Now I don’t usually keep up with American Idol and honestly, I was never a big fan of the show.  I mean really, all it was, was just a bunch of decent to amazing singers with the occasional horrifying singer added for laughs, competing for a jacked up record deal. I see this every Sunday in church sans the record deal.  No need to tune in for more during the week. But now, I feel that I am inclined to watch.  Has this show officially turned into a joke?  Now don’t get me wrong; I get it.  I really do get it.  Miley is a huge teen Disney star. Enough said, right? I mean don’t all Disney stars know how to sing, act, and dance? They’re all triple threats right? And Miley is no exception.  What is debatable, and only if you are blind or deaf, is if she does them well. I’ll leave that up for you to decide.

I believe that on this Wednesday, I will be thoroughly entertained for the first time from a reality show.  I’m sure they will walk her through her process of putting on a great performance and show all the wise and wanted advice she has gained from all her years of experience in this business. I’m sure the contestants are just as happy as I will be to watch.  So please, tune in this Wednesday to watch this industry veteran help these poor kids out. We’ll see if she’s worth all the hype…after all, she did make it to the New York Times.

This year’s event just proved that, when given a chance, the most unlikely people are able to go to the top even when they might be the butt of a joke. Stereotypically,

white girls + hip hop = cheerleading

This performance went far beyond that as they strutted their street savvy sexiness about the stage confidentially and without fear of rejection.

This of course has sparked a serious amount of controversy and debate as some people feel that a white sorority shouldn’t have even had the chance to enter the contest (which has been a black college tradition for decades). But with that kind of thinking, we wouldn’t have a Black president, a Latino Supreme Court justice, or a California Governor from Austria.

So what do you think? Should tradition be protected or challenged?

Especially the married ones, like Tiger who people have been obsessing over.  There’s Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union, David Beckham and his assistant, and while we’re at it, we simply can’t forget the Kobe saga.  We’ve all heard and seen it before, and are still surprised and shocked when yet another one of our top athletes does something wrong in his personal life.

The pitiful press conference put on by Tiger Woods, aka his people, has marked this situation as one of the most scandalized affairs in sports history. And as eloquent as the speech writer… (cough) I mean Tiger Woods is, I still find it quite maddening that this circus show is still going on. 

Here are the facts:

- Tiger confessed to his wife and then every national newspaper did it for him.

- He has done the rehab stint required of all public imbeciles we call heroes (only in America).

- And he had previously put out a statement apologizing already.

What more can we ask for? Now, being the avid golf fan that I am [insert sarcasm here] I understand why Tiger is such a big deal.  He’s freaking amazing when it comes to the damn sport and he just so happens to be quite hot. But this is about all I require of him as an athlete.  In fact, this is about all I require of any athlete.  I strongly urge everyone to follow my lead on this.

I sincerely don’t give a rat’s ass what he does in his private life, mainly because I have my own life to worry about. You know the gist: bills, family, school, work, etc.  It’s really none of our business what he does so long as it doesn’t affect his playing abilities.  (Granted, that voicemail was pure entertainment for me, and I played it on repeat a several times and plan to recite it word for word at parties.)

At the end of the day, Tiger didn’t do anyone any favors with that press conference or his urgent apology.  The golf fan in me wondered why he decided to do it during the PGA tour.  Can we say attention whore? Just because your pretty doesn’t mean you can take all the airtime you need to get things off your chest. Especially when The View is on. It just ain’t right!

It just aint.

So, I guess at the end of the day, all of our beloved athletes are screwed up yet are playing better than ever and Dr. Drew will never be out of a job.

[clearing throat] Me.

One year ago, Britney Spears was still recovering from a major meltdown and regaining the trust of her fans who were left shaky after her failed attempt at a comeback with the critically acclaimed Blackout album. Moving on to Circus, her sixth studio album, she razzled and dazzled to the best of her ability with safe pop tracks, limited promotion, and a mediocre tour. It was enough to keep the die-hards happy while she received medical attention and a much needed recovery that kept her away from interviews, live broadcasts, and further media scrutiny. With the latest release of “3″, it appears that Spears is ready to take charge as Forbes Magazine’s second most powerful musician.

According to Digital Spy Magazine, “3″ is a “pure pop with a soupçon of controversy” as it flirts with the idea of having a threesome. Sure, Spears has been teasing audiences since her debut in 2000 with sexual hints and mischievous allusions but in this track she spell it out. She even goes on to name “Peter, Paul, and Mary,” which some might think is a biblical reference as she sings, “Living in sin is the new thing.” But Clark Collis of Entertainment Weekly, who sides with the older generation of music fans, points out in a review that it “is an unfortunate [mentioning of the legendary folk group] given the very recent death of Mary Travers.”

The song is a basic hypnotic chant supported by synthesized vocals and the infamous auto-tune technology. Spears’ voice is variably monotone, which extends its shelf-life for intoxicated karaoke worldwide. Her singing is well-harmonized but barely escapes the typical whiny and nasally nursery rhyme motif that has been dominating the pop scene for the past decade with chart toppers such as Kristina Debarge’s “Goodbye,” Rhianna’s “Umbrella” and Spears’ previous single “If You Seek Amy.” Spears does not reinvent the wheel. “The bottom line is this is another irresistibly catchy pop confection that beats out most everything else on pop radio today,” explains Bill Lamb, music editor at About.com.

The lyrics are simple and humorous, with an adult attitude that emerges from Spears’ newly authentic vixen persona. Although it mentions playing “Twister on the floor,” “3″ is not about games. Unlike Slave 4 U and Radar, which left audiences to discover the endless innuendo possibilities, the song is upfront with all puns intended. With an orgasmic moan repeated throughout, the song indicates a new post-pop-tart era that frees Britney Spears from any responsibility as a role model.

Written by Max Martin, who also wrote “Oops… I Did It Again,” the song features a heavy, unapologetic, club anthem that is reminiscent of the work of DJ Luke Skywalker of the early 1990′s. Listeners will hear a futuristic rush of keyboard riffs, combined with inventive drum manipulations and bass syncopation. The song is musically dynamic as the hook, chorus, verse and bridge are each individually supported by their own unique melodies that flow into and from one another. (It is a basic formula for a pop song designed to prolong the life of the Britney Spears brand.) It’s catchy enough to survive public scrutiny and buys Spears time to prepare for her next album release. It is a gear-shifting song for the singer who once used to sing “I’m not a girl, not yet a woman.”

Will people like this new version of BS? So far the track has already shot to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, an accomplishment Spears has only done twice before with Baby One More Time and Womanizer. Perhaps that the 27-year-old-mother of two can keep up this momentum while audiences remain hyped about her bounce back from the dark side.

Side Note: The original version of this, before it was edited, was more biased than Dolly Parton judging a wet t-shirt contest.

Quintin: What and when was your first musical performance?

Matthew Santos: I believe my first performance was when I was 16 probably at a coffee shop or something like that or an in school performance. I even did a concert in my backyard with neighbors and friends. We charged a dollar for admission. I had a nice little deck set up with amps to terrorize the neighborhood.

Q: What was your favorite performance so far?

M: That’s hard to say but I would have to say that my favorite one was rocking with Lupe at the Target Center of Minneapolis, my hometown. I used to see all these little kiddy shows there like Disney on ice when I was a kid. It was just crazy being there, performing on that stage in front of 12,000 people. That was pretty amazing. And there have been some great shows with my manager in Chicago played in the Metro once last year, and that was a pretty incredible show.

Q: I know you perform with a band is it the same group of people or do you have to change members?

M: One of our important members of the band, Viva Jay, a back-up singer and beautiful vocalist, recently moved to New York to pursue other interests. So, hopefully she’ll still be playing with us.

Q: How to get your life settled and pulled together, how do you hire your band members and others?

M: Well, a lot of people have been a part of the project since the beginning. There has never been a lot of money to hire people to do these things, so a lot of people are just working out of passion, and out of love for the project, to see its growth and success. We are working towards a situation where we can be self-sustained and actually work as a legit music company. You find people who love the project and have faith in it. It is a blessing to find people to help in different areas. For the band, it was easy. Everyone fell into my lap. I met everyone through someone, another friend, and we just gelled together.

Q: So networking?

M: Yeah networking. You put out a vibe and the universe responds to it and gives you what you need. And that is a proven fact.

Q: Superstar was nominated for a Grammy. What is like to be a part of the Grammy hype? What was going through your head during that whole process?

M: Oh man, I had just bought these new shoes, honesty, and they were killing my feet. I don’t know how you women wear these high heels. Not, that I was wearing high heels, but it made me feel like I was.
It was pretty incredible. I had great seats. Lupe and I were sitting next to M.I.A who was pretty much giving birth at the time. I got to meet Tony York from Radiohead and John Mayer came over to say “What’s Up.” It was a night full of pop rock stars. It was cool. I got to see Paul McCartney play.

Q: Did you write anything or practice a speech just in case you won?

M: No. Even if Lupe and I did win that Grammy, I am pretty sure it would be just Lupe talking and I would be standing there next to him smiling. I have mixed feelings about the whole Superstar thing. It was a blessing because it got the name out there to millions of people. People in countries I haven’t even heard of have hit me up on MySpace so it’s crazy but at the same time it’s not really like the music that I make. So with this whole success thing I always felt that I always along for the ride. I didn’t feel like it was my success. It was more Lupe’s success and I was more kind of accenting his success.

Q: Does this mean that you are trying harder to get your stuff out now? I know that your sound is different from what you have done with Lupe, so are you trying to make sure you keep those fans?

M: That’s a tricky subject. I think a lot of Lupe fans are just music lovers in general. Music lovers are not just of one genre, they love everything from Bjork to Billy Holliday and that is where I am coming from because that is the kind of music that I love. I am making the music that I love and it happens to expand over many genres. Some of Lupe’s fans might like some of my songs; some of them might not like some of my songs. That’s fine. You just have to do what you love.

Q: You have a new CD that is about to come out. How is it different from anything you have produced so far?

M: It’s really different. Before my music was much more down tempo. And I did a live acoustic album in 2007. This is something I have never done before which is try to create more upbeat poppy music. At the time that this album was conceived, which was last summer actually, we were being pitched to a lot of major labels. I was trying to create songs that were still me but had major label appeal so they would be interested in pushing it and working with me. I tried to make good pop music, which is difficult for me because I am not really a pop musician.

Q: How would you define pop music? Is it about being popular or catchy?

M: Well, catchy stuff you hear on the radio. The song On the Radio is actually about pop music, the omega radio hits. The music tends to be more flat than round, I should say.

Q: So you don’t want to fix yourself to a genre, but if you did have to how would describe it?

M: I’m kind of working in a fusion of soul, funk and rock n roll. We experiment with all sorts of production. Even though it’s soulful rock there is a little bit of hip-hop production and electronica. We are pulling from all sorts of genres and pools.

Q: When you are working on your own stuff what keeps your drive going?

M: That changes but ultimately it is about staying on your creative edge, making sure that you are making art that is to the best of your ability and trying to always strive for your greatest potential as an artist.

Q: Often, artists get offers to do major things that they may not necessarily agree with. There is always this question of when you are about to sell out. What is your definition of selling out?

M: My definition of selling out is when you have a corporate sponsor come and say, “Hey, will you endorse our product.” Another person may say that selling out is making commercial music for mainstream success. The whole Disney “Hannah Montana” and “Jonas Brothers” movement is a very clear picture of pop music today. When you become a commercial artist, some people say you sell out, but no one knows what it is like until you are faced with that decision. I felt like I was almost selling out when I said yes to do Superstar with Lupe.

Q: Really?

M: Yeah. Even though he is an up-and-coming hip-hop artist, and sort of a conscience artist that is considered mainstream, the definition is a thin line. It is hard to say, but you know you are selling out when you are making music that you don’t love for the purpose of making money.

Q: What is the effect that you want to have on people?

M: I just want to get people feeling something. If you have a song or a piece of art that brings someone into themselves in a reflective nature and makes them feel something, whatever that may be, it is a human experience. Art is the human experience and it really embodies that. We all have our own little gifts, however subtle. Not everyone can be a Picasso, but we all have something offer the planet, to the world, and the culture at large. My songs are about taking responsibility for that.

To listen to the unedited version of this interview, check out this podcast episode entitled “Getting Your Hustle On.”

For more info visit their site here!

Spoiler Alert:

The story focuses on Schmelky, the villain, and Emmett, the romantic hero. Emmett is an actor who comes to Schmelky for an audition and instead finds himself captive in his loony sinister world. He falls for the lovely Katie (Ashford) and interacts with a gaggle of crazy characters in the process. There is also a mysterious Banana Man… but they would not tell me anything more about him other than the fact that it is a surprise!

[Kris Broun] -verb
1. to strike violently or forcefully and repeatedly.
2. to give blows to the head; pound
3. to cut, wound, or tear with the teeth
4. to kill by stopping the breath in any manner; choke; stifle; suffocate.

Tamara, if you don’t shut the hell up I will Chris Brown you then sell your body to the Mormons.

Doesn’t that sound like fun? Oh, it was such a great addition to my quintonic dictionary until:

[Awkward Silence]
Is he… for serious?

I mean he nearly kills our only black Cover Girl, and tries to play it off like a professional writer didn’t make this speech for him. Chris, some of them words are too big for you dude.

My favorite part:

My mother and my spiritual teachers have taught me way better than that. I TOLD RHIANNA…

 

I don’t think you really need a spiritual teacher to tell you to avoid putting someone in a headlock nonjokingly with the intent to kill. Don’t you just hate people who give you tired old formal apologies but still plan to kill you the next time they get a chance? And that is what the new Chris Brown means

[kris brown] -verb

1. to give a wiggity wack apology only because you got caught or called out for doing something you knew you had no business doing.
2. to appear regretful to a female while plotting to ruin her life further with you fists and/or teeth.

Tamara, I’m so sorry for pushing your head into the CTA door like that. It was immature. My mother and my spiritual teachers taught me better -BAM!- Take that! -Slap Slap- Ha! How you like me now, wotie.

I know his people are about to launch a full throttle campaign to get him back on the charts… but that police report is a reminder to anyone who has a sister, daughter, niece, aunt and mother that abusive men exist and that we should all be on the lookout for the signs. Ten dollars to the person who can explain to me why he’s still alive… No, really. :-/

PS. I really did push Tamara’s head into CTA property earlier today… then she cooked me dinner. I’m just being honest.

Then all of my friends united to remind me that I should not forgive her and I should save my money for more important things. They did this via facebook:

But the last stone that did me in was a lovely gift from my friend Natalie:

The quickest way to turn me off is to make me look ugly. -Psalms 369