Track of the Week: This One's for the Girls

This One's for the Girls by Martina McBride, from the album Martina (2003).

This is song is one of the reasons why country music is so darn good: it's a real life, relatable, uplifting, inspirational song. Martina's songs always have very positive messages, and this is no exception. The opening verse is about teens holding on to innocence when every one's giving in, which really touches the listener. The next one is about twentysomethings who are starting life fueled by "dreams and spaghetti-os" which is a very country/Reba "strong woman" line. The next one is about forty year old woman who are beautiful because their laugh lines show their experience, which is very Oprah audience.

Comments on YouTube range from "no thanks, id rather smoke, drink, have premarital sex and do any damn thing i'd like" to "Its so cheesy how good this song makes me feel haha." The sentiments of the latter sum up my thoughts on the song. It's so positive and sweet that you can't help but feel good and mushy.

The video displays some pretty horrific fashion, but Martina's so radiant that she's angelic. Go Martina! Overall, the song is inspirational but very country/Oprah/Reba, which could be cringe-worthy, laughable, or wonderful, depending on the listener.

Fun fact: Faith "Stepford Wives" Hill sings backing vocals.

A Sam and J-Lo Moment

One of the highlights (one of the only highlights) of the Oscars this year was Sam Worthington and Jennifer Lopez presenting together. It didn't last long, but their moment on stage was third behind Mo'Nique's incredible speech and Oprah's effusive praise of Gabby. J-Lo is one of those rare people who would look good wearing a dirty garbage bag, and she's earned my respect for her transition from pop to romcoms. She's critcized as being boring, but under that diva exterior she's a really normal person, who enjoys spending time with her kids. She's still Jenny from the Block. On her twitter, she posted:

Sang What Is Love at San Remo! New song from my new movie The Back-up Plan. Saw it last week during a press junket. Ugh, junkets are tough!

On one hand, it's so ridiculous to think press junkets are tough compared to what the Precious girls everywhere go through, but for me, this was endearing. I understand J-Lo's stress is positive. She's getting out there and feeling good about working hard. It's heartwarming that she takes pride in her artistry.

Sam, on the other hand, is for me the modern day Tom Cruise. Even though I hate "modern day" comparison, like saying Gaga is the new Madonna, I think it fits in his case. He's a good looking action star. Yes, like Tom he's cocky and conceited, but I like that Sam doesn't take shit about Avatar. It's not a crappy movie, and he sticks up for it. He's quite boring beyond that, but the films I've seen him in so have been some of my favorites (Terminator and Avatar).

But when they presented together, it was a magical moment. Their chemistry was so intense. There were lots of smiles, and even some laughter. You could tell they really got along. They probably had so much fun presenting together! Sam recently said to the press that he felt starstruck being on the same stage as J-Lo. That's really awesome. He knows a star when he sees one. (Is anyone else thinking what I'm thinking: real life shipping pair?)

This is quite the fangirl post!

Life: Oprah and Animals

LIFE, narrated by Oprah Winfrey, aired last night on the Discovery Channel. This was the first of five installments, showing every Sunday night. There was no Masterpiece on, so I was able to watch something else. LIFE follows the same premise as 2007's epic television event Planet Earth, but instead of focusing broadly on Earth's ecosystems, LIFE focuses on the basic principles of life on earth: mating, defending, etc.Oprah's narration was criticized by many for replacing Richard Attenborough's BBC narration, but Oprah was actually good in my opinion. Her intonation is familiar and her narration reminded me of someone reading a children's book: warm and inviting. The filming, like Planet Earth, was stunning, but I feel like this is something of a rehash of that former series. Oprah at least spruced it up with her lucid narration.

In other Oprah news, it's been widely reported that ex-View and talk show host herself, Rosie O'Donnell is going to replace the Queen of Daytime TV. This is really sad. I remember watching Rosie's show as a kid and even then I knew it wasn't as good as Oprah's. Rosie is a slob, abrasive and obnoxious. She calls for tolerance when she herself is intolerant. Perhaps because I sided with The Donald during the Rosie/Trump feud a few years back, but I would venture to say that Rosie's show will tank. But people are sick little puppets and they'll probably tune in to watch her opinionated banter. I would have put Ellen in Oprah's time slot. Ellen is famous already and has proven her skills as a talk show host.

A Reading of Push by Sapphire

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire was a startling movie that was as emotional as it was bleak. The acting was better than the story itself, which was so real and raw that it ended on a note of doom (Precious has AIDS, what else can happen to her besides dying, thereby leaving her children without a caregiver). I just read Push by Sapphire to see how it differed from the movie itself.

Push is, surprisingly, more dark and depressing than the movie itself. Mary, the mother, was understandable in the movie, but in the book she herself rapes her daughter. Precious' first memory is of her mother fingering her. The movie subtly alluded to sexual interactions between Precious and her mother, but the book was explicit. Some of Mary's best lines in the movie were expansions on more brief lines from the book. The other students at Each One Teach One were slightly more developed than in the movie, but I think they transition well to the screen. Blue Rain was more one dimensional in the book, and I was glad they added a scene of her home life in the movie to juxtapose her normalcy with Precious' abnormality. Ms Weiss is less well intentioned in the book than in the movie, and her scenes are only in the last third of the book. Precious herself is about the same, though her life is more tortured (can you believe it?) in the book, as her mother rapes her. She never does get her daughter Mongo back, as opposed to the film.

I prefer the film: even though Precious' life was unbearable in the film, it was worse in the book. It was too much to take at moments, such as when she smears her own shit on her face after being raped by her father. Her inner acceptance of being black, however, was better developed in the book, but the montage of Precious in the classroom surrounded by famous African Americans conveyed this in the film. The part that really struck me was on page 133 when she realizes that God is everywhere, including in her son Abdul, which reminded me of The Road. The writing style of Sapphire was meant to show how Precious thought and wrote, and at times it was difficult to decipher what she was saying, but at other times the vocabulary was too advanced to be believable for Precious.

Overall, the book was a brief look at the horrors of urban poverty, abuse, and teenage motherhood in Harlem. I'd recommend both the film and the book, but watch the movie first. The movie and the book end with the same uncertainty but also a sense of despair, as the AIDS virus looms over the future.

Oscars 2010: Some Thoughts

The Oscars are usually a triumphant day for Hollywood, when stars more numerous than those in the sky come out to honor each other's work. But this year the Oscars, well, sucked.

The hosts, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, both comedians in the waning days of their careers, were bone dry. Their jokes weren't funny. The opening skit was horrendous, and consisted basically of pointing out the famous faces in the first few rows and making a really lame, flat joke about their career. Don't get me started on the sitcom-y Paranormal Activity skit.

This was really an excruciating four hour Meryl Streep love fest. She got effusive praise from everyone, in the form of lame jokes, to a bizarrely awkward and somewhat believable mention of kissing by Sandra Bullock. The camera would cut to Meryl, who gave her best acting laugh, head cocked back, eye gleaming with contrived humor.

Why, why, why was Kathy Bates shown every three seconds in the telecast? It seemed like every time someone did or said something, the camera would immediately cut to Kathy Bates. I have nothing against it, it was just awkward.

Gabby Sidibe of Precious didn't win, but at least Oprah's praise was warm and generous, like the graciousness of Mo'nique, who, if anybody, deserved an Oscar that night. Poor Jim Cameron had to endure mindless Avatar jokes, while sitting next to his skeletal wife, and behind his terrified former wife, whose fear stricken acceptance speeches were nerve racking to watch. George Clooney's attitude could be felt through the screen, as the camera zoomed in on his angry, evil glare (go home if you are unhappy). "Humble" Jeff Bridges is a tried-and-true actor, but he was too nice, and sometimes things so sweet can be so sour. Sandra Bullock winning for The Blind Side? Even she acknowledged that there were more deserving candidates. And what about the poor director of Music for Prudence: his speech time was hijacked by some crazed woman, a la Kanye West and Taylor Swift. And lastly the Hurt Locker just about swept everything, but at least Up got the Oscar it deserved.

The presenters were uneven. Kristen Stewart, in a drug induced stupor no doubt, coughed in the middle of her delivery, while Miley Cyrus (almost endearingly if I say) showed her nervousness, which humanized her. J Lo and Sam Worthington presented together, which was a highlight of the evening, but during all the Avatar jokes, the expressions on Zoe Saldana's and Sigourney Weaver's faces told everything about their irritation. Then Tom Hanks rushed on stage and hurriedly read off the winner of Best Picture.

Overall, this year was as boring as the set design: a few lamps strung together on stage.

Thank you for the Memories Oprah

Legend. Philanthropist. Hero. Oprah Winfrey has come a long way from the tar shacks of the rural south to the living rooms, and hearts, of the world.

Oprah announced recently that her show is ending in September 2011. Her show has been a staple of American culture for 25 years. Its end is both fitting and tragic. Through the years Oprah has entertained us all with celebrity guests, sensational real life stories, and life improvement episodes. She has led us to “live our best life.”

Who can forget all the moments, so numerous they are they cannot all be named. Tom Cruise jumping on the couch. A hundred year old who just learned to read. Oprah’s birthday celebrations. Gayle and Oprah’s road trip.

Every episode, every moment, every laugh, every tear has marked an important part in the lives of many people.

As Oprah said in her tearful heartfelt announcement, we have grown up with her. We have let Oprah into our homes for an hour everyday, but she changed our lives forever.

Thank you, Oprah. Thank you for all the memories. We love you.

The timing is right. She has been doing this for so long, that it’s just business for her. She’s changed from championing the common person to basking in her own arrogant triumph and wealth. She commands legions of housewives to consume whatever product she throws at them. Oprah, like many good things, can go on for so long that they outlast their prime. All good things come to an end.

Oprah gained weight again by eating Organic Garden of Eatin' Blue Chips, which are bland and stale tasting. Oprah humiliated an author for lying to her. Oprah won an election for Obama.
Oprah uses corporate gifts as her own for her giveaway episodes. Oprah is celebrity obsessed and has abandoned the common man.

But Oprah has a school for girls, whom are her daughters (even if she all but steals them from parents). Oprah has a best friend in Gayle, who is beyond friends, beyond family. Oprah has given away a lot of money. Oprah singlehandedly made discussing sexual abuse and weight issues acceptable.

Oprah, like all of us, is human. But her legacy and her mark on entertainment is undeniable.