Would YOU Speak Up?

http://abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/
After a long night of work on Friday night, I walked in the door and sat down to eat a belated supper while my parents watched TV. The show they were watching was ABC’s What Would You Do? I had seen this show many times before, but this one caught my attention. The situation they were staging at the time I walked in had to do with a crying child in a car. They purposely made sure it was hot outside, then placed an extremely realistic baby doll inside a locked car, with no windows cracked. The low percentage of people who actually stopped had me completely flabbergasted. So many simply walked by—and it was not because they didn’t hear the cries of the child, because many people looked back multiple times.
The situation shared above is one of the more subtle, when compared to others. For example, another that was showed that night involved a pair of actors (the parents) and their children going out to dinner. The controversial aspect? The parents were of the same gender—either two men, or two women. Others in on the act were the waiter and the rest of the restaurant management, who threatened to kick the family out of the restaurant Again, the number of bystanders who intervened was low.
It surprises me that so many people don’t have the courage to speak up when something needs to be said. I do agree that in some situations, it is no one else’s business to interrupt, for instance, the situation of a son confessing his sexuality to his mother. However, when a person see’s a crying child trapped in a car, I completely do not understand how they can just walk away without even notifying the police, at the least. People in this world need to SPEAK UP!

Ahhh, the rock n' roll Hall of Fame...



Neil Diamond, now a member of the rock and roll Hall of Fame



As of Tuesday, the 2011 class of Cleveland Hall has been revealed. Among those accepted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame include Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper band, Dr. John, Darlene Love, and Tom Waits. Love, who had already been nominated three times prior, stated that the induction “still hasn’t hit her yet.” Alice Cooper’s name had been mentioned previously, but this was the first that the band was actually nominated for the hall. Both Cooper and Diamond made it clear that they were not sitting around waiting with anxiety. Their views were based on the fact that they would wait for their time to come.

However, obviously not all who are nominated receive such an honor. Those who will have to try yet another time include LL Cool J, J. Geil’s Band, the Beastie Boys, Donna Summer and, surprisingly, Bon Jovi.

The Inductions ceremony will be held on March 14^th in New York City, with Bruce Springstein and the E Street Band’s Van Zandt most likely doing the honors.

Slam Dunk for Slim Shady

This has been a pretty successful year for rapper Eminem. To top it all off, he has recieved ten grammy nominations, which exceeds the number for any other artist this year. Among his nominations are Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year, for his newest album titled Recovery. Some give half of the credit for Eminem's success to Rhianna. Why? Five of the ten nominations recieved were for the song Love the Way You Lie which features Rhianna. The artists running against Eminem for album of the year include Arcade Fire's The Suburbs, Lady Antebellum's Need You Now, Lady Gaga's Fame Monster, and Katy Perry's Teenage Dream. Nominations for other categories also featured other big artists this year. The Grammy awards premier on Sunday, February 13th, 2011 at 8 o'clock on CBS.

Susan Boyle Tops the Charts

Who would have ever thought that Susan Boyle would have the recognition she has today from walking out onto the stage of Britain's Got Talent? Definitely not me. Within a year, she has had two number 1 albums in the United States and the United Kingdom simultaneously. According to Sony, her record label company, she is the first woman to achieve such an honor.  The Beatles were the last group that achieved recognition for this in 1969, over 40 years ago, with their albums Abbey Road and The White Album. Talk about a busy year!

Taylor Swift's Big Wins

Last Tuesday, Taylor Swift made history; the twenty-year-old became the youngest ever to recieve the BMI Country Songwriter of the Year award. Winners from previous years include Bill Anderson in 1960 and Johnny Cash in 1954. From what I've heard, she deserves this award every bit. It seems like fewer people now-a-days actually write the songs they perform, and I find it hard to believe that those artists can really relate to the lyrics of the songs they are singing if they did not write them. Not only that, but even if you aren't a fan of Tay-Tay, you have to admit that her lyrics are pretty deep. She claimed that it had been a tough week. Although her album came out with a BIG bang, she also had to attend the fineral of a close friend, to whom she used to recite her songs. That same night, she also won the award for "country song of the year" for the song You belong With Me. Again, winning this made history; she is the first songwriter to win this award three years in a row. Other songwriters who were recognized that night include Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum, Zac brown, Luke Bryan, Kristian Bush, Tody Keith, Eric Church, and Keith Urban.

Reality TV Pushing it's Limits

It seems like reality TV no longer has it's boundaries. Now, instead of people just winning the spouse of their dreams or a lump sum of money, they're winning a complete makeover using plastic surgery? To make it even worse, their husbands won't even see their "fixed" selves until they are AT THE ALTER. Ridiculous much?

Bret Michaels: the Cause of the Cyrus' Divorce?

Last week, the divorce of Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus and seventeen years of marraige was brought into the focus of the public eye. The alleged cause? An affair between Tish and Bret Michaels, the lead singer of Poison, and also the star of various reality shows on VH1. Michaels claims that he has been friends with the couple for years, and no line has ever been crossed when it came to their relationships. During his interview with Fox, he then proceeded to discuss his health scare  involving his brain hemmorrhage from earlier this year. With all the rumors popping up here and there about celebrities and their wrong-doings, no one can really sort them as to what is true and what is not. Michaels' intereview with FoxNews can be viewed here, at the end of the article. He also discusses his new show ( yep,yet another...) on VH1 called "Life As I Know It." I'm pretty sure he's catching up to Flava Flav with the amount of reality shows he's starred in/created.

All the Hype Over a Free Weezy

I don't believe there has ever been so much anticipation for someone to be released from prison as there was for Lil' Wayne on Thursday morning.  The excitement spread everywhere: Facebook, Twitter, MTV, other news channels, etc. However, his new album beat him out of the slammer by a few weeks. The rapper had been serving his time in "punitive segregation" due to an MP3 charger and a headset being found during a search of his cell. However, SOMEHOW his new album still managed to be released while he was still behind bars and, of course, hit the top charts not long after. Weezy even recorded a verse for Drake and Jay-Z's song "Light up" over the phone while behind bars. All i have to say is...really?! I myself am a fan of Lil' Wayne, but i still do not understand how someone can have a number one hit while incarcerated. In reality, neither fans nor haters can deny the obvious: it doesn't look like anything can stop this rapper. If he can have a number one hit from a prison cell, who knows what else he is capable of doing. Actually, that could be a pretty scary thought...