Wednesday, March 28, 2007

GATOR RISING






This is a preliminary sketch of Commander Gator of The Swampedelic Space Brigade, the rock opera by the band GROOVE DAMAGE! More updates as they become available over the coming weeks.

La Vie Boheme

Monday, March 26, 2007

Quote of the Day

Remember, if it's a cliche' chances are it's been turned into a country song.

J.D Davis


La Vie Boheme

Friday, March 09, 2007

Celebrity Like Me











OH BROTHER, Sisters and brothers! What must I do? How long must I strive with Ya'll?

OK. It's not Jane & Joe americAn's fault... I mean, we don't control the media...

What they broadcast is out of our control... right?



I woke up, singing Brittney Spears version of "My Prerogative"... I had a series of thought on this... My first flashed to the video for the song. Spears' stunt double drives the mega-expensive sports ride, into a swimming pool... hey, it's "[her] prerogative"... That song is not that old, you know... (look up the copyright, will you Deary?) Was, she trying to say something with that video? Certainly the lyrics, in retrospect are poinient (for Brown then and Spears now)... Flash forward, to her head shave, and back slightly to her panty-less Vegas outing with Hilton... HMMMM.

No body, mentioned the Star Of David in the media, except me... I can't find one photo of it on the web... (I guess she never wore it... wink- Britney-)... The press was too struck with her scalp, to notice the look in her eyes...
















It seems americAns are that way...

They notice what ever the media wants them to, and nothing else... sigh...

Maybe, we like that these millionaire starlets have problems... like me. Like you.

The thing is, despite the medias focus... And the publics lack of it... There is a reason that these girls act this way.

First of all, they are just friggin kids... give me a break. Who the hell hasn't gotten high, and done something risk-A in Vegas? Yes... it's true, Spears was naked most of her life. An object, out the starting gate. That's why this photo by David LaChapelle featured above is so brilliant. He makes a startling statement... Britney Spears was and IS molested by the camera. By the industry. By America. The contrast between the little girls room, and the little girls sexy outfit speaks volumes, to a blind, deaf, and dumb audience... Why does she use drugs? To cope with this... Hang in Brit, you're gonna be fine.







Then I flashed on Lohans lyrics. The first time I listen to this song, I wept a little for her... Perhaps if americAns were more in tune as to what might motivate behavior, rather then the acting out it's self, they would be far less titilated by these young women. Please read Lindsay Lohan's lyrics, and try to see where she is coming from:

----Confessions Of A Broken Heart


I wait for the postman to bring me a letter
I wait for the good Lord to make me feel better
And I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders
A family in crisis that only grows older

Why'd you have to go?


Daughter to father, daughter to father
I am broken but I am hoping
Daughter to father, daughter to father
I am crying, a part of me is dying and
These are, these are
The confessions of a broken heart

And I wear all your old clothes, your polo sweater
I dream of another you
The one who would never (never)
Leave me alone to pick up the pieces
A daddy to hold me, that's what I needed

Why'd you have to go!!

Daughter to father, daughter to father
I don't know you, but I still want to
Daughter to father, daughter to father
Tell me the truth, did you ever love me
Cause these are, these are
The confessions of a broken heart

I love you,
I love you
I love you
I....!!!!!
I love you!!



I wait for the postman to bring me a letter..


--------------

As for Hilton, I just want to say, she too, was abandoned. Though her GAZILLIONAIRE daddy never left physically... You can't raise an empire, and daughters at the same time... or can you?

So, why do the tabloids sizzle about these three young women becoming friends? What makes you a friend with someone? Common background, is it not?




Ladies, I know as well as you do, that, there is no way you're not going to be filmed and photoed. I would just encourage you to seek a level of transparency where it counts. Alone in your rooms. The media wont tell the truth... but your still small voice will.

La vie Boheme

Monday, March 05, 2007

More Good Vibrations From Sistaz 'Round The Nation

"RELIEF SOCIETY SISTERS EXTEND A PUBLIC CALL FOR GOOD WORKS
Link
SELAH, Washington - Women of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day

Saints are hosting a Humanitarian Day next Saturday to assemble emergency

supplies to distribute to needy countries and at home. Members of the

Church's Relief Society periodically get together to assemble supplies, but

this time the group is making a departure. They're inviting women from any

other church, as well as those who have no church affiliation, to join them

in the effort."

Can you name another denomination that is reaching out like this?

When it's all said and done, it's what's done and not said that will count!

VIVA!

La Vie Boheme

Saturday, March 03, 2007

KUDOS... SISTAZ, FINALLY FEELING RIGHTEOUS ANGER... (what took Ya'll so long?)



This mornings paper had the following article as it's lead story. Sisters and Brothers, I have been saying this from the inception and infiltration of BRATZ Dolls on americA. I am cheering today, because parents and leaders are FINALLY echoing my cries, (are they also filled with tears, I wonder?). This marketing campaign, that includes a Saturday morning cartoon show, is insidious, and joins other similar cartoons, (TROLLS, etc...), in brain washing our future leaders into a life of misery, by teaching ineffectual witchcraft, idolatry, and outright prostitution, as not only normal, but the 'coolest way to be'.

This an excellent article, I would encourage you to read it, and heed it's warnings. Let us not be culpable in creating a generation or ten, that begins life as baby hookers. Read on.

"-----Saturday, March 03, 2007
5-year-olds in fish nets Study links early sexualization to eating disorders, depression
MELISSA DAHL - SACRAMENTO BEE

From advertisements to magazine covers, the image of the promiscuous girl is being celebrated.

With her hit "Promiscuous," singer Nelly Furtado sold more albums than ever once she sexed up her image. Party girls Paris and Britney forget underwear for a night out, and teen girls echo those images on their MySpace pages.

All this has caught the attention of parents, educators and authors, and it also has caught the attention of the American Psychological Association, which last week released a report called "The Sexualization of Girls."

In the report, six female psychologists and educators argue that these images are damaging to girls' self-image and mental health, teaching them to objectify themselves.

Anecdotal evidence is all over pop culture:

Bratz dolls, designed for 4-to-8-year-olds, flew off the shelves last year. The dolls are known for their sexy clothing -- miniskirts, fishnet stockings and feather boas. But what concerns experts more is what the Bratz do -- or, actually, what they don't do.

"They're marketed as a sexy, Paris Hilton version of teens," says Lyn Mikel Brown, a professor of education at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, and author of "Packaging Girlhood". Bratz are about fashion, shopping, clubbing and not much else, Brown says. But Boyz, their male counterparts, exit their boxes ready for action, equipped with soccer balls and skate boards.

Singer Fergie's latest CD was listed by Amazon.com as one of the top 10 things "every teen girl wants for the holidays."

The CD included the song "Fergalicious" -- which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart -- and included lyrics insisting that Fergie is not "easy," "sleazy" or "promiscuous."

Fergie sings those lyrics in her video while wearing a tiny Girl Scout uniform -- a cropped, midriff-baring top and a short, pleated skirt. She also dons a bathing suit and rolls in cake, singing about how "delicious" she is.

Clothing stores for 'tweens are increasingly selling sexy clothes, such as camisoles, lacy panties and thongs.

"Attitude" T-shirts are available for all ages, such as the Abercrombie and Fitch tees that a group of Pennsylvania teens "girlcotted." Among the slogans were: "Blondes are Adored, Brunettes are Ignored" and "Who needs brains when you have these?"

A real-life crew of Bratz -- Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan -- is currently more famous for partying than talent. Entertainment blogs and YouTube let us follow their every move -- rehab stints, DUIs and those nights when underwear just didn't go with the outfit.

Educators argue that this cultural shift toward female sexualization is teaching girls to value their own sexiness as a commodity, as something that can be traded for power, money, popularity or winning the boys.

"It's almost like sexualization keeps them in their place; it keeps them down," says Tomi-Ann Roberts, one of the authors of the APA study and a professor of psychology at Colorado College. "It reminds you to stay an object of others' admiration as opposed to a human being of competence."

The sexy-is-powerful trend could be traced all the way back to the 19th century, but experts believe that in recent years, it seems to have stemmed from the "girl power" focus in the late '90s -- the years of female empowerment programs for girls. The third-wave feminist movement introduced the notion that women could be into wearing pink high heels and still be powerful, successful and smart.

"Marketers picked up on the prettiness and left the real power stuff behind," Brown says. "It's sold as an image of power, but it's not changing-the-world kind of power. It's choosing between mango lip gloss and cherry lip gloss."

The APA report links sexualization with three of the most common mental health problems of girls and women: eating disorders, low self-esteem and depression. Some of the negative consequences, according to the report, include:

Constant comparison between one's own body and cultural standards, leading to feelings of inadequacy and shame.

A tendency to focus more on a partner's judgments of one's appearance than on one's own desires, safety and pleasure.

A significant jump in plastic surgery for teens between 2000 and 2005. Invasive cosmetic surgery increased 15 percent, and minimally invasive cosmetic procedures, such as botox injections, chemical peels or laser hair removal, increased 7 percent.

The most common procedures sought by teens are breast enlargements, nose and ear reshaping, and liposuction, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.-----"


See what I mean?



La Vie Boheme

Friday, March 02, 2007

Gasping Last Breath, With Deep Sea Diver Sounds

STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP, is, as I predicted gone from NBC... I would love for all readers of Groove Damage, to play a part in saving good TV... Please sign this petition to keep Studio 60 alive... My signature comment post was crunched there, so, here is how it's supposed to look...

-----Studio 60 is a brilliant show, for a myriad of reasons. Why can't the execs at NBC be like the ones portrayed on the show? Fighting that which is corrupt and wrong with television, and striving for a more literate America? This is uplifting programming that is neither saccharin, nor schmaltzy. Why must "Hollywood" remove that which is redeeming, for that which is mafioso dark? It is wrong to remove this show from the airwaves. Worst case scenario, it should be moved to sister station Bravo, and remain in full production... Best case, NBC will find a more suitable slot for Studio 60, and keep one of the finest Dramas ever produced alive. Prime Time TV is awash with filth, murder, fornication for titillation, and is in desperate need of the o2 that Sorkins' show provides. For the record, not only would I personally buy the DVD set for myself, but would present them to friends and family as gifts, to demonstrate that TV is not a dead art form... remove this show, and you will be guilty of conspiracy to kill all that is good and right in this country. We the viewers of Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, implore you to do something noble, and allow this show, still in infancy, to flourish into a full grown favorite... for once, let money not be the issue... La Vie Boheme -----

Don't let this Show die americA!