Christina Aguilera’s ‘Not Myself Tonight’ Music Video Review
Well, not really a review. More like a rant.
I just hate it that people are saying that Christina Aguilera is ripping off Lady Gaga and Madonna in her newly launched music video “Not Myself Tonight.”
First of all, I really don’t see any Lady Gaga resemblance in that video. She’s been crazy since Dirrty. It just annoys me that people are claiming Christina is copying Lady GaGa’s kinky moves when we all know Christina pushed the boundaries of teen pop music in her time when she released Dirrty and its even dirtier music video in 2002. She was criticized for that, saying she was being too provocative, too naughty. Now, almost every female pop performer is dirrty and even naughtier than X-tina. I think none of what pop bitches, including Lady Gaga, are doing today would have been as appreciated this much if Aguilera didn’t take the fall in 2002, if she didn’t pave the way, if she didn’t push the envelope so hard that time.
image courtesy of Merlito of pinoyexchange.com
Second, my God, some people just don’t understand what “homage” is. The music video is clearly a TRIBUTE to the one and only Queen of Pop, MADONNA. The scene wherein Christina’s on top of the stairs against a misty, foggy backdrop, among others, is inspired by the music video of Express Yourself (1985). Also, the leather-driven orgy scene is obviously a contemporary version of some scenes from Madonna’s Human Nature (1995). And many other scenes are reminiscent of Madonna.
See the Human Nature music video here and Express Yourself here.
I don’t really love the Not Myself Tonight music video but I think it’s genius! Why? Because this video is able to do the following:
Mother Like No Other
So I spent my weekend with my family in Batangas. God, if you’re complaining it’s hot here in Manila, it’s way hotter over there. There was never a moment I didn’t agree with Thomas Edison that genius is 99% perspiration. Good thing there was too much food back there, I was always gorging on something — watermelons, green mangoes, buko, ice cream, name it.
It’d been a month since I last visited our house in Batangas but a lot had changed already. One of them was our living room.
My mom bought a sala set two months ago. She fell in love with these brown couches instantly when they dropped by a local furniture store that she bought it without thinking. Satisfied with her purchase, she went home and waited for arrival of her new sala set.
When the set was delivered, however, she realized it was too big for our living area. WAAAY TOO BIG. But she really wanted this set, so screw the little space we have! She did not bother to change her order. So we had a sala set bigger than our sala.
When I arrived, I immediately criticized her impulse buying stint and declared that our sala was officially ugly. Or as the promil kid would say it, “hideous.”
The Crazy Christina Aguilera – Lady Gaga Comparison
I just don’t get it!
I don’t understand why in the world would people try to lambaste Christina Aguilera for the supposed “attempt to copy Lady Gaga” with her new single “Not Myself Tonight” and upcoming album “Bionic.”
image courtesy of www.holamun2.com
It’s not secret. I adore Christina Aguilera. I have blogged about her so many times. I have a copy of all her albums. I even started saving for the first time in my life just to see her on concert (the Manila leg of her Back to Basics tour). Beautiful is probably my all-time favorite song. She’s really one of the best singers (or artists) out there. She has been since Genie in a Bottle, over a decade ago.
Don’t get me wrong. I love Lady Gaga to pieces, too. Been a fan since Just Dance. My Most Played lists on iTunes and Winamp have her songs. I even have all her music videos on my iPod.
But the comparisons are just absurd.
Today, a Christina Quote is all over the net. It was from an interview in which she addressed this comparison.
“It just comes with the territory. That, in particular, is not even worth wasting the breath to comment on. I’ve been around for over a decade and I think my work speaks for myself.”
And now people are saying how conceited she is, how highly she thinks of herself, what kind of copycat she has become, whatsoever. But man, it’s true. She’s been around for years. And it was only brought up because the DJ asked her about the negative things Akon had to say about her. It’s just sad people never mentioned that. I actually believe it’s a tactful response to the question.
So here, I prepared a list of questions and accusations commonly thrown at Christina with some of my answers.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: Christina Aguilera was out of the music scene for so long sitting her ass off. And now she’s back out of nowhere with the same look and sound as Lady Gaga’s. What’s up with that?
A: What’s up with you? Are you on drugs? She got pregnant! She friggin’ delivered a baby. Of course she would stop for a moment, rest until her vagina healed, spend time with her son and build a family. You know why? Because that’s what people do. It’s not all about fame and glory. That bitch has a heart.
And besides, she’s been doing a film called “Burlesque!”
Also, Aguilera is known for taking too much time preparing for one album. And if you ask why, go ask the Grammy’s why they nominated Stripped and Back to Basics for Best Pop Album.
Q: So what? She still copied Lady Gaga’s music and stole her look!
A: As early as 2008, when she was on Back to Basics tour, she was already very vocal about the theme of her next album, which was still untitled then. She would go to the completely opposite direction of Back to Basics, which is a blast from the past. She declared she would be doing pop again (since Back to Basics sounded like a pop-R&B crossover).
The Writings on the Wall | Funny Posters around the Philippines
Sometimes when we feel so alone and sad, all we need to do is look around us. Many times, the things that will make us happy and forget all our problems for a moment are just around the corner, written or posted on a wall somewhere.
I was organizing my gallery when I stumbled upon some old photos that really made me ROTL. I took these pictures at different places across the country and with the intention of blogging about them but they kind of slipped my mind. Good thing I love organizing files in my laptop.
PLEASE BEAR WITH US LITERALLY
First up, there’s a building being constructed near Shangri-La’s Chi spa in Mandaluyong. My friends and I were passing by on the way to El Pueblo when we noticed this very cute advisory. Loveth.
TOUCH ME NOT
The next picture was taken at a souvenir shop in Vigan.
In case you can’t read what’s written in the picture, it says, “H’wag hawakan, LUMALAKI.” (Do not touch. Grows bigger when touched.)
Nice. Because of that, I bought one. Kidding.
We Walk Like We Rule the World
I have always loved walking. Back in college, I never took a jeepney to go from one class to another even though the next building was on the other side of the UP Diliman campus. If I could walk, I would. There’s just something in walking that is therapeutic. It’s my way of reflecting on my life, planning my day, and squeezing all my creative juices out. Never mind if it takes too much time and effort. It was never tiring.
But one night in February last year, almost 14 months ago, I was walking to the train station from work when I did something I had never done before while walking alone — I smiled. Out of the blue. I smiled. There was an image in my head that triggered it. It was a vision. It was the future.
That night, I met up with you. You were waiting for me somewhere.
Top 10 Movie Sound Effects
Note: I originally wrote this article for Crunkish.com. It was first published in April 2007. Three years later, allow me to post this on my own blog.
Watching a movie without sound effects is like not watching at all. Even back in the early 1900s, when films were all silent, people have tried to simulate real-life sounds by producing sound effects live, while the movie was being projected. Sound effects make a better movie-viewing experience by producing sounds that we hear in real life. They also add to the emotions and effectiveness of the scene.
image courtesy of pic.leech.it
Usually, sound mixers and editors record sound for a particular scene. These recordings are then archived to be used in other films that they can be useful to in the future. As years go by, some of these recorded sound effects have been used over and over again that they have become ubiquitous. In fact, a few of these sound effects have found a following with many observant movie fans and editors. Others find these repetitive sound effects annoying and absurd.
Whether you are pleased or irritated, here are the top 10 most famous and most commonly used sound effects in Hollywood movies that will surely make you go “Why haven’t I noticed that before?”
10. Animal Sounds
In movies, animals always make noise. Dogs always bark. Cats always meow. Cows always moo. What is absurd is the idea that they still make sound even when they are not supposed to. This is because animal sounds are used to set the mood.
If you have a very good attention to details you would realize that the animals actually make the same noise. In many films:
- Snakes rattle even when they are not rattlesnakes.
- Dolphins make the same “chatter” sound when jumping, spinning and whatever they do — it’s the same sound.
- Insects always sound like they are all wet.
- In open fields, the sound of a red-tailed hawk screeching is heard even when the bird being shown is actually an eagle or a falcon.
- Many horror films also use the same sound of a wolf or owl howling in the distance.
- The sound of kookaburras, an Australian kingfisher, is also often heard even when the film is set in North America.
- Finally, haven’t you noticed that it is the same scream that cats let out over and over again in many movies?
Hmmm. Well?
9. The Martial Art Swish
Another commonly used sound effect is the funny “swish” sound that martial artists make when doing their moves. This swish sound is always used every time they jump, hit or kick. They also always tend to let out a high-pitched scream before the fighting-action.
image courtesy of www.jkd.com.au
The next time you watch a Chinese or Western martial art film, notice how their movements produce exaggerated sounds that don’t occur in real life. Moreover, notice how they all sound the same.
8. Explosion
If you are fond of watching action films, you might have noticed how common explosion scenes go. Another thing that you might have noticed is how sound effects are used in such scenes. Most of them sound alike.. Another unrealistic use of explosion sound effects is in space movies such as Star Wars.
image courtesy of scrapetv.com
In real life, explosions in space do not produce sound. Sound needs a medium, like air, to be heard. Since there is nothing but vacuum in space, there should be no sound. For the purpose of entertainment, however, sound effects are employed.
Move Over Y’all, Christina Aguilera is Back!
Oh yeah, the Queen is back.
Just when the music industry is full of artists trying to surround themselves with controversies just to get attention, somebody genuinely talented will come and remind you what talent really sounds like. Oh yeah, Christina Aguilera is bringin’ it.
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Four agonizing years of waiting after her last studio album was released, the small girl who owns the greatest voice of this generation finally gave some sneak peek of her upcoming album Bionic (out June 8th) through the single “Not Myself Tonight.” As expected, she reinvents herself once again and this time offers futuristic electropop music. It’s a club banger, something I’d kill a DJ for if not played within a night.
It’s refreshing to see Aguilera without the 1930s look. It’s like she’s bringing back the Christina that most of us fell in love with. Been a fan since Genie in a Bottle.
The old Christina is gone. She feels brand new. And if you don’t like her, Fudge You!
And as always, Christina also proved that mad singing skills and club music can marry each other to produce an A-list dance tune. Her signature belts are present. Love it. Love it. Love it.
I must admit that I wasn’t hooked the first time I heard it; wasn’t that catchy for me. But it’s a grower. The more I listened to it, the more I got addicted. The lyrics are also off for me at first. Was a bit thrown off by the bisexual slant. A bit too pushed for me. Too attention-seeking, haha. But from someone who gave us Dirrty and Nasty Naughty Girl, I wonder why I was even surprised. Haha.
On May 31, 1985, tragedy struck when 41 tornadoes hit Canada and the US, leaving 76 people dead. At the same time, a doomed couple in the Philippines were having the best orgasms of their lives. Nine months (280 days) later, a healthy baby boy was brought into this world by normal delivery. That was exactly a week before Microsoft had its initial public offering.
Today, Yoshke Dimen resides independently in Mandaluyong City. He got a degree in Film from an overrated university in Diliman but is now pursuing a career in Social Media.
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