A View of "Wow...Really?" (App not included....)

If a man with a gold tooth walks up to you in a McDonald's restaurant and tries to sell you a brand new iPad for $300, but is willing to settle for less than $200, you get what you pay for:

A worthless block of wood.

A 22-year-old woman in Spartanburg, South Carolina just learned this lesson the hard way.  You just know that, upon opening the FedEx box that was supposed to contain an iPad, she could only say one thing - the one thing she should've said when this offer was proposed to her:

Wow...really?

More later, and there's no app for that.

A View of Seven Cents

Anthony Stewart wants you to believe his current troubles are over seven cents.

He's the victim, he's the one irreparably damaged - facing a prison sentence and a permanent criminal record - and he's only 15 years old.  He wants you to fret over his future, feel sympathy for him, take his pitiful fate to heart.

A View of a Stranger

Remembering Michael Jackson, who would've been 53 today. Can't help wondering what sort of music he'd be making if he were still with us; what sort of person he would've been had his career, his life, his personal struggles, had allow him to be a person instead of an icon - an individual instead of a stranger to everyday human existence.



"Even at home, I'm lonely. I sit in my room sometimes and cry. It's so hard to make friends ...I sometimes walk around the neighborhood at night, just hoping to find someone to talk to. But I just end up coming home." - Michael Jackson

A View of "Wow...really?"

Introducing a recurring segment on VOTT that I'm calling, "Wow...really?"  The pictures, posts, or other bits of ridiculousness will speak for itself, and all you'll be able to say after viewing them is...

Wow...really?

More later, after trying to decide if this is so funny its sad, or so sad its funny....

A View of Potency

My last post, "A View of Impotent Outrage," came from a Detroit Free Press article I posted on my Facebook page, along with the following comment:

Are you watching out for your neighbors? Do you know your neighbors - and do they know you? 

A View of Impotent Outrage

My hometown has 2,770 police officers, a population somewhere in the neighborhood of 700,000 people, and a violent crime rate that's down about 10% from last year.

It also has, to date, lost 230 people to homicide, most of which are from shootings.

A View of It Was 20 Years Ago Today

There were numerous signs on my wedding day 20 years ago today that my marriage was destined to fail.

A View of Reach Out And Touch

Just this morning, I heard another songwriting master had passed.  Nick Ashford, part of the powerhouse duo Ashford & Simpson, died in a New York hospital yesterday of throat cancer at the age of 70.

With his wife, Valerie Simpson, he wrote for a who's who of pop and R&B music - everyone from Ray Charles, to the Shirelles, to Chaka Khan, to Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell.  He helped create classics like, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Your Precious Love," and "I'm Every Woman."

While it's sad to know that another musical cornerstone is gone, we can be thankful his music is still here, still able to reach out and touch us all with the power of its melody and message.

RIP, Nick Ashford.  More later, but until then, remember the story of the glory when a shoe, shoe shine used to cost a dime, and a nickel could buy you plenty.

A View of Is That All There Is?

Hound Dog.  Searchin'.  On Broadway.  Yakety Yak.

Some of the wittiest, fun, and enduring songs of the rock era were created by lyricist and producer, Jerry Leiber.  A member of the Songwriters and Rock & Roll Halls of Fame, Mr. Leiber worked with some legendary artists - everyone from Peggy Lee and Big Mama Thornton, to the Coasters and the Drifters.  His career lasted over 60 years, leaving an imprint on stage, screen, televison and popular song.

Mr. Leiber died today at the age of 78 from cardiopulmonary failure.

Little Egypt.  There Goes My Baby.  Shoppin' For Clothes.  Jailhouse Rock.

Is that all there is?  Thankfully, no.  Jerry Leiber's legacy lives on through a body of work that still inspires singers and musicians to this day.  Through the stage review, "Smokey Joe's Cafe," a tribute to the work he created with partner, Mike Stoller.  Through songs that helped created modern pop, rock, and R&B.

RIP, Jerry Leiber.

More later.  In the meantime, check out the clip below to one of my favorite Leiber & Stoller classics, Big Mama Thornton's original version of the classic, "Hound Dog," then go searchin' for some more Leiber/Stoller hits.  You'll be surprised and entertained by the work they created.

A View of Where I Came From

"Did you hear about how Liberace tried to kill his mother?  He wanted to go back to where he came from and take his piano with him."

This is one of my Mom's favorite jokes, and truth be told, one of mine.  Not just because it's a good old fashioned corny line, but also because I think it's an excellent example of how we think about where we all have come from.

A vagina.

Why does that word illicit giggles?  Make people uncomfortable?  Generate controversy?