While I was enjoying reading the series of articles and discussions around the subject, some points of concern questions were crystallizing in my mind, and now I feel ready to join the discussion by asking them.

Part I – Overview

What’s it about?

In the nutshell (in my humble opinion), a dire need in terms separation was inspired by highly analytical nature of authors on the one side, and a serious misunderstanding of the subject (Software Testing) by business (and I mean Sr. Management and all kinds of recruiters here) on the other side.

Long time ago

Historically testing derived from debugging. Since programs that times didn’t have much of “User Interface”, testing was closely involving looking at the source code and tracing it. Once program functionalities were wrapped around with user interface, functional testing (“Black Box”) arose. With years, bad coding practices were identified, good coding practices were proven, and code testing (“White Box”) separated from debugging. In the mean time, functional testing was growing mature on its own, no longer requiring programming knowledge and skills, but indistinctly separating to functionality-oriented testing and defect-oriented testing.

Added 11/25/2009

“With years, bad coding practices were identified, good coding practices were proven”

Coding, i.e. creation of program code, could be done in a variety of ways, utilizing different logic and following different patterns.

Programming language (compiler or interpreter) looks after syntax but not the logic. Some logics may seem to be working but not for the all user scenarios. Some other logics work perfectly but they are hardly maintainable or they may impact other areas, security, for example.

 
Creation of code that is defect-prone, hardly maintainable, or may impose other issues is a bad coding practice.
Following coding standards and using right programming patterns is good coding practice.

Please refer to “Making Wrong Code Look Wrong” article by Joel Spolsky for detailed examples. 

Added 11/25/2009

“indistinctly separating to functionality-oriented testing and defect-oriented testing”

Functionality-oriented testing is not a new definition or type of testing but is about verification and validation testing types, like User Acceptance Testing and Business Acceptance Testing processes used in Waterfall software development model.

On the other hand, User Story Testing in Agile methodology, is also a process of verification of implemented functionalities, allowing to confirm that it works as expected.

Defect-oriented testing is an exploratory process targeting any unwanted (defective, inconsistent, unsafe, etc.) functionalities, side effects, any other behavior of an application. That involves “improper” interaction with the application-under-test (Negative Testing, Stress Testing, etc.), or putting the application-under-test into “improper” conditions (Disk Failure, Low Memory, Network Timeout, etc.), or “hacking” the application (Security Testing, DB Attacks, etc.).
“Improper” is quoted because it’s not a regular interaction way or environment state but most likely may accidentally happen or be created on purpose with harmful intensions and thus have to be tried.

New branches on a tree

Certain types of tests were impossible to conduct purely manually  sapiently, and they were called “non-functional” (load/performance testing, security testing, etc.). However, those tests are generally conducted NOT on development team’s side.
Certain testing activities (i.e. GUI and non-GUI interaction, data entry, verification, reporting, etc.) became possible to conduct with help of other programs, and this is how computer-aided testing appeared. In turn, it could be separated to manual sapient testing with help of a tool, and automatic test case execution by a tool.
Certain managers found out that when requirements are clearly documented, and the all possible “needed” test cases are created, test execution tasks do not require much of tough testing skills. Testing becomes simple data entry task which can be done by virtually anyone.

Automation of “Black Box” testing activities

Creation of automatically executable test cases requires programming skills; the more comprehensive tests are, the more powerful test automation framework should be, and the more skilled and experienced developer is required to create the framework. Note that it is still about testing activities automation with test results as an output, and the final judgment is still on human. Anyway, here’s how we got automated testers (obviously, oxymoron, but look how many positions are named so), and automation developers (ironically, hands-on testing skills very often are not considered mandatory, while they should be critical in automation skillset).

Automation of “White Box” testing activities

Apart from code reviews conducted by a human being, isolated pieces of code (functions, procedures) could be verified by calling and executing them. The core idea here that for a call with particular arguments a function is expected to return specified value. If the value is wrong then the test is failed. This is how automatic unit testing appeared. Once test rules were created (either manually by programmer or by using code-generator), tests could be run by a person without programming skills. Note that even if “right” result was returned by a function-under-test, it does not 100% guarantee that the functionality is always correct, or even the function will work the same way in production environment.

“Data entry testing”

Degradation of testing to data entry opens wide saving opportunities for business. Surprisingly, some managers also find it beneficial because they get more [junior] people to manage. All kinds of outsourcing perfectly fit here too, from summer students to off-shore companies. However, down this road company will face two types of critical issues. First of all, “data entry testing” is purely verification-oriented; except of trivial ones, defects won’t be revealed. Second, as automatic test execution requires final human judgment, “data entry testers” are incapable of qualified analysis and investigation of defects they may encounter. Outsourced teams require heavy coaching and support. As a result, either somebody has to do re-testing, or software product’s quality degrades. 

Why separate?

From a hiring perspective, job requirements for QA/testing positions are total mess. Irrelevant subjects are often thrown in, and mandatory skills are overlooked. Separation and, more importantly, clear description of the each role in testing world might help in getting higher quality candidates. That in turn will benefit teams with higher quality resources, and companies – with higher quality of testing.
Clear distinction will benefit professionals too. At the end, 10 years of “data entry testing” are not nearly equal to 1 year of sapient testing, and such experiences must be treated differently. 

Conclusion

I strongly support the initiative of distinction and clarification. However, looking on how it evolves so far I see that it becomes unclear itself. Certain subjects and concepts that are distinct by nature are now mixed up.

I hope my questions will be considered by authors. (I don’t put any obligation to reply, of course). 

Part II – Questions

1. Code Testing vs. Product Testing – why mixing up?

Any program code becomes a software product after the build. Before that happens, code modules and atomic functions also can be (and should be) tested. This phase of testing does not substitute Functional Testing in any manner. Code testing is not meant to be only function checks. Primarily, it is code review, which is purely sapient activity.
The original article, however, fully disregards the sapient part of code testing, and also sets code testing as opposite to functional testing. Why?

Added 11/25/2009

Testing vs. Checking, “Testing Is Not Quality Assurance, But Checking Might Be”

“Checking, when done by a programmer, is mostly a quality assurance practice. When an programmer writes code, he checks his work. He might do this by running it directly and observing the results, or observing the behaviour of the code under the debugger, but often he writes a set of routines that exercise the code and perform some assertions on it. We call these unit “tests”, but they’re really checks, since the idea is to confirm existing knowledge. In this context, finding new information would be considered a surprise, and typically an unpleasant one. A failing check prompts the programmer to change the code to make it work the way he expects. That’s the quality assurance angle: a programmer helps to assure the quality of his work by checking it.”

The whole chapter and the quoted block put label “checking” on programmer’s part of testing – the code testing. Since “checking” is posed as non-sapient, and code testing is checking only, does it mean programmers don’t do any sapient testing as opposite to software testers?

In fact, when a programmer writes code, he reviews every created block. Before code is checked-in to the code base it has to be reviewed.

In the article I see “compliant” examples were elaborated (e.g. Automated Unit Testing) but “non-compliant” (what about Pair Programming ?)  were omitted.

2. Why checking is a confirmation?

As per suggested definition, checking is rule-based, while the rule itself is comparison-based. It is also assumed that the comparison rule returns either “TRUE” or “FALSE”. But that’s not the end! Any verification (or checking) also needs to be validated. Validation is a context-specific rule, outside-of-the-box rule, which is applied with sapience.
Example: “Check if the door is open”. Both TRUE and FALSE could be VALID, depending on the context. Without validation, checking results are useless.

3. Why testing must be done only through exploration and investigation?

Any sapient investigation, broken down to atomic steps, involves obtaining actual results, defining or retrieving expected results, defining or retrieving a comparison rule, applying the rule, and finally validating the check performed, based on the context.

5. Testing programs do not create new rules. Testers do. Why didn’t you clearly state that? 

Added 11/25/2009

Regular computer programs may strictly follow the predefined rules, may come up with one of the predefined rules, even may build-up a new statement from the predefined blocks, but they do not learn and do not create.

The whole idea of “Testing vs. Checking” is in “Testing is a sapient activity”. Large part of the article is dedicated to proving of that with examples and logical chains. Did it have to be so complicated?  

Testing programs do not create new checking rules. Testers do.

What could be more sapient than the act of creation of something new?  

6. What is the value of testing if it doesn’t help improving the quality?

Added 11/25/2009

  

If a tester finds a lot of defects and throws reports via email or into ticketing system is it the end of tester’s job? Developers may reject them [defect reports]; sales people may urge with the release; PM may not realize severity of issues…

  

Bug fixing improves the quality. Bug finding without hunting them down until they’re fixed has zero business value. That’s useless (no profit, no saving and minus tester’s paycheck) gathering of information.

 

Testers should not and don’t have to be able forcing bug fixing through management or business power. They have other means to do it. Communication, first of all.

 

Not having power is not an excuse. It’s just stepping back from quality.

I don’t know what business would hire people interested in “gathering of information” only, and careless about product’s quality.

 

Viajo em meus pensamentos ouvindo as músicas do Michael Bolton, canta muito….!!!

A maioria dos clipes dele remete à sedução… adorei este vídeo, une liberdade representada pelos animais, a sedução que ele passa através da voz  e mistério que o mar se encarrega de definir.

Você é a vela, o amor é a chama
Um fogo que queima através do vento e da chuva
Ilumine meu coração com teu amor
Até o fim dos tempos
Você veio a mim como um amanhecer
Apenas brilhando como o sol
Fora dos meus sonhos, dentro da minha vida…
Você é o único…

(Refrão)
Disse que te amava, mas menti
Porque isso que eu sinto é muito maior do que amor
Disse que te amava, mas estava errada
Porque o amor nunca poderá ser tão forte quanto o meu sentimento
Disse que te amava, mas menti.

Com toda a minha alma
Eu tenho tentado em vão
Explicar as palavras do meu coração
Este gosto do paraíso tão intenso, tão verdadeiro
Que descobri em você
Por muitas razões e de várias maneiras
Minha vida apenas começou
Preciso de você para sempre
Preciso que você fique comigo
Você é o único…

(Refrão)

Você veio a mim como um amanhecer
Apenas brilhando como o sol
Fora dos meus sonhos, dentro da minha vida…
Você é o único… 

Know what’s not easy? Being a wizard. Know what else isn’t easy? Sharing your name with someone famous. Apparently Office Space’s Michael Bolton didn’t make this very serious plight clear enough to the common man, because his very same issue is shared by a 20-year old unfortunately named Harry Potter.

He feels your pain, Harry

But seriously, trying to imagine life in his shoes is, well, let’s just say it can’t be easy. I mean, I have no clue what’s the harder dilemma — sharing your name with a worldwide sensation, or learning to be a celebrity wizard at the center of all kinds of intrigue. And let’s not get started on that Voldemort guy. If you thought calling tech support was annoying, well then you don’t know the first thing about Voldemort.

All kidding aside though, this guy has it pretty rough. Every time he has to do any paperwork or say his name during a phone call, he has to convince them that it’s not a joke. And then once they finally believe that they’re talking to the Harry Potter, he needs to sit idly by until the other person can finally contain their amusement. Funny at first, but I’d bet that gets old faster than getting fouled  feet away from the Golden Snitch. Only Harry knows for sure, I suppose.

He’ll be fine, though. Uncle Hagrid’s got his back.

It seems that if enough time passes, just about any music can become ironically appreciated: Journey, Phil Collins, Christopher Cross, Mozart.  Yet, for some reason, Michael Bolton remains in the pop culture dog house.  For what?  His permamullet?  For soundtracking your wife’s third affair?  I call bullshit.  Sooner or later the hipsters will put down that ironic can of PBR and realize that The Bolt was The Man.  Did anyone ever call him “The Bolt”?  They should.  And the San Diego Chargers better make him their official mascot, pronto.  Maybe the power of that tenor will make up for L.T.’s lackluster play as of late.

When I ask myself what I expect from a decent music video, the first thing that pops into my mind is a group of horses running through superimposed fire.  You can’t go wrong with that and that is something that we get within the first 15 seconds of this video.  What could make this opening scene even better?  Cut to The Bolt holding the secrets of sex in his hands.  Then we get brief glimpses of some hot ass touching herself…IN BLACK AND WHITE!  After about a minute and a half, you may ask yourself: “Why is this video vaguely Native American?”  Probably because Native American culture is SEXXXY!  We also discover that The Bolt is waaaayyyy too sexy (Native American?) to be afraid of heights.

This video is a masterpiece of the editing room: Eagle! Fire! Sex! Chest hair! Mullet! Rocks! Horses! Perfect teeth! More mullet! Aerial shot of mullet!  Really the only part of this video that seems ridiculous is that someone would be standing on top of a mountain, in the desert, without any sunglasses.  That’s just eye damage waiting to happen.

Did I mention that this video was uploaded to YouTube by someone named “69solitarias”?  Obviously, they totally get Michael Bolton.

-Chris Piercy

This is the discussion slowly going on Justin Dessonville’s blog post. With the arguments taken from famous “Testing vs. Checking” article by Michael Bolton it once again reminds me of Luddites.

The Luddites were a social movement of British textile artisans in the early nineteenth century who protested—often by destroying mechanized looms—against the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution, which they felt were leaving them without work and changing their entire way of life.

Nowadays, automatic checks are everywhere – from electrical safety devices to jet airplane automatic control systems.  Could you imagine manually checking wiring every time you want to turn on the light? And it’s not even possible to perform a manual start-up check for a jet airplane because all the units a sealed off.

So how it works? – Humans stand at the top of the pyramid “checking – validation – judgment – decision” and look at the big picture. Make decisions. Give directions.

How it is implemented?
1. Automatic checking elements are part of the device. They are built-in.
2. A device along with the primary function provides an output allowing examine and check its state.
3. Atomic pieces of information are gathered and reconciled. Checking becomes validation.

At this point it becomes high level enough to report to a human being.

So maybe it’s an opportunity to stop “checking out the details” and start seeing forest?

Fonte: “marketpress“

Milano, 15 Ottobre 2009 – Articolato nelle ormai consuete tre sezioni, Concerti, Spettacoli, Danza, il cartellone 2009 – 2010 del Teatro degli Arcimboldi si apre con The Blue Planet. Ideato da Peter Greenaway e Saskia Boddeke, con la musica di Goran Bregovic, ha la forma di un “oratorio multimediale”, un requiem laico che mescola il lavoro dell’attore, il canto, la musica dal vivo con le tecnologie più avanzate. Uno spettacolo che ben rappresenta l’interesse dei Pomeriggi Musicali che puntano ad una “programmazione ponte” tra la tradizione e la contemporaneità. 

Tradizione e contemporaneità: i fili sottili che tessono la trama di un cartellone che porta l’opera agli Arcimboldi nelle sue evoluzioni più moderne. A novembre si alzerà il sipario su Tosca. Amore disperato. Prodotta da David Zard, l’opera di Lucio Dalla muta e cresce ad ogni ripresa. Nell’edizione realizzata per il Teatro degli Arcimboldi è stata inserita l’Orchestra dei Pomeriggi Musicali in formazione lirica, diretta da Beppe D’onghia. Ancora grandi arie d’opera nel mese di aprile: in prima assoluta arriva The Opera Show, il fenomeno più recente della scena londinese. Kolossal ideato da Mitch Sebastian insieme ad un eclettico team di artisti, stilisti, designers, è uno spettacolo esagerato – a tratti irriverente – ma mai dimentico della lezione dei grandi classici dell’opera italiana. Schiera una compagnia di cantanti, danzatori e musicisti di altissimo livello e – tra violini e bassi elettrici – lancia il vaudeville del 21 secolo. Nelle passate stagioni gli Arcimboldi hanno aperto i battenti ai grandi musical internazionali. Quest’anno è sembrato giusto dedicare particolare attenzione ad una realtà profondamente radicata nella nostra cultura: il Teatro Sistina di Roma, il tempio della commedia musicale italiana. Ecco quindi in cartellone, a dicembre, l’Italia spensierata e fiduciosa di Poveri ma belli, il musical prodotto nel 2008 per la regia di Massimo Ranieri. A gennaio un grande ritorno: Aggiungi un posto a tavola che da oltre venticinque anni raccoglie successi. Oramai un classico. Tra passato e presente, Il pianeta proibito, un classico del cinema di fantascienza del 1956, che Luca Tommassini prova a reinventare. Lo trasforma in un rock show che attinge a piene mani testi e citazioni del teatro shakespeariano, li ricompone tra canzoni famosissime degli anni ´60 e ´70 (da Elvis Presley ai Beach Boys), luci ed effetti speciali di alta tecnologia. Fiore all’occhiello delle scorse stagioni del Teatro degli Arcimboldi è stato anche il grande investimento sul fronte della Danza contemporanea che poco spazio trovava a Milano. Il pubblico ha risposto con grande entusiasmo affollando la sala in tutte le serate di programmazione. Ciò ha incoraggiato I Pomeriggi a proseguire sulla strada intrapresa e ad investire in nuove sfide. L’importante novità di quest’anno è la collaborazione avviata con il Mas di Milano che dal 21 al 23 maggio 2010 realizzerà al Teatro Degli Arcimboldi la prima edizione del Dance Machine Festival. Spettacoli di assoluto richiamo, meeting, proiezioni e stage si affiancheranno ai concorsi, articolati per diversi livelli e diverse discipline, destinati a individuare e promuovere nuovi talenti tra i giovani danzatori, in un contesto professionale che accoglie ballerini, coreografi, docenti, critici, compagnie, organizzatori. La manifestazione svilupperà le sue numerose iniziative e la sua ricca serie di eventi collaterali come happening culturale e spettacolare globale, su tutti i fronti della danza, classica, contemporanea, jazz e hip hop. Dance Machine Festival sarà cioé un vero punto di incontro tra grandi coreografi, prestigiose compagnie e giovani emergenti, un autentico momento di condivisione e interscambio tra il pubblico degli appassionati e i professionisti dell’arte della danza in tutte le sue espressioni. Cuore del festival i Concorsi “National Prize” e “International Prize” attraverso i quali il Mas intende offrire ai giovani artisti la possibilità di mettersi alla prova in presenza di autorevoli esperti del settore. Gli artisti più meritevoli saranno premiati con borse in denaro e periodi di tirocinio e di studio in prestigiosi centri nazionali e internazionali. Nell’ambito del festival, ogni sera verrà presentato uno spettacolo. Il 21 maggio sarà dedicato al balletto contemporaneo: in scena “Le Concours” di Maurice Béjart, balletto “giallo” del 1985, rappresentato raramente e solo di recente ripreso dal Béjart Ballet Lausanne La seconda serata, dedicata alla danza contemporanea e ai giovani danzatori, sarà riservata all’esibizione degli allievi diplomandi del Mas di Milano, della Lavanderia, Centro Coreografico di Collegno/torino, e del Conservatoire National de la Danse de Lyon impegnati in Rave della coreografa statunitense Karole Armitage, chiamata a firmare l’intero programma che prevede anche un carnet di brani scelti dei suoi autori-friends. La terza ed ultima serata, con la premiazione dei ballerini juniores e seniores vincitori del Concorso Dance Machine, si conclude con Tricoté, un tributo intelligente ed elegante alla Street Dance della Compagnia francese Käfig. Il Dance Machine Festival sarà preceduto da altri importanti appuntamenti con la danza classica e contemporanea. In marzo ritroveremo i danzatori della scuola russa di San Pietroburgo nella rappresentazione di La fille mal gardee presentato dalla Compagnia del Teatro dell’Opera della Repubblica Moldava, mentre in aprile sarà la volta di Les Grands Ballets Canadiens con La Bella Addormentata, originale reinterpretazione in chiave contemporanea di uno dei classici del balletto Romantico. Chiudiamo con una rapida panoramica alla Sezione Concerti. Nel solco della consuetudine tracciata negli scorsi anni, il cartellone musicale del Teatro degli Arcimboldi tende ad essere il più vario possibile, invitando star del panorama italiano e internazionale. Il cartellone di quest’anno presenta l’attesissimo ritorno in Italia del più amato degli chansonniers francesi, Charles Aznavour e l’unica tappa italiana dei tour internazionali di Tom Jones e Michael Bolton. Presentano i loro nuovi lavori Elio e Le Storie Tese, Goran Bregovic, autore anche delle musiche originali di The Blue Planet, il Premio Oscar Ryuichi Sakamoto e Claudio Baglioni. Ascolteremo il jazz raffinato di Diana Krall, fino ad arrivare al giugno 2010, con l’Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali che, diretta dal Direttore Stabile Antonello Manacorda, chiuderà il cartellone con l’esecuzione delle nove Sinfonie di Ludwig van Beethoven.

www.teatroarcimboldi.it

How good is Michael Jordan? If he made yet another comeback, I would be all for that. I still got my Bulls singlet which I purchased from a garage sale for 50c and my Jordan VII originals.

As for Michael Jackson, I hear he borrowed material for his new single ‘This Is It’. First of all no he didn’t and if he did he was going to give it back. It’s Michael Jackson. He made ‘Thriller’. I take it the gentleman laying these accusations has not heard of that album? Secondly I have not heard the “original” per se nor do I need to. Michael has an honest face and if he wants to release a song under his name then he has every right to. It’s the MJ Law: All songs are up for grabs and open to interpretation by Him.  MJ could take a Michael Bolton song, tweak it slightly and make it multi-Platinum. And non-terrible.

Lastly, and I hate to be the one to say it but come on we’re all thinking it, ‘This Is It’ is not good. It’s a bit like a fart in an elevator and if this bloke wants to claim it that’s fine by me. He needs to realise that if MJ had never ripped him off we wouldn’t even know his name today (which I currently cannot remember) so he needs to leave ‘Thriller’ and all of its contents alone, take ‘Blood on the Dancefloor’ and get out.

Amazon, CD Universe, iTunes

Michael Bolton/Murder My Heart ft. Lady GaGa [Final Version]

Michael Bolton/Murder My Heart ft. Lady GaGa [Final Version]MUST HAVE Download Now JamXclsuive please leave a comment

Download the song here

The artist has confessed that promoting his new album take a whole lot of time, so he had to give up, at least for a time, on his personal life. Moreover, in a moment of sincerity, even declared that he didn’t slept with a woman for several months.
“I have no time for sex. Right now I’m married to my career. How should I have sex when I hardly even go home? I haven’t been dating either for a while!”, said the artist.

Seen in front of my apartment.

My sister was over for an evening of watching “Ghosthunters” on DVD when this van pulled up. First, one guy got out of the driver’s seat with a long scraggly beard and an aura of hippie-come-lately. He opened the side door and rummaged around.

Eventually, another hippie got out of that side door and stood up and stretched. He was bare-chested, wearing just a vest for a top. They swished something in their mouths, and spit it out on the grass. It was lime green and foamy. I could only imagine it was Mountain Dew or Scope.

They hung out here for about a half an hour, then drove away. My sister was glad she didn’t need to leave about this time, because she didn’t want to walk by them.

A couple days later, I saw two other hippie-types walk up to my apartment building. One of them looked like a young Michael Bolten (the singer, not the character from Office Space), and the other looked like Troy Polamalu.

My favorite songs at this moment:

Michael Bolton “Soul Provider”

Michael Jackson “Man in the Mirror”

Soehne Mannheims “Ich wollte wie Orpheus singen” (Mtv unplugged version)

Pohlmann “Morgen schon”

Dobie Gray “Drift Away”

Simon & Garfunkel “Flowers never bend with the rainfall”

Jay-Z “Song Cry” (MTV Unplugged version)

Cyndi Lauper “Girls just wanna have fun”

Etta James “All I could do was cry”

Michael Bolton “Lean on me”

Pinnawela “Joy in my belly”

Some of these are my all time favorites. I love how much feeling there is in the voice of Etta James and Michael Bolton. When Michael sings “Lean on me”, he is full of passion, confidence and strength. I love this song.

Some (most) of the songs are classics but some are not. Pinnawela for example created a song full of joy and fun that makes you become more enthusiastic about life. I also like her song called

“Several times”. Pinnawela is polish but she sings in english and the whole album called “Soulahili” is just great.

As I am writing this, I am at the library listening to the tracks I mentioned above. Now a few words about “flowers never bend with the rainfall”. This song has a beautiful harmony of voices, as it is always the case with Simon & Garfunkel. It also has daunting, poetic lyrics: “The mirror on my wall caught some image dark and small, but I’m not sure at all it’s my reflection” or “So I continue to continue to pretend that my life will never end and that flowers never bend with the rainfall.

And “Song cry” – I love the entire Jay-Z unplugged album. It is this album that I started to listen to Jay-Z from. It has some amazing guests and Jay-Z shows his absolute mastery.

The last words will be about “Man in the Mirror”. I don’t know, this song just touches my heart and makes me cry from time to time. There is something universal in it, it is simply beautiful.

Anyway, if you are curious just listen to the songs online. CHeers. Hope you enjoyed the post.

1. My favorite singer of all time is unashamedly Michael McDonald.
2. I have a crush on Donald Sutherland, which is unrelated to music, but related to white hair (see #1).
3. Growing up, I learned to sing parts from listening to 4Him. Andy was my favorite.
4. I listened to a lot of BeBe and CeCe Winans as a young girl, and gospel choirs. I still love that music.
5. I discovered Christian Hit Radio in 5th grade. I used to record hours of music on tape and relisten to it.
6. I discovered the music of Carman that same year (Darn you, Christian school!) I believed God sent me Carman so I wouldn’t crush on the New Kids on the Block. It didn’t work.
7. I crushed on Carman and the New Kids on the Block. Until Michael English came along. Then Clay Crosse.
8. I sang “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonny Raitt for my college vocal recital.
9. That song (above), “Insensitive” by Jann Arden and “Lost the Plot” by the Newsboys were three of my favorite songs in college.
10. I once went to a Michael Bolton concert. It was the same day I had my front teeth bonded. Strange concurrence of memories.
11. My favorite concert entertainer is Harry Connick, Jr.
12. I want to see Brandi Carlile in concert but she’s not coming close enough on her fall tour.
13. I took piano lessons for about 10 years.
14. I played the flute for six years. My band instructor told me in Middle School that once I got my braces off, I might be pretty good, which pretty much crushed any ounce of self-confidence I had theretofore.
15. I almost minored in French in college, until my teacher told me I’d be better off minoring in English (see #14). I minored in graphic design because there was too much reading homework in English. La langue est surestimée.
16. My first interview ever as a journalism student was with Christopher Cross of “Sailing,” “Arthur’s Theme” and “Ride Like the Wind” fame.
17. I used to work at the Chevy/Geo Theater in the now defunct Opryland Do Wa Ditty City which hosted summer concerts for Alabama, Tanya Tucker and the Oak Ridge Boys. One year several acts came through, including Billy Ray Cyrus, whose sweat dripped on the top of my head while he was bending over the stage where I stood as security to prevent women from throwing their panties at him. I was also knocked down by a hoard of women rushing Randy Owen from Alabama, who then accidentally stepped on my finger while I was down. Speaking of, I leaned over to pick up my cheap watch that fell off my arm while Toby Keith happened to walk by after a meet-and-greet in the same theater. His reply was, “While you’re down there…” I didn’t know what he meant then, but I do now, and I don’t appreciate it.

This happy collection of memories is quickly going downhill.

سلام,

برای پست دوم وبلاگ 4 تا آهنگ که به نظر من بسیار زیبا هستند رو در نظر گرفته ام، جدای از اینکه آیا واقعا برای سلیقه‌ی من اعتباری قائل هستید یا نه، باید بگم که این آهنگ‌ها هر کدوم از بهترین کارهای خواننده‌هاشون هستند و شاید خیلی‌ها اولین بار میشل بولتون، عمرو دیاب، دمیس روسوس و هوشمند عقیلی رو با این آهنگها شناخته باشند.

موضوعی که سری قبل هم توضیح دادم و اینبار نیز ناگزیر به گفتنش هستم اینه که همونجور که می‌بینید هیچ تقسیم‌بندی یا مرز و محدوده‌ای در معرفی آهنگ‌ها ندارم و فقط وجه اشتراک اونها زیبا بودنشونه.

و اما آهنگ‌ها؛

آهنگ “راجعین” از عمرو دیاب که یکی از قدیمی‌ترین و بهترین آهنگ‌های این خواننده‌ی مصری است. آهنگی عاشقانه و لطیف، که من توصیه میکنم کلیپ‌اش رو هم ببینید!

این آهنگ رو می‌تونید از اینجا با حجم کم دانلود کنید.

اینهم متن عربی ترانه‌ی این آهنگ که از این سایت گرفته‌ام:

راجعين نعشق وندوب ونعيش مع بعض حياتنا
راجعين مايفيدش هروب من شوقنا ومن حكاياتنا
وتعالى تعالى تعالى ياحبيب العمر تعالى
كل اللى أنا عشته فى بعدك من عمرى ده مش محسوب

وحلفت انى هفارق وعيش من غير عينيك
مش بس لقيتنى عاشق أنا روحى لاقتها فيك

ياحبيبى بلاش نعاتب ونجيب سيرة اللى فات
ده مفيش بين الحبايب غير أحلى الذكريات

و اما آهنگ My friend the wind از Demis Roussos که بی‌شک از بهترین کارهای این خواننده‌ی دوست‌داشتنی است که البته به دلایلی نامعلوم، چندان در ایران شناخته شده نیست. اما اگر فقط یکبار یکی از آهنگاش رو گوش کنید تا “دمیس روسوس” هم به لیست خواننده‌‌‌های مورد علاقه‌تون اضافه بشه.

آهنگ My friend the wind رو میتونید از اینجا با حجم پایین دانلود کنید.

اینهم متن ترانه‌ی آهنگ که از این سایت گرفته‌ام:

My friend the wind will come from the hills
When dawn will rise, he’ll wake me again
My friend the wind will tell me a secret
He shares with me, he shares with me

My friend the wind will come from the north
With words of love, she whispered for me
My friend the wind will say she loves me
And me alone, and me alone

I’ll hear her voice and the words
That he brings from Helenimou
Sweet as a kiss are the songs of Aghapimou
Soft as the dew is the touch of Manoulamou
Oh oh oh

We’ll share a dream where I’m never away from Helenimou
Blue are the days like the eyes of Aghapimou
Far from the world will I live with Manoulamou
Oh oh oh

My friend the wind go back to the hills
And tell my love a day will soon come
Oh friendly wind you tell her a secret
You know so well, oh you know so well

My friend the wind will come from the north
With words of love, she whispered for me
My friend the wind will say she loves me
And me alone, and me alone

I’ll hear her voice and the words
That he brings from Helenimou
Sweet as a kiss are the songs of Aghapimou
Soft as the dew is the touch of Manoulamou
Oh oh oh

We’ll share a dream where I’m never away from Helenimou
Blue are the days like the eyes of Aghapimou
Far from the world will I live with Manoulamou
Oh oh oh

La la la …. Helenimou
La la la …. Aghapimou
La la la …. Manoulamou

La la la …. Helenimou
La la la …. Aghapimou
La la la …. Manoulamou

آهنگ سوم، آس فراموش‌نشدنی میشل بولتون یعنی آهنگHow Am I Supposed to Live Without You هست. آهنگی که کافیه یه بار گوش کنید تا بارها و بارها زیر لب زمزمه‌اش کنید؛ خصوصا اونجاهایی که میشل بولتون فریاد میزنه: Tell me how am I suppose to live without you

این آهنگ رو میتونید از اینجا با حجم کم دانلود کنید.

اینهم متن انگلیسی ترانه‌ی این آهنگ:

I could hardly believe it
When I heard the news today
I had to come and get it straight from you
They said you were leavin’
Someone’s swept your heart away
From the look upon your face, I see it’s true
So tell me all about it, tell me ’bout the
Plans you’re makin’
Then tell me one thing more before I go

Tell me how am I suppose to live without you
Now that I’ve been lovin’ you so long
How am I suppose to live without you
How am I suppose to carry on
When all that I’ve been livin’ for is gone

I didn’t come here for cryin’
Didn’t come here to break down
It’s just a dream of mine is coming to an end
And how can I blame you
When I build my world around
The hope that one day we’d be so much
More than friends
And I don’t wanna know the price i’m
Gonna pay for dreaming
When even now it’s more than I can take

And I don’t wanna face the price i’m
Gonna pay for dreaming
Now that your dream has come true

و آخرین آهنگی که در این پست معرفی و برای دانلود میذارمش، سنتی عاشقانه‌ي “گلنار” است که اجراهای مختلفی داره، ولی من این آهنگ رو با صدای هوشمند عقیلی ارائه می‌دم. آهنگی بسیار نوستالژیک و احساسی، که یاد و خاطره‌ی عشق‌های قدیمی و یا عشق‌های اول رو در آدم زنده میکنه. اینهم از اون آهنگهایی ه که مغز رو خارش میده و ملودی و متن‌اش ملکه ذهن آدم میشه.

آهنگ گلنار با صدای هوشمند عقیلی رو میتونید از اینجا با حجم کم دانلود کنید.

اینهم متن ترانه‌ی این آهنگ که از این سایت به وام گرفته‌ام:

گلنار گلنار
کجایی که از غمت ناله میکند عاشق وفادار
گلنار گلنار
کجایی که بی تو شد دل اسیر غم دیده ام گهربار
گلنار گلنار
دمی اولین شب آشنایی و عشق ما به یاد آر
گلنار گلنار
در آن شب تو بودی و عیش و عشرت و آرزوی بسیار
چه دیدی از من حبیبم گلنار
که دادی آخر فریبم گلنار
نیابی ای کاش نصیب از گردون
که شد ناکامی نصیبم گلنار
بود مرا
در دل شب تار
آرزوی دیدار
تا به کی پریشان
تا به کی گرفتار

یا مده مرا وعده وفا راز خود نگهدار
یا به روی من خنده ها بزن قلب من بدست آر

چه دیدی از من حبیبم گلنار
که دادی آخر فریبم گلنار
نیابی ای کاش نصیب از گردون
که شد ناکامی نصیبم گلنار

I quite enjoyed X Factor last night. No sob stories, less really-bad-and-really-pointless singers, and some nice voices. Saying that, it was still rather dull, and I’m counting the days until the auditions are over and Bootcamp finally starts. This just isn’t cutting it for me, to be honest.

One small thing to get off my chest: why is it that the producers insist on snubbing Miss Dannii Minogue? For weeks now they’ve been featuring the comments of Simon, Louis and Cheryl, whereas Dannii has been relegated to a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. It was more blatant than ever last night. You could argue that the Xtra Factor makes up for this (Dannii generally gets much more airtime on that show), but really, who takes the Xtra Factor seriously? It’s fun and light (well, not so much last night, but more on that later), but it’s not like it means anything. Dannii typically has the most constructive comments, yet instead we’re seeing Louis make his usual comments about how generic-blonde-boy #9000 is a young whoever, Cheryl going about how some contestant ‘doesn’t know how good (s)he really is’, and Simon digging up one of his now unfunny metaphors from American Idol S2, unaware that he used it the same one a few months ago. Ugh. Just give them equal airtime, producers…that’s all I’m asking.

Re: The Xtra Factor…was I the only one who thought it was lacking it’s usual dorky charm last night? It never really picks up until the Live Shows anyway, but it’s still fun to watch if your bored. This one fell flat, I thought.

As for the contestants…

Lucie Jones (16-25 girl), from a tiny village just outside of Cardiff, certainly had charm. The voice? Well, when she said she was going to sing ‘I Will Always Love You’ by Whitney Houston (it’s by Dolly Parton, but w/e >_>), I was expecting the worse. I’ve got to say though, I was pleasantly surprised. She had a lovely, organic tone to her voice, to the point were she actually reminded me of S1’s Cassie Compton; a ’smaller’ voice than your typical Whitney/Mariah-wannabe, if you will, but no over-the-top quirkiness/stylistic choices to detract from her still-gorgeous voice. A little West End, but I for one like musical theatre, so that’s a plus. I was actually frightened that Lucie would attempt the dreaded key change and in turn destroy her entire performance, but she didn’t, so good for her. My favourite contestant so far.

Watch Lucie take on the prized gem of Dolly’s songbook:

Jade Fubara (16-25 girl) proved to be yet another stand-out; it’s looking like the Girls could be the category to watch yet again this year. ‘And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going’ has been done to death on TXF, AI, BGT, AGT etc, but she sang it well nonetheless. If there’s any criticism about her audition, it’s the fact that her performance didn’t *quite* match the song. AITYING is supposed to be overwrought, powerful and ‘Diva’-ish. You need to go all out, otherwise it’s not really worth your time going for it at all. When Jennifer Holliday sang it, you believed her: she really was telling you that she wasn’t going (I’ll post a link at the bottom of the entry). Jade sang it well, and perhaps it’s nice that she ‘made it her own’, but it was more a case of her timidly requesting that her lover stays, rather than telling him that she’s not going. Either way, she sang it well, and she could be one to watch.

Watch Jade requesting that she stay:

Lloyd Daniels (16-25 boy) had a nice enough voice that was very, very Welsh…he proved that with his a cappella performance. Still, he really, REALLY messed up his rendition of ‘I’m Yours’ (which I’m sick of, to be frank…I like Jason Mraz a lot, but there’s a limit…), and had he not been the perfect little Aryan boy, then Chezza wouldn’t have given him a second chance. I realize that having what the judges and general public view as the ‘total package’ can be an advantage, but we’ve seen with Leon and Shayne Ward that good looks =/= the X Factor. So yeah, I’m going into Bootcamp with a lot of bad feelings re: Lloyd. I’m sure he’s lovely, but I’m viewing him as a contestant on a show, not as a person. He was unfairly pimped (it’s not like he had great performing skills or even as good a voice as the likes of Danyl), and I’m against that.

Watch Lloyd’s somewhat lack-luster first audition:

Daniel Williams (16-25 boy) sang ‘Let It Be’ well, but came across as totally bland, and lacked the vulnerability amd heart that the song requires. Nice voice, but I doubt he’ll make the live shows. Remember when Brooke White sang ‘Let It Be’? Of course you do, because it was amazing. If you don’t, then YouTube it. In fact, I’ll post a video of that too! Not much left to say about Daniel…like I said, he has a very good voice technically, but I’m never going to root for him, so eh…

Watch his audition:

Aside from those four, there isn’t much worth mentioning. That French Mariah-fan (Fouad Djaoublia) was pretty delusional, and the crowd didn’t exactly help. Oh dear at his ‘…in you, and you, and you…‘ Mimi impersonation. Weird way to close the show. The former couple act, Combined Effort, was also all kinds of awkward, but kind of sweet too. Shame the guy’s a bit of a prat, but she seems lovely.

Dermot continues to improve, but he’ll most likely fall to pieces come the live shows. Holly was off, as was the entire Xtra Factor show. We’ve already discussed the judges.

I guess that’s it then. Check out the YouTube links.

Bye!

Jennifer Holliday singing ‘And I’m Telling You…’. The song itself starts at around 3.32:

Brooke White’s show-stopping cover of ‘Let It Be’:

 De acordo com o site australiano Red Eye The Fame Monster acompanhará um livro.

Aparentemente o livro será do tipo coffee table book, ou seja, será daqueles bem grandes cheios de foto e outras coisas, mas isso tudo é especulação, nenhum comentário oficial foi feito no que diz respeito ao conteúdo do livro.

O site diz que o produto estará disponivel para venda no dia 24/11 e que será um disco duplo, também terá a versão sem o livro.

O preço dado até o momento pelo site é de US$ 122,18 (com o livro) e US$ 117,68 (sem o livro).

O site diz que esse é o valor para o produto importado, então não sabemos quanto será ele realmente nos Estados Unidos.

Confesso que estou um pouco cansado de todo mundo falar da Gaga, mas ainda gosto muito dela, principalmente da parte menos comercial. 

Certamente comprarei esse cd, com o livro.

Por falar nisso:

Ela escreveu  uma música para o Michael Bolton, que já  vazou na net, Murder My Heart. Pra mim parece que é a Gaga que faz os back-vocals dessa música.

Lady Gaga, Lady Gaga…boy has she been the talk of the town, I mean media..lol. However, it isn’t over yet. Ms. Gaga has sparked the media’s interest with talk of her and Michael Bolton formulating a collaboration. The song is titled “Murder My Heart” and will be featured on Bolton’s upcoming album, One World Love, scheduled to debut at the end of the month. Mr. Bolton fell in love with the artist’s talent after hearing her music, and agreed to work with her.  Michael stated that, “she reminded him of the young Madonna.” Wow! That’s a lot to live up to. Gaga has always been a fan of the artist and was more than ready to get to work.

Well Ms. Gaga, you’ve got your work cut out for you, living up to Ms. Madonna, but I think you’re off to a great start.

I wonder if Michael will use this song as a single…we shall see. Keep your ears open!

Lady Gaga is known for her chart-topping pop songs and unusual stage attire but she’s managed to shock fans again, teaming up with Michael Bolton.

Access Hollywood has confirmed that Gaga has co-written a ballad with the adult-contemporary singer, expected to land on his upcoming album, “One World Love,” which is due out later this month. According to MTV News, the song is called “Murder My Heart.”
Gaga may now be an international sensation, but the “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You” singer apparently met her before she was famous.

“I was taking a break from production when my manager and the label tag-teamed me on the phone about writing with a young artist named ‘Lady Gaga’ who I had never heard of but they were raving about,” Bolton recounted to London’s Metro newspaper. “They said that she was a huge fan of mine and wanted to write with me.”