Newsflash: Not All Madonna Fans Care About Her Age

...some still care about her music.

It's rather irritating when someone mentions Madonna's age (46) and interprets everything that is said after as a decline into uselessness and an emphasis on superficiality. Probably much of what is spread by fans on forums about Madonna is mistaken as negative, rather than mere sarcasm or realism.

Not all fans (especially to warrant sweeping generalizations like "Madonna fans fear her aging" or "Madonna fans think she should get a facelift") are concerned so much with her appearance degrading into wrinkles and saggy boobs as much as with her creating great music. I, for one, place much less value on her competing for youth and a place among hottie pop-princesses than I do in the style of music that produces. Make a killer clip without her appearing at all, if it suits the music. And if it is remarked that she looked terrible or that she acted stupid, it's because it's true in so-and-so's opinion, not to be perceived as causing an emotional breakdown or a horror in realizing she's no longer 20.

Furthermore, as has been suggested by some, it's stupid to suggest that she needs to fall gracefully into adult contemporary like ballads or Jack Johnson songs simply because she's nearing 50. So what? Madonna's always been about doing what people don't think suits her. Should she have been less upfront about women's power in sex because it wasn't common to do so? Should she have kept her bisexual experiences quiet because it wasn't a popular opinion to have? Should she have not had children because people thought she wouldn't be a good mother? Should she have not done children's books since it didn't suit a woman who had been so brazen earlier in her career? They all caused discussion, some good, some bad. I'm not suggesting she revisit these 'taboos' from the times they were considered so, though I wouldn't want to stop her if she did. Ridiculous as it may seem to some, producing electronic or rock pop at her age isn't a bad thing (nor are sappy love songs) if they are want she wants to do.

Personally, I've never been a fan of ballads or adult contemporary music in general, so I pull for another electronic-based dance album. I feel it's where her music is at its best; but I would never say that she should be restricted to one sort of music based on her age, her appearance or her history. How she appears and what society has drilled into our heads as being acceptable is evidently what some people seem to care about, but if you follow her lead, it shouldn't be foremost in a fan's mind. Her music and breaking the standard are what's more important.

Rejections, Retirements & Reactions

Hmmm. A week in review seems in order, but what to mention of interest?

Part 1 - Uggh. Rejections
John, a coworker I'm very fond of, talked several times of a job at George Brown College which would grant him 2 days of work a week, at $33/hr, essentially doing the same job I've been doing for 7 years. So, Shaista, another friend and coworker and I decided to apply as well, since we all shared an office at Cornerstone and like each other so much. Of course, the money was somewhat persuasive too.

So, we did. After several failed attempts at reaching the contact's email, I finally did and received a rejection letter, stating the following:

'Since it appears you do not have a TESOL certfication, a requirement for our faculty, we cannot consider your application for this position.'

What pisses me off is that this minor yet seemingly important certification is nothing compared to the years of experience, high qualifications and excellent evaluations I get in teaching, both from staff and students. It irks me that I don't even get the opportunity to show how valuable a teacher I am because of this ridiculous qualification.

Part 2 - Retirement & Reunion
Home to St. Thomas, Ian and I went on Saturday morning, on route to Bill's Retirement party from Ford that Mom, Kim and Julie had arranged. 37 years at one company! Hard to imagine. I'm already 30, so that's probably not in the cards for me. Really, it seems largely like loyalty of the past. He seemed happy to have everyone there and be the centre of attention for a few hours.

In the process, a reunion of sorts occurred with not only he and his family and old friends, but with Billy and I, who hadn't seen each other since Christmas. It was good to see him, but after his move to St. Catherine's, away from Toronto, our progressively close friendship has dwindled to nearly no communication at all. Of course, things remain pleasant, just not overly deep. I preferred it when he lived here and we could hang out and talk a lot...having a brother around was cool while it lasted.

But the more we seemed the same, the more we also seemed different. Apparently that hasn't changed.

Part 3 - Animation Domination Reaction
Simpsons, the Family Guy and American Dad debuted their "Fox's Sunday Night Animation Domination" yesterday to a rather mixed reception here. Simpsons was entertaining as always, with the fat Bart gag being the choice for the evening. Family Guy, with its hyped up return to prime-time, just didn't do it for me overall. Sure, there were some funny moments, like the beginning where Peter discusses why Fox had cancelled them years earlier due to other failed programs and Stewie's incessant rants, but something about the voices weren't perfectly on. It's like the characters Meg, Chris and Lois had been out of practice for too long and were just a smidgeon rusty. I'm sure it'll all come back within the next few weeks. Then there was "American Dad"... a show which was not funny at all back after the Superbowl in January and drawn too similarly to "the Family Guy" to the point where I just couldn't be stuffed even giving it a try. Maybe in the summer I'll give it another go, when they're the only new episodes running.