Thursday, January 27, 2011

Is 'American Idol' Too Cruel to Kids?

Is 'American Idol' Too Cruel to Kids?

I find it sadly coincidental that the current "audition" period of American Idol -- during which the show takes as much delight in mocking the foolish as it does in celebrating the sensations -- runs concurrently with "No Name-Calling Week" (Jan. 24-28), an anti-name-calling, anti-teasing, anti-bullying initiative created by GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

In one corner, we have an organization stressing the inarguable importance of interpersonal tolerance, especially among kids. In the other, we have a prime-time celebration of ridicule -- montage after montage of off-beat and deluded young people who think, for whatever reason, that they have singing talent, while adult judges often crack up and mock them.

Simon Cowell elevated such mocking to an art form (and we'll miss him for that). But even when Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler show sympathy (Randy Jackson is consistently -- and gratifyingly -- cold), the program itself is explicitly soliciting your scorn with creative effects that might as well include a cuckoo, plus Ryan's condescending banter. These oddball contestants do not fall into public spotlight by chance -- producers purposefully select them to proceed to the celebrity-judging round.

Is it funny? Sometimes, sure. But is it right? If this were high school, such targeted humiliation would be seen as not just offensive, but destructive. And kids that age and younger make up a large subset, if not the bulk, of Idol's audience and contestants (who, this year, could apply at age 15). What message does it send?

Don't get me wrong -- I've been watching Idol for years now (The Melinda Doolittle and Brooke White singles in my iPod attest to that). But these weeks of auditions make me queasy. One minute, we're sentimentally celebrating ethnic, geographic, economic and experiential diversity. The next minute, we're laughing at a "weirdo." So much for "It Gets Better."

Perhaps I'm overreacting; maybe it's all just good fun. But that's easy for us to say. Like dozens of lucky and charismatic contestants, we too get to "go to Hollywood!" and not stay behind to ponder a world in which our worst self-doubts have just been cruelly affirmed... by our own idols no less.

Does American Idol send the wrong message to kids? Chime in below!

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/american-idol-too-cruel-kids/1-a-315959

Julianne Hough Julie Benz Julie Berry

Terraforming Maui: The Hawaiian Sugar Industry's Technological Revolution [Book Excerpt]

Claus Spreckels, successful sugar refiner and capitalist, had already revolutionized the process of cubing sugar when he set about reorganizing Maui's dry plains into lush tracts of cane. This is how he modernized Hawaiian sugar production and monopolized its distribution. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/_ZtysaZzdnI/terraforming-maui-the-hawaiian-sugar-industrys-technological-revolution

LeAnn Rimes Leeann Tweeden Leelee Sobieski

Grammy Hits And Misses: Ke$ha Shut Out, Bruno Mars Cleans Up

Big Boi and Alicia Keys are also left out, but Florence and the Machine and Ray LaMontagne get some much-deserved love.
By Gil Kaufman


Ke$ha
Photo: Kristian Dowling / PictureGroup

What would the annual Grammy nominations announcement be without the next-day quarterbacking and bellyaching about who got dissed and who got just the right amount of Academy love?

While this year's batch of contenders is mostly devoid of the WTF factor of past nomination seasons, when veteran acts such as Steely Dan, Robert Plant and Herbie Hancock sucked most of the air out of the room, there were still plenty of surprises, omissions and flat-out questionable choices to go around.

The one most people were buzzing about Thursday (December 2) was the blank delivered to Ke$ha, who earned a grand total of zero nominations for her debut, Animal, despite launching several hits and earning a major spot in the pop-culture universe in 2010. The snub was even more noticeable because one of her producers, Dr. Luke, was nominated in the producer category and four of the eight songs that earned him that spot were from Ke$ha's debut.

We spoke to Entertainment Weekly music critic Leah Greenblatt about that oversight and many others in this year's nominations. She said the Ke$ha situation was surprising, especially considering the love that the similarly poptastic Katy Perry got for Teenage Dream, which has sold well but, like Animal, was not critically adored upon release.

"But I think it's really cool to see Florence [and the Machine] get that nomination [for Best New Artist], and I think it's awesome that Esperanza Spalding also got nominated [in that category]," she said of the little-known jazz singer who likely sent many people to Google on Wednesday night.

Greenblatt was also excited that raspy-voiced singer Ray LaMontagne snagged a spot in the Song of the Year category for "Beg Steal or Borrow" and another in the Best Contemporary Folk Album category.

"As fogie-ish as the Grammys are, it seems like this year they went more towards a Teen Choice Awards direction with a noticeably younger group of nominees," she said, wondering if it was a conscious decision to try and make the show hipper or if it's a signal of the changing demographic of Grammy voters. "And I think Bruno Mars deserves all of his nominations," she added about the singer/songwriter/producer who scored seven nods. "He only had one hit, but he really shaped popular music this year with the songs he did for Travie McCoy, B.o.B and Cee Lo. He brought so much musicality to R&B and pop. He's making music and playing instruments and he's insanely melodic. He's not just jacking samples."

As for how Eminem ended up with the most nominations at 10, she chalked it up to the "Sandra Bullock factor," speculating that Grammy voters might have just thought it was Marshall Mathers' time to shine again. "He's not universally liked for his sparkling personality, but it seems like it's his time," she said of the rapper, who had the year's best-selling album with Recovery and stormed back with some of the most melodic, accessible music of his decade-plus career. "It almost seemed like he was deemed safe enough for the Grammys this year ... and the album is so incredibly commercial. It's as safe as Eminem gets."

As for who got left off, Greenblatt said she was surprised at the lack of "American Idol" names on the list, with season-eight winner Kris Allen getting shut out and that season's runner-up, Adam Lambert, only getting a bid for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Whataya Want From Me."

And for a song that was one of the best-selling singles of the year, it was surprising that Train's "Hey, Soul Sister," Grammy bait if there ever was, managed only one nod for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals — for a live version of the tune.

There were other glaring omissions to be sure: no love for rappers Rick Ross and Big Boi, just a pair of nominations for last year's big winners Kings of Leon, a shutout for Lady Gaga's smash "Bad Romance" in the Record and Song of the Year categories (it did show up in Best Female Pop Vocal Performance) as well as for B.o.B and Hayley Williams' mega-hit "Airplanes," which scored only a Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals acknowledgment.

Greenblatt was also disappointed that Alicia Keys' The Element of Freedom got blanked, despite the handfuls of Grammys the singer has taken home in the past. And considering its major impact on the pop-culture landscape, "Glee" only got noticed in the Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media category and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals for "Don't Stop Believin'," which Greenblatt said may have had something to do with the fact that the songs on the show are covers and not original compositions.

In the end, though, she said this year's Grammys were mostly devoid of the giant head-smacking omissions and inclusions of past years and with the strong recognition to a new generation of singers, another potential sign that the show might be inching in a new direction.

Which artists or albums do you think got too much (or not enough love) this year? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Related Videos Related Photos Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1653445/grammy-hits-misses-keha-shut-out-bruno-mars-cleans-up.jhtml

Mía Maestro Michael Michele Michelle Behennah

Britney Spears - Circus

Circus

Source: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=501686&vid=322811

Pink Piper Perabo Poppy Montgomery

Photos | Britney Spears' "3" Video Shoot

Britney Spears' "3" Video Shoot

Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1623889

Jennifer Gareis Jennifer Garner Jennifer Gimenez

AppSumo Supercharge OS X bundle giveaway

Hopefully you read our review of the AppSumo Supercharge OS X bundle over the weekend. Sam has now been playing with the bundle for a few days -- in fact, the only sound emanating from his padded room in the Download Squad bunker is the gentle, rhythmic chanting of sumo, sumo, sumo -- and at the bargain price of $14, he really can't see a reason to not buy the bundle.

Unless, of course, you win our giveaway! We have 10 copies of the excellent AppSumo Supercharge OS X bundle to give away. You can enter the giveaway by simply leaving a comment. Full terms and conditions follow after the break.

Bear in mind, if you really want the bundle, you only have 36 hours left to buy it. You can still enter the giveaway -- and if you win, you can give your license keys to friends and family!

Continue reading AppSumo Supercharge OS X bundle giveaway

AppSumo Supercharge OS X bundle giveaway originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/01/17/appsumo-supercharge-os-x-bundle-giveaway/

Joanna Krupa Joanne Montanez Jodi Lyn OKeefe

How to share files on your Windows network

Homegroups make sharing files and folders easy on Windows 7, but Windows XP and Vista users have to do things a little differently. Fortunately, there are dead-simple ways to share files on both XP and Vista, too.

Microsoft offers a very detailed step-by-step guide for those of you looking for an exhaustive walkthrough, but here's the short version for Windows XP users:
  • click Start > Run, type control folders, and press enter
  • click the View tab, and scroll down to the bottom of the list box
  • place a check next to use simple file sharing and then click OK
  • open My Computer and browse to a folder you want to share
  • right-click the folder and choose sharing and security
  • click the warning text ("If you understand the security risks...") then click Just enable file sharing
  • check Share this folder on the network and give your share a name (it doesn't have to match the folder name)
  • if you want to allow others to edit, delete, and add new files, check the Allow box as well
  • click OK, and you're done!
Any system on your network should now have access to the shared folder on your XP system. Now, let's move on to Vista.

Continue reading How to share files on your Windows network

How to share files on your Windows network originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/01/21/how-to-share-files-on-your-windows-network/

Milla Jovovich Minka Kelly Minki van der Westhuizen