Yeah Right

Saudi Girl Rock

That's right, Saudi Arabia has produced an all-girl Rock band.  The music isn't my cup of tea (you can listen to their single on their MySpace page), but the story is pretty cool:

They cannot perform in public. They cannot pose for album cover photographs. Even their jam sessions are secret, for fear of offending the religious authorities in this ultraconservative kingdom.

But the members of Saudi Arabia’s first all-girl rock band, the Accolade, are clearly not afraid of taboos.

The band’s first single, “Pinocchio,” has become an underground hit here, with hundreds of young Saudis downloading the song from the group's MySpace page. Now, the pioneering foursome, all of them college students, want to start playing regular gigs — inside private compounds, of course — and recording an album.

Song of the Week

In bands I haven't though about since 1997 news, The Prodigy apparently have a new album coming out in the spring.  You can get a free download of their new single "Invaders Must Die" at the Prodigy website.  "Invaders Must Die" is not the song of the week because it is awful, awful, awful.  I'd prefer to remember the happier times, the 1997 times, oh yes -- The Fat of the Land times.  Therefore, the song of the week is "Firestarter":

Today's Sign of the Apocalypse

Behold Ace Ventura, Jr.:

Happy Thanksgiving

Let's celebrate with a little Jack Handey:

I think the best Thanksgiving I ever had was the one where we didn’t even have a turkey. Mom and Dad sat us kids down and explained that business hadn’t been good at Dad’s store, so we couldn’t afford a turkey. We had vegetables and bread and pie, and it was just fine. Later I went into Mom and Dad’s bedroom to thank them, and I caught them eating a little turkey. I guess that wasn’t really the best Thanksgiving.

A Timely Book

This seems appropriate for Turkey Day:  How Football Explains America.

Something Else To Be Thankful For

The Office has released a "Producer's Cut" of Frame Toby. It's just a 26 minute version of the show instead of 22 minutes, but it's more than worth watching if for no other reason than you get to find out what Angela wants to wear to her wedding.

You won't be disappointed:

Is President Bush a Closet Hip-Hop Fan?

He just pardoned a rapper:

John Edward Forte, a Grammy Award-winning rapper, is arguably the best known of those pardoned. He was arrested at Newark International Airport in 2000 after being found with a briefcase containing $1.4m of cocaine and was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Forte, who has always protested his innocence, co-wrote and produced two songs on The Score, the Fugees' Grammy-winning 1996 album and several singers, including Carly Simon, had joined a campaign for his pardon, claiming he was not given a fair-trial.

The singer, of North Brunswick, New Jersey, will be released after serving half of a 14 year sentence.

More here.

Things That Make Me Happy...

Include, but are not limited to: the thought of a new No Doubt album and tour.

Talk About Cruel and Unusual Punishment

An interesting approach to justice from my home state:

Fort Lupton Municipal Judge Paul Sacco says his novel punishment of forcing noise violators to listen to music they don't like for one hour has cut down on the number of repeat offenders in this northwestern Colorado prairie town.

About four times a year, those guilty of noise ordinance violations are required to sit in a room and listen to music from the likes of Manilow, Barney the Dinosaur, and The Platters' crooning "Only You."

More here.

Today's Sign of the Apocalypse

Speidi eloped.