The Love/Hate News Report 12.01.11: Craziest Month Ever

Posted by John Downey on 12.01.2011

News and thoughts on T.I. discussing oversensitive gay people, Ke$ha helping street dogs, George Michael being hospitalized, Sugarland getting sued, Lily Allen giving birth, Stanley from The Office releasing a music video and more!

Welcome to the only music news report written by someone who ran in the Feaster Five, the Love/Hate News Report! By the way, I finished in 29 minutes and 40 seconds, good enough to get 1,221st place, which isn't too shabby when you consider that 5,793 people ran the same 5K that I did. Add in the 2,728 people who ran the 5 mile part of the Feaster Five, and you have 8,521 people running at one point in time. I know that there are bigger road races, but keep in mind that this race took place in a town and not a big city. If you get the chance to do it next year, go for it.

Oh, and I also completed NaNoWriMo. Thank you, I know I'm awesome.

You know who is also awesome? The Miz. That's how his theme song begins, so it has to be true. Oh, and you should read Nick Krenn's Major Bands, Minor Labels. But that's only if, you know, you actually like music. His other column, The Music 3R's, is an interesting read—if nothing else, his past column featured the funniest picture of Britney Spears's ass I've ever seen.

I'll be plugging another column up here next week, for a column that will go up on Friday. I'm not writing it, but the guy who is writing it is damn cool. Be excited. Anyway...

Okay, here's how this works: I find eight news bites per week, and complain about them. Except when I like them, in which case I'll rave about them. That is relatively speaking, of course. I'm a bit of a scoundrel who remains negative about most matters, so to let you know when I'm not trying to drown you in sarcasm/hate, I have helpful little visual reminders letting you know when I think something is a good thing. For reasons concerning symmetry, I've put indicators around the parts where I'm ranting.

If you don't agree with me, that's what the comment section is for. Go ahead and air your grievances in a matter that you find to be most appropriate. If you troll hard enough, I might cry. I will never admit to tearing up, of course, but you'll know when it happens when you get that warm feeling in your heart.

Anyway, let's get down to business...



Most news items are from 411 Music's newswire.

Ke$ha Ditches Irony For A Moment To Help A Good Cause
It's taken me a while to figure out the appeal of Ke$ha. Sure, teenage girls drive sales and, historically speaking, tend to latch onto very dumb ideas, but her sudden popularity couldn't be entirely caulked up to the collective whims of a few dumb people. The way I saw it, the only way that an artist like Ke$ha could be seen as acceptable would be if her public image is just an elaborate act pulled by someone who is smart enough to see the whole thing as a joke. As it turns out, Ke$ha had near-perfect SAT scores, sat in on Cold War history classes, and turned down a chance to go to Columbia University in favor of getting her career in music started. I'm not saying that I like her music all of a sudden, but it's good to know that celebrity trolling didn't end with Andy Kaufman.

Helping the argument that she is just playing dumb is her work with Human Society International in saving street dogs. It isn't the sort of organization that an artist would support to make themselves look good (at least when compared to bigger organizations that require a paycheck and a signature to get involved in), and the cause that Ke$ha speaks of is too specific to not be a personal concern of Ke$ha's. Whether or not you like her music, Ke$ha's work with HSI is admirable.




T.I. Does Something Stupid
It's almost become routine for me to report on when T.I. does something wrong seven days after I praise his behavior. Maybe he thinks that his behavior offsets itself, that the public will forget about his problems with the law if he feeds a few hungry kids. Justifying his behavior is flirting with madness, so I'll just go about reporting his latest dumbass move.

In an interview with Vibe Magazine, T.I. gave his thoughts on gay rights. After stating that he was all for it, he gave this soundbite:

Man, I will say this, the funniest joke I ever heard Tracy (Morgan) say during a stand-up was, 'C'mon man, I think gay people are too sensitive. If you can take a d**k, you can take a joke.' That s**t was funny to me. And it's kind of true. …(As for oversensitive gay people,) (t)hey're like,‘If you have an opinion against us, we're gonna shut you down.' ... That's not American. If you're gay you should have the right to be gay in peace, and if you're against it you should have the right to be against it in peace.

It's worth noting that the Tracy Morgan joke that T.I. cited came after Morgan joked that he would stab his son if he ever acted gay.

I don't think that anyone would argue that similar statements made about members of certain ethnicities and religions would not go over well. Where I think I have a diverging opinion is in whether or not this is a good thing. Some argue that everyone should become less sensitive and be able to take what they can give. I respect that opinion to an extent, but there comes with it the implication that any jab and remark is acceptable, which is plainly not true. GLAAD sometimes go overboard in lambasting celebrities who make statements that could possibly be seen as homophobic, but consider that gay acceptance is a relatively recent occurrence (a Gallup poll conducted this year found that 56% of Americans find gay relations acceptable), so it's understandable that they would react harshly to jokes like the kind that Morgan made. Sure, the First Amendment allows Americans to say most anything they want, but the First Amendment also gives Americans the right to speak out against people who make offensive statements like that.

I've actually heard someone say, "Why is it okay for a black person to call me a cracker but I'm not allowed to use the n-word?" To which I replied, "Wait, you get offended by being called cracker?" He countered by almost throwing up on me. It was a long night.




And Now, For The Most Random Thing You Will See This Week…
I don't pay attention to "The Office". I don't think it's a bad show or anything, and I've enjoyed the few episodes I've caught, but it was always on when I was occupied with classes and rehearsals and all that jazz. I've certainly watched enough of it to get a good grasp of the Stanley Hudson character—a smartass who isn't above voicing his frustrations with anyone in great detail at the drop of a hat. He's also the master of facial expressions, which helps him stand out in episodes that place him firmly in the background.

Leslie David Baker, the actor who portrays Stanley, has released a music video. In which he calls himself a sex machine. While sampling LMFAO. Oh, and two guys dressed up as Justin Timberlake and Captain Jack Sparrow show up.

Um…



...I'm not sure how to take this, but for now, I think this is hysterical.


Sugarland Gets Sued
Earlier this year, a stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair resulted in the deaths of seven people, with dozens more being injured. Sugarland had the unfortunate distinction of being the band that was scheduled to perform shortly before the stage collapsed. Since then, they've spent a lot of time and effort making sure that it was clear that the stage collapse wasn't their fault, nor was it their call to continue the concert when conditions started to get worse. Still, though, Sugarland, along with Live Nation and ESG Security, are being sued by more than forty people who were injured in the stage collapse, claiming that the band had the power to stop the concert.

Look, I sympathize for those who were injured or killed in the stage collapse, and I think that they (and their loved ones) are due at least five figures each. That said, I think that only the people who were in charge of running the concert should be the ones who have to pay damages. It's conceivable that Sugarland could have stopped the show, but I think that they would be getting sued for not performing. Damned if you do…




Lily Allen Finally Gives Birth
Lily Allen has been with child before, but both of her past pregnancies ended with a miscarriage. Allen has been known more for being an insufferable person than for her vocal skills, but a miscarriage is one of those things you don't wish on anyone, let alone having it happen twice. Judging by her first Tweet after giving birth—"Totes Amaze."—neither experience made her a jaded person (well, more jaded than Lily Allen was five years ago, to be sure).

This past Friday, Lily Allen and her husband, Sam Cooper, welcomed their first daughter into the world. Congratulations to the happy couple, and may their child never read Stylus's review of Alright, Still.




George Michael Hospitalized With Pneumonia
Last Friday, news broke that George Michael had been hospitalized in Vienna with pneumonia. Updates came so quickly concerning his condition that I wasn't sure if he was going to make it, especially after news got out that his loved ones were flying to Austria to be with him. As of early Wednesday evening, Michael is steadily improving, though all of his concerts have been cancelled for this year.

I'm not a fan of the guy's music, but it's safe to say that he may have dodged a bullet here. Get well soon, GM.




Dizzee Rascal Signs With Major Label
I'm a fan of Dizzee Rascal—hell, I put Boy In Da Corner on my list of the fifty best albums of the past fifteen years. I had accepted, though, that Rascal would never sign with a major label. He seemed to have a good deal with XL for a while, and made enough money to start his own label, Dirtee Stank, so it seemed as though he was doing good enough for himself. That he recently signed with Universal Music, then, is kind of a surprise. The exact details of the deal have yet to come to light, though word is that his next album will be released as early as next year. My hope here is simply that more people get the chance to hear Dizzee Rascal's music, so I see no problem with this.




Deaths In Music This Week
Producer and record executive Don Devito passed away November 25 due to prostate cancer. He helped work on several Bob Dylan albums and was instrumental in organizing The Concert for New York City. He was 72.

Director Ken Russell passed away in his sleep on November 27. His credits include the film version of The Who's Tommy. He was 84.

On behalf of 411mania, I extend my condolences to the friends and families of the deceased.




This is the first week in December, and you know what means—an overload of holiday music that will be played ad nauseam. Oh, wait, that started six weeks ago. It also means that it is time for This Month's Album To Love!

And here marks the first time in this column that I can't directly embed an album, as it is not on Grooveshark. Sad, I know, but iSLAND by G-Side really is worth getting Spotify just to get a preview of it. Seriously, check it out here.

Albums To Love
January: Kaputt, Destroyer
February: Higher Learning 2, Fashawn
March: All Eternals Deck, Mountain Goats
April: Return Of 4eva, Big K.R.I.T.
May: Own Your Ghost, 13 & God
June: Blacked Up, Shabazz Palaces
July: Punch Perm, Dream Jefferson
August: Watch The Throne, Jay-Z and Kanye West
September: Father, Son, Holy Ghost, Girls
October: Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, M83

Cheap plug: Earbuddy. Damn good source of music news and views. "Like" it on Facebook, too. I wrote a review for Owen's Ghost Town, G-Side's iSLAND, and the latest edition of my other column, "Own It Or Disown It", in which I look at P.O.S.'s Audition, is up as well.

And here it is, this week's Video To Love…



THAT'S ALL, FOLKS!
See you in seven...if you're lucky.

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: [phone]

Alcoholism And Drug Addiction Hotline: [phone]

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