One of my favorite phenomenoms about LJ is when people say they are not accepting friends.

"Sorry, I am not accepting friends right now", says the intrepid blogger.

It's such a good idea that I have decided to use it in real life.

"Want to grab something to eat?"

"No.  I am not taking new friends now."

Still, I know I am not the most Friends page-friendly LJ'er.  I like to post a lot of YouTube videos, and some people hate that.

I like to blog about music.  I know it doesn't get more cliche than saying "I like music".   Everybody loves music.

Still,  I spend most of my money on music.  I have been to as many concerts as anyone.  The magazines I buy are about music.  The majority of blogs I read are about music, and I am constantly searching out new music and streaming music.

The fine group assembled here are music fans too.  I have people here who make music, host radio programs, and will spend their free time searching out the most obscure releases and record stores.

I like to share music I like.  I know I can't stay on top of everything, but I figure my role is to promote stuff that I like, and you all will do the same.

I have a handful of intermittent music series here.  I have the New Music Intitiative (promoting off-the-radar and up-and-coming bands), Bad Cover Version (a series I share with def_fr0g_42  that highlights covers), the  One Million Greatest Songs of all time (the definitive list that blows anything Q and Mojo can come up with), Great Lost Albums, and (among many season-themed series) every February, because it seems I'm not alone at being alone, it's Plastique Valentine time.

So, I have added to the list, with On The Shelf, which will highlight new releases that have seen the light of day in the last six months or so.

Stay tuned.

For the last two weeks, the biggest story in the newscycle is the death of Michael Jackson.  So much so that the main sports story has been a tweet by football player Chad Ochocinco (his legal name.  It's a long story).

Mr. 85 compared the deaths of MJ and Farrah Fawcett to 9/11.

While understandably, his comment is over-the-top, there is something to it.  Jacko's death will be one of our generation's moments we will remember where we were when we heard it (I was headed home from work, listening to sports radio).

As we are reminded, the first 15 years of Jackson's career, he revolutionized pop culture.  Thriller changed the landscape.  It's quick to do the lineage-  without Jackson, does MTV succeed?  Does R&B become mainstream radio's genre of choice?  Which is to say at the end of the day we have Jacko to blame for Spencer Pratt and "Birthday Sex".

For the last 15 years of his career, Jacko went to great lengths to make Howard Hughes look like an old man who just doesn't like to shave.  As those images from the first part of his career (collaborating with Vincent Price and John Landis on Thriller or Martin Scorcese and Richard Price on Bad, the moonwalk at Motown 25 or the later day videos with Eddie Murphy, Iman, and Naomi Campbell), we also have burned into our conscience the images of Jacko dangling his kid from the balcony, the interview following the 93 LAPD investigation, and the Bashir interview.

As in life, Jacko still is the most intriguing (whatever your take) character in Entertainment, as we find out, he was planning to adopt the Octomom's kids.

Still, there has been a flurry of interesting news stories since, mostly surprising deaths.  In the middle of all this, Sarah Palin is stepping down in the middle of her term.

It is a very odd move happening a good two years before primary season.  Not that I would imply that she is stepping down because of any impropriety.  Although as Michael Reagan among others pointed out, comparisons to the Great Communicator may be a bit off (Ronald Reagan took time off between being governor of California and running for President.  He, however, stayed long enough to be re-elected to a second term and filled out his commitments).

All of this craziness is good news to that other governor, Mark Sanford, who in other times would have anyone beat for weirdest story.

Sanford's case lead to one of my favorite articles of the past month - Should Middle Aged men hold office?

The article should be taken with its original intent- a response to all the GOP blowhards who bring up menopause as a reason a woman shouldn't be in power.  If G. Gordon Liddy can say that nonsense without question, but Ms. O'Brien gets a blizzard of responses to her tongue-in-cheek article; well, your double standard is showing.

It has become a symptom of our generation's politicians for whatever reason, that a significant number are willing to throw everything away for an affair (Clinton, Edwards, Ensign, Spitzer, Gary Hart).  There seems to be something in the middle-aged alpha male politician, but we also live in a time where the media doesn't miss a thing.  (I have seen this play out in people I know, too, but I don't want to get any hate mail myself by making generalizations).

For all of the answers that "Clinton did the same thing as Sanford"- well, Clinton never abandoned his job.  Sanford may not step down, but the GOP is not known for standing by their men.  Give them an excuse and they'll roll over them in a second (Foley, Livingston, DeLay, Craig, Hastert).  Newt Gingrich seems to be the only they have forgave, but he had to step down from his Speaker post and spend a few years in the wild.

At the end of the day, you can just tell everyone Sanford was a Democrat.

After news of this weekend's murder of football player Steve McNair, let's hope we can go a few weeks with some slow news days.

It sounds like everyone had a fun and safe Fourth.

Still feeling patriotic?  Why not buy your officemates Chia Obama Heads.

Available in Happy or Determined. Not available at Walgreen's.




Of course, if you have a (much) more sizeable budget, maybe you can buy your own animatronic Obama like Disney: