Song of the Day: 'Escapade' by Janet Jackson

Surprised to see Janet Jackson touring again -- looks like she's got a new album in the works too; did her ex-husband take her to the cleaners? -- but can't complain about a nod to the "Rhythm Nation." The one time I saw Miss Jackson in concert was in 1990 at the Great Western Forum shortly after packing up my belongings (and my broken heart) in my Volkswagen Rabbit Convertible and moving West. I've always been more of a casual fan -- but something hit me that night, and the waterworks were on from the opening number ("Control") to the title track encore. Luckily the show was so loud and such a spectacle that the friend I went with didn't even notice what a fool I'd been all night! 

Page 1 Roundup (08/09)

More trickle-down bullshit from the GOP. Hillary Clinton's ad showing Donald Trump squirming as David Letterman asks where the businessman's signature line of shirts and ties are made is perfection. Read HERE.

Anti-Trump group files complaint with U.S. Customs and Border Protection for formal probe into Melania Trump’s immigration history / Read HERE.

Sorry, Ms. Jackson: You're Underrated. 'Control' at 30. Read HERE.

Released 30 years ago, Janet Jackson’s album “Control” was a polished, confident work, a statement of emancipation. Over time it has also become an argument for her impact on pop culture.

That Vibrating 'Wub Wub Wub' That Comes From Cracking One Car Window? It's Not Just You! Read HERE.

Janet Jackson Makes Music History

Interesting that Janet Jackson has become only the third artist in music history to score a top-selling album in each of the last four decades. (You'd think Madonna and Mariah but the other two are Barbra and Bruce.) But I'm confused by what the New York Times then goes on to report:

The album — Ms. Jackson’s first since 2008 and her seventh No. 1 over all — opened with 109,000 albums sold and 3.9 million streams, according to Nielsen.

The Weeknd’s “Beauty Behind the Madness” (XO/Republic) jumped back up to the No. 2 spot with 73,000 album equivalent units, scoring another strong streaming week with more than 34 million plays, while “The Hills” held a fourth week as the No. 1 single.

“What a Time to Be Alive” (Cash Money/Epic), the commercial mixtape from Drake and Future, is No. 3 on the album chart with 65,000 units (including a chart-leading 45 million streams) ...

So the No. 2 and 3 albums were played (or "streamed") 30.1 million and 41.1 MILLION more times than hers? If this is correct -- which I'm guessing is the result of younger fans streaming and older (Janet) fans buying -- but streams get pennies on the dollar, are you still WAY better off financially being Janet ... or is it all about exposure?

And we wonder why the music industry is f**ked ...

All for You

She's baaaaaack! I saw Miss Jackson at the Forum in L.A. back in 1990 and while I would never pay what it costs to see her now, it was a fun night ... if you don't count my sobbing on and off for two hours during the love songs, visions on my ex I'd just left in Phoenix dancing in my head. Learn about the return of Janet Jackson HERE.

Song of the Day: 'Someone to Call My Lover' by Janet Jackson

This was around the time she started to whisper instead of sing, but I do remember it fondly.

Madonna and Janet on 'Square Pegs'?

Polished off re-re-watching the brilliant "Square Pegs," and noticed two things in the DVD extras that I'd overlooked last time. First, creator/producer Anne Beatts discusses how important music was to the show -- going so far as to say it was the first series since "Ozzie and Harriet" to routinely incorporate rock 'n' roll -- then talks about how the show's music supervisor, Stephen E. Smith, was always looking for the latest cool artist to incorporate into the action. I remember being blown away that Killer Pussy -- who were local local New Wave stars in Phoenix -- was plastered on walls of Marshall's DJ booth alongside The Motels, Kim Wilde, The Clash, Tom Tom Club, Oingo Boingo, Altered Images, Soft Cell, Human League, and so on. (It looked almost exactly like my bedroom!) Beatts then recounts how Smith came "this close" to getting this up-and-coming singer to be on the show -- I'm guessing for the school-dance episode where Josie Cotton ended up performing "Johnny, Are You Queer?" -- and it turned out to be none other than Madonna. (Can you imagine?!!!)

Then this bit -- at 3:50 in this clip from the DVD bonus -- where Tracy Nelson (aka Jennifer DiNuccio  and Claudette Wells (aka LaDonna Fredericks) discuss being intimidated during the auditioning process because there were some famous people up for the roles. They then say (bracketed words are Fredericks):

Jump to 3:50 for the bit

"When we were auditioning, no, I won't name names but there were some pretty well known, [major] major [singing stars], singing stars who have recently have had weight issues but we won't, we won't talk [we won't mention who they are]  "

I think the only logical guess could be Janet Jackson -- the interview was taped in 2008, which seems to be during one of her reported weight gains -- but I'm all ears if anyone has other ideas. P.S. I also realized that despite Beatts' desire that the actors be age-appropriate, Johnny Slash was about 23 when the show started and LaDonna was an Andrea Zuckermanesque 28!!!! 

From HERE.

Song of the Day: 'That's the Way Love Goes' by Bruno Mars

Nicely done! Seen HERE.

Song of the Day: 'That's the Way Love Goes' by Janet Jackson

Wow, pained me to see this song is TWENTY years old. This was around the time Janet Jackson started whispering instead of singing -- her downfall, in my humble opinion -- but it really worked on this one. (Didn't realize it was her biggest single ever, too.) The fact that she was just insanely gorgeous in the video only added to its pleasure principle.

Janet Who?

I wasn't the least bit interested in Janet Jackson's new single, "Feedback," until I saw sexy Marcus Bellamy's video interpretation. (You may recall Marcus from when I featured on my blog back in November.)