A look back...but not in anger!

Well 2008 is almost over, and while I'm not going to tag everything that hapened to me this year, I will say it was fun, crazy, confusing, hilarious, at times unbearable, and very stress-inducing, just like every year of my life! haha But what I really want to talk about isn't myself, it's about 2008 in song. Yes, the year in music! Some say 2008 was a slow year for music, and I can somewhat agree. But, I myself thought it was a great year with some unexpected new acts and some unforgettable albums! Now I would like to do a simple top 10 list, with some reasoning, and possibly some honorable mentions if I so see fit!

10. Muse- H.A.A.R.P

I chose this as number 10 because I'm a huge Muse fan, but found this album to be slightly lacking. Sure it has some great songs, I just expected more I suppose. But nevertheless, can Matt do no wrong? And I'll stop there.

9. Weezer- Weezer (the red album)

I applaud Weezer for making a wonderful comeback from possibly their first ever flop Make Believe, for Rivers' mustache, for the ever so catchy Troublemaker and the number one YouTube video Pork & Beans, and for proving once again they can do no wrong by making a self-titled album!

8. Death Cab for Cutie- Narrow Stairs

Death Cab are amazing and have come a long way from being discovered by viewers of The O.C. I give them snaps for making an eight minute song of wonderous portion and lyrics that can make me weep faster than I can spit them out. Truely beautiful artists they are!

7. Bloc Party- Intimacy

To tell the truth I just recently discovered this band, and have loved everything I've heard by them so far, from the electrofying Helicopter to the mellow Here We Are. Bloc Party homes an amazing talent that I just can't stop listening to!

6. The Raconteurs- Consoloers of the Lonley

Okay, here's where the list starts getting easier and almost automatic. I know what I loved in 2008 and wished my top five could start at 6 with the always genius Jack White and his not so side project band The Raconteurs! What can't Jack do? He's a wonder whether he's ripping it up with the title track or telling a story of the blues. The album is amazing from start to finish, there's nothing more to say, as it clearly speaks for itself!

5. Kings of Leon- Only by the Night

Although these Southern rockers have been in the scene for a while, it was only about a year ago that I started paying attention to them, and with good reason! On the latest album the Kings become true Kings of rock. Who didn't fall prey to the ever so enticing Sex on Fire, or howl along with Crawl? Kings of Leon have quickly worked their way up to being one of my favorite bands, as I work my way backwards looking into their awesome as always earlier work.

4. Coldplay- Viva la Vida

They say you're either a Coldplay fan or you're not, and as long as they're doing what they're doing I'm sercuring my spot as a huge fan. Viva is certainly living it up for me, whether I'm feeling mellow or singing along to some of my more upbeat favorites Lost and Violet Hill. Chris outdoes himself once more on what many are calling the album of the year.

3. MGMT- Oracular Spectacular

It's time to pretend with the year's biggest break-out band. Who knew a dose of hippie loving free spirited tunes was just what the year needed to up the fun scale? Apparently MGMT did! I love eveything they do! Whether I'm listening to Kids, Elecetric Feel, or the ever so interesting Weekend Wars! I LOVE MGMT!!!

2. Panic at the Disco- Pretty. Odd.

They dropped the exclamation mark and grew up on their sophomore album. And although there is much critisim, I think it's just what they needed to go from drab to well, Nine in the Afternoon! The Beatles inspired album had everything from folk to songs Mr. Kite himself would be proud of, and I'm proud to be a fan once more!

And drumrollllllll pleaseeee.........

1. The killers- Day & Age

As if you expected anything else?!?! Mr. Brandon Flowers was more epic than ever as he took us through a Joyride of songs whether they be about Spacemen of the ever so charming ballad of his parents meeting! An album that I could listen to FOREVER. There's something in the distance, a glorious existance, and it's the satisfaction of being at the top of my list!

I would also like to add a few honorable mentions:
Phantom Planet- Raise the Dead
I love this band, who are sadly together no more....
Coner Oberst- Conor Oberst
Who never ceases to amaze me in his ways of country/folk/rockdom
Franz Ferinand- Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
Who I love endlessly, It's not yet out, therefore I can't rate it; lucid dreams=love
AAR-When the World Comes Down
I've heard rave reviews, but don't have it yet either...
And perhaps The Academy Is...; The Matches; and Kaiser Chiefs who happen to be bands all of which I am a fan of, but just didn't go out there and buy the new albums for reasons unknown...
And Butch Walker who I have found myself in love with....=]
And anyone else who I failed to mention that I love or anyone I have yet to discover or made amazing albums this year...that is all...for now...

=D -Brittany

WOOOT!

I gotta be honest when I first heard that students would be blogging for a school assignment, I was sceptical. Really when I first heard the word blog I was sceptical, I mean what kind of a word is blog anyway? But then, in that magical way the Internet takes over people's brainwaves, I came to love it! It might have been a requirement for school, but for me it was a chance to do so much more-voice my opinion, hear and respond to people's feedback, have a life!!! So when I was informed that blogging was no longer necessary I was devastated! But then I realized that it didn't matter, no one could stop me! In fact this new freeness is wonderful! Now I can blog about whatever I want! Music reviews, entertainment in general, here I come!!!! I am addicted to blogging and I will always be here, maybe not as often, heck maybe more, I don't know! The point is blogging is a different experience for different people, and while most of my seventh period classmates will never dare blog again (if they did in the first place!) I will be here, because if there's one thing this assignment taught me, it's that the world around us is much larger, and more cultured, than a single anthropology class! Even if no one else but me reads this thing, I'll still post because it's important to me! What can I say, I like to write! hahaha Yeah I'm a nerd and I'm PROUD of it! Sooooo........ the first thing I will do with my newly acquired freeness to blog is to tell EVERYONE to check out She Wants Revenge's song Out of Control! I don't care who you are, it's catchy! So I suppose this is all for now, but I'll be back really soon! The Killers new album Day & Age is coming out and I've spotted some odd articles I want to discuss! And as you all should already know I'll have something to say! =D

Later,

-Brittany

Planet Problem

Hello bloggers, or should I say lack there of, sorry. Here goes nothing, cause that's the likely response I'll receive:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081113/ap_on_sc/sci_new_planets

Okay so apparently Earth seems to have its first fuzzy photos of alien planets outside our solar system, images were captured by two teams of astronomers. Hooray Earth finally made some new friends! Anyway, the pictures show four likely planets that appear as specks of white, nearly indecipherable except to the most eagle-eyed experts. Yes of course, you know what else they could be? A couple specks of white! All of them are trillions of miles away — three of them orbiting the same star, and the fourth circling a different star.

None of the four giant gaseous planets are remotely habitable or remotely like Earth. But they raise the possibility of others that could be. One astronomer says "It's only a matter of time before we get a dot that's blue and Earthlike." Sure, and aliens are green with huge black eyes. I'm not saying it's not possible, I'm just saying we have been too egar to find other life forms and stable planets. I'm not sure if I'm ready or willing to believe in other creatures besides us, what if they're not exactly friendly? Haha, just saying.

Anyway, back to the article-one planet discovered by Hubble is one of the smallest exoplanets (meaning outside of our solar system) found yet. It's somewhere between the size of Neptune and three times bigger than Jupiter. And it may have a Saturn-like ring. It circles the star Fomalhaut, and is relatively close by — a mere 148 trillion miles away, practically a next-door neighbor by galactic standards (if only our neighbors were that far away!). The planet's temperature is around 260 degrees, but that's cool by comparison to the others! The planet is only about 200 million years old, a baby compared to the more than 4 billion-year-old planets in our solar system. Although, the picture looks fuzzy (remember it's just a dot) which could also be explained because the star it orbits is 100 million times brighter than its planet. Definitely can't live on that one, or any of them!

The team first spotted the trio of planets circling a star in 2007. The star is about 767 trillion miles away, but visible with binoculars. Yeah sure, a likely story. Hey mom I just spotted a planet 767 TRILLION miles away with these binoculars you bought for me from the dollar store! Keep in mind that in the first paragraph they said the planets were nearly indecipherable except to the almost eagle-eyed experts and now we can see them with binoculars! The star's called HR 8799 (also the latest Star Wars robot's name, haha j/k), and the three planets orbiting it are seven to 10 times larger than Jupiter. Oh goody, if they are planets what are we going to do with 4 giant gaseous blobs floating around in space? Is it really that special like some are saying? Some are saying "We've never been able to snap a picture. Now we have a picture." Well good, go home and put it in the scrapbook!!

I should also mention that in the past 13 years, scientists have discovered more than 300 planets outside our solar system, but they have done so indirectly, by measuring changes in gravity, speed or light around stars. Well if we've found 300+ planets why are we just now concerned, and why haven't we heard about these others, cause I don't know about you, but I had no idea! There are also still disputes about whether these are the first exoplanet photos. Others have made earlier claims, but those pictures haven't been confirmed as planets or universally accepted yet. And I don't accept these either just yet. I think we're going out on a limb here.

That is all. Earth is the only planet I'm concerned with and until someone has real proof, my mind is going to stay that way.

A Race of the Races

http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=127396

Hi there!! Here's the address for this week^, and the topic is one you've probably guessed since it's a pretty big one- yep, the election!

So as we all know by now (if not seriously get out more!) last Tuesday Barack Obama was elected as our 44th president. However many people are seeing it more like this: "Americans last Tuesday turned an important page in their history when they elected by a wide margin, the first African-American to lead the world’s most powerful nation." This isn't a bad way to look at it, after all it's the truth and a victory to say the least, but I think it should be looked on by what he can bring to our country as a whole and not what colour his skin is. On many scores Barack Obama’s victory against his Republican party rival John McCain gives the world hope of peace and stability. He promises change, and I believe he will make it. But most are saying this election only shows the "much-touted American dream can indeed be lived to the full and that the colour bar that had stood in the way of America’s Blacks could after all be scaled." Don't get me wrong, this is amazing that finally the colour barrier has not only been crossed but broken, and African Americans can finally get the respect they deserve. I'm just saying an election is about more than the "race".

In fact Obama's overwhelming victory, won him more White and Hispanic votes than Democratic candidate John Kerry did in 2004 (which I find hilarious!! Little Kerry, God bless his soul.) Many are saying this is significant simply because it is coming 45 years after Martin Luther King Junior's speech in which he expressed his confidence that one day every American will "stand or fall on his personal merit, and not based on the colour of his skin." Obama, by all reasonable accounts; ran a very good campaign, that was too often based solely on colour and not content. As hard as it may be, people need to get past the fact that Obama is black (although only half mind you!) and put more thought into his polices and promises. I support Obama, and have through the whole election process, but I never saw him or any of the candidates as black, white, man, or woman, simply people. When it gets down to running this country it's not about race, this is the "melting pot" for crying out loud!!! We should be used to race, and ready to focus on the real issues like the economy, health care, the environment, the war, and everything else that seems to be wrong with this country!

Geeze I could go on ranting for hours, but for the sake of everyone I will rap it up, so this is my blog for this week, take it or not but please don't get the idea that I'm racist because I am NOT! I love everyone, and I'm super excited about Obama winning!!! Hopefully his being an African-American won't be the only reason this election is historic, and he will really do this country some much needed good!

This is all. GO OBAMA!!!!! =D

Wardrobe Malfuntion

Ok, so it's Wednesday and it's morning. Not exactly what you, or I, would expect, but it will have to do! This week I wanted to talk about the latest Palin mishap. The address is:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27320899/

And the issue is:
The Republican National Committee spent about $150,000 on clothing, hair styling, makeup and other "campaign accessories" in September for the McCain campaign after alaska Gov. Sarah Palin joined the ticket as his running mate.


You know what I have to say about this? Who cares!!!!!!!! Not I, I think this is silly. Politics have been, are, and always will be expensive!!! I do not support McCain or Palin, as most of you already know, and think Palin is only good for a good laugh, but it doesn't bother me that she spent money on clothes. I wish the money would've gone to a better cause, but I'm sure Obama, McCain, and Biden spent just as much or more on their own wardrobe and personal needs.Not to mention what they're spending on ads and campaigns! Every election hundreds of millions is spent and this spending is rapidly reaching the billion dollar mark!


At first they denied it, now the campaign says the clothing will go to a "charitable purpose" after the campaign. Well if that's true that's wonderful but I bet it isn't. Palin also stated in a speech that she "Usually buys her clothes at a consignment shop, and her wedding ring only cost $35." Yeah, sure Palin, and I bet you can see Russia from your backyard too!


Some are even going as far as calling this sexist! Yes it is true they may be targeting her more because it's a stereotype that women love to shop (so do I), but calling this sexist is a little too much. They are saying just as many negative things about the other candidates as well. Palin just has to learn to take the heat or she'll never make it (but at the rate she's going now she's only made the big time on SNL!).

So this is my blog for this week, take it or leave it, or as is the usually order of things, both!!!!
=D

BIGFOOT, BIG PHONEY

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081020/wl_sthasia_afp/nepaljapanwildlifeyetioffbeat
Here is the link for this week's article^.
Hey! How is everyone doing on this glorious day in October? Anyone notice how I'm using the Internet as my source these days? That's because I'm slowly becoming more high tech(I know)!!!! I still love paper, but words on a screen are pretty cool too! I have aquired a facebook as some of you already know, please feel free to stop by anytime, I welome all!
Anyway, I wanted to pick an interesting article, but was disappointed with last week's results on what I also thought was an interesting article! But, any who my article this week IS AWESOME, because it's about THE YETI-of all yetis! Yeah, can't beat that can you? Well actually you can because the sad part is- I don't believe it! haha.
So apparently a team of Japanese adventurers say they have discovered footprints they believe were made by the legendary yeti said to roam the Himalayan regions of Nepal and Tibet. Yes, you heard right, the giant human/ape monster/creatre that has been around forever! I however am not convinced. Why? Because the footprint was only eight inches long! In that case, I am bigger than Bigfoot! Not so scary now, is he?
They also said the footprint looked human and it was definitely not a bear's, deer's, wolf's or snow leopard's print. You know what I think, I think it was a child. Yes, a regular little girl or boy roaming around, they do seem the be quite common these days! The team didn't catch it on film and thought a crapy picture of a footprint in the snow would be enough to prove what has been doubted for centuries. I don't think so. I guess 42 days in the hills is a waste of time, unless you're going camping, and not hunting for mystical beings! This doesn't mean I don't think it exists, I just think this is horrible "proof", that will not and can not be proven. The locals can tell all the stories they want, as long as they're good people may still believe, otherwise people may become more interested in aliens or something!
The article was short and that's all I have to say for this week. I'm gonna go off and listen to Mary Jane's Last Dance!

WWW.IDONTGETPEOPLEANYMORE.COM

Greetings friends, people I've managed to pick up along the way, and all other fellow bloggers!!!! So I was reading some of the latest news stories on Yahoo and couldn't help but be distracted by a very odd article, since odd things always manage to grab my attention. Anyway, the site is:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081013/ap_on_fe_st/odd_name_change;_ylt=ArJBVjdJsaRUof3hx68UCUwZ.3QA
And the article is about a 19-year old girl legally changing her name to CutoutDissection.com!!!! A page from the web site "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals" or simply (and more well known) PETA. Is this weird to anyone else???? I'm all up for strange names, but changing your name to a web site is just a little bizarre. The girl formerly known as (prince, just kidding =D) Jennifer Thornburg decided to change her name because she "wanted to do something real to protest animal dissections in schools." I may not be much for killing animals, but if you're dissecting they're already dead and I have to admit that dissecting that frog a couple years ago was pretty sweet! I mean how many times do you get to cut into a brain at school (without getting in trouble)???? Exactly. You know I'm right, huh????
Anyways, she "began opposing dissections in middle school after a class assignment to cut up a chicken wing made her uncomfortable." After that, she helped create a policy at her high school that allows students who object dissections to complete an "alternative assignment".
Good for her, I guess. I get what she's going for, spreading the word and all. "Once they find out what my name is, they want to know more about what the Web site is about," says CutoutDissection.com. She wants to protect the animals, which is always good, I just think she could've done it in a different and perhaps more affective way. The stretch on personal freedoms is being pushed to the limit here (and I'm always up for backing rebels), but I have a feeling she is going to be taken as a joke to many people. Furthermore, what about when she's older! I don't think she was thinking about her own well being when making this decision. I mean who's going to hire someone named after a web site??? Not I! And just think of what her children will be named!!!
Surprisingly, her parents were very supportive of her decision. I guess that was totally their next choice on the list of baby names! Although most of her family still call her Jennifer (even though it's obviously the harder to remember out of the two! haha).
So even though I often support the strange this one didn't exactly "tickle my fancy" if I may be so bold. Oh, and on a side note, I would like to be referred to as http://brittanyday.blogspot.com/ from now on!!!!!!! Just kidding! =D

Yet Another OJ Oops-y

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081004/ap_on_re_us/oj_simpson
If you don't believe me or want to read it for yourself ('cause it's just that awesome! haha) go to the address listed above^. =)

It's that time again and I'm going out of my element!!!! Not only am I using a web site as the source of my article, but it's about O.J. Simpson!!! Never expected that did you? (well, except for Litteral, but only b/c I told her!). So yeah, let's talk about one of the biggest creepers in America (heck, maybe even the world), and believe me I know creepers (*nervous laughter*).

The 61-year-old Hall of Fame football star, turned brief star of the screen, turned one of the most hated men ever, was convicted of kidnapping, armed robbery and 10 other charges for gathering five men a year ago and storming a room at a hotel-casino to seize Simpson sports mementos (which he claimed was never stealing b/c they "belonged" to him) — including game balls, plaques and photos — from two collectors. And the best part is, he may be put away for the rest of his life.=D I usually have a heart, but this is O.J. we're talking about, come on! If it was up to me (and most sane people of the world) he would've never seen the light of day since 1995!

In case you're from another planet, have been locked away yourself (like in a cave or underground (if you are underground it's safe to come out: the red scare has officially ended! )), or was raised by wolfs, and haven't heard of O.J. and the "trial of the century", he was convected, acquitted, and then proven guilty after it was too late, of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.

Attorney Gloria Allred said of the case "Justice was delayed, but in this case it was not denied. Now that he may spend the rest of his life in prison, the law, and not O.J. Simpson, will have the last word." Others say it was simply payback, an injustice or even a "public lynching". I don't care as long as he is put behind bars, but do find it ironic that he gets put away for a petty crime instead of murder. O.J.'s attorney said of him "He's in good spirits, he's one of the strongest human beings on the planet. He's confident the truth will come out eventually." This is a load of CRAP, the truth is in his own book, (If) I Done It. That's what I say!

Simpson may not have suffered the consequences for his actions in the 90's but karma's coming back to bite him this time around. O.J. ran out of luck in Vegas, something only crazies could do. Even mother nature and the workings of the world were against him! There were some very odd occurrences happenings during the trial. Such as:

• His unlucky number in a case full of bizarre "13" twists:

He was convicted of an armed robbery that happened on Sept. 13 and was found guilty on the 13th anniversary of his Los Angeles murder acquittal. The Las Vegas jury deliberated for 13 hours after a 13-day trial.

• And then, as only the sobs of Simpson's sister broke the silence late Friday, the lights went out:

At 11 p.m. (when the trial ended) the courthouse lights shut down automatically. If this isn't a sign I don't know what is!

So, this is my blog this week , love it or hate it, but regardless I'm pretty sure we all share the same viewpoint about O.J. creeper Simpson!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Color Catastrophe

Hola, thought I would mix it up! So, I've been flipping through some magazines for a while and have come to realize that there aren't very many good or interesting articles out there. And if they do catch my attention I can't blog about them b/c they're about movies or music. :( Too bad I can't blog about that either. haha.

So, anyway I finally stumbled upon an article about art and decided to go with it! It's titled A Room With a Hue (from the March 10, 2008 issue of Newsweek, yes the 10th, they are very precise! It was $4.95 but I got it for free at the library!!! haha) and raises the question (one I haven't really thought about to be honest), why has the color drained out of contemporary art? Hmmmmmm? Now that I think about it, is it true? According to the article, much of the art of the past 50 years has centered around using color to convey a bigger point, rather than having pretty colors to stare at in a museum. The artists of the past actually used color conceptually to make an intellectual point. (But can't art still have an intellectual point behind it, if the artist so wishes it to? YES!) Actually, for the past 30 years beauty hasn't been a prominent factor when it came to the masterpiece of the century. Artists today stand around in their studios and say, "Hey these colors would look pretty together!" (But is there a problem with this? To be honest I'm working on one of these paintings myself in art!) Anyway, artists before had a predetermined system or picked their colors by sheer chance. My question is, isn't picking colors by coincidence almost the same as at random like today? Many suggested Pollock was making his paintings at random with no meaning behind them, but Pollock insisted the effects were intentional.

So, is this good or bad? Were the better paintings produced a century ago or was modernism a movement of much needed change? Without this change in perspective would art still be so popular? Would all of our paintings still be commissioned by a church, only to make points and convey stories/morals like those of the Renaissance? It's hard to say.

Some argue that modern artists focus more on form and leave color out in the cold altogether. I say that anything that can be done in color can be done just as well (or maybe even better) in black and white, with a who cares about pretty colors at all attitude. (I myself have to admit that I love black and white photography!) (Another point, I find it amusing that in a time when there was only black and white TV would they be so obsessed with vibrant colored paintings, maybe that was the reason; they were mad about dull TV shows!) (Just a thought!) Those on the other end of the color spectrum though, they insist that color is the most relative ingredient in art. In order to fully understand the artist's use of color you have to psychically see it. And the mood of the picture depends on the brightness/dullness of the color and the background/setting it's placed in.

I'm torn on this one honestly, I'll continue to ponder but I kinda disagree. I enjoy colors for the sake of colors! I mean I like being (or at least seeming to be) intellectual sometimes, but other times I think it's best to keep things simple. Less can in fact be more sometimes. Art of all things should be the last thing to invoke stress. I say just set back and enjoy, whether it's in color or not.

-Brittany =D

"Painting is just another lowbrow craft of interchangeable, off-the-shelf parts." -Andy Warhol

If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em!

Hello, Brittany here, who else would it be, it is my blog! Do I really need introductions anymore? This is like my 8th post and we all know why I'm here.

So this weeks article is titled "Days of the Leak" and it's not talking about ceilings! No, it's talking about music being leaked before the initial release date. Nowadays, there is no such thing as a album that can't be heard before its release date. Absolutely everything leaks sooner or later. The question is when, how, and what does this mean for the music businesses sake? The truth is, virtually 100% of the time, if someone wants to hear a song they will be able to obtain a free copy of it somehow. And the sad part is, and I quote "No matter how many download attempts they foil, content-protection services act as little more than speed bumps."

So, how exactly does a record get leaked?

• At the studio (leaked a whole four months before scheduled release date!)
• At the label (three & a half months)
• By the press (this is the most common; three months)
• At the plant (one month)
• At the warehouse (two weeks)
• And then there's the actual retail where it becomes available to everyone else who didn't get the early leak.

Okay, so now that I've established that leaks happen, regardless, is it actually a bad thing? The answer may be no! The industry is freaking out over this phenomenon, but is it worth it? Take Linkin Park's latest Minutes to Midnight for an example. It was leaked 11 days early and sold 623,00 copies in the first week! The question remains, would that number have been different if it had leaked earlier, and would it have been higher or lower? This is the great debate that has everyone on edge.

Most artists rely on the boost they get from reviews to influence better record sales, but could these positive reviews come from leaks as well as magazines? Today there are hundreds of blogs, bulletin boards, livejournals and such devoted to posting the latest downloaded cites to leaked albums, and could they be helping the music business more than they hurt it? Some insist a leak is only going to hurt if the record is bad. Leaks get people talking about the album and if it's good more people are going to buy it. It's like getting those awesome free samples at Wal-Mart, you don't want to buy the product it you're not sure it's good first, and if it is you'll most likely end up buying the product you sampled. Leaks also cut back on the money spent to promote the music, 'cause it's already out there.

The days where nobody could hear a record until it's release date are over, and it's time we all realize this. Besides, even if the culprits are found, nothing much can be done to stop them. I quote "It's not like we're gonna hunt that person down and give him 50 lashes."(I just threw that in because I found it amusing!) In fact they would be sent a "sternly worded e-mail" or at most have to "write a letter of apology". OOOOWWWW! That's horrible, a letter!!!!!!! The deadly, attack of the English assignment, that will show them!

So, in conclusion, labels should just go with it, and use it to their advantage. Bands should learn to embrace it instead of going out of their way and wasting their time trying to stop people from hearing their music. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!!!!!!

I got this awesome article out of the August 2007 issue of Spin if you're interested. It's not exactly educational, but if you love music and music related articles this is the magazine for you! Thank you, and good night! =D

"If the whole world's singing your songs, and all of your paintings have been hung, just remember what was yours is everyone's from now on, and that's not wrong or right, but you can struggle with it all you like, you'll only get uptight." -Jeff Tweedy(Wilco)

Shows Worth Watching.....Fall Apart That Is :D

Hello fellow bloggers! It's Monday and we all know the reason I'm here.

Before I even get started I have to note an important moment in history:
Today at roughly 5:28 p.m. the song We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel was played on the radio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =D Sorry, it's just that I haven't heard that song since like 8th grade!

Okay, lets get started on this weeks article. So yesterday I was looking at the newspaper (I know!) and found an interesting article in Parade. It may not be important to most people, or even entertaining but it got me fired up. It's about the new fall lineup (we're talking TV here). It's not really so much that I'm going to watch these shows, as it is what they are that concerns me. The 2008-09 season includes 10 dramas, 4 comedies, and 3 reality/game shows. This sounds great right? Surely with all these "new" shows there's going to be something for everyone to get pumped about. WRONG! The truth is- 7 out of 14 scripted debuts are original concepts! That's only half! :[ Ah, tis a tragedy indeed!
So, the reason I, along with devoted "artists" of all kinds, care is because of the fact that creativity is officially dead! 7 out of 14! America seriously needs help, pronto! Where's the creative process these days? Are Americans to lazy to entertain themselves? Or should the lazy ones step in and demand something worth plopping on the couch for!?! A couple of my previous articles are about certain things (good and bad) becoming obsolete, but TV shouldn't be one of those things. Since we are in the age of technology (love it or hate it) there should at least be something worth sending a satellite signal over.
So, what are these shows? Well they are either updated versions of old shows (the same concept with a "hotter" cast) or shows popular in other countries (same concept........."hotter" cast). (What? it's the truth, it seems like all Americans care about is looking at a pretty face, instead of actually coming up with a show worth watching!)

• First up is (drumroll please).............NBC's Knight Rider. Yes, that's right, apparently we didn't get enough of talking cars and David Hasselhoff in the 80's!
• Then there's 90210 on the CW. I don't know about you but I just can't get enough 90's high school drama (yes, this is sarcasm!).

Then there's the shows adapted from other countries. I'm not saying these are going to be horrible, just look at The Office, it's doing great and it's hilarious. All I'm saying is we need to come up with our own ideas instead of stealing them from other countries and hoping they won't care/notice.

• First there's Life on Mars adapted from a popular English drama about a present-day cop that wakes up to find himself in the crime-ridden 70's. Wooo, but can they pull it off?
• Next, Worst Week (also English) about a hapless would-be groom trying to impress his future in-laws. A little piece of advice, if this concept hasn't worked by now, STOP TRYING!!!
• Eleventh Hour (yet another we stole from those poor Brits) about an elite scientist investigating experiments gone wrong. Why didn't we think of this? (probably b/c we can steal it easier!)
• Kath & Kim an Australian comedy, featuring a relentlessly tacky mother-daughter duo.
• The Ex List from Israel(!) about a thirty-something finding love with one of the men she's already dated. Sigh, another hapless (not to mention hopeless!) dating comedy.

Then there's the "new" show that doesn't fit into either category but doesn't seem any more exciting:

• Crusoe, yeah you guessed it, based on the 18th-century novel! Wow, is this really going to work? It's like Pocahontas meets prime time! This time around Crusoe next up Moby Dick!! (haha)

Aside from there being few new shows there are also fewer big stars. Instead we're hiring unknowns (who don't know what they're getting themselves into), or we're stealing other countries actors as well as their programs! Most likely because actual stars see the pathetic stab we're taking at entertainment and get the vibe that America doesn't care, so why should they.

A few shows that are original:

• Do Not Disturb
• Fringe (the only one that has a slight chance of making it in my opinion)
• The Mentalist
• My Own Worst Enemy

But will these be any better, honestly. I'll be surprised if any of these shows go further than a single season! Is anyone actually excited about any of these shows?

Like I said before I obtained this information through Parade in the newspaper, it's the Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008 issue. Hope you enjoyed reading! I'm excited to hear your comments about this one!

-Brittany <3

Is Insanity a Geniuses' Secret Weapon?

http://people.howstuffworks.com/mad-genius.htm
This is the source of my latest article^. Yes, a real web site!!!!!!!!

So, it's blog time again! I believe I've found a pretty interesting article this week, at least it makes me feel better! I happened to see it as one of those "latest things in the news" kind of things on my Yahoo home page.

Okay, so now I'll actually tell you what the article's about! It's talking about how some of the most intelligent people to ever live were actually mentally insane!!!!! :] This is not a new topic, everyone has been suspecting poor Einstein for years. However there is proof to back it up this time around. Historians have been interpreting letters and works of those crazy geniuses and have come to the conclusion that they really were quite mad (most likely b/c no one commented on their blogs! haha). Anyway, the article also claimed that "creative types" (poets, painters, musicians, etc.) are more likely to be dignoised with bipolar disorder than the general (meaning normal and boring) population. Some of the people that had bipolar disorder include: writers Mary Shelley, Virginia Woolf, and Ernest Hemingway; and painter Jackson Pollock!! They go on to say, "Creative people possess little to no 'latent inhibition,' the unconscious ability to reject unimportant or irrelevant stimuli. The normal person classifies an object, and then forgets about it, even though that object is much more complex and interesting than he or she thinks. The creative person, by contrast, is always open to new possibilities." WOW, look what I can do!!!!! Well, I don't know about you but that clears a lot up for me!

So, Here's another thing I learned and found rather interesting-

The Top 5 Mad Geniuses are:

5. Sir Isaac Newton (didn't expect that did you?, that's b/c he has an important title like Sir. Proof that it can happen to anyone.)
4. Ludwig van Beethoven ( give him a break for crying out loud!)
3. Edgar Allan Poe (I still love you Poe, I never expected anything less!)
2. Vincent van Gogh ( WHAT?? This guy wasn't crazy at all, he only chopped off his own ear!!!)
And, drumroll please, the moment we've all been waiting for
The number one mad genius is:
1. John Nash (yeah, maybe he was a little messed up, just a little! haha)

Yea, that was fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, that's pretty much my blog for this week I hope you like it.
I'll leave you with a question to contemplate:

Were these geniuses really crazy, and vice versa, do you have to be crazy to be a genius???????????

It's Not For Me To Say

Greetings, Brittany here!

Once again it's Monday night, and once again I'm blogging about an article! Besides the fact that I have nothing better to do, I have to admit I've become obsessed (and it's only week three)!
So moving on, my article this time around is ironicly titled Let's Think Outside the Box of Bad Cliches. Why is this title ironic you might ask, this is because it's about phrases that we often use when writing and conversing that are overused and most of the time shouldn't be used at all.

My last article was about handwriting becoming obsolete, and while we may not have to worry about that happening for quite some time, certain phrases and cliches used when writing are becoming obsolete and even extinct. And according to the professor who wrote the article it's about time! The professor was grading papers one night when he noticed how often phases such as "It goes without saying" or "Who can say?" were repeated by his students. But it's not just students using them, even doctors do it!

Some of the cliche phrases include:

• It's raining cats and dogs (you know you've said it, should I call the Humane Society?)
• It goes without saying (so why say it?!?)
• Who can say? (how about the writer?)
• He literally won by a landslide (was it literal? Does anyone need help?)
• Pushing the envelope (huh?)
• Take a leadership role (can't anyone just lead these days?)
• Beyond the shadow of a doubt (what?)
• Leave no stone unturned (what for?)
• In the nick of time (thank goodness!)
• Bores me to tears (if you're crying it's most likely not very boring!)
• On the bubble (I don't have a clue either)

And then theres the cliches that are simply redundant:

• Mass exodus (is there a small one?)
• Foreseeable furture (yet I've never heard anyone talk about an unforseeable one!?!)
• Forgone conclusion (verses a "non-forgone" conclusion?)
• Broad daylight (is there a narrow one?)

So after reviewing these cliche phrases, with the help of my comments, we discover these really are cliche phrases that are overused, unnecessary, and even redundant. In other words, after furture review I agree with the professor! However, I can see where this problem gets it's roots. These phrases are used everyday by everyone and we've all grown accustom to hearing them and most likely even using them. To be honest, before I read this article I used many of these phrases and even encouraged their usage! I actually thought that by using them I sounded intelligent and was impressing my peers and teachers (not making them roll their eyes!). I learned my lesson and a few other things along the way. So, leaving no stone unturned (haha) I leave you with one final question:

Has this ever happened to you?

My answer is, beyond the shadow of a doubt!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (just kidding)

If you are interested, this article is in the August 6, 2007 issue of Newsweek. Yes, once again I used an actual magizine, and once again it was a trusty Newsweek magizine!

What About Bob?

Imagine this... It's around 7:30 a.m. and I'm getting in the car to go to school. I turn on the radio to my favorite station 101.5 The River (a classic rock station), hoping to hear something besides early morning radio conversations. I succeed and happily find the song "Take on Me" ( an 80's gem) playing, I stop and think for a second-has this station ever played this song before? I don't think so! But I push my thoughts aside, it's early and it's a great song. It goes off and another follows. At this point I'm thinking wow no commercials!?! But my lucky streak comes to an end when I discover the song being played now is by 3 Doors Down (eww!) and I know somethng is definitely wrong, my fav station would never play this song, being strictly a classic rock station only! I keep listening (to find out just what has taken place) and find out this new station is calling itself BOB FM (I know, what kind of radio station is named BOB?) and it is a mix station. I am devastated. However, I keep listening because they're actually playing some really good songs, not to mention some I hadn't ever heard on the radio, at least not around here. And then it dawned on me, I love this station! This is exactly what our area needs! Around here the stations are straight forward, and now I realize srtaight forward is boring. It was either classic rock (what I was listening to, which to be honest was ACDC, Pink Floyd, The Stones, Led Zep, Areosmith, repeat, which gets old fast), country (which I hate), or pop and hip hop/rap stuff (which I also hate). BOB is amazing, it may be a mix station but every song is good. It's like they know I'm listening and know not to dare play country or rap! I'm listening to it right now, in fact I can't stop listening to it (I never know what they'll play next and fear I might miss something good). What have I been hearing since I've started typing? Everything from Bob Marley to Rod Stwart (no joke!). So, if you love almost every type of music (especially 80's rock) tune in, it's 101.5 BOB FM and it's great!

Another WRITING on the Wall (We DO Need Education!)

Hello children! It's blog time once again, so gather 'round on the rug and set Indian style while I summarize an article once again! And yes I know it's only Monday, but blogging is just so much fun I can't help myself, plus I'm something teachers like to call an OVER-A-CHIEVER!

1. Today my article is titled The Writing on the Wall and it's contemplating whether or not handwriting has a place in this digital age. And turns out it does! Educators insist that handwriting is important because research shows that when children are taught how to write, they are also being taught how to learn and how to express themselves (and that sounds important indeed!). Handwriting IS the fundamental building block of learning because it filters into all other academics: math, tests like the SAT, not to mention better spelling.

2. The audience is teachers, students (only so they can gripe about it & the chances of it meaning more homework!), and concerned (and nosy) parents, oh and me because I did just read it (and contrary to what you might think I do not fit into any of the above mentioned categories)! I know this is the audience because it's concerned with education and so are teachers, students, and parents.

3. I am interested in this article simpily because I found it ironic to read about an article that insists handwriting matters, only to turn around and blog about it. ha ha (twisted isn't it!?!)

4. I didn't really know anything about this topic before the article, but I figured it would be challenged sooner or later since people seem to spend more time online and/or texting instead of talking face to face or actually writing things out with pen and paper. Once I started reading the article I also assumed handwriting would get a thumbs up.

5. I learned that: in 1904 penmanship was practiced 45 minutes a day (I know!), and now it averages about 15 minutes a day! Educators are also noticing a significant decline in the quality of students' handwriting and an increase in the frequency of problems such as letter reversal. And the final thing I learned was less of a fact and more of a soundbite that I found interesting : "no one has suggested that the invention of the calculator means we don't have to teach kids to add, and spelling is still a prized skill in the era of spell check, [so why stop penmanship?]". OH SNAP!!!!

6. When will penmanship (handwriting) ever be completely obsolete? I hope never, if simpily for the sake of humanity.

If you are interested, I got this article out of the Nov. 12, 2007 issue of Newsweek, but that might be hard to find unless you are a magazine hoarder like me!

Thank you for your time, be sure to tune in next week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Article Activist

1. The article titled: D.C.'s Assault on the Second Amendment, is about D.C.'s recent law proposing to ban guns, and how they were pumbled by both individuals and the appeals court for doing so. It was ruled that the proposed law violated the Second Amendment, the right to "keep and bear arms".

2. This article is targeted at people who live in D.C. or who are just interested in our nations crazy government. But it's for anyone who wants (or feels intitled) to read it.

3. This article interests me because I am shocked that the Constitution has withstood the test of time, that the Second Amendment is still relevant and still being challenged after all these years, and quite frankly because, when are guns ever boring?

4. No, I was not aware this issue was being callenged before I read this article.

5. The District said the Second Amendment was outdated and meaningless (I know!), because it was designed for militias (which obviously aren't a problem anymore).

Americans, on the other hand, thought the passing of the law would lead to the downfall of all the other rights of the people.

And finally, strangely enough individuals also felt that if they had a "God-given right to life" then they had the (obviously God-given) right to posses a gun. The question: Does God indorse guns?

6. What were the framers thinking when they thought it would be a good idea to give everyone in America firearms?

Did D.C. really think they could get away with this? Really? Beat the Second Amendment?

This is the article I read:
www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=21578

Ello, Ello

Hi, I'm Brittany and this is my blog!!!! (hints the title "Brittany's Blog!)

To get started I will list a few random facts about myself:

• I really love music (especially 80's music!)
• Me and my friends saw a platypus! (not really)
• I like jello..............a lot!
• I'm a homo sapien! (who isn't these days?)
• I love shoes!
• I heart art!
• Everyday for breakfast I eat dinosaur shaped toast!
• I like bright colors!
• I still listen to casettes!
• I own a unicorn! His name is Garth and he controls rainbows!
• I want to live in London!
• I'm best friends with Bob Barker!
• I actually like books (and not just comic books either, even though their pretty much buck!)
• I invented the wind!
• I love fashion! (plaid is the best pattern ever!)
• My favorite color is burnt umber!
• I heart Sweeny Todd!!!!!!!!!!!
• John Bon Jovi is my hero.
• I fought in the civil war!
• And finally, I am a vampire!

I will now leave you with a quote:

"If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace." -John Lennon