Perfection

Words will ruin the majesty... so just watch:

A couple works I've fallen behind on posting.

This semester the Kentucky Kernel offered me a position writing weekly columns. After two weeks, here are the stories that have been run by me so far. 

The first is a look at the incorporation autotune in modern music

The second if my first time writing for the Kernel something other than music. In this case, a review of My Bloody Valentine 3D

For the first time...

I know it's a little late but I felt the need to comment on Obama taking office. I don't feel the need to share why I think he's great. I did that for the past year and I'm done doing that. I know how I feel and that's all that matters. But I do feel the need to say that for the first time in my life, I am proud to be an American. Proud, rather than ashamed.

3 in a row is impressive

For the first time in college football history, a single conference has won three straight titles. The SEC has taken the crown the last three seasons; Florida twice and LSU once.

The Music is the Scripture

I don't care what your opinion is of Kanye West right now. He may be egotistical, he may think Bush hates black people, he may say he is the new Elvis. But all of those things are exactly his point. He says what he wants when he wants because he has an opinion and isn't afraid to have it heard. What I like to see is an artist get heated up, and be passionate about something. I like to see someone stop trying to fit a mold and focus solely on success rather than musical progress. And I think that is something Kanye West embodies.

Some of the things in this video may be a bit extreme, but he does it to make a point, and while many may shut down and refuse to hear it, I heard it loud and clear. One thing in particular struck me, which was when he commented on how writers these days feel a need to HAVE to find the negative. "They can never just sit back and say, 'damn that was good'" It's a very true statement that shouldn't be overlooked. Music is entertainment, and while it is fine to put in your two cents, many critics take it to a point where they ONLY look for the bad. I'd like to be one to break the cycle, but maybe I'm not so different from the writers that West is commenting on, but if thats the case I hope to be more aware of it in the future.

In my opinion, just as he has self proclaimed, I DO think West is the Elvis, the Morrison, the Cobain of our generation. Just because he's living doesn't mean he isn't the stuff of legend. Yes. I called Kanye West legendary. Because when I hear his music, I sit back and just say "damn that was good". So deal with it.

Guardians of Truth

Journalism is both an art and a science. It is an art in the sense that a journalist must be able to pick and choose words in a manner that most effictively conveys a particular point that they are trying to make. But the science of journalism is just as important. Its importance however should not imply that it is complex. In fact the science of journalism can be summed up in a single word: Truth. The job of the journalist is to expose truth; to inform the public so that they may make knowledgeable decisions. Ron Howard's most recent film, Frost/Nixon, may show one of the most critical cases of a journalist being a "guardian of truth" as my journalism 204 professor so aptly put it.

The film follows the story of David Frost, an English journalist/television host, who at the time of the film's setting was more of a playboy than a serious journalist. The film depicts the unfolding of Frost's attempt to round up Nixon for an interview after Nixon's resignation, and Frost's ultimate attempt to get Nixon to confess and apologize for Watergate on the air. Many felt that by President Ford's pardoning Nixon, Frost would give Nixon the trial he never had, and it is exactly that concept that is the central focus of this film.

The film is superb, particularly in one aspect I had assumed it would be too superficial with, which is the its characterization of Nixon. I assumed the film would make him out to be an entirely corrupt, evil, almost non-human entity. However it proved me wrong. The film does an outstanding job of reminding you that Nixon was in fact human, and that all of the consequences of his actions and these interviews did in fact take a toll on him emotionally. The area where the film was weak was surprisingly in its character development of Frost. It was far from subtle, and even further from realistic. They made it seem as if Frost was a fool, and miraculously changed overnight, rather than honing his skills over time. However that is not the point of the film as a whole, and its ability to capitalize on its larger more important positions makes this small issue very forgivable.

I would be doing you a great disservice to speak more on the subject of the film before you took the time to see it, so all I can do is recommend it highly.