Tony Oh-no!

I am not a fan of [American] football, and I am most definitely not a fan of Jessica Simpson, so it's really quite amusing that I'm even spending time on this post. But I felt like addressing this whole situation currently happening in the media with Tony Romo and Jessica. Now, as I understand it Dallas Cowboy fans are up-in-arms about Jessica attending their games. They seem to think Tony Romo is an incredibly weak-minded football player who is constantly distracted by his celebrity girlfriend. (Way to have confidence in your star player!) Jessica's such a distraction--people think--that they have publicly said they wish she just wouldn't come to their games; they believe she's the cause of all of Tony's recent ''poor'' playing.

Actually, I see no problem with that. I just think the only fair thing is that all the wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, and partners of all the rest of the team don't attend the games. Actually, now that I think about it I don't really believe their families should attend either. Family is most certainly a distraction. I wonder, too, if all the screaming fans are a distraction? I know that would definitely throw my concentration. Perhaps football games should only be televised...with no audience? No, that wouldn't work. The players would get all freaked-out thinking about all the people watching through the televisions, from millions of homes and bars.

Hmmm, what is the logical compromise here? I'm thinking football should just be done away with altogether. That's a good solution. Doesn't matter to me. After all, I'm not a fan....

(Just for the record, if I were getting paid millions of dollars to throw a ball around, I can guarantee you I'd find a way to concentrate at games.)

A Keen Ear

Stuart Price is the next big thing, I think. He's young, he's talented, and he's got the support of many, many hot musicians. The man who unarguably had a hand in the success of Madonna's 2005 ''comeback'' record, ''Confessions on a Dance Floor'' is most recently at the helm of Seal's new release, ''System.'' While I don't have many male artists in my library of music, you will find all of Seal's albums -- I think his voice coupled with his style of music makes for a great listening experience.

''System'' is a fantastic record, and has the Stuart Price trademark all over it. In fact, it could be a younger brother of ''Confessions.'' Believe me, this is a good thing. Seal's latest effort is, for the most park, a non-stop dance-o-rama, and well worth the purchase. Price's ability to take the "norm" and make something interesting is really keen, and certainly one of the things that keeps ''System'' interesting.

It'll be interesting to see what projects Stuart Price takes on next. Whatever artists he works with, their music is sure to be a great addition to their current catalog.

Click here to purchase Seal's ''System'' from Amazon.com.

The Most Awkward Celebrity Moments of 2007

The more I keep telling readers I'm not really into celebrity gossip, the more I find myself writing about it. Sometimes it's just too good to pass up, although please understand I don't find pleasure in the pain of these people -- I'm just constantly dumbstruck about how silly they are. I would most definitely not want to live my life under the continuous scrutiny of the American media.

Having said that, I recently saw the ''Top 10'' list for the most awkward celebrity moments of the year, and some of them are moments we won't soon forget. Thanks to site HerGossip.com and TIME magazine, here’s the list:

1.) Columbia University President Lee Bollinger invites the Iranian president to speak on campus.
2.) Paris Hilton cries for her mommy.
3.) Alec Baldwin rips his daughter a new one.
4.) David Hasselhoff drunk in the shower.
5.) Family values Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) admits his number is in the so-called D.C. Madam’s little black book.
6.) Britney Spears’ zombie dance at the MTV Video Music Awards.
7.) Rosie O’Donnell calls co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck a coward on “The View.”
8.) Fox TV censors Sally Field at the Emmy Awards.
9.) Miss Teen South Carolina says Americans don’t know about geography because they lack maps.
10.) Rudy Giuliani’s kids won’t back him for president.

Are there any you think were left off the list? Personally, I thought Kathy Griffin's Emmy acceptance speech was pretty awkward, as well as Paris Hilton's interview with Larry King. Maybe we can make these honorable mentions?

Music Monday: Beautiful

Moving song by a short-lived European band, Mandalay:

Political Thoughts: Part I

Politics is not something I've historically been involved--or even interested--in. Perhaps because I've never found a politician who really exemplifies my own political beliefs. Maybe it's because I'm one of those individuals who tends to believe that even if a politician begins a career in politics their good intentions are overpowered by greed. I don't know. But what I do know is I'm making a concerted effort to involve myself in the 2008 Presidential election -- I'm 32-years-old and it's time I made some sort of [political] contribution to our country. (I refuse to debate whether or not it's a privilege or a civic duty.)

Now while the influence of my contributions aren't necessarily the topic of this particular post--which is the first in a series--I do wonder about the contributions of other citizens. Specifically, celebrities who endorse political parties and/or given candidates. Of course this is brought to the forefront right now because Oprah Winfrey has publicly endorsed Barak Obama for the Democratic Presidential candidate. I've got no problem with that; however, I have my own ideas & opinions about how this impacts the political scene.

I have a friend who holds the opinion that celebrities--actors, musicians, television personalities--should not inflict their personal beliefs out into the general public...for fear that this might "mislead" some people to believe a certain way, just because said celebrity does. My own personal opinion on the matter is that celebrities have a perfect platform for getting people involved. I love the quote Madonna* gave a reporter, as featured in the documentary ''I'm Going To Tell You a Secret'': "I'm not here to cause turmoil or tell people what to think. I'm here to wake them up." (I'm paraphrasing here, so don't hold me to the quote.)

I feel that the general public should already have their own political beliefs, and they're going to vote for their ideal candidate. For those citizens who don't typically participate in politics, then what's the harm in a celebrity bringing a certain platform to light? (It's certainly some celebrites into trouble.)

So while Oprah's choice of candidate to endorse isn't particularly my personal preference, I say more power to her!

What do you think? Do you think it's OK for Oprah to publicly endorse the candidate she prefers? Or should she just keep her opinions--and her mouth--shut?!?!



*As I'm crafting this post, I just heard it announced on E!'s The Daily 10 that Madonna is about to "officially" endorse Hillary Clinton. Interesting....

Music Monday: Must Be Dreaming

Today's music video comes from a fantastic group called Frou Frou. I discovered them a few years back, and purchased their debut album based solely on a magazine article I'd read about them. One half of the group--the non-singing half--is Guy Sigsworth, who's done quite a bit of production on both Madonna and Bjork albums; that was the determining factor for me. The second half of the group is Imogen Heap, who about two years ago released one of the best pop albums in recent history.

Given that, here is one of the standout tracks from Frou Frou's debut. The song is called "Must Be Dreaming."

Meat Pies Get Mobile

OK, so that's a really lame attempt at punning but it's the best I've got. But it somewhat relates to the content ahead.

I've recently learned that both Papa John's and Domino's Pizza offer-up mobile ordering. In fact, Papa John's is actually promoting their services on the homepage. Ordering a pizza via your web-enabled device? Are you kidding me? That's fantastic! I love, love, love pizza! It's probably my main food weakness, besides french fries. I recall a time not too terribly long ago that I I was having a horrible day and didn't want to converse with any other human beings, so I ordered a pizza online. It's the best.

So now to make it that much easier by ordering "mobily" seems like the next logical step. While I'm not really a fan of Domino's Pizza, I will eventually try this method of ordering with Papa John's (my favorite) and will let you know how it goes.

If anyone has tried ordering from a pizza place via their mobile device please provide feedback!

Music Monday

As I mentioned in a previous post not too terribly long ago, it's been quite some time since I've blogged. I think much of this has to do with my job, and the nature of our industry. To be honest, it's bothered me for a while because I started this blog, think I have something to say, and I don't like the fact that I've allowed for it to be dormant as long as it has.

The thing is, I don't want to "write just for the sake of writing." I'd like to produce content my [very few] readers enjoy and find relevance in. Of course, this is ultimately the goal of every blogger, I think. Or at least I hope. Anyway, I started thinking about the things that are important to me, and decided if I stick with that I'll always have some interesting content. At least for me....

So I've decided to interject some theming with my blog. Music is extremely important to me; I think I was a musician in a past life. Even more, I love the artistry of music videos. Quality music videos -- not the crap they show on MTV these days. Now I'm sure many people would argue about what I find "artistic" and whay they find "artistic," but that's the fantastic thing about this being my blog -- I can say what I want! So every Monday I'm going to start posting a video I think is interesting, and has a certain artistic integrity to it. Hopefully you'll enjoy the videos I post...or at least be exposed to something new.

That being said, it's only appropo that I launch Music Video Monday with Madonna. If you have any awareness of music or pop culture then I need not say more.

VIDEO : HOLLYWOOD

While certainly not one of the best Madonna songs, I feel both the video and the album it on which it appeared were severely overlooked. Perhaps that was due to the political controversy surrounding the title track and its accompanying video (I'm sure that will show up here at a future date). Regardless, this video shows Madonna at her best...in the sense that she is a chameleon and always looks good no matter what. (Of course, there are also pop culture implications that come along with the song.)

Bonus:

A few years ago "Hollywood" was segment of the high-grossing "Re-Invention Tour." The backdrop to the scene was incredibly cool so I thought I'd include it here. I hope you enjoy it.