Monthly Archive for May, 2008Page 3 of 11

Show Concept: Fallen Idol

Published
by
michael lee
on 22 May 2008
in art and culture
. 6 Comments

Zack, go get Sarah. I have an idea for a reality show.

It would be called “Fallen Idol”, and it would be a sing-off reality show, complete with voting, judges, everything. Here’s the hook: it features only singers who have had #1 hit songs, but whose careers sputtered out due to drugs and alcohol. They would go through detox in week one of the show, and rehab for the whole 12 week run. Each week, they sing, and we vote. At the end, we see who has the best remaining voice.

Sort of like “Extreme Makeover, Life Edition” meets American Idol. My money is on Whitney Houston to win the first season, hands down. I’ll let the addison roadies vote on who else they think Sarah should rope into being a contestant.

I know this is an awesome idea, and I’m sure you’ll make bazillions of dollars. I don’t want anything up front, all I ask is that I get to be the Musical Director and arranger for the band.

Logic Update

Published
by
michael lee
on 21 May 2008
in asides
. 17 Comments

Logic Updated to 8.0.2 - but still no solution for the Chord Root bug. ARRRGH!

Are you smarter than a fifth grader?

Published
by
Sharolyn
on 19 May 2008
in art and culture
. 10 Comments

This year I taught music history in chronological order to my fifth graders, with Bach in September and Rock in May (”Bach to Rock”). The idea was to give a sense of the evolution of music. Bear in mind that I see them 45 minutes per week, with other agenda items besides history. We’re not going real deep here, folks. Also, I had never taught rock before. It was fun.

In any event, here is basically what we covered. Are you smarter than a fifth grader?

  1. (Pre-Bach) Why did people think that Guido the monk was possessed by an evil spirit?
  2. What is a variation?
  3. What keyboard instrument is impossible to transport because it is part of a building (usually a church or symphony hall)?
  4. Which composer toured Europe as a child with his father and sister?
  5. Wagner wrote four operas that go together to tell one really long story. What do we call the entire story?
  6. Name two Tchaikovsky ballets.
  7. Who wrote “In The Hall of the Mountain King”?
  8. We listened to part of the Firebird Suite that was one, big crescendo. What is a crescendo?
  9. Which two instrument families are featured in “Fanfare for the Common Man”?
  10. Match the friends: Grieg, Copland, Chavez, Tchaikovsky
  11. What is the name of Elvis Presley’s mansion that is now a museum?
  12. Elvis did Elvis serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marines?
  13. Name the four Beatles.
  14. On which TV show did The Beatles get their big break?
  15. Match the song with its possible meaning. (In this format, the titles follow the descriptions…): (A)The lyrics are a poem about overcoming obstacles, (B) This song describes the writer’s idea of a perfect world, (C)The man singing has lost the woman he loved. He wishes he could go back and do things differently. The titles: ”Imagine”, ”Yesterday”, ”Blackbird”.
  16. What style of music started in Detroit, Michigan?
  17. What is the name of the duet sung by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder? What is it meant to symbolize?

’tis a gift to be simple

Published
by
Sharolyn
on 19 May 2008
in current events, groupthink and life
. 10 Comments

I have noticed a refreshing trend among me and my peers lately: Living On Less. Money, that is.

I first noticed this when a friend and her husband made the agonizing decision to put their house on the market. With three pre-schoolers and a job change for him, they just couldn’t make ends meet without going into debt. While some would diagnosis this a failure, I grew in respect for their actualization that they are not invincible. They made the true heroic decision for their family to live within its means.By the way, they are not upside-down, rather they are walking away with some nice equity that will ease the financial pressure they’ve been feeling for a few years. Thumbs up to them!

This sure beats the lifestyle of another girlfriend, whose marriage is littered with fights about money.A large, remodeled house was purchased that escalated financial tensions.

Articles about saving are making the covers of magazines. Recently I saw a travel segment on TV that had me cracking up regarding traveling on a dime. Go to Argentina, it said. It has the look Paris and the feel of Italy! “Don’t cry for me, Europe,” the broadcaster announced, thumbs pointing at herself, “I’m in Argentina!”

I predict I will be soon attending backyard birthday parties once again, instead of making trips here or here.

This trend has me asking “What do I value?” and “Do my finances reflect those values?” Twice this month I gave up two entertainment events that I still can’t believe I skipped. I am a fan of both of the performers. However, we are taking two trips this month. Instead of going to one of the events, I was at my daughter’s pre-school carnival. Sure, we could have made it work to do everything – but should we? It would have been excessive.  Sigh.

A few years ago banks were telling people they could take loans they really couldn’t afford. And people believed them, because they were the bankers. I feel grown-up financially, because (as opposed to the thinking of my 20s) one thing that’s hitting home this month is that just because you can do something with your money doesn’t mean you should.

Buffalo buffalo

Published
by
michael lee
on 18 May 2008
in asides
. 2 Comments

“Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.”