I can't go Trick-Or-Treating this weekend?!

That's right. Kids in Belleville, Illinois won't be able to go trick-or-treating this weekend if they are over the age of 12. While I understand the purpose of having an age-cut off, why 12? Most kids will stop wanting to go by the time they reach high school, and most middle schoolers still do want to go (I think I stopped in 6th grade). I say make the cut-off high school.

What do you think? Is it fair to stop kids from trick-or-treating at the age of 12? Should there be a cut-off at all? Share your comments.

Air Jordan (WitziGreuter) is The Ready Set

After hearing The Ready Set's single "Love Like Woe" on the radio this morning, I had to do some research on this group. It turns out The Ready Set is just one kid, Jordan Witzigreuter. He's a kid with dreams...who is also very bad at sports (at least he doesn't hide it). Here's a funny video he made as a parody to Nike basketball commercials, and the vid for "Love Like Woe" is below. Put this emo-looking kid from Indiana on your map, because he's got a musical style that is unclassifiable in all the best ways.

This Week's Mortal Lock Future Hit Record

I have come to realize that my obsession with music have given me the amazing superpower of being able to predict a hit record. Ask anyone who knows me: I'm the tastemaker for what will be hot in music. Here's the debut of this new feature, Chris Brown "Yeah 3x." Chris Brown is back from the whole "I'm sorry for beating Rihanna senseless and not going to jail" fiasco, and he has a surefire top 10 record on his hands. The music video was just released today. In fact, I'm so sure that this will hit the top 10 on the charts that I will say this: If it does not, I will take a picture of myself with a Yankees shirt on post it to the site. Being a lifelong Red Sox fan tells you how serious I am about this song being a big one. Here's the vid:

Owned! Ouch...

Never did I think that a woman would get owned by her ex-boyfriend on CSPAN, but sure enough, I'm proven wrong again by this crazy world. Skip to about the 2:00 mark for when it gets good.

Take That Justin Bieber!!! part 2

Here's 9-year-old Willow Smith's (daughter of Will and Jada Pinkett) music video debut for her single "Whip My Hair." The song is definitely growing on me...

Whats happening to the world: O'Reilly, The View, and "The Mosque"

This is a complicated post. And I hope people read this and respond with politeness and courtesy to every one's opinion and every one's feelings.

With that out of the way, let's get started.

Yesterday, Bill O'Reilly of Fox News was on "The View," and in his effort to explain his opinion as to why President Obama was struggling in his approval rating, a fiery argument brook loose in which Whoopi Goldberg & Joy Behar stormed off the set when O'Reilly let loose that "Muslims killed us on 9/11."

Watch his response and commentary to the events during his own show.



There are many things that are wrong about what O'Reilly said during "The View." First, while he is fundamentally right about Muslims attacking the United States and killing Americans on 9/11, he is inappropriately labeling the entire Muslim religious community as haters of America and terrorists. The majority of Muslims, and the Islamic religion as a whole, is a extremely peaceful religion. It is the extremely small sect of that religion that is violent and hateful, and has given the religion a horrible name.

During his commentary on "The O'Reilly Factor," O'Reilly asks us if "Japanese extremists" attacked us. And the answer is no. Japan attacked us. Japan was an entire nation, and its government choose to enter into war with America by bombing Pearl Harbor. The islamic extremists (and I refuse to capitalize their title, even though it may be "grammatically correct" because they refuse to acknowledge other societies and cultures so I refuse to honor them) that attacked us on 9/11 are in no way connected to the remaining Islamic community. They do not do the bidding of a central Islamic government. Comparing World War Two and 9/11 is inappropriate and a pathetic attempt by O'Reilly to overstimulate a discussion that has already spiraled out of control.

Onto the point about the Muslim Community Center and Mosque being built near the former Twin Towers: I am for its completion as quickly as possible. I agree with the President, and most likely the vast majority of Americans that its construction is legal and they have the right to do it. I disagree with the "70%" or Americans, according to O'Reilly's CNN Poll that believe it is not right to build the mosque. Whoopi Goldberg stated on "The View" that there were many Muslim families that lost a family member on 9/11. To add to this, I am positive that there was at least one Christian one died on 9/11 who had at least one Muslim friend. The reason I believe that many people dislike the idea of building a Muslim Community Center and Mosque near "Ground Zero" is that they are uneducated about the Muslim religion.

There is nothing wrong with that. There is something wrong, however, with refusing to learn about the Muslim religion. There is never an excuse to be mean to someone.

Let's be hypothetical for a moment. Let's say that Christian Americans blow themselves up in the middle of a crowded business building in the middle of a large city in a primary Muslim country. Several years later, Christians want to build a community center and church two blocks from the site of the attack. Should they be allowed to build it? Would you, as a Christian, want it built? Would you, as a Christian, be upset if the mainly Islamic community was outraged that you wanted to build a Christian church so near their holy site?

Think about this, then rethink your own opinion about the Muslim Community Center and Mosque being built near the former Twin Towers.

And also consider the fact that the Mosque portion of the building is already in use, and has been for some time.

First-Class: The Social Network

I believe that Aaron Sorkin is a screenplay god. In case you don't know what he's done, let me refresh your memory: A Few Good Men, The American President, Sports Night, The West Wing, and Charlie Wilson's War.

And now, he's given us The Social Network, a fictionalized tale of the start of Facebook.

Or is it?

SPOILER ALERT!

It's not.

The Social Network is about popularity and belonging and attention and friendship. It's a subtle yet powerful look at how technology has made my generation, those of us that have come of age during the internet age, during the Facebook age, live our lives: through the internet. Through social networking websites. The Social Network is about Mark Zuckerberg, played brilliantly by Jesse Eisenberg, the "creator" of Facebook, and his quest to join the elite Harvard Final Clubs. He is obsessed with exclusivity. He wants to be popular.

But he's a geek, nerd, dweed, whatever you want to call him. He's also brilliant. His ability to write code is shown in the movie as pure mind-blowing power--he hacks into several websites and eventually crashes the Harvard servers by creating a website that compares Harvard girls, all while drunk after breaking up with his girlfriend. It is in these early scene that we learn who Zuckerberg is: lonely, outcast, misunderstood, and needy. In a hearing with the Harvard Advisory Board, Zuckerberg asks for "some recognition." That's all he really wants throughout the movie.

Sorkin's script is music to the ears. His quick banter between characters is mesmerizing. And while he sets aside his usual "walk-and-talk" dialogue that became famous in The West Wing and the short-lived Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Sorkin's script oozes something special.

The fictionalized tale of Facebook is also engrossing and at times painful to watch. The backstabbing and friendship and loss of friendship adds flaws to every character. Zuckerberg is made out to be a king, and all his men are only there to tell him what he wants to hear. At first, it's Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), Zuckerberg's best friend, who goes from the it man to the wrong man. The story of Facebook is as much the story of the end of the friendship of Zuckerberg and Saverin. And while part of this may be due to Sean Parker, the Napster founder played appropriately by Justin Timerblake, in the end its Zuckerberg and his quest to join an exclusive club, that tears apart his own world.

And the end of this amazing film, Zuckerberg comes across as an ass-hole, a nerd, a social dweeb, and a nice guy. It's up to the movie-goer to decide.

But really, this is an Aaron Sorkin tour-de-force. Or maybe I'm just in love with Aaron Sorkin.

FINAL GRADE: A

Rapper Talks Man Out of Committing Suicide

Atlanta rapper T.I., known his role in the movie "A.T.L." and a whole bucket of hit records with the likes of Jay-Z, Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, and Jamie Foxx, helped saved the life of man about to jump from a building yesterday.

The 30-year-old hip-hop star (real name: Clifford Harris) heard about the situation on the radio and drove to the building, home of Atlanta radio station V-103...The man seemed to be "beat up by life," the rapper later told the Associated Press. "I told him it ain't that bad. It'll get better, to put the time and effort into making it better," he said. "I just reminded him ... it looks bad right now, but it can turn around."

Here's some video from the scene along with audio of a V103 interview he did later in the day:

Whats happening to the world: Pop music

We all remember ten or so years ago when Brittney Spears burst onto the scene with "...Baby One More Time."

At the time, the racy music video was raunchy and sexy and dangerous. The 17 year old was criticized for leaving behind her Mickey Mouse Club wholesome days to become the sex icon of the early 2000's.

Well, Miley Cyrus is following in much of the same footsteps, but her new video makes Brittney seem like great family entertainment.

What is it about these Disney girls that make them want to strip off as much clothing as possible as soon as they turn 17? I find it interesting that they are willing to strip themselves of their childhood fans, and quickly turn themselves into sex objects for the weirdo-s of the world. Then, of course, they wonder why people are critical of their choices.

No wonder girls have no good role models to look up to.

The Real Eminem Behind the Mic

Anderson Cooper of 60 Minutes premiered a great feature on Marshall Mathers last night, better known as Eminem. They take a trip back to the 8 Mile projects near Detroit where the star was born, talk about his recent painkiller addiction and recovery, and his music making process. Em even lays down a clever rhyme around the word "orange." Whether you're a fan of his music or not, you have appreciate what this artist has made for himself.

Ken Jeong? Is That You?

The Hangover funny man Ken Jeong appears in a new Adidas basketball ad featuring NBA stars Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose. Here's the music video/commercial entitled "Fast Don't Lie." This is classic material:

Kanye Gets an A for Creativity

Mr. West definitely brings a new portrait to the music scene every time he performs. Here are his performances of "Power" (featured in The Social Network movie) and "Runaway" on last night's SNL. Love him or hate him, Kanye always puts the art in his music.