The blog-o-sphere is full of pointless celeb-worshipping, celeb-trashing, and fan-fighting. The reason I started The Wonderful World of Miss TLC in the first place was because I was sick of all the ass-kissing and ass-praising; the fashion put-downs coming from out-of-shape ugly folx who have never been invited to an A-list party in their lives; the musical criticism coming from those who have no talent whatsoever; and the boatloads of un-educated and un-knowing pointless bullshit out there. I think it's a good thing that blogs have risen to the level of popularity that they have. There are plenty of "regular" people out there who can do the job better than those who are doing it in the mags and newspapers, but they haven't been hired by The New York Times, or Vogue, or Us Weekly. However, when their posting becomes excessively negative, and the person who is typing the vitriol into their web publishing tools night and day doesn't have a solution, or even an intelligent take on the story they are telling, then it's just adding static to our world. So I just try to give you the realness, as best I can. Don't get me wrong. I post a lot of opinionated pieces as well. But for the most part, I try to enlighten you all about the truth. I want to show you the facts, and make you think about entertainment news in an alternate way. Why? Well mainly because I've worked in this industry. I've hung out with these people. I've seen behind the velvet curtain, w/o just writing about it. You have to understand that reporters are usually only given access to a particular side of the business because that's all the artist/company/management wants them to see. Someone like me has been given a pass to see them in their backstage dressing rooms BEFORE the reporter arrives and they sit up straight and deliver their fake laugh. Someone like me has been in the meetings where deal points have been discussed BEFORE the standard press release is issued from the publicist which just happens to exaggerate the figures and monies awarded.
At the same time, I know what "sells", and I know what people want to read when they are stressed, or bored, or just have a couple of minutes to log onto the internet. This is why I balance my "serious" pieces, with random jokes, sarcastic comments, and nonsense as well. ;) Therefore, me posting something like "don't buy this album" as my Britney album review is actually one part joke/one part social commentary. I have listened to the album, and I don't think it's terrible. I have a very open mind when it comes to music. I've performed all over, received a scholarship for vocal performance in college, majored in music and business, and am a fan of rap, soul, jazz, blues, and reggae for the most part. And even though I don't personally choose to listen to pop, country, and/or rock, I can appreciate what's good, and what will usually be liked in that field. Production is key. Lyrics help. Marketing is big. I'll never make a statement like "hip-hop sucks" or "pop is for losers" or "jazz is boring". You can never generalize on an entire genre, and music is subjective (meaning I can find Frank Sinatra comforting, while someone else can get a headache just from hearing his lazy drawl, and neither of us is right or wrong).
The real reason I said that about "Blackout" was because Britney is clearly spinning out of control, and has been for quite some time now. It's sad, and it's a shame considering she has children, and nothing but a bunch of slug moochers around her who enable her to continue acting irresponsibly. Am I saying that we should only buy product from pristine crystal clean artists? No, I'm not. The main problem with her though is that she truly DOES NOT CARE about fans. She showed that clear as day on the MTV Awards. She didn't care what she put out there. She doesn't care to promote the new album, or show up to rehearsals, or listen to her record company's advice, etc. If you don't believe me, listen to her interview with Ryan Seacrest below:
Extremely Bizarre Britney Interview
I have defended Britney in the past, but this is just too much. It's disrespectful quite frankly. Yes, I know she's under a lot of stress right now (with her kids, the legal trouble, and the paparazzi), but she did this to herself. It's not like she was some perfect-white-picket-fence-baking-chocolate-chip-cookies-on-a-Monday-afternoon-Mommy and the court system just swooped in and stole her kids from her and put her business on display. You can say Kevin caused this, but SHE chose to marry Kevin. You can say the paparazzi harrasses her, but SHE chooses to go out to Winston's every night drinking, making constant trips to the bathroom, and changing outfits in front of everyone. (Yes, I know it's possible she could just have bladder problems, but then why wouldn't you just stay home? Or at least take some medicine or something? According to the commercials I see on TV everyday, there are a lot of pills out there for incontinence.)
Bottom line, she just doesn't care. So we as a people should seriously show her that we don't care either. She literally IGNORED the interviewer on her ONE interview for her album! She handed the phone to someone NO ONE wants to talk to and jumped in the shower! She refused to even say "thanks for supporting me and buying the album" to her fans and instead had her stupid cousin do it?!?!?!?!? It's a slap in the face to all those who have made her a multi-millionaire. It's always bothered me when artists/actors/actresses say they "don't owe anything to anyone" after they are berated for treating their fans like dirt. Um... yes you do. If you didn't want fans, then you don't want money, so don't sign a million-dollar recording contract, or star in a blockbuster film. If you are just making music or acting "for the love of it", then by all means, stick to the karaoke bars and off-Broadway acting workshops. In other words, cut the bullshit. You want to be a star, so act like a star and appreciate your fans.
(Unfortunately, Britney will probably not learn from this experience at all since early industry reports have her album on track to sell around 400K copies this week and debut at #1 on the charts. Oh well, crazy continues to sell. :))
MTV
