In Other Super Bowl News, Christina Aguilera Screwed Up the National Anthem
[Guest post by Aaron Worthing; if you have tips, please send them here.]
Yep, she screwed it up by wailing and generally over-singing it, and overall coming off about as comfortable as a prostitute in church.
And she got the words wrong, too.
Seriously, I didn’t notice she got the words wrong last night, because after five seconds of it, I pressed the mute button. Why can’t anyone just sing this song straight?
And personally I consider this to be the definitive got-the-words-wrong rendition of the song:
Update: Thanks to Noah in the comments who points me toward this performance:
I prefer my renditions even simpler than that, but its a massive improvement over the wailing most pop stars seem obligated to do.
[Posted and authored by Aaron Worthing.]
What ever happened to that Spears chick? She’s gotta need company.
gary gulrud (790d43) — 2/7/2011 @ 7:13 amWhy don’t we just declare Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” our national anthem?
dhmosquito (564257) — 2/7/2011 @ 7:20 amdhm
honestly, i HATE that song as an anthem. it sounds too circus-like for my blood.
Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 2/7/2011 @ 7:25 amYou want to hear the National Anthem sung right, try Jim Cornelison at the Bears Seahawks game a three weeks ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vztaKADYY8
Noah (026d7f) — 2/7/2011 @ 7:26 amI love our anthem. It means something.
Sure, the words are a little difficult to remember, and most don’t even know the other choruses, and few can hit all the notes.
Oh well. It only takes a few runthroughs before a kid learns the words. It’s sad that this isn’t a common part of childhood education.
Personally, I find the idea of jazzing up most of the notes to be selfish and lazy. It’s much more impressive when someone can sing the song true. Noah’s example is beautiful (aside from the screaming that makes it difficult to even hear the song).
Christina was picked for her celeb status, when I am quite sure there were many singers in Dallas capable of singing this song beautifully. They should just hold auditions and pick a good singer.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 7:34 amIt was based on a british drinking song, so it shouldn’t be that hard to sing
narciso (e888ae) — 2/7/2011 @ 7:38 amIf she wanted to be noticed she should have sung the song straight … THAT would have been shocking …
JeffC (488234) — 2/7/2011 @ 7:42 amJeffC, that would have made her a million new fans.
But it takes a lot more skill to sing the song straight than to cover your errors with crazy reverb.
This isn’t her fault. As you say, it would have been shocking if she got it right. This is the event’s fault for relying on her.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 7:47 amShe should have taken lessons from Whitney Houston.
Planned Parenthood (a2a019) — 2/7/2011 @ 7:55 amThe anthem is sung to the tune of an old drinking song (Anachron in Heaven, I believe, but don’t quote me on the spelling), and is fairly difficult to sing. A Great Trained Voice is one thing Ms. Aguilera isn’t.
It could be worse. P.J. O’Rourke once described the Albanian National Anthem as sounding like the Marine Corps Band playing Wagner’s Ring Cycle while falling down all the stairs in the Washington Monument. I have a cousin who lived in Albania for a while, so I read that to her. She tipped her head on one side and said “That’s actually pretty close”.
C. S. P. Schofield (71781e) — 2/7/2011 @ 7:58 amIf you think she butchered the national hymn, just check her rendition of James Brown’s “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” – it’s Abu-Ghraib material, and the song is almost unrecognizable.
Oplontis (0692b1) — 2/7/2011 @ 7:58 am“This isn’t her fault.”
WTF? She was the one who was supposed to sing the damn song.
daleyrocks (479a30) — 2/7/2011 @ 7:58 amWorst-ever public singing: Mike Ditka performs “Take Me Out To The Ballgame.”
Don’t care for Aguilera’s music, but she did a good job hosting SNL a couple years back; knew her lines and did good voice impersonations.
gp (72be5d) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:02 amTrue, but it would have been shocking if she had done a quality job. She did worse than expected, but I primarily blame whoever decided to pick a celeb singer instead of a good singer.
If I sold you a space shuttle built by Brittney Spears, would it be her fault when it crashed?
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:05 amChristina sucked. The rock-starization of our national anthem has been a bad, bad development all around. More Jim Cornelisons please. In that Bears clip even the players clearly were taking note of his singing. How often does that happen anymore at sports events?
elissa (9a28b3) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:12 amI actually used to like her singing. She CAN do it, when she isn’t trying to hit every note man has ever hear on her way to the next ACTUAL note. When she sings straight, she’s got a great set of pipes.
I think the problem so many people have when they sing the national anthem – especially at an event as big as the Super Bowl or World Series – is that they think they need to be “fancy”. They feel like they really need to punch it up so they can be remembered for the best performance ever.
Frankly, looking back, I can’t help but wonder if she was trying to warn us about the Halftime Show.
Scott Jacobs (d027b8) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:20 amNobody does the National Anthem like chicago! Go to youtube and look up the 1991 NHL All-Star game at the old Chicago Stadium – the original Madhouse on Madison. You see, in every city most fans sit there politely and listen to the song and then clap and cheer at the end. Not in Chicago. In Chicago everyone sings and claps and cheers and hoots and holla’s through the entire freaking song! We are Insane in Chicago for the National Anthem because we believe in American exceptionalism and greatmess.
J. Raymond Wright (e8d0ca) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:23 amI still like the Hansen brothers from Slapshot, “listen to the f@cking song!”.
All that warbling or whatever it is call is silly. When did that crap become a mark of good singing. Why sing 10 notes when 1 would do just fine?
JD (d48c3b) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:24 amThere was actually an over/under line on several aspects of Ms. Aguilera’s rendition of the anthem. I won $10 taking the over on her holding the word “brave” longer than six seconds.
JVW (1a2602) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:26 amJD, this is all because of Palin’s raising taxes and being a liberal. Right?
Seriously, as for celebrity singers, well, it could have been worse. Roseann Barr comes to mind.
Or even CA during her “Dirty” period.
Simon Jester (54af14) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:28 amAnd I LOVE “Slapshot.”
Simon Jester (54af14) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:28 am1. It’s not even as if she was expected to memorise the whole song; all she had to do was one damned verse and she couldn’t even manage that.
2. To Anacreon in Heaven wasn’t a drinking song per se, it was the official song of a drinking club. They may have sung it while still sober, before the festivities began.
Milhouse (ea66e3) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:29 amReason #234 why I want to slap every single person in Chicago.
It’s the National Anthem – stand up, hats off, and shut the hell up. Clap when the singer is done.
Scott Jacobs (d027b8) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:30 amElissa
i have said it on PP before, but one of the best performances of this sort was ray charles singing “america the beautiful”–i think it was 2002. he did such a good job of it, you saw these giant, mean looking football players tearing up. he improvised a little, and made it almost like a blues song. but what he did to it made it gorgeous.
Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:30 amUgh, Barr’s anthem. All she was trying to do was tick people like me off. She’s just a troll of the last generation. And yet, I fall for it.
Sad that she simply emulates dumb celeb anthem speakers, cranked up a few notches, when she’s actively trying to demonstrate disrespect. She’s got a point. Cristina’s style of singing is disrespectful. The problem is these ‘artists’ think the song is a great chance to glorify themselves, and don’t worry much about the song itself.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:31 amSimon
yeah, i think she has been “dirty” since she debuted. seriously, she was like a sluttier Britney Spears, only ironically she actually could sing if she just calmed down a little.
Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:32 am@Milhouse –
No, it was an honest to goodness, sung in the tavern before, during, and between rounds drinking song.
We’ve slowed the song up considerably. Sing it about 75% faster, and you can almost hear the tankards being pounded against the bar in time.
Scott Jacobs (d027b8) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:33 amWhy the hell do you think I listened to her??
Scott Jacobs (d027b8) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:34 amI had the privilege of attending a Blackhawks home game a few weeks ago. Jim Cornelison does a very nice job. I like the little bit of theater when he gestures up at the flag “still there” and they turn the air on and the flag waves. As a long time Christian Conservative Jingoistic Xenophobe, the theatrics are appealing.
I watched the game with about 40 people and no one noticed her flubbing the words, because everyone was talking about how brutal her version was to start with.
carlitos (8230f6) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:35 amI first heard Chrstina Aguilera when I heard “Genie in a Bottle” (Genio Atrapado) in spanish. She’s way hotter en español.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsYg48vuOTo
carlitos (8230f6) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:39 am“If I sold you a space shuttle built by Brittney Spears, would it be her fault when it crashed?”
Dustin – Absolutely. Why would you doubt it? It’s fraudulent to sell a product not suitable for its intended use unless all its defects are disclosed.
A singer should not accept the gig unless they can complete it satisfactorily. The National Anthem is not the easiest song to do in public, especially for our younger generation, but she flat out blew it. She’s supposed to be a professional and prepared. There is nobody else to blame.
daleyrocks (479a30) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:41 amSlapshot belongs in the permanent video collection of any respectable man cave.
daleyrocks (479a30) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:44 am== but what he did to it made it gorgeous==
Yes, I agree A.W- A nice idea of Heaven on earth for me is hearing Ray Charles singing his famous version of America the Beautiful.
elissa (9a28b3) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:48 amOK, but in my hypo, I’m the one who sold you that product. Similarly, the Superbowl organizers are the ones who sold us this crappy rendition of our anthem.
That’s where I think the real responsibility lies. Cristina fell short of what I’d expect of her, but what I’d expect of her is unacceptably lousy. She was hired to do something close to what she did. They wanted a celeb sex symbol to jump all over the notes, and she tried to do that.
So while it is still understandable to criticize Cristina’s disrespectful rendition, I think the ultimate responsibility is on the people who had every reason to expect that, and still put her on stage. If we ask who made this call, and criticize that person, perhaps future event organizers will search for someone who can sing.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:53 amI disagree with your assumptions. Cristina was not expected to be professional. I’m not even confident she was expected to get the words right. She has a boss. Someone hired her, and her performance reflects on their management.
Did they rehearse? Was she hired because she usually sings songs recognizably? Perhaps you’re not familiar with her other covers, but she has an established record of ruining songs she is covering because she is self absorbed, and wants to make it all about her.
You assume she was expected not to be Cristina Aguilera, but I think the NFL itself, and the direct organizers, owe us an apology and should take responsibility. They should do their best to have the professional singing you rightfully consider baseline quality.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:59 amSorry to flood the thread with comments, but just imagine some manager went up to Cristina to critique her singing, or ask her if knows the words.
My guess is that she’d act like Raquel Welch on Seinfeld.
Yet they hired an unmanageable, unprofessional mess. And they will do it again. The NFL probably LIKES that she screwed it up, because they get so much more publicity. The spectacle of the occasional is just that much more. They want a huge event that we all pay attention to. They don’t want a respectful rendition of the anthem, because most people won’t even notice it.
They love the idea that we are bashing her, and saying it’s all her fault. Reminds me of Janet Jackson’s wardrobe error. I honestly do not care about this football league because I very much do hold them accountable for the dog fighting, the drugs, the DUIs, the genitals exposed, the anthems butchered. They like that we’re talking about their latest jackass because that gets more eyeballs on screen.
I’ll stick to NCAA.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 9:09 amI recall that Ms. Aguilera has done this tune many times without flubbing the words. She’s done it at all the major teams in Pittsburg, for starters.
Dustin, are you suggesting that the NFL hired someone whom they secretly hoped would make the anthem itself a controversy?
carlitos (8230f6) — 2/7/2011 @ 9:13 amWell, I can’t know that. But I do think they enjoy having controversies, and this effects their choices and tolerance for low character people. Did they actually plan out this level of screw up? That’s extremely unlikely. Did they know they put someone unprofessional on-stage to sing an important song? Absolutely, and they did this knowing that if she screwed up enormously, that would ultimately make them more money.
We’re talking about their event more than we otherwise would be. They constantly embrace the ‘no such thing as bad publicity’ concept.
They have accepted a guy who tortured dogs. They were not disappointed when Cristina butchered the song.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 9:18 amBTW, I recall her butchering songs quite a bit. I’m sure she’s sung the anthem without getting the words wrong before, but I doubt she’s ever sung it well.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 9:19 amReason #234 why I want to slap every single person in Chicago.
It’s the National Anthem – stand up, hats off, and shut the hell up. Clap when the singer is done.
The reason why the audience’s response was so emotional in that clip is that the game was held right after the first Gulf War had begun, it was announced on the air by Bush. So no, you don’t want to slap every single person in Chicago, Scott. Next time understand the history before going off on a bender.
I turned the sound off as soon as I saw who the singer was – she’s always ridiculous, the same MO every time. Yodeling, screeching, dragging out a two – minute song to something like five minutes. BTW, I don’t mind the Peas, but WTF was that last night? That wasn’t singing by any measure, they were just screaming the words out in pregnant pauses. And how lame is it to drag Slash out of his crypt in order to make your act seem a little more, I don’t know – better?
Dmac (bbe45b) — 2/7/2011 @ 9:26 amAnd Lyle Lovett still did the anthem the right way at last year’s World Series game in SF – simple, straight to the point and terrific.
Dmac (bbe45b) — 2/7/2011 @ 9:27 amHow the hell else would you explain the fact that we’re talking about the Anthem, and not the abortion that was the halftime show?
Scott Jacobs (d027b8) — 2/7/2011 @ 9:28 amIT was punishment. The whole lawsuits-over-GnR-songs thing earned him a sentence of hearing Fergie finish the raeping of Sweet Child of Mine that Cheryl Crow started.
Seriously, that halftime show was God’s punishment for an evil world.
Scott Jacobs (d027b8) — 2/7/2011 @ 9:31 amOnce I could forgive. That it is a pattern is not.
Scott Jacobs (d027b8) — 2/7/2011 @ 9:32 amUm, really? That shows that the NFL intentionally hired someone to screw up the national anthem. Does this strike anyone else as being nuts?
I didn’t hate the halftime show as much as my co-viewers did, but I really don’t like the Black-Eyed peas. Fergie’s homage to Axl Rose’s snake-dancing was lamer than lame.
carlitos (8230f6) — 2/7/2011 @ 9:34 amGreetings:
The best rendition of our National Anthem I ever heard was at opening day at Yankee Stadium back in the ’60s. An opera singer by the name of Robert Merrill was apparently the beneficiary of not only knowing what an anthem is but also having access to its sheet music. It continues to bewonder me why sports teams fail to give local opera singers, both established and upcoming, opportunities to demosntrate their mastery of both their instruments and their material.
11B40 (dabe50) — 2/7/2011 @ 9:40 amI don’t think you understand what’s being said.
Of course they hired her well aware that she sings like an idiot to the point of controversy. Don’t swap that with a conspiracy to skip some words. That’s not what anyone is saying.
They accept a guy who tortured dogs. They do not mind someone who tortures words and notes, too.
How many times will they NFL have a controversial aspect to their superbowl before it’s obvious to you that they are not trying to avoid it.
And indeed, if you don’t try to avoid unprofessional BS from celeb trash, you almost guarantee you will have some.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 9:41 amI was going to give Christine a pass on this one. Even for a seasoned pro, singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl must be a nerve-racking gig.
So I was going to give Cristine a pass on this one, until I read that the (incorrect) lyrics she sang were actually the same ones that appeared on Wikipedia (they have since been corrected).
I’m sorry, but any American who doesn’t know the National Anthem and has to get them off of Wikipedia deserves the mocking they get.
I didn’t mind her warbling (or whatever that’s called). At least it wasn’t autotuned.
FWIW, I’m with AW on our anthem. Musically, I just don’t like the tune either. As someone once noted (with irony), they made the word “free” so high that nobody can reach it.
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 9:42 am“How the hell else would you explain the fact that we’re talking about the Anthem, and not the abortion that was the halftime show?”
If we had a thread about the halftime show, we would be talking about it, rest assured.
daleyrocks (479a30) — 2/7/2011 @ 9:43 amdustin
the answer in my opinion is that the fault is twofold. Christina for accepting and singing so badly. and the NFL, fox, everyone involved in that decision to hire her and not get those horrible vocals under control.
everyone involved has a piece of the blame. and the black eyed peas were pretty weak too. the lowlight was when they sang sweet child of mine. fergie sounded like a bad imitation of axl. although admittedly easier on the eyes.
Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 2/7/2011 @ 9:48 amIt’s always pretty amazing to me that people will say they don’t like our historic and awesome anthem, one of the greatest stories in musical history, because it’s difficult to sing.
Such a lazy people we have. It’s sad. They want me to pay for their Prius and their house and their Tylenol. They want to trash our anthem because it’s challenging.
Sing some of the notes and octave low, you idiots. This isn’t complicated.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 9:48 amAgreed.
It’s perfectly reasonable to bash Christina for her performance. Without any management at all, someone should be expected to do honor to this anthem. To know the words, to know the notes, to practice many times…
And yet it wouldn’t be reasonable to expect Christina to give a crap about that, because she’s a washed out celeb with a track record. If she had sung this song beautifully it would have been far more surprising than what happened (and it’s not possible, since that would take talent).
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 9:50 amKman
> FWIW, I’m with AW on our anthem. Musically, I just don’t like the tune either. As someone once noted (with irony), they made the word “free” so high that nobody can reach it.
Um, what are you talking about? i like our anthem. yeah, its hard to sing right, but it means something. its a gorgeous song. and yeah, so we end up all sounding like a group of old ladies singing it, but most of the time it means something too.
its about a moment of trial, when we weren’t sure if this nation could survive and remain free. and a triumph of that will. the war of 1812 was mainly us getting our behinds kicked for several years with one victory in New Orleans after it was all but over. And that song takes us back to that unsure hour.
Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 2/7/2011 @ 9:52 amI think it captures a specific moment in time (the defense of Fort McHenry), and it’s a nice homage to the flag I suppose.
But, to me, it doesn’t embody the spirit of the entire country the way, say, America the Beautiful does, which is much more melodic as well.
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 9:55 amYup. My bad. I took #3 out of context.
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 9:56 amLOL
carlitos (8230f6) — 2/7/2011 @ 10:01 amCarlitos’s general point is true. The NFL didn’t story board me seeing Janet Jackson’s nipple. They didn’t take a script of the anthem and black out some of it, cackling away.
But come on… they want us talking about controversy. It’s Happy Gilmore cranked up to 11,000.
This kind of thing isn’t worth pulling our hair out over, but the NFL is trashy, and I don’t have time for their drama.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 10:11 amkman
the main verse of america the beautiful has virtually no substance. its like praising a woman for having nice t-ts and a hot @$$, but saying pretty much nothing about anything between her ears. its damning with faint praise and in relationships, its not exactly a recipe for lifetime loyalty. it isn’t until many verses in that you start to hear more about the “brotherhood” alluded to in the first verse, especially speaking of the civil war.
That was one of the brilliant parts in charles’ rendition, pulling out those lyrics.
yeah, i know for alot of americans, showing us willing to fight to the death for our freedom, of not surrendering in the face of overwhelming odds, doesn’t really speak for alot of people. and shame on them if it doesn’t.
This is America. This is not just a place, but an idea, a belief, a religion even.
Aaron Worthing (b1db52) — 2/7/2011 @ 10:18 amNo doubt (and I mean absolutely no doubt) you have never read the entire lyrics to our anthem. You also haven’t really thought about the ideas behind these two songs.
One is about fighting, and persevering over hardship. The other is about how pretty the landscape is.
One has everything to do with what’s great about our country. The other would apply to any place with a postcard vista somewhere.
America is naturally gorgeous. I admire that. I don’t think it makes sense to be nationalistic about something like that. We are a proud republic that used warfare against our king. We survived as underdog, and that is our spirit.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 10:19 amWow, Aaron completely preempted me, and made my point, only much better.
Jerk.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 10:19 amAmerica the Beautiful is a song Al Gore or Joe Stalin could agree with. It’s a song every ‘hide the decline’ activist would be able to agree with. It is a great song, and I like it too, but how can America’s anthem be something kooks and frauds and monsters can agree with?
Our anthem must say something that sets us apart from other countries. America is special in that our nationalism is to our constitutional republic, not being German or French or Arab or Anglo, and not our location on the map, but our ideals.
And I am not surprised that some people really hope to see that changed.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 10:22 amDustin
i like to think of it as “great minds think alike.”
and my language is precise. the main verse of america the beautiful is 99% beauty and 1% brotherhood. But the later in you get lyrics like this:
Now if we sang those lyrics, i would feel better. but personally i like the format of the Star Spangled Banner. instead of talking in generalities, pick one instance, one fight, and have it embody what we all should believe in.
Aaron Worthing (b1db52) — 2/7/2011 @ 10:34 amWell, that’s kind of my point. America is more than about just “fighting/persevering”, which is why I find The Star Spangled Banner to be a limited choice. It’s speaks of only one ideal.
America the Beautiful, to my mind, sums up what we fight for.
And if you get beyond the first verse, AtB is NOT a picture postcard in musical form. It talks about how forefathers and “liberty in law” and other cool stuff.
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 10:35 amI am pretty sure that kmart is incapable of agreeing with anything AW says.
JD (ae44dd) — 2/7/2011 @ 10:44 amThe Star Mangled Banner
redc1c4 (fb8750) — 2/7/2011 @ 10:46 amNope. And the thinks he is oh-so-clever to rephrase AW’s point to the exact opposite of what AW said, and then agree with that.
It’s not the first time he’s done it, and it reminds me of the wit of a preschooler. As always, everything Kman does can be understood if you assume he is desperate for Aaron to pay attention to him all the time.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 10:48 amdustin
i will also add that what makes “Star Spangled Banner” great is that the song has drama. Its not a group of platitudes. its a story.
it was literally that Key was trapped on board a british vessel, watching his countrymen get pounded, and he worried that his nation wouldn’t survive. would they take down the flag? And all night as he watched during the bombardment, he could see against the flashes, the flag was still there. And so it ends the first (and best) verse with it being morning and answering the question: did the flag survive… and it raised it to an additional rhetorical level by asking if that flag still waved, over the land of the free and the home of the brave?
Its the drama and the tension at the end that makes that song beautiful.
Aaron Worthing (b1db52) — 2/7/2011 @ 10:50 amThat’s well said, Aaron. I actually think about the battle, and Key’s hope, when I sing or hear the song. It means a lot to me that America has overcome, and fought to be free. It’s something that can also be expressed more generally, but we all know that the specific experience conveys the idea more clearly.
The same feelings Key has are feelings our troops had at Fallujah, or around a downed helo in the mountains of Afghanistan. In hundreds of years, some Americans will face their fears with hope in the same way.
But look at that double rainbow! Hippies like that better.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 10:53 amso he wrote some lyrics and set it to a popular British tune.
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 10:56 amDustin
> But look at that double rainbow!
lol, you saw that video, too…
and if you haven’t noticed, just about every nation’s anthem says they are a lovely country. seriously is there one in the world that says, “i love this arm-pit of a country.”
Ah, well there is the East German National Anthem:
Hail, hail East Germany
Land of fruit and grape
Land where you’ll regret
If you try to escape
No matter if you tunnel under or take a running jump at the wall
Forget it, the guards will kill you, if the electrified fence doesn’t first.
I will try to add video to this comment in a second.
[here you go]
[And no, that’s not the real East German National Anthem, just a joke from Top Secret!]
Aaron Worthing (b1db52) — 2/7/2011 @ 10:57 amKmart is a small pathetic tiny person.
JD (ae44dd) — 2/7/2011 @ 10:58 amI’m just saying… couldn’t it have at least been an AMERICAN tune?
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:00 amYep. Is that bad? It’s a rousing proud song. We were largely british folks at the time. So he wrote some great lyrics about his personal experience, and set it to a song that everyone already knew how to sing.
What a great thing!
He wasn’t even trying to be a titan of musical history. It wasn’t about him at all, even though it’s his personal account.
It’s great on so many levels. We are a perfected Britain in some ways. So is our anthem. Our link to Britain isn’t something we should be ashamed of. It’s our history.
You’d rather sing double rainbow.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:00 am/watches TSK9’s video
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Kman has been thoroughly schooled once again. He’s whining that we used a musical tune from another country, but his entire idea is to use the same theme of everyone else’s anthem.
Once again, ideas don’t matter. He’s pretending he didn’t whine that the song is difficult for him to sing. He’s too damn lazy to sing the national anthem, let alone read it.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:04 amWell, in the 40 years prior to Key’s poem, we had fought the Brits twice (once for independence). One would think most Americans considered themselves American folks by then.
Look, it’s a fine song. It just seems to me we could have made a better selection (in 1930 or whenever)
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:05 amYou are an imbecile. Quit embarrassing yourself.
JD (ae44dd) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:07 amKman
> so he wrote some lyrics and set it to a popular British tune.
Hardly surprising. the dirty secret of the america revolution is that we were intentionally invoking the british revolution. we were throwing the principles of Locke and their Bill of Rights back into their faces. Seriously read their Bill of Rights. It reads like the American Bill of Rights, combined with the Declaration of Independance, only without that gorgeous preamble. and the preamble is mostly a cliff’s notes version of Locke’s second treatise.
The truth is, in the American revolution, we didn’t really defeat the british so much as convinced them to stop fighting, in significant part because they were wrong. we divided ourselves into Whigs and Torries, in mimicry of British political divisions, in a blatant effort to convince the Whigs to support us.
This is precisely why so many American patriots, having rebelled against england, nonetheless saw them as our natural allies in the world. Because they believed that both nations had essentially the same principles, only the british had strayed from those principles in the case of america. Hardly a surprise they would take their songs, too. It made more sense than when we celebrated the birth of the prince of France, as though the birth of a future absolute monarch was a cause for celebration in a free country. i barely can stand our adulation of the modern royalty, but at least they are stripped of power.
Aaron Worthing (b1db52) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:07 amOur flag is red white and blue! Like the Union Flag!
Oh no! It’s as though were somehow British in culture and allegiance, only perfecting the ideals.
We speak English! Oh no! We should come up with our own language.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:10 amIt’s great on so many levels. We are a perfected Britain in some ways. So is our anthem. Our link to Britain isn’t something we should be ashamed of. It’s our history…
Comment by Dustin — 2/7/2011 @ 11:00 am
Nicely said.
no one you know (325a59) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:13 ambtw, this line from Top Secret has unintentional funniness:
> Nick Rivers: Hillary. That’s an unusual name.
> Hillary Flammond: It’s a German name. It means ‘she whose bosoms defy gravity’.
Um, does that include the Secretary of State?
Aaron Worthing (b1db52) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:14 amAnother performance by someone who knows the anthem isn’t the place to showcase their improvisational skills:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a-iqkroTGw
Gary (c43dd9) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:15 amAW:
I hear that, but it still strikes me as odd that one uses a British tune in an anthem that (supposedly) is intended to express unique American-ness.
The anthem is our theme song, and using a British tune makes us seem like a spin-off.
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:15 am+10000000
I once had dinner a British girl who was an intern for Sen. Hillary Clinton (this sounds almost like something DCSCA would say, but it’s true, and it was plutonic). She kept criticizing Bush, to which I asked why she wanted so much involvement in the affairs of another country when hers has a freaking monarch. She took my disrespect for the idea of a monarch to be extremely rude, and I’ve never really understood why (I didn’t even insult the Queen personally, because I don’t have a problem with her personally so much as her accepting a royal station in the 21st century).
I see it was as very insulting to British citizens, as though they are born inferior. And I think a lot of people in that country are fixated on our country’s politicians because they don’t want to pay much attention to some sad aspects of their lack of freedom or progress as a republic.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:17 amThe 10 worst anthem performances
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:18 amDustin, did you mean “plutonic”? Because I think I have had a few of those relationships over the years.
Simon Jester (c8876d) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:19 amThe anthem is our theme song, and using a British tune makes us seem like a spin-off.
Comment by Kman — 2/7/2011 @ 11:15 am
Well…I see your point, but though I wouldn’t have used that exact word, we actually are. Aren’t we?
no one you know (325a59) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:20 amDustin
btw, here is a link to the original text of the british bill of rights.
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/england.asp
And here’s an interesting experiment. get a text copy of the Declaration of Independence. Then get a copy of Locke’s second treatise. Turn them both into word files and then run “compare document” on the both of them. The results are interesting. most of the phrasing of the declaration’s preamble is taken straight from Locke.
A perfection of british principles is exactly how the american revolutionaries saw themselves. they swept that under the rug over time, but as of 1812, everyone knew it to be the case.
btw, speaking of revolutionary stuff, if you have not seen the miniseries “John Adams” you should. it is very good.
Aaron Worthing (b1db52) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:20 amBut we are a spin off. Can you stop for a second and read Aaron’s comments instead of arguing with something you don’t understand.
You say it as though it’s something to be ashamed of, that we took the ideas of Britain to the next level. That our ideals were not innovative in theory, just in practice.
You act like having an anthem is more of an art contest for originality, rather than a real experience of a patriot witnessing our country survive. You don’t get it, because you’re such a snot.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:20 amSimon, my mistake. I misspelled Platonic.
Legitimate error rather than typo. Mea culpa.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:23 amDustin, did you mean “plutonic”? Because I think I have had a few of those relationships over the years.
Comment by Simon Jester — 2/7/2011 @ 11:19 am
Heh. Thought it rose to the level of “planetary” but it didn’t work out, or something along those lines?
“The big yellow one is the suuun!” –Brian Regan
no one you know (325a59) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:24 amOh, I didn’t know there were rules. Can you provide a link?
I think America does represent something original, and I think that ought to be represented in our anthem. You have a different opinion — you think it has to be “America – Fuck Yeah” or something. That’s fine. Perfectly valid. I just don’t happen to agree.
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:25 amAaron, just added John Adams to my netflix mail queue. Keep forgetting to check that one out.
John Locke should be considered a Founding Father. I preferred how he articulated what we call ‘pursuit of happiness’ as simply property rights.
Insofar as some took flourishes with his work, I think they slipped.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:27 amdustin
let’s not beat up on kman too much.
he constantly reminds us so much about what we love about this country… by failing to represent any of it. that’s not all bad. negative examples can be useful.
Aaron Worthing (b1db52) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:27 amTranslated: “Patriots can only come from the right of the political spectrum”
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:29 amNoyk – uranus is usually readily identifiable as well 😉
JD (306f5d) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:29 amYour translator is effed up, kmart.
JD (85b089) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:31 amKman
> Translated: “Patriots can only come from the right of the political spectrum”
You have made it abundantly clear that you don’t like all that icky fighting for freedom stuff.
You also don’t like blind justice. You don’t like the people to rule on most subjects. You’re not crazy of all that freedom of speech, right to bear arms, and so on. not to mention you lack basic honesty, principled positions, or even the ability to read and consider the views of others before disagreeing. I would not be too quick to cede those principles to the right wing.
Aaron Worthing (b1db52) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:33 amJD
the funniest line in a mystery science theater 3000 viewing of Hercules v. the Moon Men, paraphrase:
Movie: “He shall be sanctified by the blood of Uranus.”
Joel, Tom and Crow, together: “Ew!”
Aaron Worthing (b1db52) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:35 amLOL. It’s so easy to win arguments when you translate them instead of read them.
Except you’re only winning them in your head, and everyone else thinks you’re a douchebag.
Just comparing you to this British girl I mentioned above. She was a die hard lefty, but she bought a Texan Conservative dinner to pick his brain about why people would support Bush. Apart from the idea of interning for a foreign country’s legislature, she was interested in understanding, rather than your bizarre obsession with repeating the same ‘I refuse to give you good faith’ shtick for a decade.
You don’t have to be conservative to be an insightful party to a discussion. Though I suspect people who have good faith can’t be completely to the left once they grow up.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:35 amComment by JD — 2/7/2011 @ 11:29 am
This is exactly what I like so much about the Sockpuppet Friday threads – people zinging off each others’ jokes, one after the other. What a hoot.
MST3K, come to think of it, worked in the same way which is one of the reasons it was so hilarious. The other reason being the aptly named Best Brains. Ever see Girls Town with Paul Anka (“Mel insisted on doing his own stunts”) and Alien from LA with Kathy Ireland? Two of the best.
no one you know (325a59) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:43 amYeah, we Americans also stole the music for “God Save the King” and set our own words to it.
Francis Scott Key wasn’t a composer of music, so he recycled a tune. BFD.
Some chump (4c6c0c) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:46 amRight. Also, I strangle kittens. I do. In front of the elderly. Yup, strangling kittens in front of the elderly, that’s me. But only in between turning tricks. And whatever else you can think of to make yourself feel superior.
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:46 amNOYK
re: girlstown.
mimi van doren. her image is etched in my brain. the picture of that woman walking around while the gang sings “gigantor!” is classic. “She is wearing a nice little outfit that says… ‘look at these!'”
Aaron Worthing (b1db52) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:49 amIsn’t the fact that you’ve stalked Aaron for nearly a decade, in truly pathetic form, meant to show that you think Aaron’s superior? He’s obviously dominating your mind without trying to.
The things Aaron accused you of are shown in this thread. You’re the one who tends to accuse people of things you have no evidence for.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:51 amKman
unlike your fantasy, i can back up everything i said with things you have said and done.
starting with your dishonesty. i’d document it, but for who’s benefit? everyone here has seen your bad side. no one respects you. you are an irritant but you persuade no one, even the people who tend to agree with your conclusions.
But you keep coming back and getting more abuse, losing every argument and so on. why don’t you go have a life and leave us alone?
Aaron Worthing (b1db52) — 2/7/2011 @ 11:52 amOn the topic of opera singers, I believe there’s a story that that’s how Benjamin Franklin got our national anthem to be chosen. He had an opera singer sing it in front of the voters, who chose it over much simpler songs.
luagha (5cbe06) — 2/7/2011 @ 12:00 pmSshh, shhh. There, there. It’s only internet debate.
But seriously, all I did was voice my opinion on a subject for which there is no “right” or “wrong”. It’s amazing to watch you all get frenzied whenever someone in your presence goes “off message”. Like a swarm of angry bees, you all go into attack mode, spending about half the time engaging in ad hominem, half the time puffing yourself up, and almost no time in substantive debate. It is a little amusing, I must admit.
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 12:06 pmNo, you ‘translated’ what people said to say the opposite of what they meant. Twice in this thread alone, but thousands of times over the course of 9 years.
You have some kind of mental illness.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 12:09 pmHave I even known you for 9 years?
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 12:12 pmYep, Kman, the fact that you have been stalking Aaron for nearly a decade is somehow related to how long I’ve been aware of your kookery.
That’s perfectly reasonable of you.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 12:14 pmluagha, Benjamin Franklin was long dead when the Star Spangled Banner was written.
SPQR (26be8b) — 2/7/2011 @ 12:17 pmSo, uh, you were aware of my “kookery” nine years ago?
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 12:19 pmAlso, the SSB was chosen as the national anthem until the 1930s.
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 12:20 pmGrrr… wasn’t chosen as the National Anthem….
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 12:20 pmSo, uh, you were uh, aware of Francis Scott Key’s lyrics 198 years ago? Uh?
Note: you aren’t denying anything. Just pulling some completely lame ‘well, you weren’t in my room at the time!!!!’ crap.
So, how many years have you been responding to Aaron in the way you are here? What year did you first email Aaron about your inability to get a boyfriend?
Just deny it straight up. Has it been 4 years or 8 or 30?
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 12:23 pmGet out the fainting couch again for Kman. He’s a VICTIM!
daleyrocks (479a30) — 2/7/2011 @ 12:33 pmDustin:
Around 2004-2006 (maybe as early as 2003?), “AW” and I both blogged at a place called “Freespeech”, and we both responded to each other’s posts pretty much the way we do here. It wasn’t his blog; it wasn’t my blog.
At some point, I left and started my own blog. That was around 2006, I believe.
Occasionally, I would see “AW” on other law-related blogs that I read (Volokh Conspiracy, for example) in various comments sections. I don’t ever recall engaging him specifically, or at least, if I did, it wasn’t with any regularity.
I believe it was last year at Althouse that I came across him again, where he was mercilessly pimping his own blog (“Allergic to Bullsh*t”). One day, I clicked through, and added it to my newsreader. But I only responded to him on a handful of his posts.
But in between Freespeech and here, I rarely crossed paths with him. I know now that he had some blog a couple of years ago, the point of which was to make fun of Muhammad, but I didn’t know it at the time and I never commented at his blog. Presumably, if that site is still there, you can go and see for yourself.
That’s what AW calls “stalking for 10 years”. Of course, he lies, and you swallowed the lie hook line and sinker.
Which says a lot about the both of you.
The same year you stopped beating your wife. Wow, are you gullible.
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 12:43 pmSo you admit to acting this way towards Aaron for 8 years, Kman. Why did you pretend I was wrong?
Seriously: you seem to have some kind of mental illness. This is not an attempt to bash you. You’d be worse if you didn’t seem this way, IMO.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 12:53 pmBTW, Kman, have you emailed Aaron before? Have you ever mentioned in your emails something about your love life? I’m not trying to gay bash you in the slightest, but did the fact you’re gay come up?
If so… why? Aaron doesn’t want to talk about that, creep.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 12:54 pmUh, no. English not your first language?
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 12:57 pmI remember when Roseanne Barr attempted to “sing” the Star Spangled Banner. Fred Rogan, a sportscaster for the local NBC affiliate used Naomi Beard as an example of how the Star Spangled Banner should be sung. Now Naomi who goes to my church does a wonderful job. Unfortunately that was such a long time ago there is no recording available. However, Steve Amerson who also goes to my church does a straight up job singing the Star-Spangled Banner.
Tanny O'Haley (12193c) — 2/7/2011 @ 12:58 pmLame, Kman. I noted you’d been behaving like this for 9 years, you say:
and you admit this was ‘maybe’ 8 years ago.
The way you’re acting in these threads is weird. You insist Aaron’s wrong about *anything* and either boast or accidentally show you didn’t read what he wrote.
And you admit this has been your hobby for at least 8 years.
I guess if I really think you’re crazy I shouldn’t try to reason with you, but this is not normal.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 1:00 pmYou have no idea how bad it gets! I’m not you… I can’t make it on a coupla high-altitude f@cks once or twice a year! You are too much for me AW, you sonofawhoreson bitch! I wish I knew how to quit you.
JD (d4bbf1) — 2/7/2011 @ 1:08 pmI have, in fact, emailed AW before. On two or three occasions, last year, to respond to some points in his “Allergic” blog (he didn’t have a comments section). I would characterize our back-and-forth as “spirited”, but not quite like it is here (he doesn’t grandstand as much).
No, I never mentioned my love life to him (why would I?) in my emails. I never mentioned anything to him about being gay or straight in my emails. If I did happen to mention my girlfriend, it was incidental to something else, but for the life of me, I can’t imagine why I would mention her.
Aaron knows I am not gay. He knows that from way back when we were both at freespeech.com. He was just taking a cheap shot at me, Dustin, and it was said by him out of frustration. Let it go and don’t take it so seriously. I don’t.
So have I satisfied your curiosity? Are you ready to move on?
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 1:08 pmBWAHAHAHAHA
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 1:10 pmWell, you seemed a little obsessed with my history with AW. Do you have it out of your system now?
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 1:12 pmJD:
I had to go to imdb. You know… you got those quotes almost exactly right, word for word!!!
Favorite movie?
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 1:14 pmBTW, it’s not that Aaron isn’t grandstanding in his emails. He actually doesn’t want to talk to you. Pick up on that.
Congratulations on having a girlfriend. If Aaron was just trying to note you’re creepily obsessed with him with a little humor, maybe you should just … move on?
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 1:15 pmUnintentional ironymeters worldwide just shattered.
JD (d4bbf1) — 2/7/2011 @ 1:15 pmSo now the tolerant leftist secproggie is trying to insinuate that I am gay. How very leftist of you.
JD (d4bbf1) — 2/7/2011 @ 1:16 pmLet me get this straight: you want to troll every single thread Aaron in in, blaming him for lying, sometimes even blaming him for lying in posts he didn’t even write (and didn’t have any lies, of course). you want to do this for 9 years! (or 8, if you’re honest, which… you aren’t).
But if I point this out, I’m obsessed. You come into a thread and derail it with nonsense, but the person who calls you out accurately is ‘obsessed’. You insinuate I made up the idea you were stalking Aaron for almost a decade before you actually admit it.
I usually ignore you, but if I feel like calling you out, I’ll do as good a job as I have here. Don’t worry… I realize it’s a distraction and won’t do it unless I think the thread topic isn’t that important.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 1:18 pmBTW, Dustin, I think it’s adorable how you stand up for Aaron every chance you get.
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 1:22 pmOk, sport. You do that. 🙂
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 1:24 pmIt’s not like i’m afraid to disagree with him. But Aaron doesn’t freak out when people disagree with him, so it’s not a big deal.
I do think it’s disturbing that you’re stalking him, Kman. Good people call out douches like you all the time, and I’m sure you’ve been dealing with this all your life.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 1:26 pmKman can’t even tell the truth about his stalking.
He stalked me long before freespeech.
it was 2002-3 when i first ran into him. arguing about lawrence v. texas, if memory serves. i guess he took that kind of personally.
Aaron Worthing (b1db52) — 2/7/2011 @ 1:39 pmOur arguments about that case were after-the-fact.
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 1:44 pmWere they arguments, Kman? You said they were like this exchange, so I just assumed you meant you lied or failed to read something, and Aaron patiently explained it to you, and so you lied some more and looked really dishonest.
Just imagine what your life would be like if you didn’t stalk Aaron tomorrow. You could spend the next 9 years learning how to play the violin, or flying helicopters, or writing fiction (you should be pretty good at that one). You may think I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 1:50 pmInternet: Serious Business.
carlitos (8230f6) — 2/7/2011 @ 1:51 pmYes, you ASSUME much, Dustin. But your inability to read and comprehend the English language is not a deficiency on my part. It’s like you have no interest in truth, just the narrative you’ve already worked out in your head.
And that’s fine, but it doesn’t particularly interest me in the long run.
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 1:56 pmYou keep saying this, but you’re the one who has repeatedly misconstrued what others have written. It’s a punchline at this point that ‘Kman didn’t read it’.
You said your prior interactions with aaron were like your interactions here. You said they went back 8 years when freaking that I said 9.
I’m not misunderstanding you… you’re just not holding your own in this thread, as usual.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 1:58 pmDustin
> Just imagine what your life would be like if you didn’t stalk Aaron tomorrow. You could spend the next 9 years learning how to play the violin, or flying helicopters, or writing fiction (you should be pretty good at that one)
Or he could learn to read and comprehend statutes and case law. He could actual attain competence in his profession.
Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 2/7/2011 @ 2:00 pmLOL, you think he’s a lawyer.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 2:02 pmIt’s not about the content of the performance, but the presentation.
AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92) — 2/7/2011 @ 2:04 pmOverall, the greater the celebrity of the performer, the worse their rendition of the Star Spangled Banner will be.
Oh, but you are.
If I stopped to correct everything you said that was wrong, it would be a full time job.
For example:
I never freaked here. In fact, if you had a webcam on me, you would see that I’ve been laughing most of the time (at you).
And then you’ve got me debating you on whether AW and I were “arguing” or “exchanges” (like, duh, it can’t be BOTH?)
You’re basically an idiot, Dustin. I’ve answered your questions. Now you run along and think what you want to think. I couldn’t possibly care less. At least AW has an education and isn’t a gnat.
Kman (d30fc3) — 2/7/2011 @ 2:05 pmguys we have gone on about 143 comments.
we know what kman is.
he will never admit it.
i suspect he will never get a life and go away, or instead turn a new leaf and start arguing honestly.
i suspect he will never stop cyberstalking me.
so i say stop giving him so much attention. yes, it is fun to kick him around because he makes it so easy.
but we know what the score is. further discussion doesn’t change that.
Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 2/7/2011 @ 2:09 pmIn response to my pointing out Kman has been stalking Aaron for “nearly a decade” you said:
And then I asked you point blank how long you think you’ve been acting like you are in this thread towards Aaron, to which you said 8 years.
And you say
Your behavior in reaction to someone calling 8 years “nearly a decade” is markedly unusual (AKA Freakish).
You know, I was under the impression you were extremely upset about my opinions, going so far as to try to mock me with puppy love videos and gay bait trolling. If you don’t care, why do you act like this? Could it be that you’re a liar, Kman?
And I simply quote you to prove my point, while you consistently get everything you say about others wrong.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 2:13 pmAaron, if it weren’t about Christina Aguilera, I wouldn’t bother. I wanted to get under his skin by asking him point blank why and how long he’s acting like this, and his explosion towards me has satisfied me.
No, it’s not changing anyone’s mind, and no, it’s not important. The best reaction Kman could hope to get is liberals being embarrassed.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/7/2011 @ 2:15 pmKman
> At least AW has an education and isn’t a gnat.
first, you are more like a tick in a person’s bunghole, sucking blood and other material.
second, i don’t know what dustin’s credentials are but he is smarter and knows more than you. if you are “better educated” in the sense that you went to school longer or to a better school, then that must have been time wasted for you. You should ask for a refund.
[embarrassing typo fixed.]
Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 2/7/2011 @ 2:17 pm_________________________________________
Yep, she screwed it up by wailing and generally over-singing it
Beyond that moment, there was a segment earlier on — shown to the TV viewer, if not the people in the stadium too, and which I believed was narrated by Michael Douglas — that honored the NFL and its Super Bowl. Damn, it was so friggin’ pretentious and hokey. Done in the manner of: “This glorious Super Bowl, this noble ritual, this heroic event, is God’s gift to America. We at the NFL request humans everywhere bow their head and say ‘amen’.”
Mark (411533) — 2/7/2011 @ 4:55 pmIf anybody still cares, here’s how the National Anthem should be sung:
Billy Rawl (af5c25) — 2/7/2011 @ 7:16 pmWell, the player showed in the preview but disappeared when I submitted the comment. Here’s a link:
Billy Rawl (af5c25) — 2/7/2011 @ 7:20 pmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ETrr-XHBjE
Got a cite for that? The Anacreontics may have been drunks, but they weren’t drunk all the time! At least by their own declaration they devoted themselves as much to the myrtle as to the vine, and that rules out more than a certain level of sousedness.
Milhouse (ea66e3) — 2/7/2011 @ 7:39 pm“Palin to Aguilera: That’s what your hand is for, dumbass.“
Dana (8ba2fb) — 2/7/2011 @ 7:42 pmLoL Dana!
elissa (9a28b3) — 2/7/2011 @ 7:45 pmUpdate: On Monday, Aguilera explained her gaffe.
“I got so caught up in the moment of the song that I lost my place,” she said. “I can only hope that everyone could feel my love for this country and that the true spirit of its anthem still came through.”
daleyrocks (479a30) — 2/7/2011 @ 8:28 pmIn what I consider related news, Dallas gave the key to the city to Michael Vick.
A piece of garbage, who I admit served his criminal penalty (though is on probation).
Why would we want to pretend he is a positive example for Dallas boys? We’re telling them that any depraved evil is OK if you’re a rich star.
I accept that ex-cons need to earn a living, but those who showed true evil should not be given stations of honor. The NFL thinks it itself as a glorious thing, so why include Vick at all?
Makes me sick. Dallas’s next mayor should have a ceremony where he withdraws this honor and condemns Michael Vick as a piece of trash.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 2/8/2011 @ 9:39 amI like that they did it without the Mayor’s knowledge. 🙂
Scott Jacobs (218307) — 2/8/2011 @ 11:18 am