The addicting nature of BRAVO

I have classes five days a week, I work almost every weekend at Northfork Theatre, I volunteer with a bowling league and Girl Scouts, I have very little time to watch television. Besides the time factor, none of my favorites are on anymore. No more Xena: Warrior Princess, no more Buffy the Vampire Slayer, ER lost my interest (I lost it when they killed off the firefighter lesbian Sandy Lopez), and I try to watch All My Children but now Bianca is leaving yet again (and made Maggie into the cheating ex girlfriend). South of Nowhere and the L Word both have very short seasons. What’s left to watch?

I’m going to admit, I’m a huge Bravo watcher. When I get home from work or somewhere else, there’s bound to be some reality show on Bravo. It really started with my brother Chris as he watched Project Runway. It was Heidi Klum that cemented the affair between me and Project Runway. Then there was Top Chef which always made me hungry and willing to try new foods. I even watched Top Design. I have no clue about interior design but danm, I was impressed with what these people could come up with. It’s 10 AM on a Thrusday and Shear Genius is on, and I’m watching it. It’s about a group of hair stylist fighting for the title of “Shear Genius” and today they are trying to take black hair and turning it into a “level 8 blond.” Yeah, I’m sitting here and asking myself “There are levels of hair color?” but it’s so damn addicting to watch.

My all time favorite Bravo reality show is Work Out. I sit and stare at the television as gym drama unfolds on my television screen. I watched the first season as Jackie Warner, the woman who made her dream gym into a reality, fight it out with annoying clients, stubborn personal trainers, and of course…her feisty, biting girlfriend Mimi. So one reason why I watched Work Out is that it makes me feel better about my own life. I’m not kidding. Jackie’s relationships with her staff, her girlfriend, even her mother was full of drama. The new season (the second season) has not slowed down since the last. Jackie has now broken up with Mimi and is now “casually dating” two women-an old flame, and one of the trainers on her staff, Rebecca.

It gets me by when I feel the need to watch something on television. Bravo is addicting and I’m not afraid to admit it. Sure I’m sitting and waiting to find out who got shot on the season finale of South of Nowhere and wondering what will happen to the women of the L Word next January. Will Ashley and Spencer stay together or has Aiden destroyed the beloved “Spashley” coupling? On the L Word, will Dana continue visiting Alice as a ghost? Will Shane get a new haircut? Will Bette and Tina get back together for the 50th time? Only time will tell. However in the meantime…Heidi Klum and Jackie Warner will take care of my television needs.

Inspiration doesn't mean you copy word from word...

Can plagiarism happen unintentionally? Sure it can just like other things in life. Can it happen on purpose? Of course. I don’t think Viswanathan example was unintentionally. There were just too many similar phrases to argue it was unintentional. However, it is almost close to impossible to come up with an original idea in this day and age. Look at books, movies, television, even music. In jazz music, musicians are encouraged to copy “licks” from jazz greats like Charlie Parker. How many times can we go see a movie about boy meets girl, girl leaves boy, boy goes off to win girl back? Or in my movie taste how many times must I see: girl meets girl, girl leaves girl for boy, girl goes crazy after seeing her love of her life with a boy and decides to seek revenge and ends up dying in the end? It’s hard to keep ourselves from plagiarism because in the end, everything is similar.

But we can keep ourselves in the clear. There’s ways of citing or giving credit to those who inspire us. There are also ways of being caught if you stole someone’s words or work without credit. Any teacher can go online and type in a phrase and find out if it was someone else’s words. If that doesn’t push you to use your own words, then I don’t know what to say.

It’s easy to paraphrase and copy quotes while citing. But is it rewarding? Writing or playing an instrument is about your creative opinion. There are so many writers, musicians, and actors among many other creative occupations that inspire us on a daily bases. If we copy or plagiarize them, then we’ll be stuck in a world of ungrateful followers and sameness. How can we make sure we don’t get sucked into the vortex of plagiarism? Take the idea and write about what you think. Miles Davis did not make it where he was today by strictly playing Dizzy Gillespie or Charlie Parker licks. Sure, they were the stepping stone, but he created his own sound by himself. He heard what he liked, and interpreted it in his own way. I think that’s what we need to do. Just take someone’s words, think about them, feel them, and allow our own creativity flow from that inspiration.

Are tattoos still taboo today? According to the American Heritage Dictionary taboo is a noun that means a ban attached to something by social customs. Tattoos for centuries were taboo in several cultures as a social aspect of our lives. In early cultures tattoos represented some sort of religious denotation. Sometimes it showed rank within a tribe. In New Zealand, tattoos were often given to people as a sign of adulthood. The early method tattooing was taking a bone of an animal and sharpening it to a point. A series of ink would be produced from plants around the area and the person being tattooed would endure an intense painful tattooing session. The tattoo artist would take the needle and pound it with a hammer into the body part, normally the face. To cry or make noise during this session would be a sin and would denounce you as an adult. The Japanese also used a series of needles and some sort of hammering to tattoo warriors. Dragons were used for protection. There are several icons that were used for power and protection in every culture.

Today the mystical process of getting a tattoo is rarely there. People go and do it for fun. Some choose signs and symbols of their heritage and get it tattooed as some kind of ethical meaning. Some get memorial tattoos in honor of fallen family members or friends, especially in the military. Some get tattoos of their significant other’s names and then have to get it removed or reworked because they break up later. Tattoos in America at first were only on the bad boys of America. Prison inmates, military personnel, bikers. It showed strength and attitude. It’s just a fashion statement today. People get pierced and tattooed to decorate their bodies while we still have access to our bodies.

In my family, the women on my mom’s side are tattooed. I have 3 aunts on my mom side. One aunt has about 12, the other has 5, and the last has 2. My mom has about 6 or 7. My grandma started at the age of 73 and she has 5. She is now 75. I have 2 tattoos. I always wanted a tattoo since I could remember because my aunts had them. I was always fascinated by the process and the colors. My first tattoo was a gift for my 18th birthday last year. We go to a little tattoo parlor where the woman has tattooed my aunts, my mom, and grandmother. I was the third generation in the seat. My first tattoo was the one on my left shoulder blade of a dragon. I am completely crazy about dragons. I always drew them as a kid and then I saw the last episode of Xena: Warrior Princess. Gabrielle got this huge dragon tattoo on her back and I was convinced. My first tattoo would be a dragon and it will be on my back. Well, not my whole back…but it will be on my shoulder. And there it is, on my shoulder. My second tattoo is a Celtic spiral. The women in my family have several Celtic tattoos-spirals, triangles, claddagh, knots, crosses, you name it…it’s probably on one of them. My mom and I got the same tattoo on the same part of our left arm. I read it was given to students of the Druid faith upon completion of 7 years of study. It meant they could practice and lead ceremonies. I thought well, it would be awesome since I’m going to college and I somehow graduated Catholic High School. My girlfriend went with me, and I never seen her that pale before.

I’m not going to lie, it hurts to a point. There’s blood, there’s oozing, there’s nastiness. You have to wear a bandage for 2 hours following the tattooing. You take it off (which sometimes hurts more than the tattooing itself), and then you have to put cream on it so it stays moist and pretty. Oh, and it scabs just like a normal cut. In fact you have to wash it often to remove the build up. That can get pretty nasty. It hurts a few nights especially on your arm if you sleep on your side. It feels funny on your skin because its technically an abrasion on the skin. And it gets red. But it means something to me than just a fashion statement. I find that you probably meet 9 out of 10 people who have tattoos. I don’t think it’s a taboo anymore. It’s just another social custom that everyone wants to be a part of.

I’m working on getting a few more this year. I’m getting my Girl Scout pin tattooed to my chest where it would be placed on clothing. I’m also thinking of getting a trumpet tattoo somewhere and another dragon on my other shoulder. This one will be wrapped around a Celtic Cross. I often joke about getting a portrait of Joan of Arc in the middle of my back and my girlfriend just rolls her eyes at me. I would love to have that but I don’t want to get too crazy. However, once you go under the needle, you are really hooked and you can’t wait to go back and get more. It’s my body and I want the signs and pictures on me to mean something. It’s part of who I am…

Birdland

April is Jazz History Month and I’m quite excited by this. I have several jazz idols-Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Count Basie, Bud Powell, Louis Armstrong, among many others. But every jazz fan just needs to say two words-Charlie Parker.

Charlie Parker pretty much changed the jazz music of Louis Armstrong. Parker was often known as Bird because of his high flying solos and love for chicken. Bird invented what is often called “Bebop Jazz” which is the fast paced, ever changing chord progression type of jazz. Bird had this sense of harmony that was beyond any other jazz musician at the time. He would hear “phantom notes” in his head and it would be the underlying harmony of the lead line of the piece.

Bird was as a heroin addict and alcoholic…which plagued many jazz musicians at the time. Besides that aspect of his life…he was an amazing alto sax player. You know what’s funny about jazz music. It was invented in America, but we bashed it so much that jazz musicians had to go overseas to be accepted as musicians. Americans were into popular music and really turned their head from their own blood and sweat.

Bird was heavily accepted in Europe and often experimented with music. In fact when he was learning jazz he would play each song in all 12 keys. I’ve tried this and its extremely hard but it helps develop a sense of improvisation during tough chords. It also really expands your musical ear and knowledge and makes you feel secure when you’re up on the bandstand getting ready to rip out a solo.

I’ve found this online…a little tune called “Hot House” with Bird on sax and the great Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet. Jazz is a great form of music and if you’re looking for something new and exciting check out the numerous forms of jazz.

THE WNBA DRAFT

So the WNBA draft that I was talking about in the last entry was full of surprises. It was the first WNBA Draft where both the number 1 and number 2 draft pick were TRADED minutes after being drafted. But why does this affect me and New York? Because we ended up being on the other side of the trade for the number 2 draft pick, Jessica Davenport from Ohio State. You must thinking then why am I so upset about this? Well we just traded our 2008 second round Draft pick and BECKY HAMMON for her. We traded away our 8 year veteran, lead scorer, crowd drawer for a rookie. It was horrible. Becky will now play for San Antonio. San Antonio got so lucky this off season because they earned several veteran players from trades like this one. I’m really feeling San Antonio this year which will be quite awesome since they used to be one of the worst teams.

What happens now? I keep going to the games and the Liberty will have to find that chemistry again. The only nice thing is most of them are new or have at least 2 years experience so this team can bond quickly and play nice together. If we lose big time, we’ll end up with the number one draft pick next year. With that number one draft pick we’ll end up with Candace Parker from the University of Tennessee who was a knock out in the NCAA championship this year.

With all this talk I forgot to tell you that Parker had until 10 AM yesterday morning to say she was going into the Draft. She obviously didn’t enter the draft which is good for her. Originally the WNBA wanted only graduating seniors to enter the Draft. The NBA drafts them right out of High School and slams millions of dollars on them. The WNBA believes in a full education. Now the number one draft pick will be earning 42,000 dollars a year. The veterans earn 93,000 dollars a year. It’s grossly unfair that men make obscene amounts of money over the women. And the women play just as hard, maybe even harder than the men. I absolutely despise watching the NBA because I feel like it has become a dunking show and a one on one type of game. The WNBA fully establishes the fundamentals of the game and when they work as a team, wow…watch out. It’s good clean basketball which I enjoy. Sure, Lisa Leslie can stun us with her one handed dunk in the All Star game, but that’s what the All Star game is for. Flashy plays and a fun filled atmosphere. I’m not saying dunking is bad, I just like the fact that we don’t rely on it as much as the NBA. But watch in the upcoming years, and the dunking in the WNBA will increase because these young women entering the Draft have been exposed to both the NBA and WNBA throughout their entire playing career.

L-I-B-E-R-T-Y NEW YORK LIBERTY

So I’m a week early by posting this. The WNBA Draft is next Wednesday. I’m so excited about this. I know many people still don’t know the best kept secret about the summer: The WNBA. The Women’s National Basketball Association has been up and running for the past 10 years now. It hosts some of the greatest basketball talent there is today. Diana Taurasi, Lauren Jackson, Sue Bird, Tina Thompson, Sheryl Swoopes, Becky Hammon…among many other women are all the “All Stars” in the league. As of today there are 13 teams in the league. In the West we have the LA Sparks, Houston Comets, Seattle Storm, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs, San Antonio Silver Stars, and Minnesota Lynx. In the East we have the New York Liberty, Detroit Shock, Connecticut Sun, Chicago Sky, Washington Mystics, and the Indiana Fever.

I am a die hard fan of the New York Liberty. I have been a season ticket holder since 2001. I’ve been going to the games since 1999. 1999 in my opinions as well as several of the WNBA fans will tell you, was the best year ever. It was the year when the ABL which was a coexisting league folded. The 1999 Draft included the young college graduates and the ABL stars. Man, it was loaded with star power. The playoffs were even better. It came down to Houston against New York and Houston was up by 2 points in the last 2.4 seconds of Game 2. At the time, it was a best out of 3 contest, so you can just imagine my little 8 year old body on the floor in despair of watching my team lose the playoffs for the 3rd time. In those 2.4 seconds, our point guard Teresa Weatherspoon put up this half court jumper…which went in, forcing a game 3. And several annoyed neighbors from me and my mom screaming. We eventually lost the third game, but hey…I wish I could’ve been there.

Why is the WNBA the best secret of the summer? Anyone who lives in New York just has to take the train into Penn Station and walk on upstairs to Madison Square Garden. Tickets are as low as 10 bucks in the 300s, 20 bucks in the 200s. What would be 80 dollar seats for the Knicks is where I’m sitting for 20 bucks. Grab some popcorn and soda and you are set for the night. But you have someone who doesn’t like basketball? There is a load of entertainment. The music featured at the Garden is the same hits circulating the radio rounds during the summer. We have been voted the best arena for music. There are a lot of activities on the court, and it’s a good time to release your frustrations out without penalty. You can scream as loud as you want and no will look at you oddly, unless you are my mother. My mom can yell so loud that when we went to the Sun arena for the All Star game, she could be heard on the television. And we were in the last row!

It’s good clean fun. Its fundamental basketball that is quick and smooth. There aren’t any egos on the court, they aren’t making outrageous sums of money like the NBA players, and there aren’t sex scandals or any type of scandals going on. It’s good entertainment. The players are so nice. I’ve ran into several of the players after the game, and they do not leave until the last autograph is signed. They appreciate the fans.

I also like going to the games because I formed a family with my section. I’m the youngest in the section, most of the women are older. There are two girls in my section who are 5 years older than me, and we’ve bonded over the course of the years. I originally used to sit in the 300s but last year we relocated for the same price into the section below us, where we already established relationship ties. Sure I get picked on because I’m the runt of the group but I get relationship advice, I get life advice, I even get college advice from these women!

But this league is the best kept secret. We’re even due for two new teams in 2008. There used to be a winter league called the NWBL (National Women’s Basketball League) where many college and WNBA stars would play in the offseason. They unfortunately folded, but Colorado is looking to put a bid in next year. They are about 4 million dollars away from getting that bid. Atlanta is also in the process of getting a bid. Every year there is new talent, a new rule, or a change. It’s still young, and its not going anywhere for a long time, so stop on by and support your local WNBA team.

The sad but true American Dream

Viewing the Dove commercial and the satire of the Dove commercial, life’s view on beauty is varied. Both videos show some amount of distortion to the human body. The Dove commercial shows the need in America to be “beautiful.” The satire shows an unrealistic account of “ugly”. The guy went through a series of changes to become “ugly.” The girl has to go through a series of changes to become “perfect.”

Both videos show the extremeness of American society view on what is beautiful and what is ugly. I don’t believe it can get to that extreme but as Americans we give into harmful ways of life that can distort our human bodies. Going in either direction, it’s severe distortion. America today is built on an unreal perception of beauty and ugliness. The perfect hair, the perfect lips, the perfect body. No one will ever have that “perfect” body. Why? Because the American lifestyle is loaded with drugs, fast food, alcohol.

Both are sadly the reality of today’s society. In America we are pushing for a “healthier lifestyle.” Everything that happened to that guy in the video happens. The effects of over drinking, the effects of drugs, the effects of chemically altered food, it’s what makes America go round. The money invested in the above will make sure that America never sees to a “healthier lifestyle.” The Dove video shows perfection. Not reality. People undergo dangerous operations for beauty. Either way, it’s harmful to the body. Natural beauty can be perceived as natural ugliness and the other way around. America has become obsessed with unrealistic goals, high expectations. Its not wonder why there is such low esteem in the American society today.