Randoms . . .
Mock-Obituary I did for a writing class. FAKE
Mariah Carey, best-selling female recording artist of all time, dies at 40.
Mariah Carey died accidentally on April 27, 2010 during a dress rehearsal for her Las Vegas concert at Cesar’s Palace scheduled for later that evening. Many considered her to be the Princess of Pop, others referred to her as a demanding Diva. No matter what title she went by, there is no denying the fact that this talent who holds the title for the most number-one singles in history by a solo artist, has left a permanent mark on the world of music.
Born on March 27, 1970 in Huntington, New York, Mariah began her musical destiny at a young age. Her mother, Patricia, was an opera singer and recalls Mariah rehearsing with her at the age of three and not missing a note. Mariah’s talent grew quite quickly and her songwriting skill blossomed during high school. The day after her graduation from Harborfields High School, Mariah packed her bags and headed to New York City with dreams in tow to pursue her vision of a career in music.
After performing odd jobs to pay the bills Mariah landed a role as a backup singer for 80’s Pop singer Brenda K. Starr who then introduced Mariah to Sony Music Chief Tommy Mottola. Shortly after hearing her demo tape, Mottola signed Mariah to her first record deal on Sony’s Columbia Records. Mariah’s vision was beginning to come into focus.
Mariah’s debut album produced four number one singles and garnered her two Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Success continued to build for Mariah both in her career and personal life. In 1993 Mariah married then CEO of Sony Music, Tommy Mottola and had six number one singles to her credit. Together they built their $10 million manor in upstate New York. From the outside Mariah’s life seemed to be the quintessential Cinderella Story but behind the castle walls laid a controlling and calculated existence that didn’t come to light until they separated in 1997 and shortly thereafter divorced.
Despite the split from the CEO of Sony Music, Mariah’s career went off without a hitch. By the end of her time with Columbia Records she had accumulated 15 number one singles. It was after her split from Columbia that things became unsteady for the five-octave singer. After switching to Virgin Records in 2001 Mariah suffered a physical and emotional breakdown. Extreme exhaustion was cited as the cause for her collapse. Despite her condition Virgin released the soundtrack album Glitter that accompanied the movie by the same name, starring Mariah. The soundtrack, released on September 11, 2001, was a complete flop along with the film that it was inspired by. As eager as Virgin was to sign Mariah to a reported $80 million recording contract, they were just as quick to pay her $30 million to leave the label. Soon after her departure from Virgin Records, Island Def Jam approached Mariah and signed her to a minimum three-album deal in 2002. Island had obtained Ms. Carey at an absolute low point and it was going to take more than a horse drawn pumpkin to get her career back on track. Lucky for this Cinderella, Island had a Fairy Godmother up their sleeves.
After an intense media campaign and much public hype, Mariah Carey was ready for her close up and these days she was going by the name “Mimi.” In April 2005 Island Def Jam released The Emancipation of Mimi, Carey’s tenth studio album. It went on to become Mariah’s best selling album since her 1995 release Daydream and earned her three Grammy’s for Best Contemporary R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song. Mimi also produced Mariah’s 16th and 17th number one singles, We Belong Together and Don’t Forget About Us. The former went on to become the Song of the Decade in 2010 according to Billboard.
Before her untimely passing Mariah was on tour promoting her 12th studio album, Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel. The only solo artist with the most number one singles of all time showed no signs of slowing down. Her legendary talent and accomplishments will live on. Mariah is survived by her husband, Nick Cannon, mother, Patricia Carey, sister, Alison Carey, and brother, Morgan Carey.
Copyright (c) 2010, David Galea
Mariah Carey died accidentally on April 27, 2010 during a dress rehearsal for her Las Vegas concert at Cesar’s Palace scheduled for later that evening. Many considered her to be the Princess of Pop, others referred to her as a demanding Diva. No matter what title she went by, there is no denying the fact that this talent who holds the title for the most number-one singles in history by a solo artist, has left a permanent mark on the world of music.
Born on March 27, 1970 in Huntington, New York, Mariah began her musical destiny at a young age. Her mother, Patricia, was an opera singer and recalls Mariah rehearsing with her at the age of three and not missing a note. Mariah’s talent grew quite quickly and her songwriting skill blossomed during high school. The day after her graduation from Harborfields High School, Mariah packed her bags and headed to New York City with dreams in tow to pursue her vision of a career in music.
After performing odd jobs to pay the bills Mariah landed a role as a backup singer for 80’s Pop singer Brenda K. Starr who then introduced Mariah to Sony Music Chief Tommy Mottola. Shortly after hearing her demo tape, Mottola signed Mariah to her first record deal on Sony’s Columbia Records. Mariah’s vision was beginning to come into focus.
Mariah’s debut album produced four number one singles and garnered her two Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Success continued to build for Mariah both in her career and personal life. In 1993 Mariah married then CEO of Sony Music, Tommy Mottola and had six number one singles to her credit. Together they built their $10 million manor in upstate New York. From the outside Mariah’s life seemed to be the quintessential Cinderella Story but behind the castle walls laid a controlling and calculated existence that didn’t come to light until they separated in 1997 and shortly thereafter divorced.
Despite the split from the CEO of Sony Music, Mariah’s career went off without a hitch. By the end of her time with Columbia Records she had accumulated 15 number one singles. It was after her split from Columbia that things became unsteady for the five-octave singer. After switching to Virgin Records in 2001 Mariah suffered a physical and emotional breakdown. Extreme exhaustion was cited as the cause for her collapse. Despite her condition Virgin released the soundtrack album Glitter that accompanied the movie by the same name, starring Mariah. The soundtrack, released on September 11, 2001, was a complete flop along with the film that it was inspired by. As eager as Virgin was to sign Mariah to a reported $80 million recording contract, they were just as quick to pay her $30 million to leave the label. Soon after her departure from Virgin Records, Island Def Jam approached Mariah and signed her to a minimum three-album deal in 2002. Island had obtained Ms. Carey at an absolute low point and it was going to take more than a horse drawn pumpkin to get her career back on track. Lucky for this Cinderella, Island had a Fairy Godmother up their sleeves.
After an intense media campaign and much public hype, Mariah Carey was ready for her close up and these days she was going by the name “Mimi.” In April 2005 Island Def Jam released The Emancipation of Mimi, Carey’s tenth studio album. It went on to become Mariah’s best selling album since her 1995 release Daydream and earned her three Grammy’s for Best Contemporary R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song. Mimi also produced Mariah’s 16th and 17th number one singles, We Belong Together and Don’t Forget About Us. The former went on to become the Song of the Decade in 2010 according to Billboard.
Before her untimely passing Mariah was on tour promoting her 12th studio album, Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel. The only solo artist with the most number one singles of all time showed no signs of slowing down. Her legendary talent and accomplishments will live on. Mariah is survived by her husband, Nick Cannon, mother, Patricia Carey, sister, Alison Carey, and brother, Morgan Carey.
Copyright (c) 2010, David Galea
The Times of Harvey Milk: The Way I See It
The Times of Harvey Milk is an extremely important piece of history, not only because it serves as a past reminder of the trials and tribulations of a historical figure but also, more importantly, provides gay individuals with a purpose and pride that they sometimes lack. Harvey Milk was assassinated by his colleague, Dan White on November 27, 1978. Milk was the first openly gay elected official in San Francisco. His time as a San Francisco Supervisor was a brief 11 months, but during that short time he accomplished a great deal that catapulted the gay community to a level of pride and success that had yet to be seen.
The Times of Harvey Milk won the Oscar for Best Documentary in 1985. The director, Rob Epstein, had the task of capturing the important victories of Harvey Milk’s career as well as portraying Milk in a relatable manner. Both were accomplished with brilliant tact. The documentary covers Milk’s time as a struggling politician who didn’t win the Supervisor seat until his fourth attempt at office. We also see that after taking his seat as a San Francisco Supervisor, Harvey helped the Gay Rights Ordinance pass which protected openly gay people in San Francisco from losing their jobs. Harvey Milk’s biggest success may have been his involvement in contributing to the defeat of Proposition Six, which threatened to cause all openly gay and lesbian teachers and anyone who supported gay rights to lose their jobs in California Public Schools. As a gay man, I found this story of Harvey Milk to be greatly inspiring. The fact that Milk, a gay individual himself, was not afraid to stand up for what he believed to be right despite uncertainty, death threats, and confrontation, is something to be proud of.
Harvey wasn’t only a gay rights activist; he was a human rights activist. He rallied for vote-a-matic voting machines so that the elderly, non-English speaking minorities could exercise their vote in the most accessible manner, especially the Asian-American community. According to Henry Der, the Executive Director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, Milk knew that this voting system was the best choice for that group of people and never once reminded the Asian community that he was getting the voting machines for them. Harvey was doing it because it was the right thing to do. Harvey also introduced the Pooper Scooper Ordinance that required all dog owners to clean up after their dogs or face a fine. It may have been a little issue, compared to Proposition Six but I think that spoke to the type of concern Harvey had. Jim Elliot, an auto machinist that supported Harvey in his run for Supervisor described Harvey as the kind of guy that would talk about you, “you” referring to the little person who needed an outlet to express their concerns.
The Times of Harvey Milk illustrates a man who worked so hard to give a voice to those who did not have one. No matter what the ethnic background, occupation, or sexual orientation of the viewer it cannot be denied that Harvey Milk was a figure that saw the potential in every situation and did what he could to turn that potential into reality. Anyone who has ever struggled to overcome adversity can find inspiration in the times of Harvey Milk.
Copyright (c) 2010, David Galea
Sources Used
1) The Times of Harvey Milk. Dir. Rob Epstein. Perfs. Harvey Fierstein, Harvey Milk. 1984. DVD. New Yorker Films, 1984.
The Times of Harvey Milk won the Oscar for Best Documentary in 1985. The director, Rob Epstein, had the task of capturing the important victories of Harvey Milk’s career as well as portraying Milk in a relatable manner. Both were accomplished with brilliant tact. The documentary covers Milk’s time as a struggling politician who didn’t win the Supervisor seat until his fourth attempt at office. We also see that after taking his seat as a San Francisco Supervisor, Harvey helped the Gay Rights Ordinance pass which protected openly gay people in San Francisco from losing their jobs. Harvey Milk’s biggest success may have been his involvement in contributing to the defeat of Proposition Six, which threatened to cause all openly gay and lesbian teachers and anyone who supported gay rights to lose their jobs in California Public Schools. As a gay man, I found this story of Harvey Milk to be greatly inspiring. The fact that Milk, a gay individual himself, was not afraid to stand up for what he believed to be right despite uncertainty, death threats, and confrontation, is something to be proud of.
Harvey wasn’t only a gay rights activist; he was a human rights activist. He rallied for vote-a-matic voting machines so that the elderly, non-English speaking minorities could exercise their vote in the most accessible manner, especially the Asian-American community. According to Henry Der, the Executive Director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, Milk knew that this voting system was the best choice for that group of people and never once reminded the Asian community that he was getting the voting machines for them. Harvey was doing it because it was the right thing to do. Harvey also introduced the Pooper Scooper Ordinance that required all dog owners to clean up after their dogs or face a fine. It may have been a little issue, compared to Proposition Six but I think that spoke to the type of concern Harvey had. Jim Elliot, an auto machinist that supported Harvey in his run for Supervisor described Harvey as the kind of guy that would talk about you, “you” referring to the little person who needed an outlet to express their concerns.
The Times of Harvey Milk illustrates a man who worked so hard to give a voice to those who did not have one. No matter what the ethnic background, occupation, or sexual orientation of the viewer it cannot be denied that Harvey Milk was a figure that saw the potential in every situation and did what he could to turn that potential into reality. Anyone who has ever struggled to overcome adversity can find inspiration in the times of Harvey Milk.
Copyright (c) 2010, David Galea
Sources Used
1) The Times of Harvey Milk. Dir. Rob Epstein. Perfs. Harvey Fierstein, Harvey Milk. 1984. DVD. New Yorker Films, 1984.