My Rant on the BET Awards

Instead of releasing a review, I instead will give you guys a short rant about this years' show and the BET Awards in general, and what I feel about it. This isn't from watching the show last night, because I couldn't; it's from the tweets and FB posts all over the Internet. That's what made me write this post.And yeah, I may be whining and all, but this was on my mind and I really wanted to let it out, so...

Before I get into this later, I need to mention the crap about last year:
The awards presentations were really long and dragging very quickly. I don't know who thought it was a great idea for the presenters to come out on stage and talk some boring shit and then announce the winner, but you should be fired or demoted. Your work there was shit. You should not let one actor praise a young actor while he praises you for the same thing; it's basically "I'm proud to share the stage with you" over and over, you shouldn't let an actor do perverted dancing and act lustly with your co-stars, and you definitely should not let Kevin Hart scream "TURN UP!!" over and over and then getting into a fake fight with someone. It shouldn't take a full 1-2 minutes to do that. And it annoyed me to death. Whoever produced this years' show, think about your choices before bringing them to life. Because I can change the channel to Rising Star next year if I have to (and if it comes back, too).

Also, don't you think BET didn't put as much promotion or awareness to this year as it did last year? I barely saw any bilboards, bus ads, TV spots or any other promotions for the show. Fortunately, because of my knowledge that the BETAs are usually held in late June, my love of Wikipedia, and that I still watch 106 & Park (yes, that's still on the air.), I had my fill of what's happening this year (sadly). Other people, not so much. I've read on the social media sites that people barely noticed the BETAs were going to even air. So because of this, and the frustration over the shitty half of last years' show, I had less interest in this show than I did in years' past. Also because the same old performers came back and no excitement. Even the CMT Music Awards has more excitement than this, and I'm the only one in my family who watches it.

Let's start with Best New Artist. I fucking hate August Alsina. He sucks, his voice sucks, his songs suck (one of them I reviewed earlier this month), and all I find about him suck. I know I shouldn't rip on the poor boy, but I will anyway. I think he doesn't deserve the Best New Artist award. I don't find him talented at all. I thought Ariana Grande should win, but knowing the BET Awards, I felt sad to know that that won't happen. Because she isn't black and isn't well liked by the core demographic, Ari doesn't stand a chance of winning. But I see BET pushing this guy to super-stardom too fast. And that's evident by the fact that they wanted him to be in the main show, instead of the Pre-show, where heavyweights like Rick Ross, DJ Khaled and Yo Gotti performed. Despite the sex appeal he has (and I see little of it), he ain't that talented.

Now to Best Female Hip Hop Artist: I'll put aside the ranting on Nicki Minaj winning again, because I'm not gonna waste time or lose sleep over it. We all knew she was going to win again. Not because she's the best (Eve is better than her, and I do like Pills N Potions a lot), but because of the fact that she kept winning year after year that it get just unbearably annoying. And that there was no clear competition. Also, the fact that her fans just think that despite the chances of her losing are 100 million to 1, they still act like it's slim pickings out there, hope and pray to God that she wins, and (when she wins) they act like Jesus came back to Earth. Get your head out of your asses!! You should know at least 2 years ago that she would win hands down. It's dull, boring, and isn't worth anyone's time anymore. And the way BET moved this up to the end of the broadcast while Video of the Year is the fourth award given is unbelievable. Also the things she said when she won the award were basically a slap-in-the-face shade thrown at Iggy Azalea. Nicki, you won an award, don't start a beef with someone who just so happens to have 2 monster hits on the Billboard charts. She'll mop the floor with you. And being the winner 5 times in a row, you never had competition, so you automatically won the perform, and you act shocked when you win. But when you finally have good, worthy competition, you throw good, hard, brutal shade at Iggy (despite the fact that you said it wasn't.), it made you look like straight-up not-so-humble bitch. The next time you win (which I'm calling--she's winning next year, too), BET will finally come to their senses and dis

Also, I feel the BETAs have gotten more racial these past few years. (I don't care if you call me a racist). Only black artists sing and black actors and musicians appear to present awards. There are barely any white actors or musicians doing anything and no one of other ethnic groups appear at all. I know this is BET and they representing and pleasing their core audience (and a very brainless one at that), but if even The NAACP Image Awards have white, Asian, Latino people appear at the show and have some nominated, maybe you should cut the bullshit. Only few white musicians won a BET Award (the last being Macklemore & Ryan Lewis last year, and even that wasn't shown on TV) And the way you go about it is just plain cold.

Plus, the fact that Chris Brown keeps appearing every year. It's fine if it's two times in a row, and I'd be fine with three times in a row, but this is just ridiculous. He just left prison on a probation violation. It just shows you how well and how long BET will keep kissing his ass so he can keep performing at the BETAs. They say it's a surprise he performed, but it's a surprise to me that they keep having him perform over and over. I know that he has hits, and I like some of them, but it's annoying to me.

I also wanna mention that I felt that when Iggy Azalea performed, I could barely hear her. Call me crazy, but while I can hear everyone else loud and clear, I thought she barely went over the backing track. The reason I thought this is because that this was done intentionally. Why? Well, I can't explain it, but that's all I have.
Also, everyone was bitching when she did her set, saying they can't hear her and that she was lip-synching. Your volume was probably down. But you can clearly hear her voice overlapping with it. You're just whining that she's there.

And that's all I have to say, because I'm not watching the BET Awards anymore if I have to subject myself to more of this shit.

Remembering Michael Jackson: Five Years Later

Hi everyone. This is Andrew.
Today I'm releasing a more serious post because today is the day the world never thought would happen and will never forget. Today is the fifth anniversary of the death of one of the biggest, most powerful, and most influential entertainers in the history of music: King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson.

Everyone remembers where they were when he died. I was outside my house playing with my brothers and sisters and some friends when the news came. My mom called us inside and shown us the TV, which had MSNBC at the time, and we watched rolling coverage of Jackson's death as it was repeated over and over, "Michael Jackson has died." I was 15 years old at the time, and when I heard it, I got reaally sad, and so did my siblings, who felt much more heartbroken. We were kids at the time, yet it's surprising that we know who the person who just died is very well and have the kind of bond with that person, even though we've never met him, and he isn't related to us in any way.
Hours after the sad news, we went outside and listened to cars passing by, and they were playing Jackson's music, and it was really loud, too. That proved that almost everyone loved Michael's music and felt so close to it.

This was the first time in a while the death of someone impacted me so very hard. The frst was Mister Fred Rogers in 2003 (and you probably felt the same way, too). His music touched millions of people around the world, with the messages, spirit, and iconic beats and dance moves. You could feel his love and passion of his music when you listen.

Of course, outside of the of person's family, the world never changes when someone passes away. But Jackson is pretty much the closest thing to an exception. He brought the world together with his music, his tours, his moves and his spirit. So it's understandable that his death was really shocking to everyone, including me. But his music will still live on, and it will be just as great as they were in the years they've been released.
We will miss you, Michael Jackson. You are gone, you will never be forgotten.

Rising Star Weekly Review: Episode 1--Premiere

Welcome to Maroon Mondays' weekly review of Rising Star, the newest reality singing competition show in America (of many). Well, I wanted to do this to--well, because there's nothing else to do on a Sunday night. Also, this is not a review by a professional columnist; just from a guy who created this blog because he was bored with his life. These are my opinions, and I stand by them. And they're much more subtle (and much less brutal) than the reviews on the TV show websites.

Hi everyone.
The premiere finally aired last night, so here's the basics of Rising Star.
A contestant auditions for a spot on the show. He/she sings a song for the judges and the audience. If you watch American Idol and/or The Voice, you know what happens here. If the contestant impresses the judges, he/she goes through to the next round. Here's the twist, though. The "judges" aren't actually judges at all (they're "experts"), the show is live, and something blocks the contestant from seeing the judges and audience: a huge video screen called "The Wall". For the contestant to go through, they have to impress someone else: the citizens of America. They are the judges, and if they're impressed, they vote to put him/her to the next round. If they're liked, the wall raises. If they can't sing well enough, it stays down, they don't go to the next round and they go home.

For a major example, here is an amazing audition video of two rabbis named Arie and Gil Gat singing "Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel on the earlier Israeli version, HaKokhav HaBa (meaning "The Next Star"). Seriously, it's awesome!!

And here they are again singing "Hotel California" by The Eagles. These guys are fantastic! Not to mention they reached second place in the competition.


The series is hosted by Josh Groban, with Ludacris, Ke$ha and Brad Paisley as the "Experts". They don't exactly fill the mold as the judges. They do give opinions...and nothing else.
So Let's get this review started, shall we?

So we've met the host and the experts, heard about the show, what it's about and what it does to change the lives of contestants--blah blah blah.
After the experts got to their seats, Brad talked about meeting President Obama on Air Force One, and after that, Josh asked Kesha if she meet the Prez too, when Brad blurted out a joke about Bill Clinton (post-Monica Lewinsky) waning to meet her. The joke? “I think Bill Clinton’s her type.”

I laughed like hell. I admit it was cold and inappropriate, but hey, we laugh at inappropriate things sometimes. I already love them from the moment they opened their mouths, and Josh is a great clone-ish version of Ryan Seacrest. He has a nice amount of heart and humility and be close to the contestants without sounding robotic.


First up, the very first contestant, Joshua Peavy sang "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" and almost immediately hit it out the park. The experts were already impressed, with Brad and Kesha hitting their pads and almost pressed Luda's pad, while he stopped them to make sure he did the right thing, and did. His voice was fantastic, smooth and raw with a touch of Kenny Rogers (just a touch). He deserved to go through and I'm glad he is; even though I thought the producers put him first to gain buzz. Either way, he's so damn good.


Next, Lisa Punch from Brooklyn, New York (by way of Georgetown, Guyana) sang the classic Whitney Houston tune "How Will I Know". I like her voice a lot, but I feel it's pitchy in a couple places. But, she did pack the "punch" (get it? Pun.) in her audition. The Experts waited a while but later made the decision to give her the "Up" vote, just in time before her set ended. I feel sorry for her upbringing though. I hope she does get a nicer home life after the show. I guess the point of these shows; making people feel sorry for contestants because they're poor, and use it to help the contestant go through.


Then, Maneepat Malloy from Bangkok, China, sang "Con Te Partiro", an Andrea Bocelli signature. She's only 16 and she can almost sing like she's in an opera. She got a "Yes" vote from Kesha, and the first "Down" vote from Luda. I definitely understood his reason though; this song is a little too tough for an opera singer, let alone a teenager. So she needs to change her genre of choice soon, if she wants to advance in the competition. I find this one very so-so.

Our next contestants are the first couple to audition, Daniel & Olivia. I liked them well; they're a sweet couple who met because of their shared love of music. However...
I just didn't like their audition; it just wasn't that good. I didn't like it, the experts didn't like it, and America didn't like it. Their energy was great, though. They shouldn't quit at music.

Next up, Jesse Kinch from Seeford, New York. He sang "I Put a Spell on You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins Before I get to his audition, I need to talk about his hair. It is beautiful. It's like a mix of Jim Morrison and Jesus. If I was white (or whiter than I am now), I want to grow it out and make it look like that.
And now his audition...His VOICE. God. Damn. His voice was giving me life. So booming, so awesome, so breath-taking. All of the Experts said "Yes" from the minute he sang, and America voted faster than my typing this review. From start to finish, it was magnificent. And his singing voice was a complete contrast from his talking voice, which was quiet like a mouse. I need to have sex to this rendition. Sorry if that was creeping you out, but that was sooooo good. And I'm sooooo glad he went through.'

Because of this, I name him the Favorite Performance of the Week.
I hope he's proud.

On the other side of the break, the first group Beyond 5, group of guys that are not more than 5 from Nashville, sang soon-to-be legendary Aloe Blacc song "Wake Me Up". It was very mixed for me; I didn't like some of their voices, kinda very screechy. Plus their dancing was corny at best. And they look like One Direction; the only good thing about them. So they need to fix the harmony. And it wasn't just that; they need the dancing fixed, too. Also, their name is ironic; there are five members in their name, with no more than that. Get it?

Before the next contestant, here are some random thoughts I had from watching:

Luda kept pressing the Red butting like he was leaving a building. Three acts getting the down vote. I'm not gonna hate him, because he has great points. He's not stupid when it comes to judging acts, he's much smarter than he lets on. Also, while it's her decision and her opinion, I find it a little irritating that Kesha Up-votes almost every act. I understand they all might have potential, but giving them an Up-vote makes people hating you because you're an "I think everyone has talent and I believe them. Yay Grass!" type of people. You can be subtle, just be honest, too. Also, I love when one of the experts gets up, walks over to other experts' pads, and press the pads for them. It makes me happy and makes me laugh. Especially when Luda does it. And I loooove Josh Groban as host; he's quirky, humorous, and has a lot of heart, pretty much what Ryan Seacrest and Carson Daly doesn't have outside of energy.

Sarah Dahlink--I mean Darling sang Casey Musgraves acclaimed hit "Merry Go 'Round". She has a wonderful voice, so soothing and calm. The experts wanted (and expected) her to go a little higher in the vocals, an I agree. Can't wait to see what she does next.


Colin Huntley sing--well, "Sing". He sounded almost like Ed himself, but the experts were not impressed, and so was America. I think it was the first time that night the Experts were very honest about an audition. Kesha thought it wasn't the best song choice, and I definitely agree. The song is a bit too hard for anyone but Ed to sing without stopping for air, I think even Ed himself can't do it live. I think he has a lot of potential, with a great voice, and I think he should come back next season or two. He was really good.

Summer Collins sang "Classic". I kinda didn't like her voice; so raspy, but it's there. Luda and Brad pressed No, while Kesha pressed Yes. I find her another very So-So act. And when she began talking, it sounded like she had a moderate lisp. Plus because of her talking voice, I wondered if she was raised by hippies for parents. Or if she was high.


And finally, the artist they chose from an audition on Instagram, Macy Kate from St. Petersberg, Florida, sang "Me and My Broken Heart". She had that rock-ability voice. So rockin' without the screaming. And she definitely rocked the house. All the experts (I keep typing "Judges" before realizing) and America pressed "Blue/Up/Yes" (and speaking of that, when they went to Luda's pad, I laughed like hell.)
()
and, funny, so did my brother. He just happened to hear about the show and downloaded the app immediately. Once Macy took her place, he signed in and pressed yes, being one of the first to do so. I found that awesome. The kicker: He's never heard of "Rising Star" before Sunday, and prefers hip-hop.

And that was the end of the first show, and that's the end of the first review. I loved every minute of it. The experts knew what they were doing, Josh is great as host, and the producers made some great choices in the "pretty-looking people on-camera" department. Because of that, I found a new summer appointment television. Mostly because I have to because of this review.

Oh, and if you read the other reviews from the other websites, please read this:
From what I read, the reviewers expected either high-brow, quality television, despite the fact that this is a singing competition show or that this is a generic train wreck waiting to happen just because it's yet another singing competition show post-American Idol and wanted to pound on it anyway just for awareness to their reviews. I don't blame them for their opinions, they can say what's truly on their minds; but the ones I've read ranged from "It's Bad so I'm being Honest" to "It's the Worst Show I Have Ever Watched, so I'm Being So Honest, It Seem I'm Trying Too Hard". It's a singing competition show. What the hell did you expect?? Revolutionary? The Wall thing and the voting aspect are kinda revolutionary but everything else is what you should expect on American Idol and The Voice. And speaking of The Voice, those spinning red chairs are just like the Wall; some pretty, shiny trinket we all came to see. They're no different than the fact that you sit on one. Now, I'm not slamming you because hate the show, I just feel annoyed by all the hate this show has. Yes, it's another singing competition show, but I bet you all you were feeling the same way about The Voice (and to some extant America's Got Talent and Idol) when it premiered, and look how they turned out. I know it's wasn't that good, but some TV shows start out bad before getting better. Let's give it a chance, and if it's not your cup of tea again next week, then that's fine. I'm not forcing you to like this show.

Favorite Performance: (Definitely) Jesse Kinch--"I Put A Spell on You"
Honorable Mention: Joshua Peavy--"(Everything I Do) I Do for You"
Worst Performance-TIE---Daniel & Olivia--"Counting Stars" &
Beyond 5--"Wake Me Up"

Well, everyone, thank you for joining me on the first Rising Star review. Check in every Tuesday at 8 o'clock for for my weekly review and (hopefully) if any of the next acts are better and if this show gets better than tonight. See you next week! Bye!

EDREWtorial: REVIVALS. Who Needs Em?

If you went on the internet this past week, then you heard some very surprising news. Some TV shows are coming back in a year or two. Almost all of these shows originally aired in the 80's and 90s, and now, because of some demand, these shows are getting a reboot. This notably reached a point last year when Disney Channel announced that classic sitcom Boy Meets World would be getting a sequel/spin-off/continuation/respawn titled Girl Meets World, in which Cory and Topanga grow up, move to New York, have kids and and watch them grow, with the story taking place from the point of view from their 12-year-old daughter Riley.

In fact, you could call this year "The Year or the Reboot". Just this and last month alone, some other shows are getting reboots including (but not certainly limited to):

and Heroes with a miniseries event called Heroes: Reborn. Also, the biggest one of them all:
!!
That's right. Reading freaking Rainbow is coming back too!! Thanks to a hugely successful campaign for funds on Kickstarter and a very popular mobile app, the Levar Burton-hosted PBS icon has come a happy, long way since its 1983 premiere. So when I heard that there was a Kickstarter campaign to bring it back on TV, I was super excited, and so was the rest of America, who chipped in a lot of money to the campaign, and within 12 hours, it already reached its goal.

And it's not just TV that's getting into the recreation area; movies are getting into the game, too. MGM already has the Jump Street movies with Columbia Pictures, and it announced that its Stargate franchise is getting a movie reboot with Warner Bros. next year.


I have one question about this: WHY?!?
Why are all these shows (and movies for that matter) getting a reboot? Who are the people who think it was a good idea? What's the point of rebooting them in the first place? And why is this a good thing?

We don't need them. They won't hold a candle to the originals. Maybe it's just me, but the procession of reboot stories across the Internet has annoyed me. They just come so fast, with one more coming after the other, and it probably annoys a lot of other people too. I am excited to see the reboots, but I won't enjoy them as much as I had the originals,and how they impacted not only me, but also all of television. You know, it's sometimes okay to start over a TV show or movie but only if it started off corny, and everyone (maybe) wants it to be better. But if the reboots bomb, people will laugh and mock. Producers will lower their heads in shame, actors will be pissed, and fans will be angry more than cry. But we as a society are used to these things; there are just as much reboots as there are original projects. We shouldn't ask so much for reboots if they're not going to last long.
I'll take some reboots than others; I'm looking forward to the Danger Mouse and PPG ones, and I'm definitely looking forward to Reading Rainbow Girl Meets World, mostly because Cory, Topanga and Mr. Fee-hee-hee-hee-heeeneey(!!!) are in the pilot.
I don't care for Teletubbies, though.

Maroon Mondays Awards Reviews: Much Music Video Awards 2014

(UPDATED and RE-EDTED on April 25 and June 21, 2015 for better reading experience)

Welcome to MaroonMondays Awards Reviews: the reason people go to this site every month, and the reason I wish I get paid for this stuff every year.


The time around, I'm reviewing the Much Music Video Awards, the biggest awards ceremony in Canada...and the only one I really know of from that country.
(well, I've heard of the JUNOs, too, but in name and never watched.)

If you've never heard of it, here's the sum-up from my review last years' show.
Plus it airs on Fuse here in the States, so that's all I'll give.
(Well, used to; sadly, they don't do that anymore for some dumb reason. So you'll have to rely on the Internet to watch it.) [And fortunately, this video here below. Thank you to the people who uploaded it.]


This year's show is hosted by Kendall and Kylie Jenner. If you've never heard of them, good. Don't bother researching them. Much usually has recording artists co-host, so I don't know why the execs chose them to host; if they have careers in music, I'm not bothering with them. And please don't ask for an SLMR on any song. I do applaud them for taking this step toward a different direction, though.

I've been a fan of the MMVAs since 2010, but this year got me really excited because of the performers.

LORDE! IMAGINE DRAGONS!

ARIANA GRANDE! ED SHEERAN!

...and the Canadian acts I've never heard of because of this show.

Also, THE SET. Nothing gets me excited than something that a network uses for an awards show every once a year. Last year:

I though this one was tied with 2012 as best I've ever seen. This year?

I love it, almost as much as last years. It's huge, pops of color, and is an amazing mash-up of the set from 2011 and 2012.

Now that the crappy stuff is out of the way, let's get to the performances.
I’ve never heard of some of the performers and the songs they performed at the show before last night, so the reviews of the performances (and thus, this review in general) are a little more shorter than usual.

So we start with Hedley performing their latest hit “I’m So Crazy For You”. Never heard it before last night, but it was great. Nice influence of Disco (as referenced by the disco balls in the giant screens). This is the first Hedley song I truly like (and there aren’t many).

Immediately after, Ed Sheeran finally made it to the adults table that is the main Queen Street Parking Lot stage to sing--well, “Sing”. It sounds completely different from his earlier work, which is more folk-y, but this is a really good song by him and sounds fantastic acoustically. I think this is one of the better performances of the show.

Next up, MAGIC! sang “Rude”. It’s about a guy who wants to marry some girl but her father doesn’t want him, so he thinks the dad is “Rude” and based the song around that. I don’t like the song; because the guy calls the dad “rude” because he doesn’t want the guy to marry his daughter. Maybe the dad has a good reason; you could be an annoying slacker or a jerk to the girl or is a trophy wife-like dude, and the dad just had the instinct not to trust him. The reggae beat is really good, though. Also, the live performance does save me from downright hating this song.

Kiesza (Kai-Zuh) performed "Hideaway". This song has a very rad 90s beat and is really dance-able. Although the chorus is questionable; it’s just “Ooh” and "Aah” repeated over and over; it’s sounds like she was having sex in the recording booth during sessions, heard it, liked it, and decided to make it more to the beat. It sounds nice though.




LORDE.

Seriously. She performed her colossal hits “Tennis Court” and “Team”. She looked nice in something you might find in a video from the 1980s. The show said that she had a performance made just for the show; It’s just nothing but her and some stage lights, dancing like Kurt Cobain on an episode of Headbanger’s Ball, then she got down with a lamp.
LITERALLY.
I felt a little let down by this, but since Lorde is such a low-key artist when it comes to performances, I guess that was the point. Still it was pretty awesome to see her sing.

Sam Roberts Band (who by the way haven't played in over a decade) played their song "We'll All in This Together". It was an awesome song; so catchy and rockin'. I surely did sing along later on, and the sax sample coming later on. I like this band, and they deserve their awards.

Virgina to Vegas performed “We Are Stars” with guest Alyssa Reid. It's a very heartwarming song, and I enjoyed it very much. I like this band...or duo...or person. Who names themselves a name like that, though?

Imagine Dragons killed it. They performed “Demons” and “Radioactive”. I love both songs but I hate “Radioactive” performed live. I hate the way the frontman sings the lyrics differently, I hate the chorus when sung differently and the drum solo; I could do without that long-ass part. I must get used to that if this keeps getting performed live, which is a lot. On the plus side, the producers said the band would melt the stage. They did; there were pyrotechnics everywhere. On stage, and over the stage, with fireworks all over. That really made up for that. I really loved their performance of “Demons”, too, though.

75th POST of 2014--SLMR: I Luv This Shit (remastered)

Welcome to Short/Long Music Review, where I find songs (I either love or hate) to review them in a short review that took a long time to write and edit and re-edit before releasing it.

If you just looked at the title and recognized the song title
I originally did an SLMR on this song last year along with "Tapout" and Sean Kingston's 'Beat it".

http://maroonmondays.blogspot.com/2013/07/slmr-i-love-this-shit-beat-it-sean.html

I really didn't like this one and I never listened to it again...that is until May 14, when nominations of the BET Awards were announced, when the song's artist, August Alsina, got 4, including Best New Artist and Best Male R&B/Pop Artist. That made me get a little angry. I thought it wasn't fair that some guy that had one song on radio get a few nominations just because it became a hit a certain way. So after hearing that, it made me rethink the review and that I should do a much longer one with lyrics shown and a dissection of them plus my thoughts thrown in, because the first time wasn’t enough. So here we go; here's a song about drinking, smoking and fucking that just might drive me to drink, smoke and fuck (and not in a good way).
Once again, it’s “I Luv This Shit” by August Alsina featuring Trinidad James.




Wow. This dude wasted no time starting off with the title being repeated over...and over...and over again.

"It's 2 o'clock and I'm faded/this cush feeling amazing"
--Blah, blah, blah--generic shit about drinking and smoking. NEXT!
"Got a voice mail on my phone/from a little breezy feelin' X-rated"
--I didn't know Chris Brown was into dudes now. Must be the Oz package he got from his trip to jail. But no, that "breezy" is some bitch he wants to bust a nut with. How cute.
"I'm in the car and I'm swerving"
--WHAT. What did you say earlier?
"It's 2 o'clock and I'm faded/this cush feeling amazing"
--So, you're already drunk and high, yet you have the gall to drive to some woman's house?! (who doesn't give a shit about you outside of your money) What the hell is wrong with you?!? I hope the “amazing cush feeling” and “faded-nes” is worth potentially crashing into cars and other people, risking your life and the lives of others in the process. Because, there’s nothing better than being a danger to society while under the amazing feeling of cush.
"I walked into her bedroom/I put it down that's certain"
"Man I stay on that Ciroc/Man I stay taking shots"
--Wow, you sure must remember what else to do during the day besides all that, like eating, breathing, your family and "friends" and, oh yeah, being aware that drinking alcohol and smoking weed can kill you!!
"Man your girl be on my jock"
--Thank you for mentioning what many rappers and singers have said many different ways over.

(I have a lot to say about this line.)
"Maybe cause I'm everything you're not"
--Okay. So, August, just because you see a dude with a woman he loves you think is the perfect target for a little hokey-pokey session later on, that doesn't mean you have the right to go up to them, take the girl, and leave the man heartbroken. For all you know, this dude loves this woman unconditionally, treats her right, doesn't hit her, and wants to spend the rest of his life with her. He also probably loves his family, doesn't smoke, doesn't drink excessively, drives carefully, and is an all-around nice guy. This also applies the other guys like him (well, except Eliot Rodger, of course.) He also might have a black belt in kung-fu and can kick your ass in a street fight.
Meanwhile, just from the lyrics I've heard, you smoke, you drink, you fuck women you don't love or even respect, and just sing about in a stupid, generic song that just so happens to be a hit. Just like every. other. stinkin'. male. black. artist. in music. You know what? You're right, August. Maybe it is because you're everything I'm not. Thank GOD I'm nothing like you.
"See I ain't no bitch nigga
--But you sing like one though.
no rich nigga
--Stop lying, jackhole.
No snitch nigga
Wait until one of your homies gets arrested, and see what happens. Really.
Ima real nigga/that's real nigga
--The more a black rap artist says they're "real", they don't prove if they're what they are, because what they do is stupid, what they own is probably illegal, and there's a chance that they'll go to jail for those things. I think I see why they though. Prison changes a person, especially a nigga.
“I'm just trying to chill cause"
Sure, what you call chilling, I call a death wish.

"I'm way too drunk to be talking like this/
I'm way to be high to be trippin' like this/
I'm way too young to be livin' like this"
--So, if you're young enough to not do this, why do you do this do this crap in this first place??
"Ask me why I do it?/I’ma put it like this/God Damn it" (I should say "Goddammit")
"I luv it, I luv it
I luv it, I luv it
--Umm. Can you give us a more detailed re--
God damn it I luv it
I luv it, I luv it
I luv it, I luv it"
--So that's it? You smoke so much that you trip, and you drink so hard that you flap like Martin Qwerty...because you love it? You don't care that you're young and have a high chance of having kidney failure, or crashing into another car on a random day and giving cops a field day during the sobriety test? You just love it.
Let me get this straight. While he got four BETA nominations, based one single, Ariana Grande has only one nod and she had four singles (Huh, quite the contrast.) And I think she is light-years better than him; she has 4 singles out, and 3 of them are huge hits above the Top 40. Why does she not have as many noms as he does? Oh that's right, because she's not black and is in a tough category. To me, August doesn't deserve the Best Male R&B/Pop nom if anyone thinks he just as good as Pharrell, John Legend, Justin Timberlake or even Chris Brown. And speaking of Brown, his song Fine China was nominated for Video of the Year, yet came out in March 2013; it shouldn't have been nominated a full year+ after it was released. I wish Ariana wins Best New Artist.

I said previously that I liked August's voice, but now I don't; it drags on, it irritates me, and his voice isn't that great, but it is good enough for a Chris Brown wannabe. And when he says I Luv It over and over in the chorus, the way he says it makes me want to bash my head against a wall until my ears bleed.
And now let's take it to the featured artist, Trinidad James--oh God. Let's get it over with.

"What you know about love/ well, love know about you"
--I don't know a lot about love, just that there's kissing, sex and buying a girl a present more than once a year. And speaking of "Love know about you", I actually dated a girl who's last name is Love. She knew a lot about me more than I knew about me. Because of that we broke up, and because she talked about marriage too early, and I threw a red flag.
"When I try something new/You refuse to believe that my love is true (God damn)"
--Oh I see, a girl who's smart enough not to fall for the crap Trinidad (or any other guy) is playing. And Trin here isn't acting like a horny asshole like August was earlier.
"So I use all I got to prove to you/But the proof ain't enough so you move onto the next dude like
What he gon do? (ha!)"
--So here, Trin says he'll do everything he can to keep the girl he loves, before she leaves and go over the the guy with the Dreamworks smile and the bulging pants. That's...surprisingly admirable. Already, Trinidad James, Mr. "Gold-all-o'-my-chaaaiin" has really good lyrics and a nice message about monogamy in this song, something August doesn't have in his; and he has two, along with the annoying broken record chorus.
"I don't understand these girls (girls, girls, girls, girls)/
I don't understand these girls (girls, girls, girls, girls)"
--Oh there it goes again. But I'll give this a pass, though.
"Looking for a real nigga/Like in all the wrong places
And all the wrong ways/They don't care, they don't change"
That is smart; telling girls that finding a man isn't always great. But they don't care because because they want the D instead of the H (Heart that is.)

"She gon do what she want/And that is okay
--Not really. The best a girl can do is reject me in a classy manner; the worst a girl can is bang me and I find out that I have an STD.
And he gon do what he want/And that is okay
--Almost nothing a guy can do with a girl involving sex and liquor is okay.
I said I luv it, luv it, luv it, luv it (luv it, luv it)
--Stop it!!
He nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing about it
(bangs head)
Lil' BITCH!!
--Classy.

And after that, another piece of the chorus. and that's all I got to say from here.
These lyrics are extremely sexist and stupid. I was kinda hoping this would be a parody song; I'd definitely laugh at that. No, it's legit, and everyone loves--I'm sorry LUVS this shit. (And I'm not saying "Shit" like it's good; it's "Shit" as in--well, you get the point.) I was surprised to like Trinidad James's lyrics. Sure they sound out-of-place with the beat, but they do pack in insight on what doesn't happen when some dick picks up some other dude's girl, I kinda like it.

Tune in next time for me to give an original review on a different song. Billboard, don't fail me now!!
See you later!

Rihanna vs. TLC?: The War on "Sex Sells"

Legendary 90's girl group TLC is in hot water, and when it comes to Rihanna, the water couldn't be any more lukewarm.

In an interview with Australian 7 Network's Sunrise morning show, Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas talked about the girl group's iconic legacy, the loss of third member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and what the future holds for the group. Also in the interview, they mention the mentality of music today, in which artists use their sex appeal to sell music and wear povacative clothing and do controversial things to pull in views. Mentioned in the clip is Rihanna, who the voiceover guy claimed they "singled out". Because of this part, the interview blew up around the world. Here it is below.

And of course, Rihanna responded in the way she did. She took a picture of TLC and used it as the cover photo on her Twitter page. The picture? One of them is topless and covers her breasts!

God, that is funny as hell.

And before I say something, I'm not gonna be some Helen Lovejoy/Moral Guardian-type person. I'm saying this how I want to say it.
TLC made a huge point. It annoys me when artists show off too much skin in their music videos and sing about sex and drugs in their songs. It's not very good and there are other topics in the world and history to write about, and not with with the freedom of female love in the subtext. You're already famous enough to be known and beloved by fans; it's not mandatory to show off yourself every freaking video. It's cool to show of a little skin; I really don't mind. But doing this over and over, when everyone already knows who you are, is just annoying to me and a lot of other people. But hey, at the end the day, it's what it's all about. It makes record execs a lot of money, and they get really happy. And if record execs are happy, they don't care about anything else. Money talks.

Also, the whole interview was taken totally out of proportion. Despite what the anchors (foolishly) said at the beginning at the clip and the "singled out" thing, TLC never mentioned Rihanna by name at all in the interview. They never even implied her either; they just said what they said about sex selling in music in general. No names were mentioned, and if a name was mentioned, then that person has a right to call foul. Rihanna has no right.
And the thing is, Rihanna was overreacting a little to try to make a point. She did try to make one by saying that TLC are hypocrites for dissing her and her plan to sell music, when they did it too. But they never said "wearing something with your stomach showing", they said "HALF-NAKED". Big difference, meaning they're wearing pants most of the time. And that was in a picture, not a video. And I bet'cha she didn't find that photo herself; she probably got it from her social media people or one of her whiny, obsessive fans. See "Prombat".

So point, match, game TLC.

...and y'all probably don't know what "spade a spade" is until T-Boz said it.

MaroonJoon Awards Reviews: CMT Music Awards 2014

Welcome to Nashville, y'all. Hats, boots, gee-tars, twang, thick southern accents, moonshine, what have ya. You'll have everything you'll need from here and the annual country music showcase that makes the city proud (well, everything except the last one), the CMT Music Awards.

Hosted this year by Kirsten Bell (who is obviously not from the south), I believe this is the best show in the few years I've watched. {Hold on; which year did Kenan Thompson show up dressed as Reba McEntire?}
In the mandatory pre-taped hosting bit, Kris needs a new co-host. her friends suggest using an app to find the perfect perfect partner after Jason Aldean parted ways with her last year. She tries to find one in guys you really wouldn't want to host anything like Rob Ford, Larry the Cable Guy, Kanye West, Donald Sterling, Tom Arnold, Sean Hayes (who's really creepy here) and even her husband Dax Shepard. She finally realizes that Country has so much sausage, she can make some major clit-power alone this time around.

The show kicked off with the one and only ZZ Top (I thought it was either them or some guys from Duck Dynasty). I knew from there it was gonna be good. And it did. They performed one of their greatest hits.
Then Florida Georgia Line popped up (literally) to sing (or twang) "That's How We Roll" with Luke Bryan, who also popped up. I'm beginning to like that song. The way they sang the "Roll" part really irritated me, though.
The popping up continues when (really) Jason Derulo performed his smash "Talk Dirty", with FGL and Luke joining in. And they danced...really.

Later we get a reprise of "Roll", and that told me the show will get off to a fantastic start. And it did, and it kept getting better.

The legendary Alan Jackson (I called him Taylor on Twitter; I admit my faults) was honored with a performance by Lee Ann Womack and Kacey Musgraves (typed Casy) singing one of his classics, and later received the CMT Impact Award, the first artist to get this honor.

Keith Urban had a performance at the world-famous Bluebird Cafe in the Nashville area of Green Hills. Keyword: HAD. Before I get to why I said this, Keith performed his song "Cop Car", which, without hesitation or exaggeration, is about two people falling in love, but the guy has been in a battle with police. It's a gritty, yet sweet song.

Now, at first, the piece was performed at the Bluebird, but it was later revealed to be just inside the Bridgestone Area with set pieces looking like the Bluebird. It even have camera angles looking like we're in a small restaurant and not a huge arena. It was an amazing, song and performance.

Jake Owen, a new artist heating up the country charts, sang his breakthrough song "Beachin'". I honestly thought of him as a poor man's Florida Georgia Line, because of his hair, and how his music sounds similar to theirs. That song is pretty good, though.


Eric Church rocked out hard with his guest Lizzy Hale, performing "That's Damn Rock 'n Rock". This was one of the best performances of the night. Lizzy really sang her heart out; naw, she screamed her heart out. I want to sing with her one day just to hear her sing. Sorry, I mean saaang.

Little Big Town gave us the first performance of perhaps a new summer anthem called "Day Drinking". It's about...well, drinking...in the day--time. It's also about having fun and enjoying time with frien--okay it's a country version of Will Smith's "Summertime". The performance was said to have everyone talking. It's just the band and their backing players in all white, along with the stage.

Then, during the 3rd verse, everything turned to color; the backing players played the drums with paint all over them, and powder covered the group and things got messy. It's a really nice song, and pretty good performance.

John Legend took to the CMTA stage to sing his huge hit "All of Me" with Jennifer Nettles and Hunter Hayes joining in to turn the R&B ballad into a wonderful countrified croon. Fantastic.

Dierks Bentley sang "Drunk on a Plane". This one had everything, drinking, hot stewardesses, references to a dated Far East Movement song, and well--more drinking. I originally thought of the song as some parody, based on the title. I mostly thought of "Snakes on a Plane", but that's too dark and facetious a base for a parody. But no, it's a real, legit song. I still really like it, though.

Brantley Gilbert performed a song really liked called "Bottoms Up". If you heard of the Trey Songz--song of the same name, you already know that it's yet another country song about drinking. But it's different--slightly. It sounds like one of those "Redemption/I want to change my life" songs, judging by the beat, which I loved. It's like country-rock with a touch of rap, but that's from looking at the dude. I love this song and I make this one of my favorite performances.

This year seriously went to Blake Shelton. First his artist on The Voice, Cassadee Pope, won the award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year (which he presented to her!), his wife Miranda Lambert won for Female Video (for the fifth time in a row!), and he won for Male Video (third time in four years). This night really belongs to him. Outside, he performed "Boys Round Here". Fantastic song about hanging out with the guys down South, drinking cool beer and talking about trucks, conversing with God, and how the girls love a guy doesn't give a damn about the Dougie. Great song and great winning night from a guy that's used to never stop winning The Voice.

Last but not least, two of the hottest bad bitches in country, Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert, ignited the stage with perhaps the hottest song of the summer "Something Bad". They rocked it on and off, hair billowing in the on-stage fan breeze. Both giving their all to the song and this performance. This is the best performance of the night.

Thank you all for joining me for this review. I hope you all enjoyed it as much I we enjoyed the show. Can't wait for next year, and I can't wait for the MMVAs and BET Awards.
See you later this month for the reviews.
See y'all later.

12-year-olds Stab Classmate for "Slender Man"

Okay guys, before we make parallels to a certain show with this story,

We have to remember that this is a scary and serious one. So I'll tread carefully with this.

Two 12-year-old girls from Waukesa, Wisconsin, stabbed their good friend and almost killed her. But the reason wasn't jealousy, or anger, or a general rift in their friendship. It was because they were told to do the dirty deed by...the Slender Man. What is the Slender Man?

It is an urban legend/myth created on the Internet by Eric Knudsen in 2009. It first appeared in this picture

and has sadly since become a cult figure all across the WWW. It usually appears in black and white photographs, hiding in the woods and lurks in the shadows, watching innocent ordinary children playing and having fun. It has no face, is impossibly tall and wears a black suit. One one sees it, and follows him,
Many people have created photos with the Slender Man either hiding in the woods or walking with a child hand-in-hand.

I've never heard of this before the Gravity Falls reference, but it all came full-circle when I tweeted this on my personal Twitter page with the eerie similarities

I hope Dipper doesn't go to murder. http://t.co/ZQZGcXlJ7q http://t.co/8hbI2EpXQb pic.twitter.com/B9IUnj2uJQ

— Andrew Pollard (@APollard36) June 3, 2014

and then later watched Inside Edition last night. Here's their report from Wednesday's show about the reactions from one of the culprits' family.

Post by Maroon Mondays.

Now here's where the story comes in: Two girls, Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, Ask their friend to come to a sleepover with them. What she didn't know is that they had a plan for her. Hours after everything has settled down, the two took the girl to a local park for hide-and-seek. Then, when the three reached the park, it happened. While the other holds her down, One of them stabbed her 19 times in the arms, legs and torso. The victim was later taken to the woods and left to die. She later survived when a jogger spotted her nearby and called police.

They were later arrested and charged with attempted murder and might receive 60 years in prison. In court, one of the two, Geyser, was quoted by cops as saying "stabby, stab, stab" to describe what they did. "It was weird that I didn't feel remorse," she allegedly said. The other, Weier, said, "The bad part of me wanted her to die, the good part of me wanted her to live". That explains how the victim barely survived. It was later revealed they planned this crime for months.

This is one sad story. What makes this sad is three things:
1-They're kids
2-They spend a lot of time on the Internet, and
3-They've not only heard of the Slender Man, they believe it is real and actually did a crime because of what they believe it told them.

It disgusts me that random people take fictitious things to heart and use them to commit murder, arson, and other kinds of violence. Why do thing like this happen?
This makes me fearful of my own country and it citizens. Believing what you want to believe can get you into serious crap. Also, I'm 20 and I've never heard of the Slender Man, while many children around the world in the same age range as these girls know what it is. If that doesn't tell you that they can also believe in the Slender Man and may do the same things these two did, then I don't know what does. We as adults should be aware of what children look at online, and filter everything they do.
This is inexcusable and just plain sad.

School cancels fundraiser because of Jennifer Lopez's Free Concert

A school in New York has problem on its hands. The fundraiser began scheduling in November, 2013, and was to open the night of June 23. Instead, the school district cancelled the fund
The reason? Jennifer Lopez has a free concert at the

Really, little boy? Have you not heard of "On the Floor", "I'm Into You", "I Luh Ya Papi" (ugh; I hate that title) and others? Those songs are hits, and J.Lo is larger than life and makes more money than you or your family can ever make past the day any of you turn 200.

Oh Boo-Hoo.

I'm gonna say this like I'm Ashley from "Ask Ashley" segment on All That

JUST MOVE THE STINKIN' FUNDRAISER!!

It's hard to postpone something, and you'll lose some money from it, but when a celebrity comes to town with a free concert at a place near where you're having your fundraiser, it's time to give your head a shake. Just reschedule it to a week later or something. Sure it'll take a bunch of phone calls and you'll lose a deposit on holding down the last date, but making J.Lo and her promoter cancel something her fans were looking forward to (and by the way, that's 100,000+ people vs. about 250 kids and adults), it makes you all look like a bunch of greedy idiots, wanting J.Lo's money for something you could have easily fixed.

Don't blame Jennifer. She didn't plan this, schedule this, or know about the fundraiser. Her managers and promoter did. Blame them. Or at least have your superintendent call the promoters to work something out. Why should they cancel their event, something they also planned for months, for some small, measly event a charter school had planned? The bad sign I see from their side is that they must've known something about the fundraiser and didn't care. And I watched the report by WABC; it sad that the adults are making the kids throw shade at J. Lo. just to get sympathy from viewers. I'm not buying that crap for one second.
J.Lo or her workers never heard of the fundraiser, until recently when the fundraiser sign was held up. And even then, you have a point to reschedule from that.



Now, sure, I feel just as sad as the rest of the people who heard about the fundraiser, trust me, I really am. But to watch a report making J.Lo out to be a monster and these people the wounded animals she's eating, it made me disgusted. And I know it seems I'm on the side on someone who doesn't "Luh" Me {squirm} or care about me, but if all I hear from this story is "We cancelled our fundraiser and we're gonna lose a lot of money because of Jennifer Lopez's free concert."

whoa. Maybe I took it the wrong way.

Oh and J.Lo, a suggestion. Donate a perfect amount of money to the school, and that'll shut them up. They'll be happy, you'll be happy, I'll be happy to get on with my life, and all who care will move on to the next thing: maybe another stupid girl fight captured on cellphone, some goofy video or song going viral, or some kid

Woman Foolishly Puts Baby on Dress During Wedding

Fortunately, not even Kim Kardashian would do something as stupid as this.

Shonda Carter-Brooks of Jackson, Tennessee, was celebrating the most important day of her life, her wedding day, by doing it in the most potentially dangerous way possible. She puts her one-month-old baby daughter on the train of her dress; as she walked across the aisle, the baby slid across. This is the result.

When the pictures of the wedding and the shocking baby slide image went viral, many people gave her the what for, and I mean "the what for", including this website "cluchmagonline.com", with commenters on the article saying stuff like these about her foolish deed.

Lol, if she wanted to include the baby, why not just carry the child and hold her during the ceremony? They're doing too much.

She dumb as hell! Her and her husband. That poor child born to 2 supreme idiots.

Fix it Jesus, Joseph, Mary, Moses, John, Eli, Abraham....WHY? I am sorry but if I would have saw that I would have gotten out of my seat and taken that baby. That is truly dumb.

After the scathing backlash she received online, Carter-Brooks hit back saying

“People questioning what we do, commenting all negative, and just doing the most. We good though we covered by the Blood which never loose its power,” she wrote. “So to the media, radio, news, and whomever else wanting to talk about what WE do here you go: Media Media I see how it works regardless the situation or purpose people gone have something negative to say! The answer is we do what we want when we want long as Jesus on our side everything worked out fine and gone continue to be fine. Our 1 month old was awake and well secured on my train. Most important while yall got ya feelings in us we had our hearts in Christ which covers all!! So keep ya mouths running for it was just that Exclusive and Epic enough we made top blog way from small town Ripley, TN and the social media doing what they do, TALK!!!!”

All I wanna say is: Why? Why on God's green Earth did this happen? I know there can be extravagant weddings and stuff, just look at Kim's wedding to Kris Humphries. But putting your baby on the train of your dress seems very dangerous to me; especially because of the fact that she's at the very end. Fortunately the baby is okay, but many people did not feel the same way. And who was the dumbass who thought it was a great idea? And who didn't stop her beforehand? If they believed this would reach the Internet in a few days, they were rrright on the ball.

And what's the point of hitting back? You know what you did was wrong. Just sent a Facebook post or tweet or blog post saying what you did was wrong, it was a good idea at the time, and that you were foolish for what you did. And rubberstamp it with an "I'm sorry", and be done with your day.

People can get so desperate for attention. Now if you excuse me, I'm gonna try to tweet with the cast of Beauty and the Beast with the restraint of saying the show sucks.