Where Have All the Lead Singers Gone?

Roger Daltrey just said something ridiculously true, but sadly unfortunate. He pretty much said that there aren't any more great lead singers anymore. I would have to agree. There isn't anyone with the kind of appeal that Freddie Mercury, Robert Plant or Mick Jagger anymore. But music has changed and times have changed, so of course the landscape of the lead singer has disappeared.
Now there are some lead singers who are well-known for being popular, but don't have any swagger. For instance, Maroon 5's Adam Levine (or the only guy who's name you actually know from the group as I call him) is okay but kind of regular. I mean when you sing a song called "Moves Like Jagger" that pretty much means your scraping for peanuts. He's cute, he can carry a tune, but he's more like the cute guy from school. He's not like a crazy-whacked out rock star. Plus, he's on a reality show. You always get downgraded for that.
Then there's also Chris Martin of Coldplay (again the only person you know from the group). He's British and married to Gwyneth Paltrow, but again not a real lead singer. He's too much of a hipster guilty pleasure than a frontman. Everytime I see him, he enthusiastically jumps around and bangs his instruments but that's more crazy than swagger or presence. Again, no disrespect but he's nice but not right for the job.
Finally, in my opinion Gwen Stefani takes the cake. She sings, she laughs, and she writes with the group. Her solo career notwithstanding, she's the ideal lead singer. She really does have a presence and connection with the audience is unparalleled. Gwen's not afraid to be the only girl in the group and she more than makes up for it.
Here's to more great leads in the future.

That Old Time Rock n' Roll

I'm sure many of you have heard about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees being announced earlier this week. Still a huge honor, many groups are in and many groups are left out. The real question is whether or not your favorite artist and group will make it in.
There are many first timers with big appeal such as The Beastie Boys and Eric B. and Rakim. But many will argue that it's not rock n' roll. No, rock n' roll hasn't meant what people have thought it should mean in over thirty years.
Rock n' Roll is essentially popular music as a whole. Why? Listen to the airwaves. There are very few mainstream rock artists on the radio that have captured the public imagination. Most groups on rock radio include alterna-pop supergroup Coldplay, pop-rock radio faves OneRepublic, and rap-rock hybrid act Linkin Park. None of these groups are known for their windmills, stage antics, and outrageous parties.
Rock n' Roll has evolved. Nobody is in the dressing room with a gaggle of models anymore or a large keg. Concerts are now filled with actors and fellow musicians. There's no wild rock n' roll. Rock n' roll has evolved to reflect more of an attitude than a genre or a lifestyle.
That's why many people who always argue about acts like Donna Summer being nominated will never understand that if you want rock n' roll, you're going to have to pull out a time machine.
The rock n' roll hall of fame should just change the name so people stop getting in dumb arguments about who should be let in or left out. Now it's obvious some people do deserve their fair shake, but beyond that if you want your old time rock n' roll please go listen to Bob Seeger.

An Awkward Reminder

In breaking news, MTV has an awesome show. No, not the Jersey Shore. And it's not Teen Mom either. But it's a scripted series based on the second most uncomfortable period in everyone's life. And for most of us that means high school.
Now obviously there are people who actually say that high school was the time of their lives and actually believe it, but I usually end up feeling sorry for them. High school ends. And while it is a wonderful period to find who you are, many people have trouble in between the self discovery.
That's what is so lovable about Awkward. It stars One Tree Hill alum Ashley Richards as Jenna Hamilton, a fifteen-year-old who has a few friends and a lot of enemies. The series opens at summer camp with Jenna losing her virginity to Matty McKibben (Beau Mirchoff). And it's anything but romantic or special. Even though Matty thinks this is just for fun, it's obvious Jenna develops feelings quite quickly.
She comes back home to an anonymous letter from a really mean person.The letter pretty much tells her to suck it up and be herself instead of fading into the background. Jenna is depressed and tries to take some aspirin but ends up in an accident that looks like a suicide attempt to everyone else.
As a result, rumors circulate that she's suicidal-so she becomes the target of head cheerleader, Sadie Saxton (Molly Tarlov). This is partly due to Sadie's quest to hook up with Matty and also her need to put people down.
Jenna remains encouraged by best friends Tamara (Jillian Rose Reed) and Ming Huang (Jessica Lu), she faces the humiliation. But she also is challenged by the fact that Matty is only interested in casual sex and not a relationship. Eventually he does admit to liking her, but he doesn't want anyone to know. So, as a result the meet in private.
Matty does try to invite her to a party, with mixed results. He pays no attention to her and she ends up leaving with Matty's best friend Jake Rosati (Brett Devern). There's an obvious chemistry and eventually they kiss which sets up the triangle between Matty, Jenna, and Jake.
Matty finally gets the courage to ask Jenna out on a real date, more than an hour out of town. But it turns out he really did want to make an effort. However, he still doesn't want to be with her as much as she wants to be with him.
When Jenna gets an invite to the Winter Formal from Jake, she pushes Matty to finally admit  they're a couple, but he can't. Jenna finally gets the self-esteem to dump him and goes with Jake "as friends." Jake was hoping for otherwise, but when Jenna invites Tamara, it's obvious she's trying to set new boundaries.
 Throughout the series, there are other twists and turns. Another key storyline is Jenna's relationship with her image-obsessed mother (Nikki DeLoach) and her more level headed father (Mike Faiola). They became teen parents and Jenna is their only child, but it's obvious they never fully grew up themselves.
What's intriguing about the show is that it doesn't sugarcoat the "great divide." The great divide being the distance between the popular and unpopular crowds in school. It also deals with prevalent teen issues such as the hookup culture, underage drinking and partying and the pressure to fit in..
The show's already been renewed for a second season which could be really good or really bad. MTV's other high school show, The Hard Times of RJ Berger got the ax earlier this year after a ratings dive from the first season. It was similar to Awkward, except that it had a male protagonist and that the humor was more raunchy.
Here's hoping that Awkward continues to grow into itself.

Seeing Suge

Showtime just announced they're doing a documentary on controversial rap impresario Marion "Suge" Knight. This is part of a series focusing on some of the most controversial figures in entertainment. For those of you who don't know who Suge is. He's the force behind Death Row Records which launched the careers of Snoop Dogg, Warren G, and the late Tupac, among others.
I think this should be interesting. There was an amazing documentary called "Welcome to Death Row" focusing on how Death Row became like a Motown/Stax type imprint for hip-hop in the early 90s. The problem was that Suge wasn't too involved. This documentary has Knight in charge of the soundtrack.
I'm curious to see how this is approached. Knight has long been thought of as a bully or intimidator because of his large frame and no-nonsense attitude. He famously feuded with former label co-founder Dr. Dre and artist Snoop Dogg. Even now, people are afraid to speak of him. It wasn't until 2008 when he was famously knocked out by a barber in a nightclub that people finally felt comfortable to address him.
But beyond that,  Suge's influence in hip-hop is lasting if only for helping put Tupac on the map. Tupac himself was a cult figure not only for his rapping, but for his thug lifestyle and his untimely demise.
Suge is also quite mysterious. All we know is that he used to be a bodyguard and then met NWA and decided to collaborate with some of the members. He's also had a lot of legal and personal problems, but beyond the rap sheet we don't know how he grew up or if people other than his mom were never afraid of him, so this should be interesting.

Rihanna Won't Let Up

I'm sure you've heard by now that Rihanna has caused another controversy. This time she stirred up trouble in Ireland on the set of her latest video, "We Found Love" by going topless on the farm owned by the man. He didn't understand that the singer was planning this all along, he just thought she was going to frolic and lip sync to the song.
I must agree with the farmer on this one. Using someone else's property with their permission is a privilege, therefore you should abide by their rules. Also, the whole going topless thing in videos is about as cliche as it comes. This is one of the many reasons I think Rihanna could do us all some good by slowing down and not releasing an album for a while.
She's gone from Good Girl Gone Bad to Bad Taste in High Gear. I understand that she realizes the shelf life for someone with her-uh- talent is getting shorter and shorter, but that doesn't mean she shouldn't try to remain famous by doing anything to get attention.
Sex sells. That doesn't mean that's all you should sell. The best sex symbols have something extra. Look at Marilyn Monroe; she was sexy, but she was also very girlish and very cute in a way that no one else has managed to duplicate. Madonna is sexy, but she also uses it as a platform to express her opinions on political and social issues. Rihanna, in my opinion, hasn't done anything of the sort. She's just trying to imitate other pop stars and try to make it her own.
This is why if you're going to succeed in the age of snarky bloggers, rapid fire gossip and viral superstars, you better know how to be more than just a one trick pony.
Rihanna, unfortunately, is not utilizing her unique talents to her advantage. No, this isn't a joke, she does have appeal. I mean, look at the Umbrella video and tell me you're not captivated. I think this was the moment she finally broke through because she was herself without shoving it down our throats.
But after the unfortunate incident with one Mr. Brown, it pushed her even further to take risks in ways that aren't interesting. Her fascination with violent tattoos, daring outfits, and kinky sex is nothing new or interesting. It's pretty much like making soup with a couple of carrots and some water- unless you're Bugs Bunny you're not interested.
Hopefully, Rihanna will find another way to reinvent herself or she might be joining that farmer.

The Other Casablanca

 It was confirmed late last night that their is a new biopic in the works. However, contrary to common presumptions, it's not about someone the public is completely familiar with nor is it just about the person. It's about Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart and the contributions to music he made before he died of cancer in the early 1980s. Justin Timberlake has signed on to produce and star in the movie as the lead character.
According to Huffington Post, Justin and Neil Bogart's sons met and immediately bonded over ideas for the movie. Bogart's sons said that from that moment they knew that Timberlake was ideal for the role. The commonality between experience in the music industry as well as a relentless vision definitely gives him that credibility. Hopefully this biopic will provide insight into a label that helped shape music in several different genres.
 Casablanca Records helped discover and promote acts such as the Village People, Donna Summer, Parliament/Funkadelic, and KISS. In a word, this was probably the most important label in the 1970s in terms of bringing acts that wouldn't have otherwise been in the forefront to the top of the pop charts.
 The Village People were essentially the first act in the mainstream to really use camp and costume to capture audience attention. They had distinct characters long before the Spice Girls, the Pussycat Dolls, or any other group with distinctive identities. It's also noted that they helped popularize the disco genre alongside label mate Donna Summer.
 Donna Summer is considered by many to be the first lady of disco. With hits like "Dim All the Lights" and "Love to Love You, Baby" helped empower women to conquer the dance floor and their sexuality. Her career peaked in the late 1970s, but her early 80s hit "She Works Hard for the Money" is arguably one of the forerunners of the girl power movement in music.
 "Parliament/Funkadelic" is one of the funkiest groups in music history. Like the Village People- their acts were full of camp and comedy- which intrigued audiences. However, their group was distinctive. Lead by mad genius George Clinton- they had an unstoppable run of hits in the 1970s like "Up for the Down Stroke," "Flashlight", and "Knee Deep."
 Finally, KISS is noted for well, being KISS. Fronted by Gene Simmons, they haven't stopped rocking since the early 1970s and have managed to dominate pop culture whether we like it or not.
 It'll be interesting to see how the biopic approaches Casablanca's relationships with all of these storied acts as well as his unparalleled success at a time when the music business was on the verge of folding. The 1970s, while considered a great era of music- was problematic in that record sales were tanking and there was a power struggle between major and independent labels that has continued to go on into the present. And while these issues did resolve themselves with the birth of MTV in the early 1980s, they have since reappeared in the past ten years with the rise of the digital music revolution. Something that Justin Timberlake undoubtedly understands.
 Justin Timberlake became a child star making music and memories on the Mickey Mouse Club,  then rose to instant fame as one-fifth of *NSYNC, and if that wasn't enough decidedly became a megastar when he went solo nearly ten years ago. Since then, he's been a one man pop culture show. His music, SNL hosting stints, and movies have all continued to keep him in the public eye when many of his contemporaries have struggled to transition as smoothly. However, the real question becomes how he will carry a movie on his own.
 This year he's starred in "Bad Teacher" and "Friends with Benefits" and in late October will star as an ageless gangster in "In Time."  While all of these movies have his name on it, the results have been mixed. "Bad Teacher" received mixed reviews and good box office; "Friends with Benefits" had good reviews and poor box office. And "In Time" is positioning itself to be a classic fall popcorn action movie.
 And while this movie is a biopic based on something Timberlake has knowledge in, the risk is there. Biopic aren't always sexy box office. For every "Ray," there are ten movies like  Hillary Swank's "Amelia." However, since Neil Bogart is more of a cult figure and people gravitate to cult figures and underdogs-there's a good chance Justin Timberlake can pull this off.

What Patti Says...

"The Millionaire Matchmaker" is doing it again. Patti Stanger is making comments that offend groups that probably watch her show: women, gay men, and Jewish men.
 I've seen "The Millionaire Matchmaker" and sometimes I find Patti's advice a little bit too much. No one can always look a certain way, behave in such a way that attracts the right person, and leave their foot out of their mouth.  I mean, look at the Presidential Race, and that should give you some idea of what I mean.
 Patti isn't always wrong though. She does help her clients with severe emotional problems receive advice, therapy, and counsel. And sometimes there are clients who need to change their approach because either it's too docile or too aggressive, but her comments last night were over the top.
 Saying that gay couples can't handle monogamy- without anything to back her up but personal experience is wrong. The only people gay or straight who know if they can handle monogamy are the people themselves. And even then some people spend a long time defining monogamy within their relationship. But to generalize is to err and in television to err in this way is not human but inhumane.
But what really should make everyone mad is her comments about single women in Manhattan. She implied that some women are too smart with men and that because these men are dumb, they should be treated as such.
 This statement should offend anyone. Why? Because she inevitably says that women have to be someone their not to get someone they should be lucky enough to get. I think that's all wrong. If you're smart be smart, don't overcompensate for the fact that you meet someone who can't understand how you operate. People who play pretend, never really end up happy.
 And for someone who's job is to make sure people are happy, she should know this above anything else.

You Are..Not the Mother!

 Last week's premiere of How I Met Your Mother greatly excited me until the very end when they showed one of Ted's (Josh Radnor) ex-girlfriends. Not just any ex-girlfriend, but one from seasons past. And by seasons past, I mean at least five or so. That's right. Victoria (Ashley Williams) is back. Why? I wish I knew. Because obviously at this point in time, it's safe to say she's  not the mother and hopefully not related to her either.
 In my opinion, this is a step backwards. I hate when Ted's girlfriends come back and he gets all stirred up. She wasn't the mother, let's move on. And I believe Victoria was a bad girlfriend anyway. Why? She's too much like Ted. Too sappy, too nostalgic, too vulnerable. If they see each other again and sparks fly, this could only spell disaster. Not to mention another group of episodes with her.
 Tonight they face each other at an event and who else is there, but Robin- the girl he cheated on Victoria with. One can only see where this goes. But my real hope is that they stick to the present so we can finally get to the future.
And can anyone answer why the slutty pumpkin is coming back?