March 2017 – Page 5 – GEORGE ROTHERT

The World We Know Has Ended

Auto-Tune is ubiquitous in recorded music. If the vocalist is off-key, or the guitar is out of tune, not a problem, Auto-Tune electronically fixes it. It was first used in 1998 to enhance recordings by Kid Rock and Cher. (It became known as the “Cher effect.”) Although singer Michael Bublé is critical of the practice because it makes everyone sound the same – “like robots” – he admits he uses it when recording “pop-oriented” music. Christina Aguilera made a public appearance wearing a T-shirt bearing the legend, “Auto-Tune is for Pussies.” She later admitted she has used it, too. Country stars Faith Hill, Shania Twain and Tim McGraw reportedly use it in live performances.

“I’m not a perfect note hitter either but I’m not going to cover it up with Auto-Tune. Everybody uses it, too. I once asked a studio guy in Toronto, ‘How many people don’t use Auto-Tune?’ and he said, ‘You and Nelly Furtado are the only two people who’ve never used it in here.’” – singer/songwriter Neko Case

Guess what? Robots are starting to take over the composing process as well. A company named Amper has raised money from investors to develop artificial intelligence for making music.

Click here to read more about it. Or just kill yourself. Better yet, spend your music money at local clubs and hear and dance to real live music.

Vancouver Welcomes Trump

Vancouver British Columbia was a welcoming place during the 2010 Winter Olympics. I was fortunate enough to own a residence there at the time and to be there for some of the festivities. The streets were alive day and night with people from all over the world; Walking through the crowds downtown one heard many languages spoken. Vancouver welcomed the world and the world savored Vancouver’s beauty. I no longer am a part-time Vancouverite. I may have got out just in time.

Recently the shiny new sixty-nine-story Trump International Hotel and Tower officially opened, a few blocks away from the no-longer-mine condominium. The Holborn Group, led by Joo Kim Tiah, from one of Malaysia’s richest families, owns the hotel. The Trump organization licenses the name to the hotel operator and handles reservations. A petition demanding the Trump now not be allowed has more than 50,000 signatures.

About a hundred anti-Trump demonstrators greeted Eric and Donald Jr, who came for the ribbon cutting. Vancouver mayor, Gregor Robertson, did not attend, stating, the Trump name and brand “have no more place on Vancouver’s skyline than his ignorant ideas have in the modern world.” City Councilman Kerry Jang called the hotel a “beacon of racism … intolerance, sexism and bullying.”

Today’s Travel Tip

If you’re heading out for some relaxation near the L.A. beaches, or to start your Route 66 trip – backwards – you may want to book yourself one of those sought-after middle seats on your flight out there. The Shore Hotel in Santa Monica has a special deal through May 26. If you have reserved a room and upon arrival show them your boarding pass confirming you rode into LAX wedged between two other passengers, they’ll upgrade your room, maybe to an ocean view.

Check it out here.

(Eating tip: it’s only a mile to the Huckleberry Café.)

Good News For Corn Syrup

Changing climate is affecting maple syrup producers in the Northeast. Cold winters with frigid nights are essential for trees to generate the precious syrup. Warmer weather causes sap to rise up in the trees instead of descending to the taps. One producer reports that 75 gallons produced in 2000 is now down to 15 gallons. Some growers report lower sugar content.

New England produces most of this country’s maple syrup. Tiny Vermont by itself accounts for 47% of it. (A famous Illinois maple “sirup” producer is a must-stop for Route 66 travelers.)

Log Cabin brand long ago contained maple syrup. Now it advertises “authentic maple-tasting syrup.”

Climate change is also good news for Oregon wine growers – short term – but maybe not so good for California. Major producers in the Golden State are hedging bets by purchasing vineyards in Oregon and Washington.

Our new president has taken up the challenge by proposing a 25% cut in the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget.

Being Presidential

Pundits have largely applauded the President’s address to Congress, praising him for being “presidential” and sticking to the Teleprompter. We have a new standard for judging our leader. Simply not going off the rails during a speech now is the measure of success. (Editorial comment: Exploiting a grieving person – at her most vulnerable – is truly despicable.)

Here for comparison, here are excerpts from previous presidents.

More About the Academy Awards

Contenders for 1939’s Best Picture Oscar included “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Wuthering Heights,” “Stagecoach,” “Of Mice and Men.” And the winner was… “Gone With the Wind.” GWTW won eight awards out of thirteen nominations. Hattie McDaniel was named Best Supporting Actress, the first African-American to win an Oscar. (She was also the first to be nominated.) Judy Garland won the Juvenile Award. No one attending the ceremony in that pre-television era was surprised.

Digression

“Gone With the Wind” moviegoers gasped when Rhett Butler delivered his departing remark to Scarlett O’Hara in the final scene. Today, with profanity so prevalent and used as a crutch for lazy writing, we see the shock of seventy-plus years ago as amusing. Maybe we’re coming full circle, with this year’s best-picture winner having dialog with few expletives, surprising considering the story line.

End of digression

Beginning with the 1940 awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences kept the names of winners in sealed envelopes, not to be opened until announced at the ceremony. Previously, the Academy released the list of winners to news organizations prior to the awards banquet, so they would be prepared to publish the results to their waiting readers and listeners. The genteel arrangement ended in 1939 when the Los Angeles Times published the winners’ names prior to the event. The Academy was not happy and from then on kept the list of winners secret. The system heightened suspense and worked well until this year’s fun ending.