"American Idol" Change Ups

Hello,

So we have Ellen DeGeneres leaving "American Idol" and Jennifer Lopez joining the show all in the same day. Ellen leaving is confirmed, Jennifer joining "AI" is just rumor. Now comes a rumor that Steven Tyler will be replacing Kara DiaGuardia. I don't know if that's true, but it would be good for Tyler to explain to Kara what "old Aerosmith" music is. (See "AI" Season 8). There were also rumors that Jessica Simpson was going to join the show. I could only see them making that move if they wanted the show killed. Would they really want a judge that would make Paula and Randy appear Mensa eligible? Allowing Jessica Simpson to be a judge would be like burning down your own house. The only reason you'd do it is if you were desperate and needed the money. Could you imagine a panel with Kara, Randy and Jessica?

Apparently an official announcement will come Monday morning, maybe. Now it looks like it won't. No Fox is probably going to stretch this out as long as possible, can you name one other show on Fox? That's my point exactly. Fox is going to milk this for all the attention it can get. I'd be okay with J Lo on the panel. I don't know how Steven Tyler wouldn't be anything but a distraction. The two things I want the most is to get rid of Kara DiaGuardia and Randy Jackson once and for all. (If one spell checks DiaGuardia, one of the optional words is discard. It's also a good idea.) Have you noticed with all this buzz going on about "AI" now, hardly a word has been said about Randy Jackson? I think that's for two reasons: 1) He's such a lightweight that people barely think about him. 2) He has a contract for the upcoming season already. So using a corporate America idea, why pay two people to do one job when you only have to pay one. Although Jackson is probably the worst judge in "AI" history. Has he made one helpful or articulate comment yet? Will he?

Also Entertainment Weekly columnist Ken Tucker suggests that "AI" should be canceled. I agree that it should be canceled, but this should be the last season. 10 is a good round number. They can hype it up, have guest mentors each week and have amazing special guests. (In other words no more Ke$ha.) They can let all the Idols who released new music to come on the show to give their music a boost. They really do a poor job promoting past contestants. Lee DeWyze is really going to need the help. He's just not ready to be a star and I don't know if he ever will be.

The thing most needed is some truly talented people. When last season's winner is Lee DeWyze and with Danny Gokey finishing so high, what does that say about the talent level? And allowing 15 year olds to try out is just a desperate idea. Why doesn't "Idol" beat "X Factor" to the punch and instead allow older contestants? Here's a really crazy idea, bring back some past contestants and give them another shot. Lowering the age able to try out is desperate, but some desperate moves need to be made. This show is on life support. As Tucker suggests this show needs to end soon. It's about to become a parody of itself and I don't think J Lo and Steven Tyler have enough charisma or star power to reverse the decline.

themusicaddict

World Cup is over, still a soccer fan

Hello,

I was flipping channels last night and I came across the MLS All-Star Game. The MLS stars played The English Premier League Team Manchester United. (This team has the same owner as the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers.) Manchester United, or Man U as they are sometimes called, manned up all over the MLS all-star team. (I put all-star team in lower caps was because Man U owned them.) Man U scored a goal in the first minute of the match.

While reading about that the article said that the English Premier League starts up next month. I've been thinking about following a team in that league. I'm thinking about following Arsenal, their nickname is the Gunners. However if someone has some information you would like to share with me I'd like to hear it.

Last night I watched "Good Luck Chuck", the unedited version. It had to be the nastiest, filthiest movie I've seen in a long time. Note to self, do not watch movies that say they are unedited. Although the movie was terrible, there was a sweet love story buried in there. It also features the amazingly gorgeous Jessica Alba.

If you are a moral person, this movie is not the one to watch. Other than a few funny moments, the gorgeous Jessica Alba and the great song "You're Gonna Get It" by Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, this movie has no redeeming values. (Did I break the record for longest run on sentence. They are one of my specialties.)



The City & The City by China Miéville





I've read about the first 70 pages of this so far. It is a very densely written book. Right now it is a slog to get through. I'm going to give this book another chance but I'm thinking on giving up on it. Has anyone else read his books and do they get better? I don't mind working when reading a book as long as there is a payoff. I read Neal Stephenson's "Anathem" and that was a lot of work. However it also had great characters, great story and a tremendous payoff.

View all my reviews >>

themusicaddict

I love, love "Mad Men", Arcade Fire

Hello,

Last night I was finally able to watch Season 4, Episode 1 of "Mad Men". The first thing that pops to mind is "instant classic". This show continues to be the class of all television. (I watched it on Comcast On Demand and I'm officially sick of AMC hyping "Rubicon". Their lame catch phrase can also go away: Not Every Conspiracy is a Theory.) I love that their new "Mad Men" ad agency couldn't afford a conference table, so they have to sit in a circle of chairs. It's that kind of quirky storytelling that makes this show so enjoyable. It made me think of last season's lawnmower accident up in the office.

Don Draper is a lout, but he also happens to be the most charismatic character on TV. He's got strange morals. When it comes to sleeping around, he does it without qualms. However on some decisions he seems to be thinking of other people more than himself. I loved his comment to Betty and Henry. Henry had said something about them living in Don's house and it's only being a temporary situation. Don replies (paraphrase) "yes everyone thinks this is temporary" clearly referring to the marriage of Henry and Betty. I'm a bit fearful about Don loving to have affairs and how he may end up having an affair with his own ex-wife. I hope we don't see the "It's Complicated" story line. It seems Henry is learning that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence. Although January Jones, Betty Draper, remains the most beautiful woman on TV. She's just amazingly gorgeous.



But on the other hand I'm not sure why he's paying for the services of a prostitute, he's always had plenty of willing women. Whatever happened to the gorgeous school teacher anyway?

If you are not watching this show, why not? Comcast On Demand has all of Season 3 episodes available now. Episode 2 of Season 4 is Sunday night, I can hardly wait for the next unanticipated twist. This season's first episode was set around Thanksgiving, 1964. The next episode will evolve around Christmas 1964. I'm guessing the finale will be in Spring or Summer, 1965 probably surrounding some pivotal event. Season 2 closed with Pete in the office with a shotgun during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Season 3 ended around the assassination of JFK. I'm going to do a little research to see what climactic events were happening at that time. It's got to be something with the Civil Rights movement and that was also the time that the Vietnam War was heating up for the USA. We've already been teased that Joan's lame doctor husband has joined the army. (Is that suppose to be a commentary on the quality of care that our soldiers are getting?)

Also Arcade Fire returns with their next CD August 3rd. This is their 3rd CD, the name of which is "The Suburbs". It will both be released on CD and vinyl that day. I'm very excited. If they can live up to their first CD, then they will definitely be on my Top 50 artists of all-time. Their first CD is "Funeral" definitely one of the ten best CDs of the first decade of this century. Their second CD "Neon Bible" was not bad, but not close to "Funeral".

Check out some of their music at www.myspace.com/arcadefireofficial

To celebrate their new CD release, the Arcade Fire will be performing at Madison Square Garden on August 5th. This concert will be a webcast on youtube.com. It will also be directed by mercurial, and former Monty Python member, Terry Gilliam. Gilliam has directed some of the most visually captivating movies of the last quarter century. He directed "Brazil", "12 Monkeys" and my personal favorite "The Fisher King". All three films are amazing.

Remember Katy Perry's new CD "Teenage Dream" will be out August 24th. You can hear the second single, "Teenage Dream" online and your local radio station. It's an okay song, but not a classic like "California Gurls".

themusicaddict

Great songs, gorgeous woman (twice)

Hello,

Two Pearl Jam classic songs, I love the following songs:





I love this woman:



I'm thinking about updating my Top 50 Bands of all-time. Lady Gaga will probably be on it. Although I love her latest CD, Miley Cyrus will not be on it. Pearl Jam will be on it. I won't tell you where they will be. But I will give you a hint. They will be in the Top 2, but they won't be #1.

With my kids here last night and tonight I haven't seen the new "Mad Men". I look forward to hopefully watching it tomorrow. I'm anxious to see what is going on with the disposessed Don Draper and how Betty Draper is working out with her new man. (That last line hits a little too close to home.) I'm sure Don is doing okay and will survive.

themusicaddict

More musical thoughts

Hello,



The following is a comment posted on youtube.com about the above video: "my wife is angry all the time... kids... bills... stress... economy... it weighs heavy on our minds... 9 years ago when she and i said forever i got butterflies... ask me about forever today and i will tell that forever stopped on a wednesday morning over a fight about cheese... turned out the butterflies i mentioned was just gas... she took half my stuff and the lawyer took half of my only half... but on the bright side my motorcycle doest care about cheese and wouldn`t say nothing if it did..."



This video doesn't need any commentary from me. However to the character. When the marriage or relationship is over, you just got to let it go. There's no point in holding on to something dead, it took me awhile and counseling to get to that point. Like the airplane, you should have thrown the wedding ring out the window as well. Once I found out my divorce was final, 4 days after it was actually final, I took it off my finger and dropped it on the floor. I think it's still there. It has no sentimental value to me now. I've deleted all e-mails and anything she wrote me as well. It's all part of the post divorce catharsis. Then when the character says "I'm just not ready" when his co-worker offers to introduce him to another woman, boy do I understand that. I'm not ready to date and don't know when I will be.



I love this song, so I'm glad I can listen to it again:



I then stumbled across this video and for some comic relief:



My daughter is only 9, but the thought of her dating is on my mind constantly. I'm sad that I won't be there either for the most part as she goes through that process.



To my kids:





Hopefully back to music, movie and reading commentary on my next blog.

themusicaddict

2 months anniversary!, Megan Fox

Hello,

Today is the 2 month anniversary of my divorce being final. I cannot believe how fast these two months have gone by. I was thinking about this when two people get married it's "our wedding" or "our marriage". But when one gets a divorce the two people breaks down from a couple into two individuals. You never hear "our divorce" it's always "my divorce".

It's amazing all the feelings one goes through when one gets divorced. I think you learn more about a person when you divorce them than when you marry them. I bet the ex would say the same thing, I bet most exes would say the same thing.

As always I like to express my thoughts musically, here's a couple of thoughts about the 2 month anniversary of my divorce:



Sinead O'Connor is one of our most under appreciated artists. She sings this song like this is something she has dealt with.



I'm trying to stay away from these personal blogs, but sometimes I want to express myself. I find when I don't have to deal with the ex, I feel a lot better. If we didn't have kids, there would be no contact at all by either of us. I try to keep that contact at a minimum.

Here's another video of Sinead O'Connor from the 1989 Grammys. This is apparently when she went through her short lived "sexy" phase. This is an 80's flashback, along with Sinead there is also Billy Crystal. What an amazing voice and song.





Here's one of America's greatest singers singing one of our most classic songs:



More classic Sinead O'Connor songs:





You could say that Sinead is a little angry:





I would have added "Emperor's New Clothes" but couldn't find a video that I could copy and paste. I also purposely skipped her most famous song, you know the song written by Prince.

I have my kids this weekend and we've had a lot of fun. We've eaten good food, went comic book shopping, watched movies in the theater and at home and hung out. Tonight we watched "Transformers 2". It's one of these modern movies with not enough story and too much action. The action is just so over the top that it becomes boring. (The worst movie for this is "Armageddon", one of the worst movies of all-time.) But my kids liked it and we had an enjoyable time, that's all that matters. Another good thing about this movie for me was the gorgeous Megan Fox. Seriously how can one person be so hot?



Also last night I went with my daughter to see "Ramona and Beesus". This is one of those movies one goes and sees because your daughter wants to go see it. (That's the same reason that I've seen "17 Again".) It's about what you expect. It had some funny and cute moments and my daughter absolutely loved it. Although I never have seen a kids movie with so much romance. Older sister hooks up, Aunt B. hooks up, Mom and Dad have struggles but are back to loving each other at the end of the movie.

I have to admit after seeing both of those movies I felt like Fergie. Because both movies have Josh Duhamel, her boyfriend, in them. I felt like Fergie because I spent so much time with Josh D. And that's where the comparisons end, as I can't sing, can't dance and I'm not in one of the coolest bands of all-time.

themusicaddict

What the hell is this?, "Annie", It's Not A Hard Knock Life

Hello,



Seriously I don't understand what the appeal of Eminem is. He along with his white boy rapping has got to go away. This song is terrible and his rapping is worse. I know the sound quality is not the best, but I can't even understand a word he spits. Rihanna, like a breath of fresh air, appears occasionally. Most of these kind of collaborations just don't work. Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg on "California Girls" and B.o.B. and Hayley Williams on "Airplanes" are two of the rare exceptions.

After I ranted on my facebook.com page the other day, one of my oldest friends sent me a message saying, "After the storm comes the rainbows." I was thinking about that this morning. I was helping my Dad with his Model A when this song came to my mind. It's a rough patch I'm going through now, but things are a lot better than they were just a few weeks ago. Things continue getting better almost everyday.



That made me think of this song, which also comes from "Annie". The following song is not about my life in anyway, I've been incredibly blessed. It's a great song nonetheless:



That then made me think of this song:



I love this old school clip. Debbie Harry was my favorite singer as I was growing up. I love her and her band Blondie.

themusicaddict

I love this picture.

Hello,

As regular readers know, I usually like to have pictures of gorgeous woman on this blog. However here's a gorgeous picture without the woman.



themusicaddict

I give, Pink

Hello,

After receiving several comments from my ex-wife's family I officially give up. I was wrong ranting in such a public place and now it's back to music, etc.

Here's some great Pink songs. There's no hidden messages here, these are just some songs by Pink that I like. Enjoy.



I love this song, this is such a great ballad. This is a hilarious video as anyone who's been in love and fallen out of love well knows. A very "The Shining" meets video.



Old school Pink:





Not the most appropriate song and video, but a great song.



One of her lesser known but still a great song.





Not the song for some leaving a relationship, but yet another great song by Pink:



Let's see if she can cut it live, here's "Leave Me Alone".



As Pink says "one more":





Now off to enjoy some Miley Cyrus who as we know "Can't Be Tamed".

I'm hoping it's back to normal with no one reading my blog tomorrow.

themusicaddict

Miley Cyrus, Pink

Hello,

Coming tonight I'm going to have some of my favorite Pink songs on this blog. Pink has been one of my favorites since "Let's Get The Party Started". She's a multi-genre singer. She's truly a woman and she "can't be tamed". Don't worry Miley you'll get there someday.

Here's the cover for the new Katy Perry CD. Katy Perry I love you, but Russell Brand, really?



I would also like to apologize to the ex-wife, I was just really ornery last night.

themusicaddict

Thanks Mark, but...

Hello,

Thanks Mark for the comment

"I’m not angry. Why would I be angry. I don't even know you. I just finally broke down and had to comment. You sound pathetic and you need to get it together."

but I'm moving on...

Angry response to making lemonade

Hello,

I received this angry e-mail to yesterday's blog, this is the comment verbatim.

Dude, I'm not sure how much luck you'll have finding a new woman when you keep referring to the mother of your children as your "hex." Women want to see how you treat other women. Other than your mom, I mean. I've talked to a lot of women and momma's boys who don't know how to change tires and wait on the side of the road like a damsel in distress for a knight in shining armor to save the day aren't really high on the checklist of potential mates. Too bad you are so against cell phones. Your "hex" could have come fixed your car for you.

Perhaps an honest dialogue with yourself in the mirror about why exactly she no longer wished to be married to an adult baby who participated zero percent in the raising of your children would do you some good. Denial only goes so far, you know?

Posting Miley Cyrus videos can't be helping either... unless you are looking for a child-bride. I don't know, maybe you swing that way.

Just a little advice. Take it and use it or ignore it and continue sounding like a fool. It's up to you, girlfriend.

I'd just like to reply to a couple of statements, my side of the story. First of all as always thanks for reading my blog and thanks for commenting on it.

Last night obviously I was very irritated when I wrote my blog. I just am right now very damaged and struggling to get back to semi-normal. A divorce knocks one on their butt and I was slowly recovering and then I heard from my ex-wife. Since I'm damaged right now I don't want to deal with her. I need to work my way through the post divorce wilderness. I wish only the best for her. She's a great person and am glad she was in my life for so long. But now I need as much space as possible so that I can recover. Recover is what I need to do for my kids, my future wife, my ex-wife and myself. That's not going to be a quick process as anyone who has gone through a divorce knows.

Thanks to my counseling I have a "honest (and brutal) dialogue" with myself everyday. Yes, I know I have a lot of work to do. At this point it doesn't matter to me why my ex-wife didn't want to be married to me. Point of fact I did take a lot of responsibility in helping raising my children. My role is much reduced now since I only see them a couple of times each week. But I still take my limited role very seriously.

As for Miley Cyrus, I really like that album. That's the only reason I post those videos. Her CD "Can't Be Tamed" is easily one of the best CD's this year so far. And I know how strange that sounds coming from a previously Miley Cyrus hater and a Led Zeppelin and Pearl Jam lover.

Have a great day everyone, themusicaddict

Making lemonade, favorite angry songs

Hello,

I had to deal with the hex today so I was thinking of appropriate angry songs. Here are some of my favorites (Cheesy 80's video alert):











Good I feel better now. When the hex told me she wanted a divorce, there was two ways I could have gone. Be angry and obsess or start a new beginning and get on with my life. I'm obviously getting on with my life. Honestly I wish I didn't have to deal with the hex or the divorce for awhile. If it wasn't for our kids there'd be hardly any contact between us. I'm trying to keep the contact to a minimum. I think things can be fine and then I have to deal with her again. Then the above Motley Crue song enters my mind.

I don't wish bad things for her in the future, I hope she finds a good man who will love the kids as much as I do. I just don't want to have anything to do with her. I'm making lemonade by trying to make the best out of a terrible situation.

When it comes to dating, I've been on a couple dates. But after my last date, I realized how messed up I was. I'm taking dating much slower now. I'll be patient until the Lord is ready to bring my next wife into my life. I'm in no hurry after my last "eternal" marriage crashed and burned. I have a good full time job now and am looking for a good part time job. I'd like to either work at a local library or a music store. I figure if I have to work a second job, it should be somewhere fun.

I have to work a second job because the hex's student loans are coming due soon. I also live with my parents and I want to be able to move out asap (which won't be any time soon.) Plus there are medical bills I have to pay. Yes, I'm very irritated today. It's been a long week and a half at work and then all this divorce bull crap I have to deal with. I thought it was over and then it raised it's ugly head again. Aargh!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't even start me on divorce, it sucks especially for the guy. I'd like to be on my own but financially that's just not possible, the hex calls the $980 each month "only".

Okay on to happier things, the reasons I really like My99.5 and The Mixx 107.9 is they play music constantly. They don't have those stupid morning shows with dj's in thrall with their own voices. They both play great music and minimal talk. Those are the two key factors in a great radio show.

Speaking of great music, here's some songs from Miley Cyrus' "Can't Be Tamed".







(Although why does "Permanent December" remind me of Jason Derulo's "In My Head"?)





themusicaddict

"The Talented Mr. Ripley" and "Pride and Prejudice"

Hello,

I'm on page 29 of 249 of The Talented Mr. Ripley: This is the book I'm reading while I'm taking a break from "Pride and Prejudice". I've been hooked on this book from the first page. I'm looking forward to reading this book. Even though this book was published in 1955, it has a very modern feel to it. Also after seeing the trailer, the movie looks very cool. I had no interest in seeing this movie when it first came out:



I've read about the first 85 pages of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" so far and it has become a slog. I'm still trying to get in the rhythm of the writing style and how formal everything is. (Thank goodness things aren't like that anymore.) I had to take a break. I may return to it as I've heard how great this book is the last several years.

themusicaddict

"The Break Up", bad memories

Hello,

I think the key to enjoying a movie is lowering one's expectations as much as possible. I had high hopes and expectations for "Inception" yesterday and it failed to meet them. I then watched a movie that I wasn't expecting much from honestly. I watched "The Break Up" starring the gorgeous Jennifer Aniston and the hilarious Vince Vaughn. Seriously is not Jennifer Aniston not one of the hottest women in the world? I'll never understand what Brad Pitt was thinking. Of course I have a picture:



Here's the trailer:



Anyway I thought "The Break Up" was a very enjoyable movie, two great people in the leading roles. (Although what was up with Justin Long's hair?) Although I enjoyed the movie very much, it brought back a lot of bad memories of my own break up. A lot of the dialogue was the same as in my break up a few months ago. Especially what the Jennifer Aniston character (Brooke) said to the Vince Vaughn character (Gary) at the end of the movie. Ouch!

Now on to more happy things: January Jones and "Mad Men". Season 4 of "Mad Men" starts one week from tonight. Thanks AMC for taking a chance on this show. A reason to actually watch TV again. As always I'm looking forward to 13 more episodes of a great show and 13 more episodes of January Jones. Although she is so hot, shouldn't her name be July Jones?

Christina Hendricks (Joan or Red) is suppose to be back but one of my favorite characters will no longer be on the show. That's Bryan Batt's character, Salvatore Romano, his contract wasn't renewed. I will miss his character very much.



themusicaddict

"Pride and Prejudice" and "Inception"

Hello,

The book I'm reading now is Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice". I've read about the first 85 pages and I keep wondering when it's going to start getting good? It's been a bit difficult to get in to so far, I'm trying to get in the rhythm of the book. The language and the manners are so different than what I'm used to. I also keep on thinking about Keira Knightley playing the main female character, Elizabeth Bennet. She's a gorgeous woman, but I just can't find a fantastic picture of her.

Here's a picture of her in "P&P":



She's also in "Atonement". Thatt's both an awesome book and a great movie. Ian McEwen is one of our best authors currently working. I loved his "Saturday". Here's Keira from "Atonement":



Here's the trailer of Keira Knightley, uh I mean "Pride and Prejudice".



Now on to "Inception", I was hoping for one of those all-time amazing movies that I couldn't stop thinking or talking about for weeks. Sadly it was not to be. Don't get me wrong, it's a good movie. It has a great cast, great cinematography and an intriguing story. However the movie is about invading people's dreams to steal ideas. Then from that there are dreams within dreams and it all got confusing for me. Also it's a bit long and some parts got a bit boring. There's some attempted humor in it, but it's forced and not funny.

Although in the final 10 minutes the movie really comes together. The ending is pretty cool. The question is is Leonardo DiCaprio still in a dream or is he in reality? The screen goes black before that question can be answered.

Would I recommend it? Yes with a caveat. If you like Christopher Nolan films, Leonardo DiCaprio, great cinematography, great acting and confusing as hell dream sequences.

All right, let's all go back in the semi way back machine. Do you remember this band? They had two great songs and had a moment in the early-90's. Whatever happened to Ned's Atomic Dustbin?

I love, love the following song:



Here's "Kill Your Television" live:



themusicaddict

The radio station war is over, "Inception", My current favorite song.

Hello,

The Salt Lake City radio station war has been decided and the winner is My99.5. It was neck and neck until yesterday morning when My99.5 played Def Leppard's "Photograph". They also played a classic earlier today, the title escapes me at this point. The Mixx 107.9 tried to counter yesterday by playing Pink's "Please Don't Leave Me". What a great song, I think she is one of music's most unappreciated rock stars. Also good luck to her to recover quickly from injuries she sustained in Germany last night.

For those of you keeping track at home in themusicaddict's radio war:

1) My99.5
2) The Mixx 107.9
3) everybody else

Are any of you planning on seeing "Inception" this weekend? It looks pretty good, has a lot of positive reviews and fantastic world of mouth. I think I'm going to go check it out tomorrow. I'm not quite sure what to think about a 2.5 hour movie though.

My current favorite song, The Neon Trees "Animal":



Also I'm not an Adam Lambert fan. I listened to his CD and I think it's Eurotrash disco. But there are two good songs on there. The first being "Whattya Want From Me" and the second being the amazing "If I Had You":



I had to pick the video with the lyrics because I still can't stand looking at Lambert, although the lead singer from the Neon Trees isn't the best looking guy in the world either.

themusicaddict

Funny Divorce Essay

Hello,

This is a hilarious essay. Enjoy! I'd like to thank Belinda Luscombe and Time Magazine for this hilarious essay. This comes from the 5/3/2010 Time magazine.

Barring a last-minute reconciliation, Larry King is about to get unhitched for the eighth time. This despite the fact that his wife, Shawn Southwick, is 26 years younger and about a foot taller than he is. In other words, a perfect match. Nevertheless, it seems likely that the ex–Mrs. King club will soon welcome its seventh member — only seven, because one of the Mrs. Kings served two tours. And Mr. King will be back in the dating pool. (See pictures of Larry King's career in journalism.)

Losing a life partner or two could happen to anyone, but going through seven requires some effort. The vast majority of Americans — about 97% — wimp out and do not wed more than three times. As an octospouse, the 76-year-old King is in rarefied company. Elizabeth Taylor has also hatched and dispatched eight unions. (Recent reports of a ninth have proved erroneous.) So has Mickey Rooney. Zsa Zsa Gabor has been married nine times. William Shatner has an impressive number of exes, as do Billy Bob Thornton and Joan Collins. Like news anchoring, the field of extreme spouse collecting is dominated by women who were once considered very good-looking and men who almost never were.

The official record holder until recently, it's gratifying to note, was not a celebrity. The late Linda Wolfe of Indiana had 23 ex-husbands, although she admitted she married the last one as a publicity stunt. The other 22 were thus completely, totally genuine and heartfelt, and when last contacted by the press, Wolfe said she wouldn't mind marrying again. She was hoping for a straight man; on the two occasions she married a gay guy, it didn't take. (See the top 10 perpetual divorcés.)

All of which raises the question: How many marriages are too many? Statistics show that more second marriages break up than first ones and more third marriages — about 75% — break up than second ones. Given that trajectory, shouldn't a referee step in after the third or fourth and suspend play for the good of all?

In no other area of life can grown people flame out so often and so badly and still get official permission to go ahead and do the same thing again. If your driving is hazardous to those around you, your license is suspended. Fail too many courses at college, and you'll get kicked out. You can lose your medical or law license for a single infraction. Stock analyst Henry Blodgett was prohibited from trading securities forever for publicly saying things he knew weren't true. So why do people who are committed vows abusers keep getting handed marriage licenses at city hall? If batters and violent offenders get only three strikes, why should bad spouses get more? (See TIME's photo-essay "Love and Marriage in Prime Time.")

Of course, a lot of people will say this is nobody's business but the bride and groom's. Plus, it's natural. Evolution favors the alpha-male serial monogamist who bonds with a mate until she gets old and is replaced by a more fertile one. Other primates change partners all the time. But other primates also practice infanticide and poop throwing, and we're not about to sanction either of those. So why are we complicit in allowing people to make big public promises they have demonstrated a chronic inability to keep? When we pore over their wedding pictures in People, it's as enabling as installing a fun-house mirror in the bathroom of an anorexic.

It's not that the multiple marriers want to get divorced or hate marriage. It's that they like it too much, even though it's not good for them. So perhaps applicants for, say, a fifth marriage license should be required to get therapy. Obsessive clean freaks, for example, are trained to touch something dirty and then wait increasingly long intervals before they wash. Someone like King could be introduced to a tall blonde and then be made to wait 10 minutes before proposing. From there, he could work up to a full hour. (See five Facebook no-nos for divorcing couples.)

Marital addicts might also be issued a patch, like those that smokers trying to quit use. Instead of delivering a diminishing supply of nicotine, the Matrimonial Rough Patch™ could simulate the emotions of being hitched. After an initial euphoric bonding period, wearers would start to feel irritable, misunderstood and then taken for granted and vaguely repulsed — the entire nuptial cycle, and nobody needs a lawyer.

Then again, perhaps we should just leave the serial splitters alone. There's a little of Liz and Larry and Linda in every couple; we are all occasionally convinced that we married the wrong person. If King has taught us anything — I mean anything apart from how to wear suspenders with a straight face — it's that there are plenty of people to marry. The real question is whether you can make it work with the one you end up with.

And if you can't, well, don't feel too bad. Especially if you like guys who know the value of a lasting talk show.

themusicaddict

I miss my kids and this song explains why.

Hello,



themusicaddict

"Shutter Island", "The Passage" and To My Future Wife, The Minions Deserve Their Own Movie!

Hello,

Here's my excerpt from goodreads.com. (A cool site to check out if you love reading.) This is about "Shutter Island". Boy was this book a lot different than I expected. The story went somewhere completely unexpected. One of those books you think about long after you are done reading with it. I would highly recommend that you read it. I'm tempted to watch the movie to see what they add and subtract book. I thought they did a fairly good job making Dennis Lehane's "Mystic River" into a movie. But the book is still a lot better. Read it.

I also watched the movie the other day and this was a much better book to movie adaptation than "Mystic River" was. And I thought "Mystic River" was a much better book. Martin Scorsese directing and Leo Dicaprio and Mark Ruffalo acting, what an amazing job by all 3. (I almost forgive you Leo for that gigantic piece of crap you were in called "Titanic". Also his new movie "Inception" looks pretty damn cool, which is not the same as a damn thing. The early reviews are in and people are giving it a big thumbs up. I think I'm going to go see it this weekend. ) Both the book and the movie of "Shutter Island" are pretty good. I would suggest to read the book before watching the movie though.

To my future wife:



"The Passage":

I loved, loved, loved this book, but I was disappointed by how the characters kept on being diluted and rotated. They were constantly changing, a minor grievance though.

I would definitely recommend this book, but then I would also recommend to wait at least a year before you read it. I read it quickly and now I have to wait for Book 2 in the trilogy to come out. I love some of these characters like Michael (aka Circuit or Lugnut) Alicia, Theo and a few others. Now I'll be thinking about them, wondering what will happen with them. I know it's just fiction and these "aren't real people" but I still do care.

I would suggest to read the book though eventually.

This movie looks so cool:



One more movie note: "Despicable Me" was one of the best kid movies that I've even seen. It has a good story and the plot is entertaining to both adults and kids. There's a lot of humor in it. But the best thing is the Minions, they rule. I'm calling for it now, the Minions deserve their own movie. (Although the previews include a trailer for a Smurfs movie, seriously that's how desperate Hollywood is for story ideas now?)

Also after being a big fan of the World Cup, today's finale was sort of blah. Every one seemed to be going through the motions, the stadium was maybe two-thirds filled- at least that's the way it looked on TV. The best description about the game is "plodding". Congrats to Spain for the victory. After an exciting lead up to the finale, I just wish the finale had more panache and power. If it had been any more boring I would have thought it was an NBA Finals game.

thebookandmusicaddict

Damn Things, The Radio Station war is over (mostly)

Hello,

Last night I was looking for something to do for awhile so that I could turn my mind off. I was flipping through the movie channels and stumbled across "Evita". I got sucked into it and watched the last 45 minutes. First of all let me just say, what a great movie. Amazing performances by both Antonio Banderas and Madonna. Madonna's voice sounds so good. It's also a very poignant ending with Che kissing Evita's casket even though he's been ripping her the entire movie. (Yes I realize there were a lot of liberties taken in the movie.)

I think this is my favorite song from the movie:



Although I like this song as well:



Don't forget this song either:



Okay just one more:



Okay just two more:



and



Here's the point, that movie reminds me of my ex-wife, the hex, of course I then continued thinking about her. That's the first damn thing, then driving home I heard this amazing song: "Impossible" by Shontelle. I'd never heard this song before and this song kicks butt. Here it is:



Kelly Clarkson actually sings a version of this song as well. I love, love, love Kelly Clarkson, but Shontelle's version is easily the best version. That's the second damn thing that has me thinking about the hex. Then I turned over to a local country station, guess what another song that reminds me of the hex:



Yeah you guessed it that's the third damn thing that reminds me of my ex-wife. I went for about a month barely thinking about her. When I did it was usually with anger. Now out of the blue she's bubbling back into my brain. What the heck? Not all songs relate to the hex specifically, they just remind me of her. I can see why people are telling me to take a year to heal before even dating. It's worse when you are the dumped one, like I was.

I've been listening to 5 radio stations as I've been driving around the last couple of weeks. They are

1) The Mixx 107.9 (dance pop, 13 year old tween music), They were leading my favorite of all 5 stations of most of that time. They play Lady Gaga, but I also heard a Paramore song the other day. That's where I heard that "Impossible" song driving home today. They don't do a lot of talking either. Unfortunately they also play that lame Ke$ha song, "Your Love Is My Drug". That's one of the worst and most annoying songs ever.

2) 99.5 (not sure of the call sign) but I like their mix of music a lot. They play a lot of dance pop, but they also play some newer rock and roll like Daughtry and Nickelback. They also play some rock from the 90's. I also like how they identify every song after it's played.

3) ZRock 94.9: they are really a hit and miss channel. I was driving to work this morning and they played the amazing White Stripes song "7 Nation Army". But a lot of that harder edge rock music now days sounds the same to me. A lot of it doesn't stand out. I have a hard time giving my loyalty to a radio station where so little music stands out. They also seem to have an insane amount of commercials as well.

4) X96.3: I use to think that this was the hippest station on the air. No longer, the dj's talk way too much. Their morning show has some highlights but is mostly tired now. They don't play a lot of new songs. It seems their playlist is about the same as it was 15 years ago. From my recent listening experience X96 has become an oldies station.

5) 104.3 The Cowboy: You voluntarily call your station the Cowboy? At least use the Spanish word for cowboy, vaquero. That sounds a lot tougher and cooler. I just can't listen to that much country music. Although they did have a good double shot tonight. They played Brad Paisley's "Then" (one of the damn things) and then Sugarland's "Something More". I love that song and Jennifer Nettles has such an amazing voice.

Here's a couple of examples of her amazing voice (and neither of these songs are damn things):



and



Nettles voice has so much power and sorrow in this song. Although the video is simple, it's also very powerful.

So the winner for now, at least tonight, is 99.5.

I can't wait to read more in "The Passage", what an amazing book! You've got to read this book!
Of course you might want to wait until the last two books in the trilogy come out. That's a bad thing about starting to read a trilogy of books on the first one.

themusicaddict

Thank you Chicago Bulls!

Hello,

Great news today. It has been announced that Carlos Boozer, the over-whining and under performing no power forward, is going to the Chicago Bulls for 5 years and $80 million dollars. THANK YOU CHICAGO!

Chicago you can have Boozer, he's a whiner, doesn't play defense, is only about himself and you paid $80 million for that? If he plays 75% of those games, it will be a miracle. He had a good season last season because he was playing for a contract. As a Utah Jazz fan, thank you so very much Carlos. Do you want to know what his nickname in Utah is? Loozer.

As the kids say, no give backs.

theveryhappymusicaddict

Netherlands-Uruguay, Funny Wired thought, Currrent Mindset

Hello,

The Netherlands will be kicking off at 2:30est in the 2010 World Cup. I'll be cheering for the Netherlands. Now if you consider this a good thing, I need to give you a warning. I also have been cheering for the USA, Brazil and Argentina. All three of those teams are eliminated from the tournament. Go Netherlands!

I just wished that I could watch the match. But to quote the unwritten line from "Every Rose Has It's Thorn": "And every four day weekend has it's end".

themusicaddict bad luck streak may be at an end, the Netherlands are on the board first. They lead 1-0 about halfway through the first half.

Boo! Uruguay! They scored before halftime to tie the match back at 1-1. It looks like it may be a barn burner, I'm starting to come down with World Cup fever. I may need to go home :) Did you know of the productivity hurting events related to sports, the World Cup is the fourth most impactful.

Go Netherlands! In about the 70th minute, they just scored again and now lead 2-1. Come on Netherlands you can hold on for 20 more minutes. The Netherlands scored again, the rout is on!
(Is it Netherlands or The Netherlands, does anyone know? I'm sure Uruguay does now!)

Bring it on tomorrow's winner of Germany and Spain. I'm predicting a Netherlands-Germany World Cup Final.

I read the following in the April, 2010 Wired and had to share it. "When WIRED editors are feeling blue, we grab an early issue of the magazine and spend a few minutes looking at ads for tech that time forgot. The AT&T wrist phone! Thrilling new CD-ROMS! WordPerfect 6.0, now with Undo feature!" (that last one is my favorite)

I'm really struggling right now, this is my current mindset:



This is just a really, really great song:



themusicaddict

EW.com's 10 Hot Summer Songs Seriously?

Hello,

Currently I'm listening to Bret Michael's new CD, "Driven". It's about what you expect, it's an okay CD. There are some good songs on here like his duet with Miley Cyrus (there's that name again) "Nothing To Lose". Other highlights include "Go That Far" and his interesting take on Sublime's "What I Got". He also does a lame and boring remake of his own "Every Rose Has It's Thorn". I like Miley Cyrus's cover better of one of the all-time greatest songs.

On to ew.com's 10 Hot Summer Songs. Most of these songs suck. If your brave enough and want to hear these songs or see the videos go to ew.com.

1) "Misery"- Maroon 5, a very cheesy video. This is one of the best songs on this list, that's a sign of how bad the list is. Grade C-.

2) "Dream About Something"- Sally Seltman This is a trippy sounding song. I have to admit after a few listens, this song is growing on me. My grade now is B-, but may go higher as the song continues to grow on me.

3) "Right On"- The Roots with Joanna Newsom singing over the track. A pretty typical rap track with Newsom's winsome voice adding some personality to the song. Do we really need more rap songs though? Grade: D

4) "Bad Angel"- Dierks Bentley Is this really the same guy that sang the great "What Was I Thinkin'"? This song is a slow, boring bluegrass tinged song with guest appearances by Jamey Johnson and Miranda Lambert. Grade: D (being generous)

5) "Satellite"- Lena This is okay, it's very derivative of The Pipettes though. There's something about Lena I really like, not her bad dancing, though. I love her voice, her spunkiness and she's cute. This is the only song I could make it all the way through when listening to. I actually like Lena more than the song. Grade: B-

6) "Dancing On My Own"- Robyn I wasn't real thrilled when I first heard this song, but it's growing a little bit on me as well. It's still an average euro disco song though. Grade D+.

7) "Round and Round"- The Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti. This song is hot? Doesn't a song have to be good to be hot? This song blows like no other and the artwork is stupid. Although if you're looking for a song to fall asleep to, this would be great for that. Grade: Z-

8) "Be Still"- Big Boi Again do we really need another generic rap song? Janelle Monae sings the chorus, adding life to a lifeless song. Boi peeked out with "Hey Ya", I think it's time to retire Boi. Some songs grow on me, this song actually gets worse each time I hear it. Grade: D-

9) "The Boxer"- Gaslight Anthem No, this is not a remake of the Simon and Garfunkel classic. That song already has been skewered by Lee Dewyze this year. This original composition at least has a beat and some life. Grade C+.

10) "Goldskull"- Miniature Tigers Another boring, tiresome, soulless song. Grade Z-

I read another big chunk in Justin Cronin's "The Passage". This is getting to be such a good book.

themusicaddict

themusicaddict likes Miley Cyrus?

Hello,

The CD I'm surprised that I like is the new Miley Cyrus CD "Can't Be Tamed". Whoever made the CD definitely went to the school of Lady Gaga, her sound is all over this CD. That's a compliment coming from me as I love Lady Gaga. Cyrus' voice sounds pretty good, thanks to some auto-tune I'm sure. I've heard her sing live and she doesn't sound real great. But here she sounds very good and this is a great CD. I think the 17 year old Cyrus should stay far away from the skanky clothes and look. She says it's about female empowerment. Miley I'm sorry that's not true, it's about selling CDs. You'll understand in about 10 years, where's your Dad to help you with that anyway?

This video isn't the best, but I love this song:



This is "Liberty Walk", this song rocks:



I also like this song "Permament December": (sorry the sound is not so good)



This is the great, great ballad "Stay":



Great songs on this CD include "Liberty Walk", "Who Owns My Heart", the title song, "Two More Lonely People", "Permanent December", "Stay" and "Scars". This is the CD she covers Poison's "Every Rose Has It's Thorn". The Cyrus version is definitely interesting. It's the first time I've ever heard the line, "I know I could have saved a love that night, if I'd known what to say."

I don't know why but I've really having a movie watching jones lately. I really wanted to watch a movie last night. The first movie I gave a shot to was "Steele Justice". Within moments I could tell this is a very cheesy 80's movie. It's a poor man's "Rambo". Here's the movie poster:



Here's the tagline for the movie: "When the police needed someone to stop the Vietnamese Mafia, there was only one choice... You don't recruit John Steele. You unleash him. The only law is the Black Tiger's. The only justice is John Steele's."

I love that line, "You don't recruit John Steele. You unleash him." Is it just me or does he look a lot like the John Candy dog character in "Space Balls"? Although that movie has the gorgeous Sela Ward in it, I couldn't watch any more of the movie to see her part. This movie is bad, bad, bad. I don't know if it's intentionally bad or not, but it's bad. Here's a picture of the gorgeous Sela Ward:



Thanks to youtube.com, here's a trailer for "Space Balls".



After that I next moved on to "The Wrong Man", starring Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Pullman. I could only watch about 15 minutes of this movie. I consider myself a pretty big DeGeneres fan, but this is a pretty terrible movie. I use the term "starring" very loosely when it comes to Ellen DeGeneres acting. She's not a very good actress and she's basically playing herself. I had to turn it off after about 15 minutes. I decided to watch one more movie.

The name of that movie is "The Passengers" starring the oh my goodness, she's gorgeous Anne Hathaway.



Now honestly "The Passengers" is a movie I've never heard of, but it's a pretty good movie. Besides Hathaway the next most famous people in it are David Morse and Dianne Wiest. The storyline is very much "Sixth Senseish" with a different twist off that. "Passengers" is a very eerie movie, the music adds to the foreboding and has a great cast. I enjoyed this movie very much and would highly recommend it. Now don't expect too much from it, but just watch it and you'll enjoy it.

Reading: I'm reading the interesting "The Passage". It's received a lot of hype and so far it hasn't lived up to it. I've been a bit disappointed with it so far. I've almost read the first 200 pages of it so far and I realize this is all leading up to the main part of the book. Hell is about to break loose and then I will know how much better of a book it is. This is suppose to be the first of a trilogy, so this whole 766 page book may be leading up to the later two books.

"The Passage" is a vampire book, speaking of vampire books. I'm waiting for the second of "The Strain" trilogy. It's titled, "The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy". According to amazon.com it will be released September 21st. I have to go to the library website and put it on hold. I'm a big Stephen King fan, but I've never read his vampire novel, "Salem's Lot". I've heard a lot of good things about that book.

Do you remember the band Klymaxx? They sang "The Men All Pause" and "Meeting In The Ladies Room". They also sing this amazing song. I'd forgotten how good this song is:



Coming up a review of ew.com's alleged "10 Hot Songs of the Summer".

themusicaddict

match.com sucks (if you are LDS)

Hello,

Just a FYI for my fellow single Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints members. The church is also known as the LDS church or more commonly as the Mormons.

Before getting divorced I knew I would want to get married again eventually. At that point I wanted to get remarried quickly. About 6 weeks before the divorce was final I signed up for match.com and started sending out winks and hoping to make a connection. I'm not the best looking guy so I didn't expect it to happen overnight and I was patient. The divorce was finally final and I had talked to a couple of people at match.com but I hadn't gone on a date. Once my divorce was final I signed up with another dating website, ldssingles.com. Almost immediately I got results there. I went on dates with two different women within a month of the divorce being final. Both were good dates but after the second date I realized I was no way in the frame of mind to be dating. That's for many different reasons including I don't have the money and I need to get my head on straight.

I still wanted to keep ldssingles.com active. While I'm not looking for my future wife now or for at least a few months, I never know when the right one will come along. I was going to let my match.com website subscription run out and not renew. That's until I received the following e-mail from them: "It's simple: You winked at her, she winked back. Subscribe to email her and start the conversation".

Now I know that modern advertising isn't necessarily 100% honest and that they will play on your hopes to get you give them money. Although I know that and I usually am very cynical, my looking for Ms. Right overcame my common sense. I paid for a three month subscription eagerly wanting to find out who had responded to my wink. My subscription became active and I eagerly signed in. I was met with disappointment because this girl who had responded to my wink was two someone that had responded TWO weeks ago. Someone whom I sent a message to and hadn't heard back from. Obviously she wasn't interested and so I gave up. But match.com was selling this as being current.

About 24 hours later they sent me a second e-mail with more inaccurate advertising trying to get me to extend my subscription. I had already signed up for three more months by then. Their website continues to a wasteland for me finding women to talk to. I'm going to call them and have them cancel my account and see if I can get any money back. Giving them money for me is a waste of money.

match.com advertises their website as "Welcome to the most dynamic group of singles anywhere." That's great if that's what you want. But my #1 priority for a future wife is that she's an active LDS member. For those of you who don't know what that means, it's a lot more than going to church every week. So I don't want dynamic, I want a static group of women who have most of the same values as I do. I find that at ldssingles.com but not at match.com.

So if you are LDS and looking for an LDS spouse don't even bother going to match.com. That was pretty much wasted money to me.

A couple of other bad things about match.com is that they have a lot of scammers getting on pretending they are real people and wanting you to send them your private e-mail to their private e-mail. If you stumble across anybody like that, it's not really a person. Set up a block so they can't contact you anymore and alert match.com. match.com is aware of the problem and appears to be vigilant about it, eliminating these fake profiles as soon as possible. But be careful for that. After seeing a couple of these fake profiles, you can usually pick them out pretty quickly.

Another thing that blows about match.com they have a feed which tells you when something new has happened on your account. Unfortunately this feed include when they've added a new advertisement to your account. The advertisement is getting the match.com application added to your phone. They should give you an option to decline seeing that if you aren't interested. I don't even have a cell phone and don't intend on getting one ever. (Even though I use to work for a cell phone company, I think cell phones are one of the biggest wastes of money ever.) Obviously this isn't something I'd ever be interested in.

The following song describes where I want to get to in the next few months:



I'm not there yet. I'm still working on getting "my stuff together" and making it "through the weather."

I actually quite like this Jason Derulo CD. "In My Head" is one of the catchiest songs I've heard in the last several years. Although I didn't approve when I heard my 9 year old daughter singing it.

Next blog coming soon: I'm giving big thumbs up to a CD that I expected to hate, but I actually love. You'll be surprised when you hear the artist is. Also a review of ew.com's alleged "10 Hot Songs of the Summer". None of these songs will be classics and most, if not all, of them will be forgotten by the end of the summer.


themusicaddict