Sorry (Since I've Been Gone): TOP 5

Hello!

OK... So, I've been gone for a minute. I traveled out of town and promised myself that while I was gone I would post. Obviously, I didn't. Its been sometime since I last wrote and I didn't exactly know how to approach this as a lot has happened. So, I decided to talk about what I believe to be the top five things that have happened in the world since my last post. You might not agree with some of my choices as I try to stay away from tragedies here. The world is full of tragedy. It happens everyday and the world/news/daily life is full of it. It is for this reason that I try to keep this area as fun and drama free as possible (Until, of course, I change my mind then all bets are off). Now... Let's begin!


#5:  Rihanna's "ANTI" Goes Platinum Without Going "Platinum"
Apparently, you can go platinum without going platinum. On January 27, the Pop goddess tweeted to fans that they could download the new album for free via Jay-Z's music streaming service, Tidal. There is a long history behind this that I will not get into. However, in a nutshell, the Jigga Man brokered a $25 million dollar deal with Samsung to sponsor Rihanna's album and tour.  Rihanna is the prized star artist on Jay-Z's RocNation label and this is the first album she has released under it.  One could only surmise that he would want her album to go platinum as soon as possible. But, does giving the album away to a million different residents constitute as reaching platinum status? Apparently so because someone had to pay for those copies. This is where things are getting foggy.  Some say that the money to buy those copies came from Samsung's $25M deal while others speculate an unclaimed source. It's all a very confusing situation. Especially since shortly before the album was released on Tidal, it was briefly leaked on the same site. The leak caused everyone to scramble and release the album with the giveaway ahead of schedule although the giveaway was a part of the plan from the beginning. Some speculate that the "leak" was also a part of the plan although both Tidal and Universal Music Group deny it and describe the incident as an "error". Either way, it is what it is. The RIAA has announced the album's platinum status and there's nothing that can be done about it. I have no complaints because I love Rihanna and [Samsung or no Samsung]the album was going to go platinum regardless. What worries me is that, if all of this is true, it means that anyone with the capital can potentially go platinum. What's worse is that they can go platinum with no one even liking the artist or their music. That's scary. But the RIAA states that platinum status is awarded to artists who meet rigorous standards to join the ranks of iconic recording artists. They also stated that with the new digital age of music, the music industry's trade organization will update its policies to award certification upon release date as opposed to waiting 30 days which is what they did during the days of physical release (Remember those things... They were round... Ah, yes. CDs!).  This comforts me as not many artists can be called "iconic" but what about the music itself. Many great and even "iconic" artists have put out albums that suck. So, what does this mean for the future of music? Also, what does this mean for the value of platinum status that was once so coveted? I guess only time will tell.

#4:  Blake Griffin Decks Assistant Equipment Manager
On January 23rd, Los Angeles Clippers' power forward Blake Griffin broke his shooting hand punching Clippers assistant equipment manager, Matias Testi, in the face. Apparently they were at a restaurant in Toronto when an argument between the two started resulting in Blake giving the man a black eye.

The two had been good friends for years below the incident and no one has spoken on how the fight was started or what it was about. The guy must have said something really bad, as far as I'm concerned. Blake Griffin has a public persona of being mild-mannered, charismatic and funny. An all around chill kind of guy. Yes, there was in the incident in Las Vegas in 2014 where he supposedly slapped a guy and took his cell phone at a strip club. That makes sense. Maybe he doesn't wants photos of himself at the nudie bar plastered all over TMZ.  But Testi must have said something awful to, first, get punched in the face and, second, get punched in the face so hard that the man breaks his hand. That's serious.  The NBA is currently investigating the matter but it looks like he'll be suspended for a couple of games. Griffin is also recovering from a torn quadricep which has kept him off the court since December and was expected to return soon. Add the broken hand and now it looks like we won't see him again until March! Seriously... Its terrible. My FanDuel has suffered immensely during his absence.  This is just a crappy situation that has blemished the Blake Griffin brand and the LA Clippers but its affects won't be lasting. People are going to forget about this faster than the Ebola outbreak (Yeah... Remember that?). These are real people and sometimes real stuff happens. Its life. People get punched in the face. What's one to do?

#3:  Zika FEVER!!!
You've heard of Swine Flu, Avian Flu and SARS. Well, this new craze is going to make all of those look like Mad Cow! Lets hear it for ZIKA! The new sickness who's fear is sweeping the nation!!! Seriously, though... There's a new hit disease on the block. I've always found it amazing how these diseases can exist for YEARS but once it affects Americans in the most minor "6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon" kind of way it becomes an extinction level epidemic but... I digress...  The Zika Virus, named after the Zika Forest in Uganda, was once just isolated to that area before moving across Africa. It eventually moved towards Easter Island and has now found its way to Central and South America along with the Caribbean.  The virus is spread mainly by mosquitoes, however, an infected person can infect another via unprotected sex. Are you terrified yet? Here's the really scary part... Are you ready? This virus has yet to kill anyone. EVER! In fact, the symptoms of Zika fever are so mild that treatment consists of rest, fluid and Aspirin. That's right. Move over, OxyCotin. Aspirin is about to get really cool. I think what's got people going crazy is possible affects of the virus on infants. Unborn babies, to be more exact. Scientists have discovered that Zika fever can spread from pregnant mother to unborn child resulting in Microcephaly, a disorder/deformity causing infants to be born with abnormally small heads with poor brain function and a decreased life expectancy. Its because of this possibility that countries across the globe have issued travel warnings for pregnant women or have just flat out suggested that they not get pregnant period until there is a better understanding of the virus and how it affects an unborn fetus. A bunch of babies born with physical defects is definitely not cool. But what I find to be extremely not cool is how once everything dies down on one medical front, the media infects the public with the fear of another "threatening infectious disease". I feel like the media does this to distract the public from the real things that are going on in our society that greatly effect us.  These things that they are trying to distract us from are usually matters that would outrage any normal person and would make them want to take a stand. Unfortunately, Americans are so stupid, they usually don't realize when they're getting the proverbial "Okie-Doke". Makes me sad for future generations but, moving on...

#2: The Iowa Caucus & New Hampshire Primary
After the Iowa caucus last week, the first stop on the presidential primary slaughter tour will be New Hampshire where a political bloodbath is sure to ensue... And boy, are we excited! It will be first primary and is very important because it allows the candidates to appeal to a broader audience. Also, undeclared voters can go either republican or democrat or whichever way they'd like. The NH primary also gives momentum to the campaigns of those who do well.  This doesn't mean an automatic win of the general election but it does give a head start and a much needed boost.

Who's ready for a dinner show? Get ready because the "song and dance" that's about to be shelled out by these candidates will make The Rockettes look like a really bad rhythmless kindergarten recital. And with all of the mudslinging that already started with Bill Clinton calling Bernie Sanders' campaign "sexist" and the Trump/Rubio drama things are really about to heat up. I could rant on politics forever so, I'm just going to stop here before I go off and save my energy for the number one spot.

#1: Super Bowl 50 = THE WORST SUPER BOWL EVER!!!! (except the halftime show)
Last night was the second most disappointing Super Bowl EVER (first was when The Patriots met the NY Giants the second time... Don't get me started) and I am beyond pissed for a few reasons. First, that was Peyton Manning's last Super Bowl. He hasn't announced that he's retiring but we all know he is, he knows he is and he knows its time to hang it up.  I had a feeling that "The powers that be" would give this Super Bowl to Peyton simply because they know its his last and that exactly what they did. That's right, folks... I believe the game was rigged. I don't know who or how but you can tell that Cam Newton wasn't in on it because of how apparent his confusion was. His team wasn't performing on the level that they normally do and his frustration was on levels that fan had never seen. After the game, things didn't get much better.

That is Cam Newton at the postgame press conference. He was quiet, gave one word answers and, ultimately, walked out on the conference. Instead of seeing how devastated he was, all the media can do is talk about how he didn't handle his loss with grace and how he's a big superficial baby. Every quarterback in the history of the Super Bowl that has lost, leaves the field looking just as (if not more) angry as Cam did. However, they're not getting the same scrutiny as Cam is. Why? Is it because he's a young Black man? Is it because they figure that a QB who can dish out as many celebratory dances in the end zones after touchdowns can't take his first and only loss of the season? It could be either or. But people need to understand that when you have an undefeated season just to lose at the Super Bowl is beyond brutal (Just ask Tom Brady... DAMN THOSE GIANTS!!!) so you can't attack the man for being upset. Second, where was the Panthers' offensive line? Why wasn't anyone protecting Cam???? I've never seen a QB on such a high caliber team get sacked like that. No one is making catches, fumbles happening all over the place and a missed field goal by Gano (A kick I've seen him make a million times) because of "the wind"??? Absolutely terrible.  Speaking of "terrible"...  Then, there was the defensive line. Garbage. So many open lanes and passes. It would've made more sense it they would just move out of the way and let the Broncos wide receivers just catch the ball.  Thirdly, the commercials... They sucked. Except for the movie trailers, the commercials for the most part were dumb. I really look forward to super bowl commercials but this year was a real let down. It was a disappointing night. The Panthers lost, I didn't get to see Cam dab and it was just a total disappointment. I just hope that they come back next season with more fire than they've ever had in their lives. It would also be great if it was Panthers vs Patriots. That would be amazing. There was one good part of the night and, unless you're deaf or living under a rock, you'll agree. It was the halftime show.

Coldplay+Beyonce+Bruno Mars=AMAZEBALLZ!!!!! Bruno was especially incredible with his swag set to 100 (pronounced "one hunit")and transcending to a level of funk that I have never seen. Absolutely amazing. Beyonce debuted a live performance of her new hit, "Formation", that had ladies everywhere proclaiming that they had hot sauce in their bags. Coldplay was their usual mellow out, feel good, super-positive-but-we're-not-pussies selves. Together they lit up the stage to provide a performance that has gone down in history as one of my top ten fav Super bowl performances. Also, if you were born in the 80s and was wondering if Beyonce's ensemble looked familiar, you most definitely should've.

That's what I call paying homage.

Well, that's all folk! Once again, I apologize for the delay and will try to make sure it doesn't happen again. However, I travel somewhat often so expect some delays sometimes if my new post isn't up by Sunday. This is going to be an interesting week and I'm looking forward to going over all of it again in a few days. Please read, share, comment, IM, tweet, carrier pigeon, the works.

CIAO, PEEPS!