Are they bragging or complaining ? ; )

I just had to share this with everyone because I find it rather ironic and just a little bit off-putting. It was sent to me by Focus on the Family and is presented here verbatim:

Even if you don't follow pop culture, you've inevitably read or heard of the teen actress Miley Cyrus. Playing the wholesome character "Hannah Montana" on her popular Disney television show of the same name several years ago, Miss Cyrus was catapulted into entertainment's stratosphere. She quickly became a marketer's dream and was earning millions of dollars in TV, music and feature films. In the midst of her rapid ascent, though, she also found herself wrapped up in controversy, from being caught posing for provocative photographs to smoking a bong and taking hallucinogenic drugs.

Just another child actress given too much too soon?

Miss Cyrus, now 18, is the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, perhaps best known for his hit, "Achy Break-y Heart."
Ironically, and sadly, that's exactly what Billy Ray is suffering from these days. He told GQ Magazine that he now wishes his daughter never went to Hollywood and found fame and fortune.

I don't know that I can sympathize with this very much, the reason being that he is in the country music business and knowing full well what he was allowing his daughter to do, he obviously didn't prepare her for the pitfalls. If he has successfully navigated the entertainment business well enough that he sees what is going on with his daughter, then he could have also given her real guidance so that her so-called downhill slide wouldn't have even occurred. The details are missing out of Focus on the Family's account and most likely for a good reason. You have to read between the lines and know a bit more about this particular case, obviously, than they do and I happen to know a bit more.

I wrote an entry on this web site back on December 9, 2008 about the merchandising of Billy Ray's daughter and it was all too obvious that they really wanted to clean up in the business. If you read it you'll see that I figured out what an average take on each consumer might be in modest terms and I don't know how she couldn't end up with quite a wad of cash and her promoters, to boot ! I know my entry was basically just a satirical piece of fun more than anything else. However, I do take the marring and scarring of a life a quite serious matter. I didn't see the likes of Billy Ray or his daughter at the Grammys this year and it was probably for this very reason.

Having said that, I think this is just drama queen theatrics designed to garner one more headline in an attempt to keep the limelight on themselves. Sadly, many people in the entertainment business tend to crave negative attention just as much as the positive kind. It explains the antics of Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton ( Happy 30th birthday, dahling ! ), Nicole Ritchie and the like. It's not just sad- it's pathetic.

It's all uphill with

The Castle Lady !

The World's a Stage...

This well-known quote of the English-speaking world has a ring of real truth in the public world which the media focuses on and exploits all too often. After watching the Grammys this year I started thinking about some of the subjects Lady Gaga talked about during her 60 Minutes interview prior to the airing of the awards show and I have come to some startling conclusions about fame. I have held some opinions about how people garner and keep fame without being completely aware of them and now I know I have been very naïve on the subject through my entire life.
First of all, I always have held the belief that you must do something worthwhile and useful in order to attain notoriety. To my way of thinking being notorious is not true notoriety. I'm sure I've been behind the times for more than a decade now but I still feel that way and I don't think I'll ever change my mind. Perhaps entertainers cannot live the type of exemplary lives which would lead an entire young generation down a brighter path. That- plus entertaining the crowds- may be asking a little too much. However, if someone knows the demographics of their fan base and they realize that their audience may be very impressionable then I think each and every parent should be able to expect these entertainers to be sensitive to that fact and curb their proclivities. In other words, if you can't be good then at least be discreet. It may not be gut-level honest but it may save someone from making wrong decisions which are irreversible way too early in life.
Good or bad, music is one of my loves which I cannot do without. I listen to music when I write, dance, go for a walk, drive some place or sit down to eat. I don't really have any musical preference except for one aspect- I have to like it. I don't like everything I hear today on the radio but I have a wide range of interests. I've heard good and bad in every category and genre of music that exists in this modern world. When I hear music on any stage which is off-key or doesn't fit the usual pattern for the genre of its particular occupation I generally change stations or channels- whichever the case may be. A good part of what I heard at the Grammys this year was not to my liking. I think Jeff Beck got gypped out of an award he deserved. I saw Cyndi Lauper there but I didn't get to hear her- talking or singing. Bogus.
George Beverly Shea was a gospel singer for Billy Graham throughout his entire career as an evangelist. This year, among several other recipients, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award. Like them, it was only mentioned in passing in the space of about one minute, at best. Next day my mother told me she waited all night wondering when they were going to give him the award. I had to explain that all the music she loves to hear (mostly classical) was side-stepped or marginalized because of the time involved in handing out so many awards. She didn't buy it. You know what ? Neither do I.
Does anyone out there know what the word Grammys even means? Let me enlighten you. It is a shortened version of the word gramophone which is what a lot of the best and finest music was originally recorded and played on. I guess they had to crank those babies by hand to get them to work but people had a lot of fun dancing to and playing the music they liked on them. Music has been around a long time and in Mozart's day he was the rock-n-roll guy. He was derailed a lot because, for a classical music composer, he really rocked their socks off. You know what I mean ?
There is a lot more to music than pop music and if you explore your options by radio, mp3s or internet music shopping you might find there is a whole wide world of music out there the likes of which you've never heard ! !

Why don't you go on a search right now ?

With love, The Castle Lady