Here are a few more videos I have found that you might find mildly entertaining.
• "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog"
Joss Whedon created an Internet-only video starring Neal Patrick Harris. Buy it on iTunes and enjoy quality music!
• Weird Al Yankovic
I've been known to sing "White and Nerdy" for days after listening to it, and "The Saga Begins" is by far one of the most superior parodies I've ever seen and heard. (It's still unsettling to see Al without glasses!)
• Achmed the Dead Terrorist
David nearly made me pop my stitches this summer with the help of this guy. His performance in Jeff Dunham's Christmas special was incredible, not in the least because of Guitar Guy.
• "My Humps"
Well, not my humps, but... First, watch The Black Eyed Peas version. Then enjoy this fabulous parody by Alanis Morissette, who has a great sense of humor.
• "Prop 8: The Musical"
Jack Black as Jesus? With clever lyrics and an interesting cast, this video is a surprising delight.
What videos do you like to watch?
Showing posts with label Fergie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fergie. Show all posts
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Monday, January 7, 2008
YouTube and Doing the Right Thing
If you want to see anything that has been video recorded, chances are it's on YouTube.
Many people who actually own the videos post them themselves on the YouTube Web site, including Weird Al Yankovic, the Dixie Chicks and Britney Spears.
Nickelback's record label also has posted a couple of their videos, including "Rock Star" (censored and not) and "If Everyone Cared." (I have recommended in the past that you listen to Nickelback. I hope you did. If not, please stop what you're doing right now and watch "If Everyone Cared." You don't have to be a fan to appreciate the call to character. You will be moved by what the band encourages.)
Not everyone owns the videos they posted, which is a shame. If it's not yours, it's not yours to give away.
The Internet is a big place — and if you want to hear and see free video and audio clips, there are plenty of legal ways to do it. I watched/listened to Fergie on Yahoo for months before I purchased "Fergalicious" (then soon after purchased the "clean" versions of the songs I liked). I continue to listen to Shakira to determine if I want to purchase her latest disc. If I'm not sure if I want the entire disc, I take the safe route and purchase the singles on iTunes.
Sometimes, posting videos seems harmless — after all, if you're not making any money, what's the harm? You tell yourself you're actually helping to sell the album if you post pictures of your pre-teen cousins dancing to "Hips Don't Lie" by the Chipmunks — people will go buy it now, you tell yourself. The thing is, rationalization doesn't make it right. It's still not yours to give away.
So watch what's legal, do what's right. And go watch "If Everyone Cared." Let me know when you do, and let me know what you thought of it.
Many people who actually own the videos post them themselves on the YouTube Web site, including Weird Al Yankovic, the Dixie Chicks and Britney Spears.
Nickelback's record label also has posted a couple of their videos, including "Rock Star" (censored and not) and "If Everyone Cared." (I have recommended in the past that you listen to Nickelback. I hope you did. If not, please stop what you're doing right now and watch "If Everyone Cared." You don't have to be a fan to appreciate the call to character. You will be moved by what the band encourages.)
Not everyone owns the videos they posted, which is a shame. If it's not yours, it's not yours to give away.
The Internet is a big place — and if you want to hear and see free video and audio clips, there are plenty of legal ways to do it. I watched/listened to Fergie on Yahoo for months before I purchased "Fergalicious" (then soon after purchased the "clean" versions of the songs I liked). I continue to listen to Shakira to determine if I want to purchase her latest disc. If I'm not sure if I want the entire disc, I take the safe route and purchase the singles on iTunes.
Sometimes, posting videos seems harmless — after all, if you're not making any money, what's the harm? You tell yourself you're actually helping to sell the album if you post pictures of your pre-teen cousins dancing to "Hips Don't Lie" by the Chipmunks — people will go buy it now, you tell yourself. The thing is, rationalization doesn't make it right. It's still not yours to give away.
So watch what's legal, do what's right. And go watch "If Everyone Cared." Let me know when you do, and let me know what you thought of it.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Explicit Means Never Having to Ask, "What the &$%#@?"
I'm hip. Okay: I am a hipster doofus.
Be that as it may, I don't get shocked by strong language.
If anything, I think it can be used very effectively under the best circumstances. A couple of years ago, I took twice as long to recover from a fall that occurred in front of a 2-year-old because I couldn't say the only word that would make it all better. (Had she not been there, I'd have cursed a blue streak and probably wouldn't have had to go to the doctor because my knee wouldn't have felt as shattered after that much swearing.)
I've never been a big swearer, though I was ridiculous as a teen. Once, I tried writing an emotional story in which the strongest language the grief-stricken characters could use was, "Shoot!" As that sentence came out of my pen, I knew I wasn't ready to write that story, or any story that required realistic language.
Can one write without using swear words? In some contexts, yes. In fact, using foul language in some circumstances shows a lack of creativity. In other circumstances, there are no other words. The true test of a good writer is to know the difference.
This being said, I'm not opposed to purchasing albums with "explicit" lyrics. I'm a fan of Uncle Kracker, and one of his "explicit" albums has a single song on it with some pretty strong language. I just skip that song if I'm in the office or if I don't want another audience member to hear it. (I don't want to be on this planet when Conor tells his mom he learned that word from Aunt Kwis!)
Fergie, on the other hand, has songs so laced with profanity it's impossible to listen to them without blushing. I didn't understand why Yahoo! Video had what was titled the "Oh Snap!" version of "London Bridges" until I heard the other version. I almost got why the other word (replace "nap" with "hit") was there. It was the exclamation at the end that was totally unnecessary: the word popularly referred to as the F-bomb coupled with the term for female dogs.
That killed the song for me. I couldn't comfortably play the song for Nikki, David's 17-year-old daughter, or my 15-year-old friend Corinne. "Honey, it's okay for men to dismiss confident women with profanity and disrespect. Here, let's listen to it together." Yep, that would play.
The other popular songs had a little profanity in them, but nothing that was distressing — wait, there's that phrase she tossed out in "Glamorous" that I don't like. And what's the line in "Fergalicious" that always makes me wince?
So, I did something I never had done before: I purchased the "clean" versions of a couple of Fergie songs from iTunes. At first I told myself it was so I could listen to the album comfortably in mixed company. Then I realized the truth: I myself could do without the gratuitous language.
Now, when an album is labeled explicit, I am going to have to think long and hard about whether I want to listen to it. I respect an artist's freedom of expression, but I don't have to listen to it if I find its value more gratuitous than appropriate.
If I have to ask, "How explicit?" I'd better step away from the CD rack — 'cause if you have to ask, you shouldn't be buying it.
Be that as it may, I don't get shocked by strong language.
If anything, I think it can be used very effectively under the best circumstances. A couple of years ago, I took twice as long to recover from a fall that occurred in front of a 2-year-old because I couldn't say the only word that would make it all better. (Had she not been there, I'd have cursed a blue streak and probably wouldn't have had to go to the doctor because my knee wouldn't have felt as shattered after that much swearing.)
I've never been a big swearer, though I was ridiculous as a teen. Once, I tried writing an emotional story in which the strongest language the grief-stricken characters could use was, "Shoot!" As that sentence came out of my pen, I knew I wasn't ready to write that story, or any story that required realistic language.
Can one write without using swear words? In some contexts, yes. In fact, using foul language in some circumstances shows a lack of creativity. In other circumstances, there are no other words. The true test of a good writer is to know the difference.
This being said, I'm not opposed to purchasing albums with "explicit" lyrics. I'm a fan of Uncle Kracker, and one of his "explicit" albums has a single song on it with some pretty strong language. I just skip that song if I'm in the office or if I don't want another audience member to hear it. (I don't want to be on this planet when Conor tells his mom he learned that word from Aunt Kwis!)
Fergie, on the other hand, has songs so laced with profanity it's impossible to listen to them without blushing. I didn't understand why Yahoo! Video had what was titled the "Oh Snap!" version of "London Bridges" until I heard the other version. I almost got why the other word (replace "nap" with "hit") was there. It was the exclamation at the end that was totally unnecessary: the word popularly referred to as the F-bomb coupled with the term for female dogs.
That killed the song for me. I couldn't comfortably play the song for Nikki, David's 17-year-old daughter, or my 15-year-old friend Corinne. "Honey, it's okay for men to dismiss confident women with profanity and disrespect. Here, let's listen to it together." Yep, that would play.
The other popular songs had a little profanity in them, but nothing that was distressing — wait, there's that phrase she tossed out in "Glamorous" that I don't like. And what's the line in "Fergalicious" that always makes me wince?
So, I did something I never had done before: I purchased the "clean" versions of a couple of Fergie songs from iTunes. At first I told myself it was so I could listen to the album comfortably in mixed company. Then I realized the truth: I myself could do without the gratuitous language.
Now, when an album is labeled explicit, I am going to have to think long and hard about whether I want to listen to it. I respect an artist's freedom of expression, but I don't have to listen to it if I find its value more gratuitous than appropriate.
If I have to ask, "How explicit?" I'd better step away from the CD rack — 'cause if you have to ask, you shouldn't be buying it.
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