
 |
|
May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
|
| |
Jewish World Review
Oct. 8, 2010
/ 30 Tishrei, 5771
Sir Paul the Insipid
By
Greg Crosby
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
In show biz sometimes all you have to do is live long enough and the honors and plaudits start rolling in. It helps if you were once a major rock star. It's even better if your politics happen to be left-leaning. And if you were once part of a pop phenomena, like the Beatles were for my generation, it's guaranteed. Paul McCartney fits quite nicely into all those categories so he is now getting honored all over the place.
He has already been knighted by the Queen of England. Not to be outdone, this past July the U.S. bestowed McCartney with the Library of Congress's Gershwin Prize for Popular Music which included a PBS-televised gala concert at the White House. You might remember his humble and charming remark on accepting the prize at the White House affair when he said, "After the last eight years it's great to have a president who knows what a library is." What a gracious, classy guy. He comes to a country that is honoring him with an award and insults one of its former twice-elected presidents in his acceptance speech.
But we're not through worshiping Sir Paul yet. Now he has been chosen by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as one of the five recipients of their annual Lifetime Achievement Award to be presented at the Kennedy Center, which will also be taped and broadcast on PBS sometime around the Christmas holidays. So is this it, or are there more American honors we can bestow on McCartney?
When will he be receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor? How about an honorary Academy Award for his lifetime achievements in the art of motion pictures? How could anyone forget "Help," "Hard Days Night" or "Yellow Submarine?" Three of my all time favorite movie classics.
Maybe there is a presidential high-level office he can be appointed to, like maybe becoming the National Endowment of the Arts Czar. We might create a new cabinet post, like the chief of the Department of Homeland Music. Oh, wait a minute, McCartney is a citizen of another country, I forgot.
There already is a Secretary of State, but considering McCartney's prior experiences, we might dub him the Secretary of Altered State. I wonder if he still talks with Ravi Shankar?
I know what you're saying, "Come on, Greg, you're ignoring his enormous contributions to the world of music! Okay, then, let's go over the tunes. It would be unfair of me to name only the nonsense like "Rocky Raccoon," "Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da," "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," and "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" so let's skip those and get right to the big important stuff.
The Best of Paul McCartney might include the following: "Hey Jude," "Yesterday," "Let It Be," "Michelle," "Helter Skelter," "Penny Lane," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Maybe I'm Amazed," and "Band on the Run." Which of those would you describe as a song for the ages, in the same league as the best of Gershwin, Porter, or Irving Berlin?
Most of the so-called "serious" tunes of McCartney run the gamut from vapid, sappy and uninspired, to meaningless, incomprehensible and shallow. Does anyone know what "Hey Jude" is all about? And does it get any triter than "Michelle, my belle" or any more sophomoric than "Yesterday?" Remember, these are considered his best efforts. I admit there's a place in our world for bubble gum, teenie-bopper music like McCartney's, just don't give out prestigious awards for it.
And then we turn to the performance of the man. Be honest. As a singer and pure entertainer would you really put him in the same category as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, or even Elvis Presley? Are his contributions to popular music on an equal par with Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Artie Shaw or Benny Goodman? What really has McCartney brought to the party of any consequence either in the writing of music or the performance of it?
Excuse me if I don't gush enthusiastic over Paul McCartney, but I just don't think the guy ever had the goods. To bestow serious honors on him is to diminish the talents of the true giants of 20th Century popular music. But that's what happens when the really great people are all gone but the need still exists to find someone to honor so that you can have a gala award show to televise on PBS.
"Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da, life goes on, Bra! La-La how the life goes on."
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Greg Crosby, former creative head for Walt Disney publications, has written thousands of comics, hundreds of children's books, dozens of essays, and a letter to his congressman. A freelance writer in Southern California, you may contact him by clicking here.
Greg Crosby Archives
© 2008, Greg Crosby
|
|

Arnold Ahlert
Mitch Albom
Jay Ambrose
Michael Barone
Barrywood
Lori Borgman
Stratfor Briefing
Mona Charen
Linda Chavez
Richard Z. Chesnoff
Ann Coulter
Greg Crosby
Alan Douglas
Larry Elder
Suzanne Fields
Frank J. Gaffney
Bernie Goldberg
Jonah Goldberg
Julia Gorin
Jonathan Gurwitz
Paul Greenberg
Argus Hamilton
Victor Davis Hanson
Betsy Hart
Ron Hart
Nat Hentoff
Marybeth Hicks
A. Barton Hinkle
David Horowitz
Jeff Jacoby
Renee James
Paul Johnson
Jack Kelly
Ed Koch
Ch. Krauthammer
Michael Ledeen
John Leo
David Limbaugh
Kathryn Lopez
Rich Lowry
Michelle Malkin
Jackie Mason
Ann McFeatters
Dale McFeatters
Dana Milbank
Jeanne Moos
Dick Morris
Jim Mullen
Deroy Murdock
Judge A. Napolitano
Bill O'Reilly
Kathleen Parker
Star Parker
Dennis Prager
Wesley Pruden
Tom Purcell
Sharon Randall
Robert Robb
Cokie & Steve Roberts
Heather Robinson
Pat Sajak
Debra J. Saunders
Martin Schram
Culture Shlock
David Shribman
Roger Simon
Michael Smerconish
Thomas Sowell
Ben Stein
Mark Steyn
John Stossel
Cal Thomas
Dan Thomasson
Bob Tyrrell
Ben Wattenberg
Diana West
Dave Weinbaum
George Will
Walter Williams
Byron York
ZeitGeist
Mort Zuckerman

Robert Arial
Chuck Asay
Baloo
Chip Bok
Dry Bones
Lisa Benson
John Branch
John Cole
J. D. Crowe
John Deering
Brian Duffy
Everything's Relative
Mallard Fillmore
Glenn Foden
Jake Fuller
Bob Gorrel
Walt Handelsman
Joe Heller
David Hitch
Jerry Holbert
David Horsey
Lee Judge
Steve Kelley
Jeff Koterba
Dick Locher
Chan Lowe
Jimmy Margulies
Jack Ohman
Michael Ramirez
Drew Sheneman
Kevin Siers
Jeff Stahler
Scott Stantis
Ed Stein
Danna Summers
John Trever
Gary Varvel
Kirk Walters
Dan Wasserman

Mr. Know-It-All
Ask Doctor K
Richard Lederer
Frugal Living
Tech Maven
On Nutrition
Bookmark These
Bruce Williams
|