Everyone has their own taste when it comes to music.

What may be considered music to one’s ears, may be considered simply torturous to others. Just because I feel that Michael Bolton sounds like a cat getting skinned alive, and that his music is some sort of cruel joke to all of mankind, doesn’t mean that some other tone deaf person has to agree with me.

One thing is for certain, whether it is the sweet voice of Bonnie Raitt or the overrated raspy voice of Bruce who stepped in it Springsteen… if it is played at decibels to make you feel that your ears are going to bleed and it is played over and over… it can be quite torturous no matter who it is.

Everyone is aware that the prisoners at Gitmo (Guantánamo Bay) were needlessly tortured by water boarding along with other degrading and unspeakable acts. 

One of the methods used was music played repeatedly and at ear piercing levels. The songs used and some of the artists who made that music are not too happy to say the least. How would you feel if one of your songs was used to torture someone? I am sure you would be horrified.

Well, Michael Stipe of REM, along with twenty or so other artists have aired their disgust, and have banned together and formed Close Gitmo Now.   

A little info on Gitmo first, before we get into which performers are saying Gitmo has to go.

Gitmo has held nearly 800 detainees in it’s history. An alarming majority of those detainees were never charged, nor went to trial. Only THREE of those detainees have ever been convicted of a crime.To keep Gitmo open is costing tax payers MILLIONS.

So what did the spokesman for the CIA say when it came to using music as torture?
He said nuh-uh.

George Little, a CIA spokesman said:

“music was used only for security, rather than “punitive purposes”

And in a 2005 CIA document, it stated,

“loud music or white noise was needed “to mask sound and prevent communication among detainees”

So what tunes and artists made it to the Gitmo “top 20″?

According to the National Security Archive, they used anything from the Meow Mix jingle, to the Barney theme song. They used such artists as Marylin Manson to Britney Spears. Although the Meow Mix jingle and the Barney theme song both make me cringe and is enough to drive anyone buggy, at ANY volume… I wonder if the Meow Mix or the Barney people have a problem with the fact their music was used at Gitmo? I haven’t heard anything from either of them and I have to say, if they don’t have a problem with it, then I have a problem with them.

Why would they use the Meow Mix jingle and the Barney theme if it was just “to mask sound and prevent communication among detainees”?
And why were detainees subjected to “variable light patterns” while this music was played? Is the CIA going to say they wanted to have a disco effect for the detainees? Although it really wouldn’t surprise me in the least.

If the CIA claims are true, then why didn’t they just use classical music at non dangerous levels without light patterns? The term liar liar pants on fire comes to mind.

Another little pesky factor besides the CIA not having the permission of the artists to use their music, is the fact that the artist’s music was used as an interrogation tool.

So which artists are pissed and saying close Gitmo now ?
Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Brown, REM, Pearl Jam, Roseanne Cash just to name a few.

Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Brown

Roseanne Cash recently appeared on The Daily Show with John Stewart to tell everyone about the petition they have created which people can sign at www.closegitmonow.org

The BBC recently reported:

REM call for Guantanamo closure

Rock bands including Pearl Jam and REM have joined a coalition of musicians to support the US president’s efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay prison.

The National Campaign to Close Guantanamo, which also includes former military officers, launched on Tuesday.

Many of the artists who have signed up are angry that their music was used as an interrogation tool in the jail.

But CIA spokesman George Little said music was used only for security, rather than “punitive purposes”.

In a statement, REM said: “We have spent the past 30 years supporting causes related to peace and justice. To now learn that some of our friends’ music may have been used as part of the torture tactics without their consent or knowledge, is horrific. It’s anti-American, period.”

Other artists to sign up to the coalition include Jackson Browne, Steve Earle, Roseanne Cash, Billy Bragg, Bonnie Raitt and Rage Against The Machine.

On behalf of the campaign, the National Security Archive in Washington is filing a Freedom of Information Act request seeking classified records that detail the use of loud music as an interrogation device.

‘Terrify and punish’

A report published in November 2008 by the Senate Armed Services Committee report, has already made several references to the technique.

In one case interrogators played records to “stress” a prisoner, Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who believed music was forbidden.

In 2003, he was questioned while being “exposed to variable lighting patterns” and repeated plays of a song called Let the Bodies Hit the Floor by the band Drowning Pool.

Jayne Huckerby, from New York University’s Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, said loud music was also played at clandestine prisons run by the CIA.

Following an early information request, Ms Huckerby received a CIA document dated December 2005 in which the agency explained that the use of loud music or white noise was needed “to mask sound and prevent communication among detainees”.

She argued that such sounds were not a “benign security tool,” but a way “to humiliate, terrify, punish, disorient and deprive detainees of sleep, in violation of international law”.

According to the National Security Archive, tracks by AC/DC, Britney Spears, the Bee Gees and Marilyn Manson were used at Guantanamo.

The Meow mix cat food jingle, the Barney theme song and an assortment of Sesame Street tunes also were played into detainees’ cells.

But the CIA insisted any music was played “at levels far below a live rock band”.

And Major Diana Haynie, a spokeswoman for Joint Task Force Guantanamo, said loud music has not been used with detainees since the fall of 2003.

Barack Obama pledged to close the Guantanamo detention camp by January, but Republican opposition in Congress has made fulfilling that promise look less likely.

 

So one of the reasons that Gitmo remains open is due to Republican opposition?
Although I am certianly not surprised by this…. WHY ARE THEY OPPOSED?
What reasons could the Republicans have to want to keep Gitmo going?

The NY Times stated that the estimated annual cost to operate Guantánamo Bay is anywhere from $90 million to $118 million. There are 226 detainees left at Gitmo. That is a cost of $400.000 to $520.000 per detainee. To incarcerate a prisoner in a supermax prison would be $75,000 in the US. Is anyone paying attention to this simple math? Get the facts

At a time when the US is in such an economic mess due to the carnage that was left behind by the lovely Bush administration, perhaps the millions of dollars spent on keeping Gitmo open can be used elsewhere? Ya think?

Now before our comment section turns into a shouting match between Republicans and Democrats…..
and people telling me to get my facts straight, (I only report what is out there) remember that this article is about how horrible it was to use an artist’s music to torture people AND the fact that their music was used without their consent. Not to mention what it costs to keep Gitmo going.

So if you have a comment about Close Gitmo Now or the musicians who started the petition, then that is fine. But if you want to argue about what Obama has done or not done to clean up Bush’s mess that he left behind, or the BS spin and scare tactics that the Republicans are using when it comes to the health care plan, (you know who you are, you silly teabaggers) OR if you are a Michael Bolton fan, then please go argue elsewhere. *SNICKER*

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Cake is a band that emerged out of Sacramento CA. Cake is not your typical band.

Wikipedia describes their music as:

often classified as alternative rock or indie rock, it combines multiple musical genres, such as funk, rockabilly, pop, jazz, rap, and country. Cake’s music features droll lyrics rife with word play and syncopation, catchy distorted guitar riffs (courtesy of guitarist Greg Brown until 1998, and bass player Victor Damiani until 1997), prominent use of a Moog, and a solo trumpet (played by Vince DiFiore).

Their bigger hits have been “The Distance”, “Short Skirt/Long Jacket”, and “Nugget,” a real kick ass song. Their remakes of “I Will Survive” and especially Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” are simply
fabulous.

You may have heard some of Cake’s songs and not even known it. Their music has turned up in movies such as Me, Myself and Irene, I Love You Man and An American Werewolf in London. The instrumental part of their song “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” is used by NBC’s show Chuck.

In the past, Cake’s tunes have also showed up in the episodes of The Sopranos, Smallville, and  Friends. Their music has been used globally in French, German, Italian, and Japanese films. And even for the Power’s Whiskey Irish Grand National promos.

One trip to their website, and you will see that they are also involved in making a difference in the world. At every concert, they award someone with a tree. For instance, when they did a show in Buffalo NY, they awarded someone a tree for doing the most push ups! They have a page on their website which is called the Cake Tree Gallery. There you will find photos of previous tree winners proudly pictured with their trees. There is a now to link that will help you plant that tree too.

Need advice on ANYTHING? They have a page for that too! Just email cakeadvice@yahoo.com with your questions. I have read some pretty funny stuff there.

Or maybe you would like to participate in their latest poll question on their website?

“Are insurance companies an integral component of the health care product in the United States?”

How about a ride to their next gig? They also have a “carpool web page” so you can hook up with others going your way to their next gig. Their website also lists article links of stories that interest them; from the current health care situation, the impact on the environment from cellphones, using rechargeable batteries, and a link where you can listen to Killer Whales. Of course this is only a smidgen of what is on their site. You can also catch up with Cake on MySpace with their 7,000+ friends.

When Cake performed gigs from Buffalo to Syracuse NY, the band 
members all traveled by train. And last year they decked out their Sacramento studio with solar panels.

They even recorded the installation and posted a video on YouTube.

So it was really no surprise to hear when Cake announced that their latest album was made totally with solar energy.

LiveDaly reported:

Cake is writing, rehearsing and recording its new album entirely with solar power, according to a press release.

The group’s decision to utilize the power of the sun was made for both artistic and environmental reasons. “It just seemed like the right thing to do,” lead vocalist John McCrea said in a statement. “I believe in science, and science is telling us that we need to make adjustments. Living in California, it seemed like a waste not to take advantage of all the free electricity.”

Cake, which Billboard recently honored as one of the Top 10 greenest bands on the planet, converted their entire Sacramento, CA, recording studio to solar power. The band documented their move from the city’s energy grid in a video posted at the group’s website.

The band is giving members of its mailing list a preview of the new album by releasing a set of free ring tones, each based on a song from the upcoming set. The first of six ring tones, titled “Long Time,” became available yesterday (10/13), with a new tone “e-blasted” to all mailing list members every six weeks until the album’s Spring 2010 release.

In 2008, lead singer John McCrea said he just may quit and become a farmer.

Although that is a very admirable quest for John, I hope Cake sticks around. They’re talented, a bit quirky, and they are one of the top greenest bands on the planet who are making a difference. Cake
really takes the cake in my book.

I’ll take Johnny Depp please!
Is that the way the clients of California Cryobank sperm bank order their baby makers?

Apparently the California Cryobank has come up with the idea of matching up their sperm donors with famous celebrity faces. Are they genius entrepreneurs helping their clients make a tough decision of who they should pick as their baby daddy? Or are they just trying to make more money than other sperm banks by claiming their donors are celebrity look alikes? Or both?

How does this sperm bank match their donor’s faces with celebrities? With high tech face-recognition? Nope!
Employees of Cryobank sit around a table and put the donor’s pictures up on a screen and argue which celebrity looks like that donor the most. When they come to a consensus, they add that information to the donor’s file, and then the donor’s name goes into a huge data bank. Clients can then search the data base for a donor by which celebrity they want their child to look like.

Although clients are not allowed to see the donor’s ACTUAL picture by law, clients can  search for a potential donor by picking out a celebrity name.

Too superficial?
How will the general public weigh in on this?

I wonder if someone will pass up a donor with a better IQ, for a donor that looks like Mario Lopez? I also wonder if people out there will pick a celebrity look alike in hopes on trying to cash in on their offspring down the line, especially if their child ends up as a dead ringer of a celebrity.

Hey Kate Gosselin, this has your name all over it! Only eight kids? What’s the big deal? The Duggars have you beat by a landslide! It can be your new show! “Kate Plus Eight Plus Elvis!”
And remember Kate, there is a plus side besides the new show…which ever donor you pick… he can’t take money out of your bank account! 

Now I have seen just about every way there is to make a buck in the ol’ USA, and a lot of it ain’t too pretty. And there are some wackos out there who may try to claim that their child is the child of an actual celebrity. I wouldn’t put it past them. Far fetched? Perhaps.

But take the case  of a women trying to collect millions from Keanu Reeves. She is claiming that he is the father of at least one of her four adult children.  *snicker*
Even though Reeves took a DNA test to prove that he wasn’t the father, and he also said he never met the women, she still isn’t backing off. 
What did Reeves have to say about this whole ordeal? 
Rest assured, he didn’t say, ”eeeeeexcellent!” *snicker*

Of course Cryobank does have a disclaimer to cover their butts in this overly litigious world:

“No celebrity is meant as an exact match for any donor, nor should you assume that your future children will look like any celebrity listed.”

NBC’s Today Show covered the sperm bank story, and on this video, you can see the employees sitting around a table with the donor’s picture on a screen and trying to figure out who the donors most resemble. Man, where do I sign up for this cream puff gig?

Scott Brown, communication manager of the California Cryobank said to NBC TODAY,

“It’s not that our donors look like celebrities, it’s that celebrities look like our donors,”

Oh! I see what he did there…. he is SO crafty!

You can also pick a young or older version of the celebrity too. Perhaps you would like a young Sean Connery as OO7, or the older more sophisticated Sean Connery. The choice is yours!

There are MANY stars as well as athletes listed in their data base. And let’s not forget musicians and the less than famous celebs. You can pick from Eddie Van Halen to Jackass reality star Stev-O!
I kid you not, he is on the list.
Wow, seriously…if anyone picks the Steve-O look alike, I am afraid I just don’t understand, unless he is a nuclear physicist.

 
So are there people out there opposed to this celebrity look alike baby daddy factory? YES.

Some snippets from NBC’s TODAY,

The program has its share of critics, especially in the bioethics world. University of Albany professor Bonnie Steinbock bashed California Cryobank’s celebrity-match program on CNN, saying, “There’s something strange about a culture that has stratified rigid types of beauty where everyone looks alike; now they’re trying to create children through who the actor of the moment is.”

Brown’s defense:

Not so, says Brown. While the process may seem superficial, it is actually extremely helpful in guiding prospective parents through a stressful and often confusing time, he asserts.

“Seem superficial”?
Some people would argue that it is superficial. But don’t people have the right to choose which donor they want for whatever reason, since they are the ones paying for it? And what if it does help the client make their choice?

Take the opinion of a perspective Mom who was trying to pick a donor:

“I’m flipping through the catalog with a friend of mine, feeling like I was about to recruit a basketball team, because it was just all stats.” And while she whittled down her list, the Cryobank couldn’t show her a picture of the donor — but it could tell her one of her finalists resembled Freddie Prinze Jr.
“For me, that clinched it right then and there,” she said. “I’ve always found him attractive!”

Freddie Prinze Jr.? Really? That clinched it for her? To each their own.

So matching a face to a donor may actually make some clients feel more at ease about who they pick, or actually help them to decide who to pick. I hope people have the good sense to pick donors with good qualities, rather than picking a donor because they like Orlando Bloom.
But then again, this is the land of the SUPER DUPER superficial, so nothing would surprise me.

I wonder if Cryobank’s business will be booming?

I can see it now…
Mothers with their kids are at the playground and one mother says to another,
“wow your little boy really looks like Leonardo DiCaprio! Any relation?” 

The proud Mom says, “Well no, it was donor #09756-QL5, we were really big fans of the movie Titanic, so that’s why we went with him”.

I guess if there is one guy who is a real dead ringer of a handsome celebrity, he will be in big demand and asked to come back quite often. There can be a panic at Cryobank if they run out!  What happens then?

It may go something like this:

“OMG! We are fresh out of the Ryan Reynolds look alike! Get 9087-K490L on the phone stat! Tell him we have some new vids and magazines! Yeah I know he has been in twice a day for the past month and he’s a bit tender… Chain him down again if you have to, until he puts out. We are in the baby making business people!”

MORE???

I guess in the long run it can become quite a lucrative and fun “job” if you are a celebrity look alike donor. What guy wouldn’t want this gig? At $50- $75 a pop, I am surprised that there is a job shortage for men in the US! Hell, they ain’t getting paid for doing it at home!

Tough luck for all you donors out there who look like Gary Busey (sorry Gary) or OJ Simpson. (not sorry OJ)

I imagine their “stuff” wouldn’t have too many takers and is probably passed up for the gloopus of a more hunkier looking celebrity look alike.

But things may not work out exactly the way you have planned. Even though you picked out your favorite celeb look alike, don’t forget there is a 50/50 chance that your child may be a girl and you may end up with a pretty scary looking child! And I am more than sure that Cryobank does not issue refunds for fuglies.

Very Scary Indeed!

I bet some clients just won’t really care if the donor they picked has only two brain cells….
Just as long as their celebrity knock off looks good in a tux!

How many times out of the goodness of your heart, have you donated to a good cause? Did you ever wonder if the good cause you donated to was on the up and up? Have you ever checked out a charity before donating your hard earned money? Well you should.

Just because it looks like a charity is on the up an up or sponsored by celebrities, doesn’t mean your money is going where you think it may be.

Glosslip is about to give you a small lesson in the many front groups of Scientology. If you are thinking that there is no way that you have have given cash to Scientology, think again. It happened to me, only I didn’t realize it until YEARS later. I will get to that later.

As you may or may not know, the cult of Scientology THRIVES on deception and secrecy. It has hundreds of front groups. Some of the better known front groups you may have heard about are, CCHR, Narconon, Criminon, Applied Scholastics, WISE, ABLE, FASE, and The Way To Happiness. 

While all the proceeds from these groups end up going to the same place, which is Scientology of course, the names of these groups usually are attached to a business, an inmate betterment program, a drug treatment program, a dentist or chiropractor’s office (we will get to that) or a school which teaches L. Ron Hubbard tech, like Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s school, the New Village Academy.

But there are a whole slew of names that you may not be aware of that are in fact Scientology.  Scientology’s deception runs so deep, that your own town officials may have some of these programs implemented and your tax dollars are ending up in Scientology’s pockets without you even knowing it. Yes, your tax dollars may be funding a Scientology drug rehabilitation program. Sad but true. It has happened in many states in the U.S. and just recently in New Mexico.

Ask Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez whose tax payers paid over $1.5 million dollars to run the now defunct Second Chance program which was run in their old Westside Jail. This program used Scientology’s teachings and the very dangerous Purification Rundown, which is also used by all Scientologists. This of course is the same program used in Narconon AND Criminon AND the NY Fire Fighter’s Detoxification program, just to name a few. ALL the same program, only with different names.

FYI…The Second Chance program left in the middle of the night and not only stole items, but left an outstanding bill. They owe more than $600,000 in tax liens, about $400,000 is due to the IRS, and more than $200,000 to the state. I would  like to know why Joy Westrum, who ran that particular Second Chance, is not being brought in for questioning? Crazy, isn’t it?

I know if that was MY money going towards a Scientology phony baloney drug rehab, I would be slightly miffed, to say the least.

Some of these programs that you may not be aware of are: The Drug Free Marshals, (this program is for children, and a new chapter just opened in Cincinnati) STOMP (Stop Torture of Mental Patients), World Literacy Crusade, Riders Against Drugs, The Association for Peace in the Middle East, Cry Out, Artists For A Better World, Slums To Schools, Racing For Human Rights Awareness & Education, Educating Children International, Fight for Kids, Author Services Inc., Volunteer Ministries, Guardian Art, Youth For Human Rights, Human Rights International, The NY Fire Fighters Detoxification Program, (created after 911, a front group for Narconon) Poets for Peace And Poets For Human Rights, and the list goes on and on and on. Narconon has MANY front groups and has recently been handing out pamphlets and information in many schools across the US. Tell your school no thank you!

Other names for Narconon front groups are stopaddiction.com, cocaineaddiction.com, ecstacyaddiction.com, methamphetamineaddiction.com, addiction2.com, just to name a few. Click here for more of Scientology’s front groups to watch out for.

Disturbing enough, the front groups names I just listed are merely  a drop in the bucket. Scientology has hundreds more and has successfully eked their way into law enforcement positions, government positions, our jail systems, our schools, our colleges, Hollywood, football teams, soccer teams, the arts and entertainment world, and yes, even NASCAR.

NASCAR driver, Kenton Gray, founded the Dianetics Racing Team in 2001. The name Dianetics Racing Team was a title taken from a book by founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard.

Kenton drove a car sponsored by Bridge Publications, (another Scientology front group) which publishes Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard’s “Dianetics”, the biggest book of dribble I have ever had the misfortune of trying to read.

The hood of the car that Kenton drove read “Dianetics”, along with a volcano graphic. The slogan is “Ignite Your Potential”. *rolls eyes*

Poor Kenton has no idea what he has gotten himself into. I am sure a lot of his prize money will be going towards Scientology courses and auditing so he can climb his way up Scientology’s Bridge To Total Freedom or what we here at Glosslip refer to as “The Bridge to Nowhere and Financial Ruin.”

Scientology has also been infiltrating other countries for years now. They are looking for “fresh meat” to join their Sea Organization and their Volunteer Ministries. They have snaked their way into India, Africa, Russia, Thailand and even the Czech Republic and many more. They typically go into countries with using their front groups The Way To Happiness and Volunteer Ministries ostensibly to help the underprivileged. Many unsuspecting people have joined the Volunteer Ministries through Scientology’s “World Crusades”  events that Scientology holds thinking they were helping people, completely unaware of the negative influence they were spreading until it’s too late.

Scientology also creeps into businesses through companies like Sterling Management, Hollander Consultants, Silkin Management Group, (formally called Hollander Consultants) and Stellar Consultants, these are just a few. They are ALL affiliated with WISE, which stands for World Institute of Scientology Enterprises.

How is Scientology able to achieve getting into businesses? They contact the owners and tell them that their employees productivity will increase greatly if they take their courses. Of course they are Scientology courses. Scientology courses which were written up by L. Ron Hubbard. They also tell the owner that they too will also make money depending on how many employees they get on course, so naturally some business owners jump at the chance to make more money. The owners must pay a licensing fee to WISE for use of the course materials and also a pay a percentage to WISE.

What is being taught in these courses? L. Ron Hubbard tech of course! And why? MONEY for Scientology and hopefully indoctrination into Scientology down the line. It’s all a a very slow deceptive process.

CONTINUED:

There have been lawsuits against owners of companies who fired employees who refused to get on board with taking these courses. This is a scary and sad situation, especially today where employees may be afraid of losing their jobs in such a poor economy and feel they better take the courses or else they will have to go job hunting. It’s especially disturbing for employees with families they have to support. Take the case of an employee at a company called DISKEEPER who was dismissed when he refused to take courses.

And like we mentioned earlier, dentists and chiropractors are a big target for Scientology. Dentists are usally brought into the cult through the front group WISE. They are asked to pay for pamphlets that Scientology prints. Scientology puts the dentist’s name and endorsement on the pamphlet. Then the dentists will distribute these phamphlets in their offices and waiting rooms. Any patients or employess that sign up for a course, the dentist ends up with a commission.

They hook the chiropractors in through the front group the CCHR, because chiropractors are agaisnt drugging, and so is the CCHR.

Many chiropractors and dentists AND their patients were indoctrinated into the cult this way. The hook is, if the patient trusts and likes their dentist or chiropractor, and think that if they see that their dentist’s name is on a phamphlet, or they pick up a CCHR pamphlet in their chiropractor’s waiting room on the anti drugging of kids, that it’s a good thing because it was endorsed by someone they trust. This can happen at any time. You can be a patient for years, and then start to see these pamphlets show up in the waiting room. We are not suggesting you drop your dentist or chiropractor. But do not get into taking any courses. And keep in mind again, your money will end up in Scientology’s pockets eventually.

We can’t possibly name all of Scientology front groups here. Click here for a list of JUST Scientology Schools in the world.

Scientology also sneaks in the back door using the entertainment world. Of course most people have heard about Tom Cruise and John Travolta and other big league celebrity Scientologists, but I am talking about small time performers too. Like comedians. How about Evan Wecksell, who tours college campuses and who’s a HUGE advocate for “Fight for Kids“. He participated in a 2009 Run Evan Run Tour this past August.  All the proceeds went to Fight For Kids. YES of course it’s another Scientology front group.

Evan also trains for the ING New York City Marathon where he ties in raising funds for Fight For Kids at this website. You can make a donation directly to Fight For Kids on that website, but it’s really a donation for Scientology’s CCHR . How many people realize that when they give money to Evan for Fight For The Kids, that it is actually going to the CCHR? Just sickening.

Evan also released a press release which stated:

Wecksell also will take his marathon experience to the next level by fundraising concurrently for “Fight for Kids,” a campaign launched by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a non-profit public benefit organization. The campaign combats the psychiatric over-drugging and labeling of children while educating and offering alternatives for concerned parents.

At least the CCHR was mentioned in the article, but how many people know it is connected with Scientology? Or how much is Scientology mentioned at the race?  It’s not. Notice how the CCHR is described in the article as a “non profit public benefit organization.” Once again, no mention of Scientology or that he is a Scientologist raising money for Scientology.

Now keep in mind, the only thing that the CCHR does to help kids off drugs is print pamphlets about drugs and hand them out. It’s highly doubtful this is very affective in helping kids.

The CCHR funds their Psychiatry Industry of Death Exhibit (it’s a riot) both in California and the exhibits that travel across the US. All the rest of the money goes towards Scientology’s lawyers who are fighting pending lawsuits and also to pay their washed up and seedy private investigators, who follow, photograph, chase, and who dig up info on critics of Scientology and ex members who have left and have spoken out. The funds also go to their Office of Special Affairs which is nothing more than another group within the CCHR that is a group of Scientology goons who also photograph, follow people, dig up information, and “fair game” anyone who opposes Scientology or gets in the way of their quest to clear the planet. The rest of the money goes to Scientology cult leader David Miscavige who is a multi-millionaire living off Scientology front group earnings, money from the courses, the auditing and the “donations” of Scientology members. Lovely, isn’t it?

Now back to Evan Wecksell…

You can be the judge of his “talents” . Watch for yourself.

He also participates with his wife Kelly Meyersfield — of course another Scientologist – in the ”College The Musical: A Musical About College.” He is also an alum of the Theta Chi fraternity. It’s scary to think that Evan’s tours are at college campuses. What exactly do you think his intentions are? Promoting the CCHR? Evan’s website has other Scientology front groups links listed as well.

Now please know that I am not picking on Evan Wecksell. I am just using him as an example of how Scientology can reach smaller towns with semi-famous entertainers. And even raise funds through using a marathon race.

In Evan’s defense I would imagine like most public Scientologists, he and his wife do not have a clue about the dark side of Scientology. Members are kept far away from this information, and for obvious reasons. Just another deception of Scientology to keep their members in. Evan probably thinks he is doing a world of good for kids by thinking he is actually raising money for them. Sadly, he is not.

Scientology’s front groups are world wide. There are Narconon facilities world wide and many other front groups. L. Ron Hubbard would have loved to taken over the world if he could when he was alive. He thought he would be able to take over Rhodesia in the 1960’s. (named after Cecil Rhodes) Fact, Hubbard believed he was Cecil Rhodes in a previous life. Cecil Rhodes once said:

“I contend that we are the first race in the world and that the more of the world we inhabit the better it is for the human race.”

Rhode’s dream of world domination was Hubbard’s dream too.
Rhodesia ended up kicking Hubbard’s sorry ass out.

Oh well… so much for world domination L. Ron.

In the UK, there is band called the The Jive Aces. They are a swing band whose members are all Scientologists. They go around with clip boards and hand out Scientology literature between their sets. Not my idea of a good time, having to be bothered by recruiters when your out for an enjoyable evening. Some of their venues have asked them to stop recruiting at their shows or else they wouldn’t be aloud to play any more. These guys are SO indoctrinated into Scientology, they even use Hubbard’s words in some of their songs. Click here. This was taped at their performance at Saint Hill Manor in East Grinstead, UK.

St Hill is the biggest Scientology Org in the UK. The entire beginning of their song, “When Your Smiling” is strictly quoting Hubbard’s work. And yes they are very dorky in their matching yellow suits. I love swing music, but NO THANKS!

OR how about when Beck did a performance last year and the poster for his gig stated that all the proceeds went to Educating Children International?

YUP! You guessed it. Another Scientology front group. Pretty damn sneaky Beck. And not cool.

We did a story on that gig. His fans and now ex-fans were not too tickled that their $35 bucks went to Scientology. They were totally deceived. Nice thing to do to your fans huh?

So how did it happen to me?

How did I unknowingly donate money to Scientology? The same way as the Beck concert. I was totally duped by the deceptive promotion of an event.

I was asked to go to a benefit MANY years back. This was previous to my full knowledge of Scientology and all its abuses.  Like most people, I always thought Scientology was just some wacky group of people who believed in way out alien crap, and I thought they were totally harmless.

Someone told me the cause for the benefit I was attending was for the over drugging of school children. I thought, hmm… seems like a noble cause. My friend and I paid $30 a ticket and enjoyed the performers that night. There was a table set up passing out pamphlets and they were taking additional donations. I didn’t pay it any mind or even notice the literature they were handing out. Many people donated money and never even looked at the literature, thankfully I declined.

Now like I said, this benefit was YEARS ago. It wasn’t till a little over a year and a half ago I remembered reading an article that mentioned the over-drugging of school kids and that it was for the CCHR. It struck me kind of funny when I read it, as the words used in the article were so similar to the words used in describing the benefit I attended.

Well with a little snooping, I found out that the benefit I went to was also for the CCHR. So I looked into the CCHR and Scientology and I nearly fell of my seat. I was HORRIFIED.

Right then and there was when I decided to fight against Scientology. I was beyond disgusted and I couldn’t believe their out right deception.

But in the long run (many years later) I was happy that I did attend that benefit, because I would have never found out about all the abuses of Scientology and especially about their Sea Organization. So thanks Scientology, I guess you pulled me in and opened my eyes to your treacherous ways.

The more I dug up about Scientology on the net, the more and more I knew that I wanted to speak out for those who couldn’t speak out for themselves. Especially the Sea Org. I went on to read about Operation Snow White (when Scientologists (Hubbard’s wife too) infiltrated the IRS offices and stole government documents) It was the the single largest infiltration of the United States government in history! How Scientology was able to obtain tax exemption after this just makes me shake my head in disgust. Eleven people, including Hubbard’s wife, went to jail.

Equally as shocking, was the incredible story of the fair gaming of author Paulette Cooper who authored The Scandal Of Scientology. That Scientology fair game project was called “Operation Freak Out.” The poor woman was framed by Scientology and almost went to jail for a very long time. Read the story, it will blow your mind.

I was also shocked over Scientology’s religious cloaking and how they strong armed the IRS into giving them their tax exemption status back in the 90’s. And FYI…. they are the ONLY “religion”, *ahem* which is allowed to deduct courses, Scientology schooling and auditing as a deduction from their taxes. Nope not kidding.

From the Jewish Law website:

 In 1993, the Internal Revenue Service reached an agreement with the church, which was later leaked to the press, in which it pledged “not to contest the deductibility of Church of Scientology fixed donations in connection with qualified religious services.”

WHY IS THIS ALLOWED? 

Perhaps the Sklars court case from 2002 will interest you. They wanted to know why Scientology is the only “religion” that is allowed this exclusive tax exemption and so they decided to take their question to court. The LA Jewish couple asked if they can deduct their five children’s religious school costs off their taxes, in the same manner Scientology members are allowed to do, but guess what? They were denied. HUH?

Curious isn’t it? And more curious still…Scientology’s founder said and I quote:

“Scientology…is not a religion.” – L. Ron Hubbard, CREATION OF HUMAN ABILITY, 1954, p. 251

The Sklars have recently appealed to the Supreme Court. The outcome of this case will be very interesting.

Although I don’t believe that anyone should be allowed tax exemption for religious expenses, I think Scientology should not have exclusive rights. Perhaps this will rally the Supreme Court to take a good long hard look at all of Scientology’s shenanigans and favoritism that they were some how blessed with and why.

So, are you appalled yet? Good! Your learning!

I couldn’t stop digging around the internet about Scientology. It was like looking at a car accident. After reading about the death of Lisa McPherson and all the other alleged Scientology deaths, their use of fair game, all the abuses of their Sea Org members, and the out right evil deceptions that occur on a daily basis, I was totally hooked on making a promise to shed light on this insidious, litigious cult.

The people over at WhyWeProtest.com have been an ongoing thorn in Scientology’s side. Their website and forum consists of members of the group known as “Anonymous”, as well as critics and ex-Scientology members. Their website is a wealth of information, as well as their Research Wiki Page.

I tip my hat to Anonymous.

They have been able to shed more light on Scientology more than any other group or person. Their antics at their world wide protests which they claim they do for the “lulz”, and the all mighty internet has literally made the cult of Scientology start to crumble in a huge way and Anonymous may very well end up being the cult’s demise entirely.

I also have read some very heart wrenching stories at exscientologykids.com. This website was a real eye opener for me. It was started by Scientology ex-members Astra Woodcraft, Kendra Wiseman and Jenna Miscavige who were only children in Scientology’s brutal Sea Organization. Jenna suffered family disconnection from her parents as a child and left in 2005. She is the niece of Scientology cult leader David Miscavige. Be sure to give that website a visit. You will be both saddened and outraged by Scientology’s outright cruelty to children.

Of course Scientology does a good job themselves of constantly “pulling it in” by not only believing that they are above the law, but their constant “foot bullets” and lies are no longer working. People world wide are wising up and uniting to put an end to this utter sham of a religion, which is nothing more than a money making pyramid scheme.

So the next time you hand over your hard earned money as a donation, or buy tickets to a show or benefit, attend a race, a movie with a Scientology star or check a loved one into any kind of rehabilitation center, OR you have to take a course at work…. be sure to check it out first. Read the small print. Be sure you know who you are supporting!

Check the Scientology front group list and make sure it is not on that list. And keep in  mind, Scientology is VERY shifty. When a smaller front group’s name gets too much attention of having Scientology ties and the funding stops, they just come up with new names and move on. All the money collected from all these front groups, all goes to the same place… SCIENTOLOGY.

Also, be aware that any time you see a “Stress Test” table with the red table cloths set up selling copies of  the book Dianetics, that it is nothing more than Scientology all the way.

These Stress Test tables set up at fairs, flea markets, malls, street fairs, college campuses, city streets, and have been seen set up outside of some Walmarts!

The Stress Test is where the deception starts, as you will not see a sign saying Scientology ANYWHERE on their tables. They are only interested in sucking you into the cult by having you take a stress test, which will then lead to their personality test. This is where they will tell you that you have problems, or you are not very happy and that you need help and they can help you with some courses. They also claim to cure illnesses. I kid you not.

Speaking of not supporting Scientology, keep in mind that any support for any Scientology celebrity, artist or musician is also giving money to Scientology down the line, as they are continually having to take courses and auditing and “donate” millions to Scientology. Right Tom Cruise?

Not too long ago, Cruise lobbied the White House to have every school in the US teaching Scientology’s L. Ron Hubbard tech through the Applied Scholastics front group. Some schools in the US do teach this tech already. The tech is very dangerous, as it will eventually elimnate your child’s ability to think critically and when they go to further their education, they will most likely be far behind others. It also teaches that if the child is not able to understand what they are being taught, that it is THEIR fault. Many students can not get into college after attending a school teaching this tech. Is your child’s school next?

So any movie ticket that you purchase that has a Scientology star in it, the money will end up supporting Scientology down the line. YOUR money.

Don’t be duped, and don’t support a cult that is rife with abuse, deception and utterly drains people of their critical thinking along with their bank accounts and lively hood.

If you are outraged by all of Scientology’s deceptions and abuses of its members, let your local, state and government officials know about it. They are not above board with their front groups and fake charities and it simply must end.

There is no way for Scientology to reform. In order for Scientology to reform, they would first have to put an end to their mind control process. But that is very unlikely, as Scientology IS all about mind control, Without mind control, there would simply be no Scientology.

I urge you to please click on the many links I have thoroughly researched and provided in this article so you can easily read up on some of the many stories, information and horrors of Scientology.

And I end this very long article with words from the founder of Scientology,  the late L. Ron Hubbard, who is revered by cult members who still hang on to his every word…

“THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN CONTROL PEOPLE IS TO LIE TO THEM. You can write that down in your book in great big letters”.

L. Ron Hubbard, “Off the Time Track,” lecture of June 1952, excerpted in JOURNAL OF SCIENTOLOGY issue 18-G, reprinted in TECHNICAL VOLUMES OF DIANETICS & SCIENTOLOGY, vol. 1, p. 418

The economy today has had an effect on retail sales across the board. Even celebrity fragrances have been hit with tough times.  Oh the inhumanity! *snicker*

Just two years ago, Forbes reported that according to Euromonitor International, (a Chicago-based market research firm) sales  totaled $353.6 million for the top seven celeb fragrances. Geez! No wonder why so many stars have their own scents.

This year however, overall sales are down 10%. Yep, the celebrity fragrance market is just not as hot as it used to be. Perhaps people just can’t afford it. Or maybe people are wising up to the fact that celebrity fragrances are just plain silly and embarrassing to wear? Could that be the culprit?

The celebrity fragrance market unlike other fragrances are way more fickle. If a celeb was caught in a scandal and their career turned lukewarm in the public eye, it can put a big damper on the popularity of the scent. Because that’s just how silly people are. Ridiculous but true.

So which celeb’s scents are currently top sellers?
Well, P Diddy, or Sean Puffy Combs, or Sean John, or Sean Combs, or just plain Diddy (wish he would make up his freakin’ mind) had a best seller with Unforgivable  that brought in brought a whopping $74.9 million in the past. And Britney’s scents are still selling VERY well and defying all odds even with the recent slump of other celebs fragrances. Maybe Diddy’s and Britney’s stuff just smells better?

The NY Daily News reported:

Fragrance peddler Parlux France relies heavily on its celebrity branded scents and has taken a hit for it. The company produces Queen Latifah’s Queen, Jessica Simpson’s  Fancy and Fancy Love, Andy Roddick’s Andy Roddick and all of Paris Hilton’s many fragrances (Paris Hilton, Paris Hilton for Men, Heir, Heiress, Just Me, Can Can, Fairy Dust and Siren).

The company lost $4.3 million last year and $2.5 in the second quarter of this year alone.
While the prestige fragrance market as a whole is down 10% from last year, Britney Spears is one celeb who appears to be bucking the odds.

Sales of her fragrances – Fantasy Britney Spears, Britney Spears Believe, Curious Britney Spears and Curious in Control Britney Spears – rose 13% in the June quarter. Elizabeth Arden, the company behind the ageing pop tart’s perfumes, just brought out Circus Fantasy, named after her latest tour and album. Then again, she’s global.

“More than half of the sales of Britney brands were sold of outside of North America,” said an Arden company spokesman.
Also doing well are classics like Chanel’s Coco, Mademoiselle and No. 5 and Dolce and Gabbana’s Light Blue. But it remains to be seen how Forever Mariah Carey, Derek Jeter Driven Black or Sara Jessica Parker’s Lovely will fare in recessionary times.

So even if the scent is sold globally and has a huge advantage over others, it still seems more important if the star selling the perfume is currently a hot commodity. Perhaps Paris Hilton’s perfumes have taken a nose dive due to her failing popularity. I think people are just sick to death of her. I know I am.

Mariah Carey’s ” Forever”is due to hit this September because she has a new album coming out. She also has a movie coming out this November. Anyone remember her movie *cough* Glitter?  Only time will tell how long ”Forever” will be around.

With over 100 fragrances coming out each year both from stars and regular companies, the market has become flooded. The competition has become fierce for celebs to have their scent be the next big hit. So many celebs in the music industry are scheduling their fragrances to coincide with their CD releases. This can be a risky move if the album totally bombs, because then the fragrance becomes a reminder of that failed album and then in turn becomes an embarrassment to wear to most.

Some celebs fragrances have stayed around for a while, like Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely and Covet .  Covet debuted two years ago when her Sex In The City Movie was released. Perhaps Sex in the City’s popularity has kept it’s ratings up? (the perfume that is)

I am sorry, I just think the whole celebrity fragrance thing is so cheesy. What’s next celebrity scented candles?

Especially for the fact that these fragrances’ popularity stem from whether or not the star is hot or not. If you find a fragrance you like and it was put out by a star that everyone now thinks is washed up or has failed in the popularity poles… would you stop wearing their fragrance even if you liked it? Would you be embarrassed to say,  “oh yes I still wear Clay Aiken’s Evening In The Stable” *snicker*
But this is exactly what happens.

I am not a big fan of perfume to begin with. I can’t tell you how many times someone has walked by me and I literally choked from whatever perfume that took a bath in before they stepped out their door. Some people slather it on so heavy, that their perfume arrives before they do and stays long after they’re gone. Thank God Poison is no longer popular. That stuff used to literally kill me. It was appropriately named.

One time I actually had to change my seat on an airplane due to the women sitting next to me. She must have dumped an entire bottle of Woah! Do I Stink! all over herself. I got an immediate headache, my throat was closing up, and I couldn’t even breath. I say wearing heavy perfume should be banned on airplanes. And that goes double for any of my gal OR guy pals who want to climb in my car. Whatever happened to the oh so silly move of spraying the room and then walking into it? *snicker*

Ok, enough of my drama on perfume.
Except I have to say that I would never buy something based on a star’s popularity and I have never bought a celebrity fragrance.
I have been wearing Alyssa Ashley Musk by Houbigant for ever. It’s less than $30.00 for a good sized bottle and I have received mega compliments on it over the years. It’s all I wear AND I am proud to wear it. I am just not caught up in the whole perfume mania. You will never hear me say “oh I am wearing The Beckhams Intimately Line” (you would actually have to pay ME to wear it)  Their promo picture alone is beyond pretentious.

Look How Sexy We Are!

Speaking of which, I wonder why Beckham’s  BFF Tom Cruise hasn’t come out with an entire line of Scientology cult scents yet? I am sure he would be able to talk Scientology cult members into buying Galactic Spice, or how about KSW Cologne (their acronym for Keeping Scientology Working), OT Orchard  for the gals or perhaps a line of body splashes like Body Thetan Splash. Oh I can go on forever, the possibilites are endless.

Of course Cruise would never use those particular names because….what is the first rule about Scientology? Don’t talk about Scientology.
So maybe he would have to kick it old school and name it something like Risky Business. After all, the name Risky Business does describe any company investing in any new movie projects with Cruise now. Oh snap!
But at the very least, we all know he would be the authority on fragrances. *tee hee*

Awesome! Got My First Order!

Aaaaanyways….
If you are going to buy celebrity fragrances in the first place, than you should buy it because you like it. Don’t be like all the other sheeple who buy what’s popular because the celebrity had another hit movie or a CD release. Because if this is the way you think, then that sixty clams you once plunked down for Jaylo’s Glow *snicker* has surely been wasted. Unless you want to lie about what your wearing. Yes some people are that ridiculous.

One fragrance that has stood the test of time is the hilarious Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds (of course with the much older crowd)

Sorry Liz, no dis intended, but White Diamonds always reminds me of a friend of mine whose husband bought her White Diamonds for Christmas. She hated it, but didn’t want to hurt his feelings so she acted appreciative. She left the bottle in plain site unopened, hoping he would get the hint that she never used it. But the following Christmas she received yet another bottle. We laughed are asses off. Men!

Perfume’s popularity has gone through many changes over the years. Sure the old standards like Channel No. 5 are here to stay. But the classics are a breed all their own, and cost a lot more to boot. I think celebrity fragrances have their own little group.

bellasugar posted The Top Ten Fragrances that You Loved or (Hated) in Jr High School.
 Which was a blast from the past.
They listed Jean Nate, Charlie, The Body Shop Perfume Oil, Heaven, Electric Youth,The Entire Roster of Designer Imposters, Sunflowers, Exclamation, Ck One, and Love’s Baby Soft.

The most popular fragrance when I was in school, was Patchouli Oil. And yes I wore it for quite a while, and I stil like it, but I haven’t worn it since then. So I guess I am guilty of changing fragrances for the changing times. (I also don’t want my car searched if I am pulled over) *snicker*

I also remember using  “Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific” shampoo, which was so fragrant, it killed two birds with one stone. Sure wish I can find some of that stuff today just to smell it once again.

There were plenty of fragrances that used to be popular way back when. (including the guys stuff)
Some biggies were English Leather, Old Spice, Aqua Velva After Shave, Tabu, Tigress, Shalimar, L’Eur Du Temps, Windsong, O’ de London, Rive Gauche, and the infamous Evening in Paris, just to name a VERY few.

Whoops! Almost forgot Hai Karate After Shave!
Who can forget their commericals of girls going wild?

Today it has been replaced with the more updated AXE which uses the same girls gone wild idea for their AXE “you have been warned” commercials. YouTube has many parodies of their commercials, but one of my all time favorite fragrance parodies was for a pseudo cologne, called Douche Cologne. Click here and giggle. (it’s a tad racy in one part, so if you are easily offended, you may want to pass)

It’s any one’s guess which celebrity fragrance is going to be the next big seller and if it has any staying power in today’s economy and the fickleness of the market. With over 100 fragrances coming out each year world wide, the market has become flooded. The competition has become very fierce to have that next big hit.

I am surprised others in the music industry haven’t come out with their own fragrances. Doesn’t seem to be any rocker’s fragrances . The Stone’s Brown Sugar would be a no brainer, and I am sure with all the Beatles flap lately, if they were to come out with a fragrance it just may work. It would probably have hints of Apple *tee hee*

OR how about for the younger crowd? Perhaps Green Day Garden or Blink 182 Bouquet would sell? Probably not. The target audience is not the same. But you never know. Hey I want 10% if I see any of these on the market!

Even other celebs like Donald (ick) Trump and Simon (ick) Cowell jumped on the fragrance band wagon. I guess they needed the cash?
Wonder how Donald Trump’s stuff is selling? Maybe it’s selling better than his Trump Water?

Who would ever admit to wearing Trump or Cowell’s stuff anyways?
Or maybe your more of an Antonio Banderas fan? Look he even has his hand extended on the display, as if to say (in Antonios’s accent of course) “Come… come… take a whiff of sexy” *snicker*  

Speaking of celeb fragrances that people may be (or should be) embarrased to wear…
How about Britney Spears new Circus Fantasy?

Some how the name Circus Fantasy doesn’t sound appealing to me. I know it is a reference to Britney’s album and tour, but Circus Fantasy? Really? Has Elizabeth Arden lost their damn minds?

Even the packaging looks tacky. Looks like it comes with candy circus peanuts (the worst candy ever). And at $55.00 a pop, it should come with popcorn or a candy apple at the very least.

Sorry, but a perfume with the word circus in it, reminds me of  clowns and something that would smell like elephant poop stuck to a clown’s shoe and cotton candy all in one. Others may be reminded of a sexy trapeze artist, or perhaps a day at the circus with their family? Or dancing circus dogs in little hats and tutus? Ummm…. again, I just dont’ get it.

But hey, maybe she will be laughing all the way to the bank with this one. After all her fragrance Curious was a best seller in celebrity fragrance world.

For me, the word circus makes my mind go right back to the image of CLOWNS. Scary freakin’ clowns.
And clowns have always freaked me out! *shudder*

Here we go again.
It has been announced that the remake of the Beatles classic Yellow Submarine is in the works.Why or why do they insist on taking classics and and trashing them? Didn’t they learn their lesson with Willy Wonka, The Whiz, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and Charlotte’s Web? (just to name a few classics).

Yellow Submarine was magic on the screen back in 1968. Imagine how it looked to a generation that was used to seeing black and white television and experiencing the whole “make love not war” movement. It was also the year that Martin Luther King was assassinated. The movie came out at a time of great civil unrest, and it was a hit I mean a ray of yellow sunshine. *snicker*

In the movie, the playful rhymes of  the charachter Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD. (he was my favorite) pretty much summed up the premise behind Yellow Submarine, “Peace! Peace! Supplant the doom and the gloom! Turn off what is sour! Turn into a flower and BLOOM! BLOOM! BLOOM”

To me, Yellow Submarine was more than just a trippy animated flick. It was part of an entire movement of peace and love. Beatles classic songs like Nowhere Man and All You Need Is Love melded together with trippy animation into a sensory overload of psychedelic yumminess which was loved by many young and old.

But Yellow Submarine was not loved by all and many considered it just a drugged out cartoon. Take for instance this scathing review  (<<<click on the link) of  Yellow Submarine when it was re-released in 1999. The review was entitled “ Take a psychedelic journey to Nowhere land with the Beatles & the Nowhere Man where you’ll find nothing too pleasing without the help from your friends.” Needless to say of course I disagreed with that interview.

The original Yellow Submarine took two years to make, by 40 animators and 140 technical artists and had 14 different scripts. Now I know by today’s standards, those methods are now obsolete, and technology has improved by leaps and bounds, but I am not too privy of someone taking this classic and making it into a modern day mess either.

Sadly, Disney is doing the remake. Now don’t even get me started on Disney, with it’s mass marketing of clothing and toys made in their GLOBAL sweat shops, and other things I don’t care to get into. I just ask you to please do your homework before you support them!
Disney is also pairing up with Rob Zemeckis for this remake.

Now granted Zemeckis has some big  and successful films under his belt, he also did two movies that I just totally despise which were Forest Gump and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Two of the most annoying movies I ever had the displeasure of watching. Save me all the Forest Gump love  fest comments which I am sure I will get. I HATED the movie with a passion and had trouble getting through the whole thing and almost walked out. And if I hear “life is just like a box of chocolates” in that HORRIBLE fake accent that Hanks did one more time, I swear I am going to get the screaming Blue Meanies out.

In Yellow Submarine, the Captain of the Blue Meanies says to ”glove”, “A thing of beauty; destroy it forever!”

Is Disney going to be Yellow Submarine’s ”glove”?

Of course I know the original can never be destroyed. But sometimes another thing occurs when movies are remade. The younger audience thinks that the remake is the first one that was ever made and tend to think the real original is crap. This also happens with music today and it drives me totally NUTS! Grrrrrr! And no, Limp Bizkit was not the originator of the song ”Behind Blue Eyes“. Geez!

A lot of younger people also think if the movie is not in their face with special effects, then it just plain stinks. Perhaps that’s why Disney is going with 3-D animation to inhance it a much as posisble.

But…Disney has yet to acquire the rights to the Beatles songs thus far and one has to wonder if Michael Jackson’s recent death has anything to do with acquiring these songs.Why? Jackson’s estate happens to include the 4,000 song catalogue of  Beatle’s music which he purchased for 47.5 million back in 1985. But keep in mind, he owns the publishing rights for the songs. There is a difference in owning the publsihing rights and the performance rights. For a full explanation go here.  

A bit of history with Jackson and Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney. Jackson worked with McCartney on the song  Say Say Say and they did a video together for the song in 1984. Jackson also did The Girl Is Mine with McCartney in 1982. ( I won’t comment on the title or lyrics of that song, it’s just too easy).

Jackson was ironically advised by Paul McCartney. Sir Paul told Jackson more or less that buying music was a sound and lucrative investment. This advice was prior to the 1985 auction of the Beatles catalogue of songs. Jackson took Sir Paul’s advice and outbid both Paul McCartney AND John Lennon’s widow,Yoko Ono! 
Hey all you Jackson fans out there, how can you justify this dastardly move by Jackson? Huh?

Sir Paul and Yoko must have been a tad hot under the collar to say the least. If Jackson had any scruples, ESPECIALLY for the fact that he was also in the music industry, he would of let McCartney keep the publishing rights to his own songs that HE wrote with Lennon and not outbid him in the first place. But then again who knows what McCartney would of done with the songs either. Or even Yoko for that  matter. Maybe it was a good thing that Sir Paul didn’t get the songs? Sir Paul’s ex-wife, the money grubbing Heather Mills, never signed a pre-nup and the songs  may have ended up as being partly hers. GASP!
That money grubbing biotch got WAY too much from Sir Paul as far as I am concerned. At least she is out of the picture now. But when will you ever learn Sir Paul?

So what has happened with some of these songs over the years? Let’s jump back to the 1987 Nike commercial using the Beatles Revolution song. Capital Records owed the performance rights and was paid $250,000. Michael Jackson owned the publishing rights, (meaning use of the words and music) and he was paid for use of the song. Which was later followed by others like All You You Need is Love, which was used for a Luv’s Diaper commercial, and a version of the Beatles song Help, which was used in a car commercial in 1985 . Son Julian Lennon, son of John, lent his voice to When I’m 64 for an Allstate commercial and  let’s not forget Target’s use of Hello- Goodbye for their TV commercials. Egad!

The Beatles song collection saga continued on….. and in 1995, Sony paid Jackson 95 million and merged with ATV, to form Sony/ATV Publishing which was a 50/50 joint venture. So it is probably safe to say that Jackson’s estate includes HALF of the publishing rights to the Beatles songs. 

But there may be a silver lining in this dark cloud, well sort of.
Supposedly Jackson left the 4,000 Beatles songs to McCartney in his will. Rumor has it that Jackson felt remorse about his failed relationship with Sir Paul, and thought this was a way to make amends. Too bad Jackson didn’t do this YEARS ago, so he could of actually made amends in person with Sir Paul, rather than from the grave. So Sir Paul may end up with the publsihing rights to half of his own songs in the end. Just plain sad. *shakes head* But I guess it is better than nothing.
Sadly, Sony/ATV doesn’t need permission from surviving Beatles or heirs to license the songs. Damn you Jackson! And Damn you Sony!
So it’s still up in the air as to whether this remake of Yellow Submarine will eventually get the rights to use these songs.

So getting back to this movie remake.
The NY Times called the original a 2-D CARTOON and they also mentioned two of the movies I despise by Zemeckis.
From the NY Times :

More than 40 years after Old Fred fired up the titular vehicle of “Yellow Submarine” and used it to round up four Liverpool lads who would defend Pepperland from the Blue Meanies, Disney is preparing a remake of the Beatles’ 1968 animated movie, Variety reported.

The original film was a traditional (if thoroughly trippy) 2-D cartoon directed by George Dunning and designed by Heinz Edelmann, in which the Beatles appeared only in a live-action segment tacked on at the end. The planned remake, to be directed by Robert Zemeckis (“Forrest Gump,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”), will be a 3-D animated feature that would use the performance-capture technology seen in Mr. Zemeckis’s “Beowulf” and his coming remake of “A Christmas Carol.”

The Variety report said that Disney was still seeking to obtain rights to the Beatles songs used in the original “Yellow Submarine” film, including the title song and tracks like “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” The remake is being planned for a 2012 release.

No casting was announced for the motion-capture remake, though the project does call to mind Paul McCartney’s recent remarks to Daniel Radosh in The New York Times Magazine: “In 10 years’ time you’ll be standing there, and you will be Paul McCartney. You know that, don’t you?”

Fact: Many people didn’t realize that the voices used in the original Yellow Submarine where not those of the actual Beatles. I never knew that myself. The Beatles only appeared at the very end of the movie as themselves.

Yellow Submarine had it’s fair share of merchandising back in the day to say the least, and it continues today. The Beatles had more merchandise than any other band in history. There were Yellow Submarine pop up books, calenders, Blue Meanie Halloween costumes, Goebel figurines and even Huffy Bikes jumped on the YS band wagon in 1968 and came out with a girls YS yellow bicycle complete with movie graphics right on the seat which I found on a Beatles memorabilia website.

Of course all this stuff had a huge resurgence in 1999 when they re-released the movie for the 30thyear Anniversary. Today you can still buy Yellow Submarine merchandise in all shapes and forms from neck ties to purses, to t-shirts to wallies to stick on your walls. They also came out with new YS Beatles figurines in the 90’s and again in 2000. Even the Cirque du Soleil has a show called LOVE dedicated to the music of the Beatles. I am sure Disney will jump on the merchandising band wagon and will have their little workers slaving away making sure that there is enough Yellow Submarine Onesies and Jeremy Hillary Boob lunch boxes. And don’t forget Yellow Submarine Happy Meals complete with plastic figures which will end up in landfills and stay there for all eternity. Oh wait that s right, Disney dumped McDonald’s back in 2006. Maybe Burger King then? *snicker*

OK, I know I am being cynical, and maybe I am too sentimental about movies being remade and the “old days”. So I decided to check myself, and I went through the list of movie remakes on Wikipedia, but I still found myself rooting for the original versions. Even really early movies like Mighty Joe Young which came out in 1949. I still found myself favoring the original over the remake. (ironically Disney did a remake and they also did  an animated version of course, they make me sick).

Films like Little Shop Of Horrors? DEFINITELY the original. Who can deny the greatness of the cameo by a very young and loony Jack Nicholson in the original? You can’t.
Even though some of these original movies were sheer cornball and the filming techniques were primitive, but that was part of what made the originals so great. They had a lot less to work with back then, but yet the movies were still phenomenal.

That is why I wish they would just leave the classics alone. You can’t reproduce living in the era when these original movies came out or the way people felt when they first saw the original Yellow Submarine. Many people may be annoyed by the remaking of Yellow Submarine. And I can’t speak for the hard core Beatles buffs. Maybe some will be unhappy and some will embrace the new movie with the hopes of a whole new generation of yougins’ buying Beatles music once again and helping to continue the Beatles legacy. I myself do not support Disney, so I will not be catching this particular flick.

But at the very least, let’s just hope that this new release does the original Yellow Submarine some justice and more importantly let’s hope it sends the same message as the original.
Which of course was:

Early Photo OF Les Paul Back In The Day

The legendary Les Paul has died at age 94. A truly great man whose expertise and talent will live on in the hearts and minds of many. His legacy will continue to inspire musicians for all eternity.

Rolling Stone wrote:

Les Paul, one of the most revered guitarists in history and the father of the electric guitar, passed away last night, August 12th at the age of 94. Paul’s manager confirmed to Rolling Stone that cause of death was respiratory failure, and a statement from Gibson indicates Paul was suffering from severe pneumonia and died at a hospital in White Plains, New York.

Look back at Paul’s life in photos: Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen and more stars with the father of the electric guitar.

An inductee of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Grammy Hall of Fame, Paul is credited as the inventor of the electric body guitar and the pioneer of recording techniques like electronic echo and multi-tracking. Paul also had a celebrated career as both a solo artist and with singer Mary Ford, his wife until 1964. In 2003, Rolling Stone named Les Paul to our list of the Greatest Guitarists of All Time, and his influence on guitar greats who followed him is undeniable. “He was one of the most stellar human beings I’ve ever known,” Slash posted on his Twitter today, referring to Paul as his “friend and mentor.” Chickenfoot guitarist Joe Satriani released a statement that reads, “Les Paul set a standard for musicianship and innovation that remains unsurpassed. He was the original guitar hero, and the kindest of souls.”

Slash, Tom Morello and more guitarists remember Les Paul.

In the early ’50s, Paul and Ford had a string of hits including Mockin’ Bird Hill,” “How High the Moon,” “The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise” and “Vaya Con Dios.” Paul also began experimenting with the electric guitar, building the Les Paul Recording Guitar, an instrument that allowed for “hot” pickups and “fatter” tone than the Fender on the market. Paul linked up with Gibson Guitars and his six-string became one of the guitar maker’s signatures.

Around this time, Paul also made the first-ever eight-track recording, as well as the dual-pickup guitar, the 14-fret guitar, and various types of electronic transducers used both in guitars and recording studios. For his achievements as a technician, Paul was also inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2005, joining Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla.

Read Gibson’s CEO’s memories of Paul’s impact here.

Paul was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin in 1915, a fact noted in the name of the 1980 Les Paul documentary The Wizard of Waukesha. Last November, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honored Paul with its annual American Music Masters Concert, where Slash, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Richie Sambora and the Patti Smith Group’s Lenny Kaye paid tribute to Paul (watch footage from the event, below). Kaye told the audience, “Before Les, guitars were only amplified. Les made them truly electric.” During his acceptance speech, Paul joked, “Everybody thought I was a guitar until I played here tonight.” One thing is for certain: Les Paul is responsible for changing the way rock & roll sounds and he will be greatly missed.

Our many thanks and gratitude to a great man who blessed us with his ingenuity, his talent, his music and of course his guitars.
Sincere condolences to family and friends.

Many people are becoming more aware of the term Carbon Footprint.
For those of you who don’t know the meaning… a little help from Wikipedia:

A carbon footprint is “the total set of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, event or product” (UK Carbon Trust 2008). An individual,nation or organization’s carbon footprint is measured by undertaking a GHG emissions assessment. Once the size of a carbon footprint is known, a strategy can be devised to reduce it.

Reported by WENN.comspeaking about U2’s lead singer Bono:

He may be on the short side, but Bono leaves an huge footprint — according to environment experts. The singer and his band U2 have come under fire because of the amount of co2 their jet-setting tours generate — each year they create the same as a one-way trip to Mars! Environmental consultant Helen Roberts claims, “The carbon footprint generated by U2’s 44 concerts this year is equal to carbon created by the four band members travelling the  34.125 million miles from Earth to Mars in a passenger plane….Just looking at the 44 concerts this year, the band will  create enough carbon to fly all 90,000 people attending one of their Wembley concerts to Dublin.
“To offset this year’s carbon emissions, U2 would need to plant 20,118 trees.”
 Is it time for the campaigning rockers to practice what they preach?

Hmm, that’s not cool at all. Let’s not forget the house(s) that U2 guitarist Edge is building in Malibu CA., that I reported on earlier that had local residents wondering why he would want to build so many structures and mar the landscape’s natural beauty.
Is U2 not practicing what they preach? 
From their website they say:

The music of U2 has always been about heart and mind, body and soul. Down the years the band have succesfully thrown a spotlight on the work of key campaigning groups who are trying to make the world a better place.

 
Well in U2’s defense, they do support the following organizations:
MUSIC RISING
THE ANGIOGENESIS FOUNDATION
(RED)
ONE
FREE BURMA!
GREENPEACE
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
THE CHERNOBYL CHILDRENS PROJECT

Well U2… Perhaps you can come up with an alternative way to get to your concerts rather than jetting all over creation? Or at least plant some damn trees? You are big advocates in making the world a better place as stated on your webiste and you talk the talk, but make sure you also walk the walk. Rock on gentleman, but don’t leave your footprints behind.

Rock On Sir!

Plant Back In The Day

E! Online reported:

Are you ready for sex & drugs & rock ‘n’ roll & pomp & circumstance? Well, you better be, because Led Zeppelin screamer Robert Plant has something new to shriek about: He’s been made a Commander of the British Empire by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace, according to reports.

The “Whole Lotta Love” singer follows in the well-worn rock star path of Paul McCartney,Mikc Jagger and Elton John that leads from trashing hotel rooms to playing nice at the Palace for an honorary knighthood for “services to popular music.”

Kudos to Sir Bob. Still, while we hesitate to suggest that he’s buying a “Stairway to Heaven,” it should be noted that the taxes paid on Led Zeppelin’s 200 million albums sold probably helped grease the wheels. 

Curiously, as a CBE, Plant now outranks his Led Zep bandmate Jimmy Page, who earned his one-notch-down OBE four years ago.

We wonder whether Plant will lord it over Page if Zeppelin reunites as rumored to fill some London dates on what would have been the Michael Jackson tour. Could be a riff-tastic rivalry. Plus, a couple of Rock ‘n’ Roll Knights filling in for the King of Pop? It works for us.

Page and Plant Rocking Out

Plant now outranks fellow Zepplin member Jimmy Page.
Well Plant actually kidded about the whole thing and being a step above Jimmy Page:

“If we can remember each other’s phone number at this time in life it’s a miracle,” he joked. “We’re still good friends, we both enjoy a rather dark sense of humor that comes, I think, from being from rather the wrong side of the tracks for all those wild years.”

I had to find out what the honor of CBE was all about. After I read the first paragraph, yawning ensued and I started thinking of what to cook for dinner. But in case you are interested, click here and read all about it at Wikipedia.  But in short, it is a British honor of chivalry and presented to someone for national order of merit. I guess Plant’s days of throwing TV’s out of hotel windows are now OFFICALLY over. *snicker* 

John Lennon had an interesting view about the MBE award, (different from Plant’s CBE):

 ”Lots of people who complained about us receiving the MBE received theirs for heroism in the war – for killing people”. He continued: “We received ours for entertaining other people. I’d say we deserve ours more“

As always, John was never afraid to speak his mind.

Led Zeppelin was a big part of my music collection back in the day and still is. My sister had Robert Plant’s name spray painted on her bedroom ceiling, and I thought that was the coolest thing ever. Sadly, I never got the chance to see Led Zeppelin. They are still doing shows today, but Plant did not participate in the reunion tour last year. Rumor has it that he was working with American Bluegrass singer Alison Krauss instead. Bluegrass and Robert Plant? Well he did do Sea of Love with the Honey Drippers way back when,which was a 50’s classic and far from the norm of rocking songs we were used to hearing from Plant.
To me, I will take Robert Plant belting out Dazed and Confused any day. Although I think the Lemon Song might be a bit of a stretch for Plant these days. (sorry Robert!) 
Plant is Commander of the British Empire now and still one of the best rockers in the universe. As always and forever, I still Got A Whole Lotta Love for Sir Robert Plant.

U2 guitarist David Evans, aka “The Edge” has BIG plans for Malibu, Ca. His nickname was supposedly coined by bandmate and U2 frontman Bono, for the sharp edges of his face and his ability to observe things from the edge. Er, ok.

I can just picture him and Bono back in the day at the pub, piss drunk from too many Guinnesses and Bono saying (imagine in Bono’s voice):

Bono: “Davey! Listen, you bleedin mule, and I ain’t sayin this  ’cause I’m  gunner-eyed and langers, but Jaysus you’re a ride, with sharp features, and your new name will be Edge.  Now I need to do me pooley.”

David: “Sufferin ducks, You’re coddin’ me Bono?

Well I guess Bono wasn’t kidding, ’cause the name stuck and now the Edge will be, you guessed it, living on the edge in Malibu, on the beautiful Pacific coastline after plunking down over $15 mil, for a 120 acre lot in the Serra Retreat also known as Serra Canyon area back in 2006.

For all of you history buffs and geography nerds:

The Serra Retreat (also called Serra Canyon) is a wooded canyon area adjacent to Malibu Creek in Lower Malibu Canyon, as well as a portion of Sweetwater Mesa.  Also home to the Malibu raquet Club.

The Franciscan friars’ Serra Retreat, named for Junipero Serra, the apostle of California and founder of the California missions.

Originally planned as the home of Malibu’s Rindge family, it was sold to the Franciscans in 1942.

Evans currently owns homes in Ireland and France, and also crashes in a multi-million dollar estate in the “conservative” (*snicker*) area of La Costa with his second wife Morleigh Steinberg, but has bigger plans to bust a move, and hob nob with residents of the Serra Retreat area.

The Edge said:

“My family and I love Malibu, having maintained a residence here for more than a decade,” he told the Times. “These homes will be some of the most environmentally sensitive ever designed in Malibu—or anywhere in the world. I’m disappointed that certain critics either don’t have the facts or have ulterior motives.”

There’s bick bucks in dem hills!

His new digs (if ok’ed) will put him perched above some heavy hitters in the celeb world. He will be close enough to trip over Dick Van Dykes ottoman, borrow a “cup of sugar”  (*wink, wink*) from Kelsey Grammar, enjoy a couple of cocktails with Mel Gibson, (yes you heard me) or perhaps get into a spirited conversation with James Cameron (although I would’t piss Cameron off, I heard he has quite the short fuse, and he’ll sink you faster than the Titanic).

While Malibu is of considerable beauty, but like most things there’s a dark side to the pristine coastal town: out of control wildfires.

In October 2007, Cameron, Olivia Newton-John and Tanya Tucker, were evacuated due to the pending threat of the “Witch Fire” (named after Witch Creek Canyon ) in Southern Ca, along with many other not so famous, but wealthy home owners. California has been the home of devastating wild fires on an almost annual basis for the last several years.

I guess the threat of fire doesn’t scare Edge or other celebs, after all isn’t that what insurance is for?

So what will the design for this new crib, which supposedly can be seen from as fas as twenty miles away, look like? It’s supposed to simulate leaves falling down the hillside and  have an “S” shaped pool for his band buddies to splash around in.

Edge's "Fallen leaf" look crib

Sounds cool enough, right?  Well, there are a few teensy issues. Unfortunately of the environmental kind.

In order to construct this rocker’s dream-home, the top of the hillside will have to be squashed like a pancake. Residents are concerned it will spoil the view of natural landscape, and are unsure if Sweetwater Mesa Road can even handle traffic. Not to mention the water suppply pipes and electrical sources will need to be brought in, a new surface road, noise from heavy machinery, tons of dust, and of course the presence of a mega rock star could attract ogling fans. And most importantly, ALL of the major disruption planned, will likely be catastrophic to the local wild life.

So, why is any of this an issue? Aren’t famous people notorious for dropping tons of green to get what they want? Well, the issue here is U2 has a reputation for green crusading, but none of the Edge’s house plans are sounding too green to me.

It was not so much the big honking one story mansion that Evans want to build, that has local residents’ knickers in a bunch, but he also has plans to construct FOUR more homes, for a total of FIVE homes on this property

Most likely Edge and buddy, Irish real estate investor, Derek Quinlan, will take two of the homes and the other three homes will probably be sold off (’cause, you know, Edge needs the money)!

Malibu City Councilman Jefferson Wagner, told Canyon News:

“This raises environmental awareness because two homes would be more reasonable for the community, but five are a bit much. A wealthy individual can afford to hold on to homes on this type of financial feat,” Wagner adds.  “European actors and actresses often move to America because the tax rules are more favorable and rewarding than they are in Europe.”

Wagner also told Eonline:

“The downside of this is a permanently scarred mountainside for the benefit of a very few that for many years all will view,” AND “For somebody so revered even to be orchestrating this type of development in such a sensitive area is hypocritical.”

Welcome to the world of the rich and famous, where it’s “do as I say, not as I do.”

The California Coastal Commission is expected to review the environmental impact of the project in June.

Here are some more LA Times snippets:

The properties he hopes to develop perch above Malibu’s city limits in Serra Canyon, on 156 acres in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County. The California Coastal Commission has “significant concerns” about the project, said Jack Ainsworth, deputy director of the panel’s South Central Coast District. Among them, he said, are damage to habitats, the high number of truck trips, landslide issues, the potential for hillside eyesores and the “growth-inducing impacts of pulling down a water line through other properties” that might then be developed.

Plans for extending the road call for sinking deep caissons through the slide plane, “a pretty significant undertaking from an engineering standpoint,” Ainsworth said.

The commission intends to take up the matter in June. When it does, the Edge will have an edge: his rights as a property owner. “Even if it’s considered an environmentally sensitive habitat,” Ainsworth said, “we’ve got to allow for some residential use to avoid a constitutional taking of property.”

Jim Vanden Berg, a representative for Evans and his partner in the venture, Irish real estate investor Derek Quinlan, countered that the rock musician is taking pains to ensure that the development will “create a sense of place that respects the environment [and] architecture that will stand the test of time.”

Each home, Vanden Berg said, has been tailored to the contours of its site and will be “notched into the hillside,” with boulder outcroppings and other natural elements incorporated into the designs.”

Needless to say, “Malibuites” aren’t happy campers these days about Evans chipping away more of their hillside. Apparently, this isn’t the first time that Edge hasn’t been chummy with his neighbors.

Eonline quoted:

“He and the rest of U2 came under fire in their hometown of Dublin for now defunct plans to build the so-called U2 Tower, a proposed skyscraper in the heart of the city that would’ve been the tallest in Ireland. Preservationists claimed the $220 million project would have resulted in the tearing down of four adjacent historic buildings.”

Youch! Tearing down historical buildings for a U2 skyscraper? That’s a bit full of themselves don’t ya think?

To Edge’s credit, back in 2003, he was named #24 as “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” by Rolling Stone Magazine. (eh!)

He was part of the force behind Music Rising, a campaign to replace musicians’ instruments destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Edge penned U2’s famous anti-violence anthem, “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, and recently created the theme song for the animataed series of “The Batman.” If judged on his guitar merits alone, the Edge would be a prince of a guy, but this is the real world and the Edge isn’t living up to his princely reputation.

When developer Don Schmitz, who is in charge of this Edge fiasco, was asked about the project, he refused to comment, as has the Edge himself.

Frankly, IMO, I hope the ”Edge Project” does’t go through.  I don’t like the idea of spoiling the beauty of a landscape simply for the sake of a celebrity wanting to do so, and the hampering of wildlife is extremely bothersome.  There’s too much of that going on these days. Besides, it’s not like Edge needs yet ANOTHER house, for crying out loud.

I wonder why they sold such a huge amount of acreage to one person in the first place? Why don’t they limit the size of the property that can be bought, or ask the potential buyer for specific plans that can be reviewed before they up and sell it?  DUH!

Well maybe Malibu has learned its lesson?  ASK FIRST, AND SELL SMALLER.

It’s Edge’s “desire” to be “one” with the residents of Malibu and come to an agreement. I wonder if Malibu will “find what they’re Looking for”. Hopefully there there will be “peace on earth,” or at least in Malibu.

Ok, I’ll stop, I think you get it.