Mumford & Sons
Mumford & Sons are.. without a doubt my favourite band at the moment. Absolutely incredible. I have to stop myself from listening soon before I 'overlisten' and end up hating their music. Although that thought/idea seems impossible considering how bittersweet and melancholy their music is. I'm not one to take in lyrics, but this band hits your mind hard with their writing:
Enjoy. Enjoy. Enjoy - and share. Please share.
Merry Christmas!
Wanted to share one of my favourite renditions of my favourite Christmas songs.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
...and to all those who don't celebrate out there, all the best in health and happiness to you and your family 
Shock Culture
It's hard to discern if we're living in a culture and time where outlandish behaviour is rewarded with heightened popularity, or if this was always the case (and the Internet has increased our awareness). If anything, it definitely feels as if celebrities and 'celebrities in training' are going to extremes to earn more face time and name recognition in the media.
Howard Stern and Andy Kaufman definitely helped in opening the door and pushing boundaries early on. Howard Stern, the original 'shock jock', would bend the rules of radio and go to air with sexually explicit conversations and material. It enraged the public, yet he became more popular. Andy Kaufman would engage in erratic behaviour on talk shows and gain notoriety for being so eccentric. He even apparently talked of faking his own death to increase his popularity.
Later on, things got even more - well - sexual. Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee got the ball rolling with their widely publicized sex tape. The positive effects of the tape definitely outweighed the negatives for both of them and their notoriety skyrocketed. Others followed suit - Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Dustin Diamond (ugh) - and then came wardrobe malfunctions and limousine upskirt shots. Is any celebrity doing worse off for these incidents? Are any of these incidents honest mistakes and not pre-meditated?
This brings us to the present - 2009. This also brings me to two great examples of the root of my concerns some are going too far: Glenn Beck and Richard Heene. The lines are becoming more blurred as those in positions of power (ie. Glenn Beck) can potentially use outlandish behaviour to raise their popularity now that it's apparent there really is 'no such thing as bad press'. It's also apparent how far some will go (Richard Heene) to gain that heightened notoriety.
Glenn Beck is in a position of power. He's on FOX News, a highly-viewed American national news network. He has his own popular television show that consistently garners high ratings. While I can't say for sure his antics are not all for show - it's hard to watch the clip above and wonder what his true intentions are. He knows that crying on his show will be an event. He knows that if he calls Obama a racist - or loosely compares his policies to Nazi Germany, it will be an event. He will get news coverage. He will get more press. His show will become more popular. He will sell more books. The cycle continues. Will it stop?
The balloon boy hoax was a disturbing sign of the lengths some will go to heighten their celebrity status. Richard Heene hoped that his story would play out as he wanted - he's shown on air crying over his lost son in the balloon, his name is mentioned, his family is given press time, and in the end his son Falcon is found safe - end of story, fade to black, tissues handed out. Eventually, a broadcaster would want to feature the Heene's on a new series. So much coverage was devoted to Richard's plight.. and look, even my first blog entry is mentioning him! His 'plan' still worked - but fortunately it looks like him and his family will not receive much more attention or any sort of television deal. Or will they, eventually?
If the balloon boy story wasn't outed as a hoax, it would have been interesting to see if Richard Heene would have ended up signing a deal with TLC or Discovery for a new show. Luckily he was outed. But sadly this disturbing hoax shows how far - and how deep - someone will lie for their own personal gain. How can someone think of just themselves at the potential mental or fiscal expense of millions. Isn't Glenn Beck doing the same thing? Playing with the media and the heartstrings of millions for his own political, fiscal and popular gain - and creating a greater divide in his country?
Glenn Beck and Richard Heene's antics make Howard Stern and Andy Kaufman seem much more tame in retrospect. At least most people knew not to take them seriously.