Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: If you are easily offended by sheer honesty, or you think me having my own opinions is "being negative", then this is not the place for you, and I suggest you leave and head elsewhere. I call a spade a spade, and I don't sugarcoat anything.

Friday, March 6, 2009

INXS Finally Respond

I found this tonight from one of my online buds, INXS finally speak their piece on this matter between them and JD Fortune. What do you all think? Me, I really hate using my sis Anna's computer!! The touchpad is so sensitive!!! I cannot wait to get a computer of my own now!!

March 06, 2009 01:38 PM ET
Paul Sexton, London

INXS songwriter, guitarist and keyboard player Andrew Farriss and creative director/global business strategist Chris Murphy have spoken exclusively to Billboard about the apparent departure of lead singer J.D. Fortune.

The frontman sang lead vocals with the long-running, multi-platinum Australian rock band for four years after winning the CBS reality TV series "Rock Star: INXS" in 2005. But Fortune claimed in a television interview Feb. 16 that the band had fired him on a handshake at a Hong Kong airport.

INXS has denied that such a meeting ever took place. "It's bizarre," says Farriss. "Frankly, if you can make any sense out of it, I'd love to have it explained to me."

Murphy, who was INXS' longtime manager during their rise to international acclaim and is now working with the band again, recalls of the circumstances: "Everybody's doing their own thing, I'm focusing on what I'm doing, next minute somebody calls you and gives you a link to YouTube and you go 'What's going on here?'"

Murphy observes that the rest of the band are on a creative high that he has not witnessed since the "Kick" era of 1987, and adds: "I just find it annoying that something so unfulfilling is causing the band any distractions. From my perspective, I wouldn't want to work with [a] guy that works in this manner.

"If the band said to me tomorrow, 'We'd still like you to make that call and talk to him about working on a project,' I'd have to say 'Sorry, I have to go.' I'm not being rude or arrogant, I just find that extraordinary behaviour, and this is a professional, mature outfit. I don't want to play in that playground.

"INXS' last studio album, and the only one on which Fortune sang lead vocals, was 2005's "Switch," which debuted and peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard 200 in December 2005. Murphy says that the band is currently on a recording project, on completion of which, "when the time is right, I'll get talking to the labels."

Farriss points out that after original frontman Michael Hutchence's death in 1997, INXS worked with a number of other singers including Terence Trent D'Arby and Jon Stevens, "singers we'd known for years and get on great with, and still do. The future is whatever we make it."

Concludes Murphy: "We're just concentrating on the project at hand. There are some amazing singers in this world, let's leave it at that."

Monday, March 2, 2009

In Other News

OK, one final post! I wanted to put an end to the INXS/JD Fortune drama. I still love INXS, and always will! Nothing will ever stop that! Tim is still as handsome as ever, and will always be the most handsome man in rock n roll!! I will always be grateful to him for all he's done, even though he was not aware of any of it. LOL! But still the fact remains, he did, and I was there, and it made me feel good!! Whenever the problems of the World today lay down on me too hard, I always think about my last meetings with Timmy and it makes me happy all over again. That coupled with listening to INXS's music and videos. I know Andrew said that if his music helps others feel happy then he was grateful for that. I don't know what Tim thinks of that though. He was a sweet man when I met him, just maybe he feels the same way. I love Andrew too, he was also one of the sweetest men I've ever met. He was actually one that I really hunkered to instantly. When I shook his hand for the first time, his coolness level shot right up with me! Before then, he was my 6th favorite band member. After then, he shot up 3 times over!

Well, INXS will be recording again this month according to The Daily Telegraph. But they will be doing so without a lead singer. I thought "Are they going instrumental?" but then I read the article more and it implies that maybe they will have guest singers. Maybe. But Chris Murphy won't say. Perhaps it's a surprise, like the biggest present on Christmas morning. I sure am sorry to see JD Fortune not working with INXS anymore. But as cold as this may sound, life does go on, and I will continue to support my favorite men of INXS. I always said I would, no matter how many singers they go through. As long as Tim is there, INXS will always be INXS to me. But now I wonder who will be doing the singing should INXS decide to tour? Will they bring all their guest singers, bring back JD, or have one of the band members do the singing on the tour? I guess we'll just have to wait to find out. They had a great thing going with JD, they were a complete band once again. I will always love them, but I just wonder what is going to be next.

Anyway, here is the article:

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,25123194-5001026,00.html


INXS didn't dump singer JD Fortune, on contract for one album
March 02, 2009 12:00am

INXS are putting the JD Fortune affair behind them and will not break up - and instead head into the studio this month to record a new project without a singer.

It also emerged yesterday that singer Fortune - who won a reality TV quest to join - was only ever on a one-album-one-tour contract which ended in December 2007.

Fortune generated global headlines 10 days ago when he claimed the band sacked and dumped him at Hong Kong airport when their two-year tour ended.

But the band's creative director and business manager Chris Murphy exclusively told Confidential yesterday it seemed he did so to attract attention for his unreleased solo album.

"The whole thing has been bizarre - he was basically a contractor and his contract had ended," Murphy said from Los Angeles. "Why is he suddenly complaining 14 months later?"

The band will now record what Murphy said would be "the most creatively energetic and exciting project since (1987's) Kick". "It will blow people's minds," he added.

Murphy would not elaborate on who would sing or whether guest vocalists would be used.

Principal songwriters Andrew Farris and Garry Beers are currently in LA working on pre-production for the album, as are other members in Europe and Sydney.

Murphy was INXS's original manager but they parted in the early 1990s before Michael Hutchence died in 1997.

Murphy, who re-entered the fold a year ago, believed they lost focus in the ensuing years.

"I always said 'passion first, money second,' and my job was to free them of all that business side of things," he said.

"In the past decade advice to them has been business, business, business - and one of the pleasures of my job is to keep that out of the way of their creativity."

Should I, Or Not?

I have a wee bit of a problem. Someone I know is now in the hospital with heart problems. She is a sweet person for sure and I hate it that she is having to deal with this. But we were never really friends. I hardly know her! And she is a show breeder. But she is one of the nicer show breeders I've ever met. I was told about this tonight, and my main question to myself is, should I call her and send my well-wishes, or should I not? Part of me says do it. Part of me says forget it. The part of me that says to do it, remembers this person as one of the nicest people I've ever met in the dog show world. She was going to help me with Vegas. The part of me that says don't do it remembers how show breeders love to talk and tell all. I'm scared to death she will somehow, some way give my phone # to "Rita", and I don't want "Rita" to have it! I don't trust "Rita". I know I have forgiven her, but at the same time, I don't know what "Rita" is going to do from one minute to the next, she's so damn loony. Besides, this woman and I have not spoken since I left Olympia. I remember she used to live a short way away from me. I don't know if she is still there or not, I don't even know if she knows we moved away from there.

I'd hate to just not say anything to her, I want her to know that yes I do care. I've been thinking for the last hour of just calling and remaining anonymous. Or maybe giving a fictitious name. I mean, heart problems are no fun, my grandma had some heart problems as well. And since I do know this person, and have met her face to face, and actually did like her, I'd hate to just not say anything. I'm not even sure she'd remember me. Maybe I could give my married name. LOL! But I'm not even a member of the Chihuahua club anymore. And have no desire to join again either. Funny thing, when I first became a member I was so excited. But that was mostly to show Rita up and put it in her face. A personal triumph. She said I'd never do it, so I did.

I'll probably be shaking this around all night. It's hard when you know someone is the nicest person, but I didn't really know her that well. Well, heck. Maybe I'll just do it!! If she doesn't want to hear from me, she can just hang up. Most likely though, she won't even remember me.

This is going to be my last post for a while. Tomorrow, I have to give this computer back to the store. Just wanted to let everyone know.

Friday, February 27, 2009

So, What's The Point?

Well, everyone here knows I love INXS and will always be loyal to them, but I saw this from one of my online friends this morning and it implies that JD was a contracted member only there to do one album and one tour. So I wonder, what is the point? What was the whole point of going through the Rockstar series only to do one album with JD, and what is Chris Murphy talking about in this article? And who's going to do the singing?

In retrospect, I notice JD never said INXS said they were letting him go and that is the most puzzling thing. JD just said he got a handshake in Hong Kong, but never said or even implied by whom or why. So I kinda wonder why this is all being blown out of proportion the way it has been for the past 2 weeks?! That's why I haven't given much of my own opinion on this matter. I just don't know what to think. Anyway, here is the article I found.

http://www.undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=7719

JD Fortune Was Out Of INXS Long Ago
by Paul Cashmere - February 27 2009

The news of the sacking of the JD Fortune by INXS may not be simple as it seems. According to what Undercover is hearing, JD was only on a contract with the band for one album and one tour.

Fortune joined INXS after winning the reality TV show Rock Star: INXS.

Undercover has learned according to the terms of the contract, the prize entailed recording one album and then touring the album with the band.

Fortune’s fortune changed at the end of the tour. He claims the band sacked him at Hong Kong airport.

But according to our information, under the terms of the prize, his contract had expired when the tour ended meaning JD was out of INXS at the end of the tour anyway unless a new contract was renegotiated.

Technically, JD Fortune could not have been sacked by INXS as both sides fulfilled the terms of the agreement.

That is not to say that Fortune’s expectations wasn’t for a future with the band.

After the last tour, the singer started work on a solo album. The result is ‘The Death of a Motivation Speaker’ which Fortune is shopping for distribution right now.

In a statement this week, former manager Chris Murphy resurfaced as “INXS Creative Director and Global Business Strategist”.

The statement read, “Ever since Petrol Records signed INXS last December, the band has always stated to me that Fortune’s services could potentially be contracted again when INXS next tour. In fact he was next on my list to call regarding a very big recording project I am putting together for INXS at present. I guess I have no reason to call him now!”

Reading between the lines, the statement was actually an announcement that Murphy, who himself was removed from the management of the band in the mid-90s and replaced by Martha Troop, was back working with INXS.

The press release made the bold statement that, “Andrew Farriss, Jon Farriss, Tim Farriss, Kirk Pengilly and Garry Beers are all in lock down preparing for what is rumoured to be the most exciting recording project since KICK”.

‘Kick’ was INXS’ biggest album worldwide. It sold more than 10 million units in the USA alone and spawned the hits ‘Need You Tonight’, ‘Devil Inside’, ‘New Sensation’ and ‘Never Tear Us Apart’.

An announcement that the band is going to kick ‘Kick’ is indeed a bold statement.

Undercover did request additional information about the wording on the Chris Murphy press release this week but it was not forthcoming.

And here is another article I found:

http://www.undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=7683

INXS Did Not Dump JD Fortune
by Paul Cashmere - February 23 2009

JD Fortune may not really have been sacked by INXS but he will never get back in the band after last weeks outburst on Canadian television.

The INXS / JD Fortune saga will continue this week following an announcement from former manager and new record company boss Chris Murphy that the band did not sack JD Fortune.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Murphy says, "Not only are we shocked by the claims, even the place the supposed incident was to have taken place is a mystery to the band."

He goes on to say that the band has a new recording deal coming up with his own label Petrol Records and that Fortune was about to be called.

"I guess I have no reason to call him now," he said.

JD Fortune announced on Canadian television last week that he was fired by the band at Hong Kong airport, that he was homeless and living in his car and had a problem with cocaine.

Fortune became lead singer of INXS after winning the reality TV show Rock Star: INXS.

His Canadian TV appearance was in support of his forthcoming solo album.

Fortune’s behavior has been somewhat erratic of late.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Viva La Portuguese Water Dog!!




Obama made up his mind about what kind of dog he will be getting for his children. I'm happy to announce it is a Portuguese water dog! I'm glad! I'm glad he chose a water dog over the other choice, a labradoo, which is nothing but a glorified mongrel thought by some to be a true "breed", when it's not. I think Obama made a wise choice to take the Portuguese water dog. The last thing that labradors and poodles need is the publicity of a mongrelized version of themselves by a popular politician like Obama. Now, all Obama fans will be seeking themselves a Portuguese water dog! That's how people are! But for a long time, I knew it came down to a choice between the mongrel and the Portuguese water dog and I was worried nearly sick that they would choose the mongrel! But I am so glad to see they didn't. Then everyone would have been looking for mongrels like labradoos! Eventually that would cause the extinction of labradors and standard poodles, and that is not good!

Face it, where dogs are concerned, we live in an uneducated World!! People go for what is popular on television, not what they should be getting! People now are even preferring the deer-head chihuahuas, or so-called "teacup" chihuahuas. But what is popular is not what counts. What counts is the kind of people breeding these dogs. No reputable breeder would breed deerheads or call smaller chihuahuas "teacup". It's a sad fact, but it's true. I'm not saying that people who buy these varieties are stupid people, I'm just saying that they have not really been educated in what to look for in a breeder. I have a friend who bought what they called a "teacup" chihuahua. When asked if my dog is a "teacup", I replied that there is no such thing as a "teacup" chihuahua. I thought this friend might as well know the truth. But their dog was adorable! I just didn't want this person to think "teacup" is a special or different thing, as I am sure that is what the dogs' breeder told them. I told this friend that my chihuahuas are on the smaller side, but I don't call them "teacups". I was nice about it, but I'm afraid I made this friend angry anyway. But I had to tell this friend the truth! I just haven't heard from them in a while, and that conversation has pissed people off before who wanted to believe "teacups" are special breeds, separate from other chihuahuas. The only separation in chihuahuas is the coat type. Not size or even head type. Though I must say the deerheads appear too mongrelized to me. If chihuahuas really looked like that, I wouldn't have any interest at all in the breed. And all deerhead-type chihuahuas I've seen were bred by breeders I wouldn't give the time of day to! They all either register with ACA, Continental KC or APRI. It is good that AKC is cracking down hard on breeders, and DNA testing! That way you know who the conscientious breeders are.

I do hope that Obama also makes the right choice when picking out a PWD puppy for his children. Or maybe he will go for an older dog. But according to the AKC, Portuguese water dogs are very active and need to receive lots of attention. But that's typical of all gun dogs. I know how some kids are, they love something when they first get it, they promise to take care of it and love it, then when the "new" wears off, they forget all about them. I hope that doesn't happen! If it does, Obama may think again about next time getting a smaller breed because the Portuguese water dog is going to entertain it's self and the present owners of the White House are not going to like the way it does!! I used to raise Australian shepherds, an equally as active breed, I know what I am saying! I cannot tell you how many sofas I've had to replace, how many coushins, how many holes were dug in the yard, how many walls have had to be rapaired because I was working and raising these dogs, and any pups left alone found ways to entertain themselves. Sure I took my dogs hiking on the weekends, but that was on the weekend! I had work during the week!

I can see a lot of people are enjoying Obama's run so far. But I've seen enough presidents to know that this is how it always starts out! Sure, Obama has been fast to react to everything. He seems to be genuinely interested in fixing the problems of the country. This is how it always begins. Clinton began this way, and so did Bush. Then later in their terms, people were getting sick of them, because they made promises and didn't keep them. We will still see.

Monday, February 23, 2009

What You Need

Some people prefer to ignore the drama that is surrounding JD and INXS. I heard about the out and out war going on at inxs.com. So I kinda wonder why the mods there are not as sensitive to these rants and attacks at each other on the forum. Now I am not on inxs.com anymore and I'm thinking maybe that is a good thing. Even if I was, I'd probably go in only as a silent member. I don't care for the forums anymore, and I'd prefer to blog here. If I do blog there, it would only be to send INXS a message saying that I will continue to support them.

A lot of JD fans are saying they would not support INXS or go to anymore of their concerts if JD is let go. One person in a private thread I've been following said that INXS needs to forget about all the media hype and sit down with JD 5 to 1 and discuss this like mature gentlemen. I know INXS has it in them to do that. I cannot imagine Timmy at least giving in to what is said in a tabloid program like Entertainment Tonight. It's like reading the Enquirer and taking what they say as the gospel! If INXS do fire JD over that interview, then that is the dumbest thing they can do. They were doing fine. I love INXS, I will be at as many concerts as I can, JD or no JD. But I don't want to see it end like this. They really do need to sit and talk this over with JD. I just hate seeing INXS throw JD away like that, and a lot of other fans on this thread have said that they would not go to anymore INXS concerts without JD because INXS keeps rotating singers. No, this cannot be happening. I love INXS, and like I said all along, I will always support them. I cannot tell this band what to do though, and I cannot expect them to comply, I am only a mere fan. But I don't want to see this turn into a war between INXS and JD to a point where it's like "he said this, he said that, and I don't care about him anymore!" That cannot be true! And I would prefer to see these 5 wonderful, beautiful guys sit and talk with JD than to see them just throw him away only to go with another singer, and another and another and so on. I think those were very wise words, even though I don't know the person who said them. They are the wisest words I've heard spoken since this incident got started.

So to INXS, please if you're reading this in any way, shape or form, PLEASE talk to JD!! Don't give into sensationalism. I know they may not be looking in on this blog, but just in case they are. I've gotta say something. I cannot let them make a final decision to just let JD go without saying something! But I will always love these guys. Tim is really the main object of my affection and devotion. He is what will always keep me going back to INXS no matter what. He was always sweet to me when we've met. So, I won't abandon this band. Just in case he is reading. LOL! And to those who are reading and cannot differentiate the distinctness between "devotion" and "delusion", buy a dictionary and learn! LOL! No, I am not delusional, the many people who know me can vouch for that. I'm just very highly devoted to INXS, and no matter what happens between them and any other group or singers, I always will be there to cheer them on.

Saying Goodbye For Now

Well, I found another article. A lot of people are angry at INXS and calling them assholes. It's a shame. I will always stand by my favorite men of INXS, nothing is going to change that! I still love Tim the way I always have. And I always will. I just want to make that known to the World. I have friends who have let me know I will never be the last INXS fan standing. I was perfectly willing to be, but it is good to know I will always have other fans surrounding me as well, cheering on our favorite guys. I also respect these guys' decision. I hope that they don't dump JD, but no matter who they go with for this new album Chris Murphy speaks of, I will always love my favorite men of INXS. It's Tim I still only care about anyway. As long as he is still in the band, I will always be happy with INXS, and I will attend as many concerts as I can.

I also wanted to say goodbye to my readers on here. I will be "off the air" for a while. Hopefully not too long! The computer I am typing on now is a rented computer. And because of this recession, I have decided I cannot make the payments anymore. So I have to send it back to the store. I will be saving a little bit here and there to get myself a new computer. The very earliest I can predict actually getting a new computer will be about May. But most likely it won't be until June. I will *try* to get on and maybe write something here once a week at the library computer, but no promises made there. Metalraptor has agreed to keep my Metazoic blog active, I will be turning that blog over to him on the 1st of March. But this blog may have to be left standing on it's own. Though sometimes I do discuss evolution topics here, this blog is mostly reserved for my own rants. Though I am trying hard to stop ranting so much (except when it comes to PETA) and take on a more friendly attitude. That hasn't been easy I must tell you!! Especially with internet dumbasses at every turn!! Speaking mainly of JohnFaa and Viergacht. But it is still the early morning hours of the year, so to speak. And maybe getting away from the internet for a while will help. It did last time. That is until---well, nevermind. It's all been forgiven. But I do want to keep checking up on Metalraptor's posts on my Metazoic blog. He seems to have some pretty cool ideas lined up! Should keep that blog hopping good!

Anyway, this is an article someone on Facebook noticed and spread around. It's about INXS dumping on JD. It doesn't really say much more than the article I posted yesterday. I keep wondering if it's true that Chris Murphy was going to call JD back in for another big recording session with INXS. One of my online buds doesn't buy it. I'd prefer to give INXS the benefit of the doubt. I cannot imagine 5 guys who claim to love their fans so much would do something like this to trick them! It's true they are nice guys. Well, except for Kirk. Gotta be honest there. But Tim was always nice when I've met him.

http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/inxs%20blast%20former%20singer_1095866

02/23/2009 12:07:31 PM
INXS - INXS BLAST FORMER SINGER

Rockers INXS have hit back at reports they ruthlessly dumped their lead singer J.D. FORTUNE at an airport - insisting his outburst has ruled out any chance of a return.

Fortune alleged last week (begs16Feb09) he was unceremoniously sacked from the band with a simple handshake as he waited for a flight at Hong Kong airport.

But a spokesman for the Australian rockers claims they are baffled by his statement, because they were about to involve him in their next recording venture and tour.

INXS creative director and global business strategist Chris Murphy says, "Not only are we shocked by the claims, even the place the supposed incident was to have taken place is a mystery to the band. "What annoys me the most after viewing Fortune's interview is the bloody slant he makes toward the founding band members. These guys are the nicest people on this planet, they are not the people he portrays.

"The band have always stated to me that Fortune's services could potentially be contracted again when INXS next tour. In fact he was next on my list to call regarding a very big recording project I am putting together for INXS at present. I guess I have no reason to call him now."

Sunday, February 22, 2009

What Chris Murphy Says

I was visiting another site and someone mentioned this article from an Aussie newspaper. I found it and read it, INXS are horrified by what JD said on ET Canada. But one should keep in mind, ET tends to exaggerate to make their stories interesting, and a lot of what JD said was probably edited. I wish INXS had kept that in mind. But they will probably not want anything to do with JD again after that. Murphy was thinking of calling JD back for the making of another album this year. Bummer!!!

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,28383,25091739-5013560,00.html


Chris Murphy says INXS did not dump JD Fortune at airport
By Sydney Confidential
The Daily Telegraph
February 23, 2009 12:00am

INXS has hit back at claims that they unceremoniously dumped their former singer JD Fortune from the band in the middle of a busy airport.

INXS creative director and global business strategist, Chris Murphy, said yesterday that the band was horrified by comments made by Fortune that he was dropped by the band at Hong Kong airport.

Gallery - INXS, one of the greatest bands of all time

"Not only are we shocked by the claims, even the place the supposed incident was to have taken place is a mystery to the band," Murphy said.

The former lead singer of the band told Canada's Entertainment Tonight last week that he was now broke and living in a car after losing his job with the band he had travelled for 23 months.

JD Fortune's side - How INXS dropped me

"What annoys me the most after viewing Fortune's interview is the bloody slant he makes toward the founding band members," Murphy added.

"These guys are the nicest people on this planet, they are not the people he portrays."

Fortune was the latest singer to join INXS, filling the enormous void left by the death of Michael Hutchence in a Sydney hotel in 1997.

Murphy said the other band members - Andrew Farris, Jon Farris, Tim Farris, Kirk Pengilly and Garry Beers - had made it known to him that they had not ruled out seeing a return by Fortune.

"The band have always stated to me that Fortune's services could potentially be contracted again when INXS next tour.

"In fact he was next on my list to call regarding a very big recording project I am putting together for INXS at present.

"I guess I have no reason to call him now."

Murphy also heads Petrol records, who signed INXS last December.

Fortune, a Canadian who joined the band in 2005 after winning the Rockstar: INXS Us reality series, also said he abused cocaine while touring with the band.

He said although he had given it up, it partly motivated the band to sack him.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

It's Official Now

JD has been fired from INXS. INXS got angry at JD apparently because of his outburst on ET Canada, posted a few posts down. I hope it wasn't because he was saddened by the loss of his friend!! I cannot imagine the men of INXS firing JD over him being saddened by something like that when they themselves should understand how that would feel. They lost Michael much the same way. But I cannot imagine INXS being angry at JD over that. It must have been something else he said. And a lot of people thought that it was because of JD's drug use. Apparently it wasn't.

Now, I have no idea what INXS are going to do. But whatever it is, I will stand by them. I love JD, but Tim was always my most favorite. So no matter what happens to INXS, my Timmy-fanhood stands strong. If INXS just goes out of business I don't know what to do! Just not go to concerts anymore I guess. I've been a loyal fan of INXS since 1990, I've favored them for so long, I don't even have a reserve band for a favorite. The only one that even comes remotely close is Roxette. And well, I haven't heard anything from them either for years! And frankly, I am not as attracted to Per Gessle as I am to Tim Farriss. I'm not saying Gessle is ugly, I'm just saying he is not as attractive in my eyes as Tim has always been.

I don't like any of these new bands run by a bunch of young sprigs. I HATE Brittney Spears with the biggest burning passion!!!! And it seems every other young band is following in her footsteps. Though I heard Spears actually was the one who ripped off Christina Aguilera, or however you spell her name. But anyway I don't care about those two. I just want to know what INXS will be doing next. Will they do another series of Rockstar episodes? I kinda hope so, then I can go to more tapings! I dunno though, the one I did go to, I felt like a tiny little squirrel among a redwood forest! I was the shortest damn viewer there! But at least I got to see my favorite guys. I was one of the ones that stood right by their panel. LOL! One guy standing in front of me said he was there just to see Dave Navarro. Funny, but I hardly even noticed him there! LOL! Well, maybe it's not so funny, I don't care for Dave Navarro in any way, shape or form! I only cared to see Tim. He was the best-looking guy on the panel!!!

Low-Tech Solutions In A High-Tech World

At least one or two of these things has happened to all of us, I found this article fascinating. I remember when my ma lost one of her cell phones in a toilet once, and I wish I had known about this before, I'd have told her about it! Anyway, this is an interesting article!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/technology/personaltech/19basics.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&no_interstitial

Low-Tech Fixes for High-Tech Problems

By PAUL BOUTIN
Published: February 18, 2009


BEHIND the cash register at Smoke Shop No. 2 in downtown San Francisco, Sam Azar swipes a customer’s credit card to ring up Turkish cigarettes. The store’s card reader fails to scan the card’s magnetic strip. Azar swipes again, and again. No luck.

As customers begin to queue, he reaches beneath the counter for a black plastic bag. He wraps one layer of the plastic around the card and swipes it again. Success. The sale is rung up.

“I don’t know how it works, it just does,” says Mr. Azar, who learned the trick years ago from another clerk. Verifone, the company that makes the store’s card reader, would not confirm or deny that the plastic bag trick works. But it’s one of many low-tech fixes for high-tech failures that people without engineering degrees have discovered, often out of desperation, and shared.
Today’s shaky economy is likely to produce many more such tricks. “In postwar Japan, the economy wasn’t doing so great, so you couldn’t get everyday-use items like household cleaners,” says Lisa Katayama, author of “Urawaza,” a book named after the Japanese term for clever lifestyle tips and tricks. “So people looked for ways to do with what they had.”

Popular urawaza include picking up broken glass from the kitchen floor with a slice of bread, or placing houseplants on a water-soaked diaper to keep them watered during a vacation trip.
Today, Americans are finding their own tips and tricks for fixing misbehaving gadgets with supplies as simple as paper and adhesive tape. Some, like Mr. Azar’s plastic bag, are open to argument as to how they work, or whether they really work at all. But many tech home remedies can be explained by a little science.

Cellphone Losing Charge
If your cellphone loses its battery charge too quickly while idle in your pocket, part of the problem may be that your pocket is too warm.

“Cellphone batteries do indeed last a bit longer if kept cool,” says Isidor Buchanan, editor of the Battery University Web site. The 98.6-degree body heat of a human, transmitted through a cloth pocket to a cellphone inside, is enough to speed up chemical processes inside the phone’s battery. That makes it run down faster. To keep the phone cooler, carry it in your purse or on your belt.

This same method can be used to preserve your battery should you find yourself away from home without your charger. Turn off the phone and put it in the hotel refrigerator overnight to slow the battery’s natural tendency to lose its charge.

Remote Car Key
Suppose your remote car door opener does not have the range to reach your car across the parking lot. Hold the metal key part of your key fob against your chin, then push the unlock button. The trick turns your head into an antenna, says Tim Pozar, a Silicon Valley radio engineer.

Mr. Pozar explains, “You are capacitively coupling the fob to your head. With all the fluids in your head it ends up being a nice conductor. Not a great one, but it works.” Using your head can extend the key’s wireless range by a few car lengths.

Dry Ink Cartridge
If your printer’s ink cartridge runs dry near the end of an important print job, remove the cartridge and run a hair dryer on it for two to three minutes. Then place the cartridge back into the printer and try again while it is still warm.

“The heat from the hair dryer heats the thick ink, and helps it to flow through the tiny nozzles in the cartridge,” says Alex Cox, a software engineer in Seattle. “When the cartridge is almost dead, those nozzles are often nearly clogged with dried ink, so helping the ink to flow will let more ink out of the nozzles.” The hair dryer trick can squeeze a few more pages out of a cartridge after the printer declares it is empty.

Cellphone in the Toilet
It could happen to anyone: you dropped your cellphone in the toilet. Take the battery out immediately, to prevent electrical short circuits from frying your phone’s fragile internals. Then, wipe the phone gently with a towel, and shove it into a jar full of uncooked rice.

It works for the same reason you may keep few grains of rice in your salt shaker to keep the salt dry. Rice has a high chemical affinity for water — that means the molecules in the rice have a nearly magnetic attraction for water molecules, which will be soaked up into the rice rather than beading up inside the phone.

It is a low-tech version of the “Do Not Eat” desiccant packets that may have been packed in the box the phone came in, to keep moisture away from the circuitry during shipping and storage.

Longer Wi-Fi Reach
If your home Wi-Fi router doesn’t reach the other end of the house, don’t rush out to buy more wireless gear to stretch your network. Instead, build a six-inch-high passive radio wave reflector from kitchen items, like an aluminum cookie sheet.

Follow the instructions at freeantennas.com/projects/template. Place the completed reflector — a small, curved piece of metal that reflects radio waves just like a satellite TV dish — behind your Wi-Fi router. It focuses the router’s energy in one direction — toward the other end of the house — rather than letting it dissipate its strength in a full circle. No cables, no batteries, no technical knowledge required. Yet it can easily double the range of your network.

Dirty Discs
You need to clean a skipping DVD or CD, but as a bachelor you don’t have any sissy cleaning fluids? Soak a washcloth with vodka or mouthwash.

Alcohol is a powerful solvent, perfectly capable of dissolving fingerprints and grime on the surface of a disc. A $5 bottle of Listerine in your medicine cabinet may do the job as effectively as a $75 bottle of DVD cleaning fluid. Also, swabbing your copy of “Lost Weekend” with Stoli instead of fussing with a Discwasher kit is a lot more manly.

Too Much Flash
If your cellphone’s built-in camera flash is much too bright, washing out photos, tape a small piece of paper over the flash. Experiment with different colors and thicknesses of paper to tone down the flash from superbright white to a more pleasing glow for evening photos.

Crashed Hard Drive
If — no, make that when — your PC’s hard drive crashes and can’t be read, don’t be too quick to throw it out. Stick it in the freezer overnight.

“The trick is a real and proven, albeit last resort, recovery technique for some kinds of otherwise-fatal hard-drive problems,” writes Fred Langa on his Windows Secrets Web site. Many hard drive failures are caused by worn parts that no longer align properly, making it impossible to read data from the drive. Lowering the drive’s temperature causes its metal and plastic internals to contract ever so slightly. Taking the drive out of the freezer, and returning it to room temperature can cause those parts to expand again.

That may help free up binding parts, Mr. Langa explains, or at least let a failing electrical component remain within specs long enough for you to recover your essential data.

That’s the spirit of folk remedies: They may or may not work, but what have you got to lose?

Friday, February 20, 2009

Not Sure What to Think of This

Lukas Rossi has offered JD a place to stay, and all this talk about JD being the "former lead singer of INXS" and his "former band mates", it's all implying that there is no more INXS. I don't know what to think anymore. Someone mentioned something about Andrew working with Michael Johns. I don't even think I know who that is! If INXS are really retiring, there is going to be a huge void in the music industry. It was INXS that got me interested in music in the first place! Modern music sucks though! And if INXS are going out of business, I'll just have to find another hobby. I guess the chances of listening to any new music is out. I don't like modern music and I have yet to see a modern band I like as well as I love INXS. And I'd hate to think I've lost my Groucho and my favorite band all in the same decade!! Not fair!!!

Anyway, now Lukas Rossi is getting into the act. He wants to help JD. It seems nice and innocent enough. However, I don't like Rossi. Somehow I don't trust him. But here is what he has to say:




*****************EDIT TO ADD*********************

I just woke up from a nap. I know this is totally unrelated. But I had a dream that I did an interview with Tim over the phone, and one of the questions I asked him was "What do you think about the future of INXS and what JD is saying about you?" or something to that effect. Well, in the dream, he didn't give me an answer and he muttered some cuss words and hung up the phone. Not sure what that possibly means, but it made me wake up a little bit scared.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

And Then I Saw This

Woa! Just as I had finished typing my last article and posted it up with the link to JD's interview on Canadian radio, I came across this and now I am not even sure what to think! It had me breaking out in cold sweats! This is an article about INXS maybe about to call it quits. Oh NO!! I cannot see that!! What about the 80-something songs Andrew spent the last 10 years working on? Won't they ever be released? And here I was looking foreward to at least another 10 years with INXS.

Well, here's the article. They will be making their announcement in a couple of weeks. Notice there is mention of JD saying INXS ditched him because of his cocaine use.

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,25079157-5012327,00.html

INXS considering to call it quits on the bad after 22 years

February 20, 2009 12:00am

AFTER 22 years, 11 albums, numerous hits and thousands of shows, the five original members of legendary Aussie rock group INXS are considering their future and could well be poised to call it a day.

Following news the band has dumped its latest lead singer JD Fortune, The Daily Telegraph can reveal a major announcement about INXS's future will made in the next few weeks.

I was on drugs, admits FortuneINXS singer sacked, living in car

Band members Jon Farriss, Tim Farriss, Kirk Pengilly, Andrew Farriss and Garry Beers have already extended a 12-month break by two months and seem reluctant to regroup.

"The members are scattered all around the globe at the moment,'' long-time band spokeswoman Chrissy Camp said yesterday.

"But I have tracked one of them down and he's told me they will be putting out a statement about their future in the next couple of weeks.''

Camp would not comment on whether this meant that the band would seek a new singer - the fourth frontman since the November 1997 death of Michael Hutchence - or part ways for good.

The band kept secret last year's dumping of Fortune - not even Camp knew.

The Canadian joined in 2005 after winning the Rockstar: INXS US reality series.

Fortune broke the news on Canadian television on Wednesday, saying he was left flat broke and living in a car after spending all his earnings on an unreleased solo album.

He also said he abused cocaine while on a two-year tour with INXS.

He said although he had given it up, it partly motivated the band to sack him.

Fortune is, however, still listed as the singer on the INXS website.

Questions Answered

As any readers to this blog now knows, I have been following the JD drama all week. It has taken me through periods of happiness, sadness, anxiety, frustration, even rage. But today JD did an interview with a Canadian radio station and revealed all. He did seem to contradict a lot of what he told Entertainment Tonight. Either that, or a lot of what he said was indeed seriously edited. If the latter is true, I would sue ET. This has caused JD a lot of public humiliation and a lot of people who once supported JD have decided they didn't want anything to do with him anymore. I really didn't want to say anything, because I didn't want to buy any trouble. But over the past week, I've heard what seemed to be one rumor after another, and nothing official from INXS. I figured JD told his side of the story, and I was hoping INXS would tell their's. Last night, I was reading this group and I saw one person say that INXS won't be bullied into saying anything. I responded saying I don't think anyone is trying to "bully" INXS, I think the fans just want to hear their side of the story. As the saying goes, there's always 2 sides to each story. I was just waiting for the day to come when INXS would share their side, what with all the rumors and stuff going around.

I will always feel I was right about JD not being good enough for their band. Sorry, I cannot change what I always have felt. The man is very talented, yes. He sang INXS songs every bit as good as Michael did. But he was never really a team-player. INXS should have done Rockstar: INXS back when they were still kinda young. I think because they are older now, JD is becoming more of a handful for them. Anyway, one of my online buds sent me the radio show, and I thought I would share here.

JD Fortune Virgin Radio Interview Feb.19.09.mp3
Free file hosting from File Den

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

It's Still Going

The drama that JD went through is still going on. And now tonight I found out JD Fortune even made Perez Hilton's gossip site. Oh my GOD! That's pretty bad! I'm shocked that The Star Celeb hadn't picked up on this yet. I know these ladies read my blog. Come on! Anyway, one commenter on Perez's site said that she worked the band's show back in 2006 and she heard them talk about letting JD go because of his excessive coke habit. I don't mean the drink Coke either! But it still seems odd that nothing has been mentioned about it on inxs.com! Maybe he really hasn't been released and the guys just want him to get clean before the next tour. Or the next album, whichever comes first.

I still cannot help thinking that perhaps INXS should have listened to their fans. A lot of people have said they never liked JD to begin with. I know I didn't when the series Rockstar: INXS was going. That whole time I hoped he wouldn't win. But I love INXS, and I respected the guys' decision, and I saw a few concerts and indeed, JD has talent! I thought he performed really well. I still like JD. He was good to me when we met! But I cannot help but think the men of INXS need better instincts. I love these guys, but their instincts SUCK!!! I have impeccable instincts and I predicted JD wasn't right for them. As a soloist, JD would be perfect!! As a family-oriented team-player, no. He is no good at that! He loves his family, I have no doubts about that. But he just is not a team-player. One thing I will always remember about the voting. There were people who voted for JD just because they liked him out of all the rockers. There were those who said "He's had a hard life living in his car and all. Let's give him a break and vote for him." Then there was the Canadians that voted for JD just because he was Canadian himself. Me, I was the different one in the group. I voted for whose ever performance was the best that night. I had my favorites indeed. I prefered Marty and Ty as that goes. But there were times when I felt their performances were not up to standard. So I didn't vote for them those weeks. That was how I voted. And those that voted for egotistical reasons, like JD was the pretty-boy or the Canadian guy, I hope they learned their lesson.

So I kinda wonder what happened to that wonderful Honda Civic he won at the end of the series? Did he sell it? Or did he give it to his family? What? But as for all this drama going on, I say now it is either time for JD and INXS to either put up or shut up! Come clean with all of us, because JD is making himself look bad to a lot of people. With all this hype, one would think one of the guys from INXS would have said something by now. But no, nothing. Not a word on their site, nothing. Not a word to the news, or Entertainment Tonight. Nothing. Why leave your fans hanging like this? It was our money that was spent on the concerts, the media, the voting, etc, I want to know exactly WHAT is going on?

Nothing will stop me from loving INXS as I always have, and I want to think there will always be some love for JD inside me as well. But I feel as a loyal fan of nearly 20 years I am at least due a little bit of restitution from INXS.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

The Looming Sadness

Well, the drama of JD Fortune continues. One person on this one group said that INXS probably let JD go because of his boozing habits and smoking pot. I made a comment that if that is indeed true, then it is all JD's own fault. As much as I adored JD, it is his own fault! Not the fault of INXS. But people continue to bad-mouth INXS, and I noticed one of my online buds, who've always supported JD Fortune, has decided she doesn't like him anymore and lost a lot of people she thought were friends. I felt bad for her! After I announced on inxs.com that I do not like Kirk Pengilly anymore, I lost a lot of people who I thought at the least were online buds. But having been through similar episodes many times before, I can tell you that I predicted that would happen before I ever even announced it publicly. It doesn't bother me, in an exponent like that, you find out who your real friends and the genuine people really are. The people who never liked you in the first place will drop you like a hot potato, even in the midst of what would seem to be a wonderful friendship. But the genuine people, who truly liked you for WHO you are, will not care that you choose not to support that band member. I like this girl a lot! She never did anything bad to me. I hate to see her losing friends just because she chooses not to support JD anymore. I want her to know now that I won't desert her just because she doesn't like JD anymore. Ultimately, it is HER choice!! NOT someone else's!! I knew that when I decided I didn't like Kirk anymore. No one else can tell you what is really good for you. Only YOU can do that!

Funny thing about this I saw all kinds of people bad-mouthing INXS yesterday, and I could not believe INXS "screwed JD over"! They seemed so happy with him! So I said there had to be another reason why JD got let go of. But I personally was thinking recession. Like I've said on here before, I don't want to buy trouble. Not until we know for sure. But then someone brought up the thing about JD boozing and doing pot and drugs, then I thought back to the days of Rockstar: INXS. I didn't like JD at all then. In fact, I only ever remember voting for him once. That was when he did "Hands" by Alannis Morisette. He sang it better than she did! But then again, I can't stand Alannis Morisette, so that's not really saying much. But I respect INXS's decision, and they chose JD. But I also remember about halfway into the Rockstar series, I made an individual analysis of the remaining rockers. It can be seen in my book titled "How A Dog-Girl Turned Rocker", but I predicted back then that JD was not right for INXS. Actually, I thought Mig was better for INXS because he always put his heart and soul in every performance. But Mig did not have the sexual appeal. He looked like a troll, or a cockroach! But JD I felt at first was not right. He's not a team-player. Marty had the sexual appeal, and the team spirit, but I didn't think he was right for INXS either. He was a harder rocker than INXS was used to. But Marty also put all his heart and soul in every performance. He did great with the Lovehammers!

Now, I don't know the future of INXS. Maybe they will all just settle down and not make music anymore. Or maybe they will separate and go with other bands. Or maybe they will go for another season of Rockstar and win themselves another JD. Or maybe they will try finding a new lead singer another way, like advertise through their local newspaper. It's up to them. But if they don't make music anymore, it'd be a shame because these men are very talented! But JD isn't all bad. I have a knack for being able to tell who is all good or all bad, and JD cannot be all bad. A person who holds his family in such high regard, can't be bad at all. That's what I think.

****************EDIT to Add***********************

Here's a video I found about the continuing story of JD Fortune...


I know, it's kinda echoey. I don't know why. It actually sounds like it was filmed with a video camera pointed at a TV screen. But anyway, it's the second half to yesterday's interview with JD Fortune.

As for this friend, she says she may become a Timmy fan instead. I told her welcome to the sisterhood!!