Tag: Bob Marley

Pop Culture Roundup (for Early February 2012)

Arrested Development In case you were too busy with watching all of the Super Bowl commercials or with getting dumped from X Factor, here are some of the recent pop culture stories you might have missed.

– Movies –

If you are excited about multiple superheroes in the upcoming Avengers film, check out the trailer.

The Chicago Tribune has a review of Big Miracle, i.e. the whale movie, by Michael Phillips.

Great Scott! Back to the Future may become a Broadway musical.

Adam Sandler is in talks to create a film based on the board game Candy Land. Where is the checkers movie?

Bill Wyman wrote an interesting critique of the films of Steven Spielberg (“he hasn’t said anything new”).

A new documentary about Bob Marley premieres at SXSW.

Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin? — check out the new trailer for the movie Game Change.

Still shaken. . .This year marks 50 years since James Bond first appeared on film. . .

Monty Python members are reuniting for a science fiction film.

Sarah Jessica Parker will play Gloria Steinem in biopic, replacing Demi Moore.

Uggie, the dog in The Artist, is retiring. Unfortunately, the reasons for the retirement is ill health. (thanks @poochface)

Kermit & Miss Piggy held a press conference to address accusations from Fox Business that they promote a liberal agenda.

– Music –

Salon considered how Madonna liberated America.

R&B singer David Peaston (‘Two Wrongs (Don’t Make a Right)’) passed away at the age of 54 this week.

A new Graceland exhibit looks at Lisa Marie Presley’s relationship with Elvis.

Cover Lay Down posted 18 different covers of the Townes Van Zandt classic, “If I needed You.”

The Flaming Lips sing with Suri from the Apple iPhone.

Ringo 2012 Ringo Starr Ringo Starr discussed his 17th solo album. Read the Los Angles Times review of Ringo’s new album, Ringo 2012.

An unreleased ABBA song will be released.

Soul Train host Don Cornelius has passed away in an apparent suicide. RIP.

Pres. Obama’s cover of Al Green boosted sales of “Let’s Stay Together” by 490%. Nice job Mr. President, but you can’t top Al Green.

– Television –

Roseanne Barr has filed papers for the Green Party’s presidential nomination.

A video refresher course on why David Letterman is funny.

How Stephen Colbert is beating the Supreme Court by illustrating the effects of its Citizens United decision.

Kevin Bacon will star in a serial killer drama pilot for Fox.

New episodes of Arrested Development are in the works.

Check out some past stories about life on the set of Saturday Night Live.

Robert Hegyes, who played Sweathog Juan Epstein on Welcome Back Kotter passed away. I hope he has a note to get into heaven. In other death news, Ian Abercrombie, who played “Mr. Pitt” on Seinfeld, passed away. RIP.

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    13th Amendment Ratified: Redemption Song

    Bob Marley redemption song

    On today’s date of December 6 in 1865, Georgia voted for the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  The vote provided sufficient state support to officially ratify the amendment ending slavery in the United States.

    Earlier, after the U.S. Senate had passed the amendment in April 1864, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the measure in January of 1865.  The vote sent the amendment to the states for ratification, with that process ending on today’s date.

    The Thirteenth Amendment

    Thus, on today’s date, after more than a century of bloodshed by the lash followed by several years of bloodshed on the battlefield, these words were finally placed in the U.S. Constitution: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

    A Song of Freedom: Redemption Song

    They are beautiful words, long overdue, of course. The words of freedom remind me of some other beautiful words that begin, “Old pirates, yes, they rob I;/ Sold I to the merchant ships.” In honor of the anniversary of the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, it seems an appropriate time to join in to sing a song of freedom.  The song, of course, is “Redemption Song” written by the great Bob Marley, who sings it live in the following video.

    Marley wrote the song around 1979 after being diagnosed with cancer.  He took the famous line “emancipate ourselves from mental slavery” from a speech by Pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey.

    Marley’s song, though, speaks in a broader context.  He starts off singing about slave ships and ends with a plea for us to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery.

    The powerful song is not locked in time or place, but it now belongs to the world. Earlier this year, Playing for Change created a cool video of performers from around the world — including Stephen Marley — joining in to create a beautiful cover of the song.

    I suppose more Americans know the words to “Redemption Song” than to the Thirteenth Amendment. Yet, both continue to resonate around the world. Won’t you help to sing these songs of freedom?

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