Live Redemption: Katy Perry

Okay, so I know most people don't like KP and I admit, a lot of her songs - especially on her new CD - sound like robotvoice.  I think it's a shame, though, because she really has a nice/unique voice and is a talented songwriter.  She's just an easy target when pointing fingers at "all those girls who can't really sing" because she's hot and doesn't hide it.  While I can't wait for her to turn down the showgirl image a little and be more serious, I still think she has some of the most original pop songs out on the radio today.

For this Live Redemption, I want to contrast her aweful Saturday Night Live performance with what she actually can do.  And on the same note, why does everybody sound so gross on SNL?

The Unfortunate:



The Less Unfortunate:



The Better:

The Outsiders

Did you have to read The Outsiders in school?  I remember reading it in 7th grade at Elgin Middle School.  S. E. Hinton wrote it when she was only 16.  We were in Oklahoma, she was from Oklahoma, and the novel was set in Oklahoma, so I guess it just fit.  It was also one of the reasons I loved school. 

I didn't really care for most of the other people at school, but still liked being in class.  I remember coming to last period English on a hot day like almost every day.  The shades were drawn half way and the room was cool.  Miss Kerr started reading to us.  The whole class was silent, following along in our books until the bell rang.  It's nice to be drawn into a story like that and silently share it with so many people around you.

On a side note, have you read The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac?  I've never read any of his books, even though they had an exhibit about Kerouac at the Orange County History Center while I volunteered there.  (He wrote it in Orlando.) 

Network TV Fall Shows

I can't wait for the new Fall shows to start.  After my wild Saturday night of watching five hours straight of Hoarders: Buried Alive with my mom, it's a good thing something new is on.  The shows I'm most excited about:

- Modern Family this Wednesday at 9:00pm on ABC
- I'll admit: I'll be watching Cougar Town this Wednesday right after Modern Family
- Running Wilde this Tuesday at 9:30pm on Fox

And of course the Thursday NBC block with:
- Community at 8:00pm
- 30 Rock at 8:30pm
- The Office at 9:00pm
- I'll probably watch Outsourced, but I heard it isn't very good.  Based on the previews, I can see why.

I'll also check in on The Simpsons this Sunday at 8:00pm on Fox.

The only new show that I'm really looking forward to is Running Wilde -- mainly because it stars Will Arnett and will have guest appearances by David Cross.  That should make for a pretty good Gob/Tobias-inspired reunion.  Also, I like Keri Russell from Waitress a few years back.

I think the highlight of this season will be the completely live episode of 30 Rock airing October 14th.  They'll be doing two shows, one for East and one for West Coast.  I hope there's a way to see them both.

Too bad Parks and Recreation won't come back until next Spring...

VMAs 2010

Thank goodness for the ability to record TV shows.  After skipping the commercials and performances I didn't want to see, I think I spent about an hour watching what would've been a three hour show.  Especially because it wasn't very good.

It's kind of sad that the musical talent at the Emmys (Jimmy Fallon and a number by Jewel) was better than most of what we saw at the MTV Video Musica Awards.  Most people at the VMAs started singing live and then switched immediately to background recordings.  I realize you need that when you're dancing around (like Usher), but when your background recording screams AutoTune and your dancing takes you back to the '90s, it's a little depressing.  I was even disappointed by "good" singers like Taylor Swift, who usually sounds okay live but this time was so quiet I couldn't hear her. 

The one act I was impressed by, though, was the seamless four-song combo by Bruno Mars, B.o.b., Hayley Williams, and Parramore.  I don't even like any of their songs especially, but the way they melted into one sequence over the different genres impressed me.  Oh, and what?  People singing without background vocals or a huge band and even singing AND playing an instrument?  Uh-oh. 



I thought Mary J. Blige sounded great as always even though only being the "featuring" part of the song she was in; Florence and the Machine was also great.  Eminem did a duet about abuse that I only listen to because of the female part... wait, didn't he already do that in like '99?  Lady Gaga was her usual annoying self, but could've at least performed.  Also missed Katy Perry and Beyonce.  Overall, the show was pretty bad, but I was mainly watching it for Chelsea Handler anyway.

Downloading Torrents

Torrents are a quick and easy way to download nearly anything, including music, software, and books.  The first thing you need is a program.  Some of the most common ones are µTorrent, BitTorrent, and BitLord, and are usually supported by Windows, Mac, etc. 

After you've installed the program, just search for whatever you want and include "torrent" (e.g. [album name] torrent).  You can also try sites like The Pirate Bay to avoid browsing unknown sites that might be hazardous to your computer.  Just save the file to your desktop, drag and drop it into your torrent program, and delete the torrent from your desktop.  However, BitLord is my favorite program because it includes an integrated search.

Whatever you do, never pay for a torrent!

Depending on your torrent program and operating system, your finished file will appear somewhere either My Documents > Downloads or My Computer > C: > Program Files > [Program Name, e.g. BitLord] > Downloads. 

NOTE: Be aware that torrent audio files probably won't work with the newest version of iTunes (9.2).