Dolly Parton Comes to Brother's Defense :: WRAL.com

Sister Dolly Parton has come to the defense of her brother Randy "Watson" Parton,
saying he's being crucified in the press for the failings of his eponymous theater. Yeah but I think Dolly'd agree going on stage drunk, didn't help much. RWP must'v ebeen trying to reenact a scene from Walk the Line, huh? Here's Dolly's statement.

Porter Wagoner must be spinning in his grave behind all this.

When I start missing Chicago, nothing like a check of the local Chitown weather on WGN to snap me out of it.

Temp in Raleigh @ 11:05P= 57 deg.

Temp in Chicago @ 11:05P= 22 deg. w/snow and freezing rain.

Being sockless in my New Balance mules in December? Priceless.

This is just TOO easy.

Remember Randy Watson, the legend-in-his-own-mind singer played by Eddie Murphy in Coming to America? The town of Roanoke Rapids, NC finally woke up and realized they'd been hustled by the Nashville equivalent of Randy Watson - Randy Parton. Hey, when you get banned from a theater that has your name on the front, after your salary and concert dates get cut back at that same theater - you sir are a Randy Watson. Let's look at it side by side,shall we?

Randy P. Randy W.



Out-of-style, long hair? Ponytail. Jheri curl. Check

Questionable talent? Double-check.

Delusional about said
talent? Check.

Crowd response? Crickets.

Holds mic in fingertips
a la Wayne Newton? Check.

See, you can morph them even....


Prior to this, Mr.Parton, was apparently famous for being the brother of Dolly Parton and having a Top 30 Country hit or two in 1981 . I'd personally never heard of Mr. Parton until he rolled into town sporting a waist-length ponytail and earrings with big promises of making Roanoke Rapids the next Branson, Missouri.
Full story is here.

Anyway, here's Randy Watson doing "Greatest Love of All". Maybe it'll cheer the other Randy up.

Does this happen all over America, or just here?

With the surge in popularity here of the ubiquitous leather Rainbow flip-flops, I've noticed they stay on the feet of many North Carolinians year round.(full disclosure: I own a pair. Haven't left the closet since Sept.) Yes we have warmer weather than most, but on the rare occasions we have normal winter temps, the flip flops stay on. I have not figured this out in my 10 plus years of residence. The one common thread of logic seems to be this: if the sun's out, I can wear sandals. No matter the wind chill is 15 degrees, hey its sunny, so sandals on. If these optimists rocked full summer regalia - shorts, short sleeves, tanks - then I could make sense out of this phenomenon. But no, usually at least there's a sweater, fleece pullover, or winter jacket in the ensemble. Young people have never dressed as warmly as their parents would like because, well, it's in their parent antagonism contract. I get adolescent and pre-adolescent rebellion. College students and adults, not so much.

Okay North Kak, help me out here.

As the year winds down, here are a few random terms I'd like to see left behind to rest in '07.

• Starting any sentence with the word 'So'.
• Asking a rhetorical question instead of saying you like or dislike something: Ex. "How cute is that?" "How stupid is that?" "Who does that?"
• "It's a blessing" If it's anything resulting from taking your turn on the 'sin wagon' no son it is most certainly not a blessing. It's more likely to be grace and mercy.
  
• "_______ is AMAZING." Franklin Bridge is an amazing band. The Jonas Brothers are not. They're just annoying.
  
• "I'm not a _____ person." No you aren't a 'Starbucks person' any more than you are a pink person. You just don't get coffee there. Just say I don't like Starbucks and keep it moving.

And two songs I never care to hear again in LIFE:

• Unwritten - Natasha Beddingfield. Bury it, remix it, chop and screw it(Google it), have a 24hr radio marathon and get it out of your system, but let it GO! I swear I would pay Pantene to use another song.
• 
  
• Big Girls Don't Cry - Fergie. I must concur with my pal Rich of fourfour on this one(his ANTM recaps are the funniest thing in the blogosphere.) The first bar of "la la la-la la laaaaaaaaa" sends me scrambling for the mute button. Every reality show on TV has used this for soundtrack music at some point. And I hate it because I've dug Fergie since her days with Whyld Orchid (Google it) and I think she has a great voice. Get back to the Black-Eyed Peas girl!
  

...would I walk out the door take my dogs out and see this parked across the street. If you can't read this it says "CHICKENMANUSA.COM" on the side. So being the naturally curious person I am, I went to the site and found this:
I shifted my focus on this blog just in time. This is just too easy.

Checked in to my hotel aka home away from home in Northern Durham after first moving here in the early 90s. I look out the window towards the now-defunct Pan-Pan Diner, and there's a banner strung up in red lettering "Quail Dinner Special: $5.99". I remember immediately phoning my father and intoning "you are not gonna believe what I'm looking at out my window." Alas he had no sympathy just cracked up on the other end. To my joker friends who read this blog, no I didn't go over and partake.

I don't mean to come off haughty or snobby; my hometown didn't have a McDonald's until 1980 right? I'd just never heard of eating quail, let alone merchandising it; what do you call that -a Wild Game Extra Value Meal? Not too long after I ventured in to a local McDonald's where I spy a Pork Chop and Gravy biscuit on the menu.

Toto we're not in Kansas anymore.

I've decided to take a hard left and start blogging my observations as someone from "up north" as they refer to it here, living in Research Triangle Park, NC. I think I have a unique slant on this given that I grew up in a small town, moved to a major city, then to the South to an area with a population somewhere in between southern Indiana and Chicago. Secondly, I'm black and female. Just as north and south are different, being black in the north and black in the south are different - not better,not worse, just...different.

My sincere hope is that this doesn't come off as ridicule; the truth is that over time I've grown to love NC because it is real. It has it's own unique culture, traditions, and rhythm and I'm not sure I'd leave now.

Next up I'll explain the quail dinner special in the description...K

Moo n Oink is a Chicago treasure. Its a chain of massive butcher shops in the city where you can buy fresh meat in bulk for unbelievably low prices. I still weep at not being able to buy chicken wings for .15 cents/lb anymore.It's been years since I've had a hot link, which is like a Chicago version of a polish sausage, but far spicier. Most folks make a trek there once or twice a year to buy meat to stock their freezers with for the summer bbq season and the brutal winters. I still marvel at the hospital-sized laundry carts full of chittlins they would have out. (if you don't know what chittlins are you might not want to.) Ok, enough of memory lane, here's the commercial. Yeah I know they are corny but we love the Oink just the same! Special thanks to my Chicago homie, the "Louis Vuitton Don", Kanye West for posting this clip on his fantastic blog, Kanye Universecity.
(Ok I don't know Kanye West and he doesn't know me, but I always wanted to say that.)

"...Oh there will come a time when you will wish you had some mercy!!!" --The Rev. Joan Parrott

Rev. Parrott made this prophetic quote during her sermon for a friend's ministry ordination service about four years ago. She was using the story of Rev. Jesse Jackson, who at the time was under scrutiny for fathering a child out of wedlock, to make a point about passing judgment on anyone who has stumbled in life. It is a certainty we are all imperfect and fall short in life.

I've long been a Marion Jones fan. She evidently took the opposite route to NC State to train that I took to work, and yes I'd get a geeky kick out of passing her or seeing her in the McDonald's drive-thru once in awhile. My family also ran into her at the mall last year, and I have to say she has to be the most humble,personable pro athlete I've ever met. (Most have all the people skills of a zombie.) She stopped and talked at length with us and made over my infant nephew as if we were long lost cousins or something. She declined politely to take a photo because she was shopping with her family and son. My sister logged this historic event in my nephew's life in his journal.

Am I disappointed to find out she'd lied about using steroids? Yeah. I'm also sad for her because I sincerely believe some people "mistook her kindness for weakness" and took advantage of her trust. Yes she's an adult and she made bad decisions. (Anybody heard the words "bad decisions" or "apology" or "shame" come out of Barry Bonds' mouth lately? Ever? ) I've watched her apology several times on the news, and I believe in my heart Jones is contrite and sincere.

I often wonder if all the scorn we as a society heap on fallen celebrities has more to do with our hidden jealousy than our "hurt"? I think deep down we say, "You had all that money,fame, and/or athletic success I never had, and now you go and do this? Serves you right!

I think I am sad mostly because she was a phenomenal talent on the track and the basketball court who didn't need to cheat. She went to the Olympic trials while still in high school. She played on the national championship basketball team for the UNC Tarheels in 1997. I remember reading an opposing coach's quote that she played like "Carl Lewis with a basketball...if she gets the first step on you she's going to score, period."

I don't know if she'll ever read this, but Marion I remain a fan and I support you. Keep your head up. This too shall pass. --KS

Hi I have not left the Kristasphere. I recently started grad school part-time, and have had zero time to blog.

I am going to be shifting the focus of this blog soon; so stay tuned.

EDITOR'S NOTE: POSTED THIS A FEW DAYS AGO, BUT WANTED TO POST THIS REMINDER AS NOMINATIONS CLOSE WED. AUG 15TH. --K

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2007 Black Black Weblog Awards. We (ok me) at the Kristasphere would certainly appreciate your nomination. Please note nominations are by BLOG URL, so cut and paste my URL into the nomination form. (http://kristasphere.blogspot.com) To nominate the Kristasphere go here.

Thought I'd share a few of blogs I've found interesting recently, REV-elution, Silicon Alley, and Shylock Blogging.

1. Shylock Blogging- as a Sopranos fan, I just liked this one on name alone. The subtitle is "aggressive blogging with some ethics involved." Despite its name, its purpose is how to maximize Google AdSense and others for maximum blogging profits. No word if Silvio and Paulie pay you a visit if you don't click.

2. Silicon Alley - Based in New York, this is the East coast version of ValleyWag, but more true business news and commentary gossip than 'who-came-to-the-Facebook-party-stoned' gossip. Lots of posts daily, so you may want to put this on your portal page rather than RSS.

3. REV-elution - Last but not least I want to throw some link love to a new faith and ethics blog written by a local journalist and pastor. In REV-eleution, noted intellectual, journalist, theologian and pastor the Rev. Carl W. KenneyII blogs here about issues of faith, theology, ethics, politics, and current issues in the news. A seasoned journalist, Kenney's writing is compelling, thought-provoking, sensitive, and radical. (Full disclosure: Rev. Kenney is my former pastor, and one of the coolest you'll ever meet.)

One thing I love about hip hop is how people continue to expand the limits. We've seen some
hip hop violin out of Kanye West protege' Miri Ben Ari, but this is my first time seeing violin with a DJ. Very cool. Hope their song gets picked up.


Hip Hop Violin - Watch more free videos

I underestimated Kimora Lee Simmons.

Kimora Lee Simmons, heads a multi-millionaire apparel empire called Baby Phat. She is the ex-wife of media and fashion mogul Russell Simmons. I'll admit I have joked about her fashion line and ad campaigns for being, well, tacky. Too much lame' for my tastes. Really it's just that I think I'm too old to have a gold lame' cat logo on the back of my coat. Not that Ms. Simmons has ever made any pretense about being "to the manor born". She's been quoted as saying she is well aware of being nouveau riche, more Donald Trump than Maria Kennedy Shriver in the culturally refined department. (Hey, you don't see all that gold leaf in the Hyannis compound, keep it real.)

I Have to Eat My Words

Kimora has a reality show now on Style network, Kimora Life in the Fab Lane. Kimora is literally her company's brand; as a former Chanel model, she is the 'face' of the Baby Phat line. So Mattel asked her to submit her likeness to a Kimora Lee Simmons Barbie Doll. What ensued in their "final details" meeting on the doll prototype was remarkable.

Kimora had given explicit instructions that the doll's skin tone, lip thickness, and hair texture was to reflect that of an African-American woman(Simmons is African-American and Japanese.) One of the Mattel reps referred to the doll as the "Kimora Lee Simmons doll", at which Ms. Simmons proceeded to cut said rep off at the knees. Beauty be damned, this lady is a smart, smart business woman who does not miss a trick. Simmons shot back "See, you keep trying to slip that in there. This is not a Kimora Lee Simmons doll, this is a Kimora Lee Simmons Barbie. Little (black) girls need to see Barbie can be black, and not just the sidekick."punctuated with a "do you read me?" face.

Thankfully, I have a DVR because I immediately had a "what'd she just say?" attack and had to rewind the segment. After confirming she said what I thought, I let out a "you GO girl!" and gave her a standing ovation right there in my living room. "Ms. Mattel" predictably reacted by making that "I've just been called out on my BS but I'm gonna try and maintain composure" face, and spitting out a begrudging "I agree" so fast you knew she didn't mean a word of it. Apparent gluttons for punishment, the Mattel drones then to try and tell Simmons they couldn't afford to give the doll both a full-length fur coat and a fur replica of her Pomeranian dog and stay on budget. Did the doll have both when it came out? Oh yeah.

Ms. Simmons taking this stand was one of the gustiest business moves I've ever seen. Remember, her brand is well, her. She is the face of Baby Phat. Her daughters are in the ads. To stand by your convictions on what is right, when it may adversely affect your livelihood, is not an easy call -- especially when you are as outnumbered as African-Americans are in corporate America. It was clear from the exchange Ms. Simmons was fully prepared to walk from the Mattel deal if this doll didn't come out as she'd requested.

So what's the branding lesson? My mantra has become "your brand is your company's online dating profile" -- who you are, and what you want. (props to the Heath brothers for this analogy) In Ms. Simmons' case, I learned some brands won't sell out to make a dollar.

Kimora, much respect. I had you all wrong. Thank you for speaking truth to power.

I'm having a moment.

One thing DJs pride themselves on is 'crate digging', searching flea markets, record shops, thrift stores, online, etc for that rare groove or breakbeat no one else owns to add to your record crates.For me, online seems to be the primary method lately, though much less romanticized. (Rent the DJing documentary "Scratch" and watch DJ Shadow crate digging in the crawl space of a record shop barely able to raise his head.)

That said, I've just scored "Unreleased Project-Vol 4" by legendary house DJ and producer Todd Terry I had a Todd Terry house mixtape when I moved to North Carolina from the house music capital of the world, Chicago. Taped it off of the radio station...he was mixing live in the studio. Listening to my Chicago house or stepping tapes curbed my homesickness in that first year or so. Then, it was gone. Just gone. The holy grail mixtape...one of a kind, *poof* just like that.

Imagine my joy when the listing for this vinyl compilation showed up in my reader tonight. All 5 songs were on that mixtape - and I'm grinning like a kid on Christmas day.

Where'd I find it? I'm not telling you! DJs don't reveal their crate digging spots. Stop playin'!

Lenovo is the official PC provider of the NBA. What serendipity that our logo (lower left corner) just so happened to get snapped in this shot of the HOT couple of the moment,the 3-time Grammy winning, multi-platinum R&B superstar Usher Raymond and fiance' Tameka Foster taking in an NBA game.(Usher is also part-owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers.)

For my non-hipster readership, the couple's lavish wedding was to have been yesterday in the Hamptons, but was abruptly cancelled with no explanation. Adding to the drama is the backstory: Ms. Foster is 11yrs Mr. Raymond's senior, his former stylist, and presumed to have been behind the firing of his mother as his manager.

Long story short, this pic is going to get a lot of views in the coming days.

To paraphrase Andy Warhol's infamous words, I'm getting my 15 links of blog fame today.

So, I'm making my daily morning scan of my Google Reader 'must reads', when *clutch the pearls!* I see the Kristasphere has made Peter Kim's new M20 (beta) list of top marketer blogs,coming in at #30. Kim compiles this list based on Google page rank, Blog Lines subscribers, Technorati authority, and evening gown competition.(ha!)

What means most to me are the terrific friends I've made in the "bloggerhood", some whom I've never met, but feel like I've known all my life. Thanks Peter.

I've posted a couple of times at how much I love Chipotle Mexican Grill. I actually have a chicken burrito bol sitting on the kitchen counter as we speak, so this'll be short. I experienced something there the other day that could have served as a TV spot, or at the very least a customer testimonial.

I headed out a couple of weeks ago to pick up something for dinner, when I was caught in the type of storm that we in the South call a "gulley-washer". I soldiered on, reasoning it would let up by the time I got there. It didn't. I pulled in to a parking spot, and waited, and waited, and waited. I looked up, and there are no less than 4 cars to either side of me doing the exact same thing. We all look at each other in this mental game of 'chicken' as if to say "You going in?". All sitting there, high as gas is, idling our motors, windshield wipers beating wildly, waiting for the downpour to let up so we could go feed our burrito addiction. One brave soul pulled up to the curb and sent her son in to retrieve their meal. Me? I got creative and used my silver thermal sunshade as a covering and ran for it, looking like a grounded hang glider.

How many companies would kill for such cult-like devotion?

July 17, 2007 ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- A new survey out today shows that the Coca-Cola company’s intensive branding efforts this year have paid off as the soft drink has topped the ‘Best Brands” list by Harris Poll researchers. According to the company, the new findings have ousted Sony from the No. 1 slot, a position it held for seven years. The electronics giant is now at No. 2, followed in descending order by Toyota, Dell and Ford as most-recognized brands. “Top of mind association with being ‘best’ is a good position for any brand,” Robert Fronk, svp-brand and strategy consulting, Harris Interactive, said in a statement. “For a truly successful brand relationship though, the objective is not just awareness, but to foster the ongoing process and outcome of brand engagement...” Harris said the numbers were tabulated from a nationwide poll of 2,372 adults surveyed the week of June 5-11. The full results of the research are only available to Harris Poll subscribers. --Staff Report

All I can say is:

Electro music came about during one of my favorite eras in music-when it was blissfully genre-less.

No one could have envisioned in the very early 80s that music would be so sub-divided today. Some of you don't remember sitting next to the radio and holding your breath praying they'd play something,anything you could dance to. Now I have no less than five choices of dance channels alone on my Sirius satellite radio-Progressive, Breakbeat, Chill, Top 40 Dance remixes, and Disco, thank you very much. I think what this musical gene pool did do was force more creativity out of artists, because you couldn't avoid being exposed to several styles of music. For example, I doubt Bronx-native Africa Bambaata would have made the seminal hip-hop classic "Planet Rock"(video above) using a sample of the song "Trans Europe Express" by a German synth band called Kraftwerk.

But I digress. While disco was winding down, house, hip-hop, punk, and new wave were being born. (Think mullet and jheri curl haircuts, bandanna headbands, mini-skirts, and balloon pants.) These were songs you could hear at a new wave, house, hip-hop, or latin club, or in a crowd including all the above, and nobody would complain. As with all classics, they've been sampled many times over, and remain very musically cosmopolitan. Take one of the tracks on my list "Din Daa Daa" by George Kranz. It was sampled last year by hip-hop artist Pitbull for his song "Shake" here. It also apparently remains a vogueing classic; witness this vogue routine from 2006to the same song here. Remember, this song is over 20 years old!

Okay enough gushing, here's my electro playlist for a friday:

All Night Passion - Alisha
Boogie Down Bronx - Man Parrish
Can You Feel the Beat - Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
Din Daa Daa - George Kranz
Planet Rock - Afrika Bambaata and Soul Sonic Force
Electric Dance - Jungle Crew
Hip Hop Be Bop - Man Parrish
I Wonder If I Take You Home - Lisa Lisa
Looking for the Perfect Beat
Lookout Weekend - Debby Deb
Numbers - Kraftwerk
Point of No Return - Expose'
Summertime,Summertime - Nocera
Take a Chance - Nuance
Trans Europe Express-Kraftwerk
When I Hear Music - Debby Deb

It tickles me to say the least that my post on my guilty pleasure, the Johnson Automotive 'Surly Badger' commercials, has created more traffic than any other post in the last 90 days. This campaign has a lot of fans out there. My parents came to visit recently, and howled every time one of the spots came on. I want to quote one commenter from the original post, who was kind enough to share the back story on this campaign. Thanks to Kevin for sharing this:

I recently bought a new car from Johnson Automotive. They all had badger pins on their shirts. I was talking with the manager and told him I work in advertising as an Art Director and loved the badger spots. He told me the full story. Basically Mr. Johnson tried to get in touch with the Martin Agency but couldn't get past the secretary. She said they didn't do car dealer ads. So he hounded the CEO or some other top level person until they would meet with him. I think he ended up calling on a day when the secretary was off. He told the guy he would give him a brand new Lexus just for meeting with him. The guy flew to NC and said he had a few minutes to meet. A few hours later they had reached an agreement. I guess the spots were produced out in California. And from what I hear it wasn't cheap. I've only seen the 5 posted on YouTube but apparently there are about 9 total.

Now,where's my badger doll for the desk?

New in the Kristasphere: Randy Parton = Randy Watson?

I have to confess I just roll when these commercials come on. They are for a local car dealership group, Johnson Automotive. The spots are the work of the infamous Martin Agency of Richmond,VA, responsible for the Geico campaigns. They feature a "surly badger" as the sales manager at a car dealership, giving customers the stereotypical obnoxious hard-sell. The point of the campaign is to say this is what you won't experience at a Johnson Automotive Group dealership. Watch the commercials here.

P.S. Hey Martin Agency, WHY don't you have these on YouTube? Come ON guys this should be a layup.

New in the Kristasphere: Randy Parton = Randy Watson?

Update: For the backstory on these commercials, see my update post here.

You heard it here first in the Kristasphere boys and girls...

1. Paris Hilton will have one.
2. Someone will get shot and/or stabbed to death in line outside an AT&T store on Friday. Over an iPhone.
   
3. Despite all the pre-release hype, there will be an "iPhone Sucks" web site up by 12PM.
4. P.Diddy, Pharrell Williams, or Jay-Z will have one day of announce.
   
5. Oprah will give it away on her next 'Favorite Things' show and cause a riot in the city of Chicago.
   
6. Fake Steve's blog traffic will bring Blogger to it's knees by 9am.
   
7. Fake Steve will not care about #6 because Blogger is run by Google, so it will cheese Sergey and Larry off.
   
8. A year from now Apple will have its own proprietary wireless network. Why else would they launch this device on the crappiest service provider there is? (Cingular) It's like serving filet mignon on a trash can lid.
   

Thanks to Peter Kim for sharing his insights into this segment of branding online. While traditionally a retail business, many luxury goods brands are playing in the interactive space in a big way. What jumped out at me most was Ms. Berman's comment that "Customers are in control." Interesting concept to try and manifest in an interactive world, but these brands are doing it.--K

BY PETER KIM
I was in New York this week for a couple of events related to the Luxury Interactive conference. This morning's keynote address was delivered by Bridget Ryan Berman, CEO of Giorgio Armani. Her message to the audience: "Customers are in control." It's a mantra that most of us have bought into (well, more or less) - but it's one thing to hear from the CEO of a FMCG company and quite surprising to hear this from the CEO of one of the world's preeminent luxury brand portfolios.

Berman's draws on experience from Federated/May, Ralph Lauren, Apple, and Armani:

- Federated: You must be on the retail selling floor. It gives you the opportunity to speak directly to the source - an unfiltered pipeline to consumers.

- Ralph Lauren: A brand that brings experience to life. The intent: to evoke an emotional response to detail, e.g. Ralph designed it or has the piece in his own home. Backbone of customer intimacy and authenticity.

- Apple: Dedicated store space to customer activities, instead of traditional product-focused merchandising. Lets customers experience products for themselves - empowers them, gives them control.

- Armani: Mining global customer CRM; tons of existing data that had never been used. Enhancing the retail experience by focusing on physical space and customer/associate interaction. Aligning brand and customer perception.

Berman says she realizes that the next generation are quickly becoming "power consumers" and has started setting up the company for future success.

And don't act like I'm the only one who remembers Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory either :-) Ads are here.

Soul Train was a cultural lifeline for me growing up in a small town in the midwest with literally only a handfull of other African-Americans. For one sacred hour on Saturdays, however, I was absorbed into the world my cool older cousins and other relative from "the city" embodied in music, culture, and fashion.

I understand in some markets Soul Train Classic is running on the WB or WGN on the weekends, but I don't think it's gotten picked up here yet. YouTube will suffice for now. And praise God for better fashion sense - how did we ever wear those plaids and platforms? Anyway, here's a Soul Train Line to 'Live it Up' by the Isley Brothers. Enjoy...