Strollerderby : music

Adult Music For Little Kids: Get Over It

JeanneSager — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:26:00 GMT

When we get in the car, my daughter puts in her musical requests. "The Rolling Stones, please!" Yes, she's three (almost four), and she loves her some Mick and Keith.

The quota of "adult" music to kiddie tunes in her section of my iPod is an almost two to one ratio. Just because they're kids doesn't mean they have to listen to inane bouncing around nonsense, right? Right?

Well, sort of. Because "adult" music is not always the kind you want your kids singing on YouTube. But for all the ickiness of tots twirling their hair and singing Lady GaGa's Poker Face on Hannah's post last week on Strollerderby, one commentor made a good point: "You think 9 year olds understand the meaning of the lyrics?"

Because I hadn't a clue when I was a kid that Mick was "running to the shelter of" a Xanax. Knowing it now, and realizing I used to run around the house singing it, proves that no innocence was lost. I didn't grow up to be a pill head. Nor do I have some sort of problem with hearing voices after choosing Laura Brannigan's "Gloria" as my favorite tune when I was a kid and then naming half of my dolls in honor of the paranoid pop song.

Maybe I'm slightly defensive here - after all, while reading Hannah's post on Lady GaGa, I realized my daughter had walked into the room and was singing along (and I honestly couldn't tell you WHERE she'd heard the song before). But she's three. And just thinks "muh, muh, muh, mah" is really cool to say.

Kind of like "let me please introduce myself" at high Mick quality volume. We're just listening to music. We don't have to get into WHY Keith Richards looks so pickled and never pull up the Annie Liebowitz pictures of Jagger on tour.

We have limits - no Notorious BIG (and no, she didn't get to watch the movie with us either), no matter how much fun is to say "uh." Because, in the immortal words of Mick, "you don't always get what you want . . .but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need!"

What "adult" songs do your kids ask for by name?

Image: Voices.com

Weird Holiday Alert: My Bucket's Got a Hole in it Day

JeanneSager — Sat, 30 May 2009 13:32:00 GMT

There are certain things every child needs to know. Chief among them: at least one song that will drive their parents absolutely bonkers (or their grandparents if you prefer).

And considering today is "My Bucket's Got a Hole In It Day," we're happy to oblige.

Because if Pete Seeger at 90 can get up onstage and inspire a rendition of There's a Hole in the Bucket (out of Kris Kristofferson and Ani DiFranco, no less), than your kids surely need to know the story of Liza and Henry. Right?

The old German folk song has been a Seeger favorite and recorded by the likes of Burl Ives, about a couple who just can't seem to get things right. Or at least never fix their bucket.

It's annoying as all get out, but hey, you have a whole summer to teach it to your kids then let them loose at the family reunion, right? So we rustled up the lyrics for you, courtesy of a Girl Scouts Song Lyrics Index on About.com:

Liza: Henry! Fetch me some water!
Henry:There's a hole in my bucket dear Liza, dear Liza
There's a hole in my bucket dear Liza, a hole.

L: Well, fix it dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Well, fix it dear Henry, dear Henry, fix it.

H:With what shall I fix it ...
L: With a straw dear Henry ...
H:The straw is too long ...
L: Well, cut it dear Henry ...
H:With what shall I cut it ...
L: With an axe dear Henry ...
H:The axe is too dull dear Liza ...
L: Well, sharpen it dear Henry ...
H:With what shall I sharpen it ...
L: With a stone dear Henry ...
H:The stone is too dry dear Liza ...
L: Well, wet it dear Henry ...
H:With what shall I wet it ...
L: With water dear Henry ...
H:In what shall I fetch it ...
L: In a bucket dear Henry ...
H:There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza ...

If you take a video of your kids doing it, put it up on YouTube, but really, you don't have to share it with us. The knowledge that we're not the only ones with this song now permanently stuck in our heads is thanks enough!

Image: Current

Our Childless Interns Review Your Kid’s Music, Part 3

editors — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:00:00 GMT

Cathy Heller, Say Hello to the Sun

Heller, who has written song for Kodak and the Jim Henson Company, promotes (you guessed it!) positivity and self-confidence on her ‘Say Hello to the Sun’ CD. Heller describes herself as a mix between Carole King and Punky Brewster; I thought she sounded more like Lizzie Maguire, but her ballad ‘Make A Wish’ proves that she can really sing.

Various, Funky Kidz Music

I don’t have kids, but I’d feel no shame in jamming to these funky, revamped covers of classics like “Yellow Submarine,” “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and “This Little Light of Mine.” The dude that sings the standout track “If I Only Had A Brain,” sounds eerily like Michael Buble.

Captain Bogg & Salty, Emphatical Piratical

Grab your floaties, bandana, and eye patch: these upbeat nautical tracks will have your kids rocking out pirate-style in their kiddie pool. Plus, everyone will get a quick lesson in ship parts: “Poop deck, it’s the deck in the back where the captain’s at.”

Brady Rymer, Here Comes Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could

A little church youth group-y, but Rymer’s a genuine country crooner. He and his five-member band could easily be opening in Nashville.

Playhouse Disney, Music Play Date

For better or worse, Disney has a knack for catchy songs, the kind that stick in your head 8 hours later. Seriously. I was humming something called the “Bunnytown Hop” on the subway.

Mr. Ray: Songs for Seeds

Song for Seeds is pure easy listening. Too easy, in my opinion. I kept waiting it for the tracks to pick up but they never did. Maybe this would work for naptime?

Reviews by Andrea Zimmerman.

Earlier Today: Our Childless Interns Review Your Kid's Music, Part 1

Our Childless Interns Review Your Kid's Music, Part 2

Read more from Babble's Music and Video Issue.

Our Childless Interns Review Your Kid’s Music, Part 2

editors — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:00:00 GMT

Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, Easy

If you are a person who has always believed there should be more rap songs about dragons, mermaids, and talking grasshoppers, then this is the CD for you. 23 Skidoo’s debut album, “Easy,” deftly mixes reggae, bluegrass, and funk with classic hip hop beats, and his own daughter Saki gets the best line on the album:

23 Skidoo: Yo, Saki. You got the juice?

Saki: Man, I’ve got more rhymes than Dr. Seuss.

Peter Alsop, Uh-Oh

With sing-a-long classics like "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and the ABCs, listening to Uh-Oh may just take you back to your own childhood days. But be warned: Peter Alsop is not trying to make a crossover album for kids and parents alike. This is straight up kid’s music, so you may get tired of hearing, I don’t know, “Poop Goes the Weasel,” for the forty-second time.

Rocknocerous, Pink

At their best, these sunny tunes take tot rock to a whole new level, like on the R.E.M.- esque “Playground” and the lovely “Lucky Lindy.” However, some of their songs miss the mark by veering into all-too-familiar kid’s music territory.

Daddy A Go Go, Come On, Get Happy

If the Beach Boys and Jimmy Buffet got together to make an album for kids, it would probably sound a little like this one. The songs are fun, singable, and certainly appealing to children, but they all seem to hit the same overtly cheerful note. Listening to “Come On, Get Happy,” is like spending time with a deeply and persistently perky friend: best done in small doses.

Various, Putamayo Kids Presents European Playground

No worries if your kids aren’t as well-traveled as Suri or Maddox: the fifteen songs on this album represent sixteen countries and range from Scottish folk to Scandinavian pop to Belgian quasi-rap. Cheerful in a mellow way, this is one holds up to repeated listenings, and will even teach your kids such useful foreign phrases as “Stop that little kangaroo before it jumps off again!”

Abby and the Pipsqueaks, Abby and the Pipsqueaks

Abby and I clearly have a difference of opinion over whether or not sirens and train whistles -- the world’s most annoying sounds -- should be used in songs.

Reviews by Lindsay Armstrong.

Earlier Today: Our Childless Interns Review Your Kid's Music, Part 1

Read more from Babble's Music and Video Issue.

Our Childless Interns Review Your Kid’s Music, Part 1

editors — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:30:00 GMT

It’s been a while since we’ve had our interns weigh in on the ever-growing stack of children’s CDs in the Babble office. So for the Music and Video issue, we decided to revive the tradition. Here are intern Emily’s reviews; check back later today for Andrea and Lindsay’s two cents. -The Babble Editors

Jonathan Sprout, American History #3

I was excited to get a US History 101 refresher; instead, I had to study the liner notes to find out exactly which hero each song referred to—“Peanut Man,” and “Doctor” not being clues enough for me. The gender representation is well- balanced, with a lower dead-white-guy quotient than I expected. Some of the lyrics, though, may put off younger listeners who don’t yet know that polio “frightens, and cripples and kills.”

Peter Alsop,Wha’D’Ya Wanna Do?: Rainy Day Laughter with Little Kids!

Alsop begins on a whiny, nasal-y note with a song about boredom that left me, well, bored. But take heed: the album’s energy builds until you’re chanting ‘I Am a Pizza,’ your toddler rolling on the floor with laughter.

Ben Rucknick and Friends, A Frog Named Sam

Creole and Bluegrass-inspired musical interludes mix well with Ben Rudnick’s way with words and slight Dylan rasp. Thanks to Ben I have a new compliment: “It’s like a milkshake, when I see your face, I want to drink it up and take it with me.”

Recess Monkey Field Trip

The songs are repetitive to a nerve shattering point. And, while I know that the point of ‘L.I.C.E’ is to inform kids that everybody gets them, this song is disgusting (especially when the lead vocalist takes on the persona of a militant louse.)

Trout Fishing in America, My Name is Chicken Joe

Nestled into a hardcover book of lyrics and playful illustrations, ‘My Name is Chicken Joe’ is an easy-going children’s folk album that perked me right up. The title song is catchy and wise, proposing ‘What’s in a name?’ Grown-ups, don’t tune out ‘My Best Day’with the vacuum cleaner, it’s a sweet tune that will re-center you: “Think about a good time that never ends."

Reviews by Emily Frost.

Previously on Babble: Our Childless Intern Reviews Your Kid's Music

Read more from Babble's Music and Video Issue.

Mother's Day Music: The Least You Can Do

Amy Kuras — Sun, 10 May 2009 18:01:00 GMT

Does your mom like music? And did you just this very second remember it’s Mother’s Day and uh-oh, you forgot so much as a card?

Then National Public Radio has your back, peeps. They’ve complied a music playlist of mom-related songs , whch range from Dvorak to John Lennon’s “Mother” (probably the most depressing mother-related song I can imagine) and Smoky Robinson and the Miracles “Shop Around” (“my Mama told me…”).

Send your mom a link to this stream with an e-card, and you’re covered – sort of. Just hope your own kids show a little more thought when it’s your turn. Because even NPR has tongue-in-cheek titled the list “Mother’s Mix”— It’s the Least We Could Do.”

If you have a little more time for some forethought (and a better relationship with your mom) try making a mix CD for her. I’ve done that for my mom and she loves it, and we don’t even have similar tastes in music.

Classic Mother Songs For Mother's Day

Brett Singer — Sun, 10 May 2009 17:00:00 GMT

There are lots of songs about moms, some with "mother" in the title. "Mother" by Pink Floyd, for example. But that song isn't really about mom.

However, "M-O-T-H-E-R", written by Theodore Morse and Howard Johnson in 1915, certainly is.

M is for the million things she gave me.
O means only that she’s growing old.
T is for the tears were shed to save me.
H is for her heart of purest gold.
E is for her eyes, with love light shining.
R means right, and right she’ll always be.

And what about the Charles Coleman classic from 1914, "Your Mother Is Your Best Friend After All"? ("When your days are dark and drear-y / Moth-er does not grow wea-ry...")

Unless you have a fondness for early 20th Century tunage, or happen to be very, very old, you probably aren't familiar with these musical portraits of momhood. Lucas Gonze, an accomplished musician and computer programmer, wants to change that by transcribing and recording these songs so that current and future generations can enjoy and play them.

Lucas posts both music that he discovers as well as his own renditions of public domain work on his site SoupGreens.com. A few months ago I noticed that he was working on a series of "mother songs", and Mother's Day seemed like the perfect time to share them with you. Here is an interview I did with Lucas via email, followed by links to the music, all of which can be downloaded, legally, for free.

Q: Why did you decide to do mother songs?
A: Mother songs are a lost genre sitting right under our noses. I had no idea they even existed, but there's a ton of them. And they're a cool idea because they go in the opposite direction of things like gangster rap and death metal. What could be less derivative than songs about how you should pay more attention to your mother? This genre is so over the top shameless about sentimentality that it's practically clawing at you, which is so out of style that it's original.
And I like the way that the primal emotional charge of motherhood draws you into a song. It's dynamic.
Also, I almost never do anything good for mother's day. So I'm hoping to not have to hear about how my brother, who is a total ass kisser, is a better son than me. Once in a while I'll send flowers via the internet but usually I just call my mom at the last minute, right at the end of the day when my guilt is bad enough that I have to do *something* or hear about it for the rest of the year.

Q: Why are you using old songs in the public domain?
A: I go back all the way to historical songs because copyright on compositions more recent than 1920 basically never expires, and doing a cover of a song under copyright means you owe seven cents every time somebody downloads it.

Q: Where do you find the tunes?
A: I learn them from early recordings or sheet music. In this case I transcribed a 1929 hillbilly recording and cross referenced it against a 1904 wax cylinder and an 1893 lyric sheet.

Q: Where do you find the sheet music or (gulp) wax cylinders?
A: It's a scavenger hunt all over the internet. In this case the cylinder was on archive.org, the lyric sheet was in a library folklore collection for researchers, and the 1929 recording was on a commercial CD.

Links:
Three mother songs on SoupGreens, via the Internet Archive:

Your mother wants you home, lad, by Robert Price (recorded on 78 RPM)
Snyder, does your mother know you're out? (1899, Performed by: George P. Watson, recorded on wax cylinder)
Blind Willie Johnson-Mother's Children Have A Hard Time (December 3, 1927, recorded on 78 RPM)

Another mom song can be found here: I’m Taking Care Of Mother (While Daddy’s Gone Away) by The Light Crust Dough Boys

Here is Lucas performing "A Widow’s Plea For Her Son" from 1893.

Lucas also links to a big page of mother songs at ParlorSongs.org.

This is just a small sample, of course. If you have any mother songs that you love, old or new, let us know in the comments.

And I almost forgot -- Happy Mother's Day!

Image: ParlorSongs.org

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George Harrison Faked Beatles Signatures for Sick Kid

JeanneSager — Mon, 04 May 2009 14:36:00 GMT

How far would you go for a dying child?

The late great George Harrison apparently figured a child's happiness meant a lot more than some silly authentification process. Handwriting experts have proven Harrison forged the signatures of his fellow Beatles on a photo in the late 1960s.

The picture was for Ann Bartlett, a dying teenager. The story has just come out as Ann's father, Harry, donated the picture to a charity auction to benefit leukemia research. Even with the knowledge that John, Paul and Ringo weren't really signators, the photo, plus another personalized pic of Harrison himself that read "Ann, Hope you will be out of hospital soon, love from George Harrison, XXX" still sold for 1,300 pounds to an anonymous bidder.

Considering Harrison died of cancer himself, this story is nothing if not bittersweet. But Beatles fan or not, can you really be mad at the guy? He wanted to make a sick child happy, and there was no harm done here. In the end, it even helped a cause near and dear to the Bartletts' heart.

When it comes to making a terminally ill child happy, is it OK to cheat a little?

Image: Daily Mail

Nine Year Olds Performing Journey Song

Brett Singer — Sun, 03 May 2009 17:00:00 GMT

You know Journey? Steve Perry? The song "Separate Ways"?

Ever wondered what it would sound like if it were performed by a band made up of 9-year-olds?

Kids Band Playing Journey @ Yahoo! Video

Did it sound like that? Yeah, I wouldn't have guessed it would sound any good, either.

The band is called Recess. They're from Cleveland.

Also, to be fair, they aren't all 9. The singer, Vincent Fondale, is. The rest of the group is Alex Raz on guitar (11), Joey Sampson on drums (9), Alexis Shook on bass (12), and Anthony Fondale on keyboards (13). I guess that means the keyboard player has to back up his younger brother. Which could sort of suck for him. But maybe he's more mature than I am.

They aren't exactly neophytes, either. Vincent has his own web site, and Alex has a MySpace page. Still, they've got talent.

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UPDATE: Jamie Foxx Apologizes To Miley Cyrus

Brett Singer — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 03:30:00 GMT

Jamie Foxx issued a mea culpa on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. EOnline.com reports that Foxx responded with a "Yeah" when Jay Leno asked him "Did you say something inappropriate?" Here's the rest of it from EOnline:

"I so apologize to [Cyrus], and this is sincere...I am a comedian, and you guys know that whatever I say, I don't mean any of it. And sometimes, as comedians, as we do, we go a little bit too far. I have a radio show...We're really the black Howard Stern. We go at everybody. There was a situation with Miley Cyrus, and I just want to say, I apologize for what I said. I didn't mean it maliciously. You know I'm a comedian."

Then, looking at the camera, "Miley, I apologize, so I'll call you. I got a daughter too, so I completely understand."

So there you go. Good enough? I think so. Do you agree?

Original post follows below.

*-*-*-*-*

So, like, hey now.

A little background. Jamie Foxx has a channel on SiriusXM Satellite Radio where he does a show called The Foxxhole. He said some... things about Miley Cyrus (aka Miley Ray Cyrus Hannah Montana Stewart Lipschutz). Someone called in and mentioned Miley's little dustup with Radiohead (she wanted to meet them, they said no, she got pissy and yakked about it on some radio show). The Oscar-winning Mr. Foxx then went off a bit. Here's the audio, which is not safe for work. At all. Seriously. You have been warned.

So yeah. He said it. There are a few other people in the mix, and I'm not sure who said what. I'm fairly certain it was Jamie Foxx who said that Miley should make a "sex tape", and then a female voice added "with your dad." "White bitch" was in there. Also something about doing heroin "like Britney" (I must have missed that headline about Brit nodding out), as well as a suggestion that Miley catch VD from a bicycle seat. (I didn't think that was possible, but hey, what do I know?)

A few things to say here. First, Foxx said this on his radio show this past Sunday. It appears to only be coming out now. That doesn't diminish it, but it does mean that not a lot of people heard the comments. Second, he was trying to be funny. That doesn't excuse the comments at all, of course. But in theory performers get more latitude when it comes to humor.

As for what was said: it was completely inappropriate and in incredibly poor taste. I'm not a fan of Miley's; I think her music is horrible, and the message of her entire persona seems to be that fame is a goal worth trying for, which is something I don't agree with. (That's the short version of a longer thought that I'll share one of these days.) In my opinion you can make fun of anything and talk about whatever you want. But when its an underage person, boy or girl, and you start saying "white bitch" and suggest that she make a sex tape with her dad, that seems unnecessary. He has the right to say it. But why would he? (A commenter at LATimes.com says that the Foxx clip is somewhat out of context, but, like the Rodney King video, I'm not sure that context matters in this case. Maybe it does, but I doubt it.)

There's also plenty to make fun of when it comes to Miley. The Radiohead thing. The fact that she sleeps in her parents bed sometimes, despite being sixteen years old. Her music. Her TV show. Lots of material to work with before you go to "white bitch" who should do heroin and make a sex tape.

What do you think? Should underage famous people be off-limits, at least in some ways? Or did Miley deserve it?

Source: EOnline

Image: Amazon

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Amy Winehouse Writing a Children's Book

JeanneSager — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:30:00 GMT

The best word to describe my daughter's library? Eclectic. We have the bunnies saying goodnight to their room on through to stories about funky jazz cats.

But here's where I may have to draw the line: Amy Winehouse says she'll be writing a children's book about her life.

Done sputtering?

There's no doubt the English singer is a talented writer - at least somewhere beyond the booze, the drugs and the face scratching. Her jazzy fifties influence to pop has been refreshing, her awards well-deserved. But how will her life translate into a children's book?

A glance: Newspapers have published pictures of her smoking crack, she's been hospitalized for ODing on a mixture of heroin, ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine and alcohol (all in one night), she's admitted to self-cutting, and she's landed in jail for assault. How many times has this chick been to the rehab she sings about? And should we mention her song titles? Hello, F--k Me Pumps.

If she's writing a cautionary tale of how to end up looking like you're forty when you're four, she's got plenty of fodder.

I've always said the danger of trying to make celebrities into role models for kids is the fact that they are human too - just because they're famous doesn't make them any more fit for the job than the rest of us. And if you want your kid to grow up to be Amy Winehouse, you might want to check yourself into rehab.

With all the creativity of Babble readers, I figure we can help Amy come up with titles for her foray into the world of kiddie lit. Here's a few from me and my colleagues here on the 'derby:

Baby Goes to Rehab
Baby Got Crack (Pipe)
How To Hide Pot In The Potty
Arsenic, Baby Powder and Cocaine: Substance Abuse ABCs
F--k Me Stride Rite
Beehives for Babies
Back to Crack
Smoke Away Your Baby Fat
Nursery F--kery
They're trying to make me go to preschool, but I said no, no, no

Come on readers, help us out!

Image: Wikipedia

What Was Your Baby's First Song?

Kate Tuttle — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:01:00 GMT

I remember it like it was yesterday -- the moment our son was born into the world, the doctor's hands placing him on my chest, stroking his warm little body, hearing the operatic yet driving beat of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy".... Yeah, that's right: my baby was born in the summer of 2006. We were listening to a playlist my husband had made in preparation for labor and delivery, and when we got to "Crazy" toward the end of my pushing phase I made him repeat it a few times; it filled me with the perfect blend of energy and joy and goofiness to power through. The doctor and nurse both commented that a lot of women brought in music more along the New Age and power ballad lines; I'm not sure what they thought of Gnarls, but I know it was the right choice for me.

We didn't pick it so it would be our child's first song, however. Apparently, though, that's what a lot of parents do, at least according to a recent story on National Public Radio's All Things Considered. In the piece, new parents talk about the thought they put into first introducing a song to their newborns; some of the choices featured include John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" and Bach's "Art of Fugue." All of which made me feel, upon reflection, pretty lowbrow. Should I have put my own love of modern, studio-produced, ecstatically referential pop music on hold and instead played pieces from the jazz and classical canon as my son was born?

Reading one of the articles that inspired the NPR piece put my mind to rest, at least a bit. Writing in the Boston Globe, Jeremy Eichler chronicles a year-long quest to understand the relationship between music and the infant mind. He starts by debunking the "Baby Mozart" idea that early and regular exposure to classical music somehow makes kids smarter; it turns out that any sounds that make us happy -- classical music, pop music, a mother singing -- can boost test performance. Claims that have more solid scientific backing are, not surprisingly, less overblown but more useful. It turns out, for instance, that babies are born with the aptitude to recognize and respond to more complex musical rhythms than are found in any one culture's music, and then lose the skill as they become accustomed to the more limited rhythmical possibilities of the music native to wherever they are raised. So frequent exposure to a variety of rhythm schemes is one way to keep a child's mind fresh and open to understanding rhythmical complexity. Overall, though, variety in and of itself is good -- a child raised on a mixed diet of musical styles will grow up to appreciate a wider range of music as an adult. Whether she'll admit to it when she's 13 is another matter.

What song or songs did you listen to while giving birth? Did you consciously prepare early musical selections for your baby? Have you seen any results (a taste for chamber music while his peers prefer Barney, for instance)?

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Beyonce Shines on Wubb Idol

JeanneSager — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:01:00 GMT

Forget Sasha Fierce. Beyonce's got a new alter ego - and she's blonde-haired and blue cheeked.

The songstress is lending her voice to a new character on Noggin's Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! and can we just say she shines in the role?

We've gotten a look at a sample cut from the show, set to air May 1 at 1 p.m. on Nick Jr. followed by a prime-time appearance Sunday, May 3, at 7 p.m. on Noggin. Heading up a three-part girl group (sound familiar?) Beyonce stars as "Shine," the lead singer for the Wubb Girlz as Wuzzleburg gets its sing on.

She'll debut the new "Sing a Song" on the show as part of Wubb Idol, the Wubbzy-ied version of American Idol.

Want a sneak peek? Call the kids over and click here (this will launch your Windows Media Player, don't be alarmed - that's what it supposed to do).

Baby Rocks Out on a Drum Kit

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:50:00 GMT

This toddler puts my sense of rhythm to shame. Okay, so that's not saying much. But he's a really good drummer. And he's no more than two. His dad--who looks like he's no stranger to rock n' roll himself--has to hold the little guy while he jams, making for a scene that is so cute I just died a little.

The video is worth watching to the end--the last thirty seconds are priceless. Why do I have a feeling I'm going to be dropping my kids off at this baby's rock concert twenty years from now?

Photo: allaboutjazz.com

Parents Get Eyebrows Waxed For Jonas Brothers Tickets

Brett Singer — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:00:00 GMT

Note to self: if my son ever asks what I will do in order to get him tickets for a concert, the answer is "pay for them, if the price is not too unreasonable."

The correct answer is NOT "have my eyebrows waxed."

Watch this. Not entirely safe for work, since it features EYEBROW WAXING. (Unless you work at a salon, in which case you probably see stuff like this all the time. Except people are paying for the service and they don't expect to get Jonas Brothers tickets.)

The event/stunt/proof of the coming apocalypse was set up by a DJ on radio station Y100 in Miami.

The scarier thing is that this isn't the first time parents have done stupid stuff to get Jonas Brothers tickets for their kids. I guess the shows sell out so getting in requires extraordinary measures.

To all parents who are considering doing something extreme because your kids really really really want to see the Jonas Brothers (or any other concert for that matter) I have a suggestion. Tell them no.

Source: TMZ

Image: Amazon

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Howard Stern To Release CD Of Kiddie Songs

Brett Singer — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:30:00 GMT

Howard Stern wants to sing to your children.

So, like, hey now.

The King of All Media has had a number one movie, two best-selling books, a top-rated television show and is the greatest radio performer of all time. But he has never had a hit record.

Before you say, "Oh come on, why would a guy with that much money care about something like that?" you should know that Stern, who is currently heard on SiriusXM Satellite Radio, frequently complains that even Rick Dees had a number one song with "Disco Duck:"

Howard had a song on the Private Parts soundtrack (The Great American Nightmare with Rob Zombie) but it didn't do as well as Stern's other efforts.

So to rectify the situation, Howard has decided to make a CD of music for kids. Yes. It's true. The man who made his name proclaiming his love for lesbians, strippers and his own bodily functions wants to sing to your kids.

It's not as crazy as it sounds. First of all, as 'Monsters Vs. Aliens' showed us, it doesn't really matter if kiddie entertainment is any good. Market it correctly and it will sell. Second, many of Stern's fans (myself included) are now parents. Third, despite what people think, he's a clever guy. No tracks have been announced, but I doubt he'll put out something with language that will offend anyone. If Howard does something he goes all in, so don't expect a "trick" CD that lures you into buying something inappropriate for your kids. (On-air cohorts Richard and Sal might do that, but they're not involved this time. I hope.)

Last, but certainly not least, say "baba booey" to your kids. I'll bet you anything they laugh.

Look for the CD this fall. I know I will. I mean, could it be any worse than Kidz Bop?

Source

Read more:

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TV Is Neither Good Nor Bad For Babies

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Jack Black Drops In on Yo Gabba Gabba

JeanneSager — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:05:00 GMT

You either love Yo Gabba Gabba or you detest the H&R Puff N Stuff out of it.

Kind of like Jack Black, the over the top, goofball star of . . . pretty much EVERYTHING these days.

When we at Babble heard the two were coming together, we just had to have a look. Want to know what happens when Jack Black runs out of gas and lands in Gabbaland?

First, if you're a Jack Black fan, you're going to love the show on April 3. And if you're not, you might still love it. A surprisingly subdued Jack - with some equally surprising blonde highlights (what's that all about Jack?) limps his unleaded motorbike into Gabbaland to find the inner workings of DJ Lance Rock's boombox deserted.

Creeped out, Jack hops around like only a chunky guy with total and complete self esteem (and I mean that in the very nicest of ways - I dig his confidence) can, singing about the possible dangers lurking. Basically, kids, he lets you know it's OK to be scared, but Toodee, Plex, Foofa and the whole gang don't let scared last for long. They're inviting Jack to parties (outside of the tummy) and exchanging dance moves (think Travolta and do the disco roll).

This one should shut down the doubting Thomases who think the show tries too hard to play funky and misses the kid friendly mark. You can't go wrong with singing, dancing and solving real kid problems. Throw in the guy who voiced Kung Fu Panda, and you've got them hooked. Since we all know YGG plays it to the adults too, here's a few things to watch out for - 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer and Human Giant's Paul Scheer tell the knock knock joke of the day (which I refuse to spoil for you).

Oh, and Jack Black in DJ Lance's orange jumpsuit? PRICELESS.

Get a look at clips of the show over at EW and tune in to Nick Jr. at 1:30 ET/PT on Friday, April 3 to catch the whole thing.

Kids Sing Religious Song, Parents Sue

JeanneSager — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:35:00 GMT

There are songs that mention religion, and there are songs that are religious. When a song is named "In God We Still Trust," and features the words "Bible," frequent references to "Him," and the word "believe," wouldn't you think that falls into the latter category?

Apparently, it doesn't matter. At least not to a Florida public school where a third grade teacher was training her students to sing the song by country group Diamond Rio for their end-of-year program. The kids had the song memorized when one made mention of it to Mom and Dad. When the parents complained, the teacher told the kids they wouldn't have to sing it if it violated their beliefs, but told them they would be excluded from participation in the program. Sounds like punishing kids for their beliefs to me.

The superintendent yanked the song just before the parents filed a lawsuit, which they filed anyway, looking for compensatory damages because (according to the suit), teaching the song "amounts to religious indoctrination and interferes with the parents’ right to raise their children according to their own beliefs."

I'm not a big fan of lawsuits, but what's upsetting here is the defense from the school. They're acknowleding they're aware of separation of church and state, but they say a religious song is different. The lawyer for the St. Johns County School Board said choruses are traditionally exempt from the rules against public prayer in school. According to a report in a Jacksonville newspaper, the attorney said, "Courts have held that a choral curriculum can be expected to include religious songs because a significant percentage of choral music is based on religious themes or texts."

In general, I agree. I sang Hanukkah songs when I was a kid in school, and I'm Catholic. It never bothered me because they were historical (and honestly, I thought the festival of lights was pretty cool!) and not heavy on religious rhetoric. There was no "we will believe in X, Y and Z."

But this isn't an old song with a passing reference to religion. It's a song released on an album in 2006 by a contemporary band. And it talks heavily about believing and following God (click here to watch the music video and see for yourself). And if the teacher told kids who didn't believe that they couldn't participate in the school program, that's religious persecution.

What do you think? Are the parents overreaching or are they right to be upset?

Image: AnswerBag

Oprah Gets It Right On Chris Brown

Brett Singer — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 22:00:00 GMT

My mother and I sometimes disagree (shocking, I know) and occasionally we argue about Oprah. (Not a lot -- don't worry, we're not obsessed or anything. We have far more important things to fight about.) She'll tell me that Oprah said this or that, and oh, isn't it wonderful, and I'll say, feh, Oprah, she's not so great, she's responsible for unleashing Dr. Phil on the world. So when mom told me that the Gayle King's best friend was doing a show about the Chris Brown and Rihanna situation, I was skeptical. Too many celebrities have been talking about the incident and not saying the right things.

For example: Sean Combs (aka Diddy or whatever the hell he calls himself these days) kind of missed the point when he told Ellen DeGeneres, "I don’t think it’s right for anybody to hit anybody…. We know sometimes relationships get ugly (but) we don’t know exactly what’s going on (in this one). It isn't right for him to put his hands on her or her to put his hands on him" -- which to me implies that somehow if Rihanna had slapped Chris, it would be OK if Brown gave her a black eye. Which it isn't. Ellen, for her part, gets it right when she says that she doesn't want any girl to think that "it's OK to go back to a guy that hit her," although she says it in a very wishy-washy manner ("I don't want to judge" anyone, that sort of thing) and lets Diddy to the hook too easily ("I want to dance!"). Yes, her show isn't exactly "60 Minutes," but this also isn't a fluffy issue. If you're going to bring it up, you should be clear how you feel, and if possible get the last word. (Here's a clip if you missed it, which would be understandable. I never watch that show.)

Back to Oprah. I didn't watch the whole segment (hey, I'm busy) but I feel confident that the tone she took with was the correct one based on this quote:

"Love doesn't hurt. And if a man hits you once, he will hit you again."

See, it really is that simple. I understand that the charges against Brown are pending, and as Diddy so brilliantly points out, none of us were in the car with the young couple when the incident occurred. But Brown has shown no remorse at all. More disturbing is the way that many of Brown's peers are defending him, and that anyone thinks his alleged actions are OK. Grammy-winning Rapper T.I. said on Carson Daly's talk show that he told Brown "this too shall pass." He went back on that statement, perhaps when he realized that Daly's show is actually broadcast on television, which is a mistake I can understand. And Usher backtracked on his earlier statement that Brown should "have a little bit of remorse" about what happened, and not hit the jet skis at Diddy's house. (Good thing he apologized -- that's crazy talk!)

Brown dropped out of the Kids' Choice Awards, which was a good PR move, but it's also somewhat irrelevant, since his statement just said something about it being difficult to "focus on the music" with all of this other stuff going on. Oprah used my line (OK, other people said it too) and called this a great "teaching moment." Problem is, I'm not so sure that the right lesson is being taught. It's important to everyone, but especially important to parents, since many of our kids are still young enough to not have formed opinions about this issue yet. (Some of those kids, though, are much smarter than our celebrities, which is always nice to see.)

For me this is a simple issue. While legally what Brown did falls into the category of "allegedly," he hasn't denied it, and in fact has basically admitted that he beat up Rihanna. Rihanna got back together with him and decided not to press charges. Anyone who says anything about this issue in public needs to be very clear because many of Brown's fans are young and for better or worse they sometimes take their cue from celebrities. Hitting your girlfriend is wrong. If your boyfriend hits you, leave. Why is that so hard?

Source: Oprah.com

Image from here

UPDATE: Chris Brown's Skipping the Kid's Choice Awards

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Best of FameCrawler: Week of March 13th

Whit Honea — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Katie Holmes is Beautiful Again

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UPDATE: Chris Brown's Skipping the Kid's Choice Awards

JeanneSager — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 22:01:00 GMT

As I previously reported, Chris Brown has been lobbying kids to vote for him in the upcoming Kids' Choice Awards on Nickelodeon. The TV channel has ignored some five thousand parent signatures on a petition asking for his removal from the process.

But someone's listening - Chris Brown says he'll skip the Kids' Choice Awards. Finally, one RIGHT choice for a guy who has made some pretty major mistakes recently - as you can see by the original post (BELOW).

I've always thought that celebrities are put on too high a pedestal where kids are concerned. They're human, just like the rest of us.

But the Kids' Choice Awards have put parents in a particularly tight spot this year - Chris Brown is up for an award, and he's lobbying hard for kids to cast their votes.

In a post put up on Brown's Myspace page on Thursday, Brown asks kids to vote for him as Favorite Male Singer and Favorite Song, providing direct links to the Kids' Choice voting site where they can do so.

Yes, this is the same Chris Brown accused of beating girlfriend Rihanna to a pulp before the Grammy's. What's more - he's up against her in the Kids' Choice Favorite Song category, which pits his "Kiss, Kiss" featuring T-Pain against Rihanna's "Don't Stop the Music" as well as Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" (which is a whole OTHER post right there) and "Single Ladies" by Beyonce.

In general, the Kids' Choice Awards, a Nickelodeon invention spun off of their 1986 Big Ballot vote, are pretty harmless. It lets kids feel involved. But let's face it, the kids are not always weighing in on kid-friendly fare (hello "I Kissed a Girl" - about sexual experimentation). And after years of trying to make celebrities who don't have the shiniest of pasts into child role models, the awards force the issue. You will be in front of kids, so you better shape up.

Chris Brown only highlights that it doesn't work that way, and it never has. He's hardly the first to fall down on the "role model job." Whitney Houston hosted twice in the 1990s, the first Kids' Choice host to take the job two separate times. Talented singer, no doubt. But would you want your kids looking up to a reported crack addict?

Musicians, actors, athletes are regular people. Regular people with talent. That doesn't make them good people. There are thousands of stars worthy of your kids' adulation, but it isn't because they've been catapulted to stardom. It's their hearts, their good deeds outside of the limelight as much as in.

Unfortunately, we've put these celebrities front and center for our kids. Chris Brown is there, and there's no escaping either the pull of his music or the disgusting example of domestic violence. What are parents going to do now?

Image: Mix Matters

New Rick Springfield CD For Kids

Brett Singer — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:33:00 GMT

Rick Springfield just released a new CD. But this time it's for your kids.

The guy who wondered why he couldn't find a woman as great as the one Jesse had eventually settled down and had two kids of his own. Turns out they weren't great sleepers. So Rick, being a songwriter, wrote them some lullabies. When he recently found the songs "stuck in the back of a drawer," he found that he liked them and decided to put them out for the world to hear.

In an interview, Rick (he lets me call him Rick) referred to the tunes as "baby pop songs." That's a good description, but they also feel deeply personal. Listening to the CD feels a little bit like eavesdropping. These are actually songs he wrote for his children, and by his own admission, they aren't as polished as some of his other work. That doesn't mean unprofessional; the sound and production values are fine. But since the songs weren't initially written for everyone to hear, they have an appealingly private quality.

Put simply, don't expect "Jesse's Girl" or "Love Somebody." These are lullabies, meant to help kids fall asleep. As such, they're calm, pleasant, and enjoyable to listen to. Unlike an artist who switches from his "real" music to kid stuff, this is an adult musician who also happened to write some kid-friendly songs years ago, and only just decided to release them. As a father, it's hard not to get a little misty-eyed listening to the disc. There's a lot of genuine emotion in the music and the lyrics. Like "I love to watch you sleep / In the quiet of the night" from the title track -- what parent doesn't understand that? It may not be deeply profound, but so what? For grown-up Rick fans (and there are many, as I found out when I interviewed him and my mother, wife, and babysitter all suddenly expressed a keen interest in my work), "My Precious Little One" is certainly different from what you're used to. Check out some preview tracks at RickSpringfield.com and see for yourself. This might be the only time when a musician won't be offended if you tell him you fell asleep listening to his songs.

"My Precious Little One" is now available at Amazon.com exclusively for eight weeks; after that it will be available at retail outlets everywhere.

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They Say: Kids REALLY Want Video Games They Can't Have

JeanneSager — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:01:00 GMT

And now for our non-news break of the day.

Dutch researchers have found that telling kids something isn't appropriate makes them want it more. Quick, alert Tipper Gore!

The study in this month's issue of Pediatrics shows the kids - aged seven to seventeen - clamored for "forbidden fruit," especially in relation to violent and mature-rated video games. Yes, as young as seven, these kids were lustfully sinful.

Weren't you? Heck, aren't you? The surest way to convince my three-year-old to start eating her veggies is to tell her she can't have anymore because they're just for Mommy and Daddy. Tell her she can't have candy, and she's in full puppy-dog-eyed- lower-lip-extended-mode.It's the same thing that makes Cadbury creme eggs taste sooooo good when you're on a diet.

So why would video games be any different? Or music? Or movies?

The trick is in convincing kids what they can have is the good stuff. In the immortal words of Mick Jagger, "You can't always gets what want, but if you try sometimes, you just mind find (you just might find) you get what you neeeeeed." Don't worry, the Stones pass the ratings test!

Image: Electronic House

Best of FameCrawler: Week of February 27th

Whit Honea — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:00:00 GMT

Wedding Bells: Dying Jade Goody Gets Her Wish On Sunday

Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston - The Oscar Throw Down

Jade Goody - Her Story

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at the Oscar

Cruz Beckham Celebrates 4th Birthday in Costume

Naomi Watts Says Sasha is a Total Daddy's Boy

Adriana Lima is Not Pregnant, Just Married

Guess the Pregnant Celebrity IX

Nadya Suleman's Sperm Donor - Tricked!

Teeny Tiny Jade Goody In A Teeny Tiny Wedding Dress

Heidi Klum and Seal at Oscars

After 2nd-Round Loss, Tiger Woods is Going Home

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