Hello,

Happy Saturday. Just a personal update before I get on to the blog. As you know my recent difficulties with corporate America, specifically Manpower and UTA. UTA really stuck the knife in my back. Through some dubious thought process, my chances of getting a job with them are slim. Not only that but UTA has told Manpower that I was released for cause. So now Manpower told me if I get released again for "cause", they won't find jobs for me anymore. I'm trying to find a permanent, full-time position on my own so that I don't have to rely on anyone else. Manpower has treated me much better than UTA has though. I talked with Lori at the Ogden Manpower office about 15 minutes yesterday. She was very nice to me and found me a two day job next weekend. It's not much, but it is a lot better than nothing at all. (I will never work with the Salt Lake Manpower office ever again.) Okay enough of my complaining.

Just a little more complaining about NBC's terrible coverage of the Olympics. Again out comes the ugly face of corporate America. The greedy, numbers-driven pursuit of the almighty dollar. I woke up at 6:15am to watch two gold medal games involving the U.S.A. women, in volleyball and basketball. The volleyball match was suppose to start at 6:00am but I couldn't find it anywhere on TV. The gold medal women's basketball game was suppose to start at 8:00am MST. Indeed it did but nowhere is it on TV. I found out it's coming on a hour later, at 9:00am, it's going to be tape-delayed. Meanwhile the womens volleyball game will be on at 3:00pm this afternoon MST. That's 9 hours after it started in real time. Unfortunately by then it will be old news. The USA Women Volleyball team was crushed by the powerful Brazilians 3-1 in sets. Meanwhile the USA Women are crushing Australia in basketball. Let's skip watching both of these games to protest the greediness of NBC.(Does NBC stand for Not brains, crap?) Congrats to the men's baseball team, late last night they beat Japan 8-4 in the bronze medal game. That's a pretty good showing for a team only bringing minor leaguers. Baseball does not use a "Dream Team". (That was yet another game I could not find on TV anywhere.

Later tonight the Men's Volleyball team will be playing for gold. Nowhere do I see it on the schedule. Also the USA men's basketball team kicks off at 12:30 am Sunday morning. Hopefully I can watch that tonight. I would like to see the Redeem Team get their redemption. Yesterday morning I had turned on to watch the USA men's semi-finals basketball game, their game against Argentina. Guess what was on. Ping Pong, there weren't even any Americans in the match.

I now really am on to music. Yesterday I listened a lot more to my beloved Rhapsody. I listened to that Jonas Brothers CD again. It is titled "A Little Bit Longer", it is a very good CD. "Video Girl" has to be one of the best songs of the year. I also listened to the new Buddy Guy CD "Skin Deep". For those of you who don't know, Buddy Guy is a blues legend. I love blues and have listened a lot to Muddy Waters (who is the best), B.B. King, Robert Cray, Son House and Stevie Ray Vaughn. However this is my first experience with Buddy Guy. This is a fantastic, blistering blues CD, the kind of blues I love so much. The songs are great, the singing is great and the guitar work is fantastic. Just like blues is suppose to be. These are 12 blistering blues tracks. Later this year B.B. King is releasing a CD full of old style blues, I am looking forward to that as well. (Currently I am having problems with the 'net so I can't listen to Rhapsody right now. If it was working I would be listening to Buddy Guy right now. Instead I am listening to a lot of the great blues that I have in my iTunes library.)

According to rs.com there are some hot CD's coming out this fall. I have already mentioned some of these. The following are CD's that I was not aware of being released this fall. Remember all these CD's release dates are tentative. The artists include U2 (yeah!), Beyonce (we'll see), Dr. Dre and Jay-Z (yawn), Pink (yeah!) and the Killers (we'll see). Besides U2 some of the artists I am looking forward most to are David Cook and the Black Eyed Peas. The Peas last two CD's have been fantastic. Finally what could be the biggest CD of the year, Guns N' Roses "Chinese Democracy". There has been a tentative November release date set for "Chinese Democracy". Though according to rs.com that's "in case the band decides to put it out". I think the article meant if Axl decides to put it out. You may want to start building your underground shelters. If that CD comes out that definitely means the world is coming to an end.

One of my least favorite musicians is the incredibly lame Kid Rock. (Or as one of the members of Motley Crue call him Kid Pebble.) He has a current "hit", remember the word hit does not mean quality. The song is "All Summer Long". Blender magazine calls it a "lazy", he samples the classic Lynryd Skynryd's "Sweet Home Alabama". Kid Pebble's version is weak. In a funny twist Kid Rock does not allow his music on iTunes. So what has happened is a band called the Hit Masters has made their own version of Kid Rock's song and released it on iTunes. As of this morning their mock version of Pebble's weak sample of Lynryd Skynrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" is #6 on the iTunes singles chart. I love how that has worked out. Also check out the Hit Masters glorious and intentionally cheesy video for that song. (Thanks to Blender.com for the information.)

In other iTunes news, China has blocked iTunes in China. Apparantally there is a Tibeten sympathetic media Chinese citizens have been downloading. It is a CD or video of some kind. (Thanks to Business Week.) I am sad to see hosting the Olympics haven't changed any of China's draconian ways. Other tidbits: Jack White and Alicia Keys are working on and will record the song for the new James Bond movie. The new Bond movie is "Quantam of Solace", out this fall. Also Dido is giving out a free MP3 from her upcoming third CD "Safe Trip Home". The MP3 is for the song "Look No Further", one of the album tracks. Get it at didomusic.com soon, it is only available until September 7th. It is not one of her best songs and you can clearly tell it is a Dido song. It is good to have her back.

Time magazine is wondering what the 2008 Song of the Summer is. To see the videos for the following songs go to time.com. Anyway here are their 10 finalists and these are in no particular order. Two of the best are Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl" and Rihanna's "Disturbia". Both are very good songs, although "Distubia" is no "Umbrella". Other songs include Coldplay's "Viva La Vida", Pussycat Doll's "When I Grow Up", Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love" and Estelle's "American Boy". Even though that last song features Kanye West it is still good, it actually has a groove. Then Time playing to the hip-hop culture lists three non-threatening and absolutely terrible songs. They are Lil' Wayne's "A Milli" (huh), the video is mainly made to show off his body. That's fine if it was a Rihanna or Alicia Keys or someone that is attractive. The ninth song is Usher's "Love in This Club" (yawn). Then the worst of the worst, the crap of the crap so to speak. It is T.I.'s "No Matter What", which includes the incredibly imanginitive lyrics "yo, yo, yo". (I think the T.I. stands for totally inadequate.)

So out of those the four best songs are by the ladies, not that the men provided much competition. My favorite four songs are the songs by Katy Perry, Rihanna, Leona Lewis and Estelle. Out of those four songs my favorite song and the 2008 Song of the Summer should be Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl". Although I think that is about the 7th or 8th best song of the CD.

Upcoming, Monday night is the Sheryl Crow, James Blunt and Toots and the Maytalls concert. I will be giving a full review of it Tuesday or Wednesday. Also upcoming reviews of the new Scars On Broadway CD. This band has some of the members of System of A Down in it. I will also be giving a review of the classic Paul Simon CD, "Graceland".

I should be back tomorrow. I am hoping to be up late tonight cheering on the USA men and women in the Olympics, that is if NBC does not screw it up. themusicaddict