Sometimes I Really Love Four-Year Olds
Super Girl is a natural-born comedienne. Just when I thought nothing could top, “You giving me side-eye??” this morning… ♬♪♩ McDonald’s 🍟 had a farm. E I E I O. And on that farm he had a dog and Bingo was his name oh. B-I-N-G-O. B-I-N-G-O. B-I-N-G-O. B-I-N-G-O. And Bingo was his name oh ♩♪♬ […]
Bobby Brown: It Turns Out His Services Weren't Need Anyway
On Tuesday, TMZ circulated a video of Bobby Brown stumbling, huffing, and puffing his way through "If It Isn't Love," before eventually just walking off the stage promptly after "I really love her/Love her?/WHAT??". If you aren't familiar with this 80s classic, that isn't the end of the song. It was, however, the end for Bobby.
Sure, I was disappointed Bobby wasn't there, but why was that? It wasn't that I missed his singing. He was never the best voice in the group; that honor went to Ralph Tresvant and was tied with Johnny Gill after Bobby left the group. It isn't that he's the best or most entertaining dancer. There may have been a time that was (partly) true, but it hasn't been true for decades now. Bobby is the youngest member of the group (though not by much), but looks and moves like the oldest. The honor of most entertaining dancers goes to BBD (Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe). Hell, BBD has been making appearances everywhere this summer, and it is almost like it is the summer of 1990 again, with "Poison" being on everyone's playlist. It was featured in Think Like a Man, Too, complete with its own new video. They performed it at Kandi Burruss's wedding reception, which aired on Bravo last week. In fact, everyone there was waiting to hear "Poison," which is probably why it is performed very near the end of the set list.
Really, the only reason I wanted to see Bobby Brown was for the sheer spectacle of it. Just like when he and Whitney Houston had their reality show, Being Bobby Brown, Bobby B. remains a fascinating trainwreck. And, to be honest, I didn't miss it all that much.
New Edition sans Bobby performed Bobby's biggest hit, "My Prerogative", and dammit if they didn't do it better. In fact, "Prerogative" was the only time during the concert that they mentioned Bobby's name at all. He Who Shall Not Be Named is the new Voldemort, and it appears his former coworkers weren't missing him one bit.
Bobby Brown missing the Houston concert for mystery "illness" [drug addiction is an illness... but being old and out of shape because of long-term drug and alcohol addiction is not] just emphasized how extraneous he was to the group. Once the concert was under way, nobody missed that fool at all.
Hmm... There seems to be a spacing problem. Were y'all expecting someone else?
Since I had tickets to the Thursday night show in Houston, all day Wednesday I had co-workers telling me to make sure I brought a camera just in case Bobby had some crazy antics on stage… or, you know, just keeled over.
Before I left to meet my friend for dinner, Pop Culture Dad called me and said I should be home early, because there's no way Bobby Brown was showing up, "The concert should be over in an hour." I declared him wrong. So imagine my surprise when I saw this tweet while trying to figure out the best place to park for the concert:
I assumed it was all Pop Culture Dad's fault:
So imagine my non-surprise when I found out yesterday that Bobby Brown quit the tour.
Here's the thing, though: just like when they booted him out of the group in 1985, New Edition doesn't need Bobby Brown.
Sure, I was disappointed Bobby wasn't there, but why was that? It wasn't that I missed his singing. He was never the best voice in the group; that honor went to Ralph Tresvant and was tied with Johnny Gill after Bobby left the group. It isn't that he's the best or most entertaining dancer. There may have been a time that was (partly) true, but it hasn't been true for decades now. Bobby is the youngest member of the group (though not by much), but looks and moves like the oldest. The honor of most entertaining dancers goes to BBD (Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe). Hell, BBD has been making appearances everywhere this summer, and it is almost like it is the summer of 1990 again, with "Poison" being on everyone's playlist. It was featured in Think Like a Man, Too, complete with its own new video. They performed it at Kandi Burruss's wedding reception, which aired on Bravo last week. In fact, everyone there was waiting to hear "Poison," which is probably why it is performed very near the end of the set list.
Really, the only reason I wanted to see Bobby Brown was for the sheer spectacle of it. Just like when he and Whitney Houston had their reality show, Being Bobby Brown, Bobby B. remains a fascinating trainwreck. And, to be honest, I didn't miss it all that much.
New Edition sans Bobby performed Bobby's biggest hit, "My Prerogative", and dammit if they didn't do it better. In fact, "Prerogative" was the only time during the concert that they mentioned Bobby's name at all. He Who Shall Not Be Named is the new Voldemort, and it appears his former coworkers weren't missing him one bit.
Bobby Brown missing the Houston concert for mystery "illness" [drug addiction is an illness... but being old and out of shape because of long-term drug and alcohol addiction is not] just emphasized how extraneous he was to the group. Once the concert was under way, nobody missed that fool at all.
I wish Bobby Brown luck in his recovery from whatever he is recovering, but I'm not shedding any tears or demanding any partial refunds because of his absence. I'm sure DFW didn't miss him one but last night either.
Here are some fun photos from the concert. If you want to see more video clips, head on over to The Pop Culture Mom YouTube channel.
Some Relationship Advice for Selena Gomez
Photo by Michelle Watson/Catchlight Group
Can I call you that? Miss Gomez is probably more formal since we don't know each other. But since I'm old enough to have been your babysitter [or, if I had made more mistakes in high school, your mother] and we aren't doing business together, "Miss Gomez" just seems weird. But I digress...
Sunday, my husband and I took the Pop Culture Girls to your concert at the Houston Rodeo. Now, of course, this concert was sprinkled with rumors since it was only your second concert after *ahem* treatment and the first concert after the paparazzi caught Justin Bieber following you to Hildago and McAllen of all freaking places. We have enough spoiled, entitled brats in this great state. We don't need to start importing them from Canada, too! But, again, I digress...
So there we are, having a great time. We're doing the "dancing" and "singing" you promised us at the beginning of the concert. My two-year old was shaking her groove thang to "Birthday," and then you went dark, girl.
"There’s a lot of speculation and a lot of things being said. No one is perfect. And everyone learns from their mistakes. And everyone makes mistakes.... And I would not be on this stage if it weren’t for people like you to remind me that everyone is human. I hope I can inspire people like you to do whatever you want to do with your life.”
And you were crying. Look, I get that it's a very trying time for you. In fact, I really hope that "mistake" you were talking about is related to you going to rehab (for whatever it is that ails you). Because if that "mistake" is this horrible on-again-off-again boyfriend of yours, allow me to offer some advice from my family's current favorite movie: Let It Go. And by "it," I, of course, mean the relationship (and that jerk).
You're young. You're beautiful. You're rich. You're famous. And you're slightly damaged. Girl, we all are. At least, I understand that now. I might not have understood it so well at 21. I'm sure your mom, grandmothers, and tias are already talking to you about this awful boy, and you feel like you don't need anymore lectures; but the fact that you started keeping company with this boy—this criminal who is consistently abusing drugs and alcohol–so fresh off your recovery is a sign that you need more old ladies talking to you. I don't know for what you underwent treatment, and it really doesn't matter. Whether it's an eating disorder, depression, or drug/alcohol abuse, being around this asshole who sends you ugly, harassing text messages, who doesn't know how to take "leave me alone and stop sending me pictures of your penis. Go to rehab" [paraphrasing] for an answer, who spraypaints and eggs historical buildings, who sleeps with hookers, who does drugs and alcohol and then gets behind the wheel of a car, who falls asleep in depositions about his abusive behavior… being around this spoiled douche is not good for your recovery.
I know your early 20s are your time to do stupid things and make dumb mistakes that you'll look back on when you're old like me and just laugh. But you've already made that mistake. It's time for a new one. Get an ill-thought out tattoo, dye your hair a really unflattering color, sleep with a complete stranger who turns out to be all kinds of the wrong dude. But please don't fool yourself into thinking you can make that little dweeb good boyfriend (or, goodness forbid, husband) material.
Girl, you interrupted your dance party to start crying. Love doesn't do that. Real love doesn't make you miserable and defensive.
In short: leave this fool, make some different mistakes, and then grow out of it. You'll be glad you did.
Love,
Pop Culture Mom, just some old lady who doesn't want you to cry anymore
Why #iCan't with Macklemore Anymore
Macklemore and his fake social activism is more tiresome than the people defending him as "the best hip-hop anything, ever… even though we've never actually listened to hip-hop." But the more his old tweets surface, the more sketchy and inconsistent his claims of dependency and recovery become, the more he tries to claim this loving relationship with Kendrick Lamar, and the less Mary Lambert gets acknowledged for her major contribution to his success, the harder it gets for me to stick with my original thoughts of "I LOVE this guy! I just think there are certainly better hip-hop artists who are actually hip-hop, rather than hip-pop."
I mean, these 2009 tweets of his are real and verified [not that anyone was trying to pretend to be Macklemore in 2009 anyway]:
His tales of dependency and recovery make no sense. He always claims alcohol dependency but the drugs he claims change every time he gives an interview. It started with OxyContin dependency, and now his claim is weed and sizzurup (Google it). But he's also never been to an NA meeting and claims he's too busy to do AA consistently. I get that not all sober people do AA or NA, but if you know any recovered addicts, you know they aren't dealing with his (alleged) drug issues at AA meetings. Also, he's going to AA when it's convenient for him to bring along a Rolling Stones reporter; but he's clearly busier than Ben Affleck (who regularly attends meetings), even though no one knew who the heck Macklemore was back in 2008, which is the time he "more or less" got sober. Which is another thing. Tell me one recovered addict (other than Macklemore) who can't tell you the day s/he had his/her last drink/hit, let alone year. Seriously, he doesn't know the year?? I mean, maybe he was soberish and slipped or has never fully and truly done a recovery program but is still sober. That's still great. But why do you feel the need to bring an interviewer along when you actually decide to go to a meeting??? This self-promotion crap is so old... so very tired.
People are starting to catch on to this guy. These old tweets have found new life today. Even the women at Jezebel (who love him so very much) are starting to talk about it (http://groupthink.jezebel.com/presented-without-comment-1509651073).
Look Macklemore defenders, it isn't that we can't accept a white rapper. We accept Eminem just fine. Snow too. Bestie Boys, hell yes! It isn't that we can't accept rappers who don't sing about bling-bling, bitches,and hoes either. The list of rappers who defy that stereotype is actually really long. Anyone who actually listens to hip-hop could rattle off 10 socially conscious hip-hop artists in 10 seconds. People who think rap is only about "bitches and hoes" and guns and bling clearly know nothing about rap—not its roots and not its present. The problem with Macklemore isn't his whiteness and it isn't his (alleged) consciousness; it's his personal narrative and his placement.
The man can flow. He would've been famous even if he acknowledged his past dickishness and didn't try to fabricate this haggard backstory. But now, here's where the famous backlash begins. If Macklemore befalls the same fate as Vanilla Ice, it won't be the "white rapper" curse; it'll be the "big liar" curse. Lying didn't work for Milli Vanilli, and it shouldn't work for him either.
Also, I'm sorry, but Macklemore isn't everything in rap. He can't even get played on most hip-hop channels, but he owns every pop station. And, again, don't give me that "it's because he's white" shit, because Eminem has an entire channel on Sirius/XM (Shade 45)
It's a damn shame Macklemore turned out to be such a putz, because I really like some of his music.
Review and GIVEAWAY!! Win a copy of Sandra Boyton's "Frog Trouble"
Disclaimer: I did not and will not receive any financial compensation for this post. I received a copy of the Frog Trouble CD for review purposes. All opinions expressed in the review are solely the opinions of the Pop Culture Family and shall in no way be imputed to the Warner Music Group, Sandra Boyton, or Big Honcho Media.
REVIEW
As I have mentioned before, my house is filled with Sandra Boynton fans. So you can imagine how over-the-moon giddy I was when I was asked to review her latest CD. Now, everyone in my house likes country music. Pop Culture Dad, despite being born on the East Coast and raised in the Midwest, is probably the biggest country music fan in our house; and I, despite being born and raised in Texas and owning horses and a cattle ranch (seriously, I do), am a much smaller country music fan. My dad raised me on mostly Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, and Kenny Rogers-type country, with some Crystal Gayle thrown in here and there (the classic stuff). In high school, I frequently played Pam Tillis, Trisha Yearwood, or John Michael Montgomery in rotation with Boys II Men, Madonna, and Dr. Dre. But as I got older, my tastes in country music got more pop-py. Sure, I still like the songs I used to, but if I'm going to pick new country music to listen to, I'm more likely to rev up Shedaisy, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Sugarland, or Dixie Chicks than… I dunno, pick someone who's won a CMA recently. You can keep your Tobey Keith, thank you.
So I approached this CD with some reservations. I love Sandra Boynton, but would I like this CD? The answer is apparently, for the most part, yes. Pop Culture Dad had no such reservations. When the CD arrived, he looked at the list of artists and said, "I'm going to love this song… and that one… and that one." He was right in most cases. [The Pop Culture Kids have pure minds, free of biases, and went into this whole gig with no pre-formed opinions whatsoever].
Overall, it's a great CD. It's very kid-friendly, and definitely doesn't give a parent pause like some of the songs on Radio Disney sometimes can. This is not a CD for people who don't like country music, however. If you consider Taylor Swift real country and are expecting that kind of sound, this is not the CD for you. Some of these tracks (most of them) have a real, old country kind of feel, banjos and all. There are some crossover hits, like Darius Rucker's "Beautiful Baby" or Ben Folds' "Broken Piano," but overall, there is no doubt that Frog Trouble is country.
The Good: My entire family agrees that "Heartache Song" is the best track on this CD. It's a fun, bluesy track that starts with Kacey Musgraves belting, "They made me cleanup my room..." before launching into other apparent woes of being a kid. Not gonna lie, the Grease geek in me kind of thought of Stockard Channing singing "Look at Me I'm Sandra Dee" in parts (this is a good thing, people). Another favorite of mine (though Pop Culture Dad may disagree) is "Beautiful Baby." Darius Rucker has this uncanny ability to sing songs that make you look at your children and breakdown into happy tears.
The Not-So-Good: The first song Pop Culture Dad prematurely declared he would love turned out to be the Pop Culture Family's least favorite. Look, no disrespect to Alison Krauss (one of Pop Culture Dad's favorite singers), but "End of a Summer Storm" was a wee but depressing. I mean, her voice sounded just fine (I guess), but the song was overall kind of a bummer. Pop Culture Dad thought it just didn't have a place on a kids' album. Also, I liked "Copycat," but I don't want to, because I still don't forgive Brad Paisley for that intentionally racist "Accidental Racist," so despite liking the song, I'm giving it a very stubborn thumbs-down.
In general, I think any family who likes country music or just fun kids' music, regardless of genre, will like Frog Trouble. Now, thanks to Warner Music Group, one lucky reader will get a chance to own it for free!
THE GIVEAWAY
Before we get into the details from the concert sponsor, Warner Music Group, let me do some additional disclaimers [sorry, I'm a lawyer. That's what we do].
° The giveaway ends at midnight Monday, October 14, 2013, prevailing Central Time. Any entries received after 11:59.59 CT on October 13, 2013 will not be entered in the giveaway.
° The prizes will actually be furnished by Warner Music Group. I'm the facilitator. Once the winner is chosen, Warner is the one sending the prize. If the Post is slow, don't yell at me, please.
° The prize can only be shipped to a US address.
° While the CD does not in any way contain adult content, this giveaway is limited to people 18 and older
° All the information below is from Warner Music Group. When you hit the line, that's when my opinion ends and theirs begins.
° There are four ways to enter:
1. The first is mandatory—leave a comment. I'm disabling comment verification just for this giveaway. Your comment can be about anything. Don't use it as an excuse to get all crazy and internet-trollie. I am still a member of the Mom Pledge, and anyone who uses this free period to go bananas with hate-speech or bullying will not only be ineligible from the contest, but will be banned from the site.
2. Like The Pop Culture Mom Facebook page. This option is worth two entries. If you already like the page, leave a separate comment to make sure your "like" is counted.
3. Follow me on Twitter
4. Retweet about the contest. One Tweet per day only, please.
° The giveaway is being managed by Rafflecopter, so to make sure your entry counts, go here: a Rafflecopter giveaway
That's it! That's all you have to do! And now... A word from our sponsor:
FROG TROUBLE
Audio CD by Sandra Boynton
In Stores Now
Hang on to yer hat, Cowboy! Experience Sandra Boynton’s Frog Trouble with your little one!
One (1) winner receives:
· Kid-safe headphones
· copy of Frog Trouble CD
Giveaway open to U.S. addresses only.
Prizing & samples courtesy of Warner Music Group.
About the CD
Grammy nominated and bestselling children’s author, songwriter and music producer, Sandra Boynton, presents her first Country album, Frog Trouble. The album features 12 original songs by Boynton, arranged and mixed with Michael Ford.
Boynton produced the tracks mostly in Nashville, with renowned session musicians and an All-Star roster. Each artist was hand-picked by Boynton for this retro sounding album, including Dwight Yoakam, Fountains of Wayne, Mark Lanegan, Kacey Musgraves, Ryan Adams, Ben Folds, Brad Paisley, Alison Krauss, Josh Turner, Darius Rucker, Linda Eder, and Falls Mountain Cowboys.
With composer Michael Ford, Boynton has written and produced five albums, three of which have been certified Gold. She also received a GRAMMY nomination for the Boynton/Ford album Philadelphia Chickens. Frog Trouble has tracks ranging from Country to Bluegrass to Rockabilly to Honkytonk to Blues. It’s truly an album for everyone or, as the cover says, "For ages one to older than dirt."
FROG TROUBLE Track Listing
1. I’ve Got a Dog – Dwight Yoakam
2. Trucks – Fountains of Wayne
3. Frog Trouble – Mark Lanegan
4. Heartache Song – Kacey Musgraves
5. When Pigs Fly – Ryan Adams
6. Broken Piano – Ben Folds
7. Copycat – Brad Paisley
8. End of a Summer Storm – Alison Krauss
9. Alligator Stroll – Josh Turner
10. Beautiful Baby – Darius Rucker
11. Deepest Blue – Linda Eder
12. More Frog Trouble – Falls Mountain Cowboys (a fictitious group)
Frog Trouble Online
Visit the official website
Like Sandra Boynton on Facebook
Watch clips on YouTube
Follow @SandyBoynton on Twitter
Available at the following retailers
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
iTunes
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