What an incredible year in music! Many of the artists we know and love brought us great music in 2004. Not surprisingly, many new faces entered the music scene as well. Some of them even vaulted to the top of the charts during their debut. The infusion of this new blood only added to the wonderful diversity of music you can find in the world today.
While trying to decide how to wrap up the year in music, I thought it best, pardon the corporate cliché, to think outside the box and review my five favorite libelous events the music industry experienced over the course of 2004. Drum-roll please.
5 ) They put Miss Ross in the
slammer
Sentenced to 48 hours in jail because of multiple DUI's ( one of which was 0.20%! ) , and for driving southbound in the northbound lane, Diana Ross served out her two day sentence. Poor thing looked ragged when she came out. Or maybe it was just that damned wig.
4 ) Courtney Love loves court
In and out of courtrooms for various drug charges, one of the better scenes was when she fired her lawyer because he wouldn't help her plead not guilty. How very Larry Flint of her. Drug rehabilitation came a'callin. Keep her away from the coffee.
3 ) R. Kelly can play doctor all he wants
He was cleared of the child pornography case in Florida because the cops didn't have a warrant to search for the camera he used to take pictures of him and an underage girl. HELLO! Did anyone miss the part where he DID have sex with a that girl? And yet his adoring fans still buy his music and support him. The Illinois case against him for more of the same is still undecided. Ugh!
2 ) Ashlee Simpson likes karaoke
Or at least that's what we all thought while watching Saturday Night Live. Her "reference vocals" began playing the wrong song. Following the incident were excuses like "acid reflux" and "sore throat". A string of live webcasts recently proved to me that indeed, she has a bad voice and is in dire need of a "reference vocal".
1 ) Nipplegate
Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake pulled THE stunt of the year with an erotic costume reveal that was so brilliantly done, it rewrote the law books forever. Personally, I loved every second of it, but the ignorant American masses didn't think so. With all the cheerleaders dancing around, the farting horse commercials, and the overt female sexuality vaulted into the faces of the millions of children watching the Superbowl ( wasn't there a game with the women in bras and panties? ) , we will remember Nipplegate most of all. In the words of Bernie Mac "Ain't nothing wrong with a little boobie. Boobie feeds the world."
Come party with me at Spin for New Years Eve!!!
Always with you in 4/4,
Peter Mavrik
peter@windycitymediagroup.com
