The Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame Inducts Linda Ronstadt

Yesterday was our monthly — well, really every five weekly — trek to the CostCo in Charlotte. It’s a nice drive through the country back roads and Carlos loves to visit CostCo for the snack ladies, but that’s another story for another day.

Back at home I perused the DVR for the weekend highlights. We had a Free HBO weekend, so I loaded up on movies — including, thankfully, and finally, The Normal Heart — and the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame telecast. This year’s inductees included Peter Gabriel, love him, Cat Stevens, like him, Kiss, thank goddess for fast forward, the E Street Band — who apparently were not inducted alongside Bruce Springsteen which makes no sense — Hall and Oates — Oates needs to lay off the surgery — Nirvana — the best part was Courtney Love getting booed— and Linda Ronstadt.

Well, I have been a Ronstadt fan, er, fanatic, since the very first time I heard her sing way, way, waaaay, back in the day. I could listen to her sing Country rock, Rock, Punk ,Pop, Operetta, Latina, Big Band and Blues and she sings them all flawlessly.

Seriously. I’m a fan. As a kid, the family took a motor home trip from California to Texas for a family reunion — yes, I have, had, have, family in Texas — and during a stop at the Grand Canyon, I found a cassette — for you youngsters, go ahead  and Google that — called Linda Ronstadt: a Retrospective. On that cassette she sang everything from “I Fall To Pieces” to “Hobo” to “Faithless Love” to “Rock me On The Water” to “Blue Bayou”.

And, during those long straight stretches of highway when my Dad would let me take the wheel of the motorhome I would pop in that tape and play it back and forth, round and round, again, and again, until Dad took me off driving duty or someone in the family threatened to jump out.

Like I said, fanatic.

So I was ready to hear me some Linda this weekend, but as she was inducted by Glenn Frey, of The Eagles, he told the audience that Linda no longer travels, and a quick Googling this morning revealed it’s because she suffers from Parkinson’s. And because, well, she’s Linda Ronstadt so let’s have her tell why she’s not really all that upset about missing it.

"I haven't given it one thought, I have to say. It wasn't anything I ever thought about. I never thought of myself as a rock' n' roll singer; I sang it, (but) it's just one of the things I sang. I sang a lot of different stuff. I didn't go the last two times I was nominated for a Grammy, either. I don't have anything against it; you just don't do things for those reasons. If you're working for prizes, you're in trouble. There's nothing wrong with it. I don't mind it. It's just not anything I ever gave a thought to." 



Linda never wanted to be a star, though with her voice she couldn’t help herself; she just wanted to sing, and to sing whatever struck her fancy, no matter the genre.

And so she did, and she did them all to perfection.

But I digress — again, fanatic. See, as I waited for her to sing, and then heard she wasn’t even there, I was disappointed. Then, when I heard there would be some women who called Ronstadt an inspiration paying tribute I was intrigued. The first person was, and my heart sank, Carrie Underwood. Luckily, though, there would also be Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris and Sheryl, because, well, Carrie Underwood. 

Here's Stevie, Sheryl,  Bonnie, Emmylou and Carrie.

But, first we heard Carrie. Now, I don’t mind Miss Underwood. I think she’s passable, but a little too slick, not enough heart; glitter and heels and not at all Ronstadt. But, she came out first to sing “Different Drum” and she knocked that sh*t out. Toned down, no glam, no back singers, no pyrotechnics; just a voice.

And it was beautiful — not Ronstadt beautiful — but a beautiful tribute to a great singer.

Random Musings

I giggle at the way Russia tries to play itself off as not anti-LGBT while doing stuff like this:

The Molodoi Dalnevostochnik , a Russian newspaper has been accused of breaking the country's "gay propaganda" law because it published a news story about a teacher who was fired because he was gay.

The state's media watchdog, the Federal Mass Media Inspection Service (FMMIS), sent the editor-in-chief of the paper a notice claiming the item propagated homosexual relations following a report about why geography teacher Alexander Yermoshkin had been fired.

After a complaint, the FMMIS launched an investigation and one of its officials, Galina Yegoshina, pointed to a quote by Yermoshkin — "My very existence is effective proof that homosexuality is normal." — as proof of gay propaganda.

Yegoshina said: "This statement goes against logic. By offering it to underage readers, the author is misleading them about the normality of homosexuality."

So all those little Russian kids can choose to be gay so they can grow up to be teachers and be fired for being gay.

That statement goes against logic.

Carlos and I saw Gravity this weekend. Good, but very short; which I guess was good because it felt so claustrophobic just sitting there watching it — we saw the 3D version — that I was ready for it to end.

And, in case the idea ever comes up, I will not be going into space.

I’m spinning. I can’t breathe. What do I do.

Oy.

A pair of Asshats, of the Usual Variety:

Pat Robertson, “televangelist”,  told a parent who asked him how to talk to her gay son that she needed “to be understanding,” but he also suggested she ask her son if he’d been molested, because that’s how people become gay.

Robertson: “Is there a biological thing going on or has he been influenced, has a coach molested him?”

Then he added, because kids are dumb, “They don’t know what they’re doing, they’re teenagers.”

Say it with me, Pat, you delusional fuck, people are born gay, you can’t make them, turn them, or change them.

Asshat, Part Deux:

Bill O’Reilly, FoxNews douchebag, continues a pattern of transphobic commentary by alleging that bringing a 12-year old boy to Hooters is akin to allowing transgender students to use appropriate locker rooms or restrooms.

O’Reilly thinks kids fake being transgender so they can use bathrooms and locker rooms to spy on the opposite sex.

Again, why, please tell me why, a young person would allege that they are transgender, just so they can watch the opposite sex change clothes and pee, and yet subject themselves to ridicule and shame inflicted upon them by dimwitted talking heads from a  transphobic news channel?

You can’t. So STFU.

Good news.

Former Family Ties star Meredith Baxter is engaged to her longtime girlfriend Nancy Locke.

The wedding date hasn’t been announced, but the invites have already been sent to guests -- so it's definitely happening.

Congrats to the happy couple.

In breaking news, the Olsen Twins, and wannabe Troll Dolls, have announced that they’re quitting acting.

In response, Acting has released a statement saying, “We quit you ten years ago.”

Marissa Alexander , the Florida woman who claimed to be a victim of abuse yet was sentenced to 20 years for allegedly firing a warning shot during a dispute with her husband — see my post HERE — was  granted a new trial after an appellate court erased a decision by a jury that took just 12 minutes to convict her of aggravated assault.

Alexander unsuccessfully tried to invoke Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law as the same prosecutors who unsuccessfully worked to put Zimmerman behind bars told the court that she did not act in self-defense. And even though she’s been granted a new trial, Judge James Daniel appeared unmoved by the Stand Your Ground defense:

"We reject her contention that the trial court erred in declining to grant her immunity from prosecution under Florida's Stand Your Ground law, but we remand for a new trial because the jury instructions on self-defense were erroneous."

Alexander testified that her then-husband, Rico Gray Sr., questioned her fidelity and the paternity of her 1-week-old child. She claimed that he broke through a bathroom door that she had locked and grabbed her by the neck. She tried to push past him but he shoved her into the door. Then she ran to the garage and tried to leave but was unable to open the garage door, so she retrieved a gun, which she legally owned. Inside, she says her husband saw the gun and charged at her saying, "Bitch, I'll kill you." She said she raised the gun and fired a warning shot into the air.

The jury rejected the self-defense claim and Alexander was sentenced under the state's 10-20-life law.

Now, hopefully, she’ll get a new, fair trial.

Fab-u-lous.

American Horror Story: Coven creator Ryan Murphy has announced that Stevie Nicks will appear on the show this season.

One character, played by actress Lilly Rabe, has suggested that Stevie Nicks is a witch, and Rabe plays her character as an homage to the singer.

Stevie on Coven! I’m in.

Becca Gorman, a 15-year-old student in  Massachusetts with two lesbian moms has asked Apple to stop describing ‘gay’ as ‘foolish, stupid’ is its dictionary.

Yes, Apple is playing the ‘That’s so gay’ rule.

Seriously. Gorman wrote to Apple’s CEO Tim Cook — who has never publicly discussed his sexuality but has been included on lists of LGBTI business leaders — and said:

‘I assume that you are a pro-gay company, and would never intend for any one of your products to be as offensive as this definition was. Even with your addition of the word informal, this definition normalizes the terrible derogatory twist that many people put on the word “gay”.’

She heard straight back from someone at Apple who said they were ‘shocked’ themselves and promised to act, though the dictionary has yet to be changed.

But Becca Gorman isn’t stopping: ‘I feel like we're going to have to make a bigger deal about it before they actually act on it.’

Or, we could just start saying, of things that are stupid and foolish, ‘That’s so Apple.’

Taye Diggs and Morris Chestnut are in The Best man Holiday — which, although it sounds like a gay man’s vacation is sadly not — and have been everywhere promoting the film. 

Yummy.

I Ain't One To Gossip, But..............

Oh, Lindsay, first the Mob Daughter says 'No' to you portraying her onscreen, and now Stevie Nicks has given you the middle finger, too.
Glenn Beck loves to shoot his mouth off, mostly without thinking. And he loves to stir the pot, making up stories about people, and where they're born and what religion they practice and such.

For a long time the wacktress has expressed interest in portraying Stevie Nicks in a movie of the songbird's life, but the Fleetwood Mac singer not-so-ALLEGEDLY made it quite clear that that she will not let this happen until Lindsay cleans up her act.
And this is straight from the mouth of La Nicks: "That's never going to happen unless she cleans up her life and becomes the great actress I feel she can be. Everybody thinks I hate her, and it's not that at all. I just want her to get it together. I was completely messed up for a long time and I got it together. She's a very talented girl… If she could get it together, she could have a really big career and she could do great things."
But first she'll have to give up the pills and the booze and the stealing of things that don't belong to her; not to mention the DUIs, the kidnapping, the car theft, the rehab, the jail time.
 Yeah, I don't see this movie happening anytime soon.

Now, Beck has created a feud where there once was none,m with the band My Chemical Romance.

And it all started because of Glee.
Beck apparently got his granny panties in a twist when My Chemical Romance song, 'Sing' was performed on the hit show. He then took it upon himself to warn all parents that their children could be watching damaging material and that "our whole culture ... is set up for you and the values you grew up on to lose."
He begged parents to pay attention to the lyrics: "This is propaganda ... It's an anthem saying 'Join us.' How can you and I possibly win against that?"
A song that asks you to 'Join us' sung on a TV show about a high school glee club and it's the beginning the end.
I'd say, Oh how the mighty have fallen, but then Beck was never mighty, except in his own head.
And the song in question that wants the children of America to join My Chemical Romance? Well, it isn't propaganda, it's actually a re-recording of an old song, released to raise money for the Red Cross' efforts in earthquake-ravaged Japan.
How dangerous.
My Chemical Romance lead singer, Gerard Way, says: "I think the word Glenn Beck was looking for was 'subversion' not 'propaganda,' because I don't know what [the lyrics] would be considered propaganda for? Truth? Sentiment? And I can't tell what he's angrier about, the fact that it's how I feel about the persistent sterilization of our culture, or the fact that it's on network television for everyone to hear."
And then Way makes note of the fact that Beck has misquoted the actual lyrics, replacing the term "webways" with "railways."
Gerard Way: "...Railways? Is it 1863? Seen any children living on these lately instead of the Internet? I'm actually shocked that no actual fact-checking was done on the lyrics. I mean, Fox is a major news channel, covering factual topics in an unbiased and intelligent ... oh wait."
Never mind.
Glenn Beck's TV career ends in the coming months. And not a moment too soon.

What a dick.

Andy Dick, that is.
The comic[?] was arrested at a Temecula, California restaurant the other night for, as police put it, acting disorderly, ALLEGEDLY under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
This comes on the heels of Dick's appearance on Marc Maron's WTF Podcast last week, in which Dick said he was about to embark on a long booze-free period in his life: "There's been times when I haven't drank for three years in a row ... Right now, I know I'm in a very long stretch of complete abstinence and sobriety."
Oops. Never mind.
Dick has also admitted that he's been to rehab eleven times. fingers crossed for Time Number Twelve.

Who will it be?
Who?
Who?

Who will be the last guest on the last episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show.
It has to be someone of superstar status. it has to be someone Oprah admires. it has to be someone whom Oprah finds the most fascinating person in the entire world, and the only person worthy of making TV history by being the Big O's final guest.
Who will it be?
Who?
Who?
Well, sources--and by sources, I mean the team of cake wranglers who keep Oprah in pastries--say the final big-name-greatest-person-ever-in-the-whole-wide-world to be interviewed by Oprah will be..............................................................Oprah.
An insider, who ALLEGEDLY has his lips permanently attached to Winfrey ass, says, "How can one celebrity possibly sum up 25 years of such a groundbreaking show? Who could possibility come on the show and represent everything Oprah has done" from celebrity interviews, to human-interest stories to politics to women's issues to breaking news. She's done it all, my source says, and "only one person could do that and that is Oprah herself."
Well, if Oprah interviews Oprah, they'll need to get two big-assed chairs in the studio, and teams and teams of men to hold up both of those big fat ego-filled heads.

'The Tudors' star Jonathan Rhys Meyers, or as i like to think of him, Britain's Lindsay Lohan, has checked into rehab, again, for alcohol addiction.

In fact, rumor has it that the 33-year-old actor spent 10 days at a London clinic last month.
Ten.Days.
Then he left because he had to go to work. And then stop off at the pub for a pint.
This is ALLEGEDLY Meyers' fourth stint at rehab. It's like he and Lindsay are in a race, though he doesn't seem keen on adding jewel theft and kidnapping to his resume, as Lohan does.
It's been just a year since Rhys Meyers last sought help for his alcohol addiction. That rehab stint came on the heels of his ALLEGEDLY abusing airport staff after they banned him from getting on a flight while intoxicated.
Meyers was also previously arrested in 2007 at the Dublin Airport for being drunk and disturbing the peace, though the charges were later dropped.
He was also detained by police in June 2009 at the Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris after allegedly assaulting an employee at a bar while drunk.
The incident last year, though, was what ALLEGEDLY caused his long-term girlfriend, Reena Hammer, to say, "Check into rehab or I'm dumping you."
I think he must have taken that for, Check yourself into rehab, but then start drinking again once you come out.

Oh, Jesse James.

You married America's Sweetheart, Sandra Bullock. Then you fucked around on her and got caught, and became The Biggest Loser. And you've spent the last couple of years trying to atone for your ways, asking for forgiveness, saying you still love Sandra.
You have a funny way of showing it, pal.
Jesse James recently told Howard Stern that Kat Von D outperforms Sandra Bullock in the bedroom by 100 fold.
Yeah, that'll win her back.
And this comes after his last interview where he says he secretly wanted to get caught schtupping anything and everything, including the tattooed Nazi girl, during his marriage with Bullock: "I think I wanted to get caught. It was me trying to self sabotage my life."Then he cries when talking about the son he and Bullock wanted to adopt; the son Bullock adopted on her own after he cheated. "I could cry so much about [Louis] until I have to suck it up and keep a stiff upper lip and realize, hey, [there are] three kids that I do have ... I've never seen Louis since everything."
And you think you should be able to see him? You cheat on his mommy and then publicly announce that you've found a better lay, and that should entitle you to some sort of relationship with her son?
Oh, honey. No.

If at first you don't succeed, make your first husband your third husband.

Marie Osmond has remarried ex-husband Stephen Craig. They were initially married from 1982 to 1985 and have a son. Osmond then married music producer Brian Blosil in 1986, and then divorced him in 2007. That marriage brought Osmond seven children--two biological and five adopted.
Osmond, who cited severe mental cruelty when she divorced Craig twenty-five years ago--though they have remained friendly--now says, "I am so happy and look forward to sharing my life with Stephen, who is an amazing man as well as a great father to my children."
This news comes a little more than a year after Osmond's 18-year-old son, Michael Blosil, committed suicide. Rumors of Marie and Stephen remarrying began circulating back then, The re-newlyweds chose May 4 to commemorate the birthdays of both her deceased son and late mother. "It was important that both Michael and my mom were with us on this special day," Osmond says.
Nice, I guess.
The Mormons don't want the gays to marry, but I guess Mormons can marry, and divorce, and marry again, and divorce again, and then remarry their first spouse.
They don't want gays to even marry once.