"I'm the Opening Act"

1967: Jimi Hendrix opened for The Monkees. However, the young-ins couldn’t wait to get a glimpse of Davy Jones and booed Hendrix right off the stage.

Times haven’t changed that much.

Last week, I was at a show for The Honorary Title, who was one of the three opening acts. The main band – which came on three hours after doors opened - was a happy pop-rock band called The Format.

The Honarary Title was the band preceding them, and fans were way too anxious - so anxious that the masses of people started talking through the Honorary Title’s set.

Now, as a “celebrity,” what do you do? Do you keep playing and hope for the best? Do you say something? Or do you just get off stage?

Well, lead singer Jarrod Gorbel put up with the roar of people until he began to sing a heart felt acoustic piece (and I do mean heartfelt – there were moments where he was so emotional that I thought we was going to breakdown on stage). Gorbel yelled mid-song for the crowd to just “shut up” and listen, informing people that their set would be over soon enough.

Should I even mention that the mindless people kept talking?

What I don’t understand is disrespecting opening acts. People see someone singing their heart out – literally – and they talk through it? At least go outside.

Even better: Come just for the headliner.

Maybe it is just the youth of America with the attention span of a newborn, but nothing has changed in over 40 years. Maybe it’s time – or maybe not – but it all depends on how many people actually care solely about the music.

I know I’ve stood through numerous bands that have totally bombed, but I never ruined their set. I see it as an anticipation builder – it adds to the joys of concert going.

Anyway, THT are a pretty decent band, definitely “checkout” worthy, but they’re no Hendrix.



Monkees Documentary (4:00 minutes – Hendrix)



“Bridge and Tunnel” The Honorary Title

The Ups and Downs of Warped Tour, Oh and Add in Some Swirls

To compare this year's Warped Tour to previous years would be unfair. However, there is one major thing in common with this years and last years: rain - and lots of it.

Ever since Warped Tour started to play in Miami, the tour has been rained out (you could almost say cursed). But this year it came to the extremes, where the concert was actually shut down.

Last Saturday, after clear sunny skies all morning, came the afternoon thunderstorms. But these weren’t your average storms. This time, funnel clouds, sand storms and what my friend and I called “a pre-tornado” occured.

Around 4:20 p.m., large gusts of wind came swooping onto the fields of people. Next came a massive swirling sand storm, which lifted numerous trash items into its spinning motion. This caused the mass of people to yell “tornado.” Hell broke loose, with people running frantically to find a safe place. The only problem was that there wasn't a "safe place" for over a mile.

Once cops realized that something was happening, they decided to get on their megaphones and “cancel” Warped Tour.

This only made the hysteria worse, causing more people to panic and run around aimlessly. As my friend and I were running as fast as we could to our car, a very low-spinning cloud began to form above us, not to mention the great sand storm with winds so strong that it aided to the running process by lifting us up a bit.

After all the drama of “tornadoes,” about an hour passing and more than three-quarters of the people gone, I received a phone call from a band member that was still in hopes of an interview. He not only informed me of the interview still being on schedule, he also said that Warped Tour was going on as planned.

As usual, I freaked out. But we didn’t go back.

So with my disappointment, I went on with life, and remembered the good things that happened this year:

I got to see two amazing bands perform.

All Time Low – I mentioned them before, but they are amazing. They played an acoustic set due to an illness in the group, and did great.

"Coffee Shop Soundtrack" - All Time Low


Street Drum Corps – Who did a Christmas song with The Used lead singer Bert McCracken. They may just be “banging on trash cans,” but it sure was entertaining.

"Wrecks" - Street Drum Corps


"War Is Over" - Street Drum Corps & Bert McCracken


To see photos from the show click here.

I got to interview great bands, some I never heard of until that day, but were pretty awesome.

Most of the bands will be coming back to play in the area, and I will definitely post dates when I get my hands on them.

So needless to say, next time Warped rolls into town, and I see a black cloud coming towards us, I will head to my car and not just say, “Oh, it's another one of the small storms that will be over in a few minutes.”

Hopefully next year, Kevin (founder of Warped Tour) and the rest of his Warped crew will bring the show back home to its rightful place at the Pompano Beach Amphitheatre.

Travolta, "Big, Blonde & Beatuiful:" I Think Not

The new Hairspray the movie (2007) Trailer

Hairspray the musical and movie take place in 1962, which got me thinking that the '60s would have been so much more fun.

They got to protest a war, fight segregation, and they had amazing music to dance to. And what do we have now… We have a war that only a select few protest (yet we complain about it daily), we still have racism where nothing changes, and we have music where all you do is “back that thang up.”

What happened to society?

We – well some of us - were children of hippies, and what are we doing? Sitting around complaining about these issues and not doing anything about it!

Hairspray the movie, which comes out this Friday, touches base on numerous issues dealing with more then just a “big” girl trying to fit in, such as segregation/racism and slightly upon gay rights.

With these same things still affecting society today, it should be interesting to see how the iPod generation likes it. There will definitely be a follow up.

But anyway, back to the movie.

Ever since I first saw this musical at the Kravis Center a couple of years ago, I have been a “big” fan; you could even say I'm obsessed. Yet, the list of things wrong with the new film could go on for years, but I wont rant that long.

First, John Travolta playing Edna Turnblad – are you kidding me? When did Turnblad get a southern accent? When did she loose so much weight? What happened to her deep masculine voice? The things wrong with Travolta playing this character could take up pages. Watch the videos below to see the difference between the old Edna and the new.

The next order of business is Darlene Love vs. Queen Latifah for the part of Motormouth Maybelle. Well let's see… One has oodles more talent and is performing the part on Broadway as we speak, but the other one has a greater appeal to the iPod generation. What to do? Well, the makers of the movie chose the last one, which makes more sense, right? They want more money, so who cares about talent.

Seeing that everything I have said has been extremely negative, I might as well throw in two small positive points.

James Marsden, who played Cyclops in the X-Men the movies, plays “Corney Collins,” and who knew this super hero could sing? I sure didn’t, and that boy has the vocal chords to prove it.

Small town girl Nikki Blonsky got her dreams to come true. Her story is one that isn’t seen much in Hollywood. She auditioned for the part of Tracy Turnblad and this high school senior, working at Cold Stone Creamery, found out at work that she got the part. She got to skip all the b-list films and act with a-list celebs. Some people are just plain lucky.

After all is said and done, I think the majority of viewers who haven’t seen it live or seen the original will enjoy it. It is entertaining yet not up to par for the die-hard fans. But one thing is for sure: There is nothing better than live music on Broadway.

The Classics:


Hairspray the movie's 1988 Trailer


Hairspray the musical's Montage

It's up to Entertainers to Save the World... Literally

I cannot fathom the idea that it has come down to entertainers to have to influence people to save the planet… but of course, it has happened.

Live Earth, a global concert of over 100 music acts playing on seven different continents, took over this past weekend. Their goal was to inform the general public about the global warming crisis that is taking over our precious planet.

"It’s one problem we can solve if we come together as one and take action and drive our neighbors, businesses and governments to act as well,” said Al Gore at the concert. “That's what Live Earth is all about."

MSN stated that there were over 10 million video streams on their Web site. Sadly, only 2.4 million people viewed the recap on prime time television on Sunday night. The television broadcast had the smallest amount of viewers. Ready for this... you are going to have to brace yourself… ABC aired the animated film Monsters Inc. and it received one million more viewings then something that was attempting to save the planet.

Madonna was the last to perform for the night in the United Kingdom and wanted to make sure the point got across.

“I want to thank Al Gore and Kevin Wall for giving the world the wake up call it so badly needs and for starting an avalanche that we are running out of time,” Madonna said during her set. “Let’s hope the concerts going on are not just about entertainment, but about starting a revolution.”

With it being almost a week after the event, it seems like nothing has changed. So maybe some people went out and bought better light bulbs, but there was no revolution like the Smashing Pumpkins wanted. Maybe the idea that entertainers can change the world wasn’t ingenious after all. Isn’t that what the politicians are here for?

Even celebrities can’t comprehend the idea that musicians can save the world.

“I watched bits of Live Earth. I don't want the earth to melt. That's for sure,” pop singer Darren Hayes stated in his personal Blog. “But I don't know if the Pussycat Dolls can save us. Do you?”

With that said, it was all in all a great show, and the idea behind it was ok, too. But at the end of the night, it really seemed like it was just for entertaining purposes only.


This weeks songs that are worthy of being downloaded:

Darren Hayes “On The Verge of Something Wonderful”

Paper Rival “You’re Right”

Danny K “Real Man”

Joe “If I Was Your Man”

Spoon “The Underdog”

Donate Blood & Get Back Stage At Warped Tour

I never understood giving people “gifts” for donating their blood. Shouldn’t that be one of those random acts of kindness? I guess not, seeing we are always short on blood. But now - for the first time - I am ecstatic that they give us gifts.

A little birdie told me that if you give blood to the Florida Blood Center, you can get a free backstage pass to Warped Tour. (For those of you who don’t know – Warped Tour is a yearly outdoor rock festival, which pays a visit to Miami on July 21.)

Now, of course, I was skeptical of such a wonderful freebie, so I did my homework.

And, drum roll please… it is completely true. If you donate blood to the drive, you get to go back stage and meet your favorite bands.

The mission by giving away backstage passes is “to help save lives by creating simple opportunities for people to give and get back something special related to music, musical artists and general entertainment,” Florida’s Blood Centers said.

This year may not have the all-time best bands, but there are a few worthy candidates. Here are my Warped picks:

All Time Low – “Coffee Shop Soundtrack”
For more check out their website


Anberlin – “Paperthin Hymns”
For more check out their website


Boys Like Girls – “The Great Escape”
For more check out their website


Hawthorne Heights – “Pens and Needles”
For more check out their website
Just a little history behind the video… It was filmed at a Cathedral in Fort Lauderdale, and guess who was there? Yours truly.


New Found Glory – “My Friends Over You”
For more check out their website


Paramore – “Emergency”
For more check out their website


So no matter if you just want to get wasted and/or sunburned, it is worth “saving a life” to go meet one of your favorite bands during the show.

Remember, there is more to life than free backstage passes.

Warped Tour is Saturday, July 21. Doors open at 11 a.m. – try to get there early; there will be a long line and most likely an awesome band playing right when you get in – and tickets are $31 plus taxes. You must buy a ticket in order to use the backstage pass!

There are only a few more days to get your free pass, so don’t miss out!

South Florida Donation Days:

July 9 – 12 2007
FIU- Biscayne Bay Campus: Miami 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
July 13 - 14, 2007
Lake Park Branch Location 
(561) 845-2323
July 13: 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
July 14: 7:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
For more information on Warped Tour, visit their site , and for more information on the blood drive, visit Music Saves Lives website.

Paris Is Out. Yippie?

12:15 a.m. Tuesday morning, Paris Hilton walked out of jail.

Like I care.

By now, every person who can come in contact with a form of news media has heard about Hilton’s drinking problem and jail stay. Every top story online these past couple of weeks has had something to do with Hilton.

America is being fed so much about Hilton that magazines do not want to talk about her anymore. It has gotten so bad that US Weekly doesn’t even want to put her on the cover this coming Friday.

On Tuesday, the US Weekly Editor, Janice Min, told The Associated Press: "When it came down to it, the staff and I felt what I believe a lot of people in America are feeling. Which is just enormous Paris fatigue."

Could this mean we are actually moving on? Maybe we can remember that there is a war still going on – or not. We worry so much about celebrities that we do not remember there are American people dying overseas; all we care about is Hilton's first meal after her stay in the pretty celebrity jail cell.

The media has been going nuts over the wrong things, from whether or not Grey's Anatomy star Isaiah Washington will return for another season, to how much Angelina Jolie weighs. So what if Hilton is in jail? She’s messed up; anyone who can watch an episode of “The Simple Life” and not think, “What is this world coming to?” is in the same boat.

E! Online had a video showing a grown man at Hilton’s release “party” screaming: “Our princess is free!” People can stand outside of a jail and fight for a celebrity's freedom from prison, but these same people cannot stand up to protest the war - which is something that could actually affect them.

Whatever.

In an AOL News poll, over 170,000 people agreed that Hilton was served justice.

Is that a joke? The idea that people actually care about her to this extent is sickening.

Hilton was charged with reckless driving in January and put on three years probation. Doesn't reckless driving heighten the chances of killing people? I guess not in her eyes. But no, being put on probation wasn’t enough for her. She was then pulled over two times by police officers and, the second time, was sent to court. She was then sentenced to 45 days in jail for violating her probation. Now, if she would have killed someone, that would be interesting - she would probably have to serve the same jail time, and nothing more.

She was in jail for less then three weeks, and that is justice? Well, I guess celebrities just have it easy – we have to remember that she is a Hilton.

It is amazing what people think is justice. I guess all that matters now is children can idolize an ex-con. We’ll see where that leads the youth of America.

We Need Moore Health Care

Director/Actor/Writer Michael Moore has a new documentary, Sicko, which was leaked on YouTube and other file sharing sites this past weekend. Moore is infamous for his documentaries Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 911.

Sicko is a documentary about health care in the United States, or for that matter, what health care?

In Sicko , Moore asked the United States Treasury Department for an OK to go to Cuba, where he wanted to get health care for three 9/11 rescue workers. With no response from the Treasury Department, Moore took the workers into Cuba to get them the health care they deserved, which would add a few years to their lives.

Moore claims that the workers were ill due to 9/11 and the U.S. government was not coming to their aid.

Students all around campus seemed to have the same conclusion to the health care problem that Moore shows in the documentary.

“Bottom line, he saved three people's lives. It shouldn’t be such a big problem,” said Brian Torres, a junior with a concentration in business.

This is one of the key facts: He saved three people who would have otherwise died here without having been treated. We are the richest country and we have our people suffer from not being able to have health care. I just don’t get it.

“It's OK [what Moore did], he saved people. Why should they have to suffer if we can do something about it?” said Keith McIntosh, a junior with his focus on communication.

The problem with people going to Cuba is that the United States does not want its people to be there; the only people allowed in are journalists. Moore asked the Treasury Department for permission to go there but they never responded, so he went on with his plans.

I don’t believe it is the government’s decision to say who goes where. If people know the problems behind where they are going, then it’s their call to travel into these foreign places.

“I believe that what Moore does helps the general public understand just how big the problems are that we seem to ignore on a daily basis,” says Nicole Carstensen, a sophomore studying communication. “He needs to go to these extremes so that things will change. Why can’t Americans have free health care? Our surrounding neighbors [Canada and Cuba] both have it.”

I agree that what Moore did was majorly extreme, and needed to be done. Why should the government attack him for trying to save people and prove his point?

The only way to get through to that many people is by mass media, in an "art" form. By making a movie out of the United States Issues, will make people understand just how horrible health care here is.

It’s time for Americans to take a stand and try their hardest to get free health care.

“Sicko” Trailer


There is a preview of “Sicko” at the Regal South Beach 18 in Miami on Saturday, June 23. It is scheduled to hit theaters on Friday, June 29.