PRESIDENT ARROYO has officially filed her certificate of candidacy for a Congressional seat in her home province of Pampanga in next year’s polls. This parody of a Gloria Gaynor hit was inspired by this latest political development.

Note: Before you start singing, please right click this link and open in a new window for musical backup.

GMA:
“First, I am not afraid
I’m not petrified
Kept thinking I could always live
with immunity by my side
Though I spent so many nights
thinking I did nothing wrong
I am strong
I learned how to carry on

So I’ll go back
to my old place
’Though I walked out to find you all
with that mad look upon your face
I should replace my stupid son
I’d soon be their congresswoman
If I had known it’s quick and easy
I should’ve just run for VP

THE PEOPLE:
Go on now go, walk out the door
just disappear now
’cause you’re not welcome anymore
weren’t you the one who tried not to bid your post goodbye
you think you’d Con Ass
you think we’d let you even try

GMA:
Oh no, not I
I will survive
oh as long as i know how to bribe
I know I will stay alive
I’ve got all my life to live
I’ve got all my cash to give
and I’ll survive
I will survive

It took all the strength I had
not to fall apart
kept trying hard to fight
the media, the Left, and all bishops
and I spent oh so many nights
rehearsing how to perfect lies
I will not cry
I will hold my head up high

And you’ll see me
in Congress soon
I will not be that stuck-up person
who refused to hold press cons
I now hope for charter change
In twenty-ten, yeah, hopefully
I’ll be saving all my power
for what else? Prime Ministry!

THE PEOPLE:
Go on now go, walk out the door
just disappear now
’cause you’re not welcome anymore
weren’t you the one who freed Bolante and Garci
you think they’re friendly
you redefined impunity

GMA:
Oh no, not I
I will survive
oh as long as i know how to bribe
I know I will stay alive
I’ve got all my life to live
I’ve got all my cash to give
and I’ll survive
I will survive hey hey

Thank you Ms Pia Hontiveros-Pagkalinawan for featuring this post on ANC’s Strictly Politics.
_________
“Doesn’t the fight for survival also justify swindle and theft? In self defense, anything goes.” ~Imelda Marcos

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Hello everyone! I’m coming back from a holiday-related hiatus after a few days at my partner’s parents’ house where I ate, missed Gloria Gaynor and Cyndi Lauper kill it at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, drank wassail, met up with some old friends, gave and received gifts, and beat the entire family at Wii boxing, the last activity leaving my arms and torso surprisingly sore. Oh, and I spent the past few hours belting Neko Case and pre-1986 Billy Joel tunes at full volume on the car ride home. So, I’m a little tired and hungry for leftovers. But to limber up and get back into the swing, I thought I’d offer up a quick post.

Driving back to Austin, I also listened to Smog’s A River Ain’t Too Much to Love. As Bill Callahan is a long-time resident of my fair city, I intended for the album to get my partner and me excited about our return home. But then I remembered a music video off this album that got me thinking about female actors acting in clips for songs by male musicians. What does their presence contribute to a music video and how might it change or deepen a song’s meaning? To be clear, I’m referring to protagonists — not creepy playthings like Kim Basinger’s corpse in Keir McFarlane’s music video for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.”  

Kim Basinger as Tom Petty's perfect and dead object of desire; image courtesy of fanpop.com

That said, having a female character serve as the lead to a male musical act’s music video doesn’t guarantee a progressive narrative, though does create interesting sites of discourse. She can be problematic as a result of how she’s characterized, what she might suggest about the song’s meaning, or how the director has chosen to frame her. And of course an actress offers her own on- and off-screen personae to the proceedings, often complicating matters when she crosses entertainment mediums. 

Click on the song titles below to access the music videos and consider how these actresses’ presences might make meaning. Also, feel free to offer up any other suggestions as well, particularly if you can come up with more representations of actresses of color or any examples of female actors serving as protagonists in hip-hop music videos for songs by male artists.

In a Smog video, Chloë Sevigny's motel maid see herself reflected through a mirror, a TV screen, and a news achor played by Callahan, but never explicitly comments upon her eyepatch; image courtesy of chloesevigny.info

Sofia Coppola
The Black Crowes
“Sometimes Salvation“
The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion
Directed by Stéphane Sednaoui

Claire Danes
Soul Asylum
“Just Like Anyone“
Let Your Dim Light Shine
Directed by P.J. Hogan

Sofia Coppola
The Chemical Brothers
“Elektrobank“
Dig Your Own Hole
Directed by Spike Jonze

(Aside: I wonder if any Godfather III detractors are at all resentful of me considering the director to be an actress and to spotlight her presence in multiple music videos)

Rosario Dawson
The Chemical Brothers
“Out of Control“
Surrender
Directed by W.I.Z.

(Aside: I wonder how electronic artists, whose often non-descript physical presences are obscured from packaging, open up the possibilities of who or what can be featured in their music videos)

Chloë Sevigny
Smog
“I Feel Like the Mother of the World“
A River Ain’t Too Much to Love
Directed by Bryce Kass

Ayo kita nyanyi..suaranya yang keraaaas…tangan di tepuk , hentakan kaki juga…yup lebih keraaaaas….biar dunia dengaaar

First I was afraid
I was petrified
Kept thinking I could never live
without you by my side
But I spent so many nights
thinking how you did me wrong
I grew strong
I learned how to carry on
and so you’re back
from outer space
I just walked in to find you here
with that sad look upon your face
I should have changed my stupid lock
I should have made you leave your key
If I had known for just one second
you’d be back to bother me

Go on now go walk out the door
just turn around now
’cause you’re not welcome anymore
weren’t you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye
you think I’d crumble
you think I’d lay down and die
Oh no, not I
I will survive
as long as i know how to love
I know I will stay alive
I’ve got all my life to live
I’ve got all my love to give
and I’ll survive
I will survive

It took all the strength I had
not to fall apart
kept trying hard to mend
the pieces of my broken heart
and I spent oh so many nights
just feeling sorry for myself
I used to cry
Now I hold my head up high
and you see me
somebody new
I’m not that chained up little person
still in love with you
and so you felt like dropping in
and just expect me to be free
now I’m saving all my loving
for someone who’s loving me

Here comes a new mash up from DJ Lobsterdust.  In this mash titled, I Will Survivor, Lobsterdust takes Gloria Gaynor’s hit soul song I Will Survive and adds lyrics from the one and only Eye Of The Tiger by Survivor.

I Will Survivor

83rd Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2009 has a new route! For the first time ever, the parade route will bypass Broadway and travel down 7th and 6th Avenue’s to Macy’s in Herald Square.

Stars joining the line-up include Bello, Grandma and the cast of the Big Apple Circus, Andrea Bocelli, Boys Like Girls, Alan Cumming, Billy Currington, DJ Lance Rock and the cast of Yo Gabba Gabba!, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, Gloria Gaynor, Sarah Hughes, Kermit the Frog and Tiffany Thornton, Jane Krakowski, Cyndi Lauper, Ziggy Marley with Judah Marley, Katharine McPhee, Miss America 2009 – Katie Stam, the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street, Mitchel Musso, Keke Palmer, The Pizzarelli Quartet, Jay Sean and Carly Simon.

Enchantment returns this November as Macy’s magical procession of pomp and pageantry ushers in the holiday season at the 83rd Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. From the trumpeting of the time-honored phrase Let’s Have a Parade. to the first glimpse of one of Macy’s signature giant helium balloons, the march of whimsy will delight more than 3.5 million spectators lining the streets of Manhattan and more than 50 million viewers nationwide. America’s Parade steps to the beat of its own drums on Thursday, November 26th at 9:00 AM bringing with it 8,000 participants including the nation’s best marching bands, jaw-dropping performance groups, cheerleaders, clowns, giant balloons, fanciful floats and the biggest star of them all, the one-and-only Santa Claus.

From a small band of Macy’s employees gathered in 1924 to commemorate the holiday season to a tradition that has delighted millions for generations, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is truly an icon of American popular culture. Changing with the times from a Parade of floats, zoo animals, clowns and bands that marched down a more than 5- mile route to a Parade filled with giant helium balloon characters, celebrities, and more; the Macy’s Parade this year will mark yet another milestone moment. Having marched down parts of Broadway for 82 years, the 2009 procession will be the first to bypass Broadway in the history of the Parade. Over the years, the Macy’s Parade route has changed five times as it traveled through Manhattan. From the initial Harlem step-off site in the mid 1920s to its current 77th Street starting line, the Parade route has evolved with the city.

The 2009 Macy’s Parade will begin at 77th Street and Central Park West, travel down to Columbus Circle where it will turn onto Central Park South. Once the Parade reaches 7th Avenue it will turn once more and march down 7th Avenue through Times Square to 42nd Street. At the famed intersection, it will turn east to 6th Avenue and begin its final march down the Avenue of the Americas to 34th Street, where it will turn towards Macy’s famed flagship and end at 7th Avenue marking a 2.65-mile march.

“This is a milestone year for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” said Robin Hall, executive producer of Macy’s National Events. “Dramatic changes in the mid-town landscape will divert us for the first time from the fabled Broadway route we have followed since our first Parade in 1924. However, our course will remain true and the Parade will continue to entertain millions as Spider-Man returns to the sky and the first new Santa Float in almost half a century makes its debut.”

The 83rd Annual Macy’s Parade will be an unparalleled crowd-pleasing spectacle that features 1,500 cheerleaders, dancers, singers and performers; 800 clowns; 15 giant character helium balloons; 35 novelty/ornament balloons, balloonheads and balloonicles; 10 marching bands; 24 floats; and a host of celebrity performers.

Rise of the Giants
The sky above the streets of Manhattan will be alive once more filled with colorful friends as the Parade’s signature giant helium character balloons soar on Thanksgiving morning. The line-up of giants features a who’s who of children’s classic characters from comic book superheroes to the stars of television, films and American pop culture. New arrivals to the Thanksgiving Day balloonfest are everyone’s favorite neighborhood super-hero™, the web slinger himself, Spider-Man®; the ever cute and cuddly Pillsbury Doughboy®; America’s favorite clown Ronald McDonald®; and the top mouse on deck, Sailor Mickey Mouse.

Making a vaunted return to the Parade to complete the 15 giant balloon line-up are some of the nation’s most favorite characters including Abby Cadabby, Buzz Lightyear, Dora the Explorer™, Flying Ace Snoopy, Horton, Kermit the Frog™, Pikachu™, Shrek®, Smurf, SpongeBob SquarePants™ and Supercute Hello Kitty®. These giant balloons are only one portion of the buoyant procession; the Macy’s Parade also boasts 35 novelty/ornament balloons and balloonicles, which can range in size from 12 to 25 feet tall and give the line of march a tiered perspective. The Macy’s Parade features a team of Balloonatics – balloon experts who create, maintain and inflate the Parade’s balloon line up. A fun bunch, the Parade Balloonatics are known to give lessons in balloon speak to spectators every year. Two very important facts should be known when referring to the Parade’s giant helium characters. One is that although the Parade’s signature balloons seem to float in the air, they are indeed balloons – not floats. The second and most important is that Macy’s does not blow up the balloons – that would be very disappointing to millions who would not get to see them fly on Parade day…that’s why they are inflated!

Floating Scenes of Wonder
Riding down the street on Thanksgiving Day will be the Parade’s magical lineup of floats that feature landscapes of fantasy. These moving stages transport millions of spectators on unexpected journeys. The new float line-up includes a salute to the heroes in our everyday lives on the Local Heroes Helping Everyday float; a magical land where friends come to life to play and dance on the There’s A Party in My City float, and the first new Santa’s Sleigh in more than 40 years.

The dazzling stages that ride down the streets of New York City each year take months of painstaking work by the skilled artisans of the Macy’s Parade Studio. The gifted Studio team design and build each float from the ground up. Wood, foam and other materials are the skeleton that gives life to this fleet of fantasy. In addition to the three new stages, 21 floats will make a return appearance to the line up this Thanksgiving.

The returning float roster includes 123 Sesame Street, Big Apple, Bridge To The Future, Bountiful Harvest Cornucopia, The Care Bears™ Winter Fun-derland, Castle of Dreams, Cele-bear-ate Hugs Worldwide, Doodlebug, Jolly Polly Pirate Ship, M&M’s® Chocolate Candies on Broadway, Marion-Carol Showboat, Musical Innovation Bigger Than Life, Pep Squad, Shine On, The Smurfs™, Snoopy’s Doghouse, Spirit of Liberty, Tom Turkey, The True Spirit of Thanksgiving, Winter Wonderland in Central Park and Woodland Family Gathering. In addition, the famed Speed Racer Mach 5 will be making a special appearance in the line of march this year.

Drum Roll Please
Strike up the band and pump up the volume, as the Parade’s signature marching bands hit the perfect rhythm this Thanksgiving. The musical heartbeat of the Parade, the marching bands and students representing their home states in this year’s holiday spectacular are the nation’s highest caliber musical and marching talents. Ready to step to the beat are Adair County High School from Columbia, Kentucky; Frank W. Ballou Senior High School from Washington, DC; Choctawhatchee High School from Fort Walton Beach, FL; Franklin Regional High School from Murrysville, PA; Harrison High School from Kennesaw, GA; Morgantown High School from Morgantown, WV; Pickerington Central High School from Pickerington, OH; Pittsburg High School from Pittsburg, CA; Towson University from Towson, MD; and Macy’s Great American Marching Band featuring students from all fifty states.

Taking Center Stage
Adding pomp, cheer, spins, flips and dips to the holiday revelry are some of the nation’s best performance groups. From the cheerleaders to a one-of-a kind group of peddlers, the Parade features a host of unique performers. Set to wow the crowds are performers from the Big Apple Circus, Chinese American Community Center Folk Dance Troupe, Mike Miller Dance Team, NETSational Seniors & NETS Kids Dance Team, The Purple Peddlers, Varsity Spirit, Spirit of Long Island Mounted Drill Team, Stagedoor Manor, and USA Jump Rope.

Stars on 34th Street
Celebrating the start of the holiday season will be performers from stage, screen and music riding down the streets of New York City to Macy’s famed home on 34th Street. The stars joining the line-up include Bello, Grandma and the cast of the Big Apple Circus, Andrea Bocelli, Boys Like Girls, Alan Cumming, Billy Currington, DJ Lance Rock and the cast of Yo Gabba Gabba!, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, Gloria Gaynor, Sarah Hughes, Kermit the Frog and Tiffany Thornton, Jane Krakowski, Cyndi Lauper, Ziggy Marley with Judah Marley, Katharine McPhee, Miss America 2009 – Katie Stam, the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street, Mitchel Musso, Keke Palmer, The Pizzarelli Quartet, Jay Sean and Carly Simon.

Nationwide Star
From coast to coast, Americans will gather around the television to share in the magic of the Parade via the national broadcast on NBC-TV. One of the nation’s most viewed events, NBC’s Emmy® Award winning telecast of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be hosted by TODAY’s Matt Lauer, Meredith Viera and Al Roker. The telecast will air from 9:00 AM to 12 Noon in each of the four time zones in the continental United States. Star power on Thanksgiving morning will include performances from some of the hottest Broadway shows including Billy Elliot, Bye Bye Birdie, Hair, and Shrek. In addition, the world-famous Radio City Rockettes® will return to kick in the start of the holiday season.

A Holiday Treat for Children Everywhere, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade’s finale features the biggest star of all, the one-and-only Santa Claus. As his sleigh comes into view, Macy’s will wish everyone “Happy Holidays” and a “Merry Christmas.”

Source and Photos: Macy’s

Enjoy!

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Stiu ca sunt cam rapid, mai ales ca mi s-a tot spus in ultima vreme , dar acum am gasit mesajul de la tine si vad ca este dat chiar in aceasta dimineata. Curios este ca si mie imi venea sa o ascult iar tu mi-ai dat motivul!

In continuare o sa iti ofer o piesa care mie mi-a picat destul de bine cand …… nu eram in apele mele, sa spun asa, si anume

Oricum sa spun sincer, am remarcat cel putin la mine, ceva de genul “ai grija ce dedici ca e posibil sa ti se intample!” . Ideea este ca am afcut prostia sa dedic niste melodii pentru cateva versuri care le simteam, dar fara sa analizez restul piesei care se referea la altceva. Tocmai ce nu analizasm am ajuns sa o simt pe propria piele. Deci sper sa savurezi piesele, cel putin prima de care spuneai si nu uita: STAND AND FIGHT!

Si oricum, o spun din proprie experienta, ca melodia urmatoare o sa o tot fredonezi, dar cu zambetul pe buze!

There’s only so many times one can play “I Will Survive,” isn’t there?  I mean, statistically, it must be in heavy rotation given the amount of Karaoke bars and breakups in a 25-mile radius.

Hearing it is as horrible as singing it, sorry Gloria Gaynor but it’s true. It’s akin to what college kids have done to every song by Bob Marley.

But here I sit, after yet another breakup, playing the obligatory song while wearing the uniform of the depressed; sweats. Pretty, it ain’t. Maybe it’s time to fully embrace my spinsterhood? Go out a buy some odd number of cats and  begin yelling at neighborhood kids. And own my own shopping cart and stunning collection of mumus.

I think the transition of city gal, living on a diet of olives, martinis, parties and men, to a full-blown spinster would most effect my fantastic collection of shoes. I don’t know many spinsters with hot pink faux crocodile chromed heel Steve Madden’s. And seriously, I can’t donate stilettos.  It’s like petting a cat backwards against its fur, a crime against nature.

For those of you missing the point, I’m not bitter, I’m just alone.

See, I’m being content being the third or fifth wheel. The extra ticket friend. But, whether its pity or friendship, it does bite even if its just a little. So how do I get out of this rut? I figured I’d try to dive into something, like taking up running. But I’m sure Jimmy Choo doesn’t make a rumming shoe. Maybe I could becoming a health nut or join a book club or start knitting? But nope, nada, niet. The desire just isn’t there.

Now I think about it, the only stable and consistent relationship I’m having is with the video store guy. He saves some of the new releases and suggests a different movie. He’s very thoughtful, very cute and very young. I give him my mood and he has the answer. Oddly so does the guy that owns the local liquor store.

But it’s cool. Don’t worry about me. Because you’d think  “I’d crumble, you think I’d lay down and die? Oh no, not I-I will survive.”

Hey, what can I say; it’s clichéd for a reason.

WHY ME??

So yesterday was one just one of those day that a boy goes through, I get angry inside, don’t wanna take it out on you (the world). I guess Friday the 13th is really just a cursed day. Uggggh Frigg. It’s horrible mang.

FIRST. I was blogging a post yesterday about When Brothers Speak and right in the middle of it I the electricity went off. I figured that it would turn back on very soon so I continued writing but it did not come back on then I was left with a post that was not saved nor could it be so I had to rewrite to whole thing this morning.

THEN. Since I after that I had to take a shower since I was going to help facilitate a poetry workshop at a high school in the west end with my homie Myk Miranda and the Kapisanan Philippines Centre. The Shower, I forgot that that electricity was off so I had to take a frosty cold ass shower in a bathroom lit by some cheap ass candles. I came in thinking the water was going to be just lukewarm cold because in Florida, due to many hurricanes I went periods of months with electricity and the water wasn’t “kill you dead” type. Canada is different, I forgot about the damn weather. I felt like Jack Dawson in the movie Titanic. I risked possible frostbite but got off there alive.

AFTER THAT After the cold shower, I rode shotgun as Myk travelled from East Toronto to West Toronto and I thought I was gonna die many times. Myk, you my homie and all but dammit, you are a reckless driver. We rode in a van and Myk speeds and shift throught traffic as if were driving a ferrari. I don’t even know I was poise through out the ride. We picked up the dude Phil and he gets a call from the teacher at the high school (I forgetz her name) and she tells us to “hurry up”….. What proceded after that was a madman behind the wheel bringing fury to the highway.

THEN AFTER THAT! On the ride to Downtown Toronto after the workshop, which was super fun and a great experience and the youth was highly intereactive, Myk dropped me off at an intersection of Dundas and Spadina and as I wasa getting out of the car. I LOST MY PHONE. MY BLACKBERRY PHONE. AGAIN!. DAMN. I did a good deed with the poetry workshop, karma is not supposed to work like that! I guess there will be a part deux to my “Blackberry Love” piece. I guess I will title it “Break Up, Make Up, Then I F**k Up Again”. Brutal.

TO CONCLUDE. I had to give back the laptop that I was borrowing, my iPod touch is dead and I don’t have a charger, I was supposed to go to When Brother Speaks last night but through mis-communication and a lost phone that was unable to able to happen.

RESULT I have nothing. I am content with that. I will take this time to reflect on the good stuff in life without technology. I guess there will be more reading and more writing thanks to this but I am thankful. You can’t keep me down. I am a fighter, I bruise but I move on. Just like Gloria Gaynor said I WILL SURVIVE

PEACE

Dziś nagrywałam 3. odcinek mojego videobloga, ale jeszcze jutro rano będę musiała skończyć finałowy numer do niego. Łezka się w oku kręci, bo specjalnie na tę okazję wyciągnęłam z komody moją starą wyszywaną złotymi cekinami suknię, która pamięta jeszcze czasy ery Disco lat 70-tych.  Dziś też trochę puściłam wodze fantazji w zakresie garderoby i make-up’u – przypomniały mi się najbardziej szalone prywatki z końca lat 70-tych, te kolorowe stroje, dziwaczne buty na olbrzymich koturnach i fryzury wzorowane na tej blondynie z zespołu Abba. 

Z resztą nie bez powodu przywdzieję ponownie tę złocistą suknię jutro, ale o tym się przekonacie już wkrótce…  Tymczasem dziś zafundowałam sobie drobną przyjemność czyli wspaniałe eklerki, ptysie i inne ciacha – jestem w tym wieku, że te parę kalorii więcej czy mniej nie wpływa zasadniczo na moje szanse w walce o przetrwanie gatunku ludzkiego, a humor w ponury jesienny dzień trzeba sobie przecież jakoś poprawić ;-)  Mimo wszystko, młodszym koleżankom i kolegom, którzy liczą na sukces na castingu raczej odradzałabym nadmierne obżarstwo… no chyba, że celują w główną rolę w remake’u Gruby i Grubszy, czy jakto tam leciało…

Konsumując słodki podwieczorek zajrzałam też tradycyjnie na stronę mFestiwalu, a tam znów sypnęło ciekawymi nowymi filmami, animacjami i billboardami.  Szczególnie podoba mi się animacja autorstwa _bili_ , film butheronline oraz nowy billboard aka.  Zachęcam do głosowania! 

A teraz - Kochani Internauci - zostawiam Was w klimacie lat 70-tych (przypomniałam sobie, że niektórzy z Was mogą przecież w ogóle nie wiedzieć o czym ja mówię) i dlatego w rytmie disco razem z Glorią Gaynor zapewniam, że I Never Can Say Good-Bye!

Tak, tak – kiedyś takie stroje były naprawdę modne

Dat belooft drama, tijdens de Homo Top 100, vanaf 22 uur in Red & Blue.

Yasmine: zeven songs in Homo Top 100

ANTWERPEN – Homo Top 100 is een hitlijst die jaarlijks door internetbezoekers en een Raad van Wijzen wordt samengesteld. Zowel holebi’s als hetero’s kunnen hun stem uitbrengen. Op een grootse party in Red & Blue – dit jaar op dinsdag 10 november – wordt de hitlijst feestelijk gepresenteerd aan het publiek.

De stem van de Raad van Wijzen heeft een aandeel van 33,33% in de uiteindelijke tophonderd. Deejays, organisatoren en connaisseurs bevolken deze raad. Dit jaar stemde ook Vlaams minister van Onderwijs, Jeugd, Gelijke Kansen en Brussel – Pascal Smet – op zijn favoriete holebi-songs.

YASMINE

Yasmine staat met niet minder dan zeven songs in de lijst en zelfs met drie in de topvijf. ‘Porselein’ is de nummer een van 2009. Klik hier voor de volledige Homo Top 100.
1 Porselein – Yasmine (37)
2 Soldiers Of Love – Liliane Saint-Pierre [Nr. 1 2008] (1)
3 Meisjes Aan De Macht – Yasmine (32)
4 Ik Was Zo Graag Bij Jou Gebleven – Yasmine
5 Dancing Queen – ABBA [Nr. 1 2007] (2)
6 Diva – Dana International (5)
7 I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor [Nr. 1 2004] (10)
8 Believe – Cher (8)
9 This Is My Life (La Vita) – Shirley Bassey (47)
10 Je T’Adore – Kate Ryan [Nr. 1 2006] (4)
11 Hou Me Vast (Dieprood) – Yasmine
12 9 To 5 – Dolly Parton (62)
13 I Want To Break Free – Queen (59)
14 Smalltown Boy – Bronski Beat (31)
15 YMCA – Village People (61)

REACTIE ORGANISATOREN PARTY

Deejay van de party op dinsdag 10 november in Red & Blue, coördinator en hetero Don Johnson: “Dit soort hoge noteringen van een enkele persoon zijn nooit maar dan ook nooit gezien. Het is pijnlijk om zo’n schoon madame te moeten laten gaan. We zullen op de party zeker ook Wham! en George Michael draaien. Yasmine was zowat de grootste George Michael-fan van Vlaanderen. We dragen al zijn nummers op aan Yasmine. Meer nog, we dragen heel de party op aan haar!”

Seppe Geerts namens holebi-jongerenverenigingen Enig Verschil en Wel Jong Niet Hetero: “Een paar jaar geleden werd ze verkozen tot Grootste Holebi-Belg en dat blijkt ze nog steeds! Yasmine ofte Hilde was simply the best. Ze was een rolmodel voor veel holebi’s. En een geweldige zangeres. Muziekfans van alle slag, sympathiserende hetero’s, holebi’s: Vlaanderen vergeet Yasmine niet. Zoveel is duidelijk, en dat doet deugd.”

THESIS K.U.LEUVEN OVER HOMO TOP 100 EN ROLMODEL YASMINE

De masterproef ‘Ich bin wie Gay’ van Katrien Valgaeren werd bedeeld met grote onderscheiding. Valgaeren studeerde in 2009 af als communicatiewetenschapper aan de Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. Promotor van de thesis was Gust De Meyer, dé academische autoriteit in Vlaanderen op het vlak van populaire cultuur.

Valgaeren definieert in haar masterproef de sleutelwoorden voor roze muziek: camp met een vleugje Eurovisiesongfestival, dramatiek en sterke vrouwen, holebi-artiesten, maar vooral dansbaarheid.

Identificatie is een volgend scharnierpunt. Artiesten die aangeven zelf een periode van onderdrukking achter de rug te hebben – tragische/sterke vrouwen vaak – kunnen op de sympathie van holebi’s rekenen. Hetzelfde geldt voor artiesten die homo, lesbiënne of bi zijn.

Sommigen functioneren daarenboven als rolmodel. Met presentatrice/zangeres Yasmine op kop. Deze status heeft ze te danken aan haar zelfrelativeringsvermogen: “Dat ze niet hetero was, was voor haar nooit een punt. Laat staan een probleem.”

PARTY OP DINSDAG 10 NOVEMBER IN RED & BLUE

Homo Top 100 is het ultieme verbroederingsfeestje: Breng als holebi al je hetero’s mee. Kom als hetero af met al je holebi-vrienden.

Op dinsdag 10 november, de avond voor Wapenstilstand, zal voor het zesde jaar een uitzinnige menigte worden verwelkomd in de Antwerpse discotheek Red & Blue.

De deuren aan Lange Schipperskapelstraat 11 in Antwerpen gaan open om 22 uur.

De toegangsprijs bedraagt 8 of 10 euro. Er is geen voorverkoop. Wees dus op tijd. Want vol is vol.

http://www.homotop100.be

After another 4 days without presenting music I sure do have to come up with a good excuse… Here it is: my wife broke her foot (ankle joint) and I was very busy taking care of her, the kids, the dog, the house…. Since she still is at the hospital I have a little bit of support by her sister now – ime to share with you songs about… doctors and hospitals…

The Beatles – Doctor Robert

Van Morrison – Did ya get healed?

Gregory Isaac – Night Nurse

Jackson Browne – Doctor my eyes

Gloria Gaynor- I will survive (I know, I know… off tpoic but stilll, kind off, somehow related…

Monty Python – Always look on the bright side of life (again, not really a hospital song… But if you think about it…)

because

and

“You’re just to good to be true!”

Nu pot sa iti spun decat

The Pirate Slut, coming to you from a rainy autumnal day in Greenwich Village, with some very happy and uptempo music to review!

This is the album cover for the album "Betcha Bottom Dollar" by the band "The Puppini Sisters". They're so elegant!

WHO?

First off, let me be clear: The Puppini Sisters, though called The Puppini Sisters, and though the first song on this their debut album is called “Sisters”, are not, in fact, sisters. And only one of them is actually a legitimate owner of the name “Puppini”, as in it appears on her birth certificate (one assumes). But this is why we suspend our disbelief! And what a wonderful thing it is to do so! Marcella Puppini, whom I just mentioned, is an Italian lady who has sung in cabaret (see my previous album review for a definition) and punk (see between previous parentheses) groups. The other two Sisters, Stephanie O’Brien (who, along with sharing my surname, has red hair and is a classically trained jazz singer) and Kate Mullins (who, along with sharing my mother’s first name, is a former heavy-metal singer who met the other two Sisters at Trinity College of Music) are both English. They sing in a style associated with the 1940’s which can be described as incorporating close harmony (which is when several people sing words with melodies which are relatively close in pitch, but not the same, and often singing quickly to increase the effective difficulty and pleasing aural quality of such close harmonies which are already difficult to maintain on pitch if you’re singing them, trust me I know), swing music (which is jazz music with a strong distinctive danceable rhythm underneath it like long-short long-short long-short), and jazz instrumentation (guitar, in the case of this album played in the style of Django Reinhardt, upright string bass, spare percussion, and perhaps a violin or horn or accordian). Groups that are known for this performance and musical style include The Andrews Sisters, The Boswell Sisters, and Moxie. Oh dear, was that last group the one with my mom in it? However did that happen? Anyway, what makes this group The Puppini Sisters distinctive relative to other bands performing 1940’s and 50’s jazz and swing standards (which are songs often performed by groups playing a certain style of music because they represent the music’s history and style well, like in rock music you’ve got Freebird for instance) is that they cover more contemporary songs, but in the same style as one would sing the swing and jazz standards. Which is a novel way of approaching “popular” music, and fuses past and present styles, etc.  At least I think so, and you’re free to disagree. In fact, I’d welcome it; every comment that’s so far appeared on this blog has been spam. Which is not surprising, as spam compromises something like 90 percent of the Internet’s traffic, but it can leave a Pirate Slut lonely for actual human contact (albeit made through words on a screen.) The Sisters all have clear, uncomplicated-by-excessive-vibrato voices, and are different slightly enough from each other that the three-part harmonies are balanced and pleasing in their construction and the way how sometimes one Sister will take a solo vocal while the other two drop into wordless backup harmonies.

WHAT?

“Betcha Bottom Dollar” is the Sisters’ first album, and it’s all covers of other people’s songs. Ten were written between the 1930s through the 50s, and represent the jazz and swing “standards” that are solid fits for  the Sisters’ vocal style and instrumentation. To those of you familiar with this period or genre of music, you may recognize some of the songs: “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”, which is a lighthearted song about a skilled bugle player in World War II, “Sisters” which is about sororal (that’s the sister form of “fraternal”) loyalty, “Jeepers Creepers” which is about the singer’s lover’s pleasing eyes (and also a recurring musical theme in the very scary and entertaining samely-titled movie which, though being directed by a known convicted child molester, is nonetheless enjoyable and not just as a guilty pleasure), “Bei Mir Bist Du Schon” which is an originally Yiddish song about the many ways in many languages one can express one’s love for another, and “Java Jive” which is ostensibly about the joys of coffee. This is as close to a song about drugs that the Sisters come on this album, though they cover more contemporary songs by artists such as Kate Bush, Gloria Gaynor (whose song “I Will Survive”, which is about rebuking a poorly performing lover who has scorned you, is covered by the Sisters in a slower, more laid-back style with a ethereal a cappella (that means without backing instruments) section near the end), The Smiths, Blondie (whose very danceable song Heart Of Glass is covered here in a much more 1940’s swing-time style as opposed to the synthesizer and drum machine sound of the original version), and The Adicts (who are a punk band that was also known as ADX for a time, and whose song Falling In Love Again is covered a cappella on this album). This is all to say that the awesome nature of these covers, 16 in total, is in the Sisters’ indefatigable energy, crisp and perfect harmonies, lighthearted arrangements of a variety of different styled songs, the small and jazzy acoustic guitar solos, and the still-undeniable appeal of the decades-older pop material.

WHY?

Because The Puppini Sisters are celebrating about five or so decades of pop music on this album, all told, as represented in their choice of covers, and they’re no slouches in arranging the songs to display their considerable vocal interplay and talents. That is assuming they arrange them themselves, which I do not honestly know to be true, but will assume for purposes of simplicity. This is all rock-solid pop music! It’s meant to create a pleasing effect on the listener, to get his or her or their fingers snapping and toes tapping and heads nodding. Even I, who have heard 90 percent of these older songs being rehearsed downstairs all day in my mother’s office for years of my life, am not bored in the slightest by hearing the songs again in my earphones, because they are upbeat and entertaining on a longterm basis in the way that only the popular music of yesteryear can be. And as for the “swing-ified” newer songs, you can take them as a novelty but I prefer to think of them as a sly example of pop’s unification regardless of decade, artist, or genre. As a wise man once said, “Everyone likes to dance to a happy song, with a catchy chorus and beat so they can sing along.” Fittingly, those who may enjoy this album include:

1) Lovers of swing, jazz, and close harmony; though this album may not offer much stylistic innovation on those fronts, it instead acts more like a decent cup of coffee in the morning (see Java Jive); always welcome, barring serious gut agony.

2) Lovers of quirky covers that flip the original style on its head. Another band that does this is Nouvelle Vague, and this is a good example of such a cover.

3) Jazz guitarists looking for solos to transcribe or just groove on.

4) Fans of the aforementioned bands whom the Sisters cover tunes by.

5) Anyone who enjoys “retro” pop enough to risk the sometimes difficult task of understanding past decades’ conception of it. I mean, I think pop music is pop music, but it’s not always a straight line from this to this.

6) A capella groups looking for some sweet and economical vocal arrangements to meticulously transcribe.

AND TO ALL YOU CHOOSING-TO-REFUSE CHANDLERS OUT THERE:

Sure this shit’s old! Sure it’s retro! (That means old.) But it’s a great little cross-section of what makes popular music popular (for the most part), and more than that it’s three classy ladies singing sweet harmonies over jaunty jazz and snappy swing. If my regrettable choice for an ex-girlfriend, who was a selfish cultural and moral blank most times, can, according to a story she once told me which I have no choice but to believe, dance enthusiastically on the New Haven Green during a performance of my mom’s swing group (did I mention them?) with a complete lack of pretension, then so can you. All of you.

Check THIS shit out.

Scientology didn’t give Katie Holmes quite the career boost she was counting on, now did it?

So earlier in the week, film director Paul Haggis – a long, devoted Scientologist – disavowed himself from his pyramid scheme of a religion, mostly due to the organization’s lack of action against anti-gay legislative initiatives.  And my first reaction was “that’s what finally got him to jump ship and not all of the other bat-shit crazy stuff the cult  proclaims?” To each his own, I say. 

You know, I expect actors and directors to fall for the over-the-top declarations of a meglomaniacal science writer who’s been quoted as saying the best way to make some money is to start a religion…they live in Los Angeles for Christ’s sake…where even alien-inspired immortality is possible (L. Ron Hubbard’s words, not mine).  I’m not entirely convinced that some of them haven’t sold their souls to the Horned One/Tom Cruise in order to further their careers.  Beats having to blow Harvey Weinstein, that’s for sure.

So color me incredulous, but I expect more out of my rock stars/musicians than to fall for the likes of Scientology.  I guess I think of those in the music business as being a bit more jaded and savvy, and therefore not as likely to fall for L. Ron Hubbard’s dianetic debacle of a faith.  But I was wrong.  So wrong.  Take a look at the following in the music business who claim to be – gulp – Scientologists:

Ok, some of them you already know like…

Lisa Marie Presley (they can have her. No big loss)

Isaac Hayes (who’s dead and gone – guess he didn’t get high enough in

the organization to achieve Immortal Status, hmm?)

But did you know that Chaka Khan is one?

And Brandy?

Along with Dave Davies from The Kinks? THE KINKS???

Scientology can also lay claim to Rob Thomas, Doug E. Fresh

And last – and the one that breaks my heart the most….

Beck.

Sigh. You’re just too cool for Scientology. And supposedly, too intelligent and hip and funny to fall for a raging lunatic’s delusion of grandeur scheme. 

There were others before you, Beck, who had fallen for the Dianetic Diatribe, but came out the other side.  Here’s a list of former musician Scientologist who just….who just….stopped taking drugs long enough to realize what they’d gotten themselves into….they are:

Liz Phair

Leonard Cohen

Gloria Gaynor

Courtney Love (and psst, if you know that Scientology was too crazy for Courtney Love, then MAN, it must be WHACK)

Al Jarreau (what’s with all the black people in Scientology? Do they get a discount on auditing sessions or something?)

Lou Rawls

Van Morrison (yep. Really).

Hey Church of Scientology…you can keep all the rest of them, but please, not Beck.  And one last word on the subject…

This morning, I’m showing you how to deal with and help the root chakra energy vampires in your life.

What’s an energy vampire? It’s somebody who sucks you dry, whose emotional garbage harshes your mellow.

Notice I didn’t say fix. I was saying fix last week, but that’s not accurate.  We just weren’t put here to fix each other.

Each energy vampire is sucking energy through a specific chakra. That sounds so weird to say (but it’s true).

What is a Root Chakra Energy Vampire?

A root chakra energy vampire is someone who does not feel whole in their root chakra, the one that’s at the base of the spine.

This chakra pertains to survival and tribal identity.

These people are the neediest of the bunch. They make lots of comments about not surviving.  Lots of comments about how they just don’t think they will make it (when really there is nothing wrong with them or their situation).

Root Chakra energy vampires may also talk about what burdens they are and how people don’t like them. They are the sad sacks of the energy vampire world.

They are the first to tell  you how bad their lives are.  The first to say, “Don’t get your hopes up.” or “This only happens to me.”

Everything bad happens to a Root Chakra Energy Vampire.  They don’t get the close parking spots. Their soup is cold.

Call the Wah!mbulance!

Root Chakra Energy Vampires actually believe that they will not survive. They are operating from a place of fear.  Getting them to move out of that place of fear is difficult, but not impossible. And once they feel like they can survive, they often thrive!

How to help a Root Chakra Energy Vampire-

Sometimes Root Chakra Energy Vampires need psychiatric help and medication.  Root Chakra damage is a sign of depression.  Depression is a debilitating disease that is outside of the scope of this blog post.  Getting somebody help for their depression is an act of great kindness.

The thing that Root Chakra Energy Vampires hate to hear: “It’s not so bad.”

This is something really fun to say to them, because it takes the drama out of their statement.  It invalidates their “deep pain”.

Day-to-Day Dealings

One of my kids has his root chakra moments. I give him 5 minutes to get the whines out.  I’ll say, “Okay, you have five minutes of my undivided attention to tell me how sad your life is, and then we’re going to focus on something else.”

He usually can’t fill the five minutes.  And then we stand and stare at each other.

This works with root chakra energy vampires.  If they aren’t offended, they feel listened to, and they can focus on how to feel better.

They might get offended that you think they whine a lot, but let’s face it, root chakra energy vampires know that they are the whiners of the world.  They know it. They’ve invested a lot in their sad faces.  So they get 5 minutes and then they are not allowed to whine.  And if they can’t stop, you tell them that you can’t be around them when they are whining.

Not very nice?  I know.  But it’s very kind.  Because you are simply saying what others are actually thinking and then, doing.

What if you’re a root chakra energy vampire?

That overwhelming fear of not surviving is hard. That concept that everything bad happens to you is very difficult to live with.  The thing is, it’s not reality.  And once you resolve the issues with that chakra, you will feel a lot better.

You can hire someone to facilitate the healing of that chakra.  I work with this chakra often.

You can also foster that nurturing environment for yourself. Be your own best patient and sleep, eat good food and exercise.

You can play positive songs about survival like, “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor and  ”I won’t be your Yoko Ono” by Dar Williams.

You can also wear the color red and do yoga poses that support the first chakra (like the standing forward bend and the bridge pose.

Filling the Bowl

My favorite way to support the first chakra is a meditative act called “Filling the Bowl” .

Imagine the space created between your hip bones and your tail bone.  This is your sacred bowl. Imagine it as a bowl and then fill it up with rocks. Then imagine the rocks disappearing and fill it with warm brownie batter.  Then imagine the batter disappearing and fill it with apples, or buttons, or whatever appeals to you.  You can fill it up with a color. Whatever.

This will fit you more solidly in your body, and will support your first chakra.

So, there you go.  Tomorrow, we go after the pernicious 2nd Chakra Energy Vampire.

________________________________________________________________________________________

This is the last week of the Intuitive Guidance and/or Past Lives special! Get an Intuitive Cupcake O’ Guidance!

Homo’s houden van nichtenmuziek. Geen verrassing, zou je stellen. Maar nu is het wetenschappelijk onderzocht. Communicatiewetenschapper Katrien Valgaren kreeg voor haar masterproef Ich bin wie Gay – Een analyse van de Homo Top 100 en kwalitatieve diepte-interviews (sponsor: Gust De Meyer) een grote onderscheiding.

Conclusies thesis

Valgaeren definieert in haar masterproef de sleutelwoorden voor roze muziek: camp met een vleugje Eurovisiesongfestival, dramatiek en sterke vrouwen, holebi-artiesten, maar vooral dansbaarheid. Loeiharde dans- en feestmuziek speelt bij holebi’s de eerste viool, al of niet voorzien van teksten die smeken om meegebruld te worden. Valgaeren: “Dat creëert een soort vrijheid die in fel contrast staat tegenover de periode van opkropping die aan hun coming-out vooraf gaat.”
Identificatie is een volgend scharnierpunt. Artiesten die aangeven zelf een periode van onderdrukking achter de rug te hebben – tragische/sterke vrouwen vaak – kunnen op de sympathie van holebi’s rekenen. Hetzelfde geldt voor artiesten die homo, lesbiënne of bi zijn.

Rolmodel Yasmine

Sommigen functioneren daarenboven als rolmodel. Met presentatrice/zangeres Yasmine op kop. Deze status heeft ze te danken aan haar zelfrelativeringsvermogen: Dat ze niet hetero was, was voor haar nooit een punt. Laat staan een probleem.
Stereotiepe roze muziek wordt ook gehanteerd om te vechten voor het recht om te bestaan, om anders te zijn. Om integratie, en niet assimilatie, in de samenleving te bewerkstelligen. “Zo kan Homo Top 100 een stokpaardje voor de holebi-gemeenschap zijn,” aldus nog Valgaeren. “Stereotypen hoeven immers niet negatief te zijn. Ze geven op een zelfrelativerende manier aan waarvoor homo’s staan. En kitsch en glitter, daar mag al eens mee gelachen worden.””

Op 10 november is het weer tijd voor de Homo Top 100 in Red & Blue. Ook deze keer kan je stemmen.

Last night’s Ms Khan’s concert was in short, “entertaining”. Well for me at least. She sang all her hits song plus some new stuff from “Funk This” album. I thought the show was good but the sounds could be better, perhaps Hilton ballroom was not designed for a proper concert such as this. The crowd was expectedly mature, and yes lots of local musicians and songwriters attended it. She closed it out by singing every woman’s song “I’m Every Woman”. Ms Houston has her own redition of this song in tribute of Chaka Khan.

And I guess that’s what I want to talk about today, songs attributed to women in general and songs that are somewhat ladies “anthem” so to speak.

“I’m Every Woman” is a song about a strong woman who takes very good care of her man, supporting him and making him a better person.

“Survivor”,”I Will Survive” are definitely ladies’ songs. If you’re in a club, you would probably notice ladies singing along or suddenly just groovin to the sounds. Cacing-cacing will surely be bouncing, the ladies would want the rest to know that how these songs are their favourite numbers.

Why so? What is so special about these songs? Well it’s a female-empowerment anthem. It is about moving on after a bad relationship. Over the years, it has taken on meaning for people who have overcome just about any difficult situation. Women being the softer sex are always at the losing end in life, or so it is said to be. A girl once said “it proves girls rule” so they go ga-ga over these songs.Haha. I guess they want the world to know that they can make it life, that they can go on as well as any other male in the world. It feels good as the weaker gender to overcome setbacks and disadvantages and get on top of it. Let the world know the ladies are here to stay, hehe.

Personally, I like the song “I will survive”, I thought it has a nice disco beat to it. I just love to watch all the women going at it. I have been told there are 20 over versions of the song in various languages including Arabic! Let’s face it, world without women would be damn boring for sure. I wouldn’t want the ladies to go away anyway, I can’t imagine a world without them . They rock my world! But I’ve got my own woman who thinks she can survive with the cat, haha..

I have been in a “Disco” phase these past couple of weeks. Generation X missed going to the discotheques, so I missed that experience (except for those who sneaked in). I am convinced that is the reason why I have never learned “the hustle“! In my hometown, Flint, Michigan, there were two that I remember “The Light” in the Small Mall on Dort Highway and “The Mikatam.”

When I think of disco music, I think of Donna Summer, The Bee Gees, The Jacksons, KC and the Sunshine Band and Chic.

I was trying to think which song from the disco era was my favorite. There were so many: “I’m Your Boogie Man“, “You Should Be Dancing“, “You’re the First, the Last, My Everything“, “Everybody Dance” and “Last Dance” to name a few.

I would have to day “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor might be on my top 10 of favorite disco songs.

Did I crumble
Did I lay down and die
Oh no, not I! I will survive!

#246  Gloria Gaynor > I Will Survive
De stora låtarna kan ingen sudda ut! Den tidlösa discoklassikern från 1979 är ständigt närvarande, oavsett om det är förfest, möhippa, karaokekväll, klassfest, Ålandskryssning, Pridefestival eller bara en vanlig lördagskväll på Stadshotellet i Skövde! ’I Will Survive’ är troligtvis en av de bästa discolåtarna någonsin…