The Business of Singing.

Cassadee Pope won The Voice. No big shocker there. The fact that she trended on Twitter, iTunes and YouTube after Amanda Brown and Melanie Martinez were prematurely ousted was a clear indication. She's talented, pretty and edgy. And very mainstream. The popular vote rarely, if ever, goes to Indy artists. Phillip Phillips was the exception on American Idol.

The big news was that Christina Aguilera will be replaced by Shakira and Cee Lo by Usher. It's a straight swap that could be refreshing on the judges panel. It will be fun to see what those to will add to the mix. Aguilera has not been particularly helpful this season with some of her commentary, clearly showing her partiality for some over others.

Tonight is the finale of X-Factor. I expect this youngin to win:

A solid contender from day 1, Carly Rose Sonenclar has been impressive since her first audition and hasn't disappointed since. Tate Stevens has been close on her heels. His performances have been sometimes very predictable; but he the most touching story which might influence the votes.The shocker was that 5th Harmony made it to the F3; but that probably was due to the fact that the judges were absolutely brutal to them.

Britney's reaction to them making F3 says it all...

5th Harmony edged out the judge and tween favorite, Emblem 3, who's puppy dog enthusiasm seemed to have them pegged for F3. It doesn't matter though, because it will no doubt not be the last we see of them. Cowell will more than likely be promoting and backing them.

A singer's success or failure really doesn't depend on the final results of a competition. Many who have not even made it to F3 have gone on to have successful and prolific careers. Fans can be fickle and trends change.

Stay tuned! :)

Ho Ho Holy Doomsday... lmao

Okay okay. We've seen the movies, the shows, the parodies, the special reports and the chatter. Hell, they even used it as a theme in last week's Glee episode. Yup, the end of the world. AGAIN.

There was Y2K that fizzed out like an open can of pop. Then the Nostradamus Prophesies that sent people reeling and yawning when they didn't happen. Now it's the supposed end of the Mayan Calendar that must mean the end of the world, right?

Umm, weren't the Mayans pulverized and made extinct by the Spanish? Could that be the reason their calendar ended? Simply because its author(s) became piranha food? I mean, is that too simplistic an explanation?

In the meantime, the internet has been abuzz for years now with speculation and faux science while the actual scientists have gone purple trying to refute this conspiranoia, but what do they know? I mean where's the money in staying safe and the world continuing along in its cyclical repetition of political and social upheaval? Disaster films are so much more fun.

And if you're dead set on this (pardon the pun), here's some good news if you have some cash lying around:

You could buy one of these:

Complete with pool, on-site agriculture, a library and school....

Glam huh?

You too can survive here if you have $1.5 to $3 mil U.S. lying around! Just contact Larry Hall and put in your order for a half or full floor suite, tout de suite!

Or if you have less cash you could buy one of these:

And roll around bumping your head while surfing on the tides of tsunamis while the rest of us drown  or just choke laughing. That'll only set you back $5K U.S.

Or you can buy a one-way ticket to Bugarach in the Pyranees:

This "village at the end of the world" is said by same prophesy to be the only one to survive a cataclysmic, world-destroying zombiecalypse. Some even believe that aliens will come out from hiding on the 21st scooping up to save all humans in the vicinity. That's nice of them!

Or you can get a bunker at the "secret location" at the "survival community" somewhere in Tenterfield Australia, started up by Simon Young, a refrigeration mechanic, cult leader. Their website is full of useful information... if you're dropping some acid, it will even seem credible!

I for one will invest 40 bucks on a nice bottle of wine, and some gourmet popcorn, spending the night with my favorite people, comfy jammies and some zombie movies! Now that's going out in style! :)

Stay tuned! :)

Cash Cow Disease

So it's back to business as usual. As it turns out Melanie Martinez was voted out (oops! sorry! spoiler alert), so we're going to be spared Aguilera's monologues on set design. Anyway, as promised, my living dolls series continues with someone who has spent over half a million dollars on plastic surgery to vaguely (but not really) resemble Barbie: Sarah Burge.

Sarah with daughter Poppy

As she relates her own life, this UK personality is no stranger to drama, trauma and self-abuse. Now, she's making her money as a plastic surgery consultant, running a promotional talent firm, guesting on a radio show and writing erotica under the pseudonym Madam Pink, in addition to being an anti-domestic violence advocate and fundraiser. That's pretty damn impressive.

She was introduced to the world of plastic surgery when she was severely beaten as a young girl and had to have reconstruction on her face during a time when she was being exploited as a Playboy Bunny. (Probably a version of toddlers' and girls' beauty pageants) This certainly sheds light into the woman that she is today.

Yet, it's not all this that she's known for. Most recently, she's known for being kicked off Anderson Cooper's show in May 2012 because she had given her daughter Poppy a sizable voucher for plastic surgery to be cashed in when she turns 18. Copper called her "dreadful" saying he had nothing to talk to her about, later commenting that he regretted having her on the show. Watch for yourself:

A crapstorm of controversy has raged at Burge since this story broke with accusations and recrimination flying like confetti at a wedding. I'm torn on this subject. I get why people are pissed. Like Alana Thompson, Poppy is being pushed into the public eye way too young and being given the message that she needs to artificially augment her looks in order to be beautiful. On the other hand, I understand that, to Burge, plastic surgery is not only acceptable but desirable; so, to her, such a gift is perfectly "natural". However, the girl was 7 years old at the time. At that age. children are not able to think critically and differentiate between a choice and a necessity.

My problem is with Anderson Cooper and others who bring Burge on their shows, giving her the publicity, only to tear her down. Again, media is gleefully dancing around their hypocrisy. On the one hand, they've flooded us with shows promoting children in roles they have no business being in, getting the publicity they can in no way handle; yet on the other hand, they turn their judgmental noses up on the likes of Burge.

Are there issues there? Undoubtedly. But who doesn't have issues whether they are in the public eye or not. Does the media exploit these issues to keep feeding their insatiable thirst for ratings which translates to money? Indeed they do. They need to make a decision. Either they don't approve which means abolishing all such shows to the rejection board or they stop pretending to have ethics. You can't have your cash cow and eat it too.

Stay tuned! :)

Sources:

Biography

Sidetracked: Snarky Judges

I was going to write another post in my Barbie series, but that's going to have to wait until tomorrow. Something else popped up that burned my insides so here it is:

For the longest time, I've been planning on doing a comparison between X Factor and The Voice, outlining the reasons I like the latter more. The main reason is the judges. Talent comes and talent goes, but it's the way people are treated on these shows that's important.

In the past, I noticed that Adam Levine. Cee Lo Green, Blake Shelton and Christina Aguilera have consistently not only shown the contestants respect and affection but have given them constructive criticism unlike their counterparts on X Factor (with the exception of Britney Spears ). Reid, Cowell and Lovato have shown a gleeful cruelty towards many of the contestants (those NOT on their teams) throwing out comments ranging from the mild "boring" to "disastrous";having a go at each other when they're done annihilating the competitors.

Really? In what way are these comments even remotely constructive? Simple answer. They're not. It seems like these three use the contestants for their snark-filled amusement. Since snarky and cruel is the new witty, this might not bother many; but it pisses me off. In laymen's terms, they suck at judges.

However, the past couple of weeks while watching The Voice, I noticed that Christina Aguilera has jumped on the saccharine version of the Snark Train. For some reason, she has taken a dislike to Melanie Martinez, disrespecting the 17 year-old's performance by commenting first on the fact that Jerry Slaughter has been creating some pretty awesome sets for the young singer.

Slaughter has indeed been outdoing himself on Martinez' sets possibly because the quirky singer with the unique style has inspired him to accompany her performances with quirky sets. He is noticeably talented, but the show is called The Voice not The Set.

Following this, Aguilera then threw out some lukewarm commentary on the Melanie's performance, complete with a distasteful look on her face. She did that last week; and after doing so for the second time last night, Aguilera noted that Melanie wasn't even looking at her.  Seriously? She asked why? I'll tell her why. Because Melanie was clearly upset and devastated at this aggressive disrespect. It takes a lot of courage to undertake such a huge stage and television show. No one wants to stand in front of millions to be told that the set design is kickass and she should "appreciate it".

Not only has Aguilera blatantly belittled Melanie specifically, but has shown a distinct and unprofessional favoritism for Shelton's Pope and McDermott because her team was (WHAT?!?) demolished by the voting public. The top 6 are all uniquely talented with their own marketable skills that they bring to the table. At this point, it's even hard to choose a front-runner because they're all that good. Why even weigh in? Why decide to offer Trevin a spot on her tour yet babble on about set design with Melanie. It's downright schizophrenic. Boo Christina!

So what's sparked Aguilera's dislike for Melanie? I couldn't even speculate; and I really don't care; but it's left a sour taste in my mouth for a show that I have loved above all singing competition shows. Maybe I should build a set and get over it.

Barbie Is Alive and Well

Fountaine by Marcel Duchamp

Installation Art derived from the 1960's Conceptual Art (an example of this Marcel Duchamp's Readymade or Found Pieces that were everyday unaltered objects used to make a statement) and became famous in the 1970's. It is three-dimensional art that often uses media and is dependent on the space in which it resides. Performance Art, also became popular in the 60's with Yoko Ono's Wall Piece for Orchestra in 1962. This is a more interactive art where the performer becomes a part of the art piece. Both of these art forms are an expression of the modern age, bringing art to life.


In case you're wondering, this hasn't become an Art History blog. There's a reason for this contextual information; and it relates to this woman:

Valeria Lukyanova

Valeria Lukyanova, is a Ukrainian artist who decided to alter her appearance using make-up, contact lenses and plastic surgery to look like the embodiment of Barbie. The picture above is a real woman, though blogs and media sites have flocked to tout her as a fake. The criticism has rained upon her with comments denigrating her choice to look the way she does by amateur psychologists and finger-pointers calling her everything foul in the urban dictionary and claiming she suffers from self-esteem issues.

Why? She is clearly stunning but more than that she's very talented. She isn't a clinically deluded person at all. She is, however a performance artist with a very beautiful voice.

Many have accused her of using Photoshop to enhance her looks. or bashed her because she's used plastic surgery to enhance her body to Barbie dimensions. It sounds like a lot of sour grapes to me. It reads like jealousy. Many people have used plastic surgery to improve their looks whether they be famous or not. In an age where that is a possibility, those who can afford it can and will use it. Sure, there are those who abuse that and get too much work done, but that's not the case here. Let's put the Photoshop theory to rest with video proof:

I find it amusing that a person can be turned into a Klingon or Golem using make-up but in order for Valeria to look like Barbie, she has to resort to Photoshop. Valeria is living a role. She is a performance artist bringing to life an impossible standard of girlish beauty that many of us have succumbed to. Is she doing it ironically? Probably not. But does everything have to be ironic, snarky, angry or intense to be art? Nope. There are no rules to art. That's why they call it art.

If you're still not convinced that Valeria is an artist, here are two videos that I guarantee will enchant you:

She has a a hauntingly beautiful voice that mesmerizes with it's ethereal quality. Still not convinced that this is not just a deeply disturbed person trying to live a plastic existence? Watch:

Enough said. So why the firestorm of criticism and accusations being rained upon someone who is expressing herself in her own unique way? How can the same media that promotes unattainable beauty in movies, on television and in magazines become snark central when it comes to her? If you visit her Facebook page, you will see not only admiration (some of which is highly unsavory) but you will read comments brutally deconstructing her as a person. Social media at its finest.

Valeria Lukyanova is a performance artist of our times. She uses the tools at our disposal today to make herself living art. Maybe it's time we get over ourselves, our own sense of inadequacy and appreciate her for what she is.

Stay tuned! :)

p.s. I have challenged myself to post everyday starting in the month of December. Call it a pre-New Year's resolution ;)

Breaking Habits

Finally, this madness is about to end. Tomorrow the final movie installment of the Twilight Saga premieres in North America with Breaking Dawn Part 2. Finally, the buzz and hysteria over a series of novels that are nothing more than drug store romance with vampires and werewolves will be over. Finally, the story of a bland, cardboard female character that somehow becomes the center of  so much drama and angst will end. Finally, I don't have to hear another thing about Kristen Stewart's and Rob Pattison's fakemance.

Several years ago, (it feels like forever) I took the first book in my hands to read because my then pre-teen god daughter would talk about nothing else. Being an English teacher, and a dedicated god mother, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I struggled through these novels, drowning in gaping plot holes, unappealing characters and painful dialogue to find out what the heck everyone was getting so worked up over. Obviously being a masochist, I then dutifully suffered through the movies whose special effects and soundtrack could not compensate for the excruciating acting and direction. I came to a conclusion.

It's a young girl thing that stays with some women a life time. It's the need for fantasy. It's a notion that has been around for hundreds of years in fiction, then later, on the silver screen and finally on television and in comics. The notion of a perfect man who will sweep every tender heart off her feet no matter who she is, what she does, how she looks, and where she comes from. It's a destructive notion that, left unchecked, can be one of the major reasons why real men don't get a fair shake, and real women feel unsatisfied for most of their lives. It's a female version of porn.

While some men hide their proclivity for steaming, naughty sex under beds and in closets, women take theirs with them on the subway and to the coffee shop. Used in moderation, it can be an, ummm, handy form of entertainment. Used excessively, it could be the reason women and men have unreal, and untenable expectations about sexual, emotional and committed relationships. These characters never go to the bathroom, or have a bad day, or pick their noses. The men in romance novels and the women in centerfolds bask in their two-dimensional perfection, while the audience feels unsatisfied when they're torn away from that world into the three dimensional one.

What's worse is that it's become so subliminal that we don't even know those expectations have become embedded in our psyches. With the divorce rate skyrocketing, the media splashed with celebrity break-ups, and shows like TMZ salivating at the latest scandal, what is going on with "romantic" relationships? Do they even exist? Sure they can, but real romance only has the trappings and the soundtrack that we choose. Real romance is effort. It's not produced by multi-billion dollar movie, music and publishing companies. It's what we make it. Finding romance beyond the "who does the dishes", the bad day at the job, or the crazy commute home is not as easy as picking up a book or grabbing the remote. It's milking energy to build and keep the mystique of romance after the children's meltdown and before our own.

Maybe it's time that adults take responsibility for their relationships and actually invest the time in them that we do in fantasizing about them. Maybe it's time, as adults, we start building healthy perceptions and expectations about intimate relationships in young men and women, so that they don't enter in them, handicapped by Bellas and Edwards. Maybe it's time to consciously help our young break this really nasty habit. Too many sweets result in cavities and obesity. Too much brain candy will dissolve not only our grey matter but wreck our emotional well-being.

Judges Misbehaving

So the first X-Factor live performances aired, finally with the 16 paired down to 12. Before I get into the judges' decisions, there's a bigger issue at hand: the way Simon and L.A. used each other's acts to prove who has a bigger... knowledge of music.

After Simon trashed Jason Brock's first performance, L.A. decided to retaliate by annihilating 1432's performance. Simon was typically harsh on Jason but not undeservedly; Jason's rendition of Jennifer Lopez' "Dance Again" was painful to watch. Simon could have left it at that; but, being Simon, he went into humiliating detail from the song selection to what Jason was wearing. I have to give Jason props for enduring that brutality.

L.A. taking it personally no doubt, decided to return the favor by aiming a mirrored critique at 1432 who performed after Jason. My jaw dropped and their faces fell but they handled it well. It infuriated me to watch this childish and destructive behavior. These two need to seriously get a room. I'm not shocked however, because L.A. has been displaying a very unflattering diva attitude this season beginning with his tantrum at hearing he had the Over 25's.

Moving on to the judges' selections:

Demi Lovato eventually cut Willie Jones whose performances lacked the element of surprise he had when he first appeared on the show. The newly blonde, but still contrived CeCe Frey simply outsung him. Personally, I would have cut Paige Thomas whose Rhianna-like performance was elaborate but whose voice did not live up to the production. Of the three remaining, Jennel Garcia is clearly the best singer and the most believable performer. CeCe however, did an outstanding job with Irene Cara's "Out Here On My Own" from Fame (which L.A. didn't know... how could he know so little?)

Britney Spears had the most difficult choice to make as all four of her teens are outstanding singers; but choosing Arin Ray and Diamond White for the sing-off was puzzling. Beatrice Miller, though very talented, did not deliver the same performance caliber as these two; and Carly Rose Sonenclar, though easily the best singer in the whole competition, had to overcome a very awkward production that Britney put her in. Carly Rose is not, thankfully, the sex-pot Britney was. She doesn't need all these gimmicks or school uniforms to sell her talent. If Britney keeps this up, she might very well hurt Carly Rose's chances in this competition.

Be that as it may, I would have cut Beatrice over Diamond or Arin who not only can belt out a song but have stage presence by the bushels. Watch Diamond as she sings Elton John's "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word.

And Arin's rendition of Whitney Houston's "I Look To You"

I don't get it.

Simon Cowell's decision was a lot easier it seems. Lyric 145 and Emblem 3 both knocked the audience on its rear ends with their performances. Both these acts are good to go. No matter what happens in this competition, it will not be the last we hear from these two groups. Between Sister C and 1432 (whose name mercifully will be changing), the choice was easy. I'm convinced Simon would have saved Sister C but the crowd chanting 1432 changed his mind. With their performance of Demi Lovato's "Skyscraper", he would have been a fool not to.

L.A. Reid saved Vino Alan and Tate Stevens whose song choices and performances would have put them on the chopping block if this were a voting week, leaving David Correy and Jason Brock to sing for their lives. Jason edged David out which was surprising because David's singing is more compelling that Jason's to my ears. Then again, I'm not a producer. :)  Unfortunately, it makes no difference because, unless something changes, this team is doomed to be voted out the soonest.

Update: It seems that they figured out how they effed up and brought Diamond back. That's right! I called it!

Honey Boo Boo WTF?

Let me say this before I mention anything else. I love and like kids. They engender in me the instinct of protection. Nothing I say in this article will reflect in any way on the kids but is directed on society as a whole.

Now that it's out of the way, WTF are we thinking? Have there not been enough case studies and statistics showing what effects of being in the public eye has on those who are still developing not only physically, but also emotionally, mentally and socially? And those are the kids with actual talent who are promoting careers, not the hot messes that are put on display to be ridiculed. Have we not seen what "reality TV" has done to grown-ups who supposedly have the emotional and mental capacity (although that's debatable) to withstand the pressures of being in the limelight for no reason at all?

How could anyone think that throwing kids into the spotlight of reality TV would even remotely turn out well for them? That's a double strike against them even before they pick up the bat. And for what? So we can sit back, with a bowl of popcorn and laugh at them? Or feel morally superior? Or what? What is the purpose of us tuning in?

The networks are making money, hand over fist. The parents are either ensuring their kids' futures if they're responsible or unwisely squandering the money that their little cash cows make. But what about the public? What does this say about us as a society that not only condones but participates gleefully in child exploitation for the purposes of "entertainment"?

Let's slap some make-up and skimpy outfits on these kids and pressure them into participating in adult activities. Let's put kids in highly stressful situations, pump them up with "Go Go Juice" filled with sugar and caffeine so they can perform like untrained monkeys. In whose mind is this a good thing?

How can we live in a society that claims to protect its young yet at the same time condones this public ridicule and mismanagement of kids' development? I just. Don't. Get. It.

Adults have the right to make decisions about their lives and their futures. Adults have the right to sign up for making themselves public spectacles. Adults have the right (forgive my language) to fuck up their lives. What they do not have is the right to tank children's lives. That's when Child Services gets called in, not when interviews get booked. We use the fact that children love attention, as a rule, and will gladly, unknowingly, follow the adults in their lives to the brink of destruction and beyond. And we sit back and laugh! Who's protecting those kids? We should be ashamed that we live in a society that thinks it entertaining to shove kids into situations that they are not capable of handling.

I say "we" out of politeness. I for one do not support these shows. I don't care what the parents do with the money, how many trust funds they start and how many charities they support. This is damaging their kids in the process. We can dress this up in any way to justify the exploiters and the supporters of these shows, but the fact remains that we might as well sit back and watch our neighbor's kid get beaten while we chomp on popcorn and Junior mints. It's sick and twisted; and it needs to stop.

Stay tuned.

X for Expression

Rain + baseball = X Factor FAIL, but if you know where to look, you can find spoilers. Looking through several sources online including Wetpaint, MLive and Gossip and Gab the final 16 are:

Ages 12-16: Britney Spears chose: Arin Ray, Beatrice Miller, Carly Rose Sonenclar and Diamond White
Ages 17-24: Demi Lovato chose: Cece Frey, Jennel Garcia, Paige Thomas and Willie Jones
Ages 25 and over: L.A. Reid chose: Jason Brock, David Correy, Tate Stevens and Vino Alan
Groups: Simon Cowell chose:  Emblem3,  Lyric 145 (One4Five + Lyric Da Queen), Sister C and LYLAS.

It's going to be a hard battle this season with a lot of favorites already. As the voters tend towards the younger and the female, a trend has developed for shows like this. Based on that, Spears' and Lovato's teams have the best chances of making it to the finals even before the show begins. Here are my predictions:

From Britney's group, although all four are very talented, it will be a neck-to-neck battle between Carly Rose and Diamond; but I have a feeling Carly Rose will prevail because she appears less polished and rehearsed in her expressions and mannerisms than Diamond. This group will probably last the longest in the competition because they're closer to the voters' age group or they have the Cute Factor.

From Demi's group, Cece Frey will probably be the first to go because her on-screen personality is highly unlikable; and although Page is very talented, she too can come off as a bit abrasive. It will probably come down to Willie and Jennel. The latter two are not only talented but are very sympathetic on camera. Their voices and performance styles are very surprising and engaging. This team's chances are good to last a bit longer than Reid's or Cowell's.

L.A.'s and Simon's protegees will probably not fare as well with the voting public, getting decimated early in the season. The voting public's age profile will make it difficult to connect with the over 25s; and the groups have not done well on this show. From those teams, Tate and Vino have the best chances of making it farther because of their stories. Talent only marginally plays a role in voting as the playing field is level on that front. Simon will find defeat a bitter pill to swallow with Lyric 145 and Playback making it the farthest but probably not to the finals.

Despite Reid's and Cowell's "reactions" to getting those teams, it more than likely was a production decision to give Spears and Lovato the two groups that have the greatest chances right out of the gate. Why? To sweeten the pot. They probably want these two to stay with the show longer; and what better way to do so than to give them a taste of success?

Be that as it may, it's shaping up to be a great season of X Factor, given the caliber of talent, human interest stories and personalities that the contestants bring to the table. Couple that with the thrill of tuning just to watch this:

How can FOX lose?

Stay tuned! :)

The Bachelor, eh?

The Bachelor Canada premiered a couple of weeks ago, adding another reality show in a long line to follow its US counterpart. Let's see if it's more successful than Canadian Idol or So You Think You Can Dance Canada (and we can, thank you very much), or Canada's Got Talent  which were all cancelled, the latter after the first season.

Why you might ask? Because the viewership is limited to Canadians, and we don't support our own shows, unfortunately. The one that baffled and angered me the most was SYTYD Canada because I personally thought it was outstandingly entertaining with better dances and dancers than most of the other sister shows. However, I've come to accept that my taste does not follow the mainstream often, so I've had to take a lot of TV-related disappointment.

Back to TBC. First of all, let's talk about production. Since there's no actual prize involved, that frees up the poor neighbor-to-the-North budget that Canadian shows have to work with for limos and helicopters and glamorous trips to New Orleans and Ottawa. What's more interesting to note is the insane amount of product placement that has to happen in order to beef up the budget of this show. We had to endure about 10 minutes of watching the bachelorettes shaving their legs to promote a shaving company which I won't mention because a) I don't remember (I'm the worst target audience) and b) I'm not being paid for product placement. :) Then on one date where Brad took Ana on a picnic they sat on a huge blanket with pillows sporting the unmistakable Bay franchise colors.

What about our first Bachelor, eh?

Brad Smith is charming, playful and quite intuitive. He caught some flack on the premier for complimenting all the ladies on their dresses. ("Holy Dress!") It disarmed me because his nervousness manifested in a positive way rather than in machismo. Brad clearly doesn't take himself seriously and doesn't need to ooze testosterone even though he's a former CFL player. He embodies the 21st century metro-sexual quite successfully: a man who's into "manly" things but not afraid to show "feminine" interests. I can't believe we still talk about those things.

Anyway, moving to the gist of the whole show: the bachelorette front-runners.

Whitney, aka the Courtney Robertson of this season, received the first impression rose because she took Brad in a vice-grip full-body hug when she first met him. This part-time boxer oozes aggressive confidence in herself and disdain for the other women, saying they're "no competition." That's always charming. Whitney kept her cool when her nemesis on the show, Gabrielle, tried to bait her into a cat fight, but clearly this woman is not a favorite among the others.


 Let's hope that Brad is smarter and more intuitive than Ben Flajnik who chose Courtney to the consternation of most viewers and all the other bachelorettes. That relationship recently ended, supposedly in a save-face "mutual" decision though Courtney has had no problem immediately moving onto Arie Luyandyk from Emily Maynard's Bachelorette season. Maybe they should rename that franchise Swinging Singles because it's just a collection-pool for the real show Bachelor Pad. Anyway...

Gabrielle is not a front-runner but is clearly being kept on the show to stir up drama as Whitney's nemesis. She's unsubtle, grating, outspoken (meaning she won't shut up), abrasive and not really anyone's idea of fun. But her comments against Whitney are entertaining enough to keep her around.

Chantelle who is a giggly, self-effacing, intense pastor has captured Brad's attention by sharing a book of love-quotes from the kids in her camp and doing a burlesque show despite being uncomfortable. She cannot be more opposite to the previous women which speaks more to Brad's wide range of tastes more than anything else.

Kara, the grad student or the JoJo Spatafora of this season (only Big Brother 14 fans will get this reference), in looks not personality, has also made an impression on Brad, sharing a more relaxed chemistry with the bachelor while staying away from the drama spotlight in the show's edit. She might be the dark horse of this competition for Brad's heart and the diamond ring. She's confident without being pushy, knowing that maintaining a good relationship with the other hopefuls will keep her out of their sights.

Last, but not least, is the one I think has the most chances of being picked by Brad in the end, Ana. He made an exception for her at the first rose ceremony by adding another rose to keep her in the running. Then this week, because she didn't get a date with him at all, he created one for her, surprising her at 5:30 in the morning to take her on a plane ride and a romantic picnic on an island. You tell me those aren't signs that Brad likes this woman a lot.

All-in-all, The Bachelor Canada is shaping up to be a successful spin-off of this franchise, with all the drama and adventure, the tears, the heart-ache and suspense that the original brings to the table. Will it be successful enough to overcome the Canadian curse of sister shows? Only time will tell, as solid ratings have not come out yet. Canadian viewers are a tough crowd, with Canadian critics leading the cynical pack.

Stay tuned for next week's critique: Kids and Reality TV.

Reality TV: The Sob Story

I'm a pretty compassionate person. If I had magical powers I would eliminate all pain, disease, violence, corruption and hatred from the world. We'd all walk around with smiles on our faces and bouquets in our arms; but that's never going to happen because, well, we're human. Life is tough and we have to navigate it.

But reality TV has taken all the misery and struggle that life has to offer, making it into a marketing tool to manipulate its audiences into tuning in. Banking, and banking large, on "there by the grace of (fill in your deity or magical being of choice) go I" adage, they have filled my entertainment with endless sob stories, complete with the accompanying soundtracks.

I sit down to enjoy The Voice, or X Factor, or So You Think You Can Dance, or even Master Chef, to name a few, and I'm bombarded by hard luck story segments about the competitors. Endless tales of human suffering, loss and disappointment drown me just before I see them stumble through the quick step, murder another Adele song or cook a licorice quiche. What does losing one's puppy have to do with how well you can sing or dance or cook? Is the public supposed to vote on the talent/ability or their hard luck? Are we just watching various renditions of My Life Sucks?

Why do I have to watch TV with a box of tissues handy at all times?

Everyone loves a good story of redemption and triumph over difficulty, but it's now become so trite that we're becoming desensitized to it. Contestants put their lives out there to be picked apart by the cynical viewership for a one-in-whatever chance of winning the money and the title. Some of these stories seem to be stretched to the absolute limit to milk "tragedy" from a broken toe. Meanwhile, the talent falls by the wayside. What happened to enjoying talent for talent's sake?

So people are voting for what again? Their personalities, their stories or their actual talents? This manipulation of editing can cripple someone's chances of achieving their dream because the person with the better story will be voted in and the other out. It's not about the issues or the talent or the abilities. It's about what story the producers have decided to sell.

This opens up a whole new kettle of fish, namely, public voting in general. It's not about being informed and understanding what each competitor has to offer anymore. It's about whose sympathy card has the most funds deposited. It's about who get the best camera time and edit.

This is why I love my PVR. It not only frees me from the endless stream of consumerism, it frees me from the endless stream of pop-tragedy. After all, isn't that what the "news" is about?

Stay tuned! :)

Misogyny and Reality TV

I'll admit it. They say it's the first step. I'm addicted to reality TV. No, I'm not as hardcore as others. I do draw the line at Honey Boo Boo and Jersey Shore. My preference is competition shows, mostly those involving talent and/or skill. I get my guilty pleasure kick by watching the Bachelor/ Bachelorette /Bachelor Pad franchise shows. Who doesn't like a good hot mess?

Reality TV is escapist, sometimes heart-warming, entertainment at best; but on the flip side it can uncover some unsavory aspects of North American society. I will also admit that there have been occasions where these shows have made me cry, laugh out loud at some absurdity or the other, and get pissed off to no end. Not necessarily at the people on these shows. They're all trying to get ahead in some way or the other, but at the way we see people and their place in the world.

To be more blunt. Reality TV has become a hot bed of misogyny in the way women are portrayed but worse, in the way they are received. Here are some stats to think about:

• Out of 11 seasons of American Idol, 7 of them were won by men.
• Out of 14 seasons of Big Brother, 9 of them were won by men. A woman has never won against a man.
• Survivor is a evenly split, despite the fact that its host and now producer refuses to give the female players any credit. Out of 24 seasons, half of them were won by men.
• Out of 14 seasons of Dancing with the Stars, 10 of them were won by men.
• In 3 seasons of Top Chef Masters, only men won.
• In both seasons of The Voice, men won (and that includes the mentors).
• Both seasons of The Glee Project were won by men.
• The first season of The Glass House was won by a man even though there were also 2 women in the finale.

In other words, women have much fewer chances of winning these shows, whether the winners are chosen by the voting public, judges or fellow contestants. Are these results based on who played a better game or whose skill level is more developed? Not really. It's more of a reflection of gender-based stereotypes that are so ingrained in our way of thinking, subverted into the way we react to men and women in competitions and positions of power.

Women who are as proactive as men in their careers are not ambitious. They are aggressive. Women who assert themselves in positions of power and influence are not strong; they are bitches. Women are criticized for their appearance even in the middle of important peace-keeping negotiations, or campaigns to right injustices. They are judged because they aren't wearing lip-gloss or they've put on some weight. Men can look frumpy and disheveled but it doesn't matter if they are leading a multi-billion dollar corporation.

And before you call me a man-hater (I like men a LOT!), men are often not the source of this misogyny. Surprisingly, disappointingly, infuriatingly, alarmingly, women are. In fact, based on my first-hand observations in fan communities of some of these reality TV shows, it is the female contestants who are frequently, if not solely, the recipients of hatred, wrath and ridicule, coming predominantly from female viewers and female participants.

That's the reality of this situation. We might be living in countries that tout gender, racial or cultural equality (those will be the subject of another day), but until that translates into the reality of life, we have a long way to go.

Stay tuned! :)

Survivor Philippines: The Tribe of Failure

It's difficult making cast assessments based on one episode of a show, one that is heavily edited to portray certain people in stereotypical roles, fitting stereotypical "story lines"; but here goes, as I hack my way through the jungle of editing to find the nuggets of possible truth.

It doesn't take a medium to predict that the Matsing Tribe is going to be tanking early. This is mostly due to the fact that their un-leader, leader who doesn't want to lead but does anyway, Russell Swan can't assess his tribe's abilities and their inability to tell him to go take a long hike on the beach. Now, he's probably a perfectly nice guy, one who made a huge mistake, admitting to it in Tribal Council, but something tells me he won't be able to help himself.

He's lucky. Zane Knight, who went out in a huge ball of fail by underplaying, underlasting, and undersmarting everyone, saved Russ' Survivor life this week. I don't know how many times I need to say this but I will again. Future reality contestants: if you want to play the BIG game, trying to make BIG moves while congratulating yourself about your own GENIUS, you better back it up with two things: a killer ability to save yourself in challenges, and zipped lips. These were the exact two qualities that Zane did not have, therefore earning him the distinction of being the first voted off.

Russ will probably continue for at least another week of life in the game because of two other tribe mates: Roxanne "Roxy" Morris and Angie Layton who risked losing their eyeballs with all the rolling they did at Tribal Council. They tried to pin their predicament on Russ, but he does not carry the sole blame. Instead of standing up to Russ before the immunity challenge, asserting themselves and their abilities, they "stood down" to his non-authority, authority, obeying his directives. His bright idea? Get the one guy on the tribe whose physicality ensured failure to do the running with him.

This tribe seems to have only two possibilities of making it to the merge: Denise Stapley and Malcolm Freberg. They were smart enough to seek each other out as the only two with the brains and strategy in the tribe. This, with their ability to make it through the physical challenges, will give them the best chances of getting out of this cluster of a tribe intact.

With this tribe's state of disarray and dismal un-leadership, Matsing stands a great chance of losing yet another immunity challenge next week and one of Roxy or Angie being sent packing. Russ will probably find the immunity idol because he stumbled on the clue, unlike Penner who found it with purpose. Even with this coveted idol, I doubt Russ's chances of making it to the merge are good. He'll probably not use it or give it away by accident.

These are just my assessments from watching the show. If you want real insider info, then get it from the one, true source of spoilers: Missyae.

Stay tuned for the upcoming blogs:

• My assessment of the singing competitions: The Voice, X-Factor and the newly rehashed American Idol. Why is this show still on?
• Misogyny and Reality TV
• Skill, Luck, Production and the Mighty Buck

Survivor Philippines versus Big Brother 14

Both of these CBS reality TV shows packed a wallop last night with one premiering as the other ended. In the ratings department, the 25th season  of  Survivor topped 11 million viewers with a 7.1, whereas Big Brother, fell short of 7 million with a 2.9 rating. This is not surprising as the latter show's ratings have been disappointing this summer. Yet, despite Survivor being the ratings winner, it has not been renewed past the already filmed season 26 yet, whereas Big Brother has been renewed for season 15.

Both these shows have been in peril with tanking ratings in the past mostly because of the producers (Jeff Probst for Survivor and Allison Grodner for Big Brother). They both adopted a formula of bringing vets (sometimes multiple times) to play with newbies season after season, even though the fans of both the shows have not liked it. It's not fun to watch inexperienced players get mowed down season after season.

But maybe things are not so dire for these shows. The fact that Survivor's premiere numbers are much better than in the past, and that Big Brother 14 ended with a newbie gaining victory over a vet will bring some needed changes in both these shows. While Ian Terry, a fan favorite who charmed almost everyone with his unique personality and heart, won BB14 by a landslide mostly because the jurors respected his smart, clean game, a few Survivors made impressive appearances in the Survivor premiere.

Jonathan Penner, Sarah Naomi Dawson from Kalabaw, Denise Marie Stapely, Malcolm Freberg and Angie Layton from Masting, as well as Micheal, Skupin, Lisa Whechel and Roberta "RC" Saint-Amour from Tandang were six castaways that showed much promise. Penner's love of the game and gratitude to be given another chance were touching to watch; but his strategizing on the island and even before he arrived is what made me sit up and take notice. Michael Skupin is another returning player to watch. His strategy is to take a back seat, going with the flow while poised to make a move. From the new castaways: RC, Stapely, Freberg, Layton and Dawson have made the most positive first impact, some showing prowess in the challenges, others a necessary insight into the others' game play/personalities and others both.

Will this help them to get to the end? We will see. One thing's for sure, this Survivor cast is one of the best, smartest and most compelling in a few seasons, making it a must-see show, one whose ratings will hopefully earn it a renewal.

The Extroverted Introvert

There is a huge spectrum of being within the introvert/extrovert scale. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle, but knowing where we fall on the spectrum is important in understanding ourselves and our interactions with people. It took me a while to figure myself out; but now that I have, it explains a lot about my actions and reactions.

An introvert is someone who finds social interactions draining and difficult. He/she likes to create a cave for themselves and is perfectly content in it. An extrovert is, obviously, the opposite. He/she is someone who loves and gets energy from interacting with people, not liking solitude in any of its forms. There are people who live comfortably in those extremes, and manage to live life successfully this way.

But that's not most of us. Most of us, out of necessity, interact with others, face-to- face, on a daily basis, while regularly finding ourselves, at times, alone. How well we deal with those situations depends on where we fall on the I/E scale. The more introverted we are, the less likely we are to pursue situations with many people, face-to-face. The more extroverted we are, the more we avoid being alone like the plague.

This is why the social media phenomenon is so popular. It satisfies the introverts by allowing them safe interactions, while feeding the extrovert's constant need to be in touch with others, even when there's no one physically around.

I'm an extroverted introvert. I feel most comfortable in my own company, or in the company of a chosen few. Although I can function in larger settings, even addressing large crowds of people, I have had to acquire that skill which does not come naturally. After having been in those situations, I feel drained and require solitude.

I have to encourage myself to be in large settings; I don't do so enthusiastically. That's the introverted part of me. If I can overcome it, which is about 70% of the time, I do so with method. At a party, I will mingle with one or two people at a time, asking them questions about themselves, taking the focus off me, and surviving it piecemeal; but when I get home from the party, I sigh in relief.

I am just as happy going to a movie alone, as going with my buds. I will overcome this to go to a concert that I love, or to a pub; but I don't enjoy clubs, parades and massive venues. I don't like crowds and get overwhelmed when there is a lot of stimulus and noise around me. That's when I create a safe haven in my head to overcome it, but as a rule, I avoid those situations completely.

Not so oddly, I can address big crowds of people, merely because there is a controlled space between them and me; but I cannot address a large crowd of people at a party. Having that much attention in such close proximity makes me uncomfortable.

Where is this all going?

Knowing these things about myself, allows be both to gauge whether I will attempt an experience or not and to develop tools of coping when I do go for it. It gives me peace of mind. I don't beat myself up when I pass on those situations; and when I do, I navigate them more comfortably.

It's an exercise in self-analysis I highly recommend. :)

Magic Mike and Stone Face

A group of my gal pals and I went to see Magic Mike. What red-blooded, straight woman wouldn't? It's not often that any form of media caters to female sexuality and voyeurism, viewing it as taboo. All hail to double standards.

Although this movie, does in a way, empower female sexuality, in other ways it imposes the male's vision of what women would want. This is reinforced by the fact that both the director (Steven Soderbergh) and the screenwriter (Reid Carolin) are men.

Speaking for myself, most of my friends and most of the audience, we didn't go to the movie expecting a fabulous story line, interesting camera angles and award-winning performances. We wanted to see some delicious MAN. We saw some hot Hollywood males for sure, but within a prudish limit, set by male standards, of course; and the movie lived up to our low expectations of plot and acting.

Most notably, what were they thinking casting and directing Cody Horn as the female lead? Her stone-faced disapproval throughout the movie, killed our buzz. And we saw way too much of her on the screen. Hello? The movie is Magic Mike, not Stone Face Brooke. I don't know if it's her lack of acting skills, or the way she was directed into the role, but suffice it to say, she made us angry. When the credits rolled, and her name and face flashed on the screen, we booed.

By contrast, Olivia Munn's performance and presence was much more empowering and likable, until the script demanded that she turn taciturn and cold. This reinforces the fact that the movie's vision was from the male not female perspective. No woman would have made the casting and script decisions made in this movie. I know for a fact, because we all talked about it at length and in disgust, after the movie. Women fall into two categories in Hollywood: irredeemable bitches, and judgmental but pure bitches. Nice.

Further, the evolution of the story, along with it being hackneyed and trite, left much to be desired, not allowing the characters or the situations to evolve organically. The story left us unfulfilled, wanting more and hating the man who could not give us release. In other words, it was like a bad one-night stand.

The direction tried to fulfill their artistic manifesto with some interesting, though sometimes dizzying, camera work; but again, we didn't go expecting to see Tarantino.

Channing Tatum, Joe Manganiello and Matthew McConaughey redeemed the movie to some extent. Tatum can sure move, satisfying our eyes beautifully along with Manganiello and McConaughey; and that would have been enough to please the audience, but then they had to ruin it with a broken plot, female stereotypes and a cliche romantic formula.

Save your dollar bills ladies.

It's All in the Attitude

So as some of you know, I have been struggling with weight my whole life. Though I was blessed with a normal weight when I was young, several events conspired to envelope my body in extra weight in my tweens and it's been a struggle ever since. I am and have been healthy my whole life (excuse me for a second while I superstitiously knock on wood), but that was not enough to ensure a healthy self-confidence. Other people's perceptions weighed me down more than the extra pounds and I have been mired with low self-esteem on the brink of self-loathing most of my life. Loving myself as I am, has not been easy. You can imagine my elation and awe when I stumbled upon this vlog:

 

How absolutely marvelous is she? While watching it for the third time, I asked myself, "How much easier would it have been had I chosen to live with that attitude?" Which brings me to the realization, that it is all about the attitude. People can think what they like. Most don't even bother to think, but espouse what the media and society as a whole deems to be beautiful or normal or acceptable. Why even allow that to color my attitude towards myself?

There's no going back; but as I step into the future while I reshape my body, I will reshape my attitude. My body is the vessel that allows me to travel through this experience we call life. I will care for it, but I will care for the person it houses too. My Self.

50 Shades of Puke

Anastasia Steele might not have a gag reflex, winning the Most Adept Virgin Ever Award, but I do; and it was engaged reading this drivel.

My friend was reading 50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James for a book club she's in; and having heard about it at least twice more that day, I decided to cave into peer pressure and read the damn thing. Damn my weakness! And to further compound this messy situation, I found out after reading the first book, that it was part of a trilogy. Triple DAMN!

Being obsessive compulsive about these things, I simply had to read the other two just to finish this lame story about a paragon and her Dominant boyfriend.

Don't let anyone fool you. It's just another romance novel, following the genre's pattern closely, with some darker than usual elements shrouding the male protagonist, Christian Grey, and a LOT of mind-numbing (and not in a good way) kinky sex. It's never a good sign when I finally had to SKIP the sex scenes to get to the actual STORY, such as it is.

It's as if James decided to go through a checklist of places where she would have her protagonists having sex. Bathroom. Check. Bedroom. Check. Office. Check. Kitchen counter. Check. "Playroom". Check. Elevator. Check. Car. Check. Boat, plane, ocean. Check. Eye roll. Check.

Of course, Anastasia is the perfect woman who for some unexplained reason has no self-esteem or understanding of how BEAUTIFUL she is. At 21, she has not had sex, nor really done anything sexual, including masturbation. Yet. She gives perfect blow jobs, hand jobs, and other jobs as well as being the perfect receptacle for Christian's passion.

Oh. Kay.

The emails between them are witty and funny. I'll give it that; but that's all I'll give it. Erotica isn't supposed to be boring. But. It. Is. The story is contrived. The plot twists ridiculous. The premise laughable. Grey's past is disturbing and not just in the way it's portrayed in the novel. It's disturbing in the way it's NOT portrayed.

This Shades series has brought out my disgust for the fad of the polylogy as a way to score oodles of cash for the publishing house, the media conglomerate making the movies, and the author. I'm all for art being a lucrative business, but money can't be the motivation for a story. Reading these novels whose stories could have been more eloquently and efficiently told in one novel, has become an exercise in futility.

Stay tuned for my next post. Romance: The Horror.

Laters, babies

Ebb and Flow

It's all in the attitude, the outlook, the lens from which we perceive the world. Circumstances are what they are, but it is our reaction to them that can change; and sometimes, the greatest change comes from within.
The Revolution of One.

I have always drawn great comfort and release from writing. There have been periods in my life when I have written non-stop. I have a lot to say.
Then there have been other times that a silence comes over me.
I have a lot to experience.
It used to be that sometimes, during the ebb-time of my writing, I would be stricken with a sudden panic that I am not doing more with my abilities, with my time. That because
I am a writer,
I have the obligation to publish.
To see my name (Hello, Ego! How you doin'?) in print.

But writing does not bear any relation to the business of publishing.
Or does it?

Writing is expression and should be something personal.
It should exist for its own sake, and not depend on who is reading it and for what purpose.
But that's utter nonsense.
Writing needs to be shared.
Otherwise, it's an endless babbling monologue in a room of one.

But in my room, there is a revolution brewing.
I can feel it bubbling inside, a brook of change, of growth, of resurgence.

I am standing at the terminal, watching the planes depart and land.
Tickets and boarding passes of ideas and possibilities, that might pique my interest or just leave me cold.
I choose to embark on this adventure with
anticipation
not wariness.

The attitude might not change the outcome, but it can make the ride.