i think i've been oprahed

What better way to spend time recovering from minor surgery than watching hours of bad television and movies curled up on the couch? Day 4 into that, I caught one of those episodes of Oprah that fires up the consumer capitalist in us all: a giveaway show. Her theme for the show was the summer beach bag and all the goodies we should charge on our credit cards and put in said beach bag (unless we were one of the fortunate who were given these goodies on the show). The first summer "must-have" was Robin Thicke's latest cd (you know the cool son-of-Alan [thanks Rana] with a falsetto smooth enough to woo smoking diva Paula Patton).

Thicke performed a couple of tunes on the show to back up Oprah's claims that The Evolution ... is the cd to have and you know what, I was totally sucked in. I imagined riding down the midwest highways on my way to the beach, visor back, Robin Thicke pumping through the speakers ... In other words, I was Oprahed.

Any of you who have been Oprahed know what I'm talking about (anyone who's gone out and bought The Secret has been Oprahed). She just has this uncanny ability to convince her viewers to do things: read certain books, stop eating beef, buy "must-have" products. And while I have neither time nor the inclination to be a regular watcher of the show, each time I kneel at the altar of her stage in Harpo studios, I am totally converted. I want to teach at her school or go hunt down one of those sickass internet predators all on my own and sacrifice him at the feet of Oprah. I want to download Robin Thicke's album (which wouldn't be that big of a deal except that I'm not a fan of sappy R & B).

I'm also not exactly a "fan" of Oprah though I do admire her. Her gift to motivate people to aspire to better lives can be channelled toward good ends. Trying to negotiate that motivation with the dose of consumerism and materialism that accompanies it can be really tricky though.

shark diva

sistas are doing it for themselves ...

4 hero

I must have been under a rock in February not to notice that one of the most amazing groups I've heard in some time had dropped another album. My buddy, the dj-ing librarian introduced me to 4 Hero a few years ago and usually keeps me up on the newest and hottest underground transnational shiznick. But he slept on this one or I did or I was busy. Probably the latter. Anyway, check out their myspace page.

so good

School's out and I've finally had a moment for one of my favorite pastimes: downloading new tunes. I'd seen Amy Winehouse's video for "I'm No Good" on Vh-1 soul and have been meaning to check her out for some time. I've finally downloaded (legally) her CD Back to Black and it's sooooo tight! I think I've found my summer CD (along with Jay-Z's Unplugged and Feist's The Reminder; last summer Gnarls Barkley's St. Elsewhere dominated my players as I was all-but-defended and feeling "Crazy!!!").

Because she's white, British, and soulful (something that really shouldn't be considered a rarity anymore), Winehouse elicits comparisons to Joss Stone, whose voice is good, but in my opinion a little over-affected (you know, one too many riffs sounds like a singer is trying too hard). To be honest, I think Winehouse can sing Stone under the table. Both are around the same age, but unlike Stone, Winehouse sounds natural and effortless, sorta like old school soulful Brit Lisa Stansfield. Winehouse just has that Something. It usually takes awhile for a CD to grow on me (like with Van Hunt), but Back to Black is already "in rotation" and will be for some time.

simulated sex or simulated rape?

When I first heard the chatter about Akon's concert in Trinidad and his on-stage simulated sex with a minor, I thought the performance was a repeat of the routine bump, grind, and wine that goes on at numerous dance hall and/or hip hop concerts and that Akon probably had no idea that the concert-goer, Danah Alleyne, was underage (and perhaps he didn't). But after reading about Verizon's decision to drop the singer from their annoying cell-phone ad and to no longer support Akon and Gwen Stefani's tour (due in part to the efforts of groups like What About Our Daughters), I decided to take a look at the offensive video on you-tube (yep, it's still up there).

To my surprise and dismay, the performance looked more like a simulated rape than an erotic dance! Regardless of the girl's age, she does not appear to be a willing participant as Akon throws her around the stage and gyrates violently on top of her numerous times (and the girl makes noises that sound like screams!) then leaves her tossled body on the stage floor as he walks off. What the *%&@?!

It doesn't matter how she was dressed or whether or not she should or should not have been allowed into the club or if she was dancing along at first. It doesn't even matter that she's rumored to be a preacher's daughter! When is it ever acceptable to publicly humiliate a woman (any woman) in the way that Akon publicly humiliated that girl?! I'm sure she didn't imagine a "dance" would entail her head being banged around and her body being assaulted in that way. Why are people blaming HER for such treatment? What if she had been eighteen and thus legally entitled to enter the club? Would Akon's behavior have been given a second glance? Of course not because any girl fan who agrees to dance with a superstar is "asking" for whatever she gets. Sounds just like the logic used to blame victims for being raped, doesn't it?

i love ladies in hats!