Why KMart is foolish for axing DVDs and CDs

You may or may not be aware that KMart has decided to stop selling DVDs and CDs. Basically as soon as the existing stock is gone they're exiting out of that market. I'm not someone who shops at KMart myself so this won't affect me, but there was quite a bit of outrage online following their announcement. I couldn't tell you if VHS videos and cassette tapes were phased out or if there was a big deal made when stores stopped selling them. I do recall when I started buying CDs and DVDs though. It would have been around the year 2000 and it was because it was the shiny new technology and I wanted to be on trend.

Well the thing is, the alternatives to DVDs and CDs are as follows:

• Streaming through Spotify, Netflix, Stan or other streaming services.
• iTunes 
• Google Play

I want to talk about the faults with each of those, but before I do I'll start by saying that I never actually stopped buying DVDs. I have bought some digital versions of TV shows though, but typically I've always bought DVDs and still buy the odd CD. Incidentally I have actually started buying them more frequently.

Streaming services

Everyone seems to think that "Netflix and chill" is awesome and that you can download a show whenever you want. That's true, you can. But the big issue is that you're forced to pay a monthly subscription fee which is subject to change at any time. The fee itself could change or the stock could change. Often Netflix only has current shows. They don't bother with a back catalogue and nor do other providers. This means you may want to watch something more than once but find it's suddenly not there. Spotify can do the same thing and it happened with Taylor Swift's catalogue. She refused to release it on Spotify though now it's on the service. Netflix has also removed TV shows so if you want to watch something, sorry, you're fresh out of luck.

iTunes

I must be one of the only people around who actually likes iTunes and would be gutted if it ceased to exist. iTunes is great and like DVDs and CDs you own the product. There's no redownloading or being subjected to silly subscription fees at whim of the company. It's yours once it's on your device. The downside though is that like the other services, there's a limited catalogue so you may not be able to get what you want.

Google Play

This is similar to iTunes and has problems for the same reason. The catalogue is limited and could change at anytime.

When you own a CD or DVD you own it. It's yours forever and so long as you keep your DVD player you ca play it whenever you want. People may prefer things on their devices but each device has limited storage and though you can back it up to the cloud, it does still require redownloading so potentially you could lose it.

I am in favour of new technologies but axing DVDs and CDs is a very dumb move and not helpful for consumers who want to know that their music, TV and movie library won't change at whim of some programming executive.

I hope that CDs and DVDs are around for many years to come and I bought two DVDs today as a matter of fact. I collect music tour DVDs and old TV shows. I don't want to be forced to pay a subscription fee and told what I can and can't watch. It reduces my freedom.

KMart has made a mistake and they are alienating a portion of their market but luckily there are still other retailers like JB Hi Fi and Sanity Music (I favour Sanity Music).

The Voice Australia 2018 winner is crowned and it's brilliant

As you know from my blog, I'm a huge music fan. Between writing, singing and listening to music, it pretty much consumes me. It has since I was a kid.

I'm gonna cut straight to the chase and talk about tonight's The Voice Australia finale. Before I do though I want to draw attention to the fact that now I'm going to have nothing to do on Sunday nights until the next season:-(

I'm gonna miss the show. I've been tweeting about it every week and I've written other blogs about it as well. That first blog was written a few months ago after episode 4 when Australia was introduced to vocal looper, Sam Perry. He was very controversial originally and I was incredibly opposed to his entry in the competition. A direct quote from the blog is below:

There was a contestant called Sam Perry who bought DJ equipment and did what's known as vocal looping or beat boxing. The judges loved it, with all four turning around and he ended up choosing to go on Kelly's team.

So should the guy have been allowed on The Voice Australia's seventh season? Some would say yes, and that the show's rigged anyway so who cares?! I disagree and would say that no he shouldn't have been allowed on the show.

There was nothing wrong with what he did, in fact he is talented, but as a DJ, not as a singer, and his performance had absolutely no place on The Voice. The show is supposed to focus on singing, not how well someone can mix a track. That's not what the competition is about. Again, just to reiterate, there was nothing wrong with what Sam Perry did. He is a talented DJ and definitely has skill but he should have entered a contest like Australia's Got Talent, or even X Factor Australia, rather than The Voice.

 You can read the rest of the blog here.

Well, tonight it was the season finale and Sam Perry took out the title of The Voice winner for 2018 and I want to be the first commentator to say, I am happy I was proven wrong. I switched to Sam's team a few episodes ago. It would have been when I started monitoring how he was doing in the Australian iTunes charts. I started to see that he was actually the only one who was charting and that's when he started to gain credibility in my mind and I came around to his music style.

I realised that vocal looping actually does take talent and that it's not easy. He does everything himself, and the show is actually called, "The VOICE". It's not called, "The SINGER" or "SINGERS ONLY". Anyone who has watched Sam knows that he uses his voice.

Anyway, tonight's episode was fairly tense and after Sheldon and Aydan were eliminated early on that left only Sam Perry and Bella Paige (who had come second in The Voice Kids 2014 so it might have been deja vu for her). It was fairly obvious that Sam was going to be crowned the winner, which also means that coach Kelly Rowland won the show as well.

The end of the show was fairly rushed so we didn't actually get a performance from Sam of the winner's single. The song was soon released on iTunes and is titled Trust Yourself. He is the only winner to have written his own single, and let me say, it's fantastic and so incredibly catchy.

Each week he has been improving, and although nobody's focused on his looks, he is HOOOOOOOOOT! That aside though, he's connected with the Australian public week after week after week and offered something new. The coaches said in his audition he would win, and whether or not that means the competition was rigged is another issue, but even if it is rigged, Mr Perry is incredibly popular and musically/artistically so talented.

I think that unlike other artists he will actually go far and have a long term career in the industry. I don't know about you but I can't wait for his album and I cannot wait for his tour.

The haters can say what they want, but Sam has shown more talent than all the other contestants put together and he is an all rounder with the charisma and personality to go far. Haters are just jealous that he's doing what they aren't or can't.

He won the competition because all through it, there was one thing he never forgot to do, and that was to "trust myself".

If more people did that they too, like Sam Perry would achieve great things.

Music review: Christina Aguilera Liberation

As a long time Christina Aguilera fan I'd begun wondering when she was going to release her next album. She'd had a six year break. This was back at the beginning of May, so you can imagine my delight when the lead single, Accelerate was released on the third of May and an album, Liberation was announced at the same time.

The second single, Twice, which is clearly about making tough decisions was released the following week, and then the third single, Fall in Line, featuring Demi Lovato and about how people should stand up for themselves was released.

The initial single was met with mixed reactions because of its hip hop sound. To give some context, the track was produced by singer/songwriter/future politician Kanye West. Long time Christina Aguilera fans will disagree with the sentiment that it wasn't true of Christina Aguilera's sound. Back in 2002 she collaborated with L'il Kim for Can't Hold Us Down off her album Stripped, and she's previously dabbled in other genres like Jazz on Back to Basics.

As with the cover of the album, Liberation is an album about stripping back the layers, finding yourself and doing what you believe in. It's somewhat political with songs about women being empowered and one track, Dreamers, containing statements by little girls about what they want to achieve in the future.

Christina Aguilera Liberation album cover

The album opens with the song, Maria, which is an upbeat sassy song about finding Maria. It could be about an alter ego that's strong and feisty. Speaking of feisty, another song that stands out is Sick of sittin' which is about Christina being sick of sitting, saying nothing and just taking what's dished out to her.

Right Moves, Deserve and Unless it's with you depart from the political theme of the album and are about relationships. In Deserve, Christina questions whether or not the person she's with should be with her and sings that she's always picking a fight.

Despite Christina taking six years to release the new album, it's her best piece of work, and as another reviewer wrote, it's very much like her early work in Stripped and her self titled album.

I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

The sparkle that made Prince Harry fall in love is going

Some have said that Prince Harry has mummy issues and that's why he married Meghan Markle. Some have said that he never truly got over his mother, Princess Diana's death. I am too young to remember Princess Diana. My only memory is the day her car crash was announced. It was before school and my mum said Princess Diana has died in a car crash. As I was only 10 I didn't even know who she was, but I do vaguely recall Prince Harry and Prince William growing up and the media being fascinated with Prince William. Prince Harry was always ignored.

Well fast forward 21 years and it seems that Prince Harry found the woman who can fill a void that no other woman has been able to. That woman of course is Meghan Markle. She was this vibrant actress who was outspoken and opinionated. She let the world know what she thought and was known as a feminist.

It's said that Princess Diana shared that sentiment and tried to do things her way rather than the way the Royals were supposed to behave. For one thing, rather than home schooling her sons, she sent them to regular school so that they'd have some idea of a normal life. That's a tradition that Prince William and his wife, Duchess Kate have continued.

A couple of images show that Princess Diana liked to challenge the status quo.

Source: https://people.com/royals/princess-dianas-stunning-swan-lake-necklace-goes-on-sale-for-12-million/

Source: https://people.com/royals/princess-dianas-stunning-swan-lake-necklace-goes-on-sale-for-12-million/

She wasn't afraid to wear low cut dresses despite most members of the Royal Family being forbidden from doing so, and she also broke the rule of hemlines needing to be below the knee, with dresses above the knee.

There was talk before they got married that Meghan Markle would bring some light into the Royal Family and would bring it into the 21st century, but after only two weeks, she's completely lost her individuality and has completely lost her personal style.

Since she married Prince Harry she has only worn beige dresses.

Source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/901204/prince-harry-meghan-markle-queen-elizabeth-royal-wedding-royal-family-news

Source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/974011/Meghan-Markle-being-coached-in-Royal-protocol-by-the-most-prestigious-of-teachers

Source: https://people.com/royals/meghan-markle-duchess-transformation-queen-elizabeth/

As you can see from Meghan's outfits, she has only worn beige since she married Prince Harry. She hasn't been seen in anything else.

I'm big on clothes being used as art and a form of expression and the fact is that Meghan is now being told what to wear. She's not allowed to be herself anymore. Her clothes aren't the only part of herself she's been forced to change. She also has to act a certain way (this isn't really a big deal given she's been an actress in the past) and is getting royal coaching.

All of this leads me to ask the question, why would Prince Harry marry her if she has to become somebody else? This isn't an acting role. This is 24/7 and even I as an actress and performer would really struggle with what the Queen is demanding of her.

I understand that the Royal Family have a code of conduct to abide by but crushing someone's personality, the very thing that drew in their husband, Prince Harry makes no sense. It doesn't seem right to me at all. All it does is show that the Royal Family has such an old fashioned outdated approach to life.

I don't wish harm to the Queen, but I'm certain that once Prince Charles is on the throne things will be relaxed and the Royal Family members will have more freedom to express their personalities. Doing Royal duties and showing your personality shouldn't be mutually exclusive, unless of course, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex actually is beige, and given her new clothing choices it honestly wouldn't surprise me.

While I am jealous that she's married to Prince Harry I feel sorry for her in so many ways. She has given up everything to be with him. No matter how much you love someone you should never have to change who you are for them. The same goes for both men and women. And even though the Royal Family has an image to maintain, they need to modernise it because right now it looks like it belongs in the 1930s and ironically Princess Diana was more fashionable than what Meghan is.

Meghan's sparkle is already starting to disappear

I'm a Royalist. I like the Royal Family. Okay, truthfully, I got interested a few years ago when Prince Harry became super hot. I mean he is extremely hot. I have also paid attention to other members of the family for their fashion and body language in images.

Most recently, I've been completely consumed with Prince Harry and his now wife, Meghan Markle, who together are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. As anyone who knows what the Royal Family is about, with those titles come responsibilities.

One such responsibility is upholding an image. Before I go into details, I want to show you a visual representation of who Meghan was prior to marrying Prince Harry.

Source: http://hollywoodlife.com/pics/meghan-markle-fashion-evolution-style-guide-best-outfits/

 

Source: https://www.thebudgetfashionista.com/archive/meghan-markle-style/

 

In just a few days since she has been married to Prince Harry, her style has dramatically changed and now falls in line with the Royal Family's expectations. 

Source: https://www.usmagazine.com/stylish/pictures/meghan-markles-personal-style-secrets-shop/

 

Source: http://fashionbombdaily.com/meghan-markle-made-her-first-public-appearance-as-the-duchess-of-sussex-wearing-british-designer-goat/

 

Now, a lot of people wouldn't really care that they'd have to change their personal style after getting married, but I don't know about you, but I would have huge issue with that. I'm the type of person who will mentally judge people's outfits on trains or in the street, and one thing I'm always noticing is people's lack of passion for their clothes, so I guess, it would be their lack of passion for fashion, but I see fashion as being an extension of your personality. I always wear mini skirts becuse I like to push boundaries and don't like how jeans or pants look (even in situations where I have to dress more formal, I still wear minis but they're a little bit longer, still above the knee though). I also wear bright colours and prints. I love unique fashion that can be an extension of your personality and convey a message. It's much like make up. It's art. Some would disagree, but in my view, fashion is art.

And that actually brings me to Meghan Markle. In stories by the mainstream media she's been referred to as having a sparkle, and you know what? Up until a few days ago she did, but now, well, now I think that sparkle is starting to go.

In previous images her body language was open and fun loving. It was confident and laid back. She showed her personality and maintained a balance between stylish and conservative. The two were able to merge because of the cuts she wore.

Well, if you compare that with now, she's lost her spark and her body language appears to be closed off. The colours have gone and the hemlines have become longer. She has to wear hats and use clutches now. Forget about the practicality of using a tote or a shoulder bag. Royals aren't allowed to hold handbags. According to a lot of reports and articles, the Royal Family's female members must hold clutches because it helps them avoid awkward situations where a member of the public wants to shake their hand. Of course, this ignores the fact that the Royal Family members could simply politely say no to shaking someone's hand. 

Outside of the Royal Family, organisations have dress codes that their staff members must abide by. Some companies are more laid back about what they allow their staff to wear, or they'll have the opportunity to make the company's dress code work for them, for example, if you have to dress in corporate attire, you could wear bright clothes or make up. I assume though that in the case of the Royal Family, members aren't allowed to wear bright colours because the Queen does so that she can easily be seen in crowds.

That's not the major issue with Meghan Markle's fashion transition since marrying Prince Harry. The issue is that it's just one way that she is being stifled and can't be herself. Of course, given her acting background she is used to playing a part, but the major difference is that she got to choose when she played the part and she also could stop playing when she went home at night and be herself. It wasn't a 24/7 role like being a member of the Royal Family is.

Being a member of the Royal Family almost destroyed Princess Diana, although she did break a few rules such as not always wearing long sleeved dresses or coats, and still showing cleavage at times.

It's not just her fashion that the Queen wants to change. She also wants Meghan to have Royalty training. This training will be conducted over the next six months by none other than the Queen's assistant, Samantha Cohen. Samantha is known for being ruthless and taking no prisoners, so it's likely that the Queen has chosen her because she wants Meghan to be whipped into line.

Everyone is different and Meghan may well love Harry. There's no doubt that she does based on her facial expressions, but love can only go so far when you're being forced what to wear and what to say, although maybe she'll be fine given her acting background. But again, given she's been acting since she was a kid, how will she handle not being able to do what she loves? Wouldn't that just depress her? Even when Australian singer, Delta Goodrem was in hospital getting treatment for Cancer, she would still write and she would still perform when she could. She didn't let the illness stop her.

Of course, time will tell whether or not Meghan is cut out for Royalty but she doesn't exactly seem to have a tame and timid personality like Kate does. It's entirely possible that Meghan will get sick of it and divorce Prince Harry, OR that they'll both end up leaving the Royal Family and moving to America. It wouldn't be the first time a Royal Family member has abdicated their post for love. Prince Edward the VIII who was in line for the throne abdicated when he fell in love with American, Wallis Simpson. Instead he was made a Duke of Windsor. Prince Harry may also find Meghan's change difficult. He's always been the "normal" Royal Family member, which is not surprising given he's the youngest, and he may find that HE falls out of love with Meghan because she's now having to become someone she just isn't (which is much bigger than any acting role).

Prince Harry may find he doesn't want to stay with Meghan given she's losing her sparkle, and Meghan may find that being married to Prince Harry isn't worth the restrictions that go with being a member of the Royal Family.

Only time will tell, but there is a strong possibility that one, or both of them will find the restrictions and constant monitoring difficult.

 

Review: Radnor and Lee at the Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne

I don't really know where to begin this blog so I guess I'll start by asking the question, have you met Radnor and Lee? No? Okay, well basically, Australia's singing sensation, Ben Lee, who has been around since the 90s started a band with his mate Josh Radnor, who played Ted Mosby in How I Met Your Mother for nine years, and who also starred in the now cancelled, musical drama, Rise.

You're probably wondering what type of music Radnor and Lee would play, well to answer that question, it's mostly folksy accoustic music and it's actually really good.

So the Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne holds 1000 people. It's a traditional theatre with stalls at the front, two balcony levels and then private boxes on the side. It's really quite a beautiful theatre.

Anyway, getting back to Radnor and Lee, Australian singer, Sally Seltmann opened for them and performed a set of six songs. I'd never heard of her which is odd given she and Ben Lee actually go way back as friends (they share the same birthday - the 11th of September, except there's a few years difference between them, so they had a shared birthday when they were 18).

Sally has a very similar style to Radnor and Lee in that she focuses on a minimalistic set. It's all about the guitars and keyboard. I wish I knew the name of the first song she sung but I honestly don't remember and I haven't been able to find out. All I remember is that it was a keyboard based song and that it was very singer songwriter style, the type of music you'd expect from someone singing in their bedroom.

And that's actually the type of thing that you got at the Radnor and Lee concert on Saturday the 19th of May. When Sally made a mistake, instead of trying to cover it up, she completely owned it and acknowledged it. As a fellow singer myself, I loved that moment. It was real, raw and not perfect. That's the way music should be.

After Sally's set, there was a gap of about 15 minutes before Josh and Ben took to the stage. Now I was seated in the third row so I was extremely close to the stage and honestly, if the seats had been any closer then we would have been on the stage.

The other event that was on, on Saturday night was of course Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding and the people in front of me were talking about the wedding so naturally I started talking to them and one of them was dressed in a tiara, and I was wearing a sparkly dress. Hey! If you can't be at the wedding yourself, you might as well have fun, so we high fived over that. It was pretty cool, and then throughout the night discussed the dresses, but only briefly because we were there to see Radnor and Lee.

So Radnor and Lee had a basic set with just their guitars. It really felt like it was you watching your mates sing. There were of course moments when Josh and Ben talked to the crowd about various things including how Josh had only been playing guitar for a year because he was in a band (it's cool because that's actually why I'm taking up keyboard, not to be in a band, but because I'm a singer, I could never be in a band, I like the limelight too much) and about how it takes him ages to tune his guitar and when he's doing it on stage he feels pressured to hurry up. The audience didn't care though. It's really cool when you see a musician that's just honest and open.

As mentioned, the wedding was on Saturday night and you bet Radnor and Lee were going to talk about it, but it was only to introduce their latest single, Here, and they thanked fans for coming to the gig and not watching the wedding.

There were a few other songs they sung in between, including Be Like The Being, which Josh has lead vocals on, and another recent song, Ohio, which Ben leads on. They joked about Josh leading on an upcoming song called Sydney. Whether or not that's written is another thing. I may write a song about Sydney myself, which they're welcome to (so long as I get a writing credit and to actually meet them).

Later on in the set they sung a few songs that aren't on their debut album including Green Street, which Josh wrote when he was living on Green Street in New York, and You can't fire me, I Quit (which is actually about a relationship ending).

One of the best moments was when they sung Still Though We Should Dance. Anyone who has the album knows that a female singer sings most of the song, so to fill that role, Sally Seltmann returned to the stage. It wasn't perfect but that's what made it great. It sounded like a few mates just jamming.

One of the worst moments though was when someone in the crowd shouted out, "We love you Teddy Westside", to which Josh replied, "I know not what you're referring". For those who've followed Josh's career, you'd know that he wants to leave HIMYM behind and focus on his other projects; and yes, Josh and Ben, as Radnor and Lee are recording their second album next month.

Finally, the night ended with Josh and Ben going right to the front of the stage and singing, It's Yours Once You Give It Away. It was completely accoustic and they revved up the crowd.

They returned for an encore after a very short break and closed with their uplifting track, Falling Upward.

My favourite parts of the show were the banter between Josh and Ben, where they showed genuine affection for eachother. I also love that they made constant reference to the fact that this was a new venture for them. Normally people are so busy trying to be perfect. It was excellent that they weren't trying to be perfect.

Overall, I would give them a 4/5. It was a truly intimate show and given how close I was to the stage was just incredible. You don't often get that, least of all with massive stars like Josh Radnor and Ben Lee and the even better part is how truly down to earth and normal they seem. Having been a performer since I was a kid, I always tell myself that famous performers are just regular people who had a dream and made it big, while others, such as myself, are still working on it.

The only reason I don't give them a 5/5 is because they didn't do a meet and greet and outside of Prince Harry, Josh Radnor is one celeb I really really want to meet. Okay, so at the show I did make eye contact with him twice. It was pretty cool.

I highly suggest people purchase their album and I can't wait to see them when they're next in Australia. I did have a ticket to the Sydney show as well but haven't quite mastered the art of being in two places at once so I couldn't attend the show as I was still travelling back from Melbourne.

Here's a couple of snaps I took from the gig.

 Australian singer, Sally Seltmann

Josh Radnor and Ben Lee as Radnor and Lee

The madness of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's nuptials continues

Now I'm not one for tradition. I don't even believe in marriage myself. In my view marriage is an antiquated tradition that belongs back in the stone ages. Why have a big show and why do you need a contract to prove your love for someone?

Well, of course, it's not up to me. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided that they wanted to get married and their wedding is tomorrow.

This week there have been a number of weird things happening. One minute Meghan's father will attend and the next he won't, then he will and now he won't. Yesterday, the Royal Family issued a statement in the media wishing him the best for his health.

With him not attending, there was a lot of speculation of who would walk Meghan down the aisle with some media commentators assuming it would be her mother, Doria Ragland.

Tonight another statement came from the Royal Family saying that Meghan Markle had asked Prince Charles, Harry's father to walk her down the aisle. Forget the rest of the odd behaviour from Meghan's family this week. This has to be the weirdest thing related to the wedding.

Traditionally, the father of the bride walked his daughter down the aisle because he was giving her away. This is back in the times when women were considered the property of their father and when they were handed over from one man to another.

I'm really struggling to understand why Prince Charles is walking her down the aisle. Prince Charles is going to soon be her father in law, and will be welcoming her into his family, so how can he possibly give her away? It just doesn't make sense.

Again, I'm not a traditionalist, but in a wedding ceremony, the idea behind a bride being walked down the aisle by her father is that she's given away. I could understand a grandfather giving her away in place of her father, or a very good friend (like Joey gave Phoebe away to Mike in Friends in place of her father), but to be given away by the father of the groom seems really concerning to me.

This isn't just a break with tradition. This is a break with logic and just doesn't make sense.

If you've been following my tweets and Facebook comments the last week or so you'd know that I don't support this wedding at all, and wish that Queen Elizabeth had said no to this engagement. It just makes a mockery of the entire Royal Family, and Meghan is not suitable to join their ranks.

I don't think this marriage will last. There are way too many strange moments and illogical behaviours for it to stand the test of time. Prince Harry is making a big mistake and the world can see it, if only he could....