At last, a true rocker has won American Idol. I didn't vote, but I'm very glad that David Cook won. I have downloaded some of the songs he recorded for the show this year, and he's the only one of the performers who strikes me as having the talent right now to be a star. He has an amazing range of styles that he has mastered, but I like him best when he sings pure rock and roll. The rest, including runner-up David Archuleta, all strike me as needing more maturity. I'd rather turn on my radio and hear Cook's raspy voice than what passes for "smooth" from the other contestants.
Watching parts of the show tonight, I was reminded of the way that Johnny Carson introduced the Academy Awards one year: two hours of sparkling entertainment spread out over four hours. American Idol is like half an hour of entertainment spread out over two hours. I don't mind the guest stars, particularly previous winners. In fact, I think that might be the way to make the show more entertaining next year: have all of the previous winners come back and sing in the order of their winning (or in reverse order, doesn't matter to me). Instead, what we get too much of are these "group numbers" that I assume will be a feature of the upcoming tour. Whenever they do a group number, I always feel like Capt. Stubing's voice is about to come over the intercom announcing bingo on the Lido Deck.
I did, however, like seeing all of this year's finalists dressed in black for the tribute to George Michael, who sadly was not in very good voice tonight. They all looked pretty stylish (as did, somewhat surprisingly, "your host" Ryan Seacrest), and the songs were a good match for their vocal abilities. But my personal favorite moment tonight was watching Cook sing "Sharp Dressed Man" with ZZ Top. Yeah, I know, but those were my college years. Maybe Cook will include that on his first CD.
Now that this madness has ended with America picking the right person for the job, let's hope we can duplicate that approach in November when it counts a little bit more. Just a tiny little bit.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
A Tribute to Love and Loving
I know a lot of people have written already about the California Supreme Court's decision last week to uphold the rights of gay people to get married. I expect that there's very little more to be said on the subject that is original or interesting. As my friend N put it after I told her about the decision, "Well, it's about time."
I also know that many people have linked this case with the landmark 1967 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Loving v. Virginia, which struck down all of those laws that banned interracial marriage. It's not that much of a stretch to see a link between these two cases.
Mildred and Richard Loving had gotten married in Washington, D.C., but when they returned home to Virginia, they were arrested for violating the maliciously-named Racial Integrity Act. They were forced to leave their home state as a result of the case. However, through the assistance of U.S. Department of Justice, they found an attorney with the ACLU (so many heroes throughout history have worked for the ACLU) and fought for their marriage to be accepted on an equal level as those of same-race couples.
They finally won their case, on a 9-0 decision, in 1967. Earl Warren, who was then the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, stated in the opinion, "To deny this fundamental freedom [to marry] on so unsupportable a basis as racial classification embodied in these statutes...is surely to deprive all the state's citizens of liberty without due process of law."
Warren's words echo throughout the decision rendered last week by the California Supreme Court. I think many of the plaintiffs in the California case would also share Mildred Loving's sentiment after she was finally recognized as Richard Loving's true spouse: "I feel free now."
Mildred Loving may never have thought of herself as a pioneer or an activist, but she was both. It is often those people who quietly refuse to allow others to determine how one's life should be lived who make the most difference. Thankfully, we live in a country where people like Mildred and Richard Loving and all of those brave gay and lesbian couples can take a stand, can be heard, and can be victorious.
I think Mildred Loving summed it up best: "I think marrying who you want is a right no man should have anything to do with."
I also know that many people have linked this case with the landmark 1967 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Loving v. Virginia, which struck down all of those laws that banned interracial marriage. It's not that much of a stretch to see a link between these two cases.
Mildred and Richard Loving had gotten married in Washington, D.C., but when they returned home to Virginia, they were arrested for violating the maliciously-named Racial Integrity Act. They were forced to leave their home state as a result of the case. However, through the assistance of U.S. Department of Justice, they found an attorney with the ACLU (so many heroes throughout history have worked for the ACLU) and fought for their marriage to be accepted on an equal level as those of same-race couples.
They finally won their case, on a 9-0 decision, in 1967. Earl Warren, who was then the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, stated in the opinion, "To deny this fundamental freedom [to marry] on so unsupportable a basis as racial classification embodied in these statutes...is surely to deprive all the state's citizens of liberty without due process of law."
Warren's words echo throughout the decision rendered last week by the California Supreme Court. I think many of the plaintiffs in the California case would also share Mildred Loving's sentiment after she was finally recognized as Richard Loving's true spouse: "I feel free now."
Mildred Loving may never have thought of herself as a pioneer or an activist, but she was both. It is often those people who quietly refuse to allow others to determine how one's life should be lived who make the most difference. Thankfully, we live in a country where people like Mildred and Richard Loving and all of those brave gay and lesbian couples can take a stand, can be heard, and can be victorious.
I think Mildred Loving summed it up best: "I think marrying who you want is a right no man should have anything to do with."
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