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Feb. 8th, 2016 10:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. In case you missed it, which I did because...Superbowl? Meh. Also I hate the Broncos, so there's that. Here's Lady Gaga nailing The Star Spangled Banner. The US has the hardest national anthem to sing...on the planet. I'm not sure any country has a more difficult national anthem. (Personally, my favorite is France's...) What makes it so difficult is it has low and really high notes. You have to have the range of an opera singer or the training of one to hit those notes and hold them, without cracking.
Also, Gaga looked like Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games while singing it, but we won't hold that against her. I love her satiric costumes.
For comparison...this is the previous gold standard, Whitney Houston's rendition, which was considered the best rendition of it ever:
And now, the top ten greatest fails...which proves how hard it is to sing this song. I can't sing it.
Nor can Michael Bolton and Christina Aguilera apparently. I honestly think people worry when they get assigned it. It's tough to sing. You'd think they could have a gotten a better one - like America the Beautiful or This Land is Your Land, both of which are a lot easier to sing.
2. Television round-up.
* Downton Abbey -- enjoying it more this season than last. But, is Mary ever going to figure out that Marigold is actually Edith's daughter? And I hope Edith gets happiness. Also, I never thought it would happen, but I actually feel sorry for Mr. Barrows. Now that is good character development and writing, to create a character that you initially despise, only to care deeply about him towards the end and feel for him.
* The Expanse - saw the entire first season. All caught up. Disappointing - didn't quite live up to the hype or the book that proceeded it. I think their mistake was following the earth politician as a point of view character. She's not in the first book and her pov slows the story down and is jarring. They should have stuck with James Holden and Miller. The last four episodes were the best, pacing, acting and writing wise. But admittedly the book began to take off at that point as well. This is odd to say, but the book was more graphic and horrific than the television series.
At one point they were racing away from the diseased inhabitants of the space station...think zombies on a space station. You get infected, one touches or drips on you, you're dead. Plus radiation poisoning.
But I enjoyed it anyhow. I'm a sucker for space opera/hard-sci-fi. And this had a little of both.
* Scandal - finished the last eight episodes of the first half of this season. Scandal feels like a twisted satire of the West Wing. With a similar dialogue rhythm - everyone talks really fast and while they are walking. Also, they have long moralistic monologues - but, here's the thing, they are anti-heroes. These guys could give the characters of House of Cards a run for their money.
The story focuses on Olivia Pope, an anti-heroine, who is Washington DC's fixer. She basically fixes problems for Washington elite before they can erupt into a Scandal. Except her own life has become nothing but Scandal...and the boundaries she crosses to protect herself and her friends..get crazier and crazier.
The show is also an interesting and rather entertaining commentary on our society's racist and sexist politics and views.
The stroke of genius is our heroes are Republicans, but no one here is safe. Rhimes and her team of writers rip into both parties, and independents. Lampooning the political system and the elite, entitled, class, while embroiling us in a crazy, hot-boiled, twisty soap opera.
S2 is still the best season. But it remains fun.
Also it doesn't appear to take itself as seriously as House of Cards, although I admittedly have only watched two episodes of House of Cards, need to try it again at some point.
Also, Gaga looked like Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games while singing it, but we won't hold that against her. I love her satiric costumes.
For comparison...this is the previous gold standard, Whitney Houston's rendition, which was considered the best rendition of it ever:
And now, the top ten greatest fails...which proves how hard it is to sing this song. I can't sing it.
Nor can Michael Bolton and Christina Aguilera apparently. I honestly think people worry when they get assigned it. It's tough to sing. You'd think they could have a gotten a better one - like America the Beautiful or This Land is Your Land, both of which are a lot easier to sing.
2. Television round-up.
* Downton Abbey -- enjoying it more this season than last. But, is Mary ever going to figure out that Marigold is actually Edith's daughter? And I hope Edith gets happiness. Also, I never thought it would happen, but I actually feel sorry for Mr. Barrows. Now that is good character development and writing, to create a character that you initially despise, only to care deeply about him towards the end and feel for him.
* The Expanse - saw the entire first season. All caught up. Disappointing - didn't quite live up to the hype or the book that proceeded it. I think their mistake was following the earth politician as a point of view character. She's not in the first book and her pov slows the story down and is jarring. They should have stuck with James Holden and Miller. The last four episodes were the best, pacing, acting and writing wise. But admittedly the book began to take off at that point as well. This is odd to say, but the book was more graphic and horrific than the television series.
At one point they were racing away from the diseased inhabitants of the space station...think zombies on a space station. You get infected, one touches or drips on you, you're dead. Plus radiation poisoning.
But I enjoyed it anyhow. I'm a sucker for space opera/hard-sci-fi. And this had a little of both.
* Scandal - finished the last eight episodes of the first half of this season. Scandal feels like a twisted satire of the West Wing. With a similar dialogue rhythm - everyone talks really fast and while they are walking. Also, they have long moralistic monologues - but, here's the thing, they are anti-heroes. These guys could give the characters of House of Cards a run for their money.
The story focuses on Olivia Pope, an anti-heroine, who is Washington DC's fixer. She basically fixes problems for Washington elite before they can erupt into a Scandal. Except her own life has become nothing but Scandal...and the boundaries she crosses to protect herself and her friends..get crazier and crazier.
The show is also an interesting and rather entertaining commentary on our society's racist and sexist politics and views.
The stroke of genius is our heroes are Republicans, but no one here is safe. Rhimes and her team of writers rip into both parties, and independents. Lampooning the political system and the elite, entitled, class, while embroiling us in a crazy, hot-boiled, twisty soap opera.
S2 is still the best season. But it remains fun.
Also it doesn't appear to take itself as seriously as House of Cards, although I admittedly have only watched two episodes of House of Cards, need to try it again at some point.
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Date: 2016-02-09 03:40 am (UTC)And people wonder why I don't want to have anything to do with the NFL or Super Bowl. It's not like S'kat is going to make big bucks from sharing that video!
no subject
Date: 2016-02-09 11:01 pm (UTC)Yet another reasons to despise the NFL...(Although American Football is admittedly a sport that has never made a lot of sense to me. ;-))
no subject
Date: 2016-02-09 07:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-02-09 03:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-02-09 11:11 pm (UTC)God Bless America (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Bless_America) - which is sort of similar to God Save the Queen/King. It was written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and then revised in 1938.
Woody Guthrie who took issue with the song, wrote his own take, with This Land is Your Land...sung best by Bruce Springsteen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yuc4BI5NWU).
"This Land Is Your Land" is one of the United States' most famous folk songs. Its lyrics were written by American folk singer Woody Guthrie in 1940 based on an existing melody, in critical response to Irving Berlin's "God Bless America", which Guthrie considered unrealistic and complacent. Tired of hearing Kate Smith sing it on the radio, he wrote a response originally called "God Blessed America".[1] Guthrie varied the lyrics over time, sometimes including more overtly political verses in line with his sympathetic views of communism[2] than appear in recordings or publications.
- via wiki
I think they chose the Star Spangled Banner because it was less controversial.
no subject
Date: 2016-02-09 11:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-02-09 11:48 pm (UTC)(Oh odd, Britain National Anthem has the same tune or very close to Irving Berlin's God Bless America, for a minute when it came on, I thought it was God Bless America. Did Berlin plagiarize?)
no subject
Date: 2016-02-10 02:35 am (UTC)And on the sign it said "No trespassing"
But on the other side
It didn't say nothing
That land was made for you and me
In the shadow of the steeple
I saw my people
By the relief office
I seen my people
As they stood there hungry
I stood there asking
Is this land made for you and me
Nobody living can ever stop me
As I go walking that freedom highway
Nobody living can ever make me turn back
This land was made for you and me
These last three verses are the heart of the song; they're what separates it from the apolitical (or conservative, if you wish) tone of Berlin's classic.
And yet, except for Bruce--who has made it a point to sing every word of Guthrie's original 1940 version--these verses are usually omitted in modern performance. Leaving out those verses moves a hard leftist anthem closer to the middle of the road; the song became ubiquitous, but lost its teeth.
I wonder how Woody felt about that?
no subject
Date: 2016-02-11 03:11 am (UTC)Everything but Star Spangled is controversial. But then art often, not always, is.
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Date: 2016-02-10 07:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-02-11 03:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-02-09 11:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-02-09 11:16 am (UTC)France has the greatest anthem, I agree!
no subject
Date: 2016-02-09 11:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-02-09 11:38 pm (UTC)"Fratelli d'Italia" is about being victorious, yes, but if you consider the historical setting is also about Italian brothers finding themselves finally together and winning against the forces that wanted to keep them apart (Italy became a nation only in 1861, before it was divided for centuries and dominated by foreign forces. Being an Italian patriot was punished with prison or death) So there's that. But also yes, winning and stuff. I guess it's about being European in 1800.
Interestingly enough, "Va' Pensiero" is about losing. And that's why it wasn't picked. Although it's much more beautiful and heartbreaking.
no subject
Date: 2016-02-09 11:46 pm (UTC)Italy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3RToBymttA)
"Italy has awoken with Scopio's helmet binding her head"
And here's Germany:
Germay anthem (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhQwLeMcbRY)
"Germany above everything, everything in the world"
They are also weirdly sexist. LOL!
"German woman, German loyalty, German wine..."
I can't help but think something is lost in translation here?
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Date: 2016-02-09 11:58 pm (UTC)The verse about Scipio ... okay, basically they are referring to the Roman general Scipione (Scipio) who kicked Hannibal's ass back in 202 bc and that was a crucial battle for Rome's rise to the power.
And yes, it's all about the glory of Rome and stuff. Because Rome was caput mundi back then, and all the countries had to bow in front of her. Nice and not pretentious, right? XDDDDD
LOL the Germany's anthem. They do love their women!
no subject
Date: 2016-02-10 02:09 am (UTC)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KWhaqr1v8s
Apparently it means Live and Let Love?
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Date: 2016-02-10 10:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-02-11 03:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-02-10 07:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-02-11 03:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-02-09 03:18 pm (UTC)And the best rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" is, of course, Hendrix' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjzZh6-h9fM). Gaga does a great job, though, but she doesn't exactly make the song sound any easier... :)
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Date: 2016-02-09 11:20 pm (UTC)Other possibilities were America, the Beautiful. The aforementioned God Bless America (which annoyed a lot of people including folk singer Woody Guthrie) and The Land is Your Land (which is actually my favorite).
I think they decided against America, the Beautiful and God Bless America - because it had the name America, and the US isn't the only nation that is technically part of "America". It could piss off our neighbors.
no subject
Date: 2016-02-10 02:10 am (UTC)The US tried to rip off Britain's with God, Bless America.