Sun City - By Little Steven and Artists Against Aparthied

Long before the Dixie Chicks, Freedom Fries and Sammy-Joe the Not a Country Singer, there were artists who were willing to stand up for Freedom, Human Rights and Justice. A now with all the accusations of "Socialism", protestations about "Freedom" and mealy mouthed excuses for Torture - it's past time we remembered who it is were supposed to be and what "Freedom" really means.

Yeah, there was a time people had more important things to protest than Lipton and Snapple!

"Sun City" by Little Steven and Artists Against Apartheid.


Vyan

Wannabe? Music Video

Wannabe? Music Video.

Lyrics

Music by Darryl Zuber & Ron Meyer, Arrangement & Lyrics by Vyan, All Instruments, Vocals and Video Editing by Vyan © Copyright 2008-2009

Do you Waste (Waste)
All the time that you have
Do you Take (Take)
Everything you can get
Do you Fake (Fake)
Every feeling you show
Do you Hate (Hate)
Everyone that you know

(Chorus 1)
I can't change you
Unless you change yourself
I can't make you
Into someone you don't wannabe?
Who do you Wannabe?

Will you Fight (Fight)
For what you believe in?
Do you Share (Share)
Everything you don't need?
Do you Make (Make)
All the luck that you get?
Do you Love (Love)
Even those that don't love you?

(Chorus 2)
I can't change you
Unless you change yourself
I can't make you into
Something Your Not
I can't love you
Unless you love yourself
I can't make you into
Someone you don't Wannabe?
Who do you Wannabe?

Do ya wanna?

(Break)

(Repeat Chorus 2)
Nothin' but a Wannabe?

Visit vyan.chyweb.net for Downloads, Ringtones, Widgets and more.

For those who are curious about all the photos in the video:

• Artist Rendition of Statue of Liberty in the "Vietnam" Stress Position (Hooded with false electrial wires dangling to make subject believe that if they don't remain upright, they'll be electrically shocked)
• Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• Osama Bin Laden
• Damage taken by the U.S.S. Cole in 2000 when Bombed by Al Qaeda
• List of Casualties of the Cole Bombing
• Richard Clarke former head of Counter Security with the National Security Council who warned desperately that Al Qeada would attack again.
• Condoleeza Rice National Security Director/SecState who ignored and demoted Clarke
• Tower 2 WTC Being Hit by the Second Hijacked Plane
• NY Firefighter collapsing in exhaustion
• NY Policeman in grief at memorial to victims
• Pat Tillman former Carolina Panther who joined Special Forces to Fight Al Qeada. KIA in Afghanistan by "Friendly Fire"
• More U.S. Troops ready for the fight.
• John Yoo author of the "Torture Memos"
• David Addington, Counsel and COS for VP Dick Cheney, alleged architect of the "Unitary Executive" Doctrine
• Judge Jay Bybee, who signed off on various Yoo Torture Memos
• Waterboarding Demonstration
• Waterboarding Reality in Vietnam (U.S. Soldier on Left was Prosecuted)
• Abu Zubaydah (Sources for info on Jose Padilla & Khallid Shiek Mohammad *before* undergoing torture, suffers from Multiple Personalities)
• Khallid Sheik Mohammad ("Mastermind" of 9-11, Waterboarded 183 Times in one month)
• Abu Ghraib (Dogs being used to terrorize naked detainee)
• Abu Ghraib (Photo taken with deceased detainee)
• Abu Ghraib (The Naked Pyramid)
• "Real Torture" wounds of person held by Al Qeada
• Former SecState Colin Powell
• Former Vice President Richard Cheney
• Former SecDef Donald Rumsfeld
• "Baghdad Bob"
• Saddam Hussein (During his Trial)
• Shock and Awe 1
• Shock and Awe 2
• Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
• Maher Arar (Innocent Canadian citizen detained in NYC, then extraodinarily "rendered" to Syria where he was torture for two years)
• Jack Bauer (Fictional Torture Hero!)
• George W. Bush (Fictional Navy Fighter Pilot)
• Donald Rumfeld greets Saddam Hussein
• Saddam Hussein after his capture
• Saddam Hussein at his Execution
• George W. Bush (Mission Accomplished)
• Mohamar Quaddafi (Former Vicious Dictator of Libya- Now Trusted Ally of Libya)
• Mahatma Ghandi
• Bishop Desmond Tutu
• Lewis I. "Scooter" Libby, Former Chief of Staff for VP Cheney
• Valerie Plame-Wilson, Former Covert CIA Operative (until Libby blabbed to Judith Miller) and husband Ambassador Joseph Wilson
• Natalee Holloway (Blonde Victim)
• Meghan McCain
• Katrina Vanden Heuveal (Editor of The Nation Magazine)
• Alexander Rodriguez (NY Yankees)
• Barry Bonds (Ex-SF Giants)
• Ron Artest and Others (Malice at the Palace 2004)
• Michael Vick (Former Quaterback Atlanta Falcons - Convicted Dog Fighter)
• Artists Rendition Vick : Vengence is for the Dogs
• Pacers/Pistons Brawl 2004
• Steve Nash (South Africa Ex-pat, Canadian, Pheonix Suns 2 Time MVP, Activist, Philanthropist)
• Current TV Reporters Laura Ling and Euna Lee: Held by North Korea Gov for Espionage
• Jeremy Scahill (Reporter for The Nation, Author of "Blackwater")
• Bill O'Reilly (Blowup over the Teleprompter)
• Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay (Mug Shot)
• KFed
• Britney Spears w/Baby Bump (Little did we all know....)
• Paris Hilton (Mug Shot)
• Carrie Prejean, Miss California 2009 (Bigot/Biblical Truth-Sayer)
• Cesar Chavez (Activist)
• Capt. Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenburger (Hero Pilot)
• Roberto Clemente (Hall of Fame 3rd Baseman for the Pittsburg Pirates, Activist, Hero, Martyr)
• Bernard Goldberg (Fox News Analyst, Hate-Monger)
• Lisa Nowak (Diaper wearing Stalker/Astronaut)
• Fred Barnes (Editor The Weekly Standard, Fox News Analyst, Asshat)
• Sean Hannity (Fox News Fucktard)
• Pvt. Jessica Lynch (After the "Rescue")
• Jessica Lynch (Cover Shot)
• Pvt. Shoshana Johnson (One of the *other* not blonde "Rescuees")
• The Late Anna Nicole Smith (aka "Vickie Lynn Marshall")
• Senator John McCain (And the "Little Woman")
• Keith Olbermann (MSNBC)
• Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)
• Stephan Colbert (Comedy Central)
• Kim Kardashian and her enormous Ass (E!)
• Charles Krauthhammer (Fox News Fascist)
• Michelle Malkin (!!!!!!!)
• Teresa Schiavo (Alive)
• Terasa Schiavo (Brain Dead)
• Hurrican Katrina
• And then the Levee Breaks
• George Bush Parties w/Country Band
• New Orleans Flooded ("Looters")
• New Orleans Finest ("Flooded")
• NOPD Meet a "Looter"
• NOLA Residents "Liberate" some Food
• Blackwater USA (On the Streets of NOLA)
• George W. Bush at John McCain's Birthday Party in Arizona
• U.S. Coast Guard Rescue
• Coast Guard over NOLA
• Sean Penn during Katrina
• Superdome
• Above the Superdome
• In front of the Superdome
• Michael "Heckavajob" Brownie w/Bush and Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff
• FEMA Trailers (Formaldehyde Ready!)
• Valerie Plame-Wilson Testimony
• Monica Goodling Testimony
• Miley Cyrus
• Lindsey Lohan (Will Testify!)
• Jennifer Willbanks (The Runaway Bride with X-Ray Eyes)
• Gary Busey (Mug Shot)
• Mel Gibson (Anti-Semetic Rant Mug Shot)
• Bill and Hillary (College Lovers)
• Ashley Todd (Backwards "B" Girl)
• Bill O'Reilly (Older, not Wiser - Still Angry)
• Governor Sarah Palin
• John Lennon (Musician, Activist, Shit-Stirrer, Peace-Monger, Martyr)
• Naomi Klein (Author of "The End of America")
• The March on Selma
• Barack Obama welcomed in Germany
• Barack Obama accepts Presidency
• Capital Mall at Inaguration
• The Obama's and the Biden's.
• Tiger Woods
• Rush Limbaugh
• Captain Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama (Pirate Hostage, Hero, Survivor)
• Rachel Maddow (MSNBC/Air America)
• Former Covert CIA Agent Bob Baer
• Artist Rendition Black Site Sleep Deprivation
• Steven Biko (South African, Hero, Martyr)
• Nelson Mandela (Political Prisoner, President, Survivor)
• Rev. Jeremiah Wright
• Rev. Jerry Fallwel
• Rev. Pat Roberts
• Former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias (Now head Prosecutor at GTMO)
• John Fitzgerald Kennedy, President
• Sir Bob Geldof in Africa
• Mother Teresa
• Iraqi Citizens (The "other" Shock and Awe)
• U.S. Troops Under Fire
• U.S. Troops in Prayer
• Sgt Grainer and the "Dog Pile"
• Wounded Detainee at Abu Ghraib
• Iraqi Child with Burns
• NOLA Citizen with Flag

Vyan

The Black Rock Cafe - Amalgam 1991

Here's a video I just uploaded from a documentary featuring an old band of mind called "Amalgam". I used to use my first name back then - which is "Frank" - but now I use my middle-name "Vyan". Times change, but they also stay the same. Black Rock Cafe - Amalgam 1991

Check out the interview as well as the songs (which did have vocals - but aren't shown). The entire 1-Hour Black Rock Cafe documentary is now available on YouTube at this link. My favorite section is Part 12 with Blakasaurus Mex, who totally ROCK THE HOUSE!!

IMO Some of the best BRC bands at the time aren't in this documentary, although you can hear the band Total Eclipse, which featured former members of the Busboys and Sound Barrier as well as Sammy Hagar's Wabaritas, playing in the background during Part 11 with their song "Hey, You Check Me Out!" Various members of Fishbone and the Chili Peppers attended BRC Meetings. The group "Hello Children" who are mentioned in the film are on Myspace right Here. Members of Civil Rite (now known as Freakjuice) who are also mentioned in the film eventually joined Terrence Trent Darby, Body Count, Michael Franti's Spearhead, Dionne Farris from Arrested Development, Cree Summer as well as Morris Day and the Time. Tom Morello (from Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave) was a BRC member with his old band Lock Up, although back then he was kinda quiet and shy. I didn't even realize he had been there until meeting him years later and he recognized *ME* from the BRC at a Dio concert. Weird. Another great group from back then was Planet Z, not to be confused with my own later group - Planet X/Sacto. (Which was a complete accident that I always thought was hilarious!)

Modern groups such as Sevendust are linked to the BRC through Lajon Witherspoon who used to be in a Living Colour cover band. Not to mention King's X, Stevie Salas and his partner for the group Nicklebag Bernard Fowler, David Ryan Harris' Band Follow For Now, England's Skunk Anansie and Ra. Brand new groups such as Blaxmyth, Headrush and this great new band I just discovered called Asphalt Messiah - and naturally myself - are still breaking down barriers and preconceptions - even our own - today. The documentary is great, but it was just the tip of the iceberg.

Vyan

Master P Testifies before Congress

Master P who is a major artist and entrepranaur in Hip Hop spoke out and said that he wanted to take some responsibility having made a great deal of money on so-called Gangsta. He argues that Hip Hop is a $4 billion business, and that many of the artists are being used as puppets.

I have to admit I was in it for the money. I had no person in my life to pat me on the back and tell me I could do something different with my life. I had the music playing in the car with my kids and I had to turn it town.

He does suggest that Hip Hop should be changed into a system like the NBA, which doesn't have free speech, that when people put forth the "wrong message" they can be fined and punished by the industry. I think that's an amazingly dangerous idea because one of those "wrong" ideas could be what the Dixie Chicks said about President Bush, or Pink's song "Dear Mr. President."

I do agree that many artists are in unique position to have the attention of the youth and that from that position they have the ability to affect positive change, but the problem is that when you try and make these kinds of statements it's common that this isn't what the "kids" really want to hear. Tupac struggled with the problem have being controversial and "hip" in order to make money and keep people attention and also make some statements with some clarity depth and meaning. Ultimately he lost his ilfe, possibly because of his becoming so enmeshed in his vaunted "Thug Life."

The solution to this isn't easy, it's something that goes back at least 50 years if not 500 years - but there is a solution.

Vyan

Blaxmyth - Set the Bomb Off

This video was produced as part of the Bodog Music Battle of the Bands, this one being the winner for the South Central Ghetto Metal Band Blaxmyth which guaranteed their becoming one of the final four bands in the competition. Ultimately they reached and final (which were broadcst live last night on Fuse) and even though they weren't the overall contest winners, they certainly showed that you can go quite a ways even if you defy conventional wisdom.

Inspired D-Roc, the late drummer for Body Count, Blaxmyth pick up where a great many bands have begun before, groups such as Fishbone, Follow For Now, Sevendust, 24-7 Spyz, Civil Rite, Bozaque and Living Colour who were all affiliated with the Black Rock Coalition in the early 90's. It's good to see someone still carrying forward the torch.

P.S. Both Body count and Living Colour are still recording and releasing records.

Vyan

Nugent Calls for Violence Against Democrats

Nugent: I was in Chicago last week I said, "Hey Obama, you might want to suck on one of these, you punk?" Obama, he’s a piece of shit and I told him to suck on one of my machine guns. Let’s hear it for them. I was in New York and I said, "Hey Hillary, you might want to ride one of these into the sunset you worthless bitch." Since I’m in California, I’m gonna find Barbara Boxer she might wanna suck on my machine guns. Hey, Dianne Feinstein, ride one of these you worthless whore.

I had to go back and check, yes he did say "Obama" and not "Osama"!

Now, I happen to be a musician and guitarist - so I'm more than passingly familiary with "The Nudge" and I have to point out that although this commentary is really amazingly bad, it's 1) Made while Ted is Wearing a Machine-Gun Shaped Guitar (Yes, he's that thick!), 2) "Suck on this" is clearly a single-sexual-entendre not neccesarily a call to real violence or harm and 3) Ted isn't really bright enough to have an informed political opinion.

Still... the scary part isn't what Ted says, or what he may have really meant, it's the crowd's howling reaction of support that should get everyone's attention.

Also it's probably fair to look at in comparison to what happened when the Dixie Chicks merely said they were "Embarrised that George Bush was from Texas", which resulted in their songs being pulled from radio, being crushed in public displays, boycotts, demonstrations and death threats.

Somehow, I doubt that Ted's threatening two Presidential Candidates - just like some posters on Bill O'Reilly.com - is going to get the attention of the Secret Service.

But it should.

Vyan

Tom Morello - Alone Without You

Tom Morello - "Alone Without You"



Tom wrote "Alone Without You" after seeing an early screening of 'SiCKO' before it was released. He was so inspired that he went back to his hotel and wrote the song that night. It ended up being featured in the closing credits.

Guns N Roses - Coma

King's X - Alone

King's X - Alone



High under-rated, highly misunderstood, heavily ignored and fantastically talented - this threesome from Texas just may be the greatest power-trio of this Century or the previous one. King's X are your rulers, accept no substitues.

Vayn

Pantera - Revoution is my Name

Pantera - Revolution is My Name

Atomic Opera - Justice

Atomic Opera - Justice



This was a band I truly loved. Coming out the Sam Taylor shop along with early King's X and Galactic Cowboys these guys managed to create some truly grooving soulful and heavily harmonied Rock that just grabbed you from the nuts and yanked hard.

I only had one chance to see them live at the Hollywood House of Blues opening a show with Ronnie James Dio. That was a very very strange night, after watching AO's opening set I had planned to go outside since I wasn't much into early 90's Dio - on the way out I actually ran into Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, only I didn't recognize him - he recognized me.

During the early 90's we had both been members of the Black Rock Coalition in LA, attempting the scratch, kick and knock down the barriers that had been erected between black people and the music they invented - Rock N Roll. We chatted briefly, mostly about old times and I told Tom I'd seen what was probably the last performance by his pre-RATM band Lock Up at Club Lingere and sked why they didn't do what I thought was their best song "Peace Maker." We parted just as the Dio set was about to begin.

Seconds after saying "Bye" to Tom I walked out the front of the H.o.B. and ran into Jonathan - one of the guitarists from Atomic Opera - who absolutely FLIPPED OUT as I mentioned that I'd just run into Tom Morello inside. HE HAD TO MEET TOM!!! So I led him back in and toward where I'd last seen Tom as he headed toward the stage for DIO - we searched through the increasing Mosh for at least 40 minutes, but it simply wasn't to be. Tom was lost in the DIO Love and was probably deep in the middle of the crowd, never to be seen again until the end of the second encore.

I've been immune to the "Fanboy" bugbite ever since I had an odd and strange encounter with Neal Schon (Santana, Journey, Bad English) at the Rainbow in the mid 90's. But Jonathon Being an enormous Morello fan didn't give up. I never knew if he found him or not, but years later I told this story to Ronnie James Dio when I had a chance to meet him at a Birthday celebration for Jeff Pilson's (1st) wife. I told him that if I'd known then that Jeff was in his band I would have probably been somewhere deep in the mosh right next to Tom.

Ronnie, being sharp as a tack, noted wryly "So, you really weren't that much into my music?" - which actually I *was*, but more the early stuff when he was still working with Vivian Cambell and had recorded "The Mob Rules" with Sabbath. So naturally bein g the quick wit and fast on my feet thinker that I am I managed to stammer "Uh, ummm.. well..." awkwardly until my wife came by to rescue me by saying that she'd loved Dio ever since his very first U.S. Tour with Elf in the 70's.

Whew

Ronnie was impressed with that and said a very heartful "Thank you."

Not that this story relates to this song in any way other than to to point out that fandom is a strange and powerful thing, and I'll always think of that and this night whenever I hear something by Atomic Opera.

Vyan

Stone Sour - Bother

Stone Sour - Bother

NWA - Express Yourself

NWA - Express Yourself

Lacuna Coil - Our Truth

Lacuna Coil - Our Truth (Live on Jimmy Kimmel)

Dokken - Long Way Home

Dokken - Long Way Home (Live from Japan)

Wicked Wisdom - Bleed All Over Me

Wisdom Wisdom - Bleed All Over Me

Flyleaf - Fully Alive

Flyleaf - Fully Alive

Pantera - I'm Broken

Pantera - I'm Broken

Live Earth: The Lineup Non-Controversy

Today is 7-07-07 for the one an only time in this century.

Today is also Live Earth Day, with an unprecedented global concert taking place simutaneously on all seven continents to help raise awareness on the Global Climate Crisis.

To most people, except those in deep right wingernutville like Sen. Inhofe who tried to block the surprise opening show in Washington DC, this is not an issue to debate and argue about.

Leave it to Hannity and colmes to find some spittle to spew over a bunch of musicians trying to keep our world from going up in flames.

On last nights H&c the issue raised regardling Live Earth was the inclusion of Cat Stevens (aka Yusuf Islam) on the bill as a last minute addition.

Live Earth organizers today announced that music legend Yusuf (formerly Cat Stevens), rapper, actor and television personality Xzibit, and electronica artist Kenna will be joining the blockbuster line-ups of performers at the Live Earth concerts in Hamburg, Tokyo and New York, respectively. Organizers also announced that a limited number of tickets are available for each show.

The Hannity talking-head stand-in claimed that it was inappropriate for Yusuf to be included in the concert because of his "terrorist connections", his being included on the "terrorist no-fly list", and his statements in support of radical muslims who had collect for the killing of author Salman Rushdie for his book "Satanic Verses."

colmes in his usual bumbling manner, managed to completely debunk the right-wing view and still somehow lose the arguement and get browbeaten even though he was right when he pointed out that Cat Stevens/Yusuf has completely renounced violence and publically denied supporting the fatwa against Rushdie.

On September 12th, 2001 he made the following public statment.

"I wish to express my heartfelt horror at the indiscriminate terrorist attacks committed against innocent people of the United States yesterday. While it is still not clear who carried out the attack, it must be stated that no right thinking follower of Islam could possibly condone such an action: The Qur'an equates the murder of one innocent person with the murder of the whole of humanity. We pray for the families of all those who lost their lives in this unthinkable act of violence as well as all those injured; I hope to reflect the feelings of all Muslims and people around the world whose sympathies go out to the victims of this sorrowful moment.

That didn't stop the winger-guest who continued to claim that Yusuf has to "do more" to prove he isn't a terrorist sympatheser - claiming that Yusuf is part of a radical wahabbist Saudi sect of Islam that prohibits music.

This he said despite the fact that Yusuf came to the U.S. in October of 2001 and performed "Peace Train" at the Concert for New York in response to the 9/11 attacks.

This he said despite the fact that Yusuf has a new album out and has been very active in the music field in recent years.

In 2003, after repeated encouragement from within the Muslim world, Yusuf Islam once again recorded the song "Peace Train" for a compilation CD, which also included performances by David Bowie and Paul McCartney. He also performed "Wild World" in Nelson Mandela's 46664 concert with his former session player Peter Gabriel, for which he publicly performed in English for the first time in 25 years. In December 2004, he and Ronan Keating released a new version of "Father and Son". It debuted at number two, behind Band Aid 20's "Do They Know It's Christmas?". The proceeds of "Father and Son" were donated to the Band Aid charity. Keating's former group, Boyzone, had a hit with the song a decade earlier.

Could this be what he means by "Do More?"

Whether Yusuf is going to sing "Moonshadow" or not at the Live Earth concert isn't the biggest issue that concerns me. What bothers me, as a long-time musician and programmer of my own Live365 Radio Station which focuses specifically on protest and activist music, is not so much whose going to be at the show - it's who and what's Not Going to be on the Show.

I seriously doubt that we're going to see a moment like the muddy, lazy Sunday morning when Jimi Hendrix completely re-envision the Star-Spangled Banner through his Marshals, Wah-peddle, phaser and Stratocaster at Woodstock.

Besides the fact that just like Elvis, Hendrix is dead - neither he nor anyone even remotely like him is playing Live Earth (Except admittedly for Lenny Kravitz and frankly, that's a stretch. Just because Lenny's dark and wears a guitar around his neck doesn't make him Hendrix).

I serously doubt that we're going to see moment like that when Bono and U2 performed at the original Live Aid, bringing the house (actually Stadium) down into a the size of a living room with "Sunday Bloody Sunday."

U2 isn't Playing Live Earth

The Police are playing, but I really don't expect them to perform a song like "Message In a Bottle" with it's line "Seems I'm not alone in being alone..." in order to point out how so many of us are linked, and how we need to band together to fight to save our world and ourselves for potential extinction. I don't expect them to play "Synchronicity II" with it's line - "Another industrial ugly morning, the factory belches filth into the sky."

It's appropriate that Sheryl Crow is playing the show, since she had the big brass cojones to take on Karl Rove face to face over the Climate Crisis. Too bad she sings like a 12-year-old with the flu. (My opinion, I'm sticking with it)

There are many other groups who've been outspoken as part of their career or in recent years on issues of public policy.

Unfortunately...

Dixie Chicks are not playing Live Earth

As Armenian-American's the members of the group System of a Down, who've done songs such as "Boom" and "B.Y.O.B." have a understanding of the impact the global policies in the wake of the Armenian Genocide - but...

System of a Down are not playing Live Earth

Although they've recently reformed and the appropriateness of "Sleep Now in the Fire" being performed on this show can not be underestimated - Rage Against the Machine is not Playing at Live Earth - but curiously their former Audioslave bandmate Chris Cornell Is.

Linkin Park (whose performance I've just watched) and who in the past yet taken steps on thier own to address Tsunami Relief have a new song called "What I've Done" which is exactly on point in terms of the Global Crisis and related issues. They Didn't Play It (Update: It wasn't on Bravo, it was on Sundance)

Genesis could have included topical songs "Throwing it All Away" or "Land of Confusion" (which was recently covered by Disturbed) but they didn't do those songs (on Bravo!) - instead they played "Invisible Touch."

Some of the groups that are playing include Kelly Clarkson, Shakira, Black Eyed Peas and the Pussy Cat Dolls.

Now I like Kelly, she's a nice kid with a great voice - but has she ever written performed a song that wasn't about her last boyfriend or having been on American Idol?

Shakira, honey someone needs to tell you that a guitar is not a necklace. It serves a functional purpose (you can make stuff with it - like music) Just prancing with it like a big peice of bling bling is not gonna make you into either Lita Ford or Nancy Wilson.

P.S. You may be a Hot Chick &Trade, but You Don't Rock!

PCD - "Don't you wish your girlfriend was a FREAK like me?", certainly has become the anthem of the new age hasn't it?

I'm glad Madonna is on the show, because she's forgotten more about activism and using music to take on issues and make a point than the Pussycat Dolls, Britney, Kelly, Mandy Moore, Jessica Simpson are ever going to know.

But then, it's not like she's big with the spontenaity since everything she does it choreeographed in advance.

I really wasn't expecting much from the group that wrote and performed "My Humps, My Humps - My Lovely Lady Lumps - Check it Out", but I have to say the Peas actually did manage, via an improptu free-style rasta rap, to capture the spirit of the event before launching into "Let's Get it Started."

Maybe there's reason for a little hope that this even actually be somewhat more memorable than Live-8 almost exactly two years ago.

Anyone remember that?

Despite the issue of whether anyone likes a particular artist who was or wasn't included (obviously tastes vary greatly) it's a good thing that many of the people who are performing, even the Pussycat Dolls, have stepped up to the plate.

But one thing we shouldn't be freaked out about is whether Cat Stevens/Yusuf is gonna sing "Wild World" or not.

Vyan

P.S. Pearl Jam is Not Playing Live Earth

Update: Some of the songs I noted as missing were performed but not broadcast on all airings between Sundance, Bravo and others..

Olbermann: Bush, Cheney should Resign

Keith Olberman's Special Comment on the Libby Commutation. Bush and Cheney should resign.



I think Olbermann makes a great many statements here which for anyone who hasn't been specifically watching his show for the past year, or hasn't been following left-leaning blogs would seem on the surface quite outrageous.

President Bush lied us into a War? Oh, but didn't the Democrats who voted for it have the exact same intelligence he did?

No, they didn't.

I'm not sure that what he has said, like many of his previous Special Comments will be able to reach into the hearts of those who have allied themselves with this President and his party above the desperate needs of the American people who were devastated by Katrina, who have been devastated by the loss of loved ones (and/or thier limbs) in Iraq, and the loss of heathcare for 50 Million Americans.

The 23 Percenters will stand with Bush and Cheney until the bitter end, and buoyed the support of this ever increasingly slim yet increasingly rabid minority of boot lickers - Bush remains serene as he drives our ship of state directly into rocks of Dictatorship.

Bush and Cheney will not resign, they will only be stopped when Congress finally Nuts-Up and does their duty to Impeach and Remove them both.

Exactly when that will happen, if it ever does, remains to be seen.