That
was Barbra's debut album that then got scrapped. It's why she had such
a small budget on her first released album -- THE BARBRA STREISAND
ALBUM -- they had spent a large part of the budget already due to the
live recording over several nights. The first album is considered a
classic. I don't consider it a classic. She does some nice work on
it. THE SECOND BARBRA STREISAND ALBUM is her first classic to my ears.
First of all, she's got better arrangements, her singing is even more
passionate, what she does with Harold Arlen's great songs and she
records an original -- which she didn't on her first album -- written
just for her that has gone on to become a classic "Gotta Move." She
needed a fast number for her act and Peter Matz -- her conductor and
arranger -- wrote it for her.
After
that? I will easily put both FUNNY GIRLs on her classics list -- the
Broadway album and the film soundtrack (I like the film soundtrack more
because I love her version of "My Man"). And that's really it for the
sixties.
I will put STONEY
END on her classics and I'm fine with BARBRA JOAN STREISAND but I don't
really care for the bulk of the 70s output with the exception of WET.
Yes, it has her biggest hit ever -- the duet with Donna Summer ("Enough
Is Enough") -- but that's not why. Songs like "Niagara" are just
spellbinding. "Kiss Me In The Rain"? Has she ever been more open and
hopeful in a song? "On Rainy Afternoons" should have been a single and
it should have gone on to be the most played song on radio. With that
huge number one duet, the rest of the album got overwhelmed.
And
before someone e-mails, "It was only number one for two weeks and 'The
Way We Were' and 'Women In Love' were number one for three weeks,"
stop. It's her biggest single. Yes, it made pop and adult contemporary
charts like her other numbers ones. Unlike the other numbers ones, it
also made it to number one on the dance charts and to number twenty on
the R&B charts -- her only single to chart on the R&B charts.
It had huge cross over appeal and was her biggest hit. A lot of that
credit goes to Donna Summer who was coming off three number one pop hits
-- "MacArthur Park," "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls" -- the last two and
the duet would give her three numbers one pop hits in 1979 alone -- and
she'd also go into the top ten with "Dim All The Lights" (number two on
pop) and "On The Radio" (number five). So 1879 saw five huge hits on
the pop chart for Donna. She's responsible for at least half the
success of that duet.
In
1980, she releases GUILTY and you have to put that on her classic list.
The soundtrack to YENTL belongs there. Some would put THE BROADWAY
ALBUM on the list of classics. I wouldn't. I really have grown less
impressed with it over time -- due to the sound quality -- not her
vocals, but the production. After YENTL, the only classic album I think
she's done is LOVE IS THE ANSWER and, of the two versions, I prefer the
version with just Barbra and a quartet backing her (the deluxe edition
is two discs -- the first is Barbra in the studio with a ton of
musicians, the second is her doing the same songs but with just a
quartet backing her).
Anyway,
I've shared before that I don't think she'll be releasing many more
studio albums of current recordings -- WALLS may be the last one and, if
so, what an awful album to go out on.
Friday, September 23, 2022. Did US forces kill a 15-year-old girl
in Iraq this week, does no one get insult humor when Whoopi Goldberg
practices it, what MSNBC program brought on a guest to praise Joe Biden
and the Democrats this week and failed to disclose that Joe Biden has
nominated the guest's wife for a post?
Starting with THE VIEW and Whoopi Goldberg due to e-mails. Disclosure, I
know Whoopi and she's much more reasoned and reasonable in real life.
As am I. (I hope.) But THE VIEW is a morning food fight. We don't get
to see the best of Whoopi on that program.
James Crowley (HOLLYWOOD LIFE) reports:
Whoopi Goldberg began a segment with an explanation for a joke she made at Republican Senator Lindsey Graham’s expense during a discussion about abortion rights and marriage equality with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on The View on
Thursday, September 22. After a commercial break, the moderator
defended her comment. “It was a joke. Nothing more than that,” she
explained.
The
press secretary had referenced Graham’s recent proposal for a
nationwide abortion ban, and she warned that such a bill would set a
precedent for other issues. “It’s not just abortion. It’s going to be on
marriage. It’s going to be on contraception. It’s going to be on our
privacy,” she said, before mentioning that the South Carolina senator
had made conflicting comments before proposing the bill. “Senator Graham
had said—maybe about a month ago, early August—that he believes when it
comes to marriage, when it comes to abortion, it’s for states to
decide. So, Senator Graham, what changed?”
When
the show returned from a commercial break, Whoopi explained that she
wasn’t making a serious statement. “I was doing what I do as a comic.
Sometimes I make jokes,” she said. “I just got a whole conversation
about people misunderstanding the joke. I mean, okay. I should probably
never do this show again if this is what it’s coming to. It was a joke, guys.”
I've called Whoopi out here before and have no problem doing so again. However, I don't think she did anything wrong.
I
know Lindsey as well. And I know his record. (I'm not saying anything
about his personal life.) He is strongly opposed to marriage
equality. He supported DOMA. He's made insane statements about
marriage equality and about gay people.
Whoopi
did a joke. It was an insult. She was joking that he should get
married quick because the life-long bachelor Lindsey wouldn't be able
to marry a man for much longer if he had his way.
It's a joke. "The joke is that he's gay!"
Is that what she said?
I didn't see that.
He is rude and evil to gay people and Whoopi insulted him.
Insult comedy.
Has no one heard of Don Rickles?
Whoopi especially has a defense because she actually is a comedian. That's where she came up. And it's insult comedy.
It's
not homophobia. Whoopi supports gay rights. Whoopi's not homophobic.
She did a same-sex kiss with Demi Moore in GHOST, she did a same-sex
kiss with Margaret Avery in THE COLOR PURPLE, she played Jane in BOYS ON
THE SIDE, go down the list. And that may not seem like much today, but
back then people were saying no repeatedly -- Patti Labelle was not the
only woman who turned down the part of Shug over the same-sex kiss.
Patti's gay fan base, which is all she really has left, stayed mute and
disappointed in the 80s, they would not put up with it today (and they
shouldn't have then -- when your a performer whose base is over 50% gay,
you either appreciate your base or you retire). So this was not
homophobia on Whoopi's part.
Lindsey
thinks there's something wrong with people who are gay. He's the one
with the homophobia. Whoopi played on that with her insult comedy.
On comedy, there are --
Jon Stewart.
I like Jon and I know Jon. He's done many wonderful things. His time at THE DAILY SHOW . . .
Love
him but sometimes I wish he'd never done that (sometimes I wish that
even more than I wish he hadn't had his scenes cut out of FIRST WIVES
CLUB).
THE DAILY SHOW made our comedy and our 'news' and public affairs programs worse, much worse.
Jon
is a comedian. He could (and can) do comedy. The popularity of THE
DAILY SHOW made THE WASHINGTON POST and Dana Milbank think anyone could
do comedy and politics. Dana's MAD DOG BITCH 'comedy' bit about Hillary
Clinton should have ended that misguided notion for good but it did
not.
So we get various
talking heads who are not comedians and have never done stand up hosting
'news' programs (talk shows) and thinking they're funny. They mug,
they joke, they do everything but news.
They're
like local 'news' teams. You'd think they'd be thrilled to be
journalists and take their occupation seriously but they think anyone
can tell a joke and, as anyone who's watched MSNBC or FOX NEWS knows,
many people cannot tell a joke and should not try.
Other comedians can do things similar to Jon but, as Trevor Noah proves nightly, there's only one Jon Stewart.
Again,
Whoopi offered insult humor. If you didn't like the joke, you didn't
like it. That's your right. But she was not being homophobic. She was
not saying 'gay is bad' -- she was taking Lindsey's anti-gay position
and mocking it by joking he might marry a man. Being a comedian does
not give Whoopi a get out jail card if she's not joking. "She's a
comic!," for example, does not excuse her statements on the Holocaust
earlier this year. She was not joking in those comments. Here she was
clearly joking. (And, if had not been clear, I'd still have given her the
benefit of the doubt on this because Whoopi has faults like we all do
but homophobia is not one of them.)
Media
notes. The ridiculous Chris Matthews was on MSNBC's MORNING JOE this
week. Why? He was let go by MSNBC -- fired -- for cause. More to the point, he was there
to talk up Democrats and Joe Biden yet I never heard the needed
disclosure from him or from the on airs at MORNING JOE: "Joe has nominated
my wife for a post." Does disclosure not matter anymore to those who
pretend to be journalists?
September 19th, the White House announced a series of nominations including this one:
Kathleen Cunningham Matthews, of Maryland, to be a Member of the
International Broadcasting Advisory Board for a term expiring January 1,
2023. (New Position)
That's
Chris' wife of 42 years. I'd say that disclosure's needed. The media
is supposed to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest. So
pig boy Matthews shouldn't have been brought on for that reason. He was
brought on and Joe and Mika and company didn't feel a disclosure was
necessary. The President of the United States is nominating your wife
for a post, I'd say you need to disclose that before you begin uttering
your hogwash spin. I'd also argue that if what Chris did to women was wrong --
and it was wrong -- he shouldn't be invited back on MSNBC.
Still
on media, congratulations to Jimmy Dore who finally discovered
African-American women and managed to have two on a segment. It would
be great if he weren't using them to hide behind and he grasped that
African-American women can and do weigh in on war, the economy, peace,
healthcare and so much more. But at least he had them on his show to
defend himself against women of color. An e-mail said my calling him
out "made" that happen. I don't think so. I do think his attacks on
Nina Turner hurt and so now, when he wants to attack women of color,
he'll bring on women of color to hide behind.
Zainab Essam Majed.
That's a name the US media can't seem to find. But others are noting her name.
Is anyone talking about Zainab Essam Al-Khazali? the 15 year old Iraqi girl who was shot and killed by US forces in Iraq yesterday. She wasn’t killed by Iran so her story does not matter to western media.
Zainab Al-Khazali, 15, was killed by US forces in Iraq. Her killing has been widely ignored.
U.S. occupation forces kill 15 year old Zainab Essam at Abu Ghraib, #Iraq, during a "live fire drill". She is the latest of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis to fall victim to #Washington's extended slaughter in the Arab country. Press TV. A fifteen-year-old girl named Zainab Essam Al Khazali was shot by the US military on September 20 near the infamous Camp Bucca in Baghdad but not even a single Western media outlet reported the murder, writes Hafsa Kara-Mustapha.
This is Zainab Essam Al-Khazali, a 15-year-old Iraqi high school student. She was killed in broad daylight by American troops during their military drill in Abu Ghraib area, west of Baghdad, while helping her father at their farm. Where is the outrage?
The US, even after its "withdrawal" of troops from Iraq, still maintains several military bases on Iraqi soil and apparently holds "training" drills near residential areas using live ammunition. As a result, a 15-year-old girl was shot dead by US troops.
THE NEW ARAB explains:
Iraqi security forces have vowed to reveal the "truth" behind the death of a 15-year-old girl killed on Tuesday.
Zainab Essam Majed was allegedly killed following a "random shooting" in the Abu Ghraib district of Iraq, just west of Baghdad, which has sparked outrage over her death.
Pro-Iran and Tehran-linked media outlets
and militias have blamed "American army drills" at a "US military camp"
near Baghdad Airport.
It did not mention which location the
alleged gunfire referred to the former US base Camp Victory, located
close to Baghdad Airport, was handed over to the Iraqi government in
2008.
This has not prevented pro-Tehran militias
from blaming US forces for her death and comes after international
outrage over the alleged killing of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, by
Iranian morality police.
AL BAWABA covers the events here.
This is a scandal brewing. No, the facts aren't known yet. Could be
US forces had nothing to do with the death. Could be they are
responsible. But this is a scandal and, for some reason, the US press
isn't interested.
Just like Joe Biden's apparently not
interested in meeting with Mustafa al-Kadhimi, the caretaker prime
minister of Iraq. Joe can dash off to London for the funeral of a woman
who never attended the funerals of even one US president -- not the
funeral of Harry Truman, not the funeral of Dwight Eisenhower, not the
funeral of John F. Kennedy, not the funeral of Lyndon B. Johnson, not
the funeral of Gerald Ford, not the funeral of Ronald Reagan, not the
funeral of George H.W. Bush. But Joe can scurry across the Atlantic to
act like a royal subject.
This week, Joe wouldn't have
even needed to take Air Force One to Baghdad in order to meet
face-to-face with Mustafa because Mustafa came to the US to speak at the
United Nations. He's met with many leaders while in the US. For
example . . .
Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi met Thursday with the SecGen of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. During the meeting, they discussed the situation in Iraq and the government's efforts
RUDAW reports on the above meeting here. When not meeting with world leaders, Mustafa has been meeting the press.
Mina al-Oraibi (THE NATIONAL) reports:
Asked about the solution to the political crisis, Mr Al Kadhimi said one word: “Dialogue”.
He
went on to say that there are two options: either “we go towards a
clash in a society that has tried all types of violence or an
opportunity for dialogue”.
Since taking office more than two years ago, some of the primary concerns for Mr Al Kadhimi have been to limit the role of militias, reinforce security in the country and re-establish an effective state.
But
two years in, he is dealing with emboldened militias and complete
political gridlock. His critics say he should take a stand against the
militias, but that could lead to more bloodshed.
“A thousand years of dialogue is better than one moment of killing,” he said.
He
said it was high time to “divorce the violent past and a future built
on true democratic values built not just on the ballot box votes”.
But
dialogue takes time. Though time is not in Iraq’s favour with all the
crises it faces, he said: “What other choice do we have?”
For
those who've forgotten -- or never knew -- his term is over. Iraq held
elections October 12th. There's still no prime minister or president.
Both positions have still not been determined all this time later. Joe
Biden likes to go on and on about respecting election results. Well he
could have stood next to Mustafa and addressed the press pointing to
what is happening right now in Iraq when the results (and the process)
are not respected. We'll note one more thing from Mina's interview in a
moment but this is from Andrew Parasiliti's report for AL-MONITOR:
Kadhimi came to office in May 2020, in the wake of the resignation of
his predecessor, Adel Abdul Mahdi, who stepped down after security
forces and armed groups killed over 500 anti-government protesters
between October and December 2019.
The popular Tishreen movement, and the increased role of new
independent parties in Iraq, is a sign of change, which Kadhimi takes to
heart.
“My priorities are dialogue, then dialogue, then dialogue,” said the Iraqi prime minister.
The government deadlock occurs in the wake of some noteworthy
achievements in foreign policy and regional integration over the past
two years.
Kadhimi’s regional policies have included being “very clear with the
Iranians, telling them that we want relations, a state-to-state
relationship, and we want noninterference in internal affairs.”
“Iran has friends in Iraq, and it is able to influence them and push
them toward dialogue rather than using the weapons that they currently
possess,” Kadhimi noted. “We need a good relationship and we currently
do have a good relationship with Iran.”
Back to Mina's report, we'll note this section:
Another
challenge is that of the disappeared in Iraq, some of whom were taken
under the pretext of “fighting terrorism” at the height of sectarian
tension several years ago, and others who were kidnapped during the
protests of October 2019.
“Investigations
are ongoing regarding the disappeared … we have been able to find those
who took protesters [of October 2019] and last week we arrested a man
who worked in one of the government entities and who played a large role
in the kidnapping and assassination of protesters,” Mr Al Kadhimi said.
He also said that one of the men responsible for killing analyst Hisham Al Hashimi in the summer of 2020 has been arrested.
As
for those who have been kidnapped, particularly from Sunni-majority
provinces, Mr Al Kadhimi did not have clear numbers of how many there
are.
“This
matter has to do with some political parties who are part of the
political process … some use this issue for corruption and political
aims,” he said.
While
refraining from going into detail, Mr Al Kadhimi made clear that there
are political forces behind the disappearances of ordinary Iraqi
citizens and that it is a matter his government is working to resolve.
We'll wind down with this from Margaret Kimberley (BLACK AGENDA REPORT):
Every day the republican governors of Texas, Greg Abbott, and
Florida, Ron DeSantis, eagerly announce that they are sending people
generically labeled as migrants to what are known as sanctuary cities.
The corporate media report that thousands of people have been convinced
to board buses to New York City or Washington DC or Sacramento or
Chicago or even chartered flights to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
What they don’t explain is who these migrants are and why their status
is highly problematic and a function of imperialist foreign policy.
Republicans rail against what are called sanctuary cities and imply
that federal law doesn’t apply in these places or that undocumented
people get some sort of special deal. However, the term sanctuary city
doesn’t really mean very much. In New York it means that the city
government and its employees will not assist in the deportation process.
It does not mean that no one is ever deported or that federal rules
don’t apply. Undocumented people are eligible for Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) and other benefits only under very limited
circumstances and applying in a sanctuary city doesn’t change that fact.
The media cannot seem to disseminate this easily provable information
and people in this country are whipped into a frenzy over non-issues.
But there is a larger issue at work here that also goes unaddressed.
The people taken to Martha’s Vineyard have made legal requests for
asylum, which may be granted because of U.S. policy against their home
country of Venezuela. Migrants from nations targeted by the U.S. are
automatically eligible for asylum. In this hemisphere Venezuelans,
Cubans, and Nicaraguans are likely to be granted asylum because the U.S.
doesn’t like their governments. Ukrainians are favored because the U.S.
supports their government’s role in attacking Russia and they are also
given asylum when they arrive at the border. Some 100,000 Ukrainians have arrived here since February 2022.
Conversely, Haitians are routinely deported. Their country is in
worse shape than any of the others mentioned and entirely because of
U.S. interference in their sovereign rights. In 2010 the Obama
administration even ordered Haiti to hold an election twice because they
didn't like the initial result. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
famously pressured the Haitian government to lower the already low
minimum wage there. Now the U.S. orders the current illegitimate
president Ariel Henry to enact austerity programs that create misery.
The U.S. coups, UN occupations and other interventions have made Haiti
unlivable.
But the Joe Biden administration has no sympathy for Haitians fleeing the problems of U.S making. As of February 2022 more than 19,000 Haitians
were deported in the first year of Biden’s term. That figure is more
than three times the number deported in the last three administrations
combined.
Not only do Abbott and DeSantis lie about who they are sending around
the country, but no one in the media calls them out on their
subterfuge. They are scoring points by claiming to send undocumented
people when they are in fact sending people who under international law
have a legal right to request asylum in the U.S.
The corporate media are complicit because they are joined at the hip
with the Biden administration. Sloppy reporting is not a problem for
them. Pointing out the inherent injustice of U.S. sanctions against
Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela might damage precious connections and
white house access. Any responsibility for informing readers and viewers
doesn’t matter and journalistic ethics go out the window so that the
media can be slipshod and curry favor simultaneously.
The following sites updated:
