Jumat, 24 Juni 2011

Of Course They Found Whitey Bulger in Santa Monica


It's funny that the FBI found infamous Boston mobster Whitey Bulger in Santa Monica because it's the first place you would look in the Los Angeles area for a Boston transplant.

For some reason, Bostonians are really attracted to that area.  It's like a moth to a flame, and apparently Bulger was no exception as he's been living there since 1999.

At first glance it seems likes a pretty stupid place to hide, but maybe that's why it was so great.

With tons of other Bostonians in the area,  he was just another guy with a strong Boston accent living in Santa Monica.  Nothing unusual about that.

I'm only surprised that the FBI didn't catch Bulger in Sonny McLean's, the notable Boston sports bar in Santa Monica.

Senin, 20 Juni 2011

The Return of Return of the Mack



It's the return of the mack once again as an artist has decided to cover Mark Morrison's 1996 hit song "Return of Mack."

The cover version renamed "The Mack" by some guy called Mann and featuring Snoop Dogg is an awful auto-tuned mess that pales in comparison to the original.

I just don't get why anyone would feel the need to make a new version of "Return of the Mack."

I appreciate the song, but it's not exactly a masterpiece.   People must really be running out of ideas when they're resorting to this.

And if you listen to the lyrics of "Return of the Mack"  they don't make much sense.

For a guy who was allegedly a mack,  he spent a lot of time whining about a woman lying to him and crying instead of macking.

Mark Morrison is British though, so maybe that's how the British define macking.

Jumat, 10 Juni 2011

Do it for Mom HIV Test Billboard



The same people who brought us this bizarre billboard have put up another equally perplexing HIV test billboard.

Apparently we should all be inspired to get an HIV test in honor of our mothers, which makes no sense at all.

I don't think a lot of mothers would be thrilled to hear their child say, "Hey,  I was thinking about you so I got a free HIV test."

Besides your mother being offended, it probably results in an unsettling conversation about why you think you need an HIV test.

One that might include your mother wanting to repeat a safe sex speech she gave you as a teenager that was so awkward you've tried to block it out.

Finally,  it's somewhat disturbing that a person's thought process would jump from a life threatening virus usually contracted through having unprotected sex or using dirty needles to their mother.

Jumat, 03 Juni 2011

Cheryl Cole's Brief Time in America: a Blessing in Disguise


Everybody knows by now, Cheryl Cole's experience in America didn't go as well as planned as she was unceremoniously axed from  "X Factor."  Cole barely lasted a week.

I'm still surprised that Cole's introduction was such a disaster.

The whole situation with Fox was like watching a father give his daughter a bike with training wheels but then change his mind and push his daughter off the bike.

But I've come to the conclusion that maybe Cole's brief time in America was a good thing.  Cole might have been another British thing that America ruined.

America doesn't exactly have the best track record importing British culture.

Sure it got "The Office" right, but they absolutely messed up British TV shows like "Coupling" and "Skins."

There's a tendency to adapt or americanize these things that usually backfires.   Taking out all the British influence  usually detracts from the original product.

"American Idol" wouldn't have succeeded if they told Simon Cowell to tone down his blunt British behavior and accent.

It seemed like Cole was going down this path as Fox allegedly wanted her to get rid of her accent,  lose weight and change her style.  

For all we know, this could have ruined her appeal and made her another generic American pop star.

Even if Cole had succeeded in becoming popular in the U.S., there was the risk of her getting overexposed.

It might have been too much of a good thing.  Besides there's a certain appeal to something that's foreign and not commonplace.

Look at Victoria Beckham, she was a lot more interesting to Americans before she lived here full time.

The most important thing is that all this reasoning makes me much feel better about Cheryl Cole finally coming to America then leaving so quickly.