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Feb. 8th, 2016 10:18 pm1. 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.
( cut to spare your ears )
2. Television round-up.
* Downton Abbey --( Spoilers )
* 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.
( vague spoilers )
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.
( cut to spare your ears )
2. Television round-up.
* Downton Abbey --( Spoilers )
* 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.
( vague spoilers )
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.