We Are The World 25 For Haiti

I have to admit, I was skeptical when I heard about the 'We Are The World 25 For Haiti' initiative.I was around for Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas" which 4 months later inspired USA for Africa's "We Are The World".

I'm not exactly the biggest fan of pop music as it is right now. So many of the faces in this new video are people I have no CLUE as to who they are. The little boy who began the song/video - who is he? I read he was a Disney product. Was that a male or female who sang before Josh Groban? Usher did a decent "Huey Lewis" section of the song. The only "rock" oriented person there was the blonde chick who played with Michael Jackson- there was some tiny, half of a second shot of someone who resembled Carlos Santana maybe in the video. I suppose that kind of diversity isn't wanted.

Anyway, I think this is one of those rare occasions where a 'remake' or 're-imagining' works. I especially liked the little rap towards the end. Where was Eminem? I thought Jamie Foxx's tongue-in-cheek Ray Charles imitation was funny. The interwoven Michael Jackson footage and voice was interesting; even if the so called "duet" w/ sister Janet was obviously cheesy, it's all for a good cause, no? It was neat to see Lionel Ritchie and some old familiar faces from the original effort.

I personally think they could have had a very financially rewarding, very humorous opportunity by having people vote via donation as to whether or not Barbara Streisand or Celine Dion should be on the single or video. I personally would have given to see them removed or left off. Now I realize these womern have huge appeal and they will drive in donations from their fans worldwide into the effort. Heck, NAMBLA could do a charity record with these two on board and people would for the most part, blindly give to that event.

We really have to be careful about pouring all this money in Haiti. There needs to be at least a paper trail. Wyclef Jean's Haiti charity ran afoul with mismanagement and waste, but he publicly admitted so and "fixed" things. Nobody seems to remember all those deposed for one reason or another world leaders who had caches and just obscene amounts of UN and US aid stored away when their hideouts and palaces were raided. The most recent were a few of the street corner thugs in Haiti- and who could forget Saddam's sons' stashes?

There's gonna be a little corruption, a little "admin" cost in everything. We should really just watch where the money goes. That's all I saying. Give if you want. Just be aware that throwing money at something doesn't always solve the main problem.

Monday Evening FEBRUARY 1, 2k10

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HAPPY FEBRUARY EVERYBODY!!

SOOO the new $3.83 TRILLION dollar budget doesn't include NASA's effort to return to the moon in 2020. It DOES include a 1.56 trillion dollar deficit. It DOES contain over 9,000 'earmarks', or 'pork'. Whether you're a Republican or Democrat, somethings in Washington NEVER change.

Although President Barack Obama's push for a health care overhaul has stalled, conservative lawmakers in about half the states are forging ahead with constitutional amendments to ban government health insurance mandates.

Rip Torn was so intoxicated when he broke into a Connecticut bank Friday carrying a loaded gun that he thought he was home, taking off his hat and boots and leaving them by the door, according to court records. The 78-year-old actor was wearing the same battered boots Monday when he was arraigned on several charges after spending the weekend in a police holding cell near his hometown of Salisbury, in northwestern Connecticut. Torn, who did not enter a plea, was released on $100,000 bond a few hours later.

A U.S. attempt to shoot down a ballistic missile mimicking an attack from Iran failed after a malfunction in a radar built by Raytheon Co, the Defense Department said.

A popular and eye-popping mix of stars like Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga drew a TV audience of 25.8 million Americans to the Grammy Awards -- the biggest TV audience for the telecast in six years, according to preliminary television ratings on Monday.

A traffic reporter in a small plane put himself in the thick of a rush-hour tie-up when his aircraft had to make an emergency landing Monday morning on the New Jersey Turnpike.

Some of the new Super Bowl ads this year will be a hoot! One will reunite Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo as the Griswolds. One will feature Steeler Troy Palamulu as punxsutawney phil, and GoDaddy.com will feature Danica Patrick in several movie spookfs- one including her version of Kelly LeBrock's "Lisa" character from "Weird Science".

and finally--

Twenty-five years after star-studded anthem "We Are the World" raised millions of dollars to aid famine relief in Africa, celebrities of a different generation were set to gather Monday night to re-record the charity tune to benefit Haiti.

Among those scheduled to perform on the revamped track the night after the Grammy Awards were Akon, Jason Mraz, Bono, Wyclef Jean, Carlos Santana, Enrique Iglesias, Usher, Toni Braxton and Lady Gaga. The session will be held at the same recording studio where the original was cut - the historic A&M complex in Hollywood.

Quincy Jones, who produced the 1985 anthem, announced last week that he planned to redo the song to benefit recovery from the deadly Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti.

The session was all the talk at Sunday night's Grammy festivities. Music producer RedOne said being asked to participate was "the biggest honor a musician can ever do."

"Having Quincy, our father of music ... and Lionel Richie asking me to contribute and help, I said of course, because this is not about me," he said. "It's about Haiti."

Written by Michael Jackson and Richie, the original "We Are the World" thundered up the charts when it was released on the radio and in record stores in March 1985.

An unprecedented number of top pop musicians gathered at A&M the night of Jan. 28, 1985, following the American Music Awards, to record the tune. The song featured 45 American superstars, including Jackson, Richie, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Ray Charles, Bruce Springsteen, Diana Ross, Bob Dylan and Cyndi Lauper.

The record raised more than $30 million for USA for Africa, a nonprofit organization founded by the singers to fund hunger relief in African nations.