Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Someone Like You

We lost power Saturday night because of Hurricane Irene, so we had no TV or anything, but Adele’s performance is a must see:

Get More: 2011 VMA, Music, Adele

Thursday, August 25, 2011

“Tax us more, please.”

Who would ever expect to hear a statement like that, especially when uttered by the rich?!

From BBC:

Sixteen executives, including Europe's richest woman, the L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, offered in an open letter to pay a "special contribution" in a spirit of "solidarity".

Later the government is due to announce tighter fiscal measures as it seeks to reassure markets and curb the deficit.

They are expected to include a special tax on the super-rich.

Before the announcement, expected on Wednesday evening, a letter appeared on the website of the French magazine Le Nouvel Observateur.

It was signed by some of France's most high-profile chief executives, including Christophe de Margerie of oil firm Total, Frederic Oudea of bank Societe Generale, and Air France's Jean-Cyril Spinetta.

They said: "We, the presidents and leaders of industry, businessmen and women, bankers and wealthy citizens would like the richest people to have to pay a 'special contribution'."

They said they had benefited from the French system and that: "When the public finances deficit and the prospects of a worsening state debt threaten the future of France and Europe and when the government is asking everybody for solidarity, it seems necessary for us to contribute."

Astounding.

Now compare that to the threat made by the Republicans to bring down the American (and world) economy if even a small increase in the tax rate of the rich was considered a few weeks ago, which resulted in the downgrade of the US’ credit rating by one of the 3 main agencies.

9/11 Memorial

The 9/11 Memorial is getting ready for its close up:

From Towleroad.

Perry matches Jackson

Katy Perry made history by matching the record held by Michael Jackson of having 5 singles from the same album reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart:

katy_perryKaty Perry becomes the first woman, and second artist overall following Michael Jackson, in the 53-year history of the Billboard Hot 100 to send five songs from an album to No. 1, as "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" becomes the fifth chart leader from her Capitol Records set "Teenage Dream."

The historic Hot 100 coronation follows the album's prior No. 1s "California Gurls" (featuring Snoop Dogg), the lead single from "Teenage Dream,"; the title cut; "Firework"; and, "E.T." (featuring Kanye West).

While Perry is the first woman to achieve the honor, she is the second artist to manage the feat after Jackson. The late King of Pop sent five songs to No. 1 on the Hot 100 from "Bad" in 1987-88: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (with Siedah Garrett); the title track; "The Way You Make Me Feel"; "Man in the Mirror"; and, "Dirty Diana."

Jackson notched his quintet of No. 1s from "Bad" over nine months and two weeks. Perry's five toppers from "Dream" spans one year, two months and one week, dating to the first week at No. 1 for "Gurls" on the Hot 100 dated June 19, 2010.

While Jackson earned the achievement more quickly, Perry has spent more time atop the Hot 100 in each artist's respective commanding stretch: Jackson's five No. 1s from "Bad" totaled a combined seven weeks in charge. With the first week on top for "Friday," Perry is up to 18 total weeks at No. 1 with her No. 1s from "Dream."

Perry's streak of five Hot 100 No. 1 singles promoted to radio is the most by a lead artist since Mariah Carey scored a similar run in 1990-91. Whitney Houston holds the chart record with seven consecutive leaders in 1985-88.

Additionally highlighting Perry's stretch of dominance, she has inhabited the Hot 100's top 10 for an unprecedented 66 consecutive weeks, dating to the arrival of "Gurls." Perry shattered the prior mark of 48 straight frames in the top 10, set by Ace of Base in 1993-94.

While not a huge Katy Perry fan, I do enjoy her music and promptly congratulate her on her achievement, especially considering the fact that a piece I read some time ago (sorry, I can’t find it anymore) mentioned the stark difference in how songs are tracked nowadays compared to when Jackson’s Bad dominated the charts in the late 80s.

Basically it said that back then a label could better control how much airplay a single would get, quickly moving on to the next one once the #1 position was reached, making its tracking and tallying a lot shadier than it is with today’s rules, which makes Perry’s achievement that much more impressive.

One annoying tidbit: I read that Perry’s label, after matching Jackson’s record, is not so sure it wants to attempt to break it by releasing a sixth single from her album.  What the reasoning behind such a decision would be is beyond me.  Are they afraid the people in the music industry would be upset that the late King of Pop is bested??  By a woman (GASP!!) on top of that?

At any rate, a commendable achievement.  Go Katy!!

Monday, August 08, 2011

A Quote By

Historian Bruce Bartlett, a former domestic policy adviser to President Ronald Reagan, on the GOP’s handling of the national debt increase negotiations, which almost resulted into the first ever US government default, which would have had catastrophic effects on the US and world economies:

“I think a good chunk of the Republican caucus is either stupid, crazy, ignorant or craven cowards, who are desperately afraid of the tea party people, and rightly so.”