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 ;)