gibson on her side for this one, so the Haus took charge and they created a video that took only one day to produce and record.  It was all very spur-of-the-moment, and Gaga was pretty much on her own for the directing process.

With that in mind, I completely understand why the video seemed unprepared and simple.  My opinion of the video still hasn't changed.  It still looks terrible.  But now we understand why.  

Listening to:  Broken by Seether featuring Amy Lee
Things Going on Today:  Nate and Amoray's wedding reception, Manti pageant.
Blessings:  A good nap, crayons, and wedding dresses.

Who Needs Astrology??

So APPARENTLY there's a new sign in the Zodiac.  Apparently it's an adjustment for the Earth's slow-but-ever-changing rotation cycle around the sun.  This is all based on a statement from the Minnesota Planetarium Society (and of course it just HAD to be Minnesota, didn't it?).  Here's a brief rundown about this new astrological sign:

Name: Ophiuchus
Greek: "Serpent-bearer"
Dates: November 30 (or 29?  It's different among various sources) - December 17
The Story: Ophiuchus is the only sign in the zodiac related to a real person.  Apparently, this dude is a lot like the biblical Joseph who was sold into Egypt.  According to mythology, Ophiuchus is based off of a guy named Asclepius who, after seeing snakes bring each other healing herbs, found man's hope for eternal life.  Zeus didn't like that day, so he killed Asclepius, but later put him in the stars to show his good works.  If that's not a boring enough story for you, Ophiuchus also has ties to the character Laocoon from the Trojan War.  This guy was killed by snakes after he tried to warn the Trojans about the Greek's "gift" of a wooden horse.
Traits:  A healer, a searcher of truth and intelligence, favored by authority, envied by peers.
Sign: 


Because of this new sign, all the other zodiac periods have been thrown out of whack.  APPARENTLY I'm no longer a Virgo.  According to this new zodiac, I was born on September 8, 1990, during the zodiac period of Leo.  I believe this is false.
Let's compare, shall we, the traits of Virgo and the traits of Leo and see how well I match up:

VIRGO:
reliable, industrious, intelligent, practical, adheres to standards, committed, detail-oriented, not too neat but organized, good memory, will complete a task completely and do the best they can, self-critical, a perfectionist, self-aware, thrifty, analytical, energetic, talkative, bossy, nit-picky, diligent, hard-working, pessimistic

LEO:
ambitious, confident, loyal, generous, independent, warm, caring, giving, domineering, bossy, stubborn, sensitive to criticism, outwardly proud but inwardly insecure, appreciates routine and stability, motivated, organized, good leaders, refined, committed, steady

Yeah, I think I'm still a Virgo.  All this new Astrological stuff is BULLCRAP.

Actually, come to think of it, even the old Astrological stuff is BULLCRAP....  

But still rather interesting... 

Apparently, because I'm a Virgo, I'm supposed to get along well with Capricorn, Taurus, and Cancer.  I don't get along well with Gemini, Libra, and Sagittarius.  My last boyfriend was a Libra.  According to my research, Libra plus Virgo equals very difficult and unsatisfying relationship.  After giving it some thought, I found that to be EXACTLY the case with this Libra partner.  He was too free-spirited, too flexible, and dissatisfied with my demand for standards and commitment.  He always would complain about how I think too much, and I always would complain about how he couldn't get his head out of the clouds!  It was scary how accurate these horoscopes were about our relationship.  Maybe I should pay more attention to these Zodiac signs when choosing potential partners...
Mark's and Aries, which is somewhere in between.   I think that means we may have to compromise on some things, but it could work.  Good thing.

But once again, this is all really BULLCRAP

It's as the Juliets say...

I can see the way we are

I don't need to know the stars. 

Listening to:  "Firework" by Katy Perry (again and again)

Blessings:  A free morning, three-day weekends, free recitals.

Things Going on Today:  I start my voice lessons, date with Mark tonight.