"7 Things" - Miley Cyrus

Because I don’t talk about enough mediums of entertainment and pop culture, let’s add music videos to the mix, shall we? Music videos are a fascinating medium. My first exposure to them was on MTV in the mid 90’s, not unlike many of my generation. However, it was against my will. The teenage son of a family friend was over and he got control of the remote. Naturally, he turned it to Beavis and Butthead. The titular characters were watching a very disturbing music video. I have no idea what it was or who it was by. There were bugs and medical supplies and the goddamn thing reminded me of everything I hated in the 90’s. I have deduced through Wikipedia, that the video is “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails. (I still can’t bring myself to watch that damn thing).

But that will be as far as my mention of that video will go. Here, for my first music video review, I’ll talk about the exact opposite of “Closer”, the horrendously catchy “7 Things” by Miley Cyrus.

Description

Miley stands in front of a band, while being intercut with several other girls singing along with the lyrics. Each of them portrays their love/hatred for the subject of the song by clutching teddy bears, throwing flowers, and destroying diaries.

Why I like it…

Okay. I know this is a stupid video. I’m actually kind of ashamed. At 21 years old, you would think I would be beyond it. But that’s the thing…at 21, I still remember what it was like to be 14 and that over dramatic about my love life. At that age you can’t think of anything else. At least, I couldn’t. It was all consuming and dangerously addictive to be so infatuated with someone who treated you terribly one day and then like a queen the next. This video may seem laughably juvenile, but I assure you, inside all of us grown up women in their 20's, is a crying, screaming 14 year old clutching that $5 tear soaked teddy bear. (Except me. I hate stuffed animals. I clutch my Spider-Man pillow). We are not beyond feeling this way, but life has made it unacceptable to let it out in this melodramatic fashion.

P.S. This girl's my favorite.

Watch the video here on youtube.

Wuthering Heights : The Characters

Now that you know the plot of "Wuthering Heights", here is a semi detailed character description. The photos are of various actors and actresses who have portrayed these characters.

Heathcliff - The main character of the story. He is adopted by Earnshaw, hated by Hindley, loved by Cathy but ultimately rejected by her. He takes revenge on Hindley, Edgar, and their children. Husband of Isabella. Father of Linton. Adopted brother of Hindley and Cathy.

Catherine "Cathy" Earnshaw - Heathcliff's adopted sister and obsession. She is free spirited and a "wild, wicked slip of a girl." Despite her love for Heathcliff, she marries Edgar for his status and wealth. She dies halfway through the book. Wife of Edgar. Mother of Catherine. Sister of Hindley and adopted sister of Heathcliff. (Note: On this blog, the first Catherine will always be referred to as "Cathy", while her daughter will always be "Catherine.")

Edgar Linton - The rich and spoiled neighbor of the Earnshaws who marries Cathy. Despite his cowardice, he is very loving to his wife and daughter. Husband of Cathy. Father of Catherine. Brother of Isabella.

Isabella Linton - Edgar's younger sister is as equally spoiled as him. She becomes infatuated with Heathcliff, marries him, and suffers mightily for her choice. Wife of Heathcliff. Mother of Linton. Sister of Edgar.

Hindley Earnshaw - The eldest of the Earnshaws, he resents Heathcliff's place among the family from the beginning and abuses him. After the death of his wife, he becomes a drunkard and loses ownership of Wuthering Heights to Heathcliff. Husband of Frances. Father of Hareton. Brother of Cathy and adopted brother of Heathcliff.

Frances Earnshaw - A woman Hindley met at college, married, and brought home to Wuthering Heights. She is immature, weak, and dies after giving birth. Wife of Hindley. Mother of Hareton.

Ellen "Nelly" Dean - The narrator of the story. She has worked for the Earnshaws since her early teens as a servant and housekeeper. She is more of a friend and confidant than a mere worker. After working at both the Heights and the Grange, and being the nursemaid of Hareton and Catherine, Nelly is the only one who knows the entire story.

Hareton Earnshaw - After his mother and neglectful father dies, Hareton is raised as an uneducated farm boy by Heathcliff. He is quick to temper, but generally a kind soul. He tries to better himself in the presence of Catherine. Son of Hindley and Frances. Husband of Catherine (eventually).

Catherine Linton - Raised in the comfortable confines of the Grange, Catherine is a gentler soul than her mother. She is used as a tool of revenge by Heathcliff and becomes embittered until her new friendship with Hareton. Daughter of Cathy and Edgar. Wife of Linton and eventually, Hareton.

Linton Heathcliff - Sickly since birth, Linton comes to live at Wuthering Heights after his mother's death. Heathcliff despises him and uses him to gain ownership of the Grange. Son of Heathcliff and Isabella. Husband of Catherine.

Joseph - A lifelong servant at Wuthering Heights. Deeply religious and cantankerous (and unnecessary, if you ask me).

Mr. Lockwood - A tenant at Thrushcross Grange. He serves as the audience for Nelly's story of the Earnshaws, Lintons, and Heathcliffs.

Wuthering Heights : An Introduction

It all started with a song I found to be appalling. Certainly, in my high school days, I had heard of Wuthering Heights. As a wannabe romance novelist, I was aware of the classics; the works of Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters. But I lacked the desire to read them since they skewed so far from the current romance novel formula. So, some time in high school, I thought watching one of the film versions (the Ralph Fiennes one) was good enough. I was confused and disinterested at best. When I began my Oscar phase, I viewed the Laurence Olivier version. Again, I thought it was nothing special.

While in college, one late night in the summer of 2007, I was sweeping the Wikipedia pages of English classics. I discovered there was a song about Wuthering Heights by some British woman named Kate Bush. I checked it out on Youtube…and I hated it. At first, at least. The chorus would not leave me and I grew to love the song. Then I began studying the story. Then I read the novel. Then I collected 8 film adaptations. I am a woman possessed.


I love movies and I love writing. It was a logical step to adapt my own rendering. After all there have been a staggering 34 film and television adaptations (according to IMDb) and one in the works. It’s likely another one will made in the not so distant future. Before writing it, I watched all my DVD’s and took note of what I did and did not like about plot points and characterization.

In upcoming blogs, I will do the same. However, I feel it is my duty to give a proper plot summary and character introduction so my following blogs are not bogged down with superfluous information.

Plot Summary
In the year 1801, a man named Lockwood arrives at the house of Wuthering Heights. He has recently become the tenant of the nearby house Thrushcross Grange which is owned by Heathcliff. Lockwood is detained for the night and while sleeping in an unused room, the ghost of a young woman cries to be let in. Later on, Lockwood enquires about the ghost and the strange inhabitants of Wuthering Heights to the current housekeeper of the Grange, Nelly Dean.

Nelly tells a story that began 30 years prior. Mr. Earnshaw, the owner of Wuthering Heights, brings home an orphan boy and christens him Heathcliff. Earnshaw’s daughter, Cathy befriends him and the two have a childhood romance. However, Cathy’s older brother Hindley, hates him and resents his place among the family. After Earnshaw’s death, Hindley returns from college with his wife, Frances. Heathcliff and Cathy visit the Grange, then owned by the well-to-do Linton family. Cathy is bitten by a dog and forced to stay at the Grange in the company of the children, Edgar and Isabella. Upon her return, Cathy is proud and changed and finds much fault in Heathcliff. Meanwhile, Hindley’s wife dies shortly after giving birth to his son, Hareton, and he begins to drink heavily. When Heathcliff overhears Cathy telling Nelly that Edgar has proposed marriage and she has accepted, he leaves and does not return for three years.

Comfortable at the Grange, Cathy is surprised when Heathcliff returns considerably wealthy with the appearance of a gentleman. Heathcliff means to take revenge on everyone at the Heights and the Grange. Through his fortune, Heathcliff becomes the owner of Wuthering Heights since Hindley has lost everything to his gambling debts and later drinks himself to death. He also woos and marries Isabella and treats her appallingly. So appallingly, in fact, that she runs off to London and is disowned by her brother. Cathy dies shortly after giving birth to her and Edgar’s daughter, Catherine. Heathcliff curses her to “not rest as long as he is living.” Nelly continues to work at the Grange, being a nurse to the baby while Heathcliff treats Hareton as Hindley treated him.

Several years later, Edgar has raised his daughter in the confines of Thrushcross Grange. Isabella has recently died and so, her and Heathcliff’s son, Linton, comes to live with his uncle. However, Heathcliff insists his son live with him at the Heights. Through manipulation and the exchange of letters, Heathcliff creates a romance between Catherine and Linton. While she is over for a visit, he forces her to marry his son before she can return to her dying father. After Edgar’s death, and eventually the sickly Linton’s, Heathcliff becomes the owner of both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. Catherine and Hareton fall in love despite their situation. Although Heathcliff has worked his entire life to revenge himself on the Earnshaws and the Lintons, he is dissatisfied and eventually starves himself to death.

Top 30 Britney Spears Songs

Fine. Okay. I admit it. I’m going through a bit of a Britney Spears phase. It all started with this choreography class I’m taking. For our final, we have to choreograph a dance piece and as I was going through my music, I discovered that Britney has a hell of a lot of great dance songs. But I realized that when I listen to Britney, it’s impossible for me to think of anything but her. So for my piece, I decided to portray her life and the evolution of her public image through her songs.

Thusly, I did my listen-to-every -song-of-hers-I-can-find-on-you tube thing and quickly found some hidden treasures and singles I had missed while being preoccupied with older music. So, in honor of my latest musical phase and the release of her newest compilation album, The Singles Collection, here are my Top 30 Britney Spears Songs.

Rank: 30

Title: “Lace and Leather”

Original Appearance: Circus (2008)

Interpretation: A woman becomes the ultimate fantasy for a man…or several men.

Comments: I have a friend of a friend who loves Britney Spears. So when her newest album, Circus, came out, my friend immediately ran to him to get a illegal burned copy. And then she gave it to me. “Lace and Leather” is an album track, one that I think will become a favorite among fans with repeated listening.

Rank: 29

Title: “Email My Heart”

Original Appearance: …Baby One More Time (1999)

Interpretation: A woman wants her ex-boyfriend to contact her and accept her apologies for the hurt she put him through.

Comments: With a shitty, laughable late 90’s title like “Email My Heart” it’s no wonder this song wasn’t released as single. And yes, the lyrics are just as shitty and laughable as the title. Lyrics aside, I think the melody is very beautiful and slightly more complex than others made at this time.

Rank: 28

Title: “Shattered Glass”

Original Appearance: Circus (2008)

Interpretation: A woman taunts her unfaithful lover with the fact that their relationship can never be rebuilt.

Comments:“Shattered Glass” is an album track, sure to be listened to but not appreciated or noted. Mostly, I like it for the melody and they way Britney stylistically turns the word “glass” into a three syllable word.

Rank: 27

Title: “Gimme More”

Original Appearance: Blackout (2007)

Interpretation: A woman dances with her partner while paparazzi watches, secretly enjoying the attention.

Comments: It’s Britney, bitch. Ha! What a great narcissistic opening line. And one that could never be executed in her Baby One More Time days. “Gimme More” is sort of mindless. I can totally picture this song being played at one of those mid-90’s raves where everyone has a Day Glo pacifier and hasn’t slept for 36 hours.

Rank: 26

Title: “Mona Lisa”

Original Appearance: Chaotic (EP) (2005)

Interpretation: Britney claims that she is the reincarnation of Mona Lisa, a public figure that everyone wants to see become a “legend of her fall.”

Comments: Like Britney’s super single “Lucky” from 5 years earlier, this song begins with the line “This is a story about…” only this one is about the Mona Lisa, instead of a lonely teen star. However, the songs have essentially the same meaning: fame is a bitch. While “Lucky” is self-pitying and sweet, “Mona Lisa” is confident and cocky. It’s slightly foreshadowing in the same way “Lucky” is. It’s almost as if Britney knows she’s going to have a meltdown, mostly because the public expects it. And when she does, she knows she will rise again because that’s part of the gig. This is a forgotten song because of its awkward release on the 4 track EP. Check it out on Youtube, it’s worth it.

Rank: 25

Title: “3”

Original Appearance: The Singles Collection (2009)

Interpretation: A woman seduces two men into a threesome.

Comments: “3” is Britney Spears’ latest single. In fact, last week it, was the number one single in United States. It’s off of her latest “greatest hits” album which celebrates her tenth year in the business. The song is very infectious, repetitive and like a dirty playground chant. I warn you, dear reader, if you listen once, you’ll be hooked and find this song among your top Britney songs despite it only being out for about a month.

Rank: 24

Title: “Born to Make You Happy”

Original Appearance: …Baby One More Time (1998)

Interpretation: Your basic “poor me, I’m hopelessly devoted to you” song.

Comments: It’s like the co-dependent anthem of 1999. Despite being overly dramatic and self-pitying, it’s catchy.

Rank: 23

Title: “I’m a Slave 4 U”

Original Appearance: Britney (2001)

Interpretation: A woman expresses her independence while being a slave to dance.

Comments: As a preteen, I never got the feeling that Britney was “too sexual” during the phases of her first two albums. Yeah, so she showed her belly button…so do a million other girls younger than her at the beach, big whoop. Then came “I’m a Slave 4 U” and my opinion entirely changed. Since I was in my Maury/Lifetime phase, I finally saw the negative aspects of Britney’s super sexual persona. But since I’m past that age, I don’t really give a shit anymore.

Rank: 22

Title: “Stronger”

Original Appearance: Oops!…I Did it Again (2000)

Interpretation: A woman finally recovers from a nasty break up.

Comments: This is great work out song. Or a great empowerment song. Or a great driving while crying song. Most importantly, it’s a song that reminds you that tomorrow is another day in a kick ass way. P.S. I love Britney’s last “I’m” of the song.

Rank: 21

Title: “Out From Under”

Original Appearance: Circus (2008)

Interpretation: A woman mourns the loss of the one that “could have been.”

Comments: I said in my Top 25 Reba Songs blog that I preferred her ballads to her faster songs. It’s the opposite with Britney. She definitely has a better bubblegum pop voice then a majestic arena blasting voice. However, I have several slow songs on this list. “Out from Under” is actually a cover of a song I recently heard in the Bratz Movie (don’t ask) and was one of my favorites on Circus the first time I heard it. It’s just a very pretty, simplistic ballad.

Rank: 20

Title: “Radar”

Original Appearance: Blackout (2007)

Interpretation: A woman notices the man of the evening and plans to seduce him later.

Comments: This is one of those songs that’s great to listen to while you’re getting ready for a party or a night on the town. It has a driving beat and anticipatory lyrics perfect for building your confidence as you walk into some dance club. (I’m not really the clubbin’ type, but if I were, this fun and slightly dirty song would be on my play list).

Rank: 19

Title: “Womanizer”

Original Appearance: Circus (2008)

Interpretation: A woman refuses to fall for the tricks of a Don Juan even if she’s tempted by him.

Comments: I have no explanation for putting “Womanizer” at #19 other than it being catchy as hell and fresh in my mind. :-)

Rank: 18
Title: “(You Drive Me) Crazy [Stop! Remix]”
Original Appearance: …Baby One More Time (1999)
Interpretation: A girl is driven crazy by her new infatuation.

Comments: It’s always bothered me that there are two versions of “Crazy.” A crappy album track with cowbell up the ying and this one which is superior and used in the music video. It makes me wonder why they didn’t just put this one on the freakin’ album!

Rank: 17

Title: “Heart”

Original Appearance: Oops!…I Did it Again (2000) (Europe and Latin America Bonus Track)

Interpretation: A girl has chat with her heart, telling it to keep holding on even though times are rough.

Comments: “Heart” is one of those hidden treasures I found thanks to the good editors of Wikipedia and faithful Britney Youtubers. Yes, it is a very, very cheesy song and so sickly sweet you need a filling after you listen to it. This is definitely one of Britney’s most innocent songs right up there with the too saccharine “Sometimes.” I’m really glad I found this song.

Rank: 16

Title: “One Kiss From You”

Original Appearance: Oops!…I Did it Again (2000)

Interpretation: Even though she is young, a girl knows it’s true love and one kiss will get her through the days.

Comments: Another early innocent Britney song. For anyone who has ever felt “too young for love” (a.k.a. every junior high girl in America) can empathize with this one. Sure, Britney has lots of “stop treating me like a little girl” songs by her third album, but this one puts a more romantic spin on it.

Rank: 15

Title: “Break the Ice”

Original Appearance: Blackout (2007)

Interpretation: A long dormant relationship is reawakened even though awkward at first.

Comments: Do you remember when Blackout came out? I don’t. I remember Britney marrying her high school friend. Then she was married to K Fed. Then she popped out two kids. Then she shaved her head and went into rehab. Suddenly, Circus was out. When the fuck did she make Blackout? And more importantly, how the fuck did she find time to make Blackout? I missed every single off of her 5th album, including this awesome heart racing, beat driven song.

Rank: 14

Title: “The Joy of Pepsi”

Original Appearance: TV commercial.

Interpretation: Britney talks about how she enjoys Pepsi.

Comments: Yeah, it’s a commercial jingle. So what? A good catchy pop song is a good catchy pop song. This jingle will be to the 2000’s what “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” was to the 70’s.

Rank: 13

Title: “Shadow”

Original Appearance: In the Zone (2003)

Interpretation: A woman mourns the emotional distance of her lover.

Comments: Another ballad. Another forgotten album track. This is actually a fairly deep song with a powerful chorus. It’s a shame I didn’t discover it until recently and that it wasn’t picked as a single in place of “Me Against the Music”. Ugh.

Rank: 12

Title: “Can’t Make You Love Me”

Original Appearance: Oops!…I Did it Again (2000)

Interpretation: Even though she has fame and fortune, a girl still cannot win the love of the man she wants.

Comments: Britney doesn’t have that many songs about unrequited love. Off the top of my head, this is the only one I can think of. It may be shallow, but I love how this song shows that love is at the top of everyone’s personal needs. (You know it is). Even a superstar like Britney who has hundreds of men vying for her affections (or at least a tumble) has to know what it’s like to want someone who does not want her. She may be Miss American Dream, but to this guy, she’s just a girl with a crush on him.

Rank: 11

Title: “Everytime”

Original Appearance: In the Zone (2003)

Interpretation: A woman is haunted by a love she destroyed.

Comments: “Everytime” was the reason why “Shadow” was not released as a single. Both being ballads off of In the Zone, it really is a tough choice on which is more marketable. That’s why they rank at #13 and #11 respectively on my list. This is thought to be the answer song to Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River,” a song detailing Britney’s infidelity. Thus, since it was topical, it was chosen as the single.

P.S. I love, love, love the music video.

Rank: 10

Title: “If U Seek Amy”

Original Appearance: Circus (2008)

Interpretation: A woman searches for a woman named Amy who is quite popular with men and women.

Comments: This is another one of those “pump up” songs. In fact, I’ve actually used this while getting ready for important events. Lyrically, it really doesn’t make sense. The writers figured spelling out “fuck” would make it an instant hit, but the line “all of the boys and all of the girls are begging to if you seek Amy” is confusing and silly. If it weren’t for the awesome melody, I think this song would rank among other shitty lyric songs like “MacArthur Park.”

Rank: 9

Title: “Circus”

Original Appearance: Circus (2008)

Interpretation: A woman turns a dance floor into a circus and enjoys being the center of attention…yeah.

Comments: This was actually the first song I heard off of Britney’s latest album. I always think the strongest song on an album should the be the title, specifically if you’re going to choose one of the tracks to be the title. Like all of her songs after 2001’s Britney, “Circus” narcissistically portrays Britney as a badass entertainer which would cause and uproar except she’s got the goods to back it up.

Rank: 8

Title: “Don’t Let Me Be the Last to Know”

Original Appearance: Oops!…I Did it Again (2000)

Interpretation: A girl begs her boyfriend to tell her he loves her since he’s seemed to have told everyone else.

Comments: Despite all of her racy lyrics found in songs like “3” and “If U Seek Amy”, I think “Don’t Let Me Be the Last to Know” is Britney’s sexiest song. It’s slow and moans just like “love making” . Ironically, the lyrics are not that sexual, it’s the delivery and Britney’s inflection. Of course, the video forces you to see it as sexual. It just shows that behind innocent words are possibly, some not so innocent motives.

Rank: 7

Title: “Bombastic Love”

Original Appearance: Britney (2001)

Interpretation: A woman must keep her love a secret but knows that it would be perfect if allowed to come to fruition.

Comments: According to dictionary.com, the word bombastic means “high-sounding; high-flown; inflated; pretentious.” But I don’t think whoever wrote this song knew that. It rhymes with “fantastic” so it must mean the same thing, right? Whatever. This is not one of those songs I love for the lyrics. It’s mindless and represents a 13 year old girl’s vision of love.

Rank: 6

Title: "Baby One More Time”

Original Appearance: ...Baby One More Time (1999)

Interpretation: A girl wants one last fling with a guy she regrets breaking up with.

Comments: I was a closeted Britney fan. Deep in my oldies phase, I would never admit to liking any of the late 90’s teen pop. But I did. Mostly Britney. I really wasn’t a fan of boy bands. This, of course, was her first hit and its catchiness even caught me. Again, this one has always lyrically confused me. But the lyrics don’t matter it’s the melody and its place in pop culture.

Rank: 5

Title: “Overprotected”

Original Appearance: Britney (2001)

Interpretation: A girl feels she’s been overprotected and therefore wants to be her own person.

Comments: How did I miss this single? It came out right between “I’m a Slave 4 U” and “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” both of which I remember vividly. But I honestly can’t say I heard this song until this last summer. It’s shame because it has quickly become one of my favorites.

Rank: 4

Title: “Piece of Me”

Original Appearance: Blackout (2007)

Interpretation: Britney personally addresses the public on how she will always attract media attention, regardless if it’s positive or negative.

Comments: Another great missed single. This one even swept the MTV Video Music Awards and it still slipped under my radar. I love Britney’s songs that address her fame and this one does it in a snarky, fuck you kind of way. Instead of being ashamed of her less than ideal public life, she’s proud and flaunts her trashiness. I love it.

Rank: 3

Title: “Oops!…I Did it Again”

Original Appearance: Oops!…I Did it Again (2000)

Interpretation: A girl is unashamed of her flirtatious ways and blames her admirer for being easily enchanted.

Comments: I remember being 13 and in Ireland with my parents. We were in a pub in the early evening and without the ability to yet drink (and lacking the desire to do so), I hovered around the jukebox. Because I wasn’t surrounded by the peers I desperately hid my Britney fandom from, I played “Oops!…I Did it Again” and performed the song for my parents. I had seen the music video on the Disney Channel a million times and sloppily copied the dance steps. How can anyone not like this song? It’s so stupid, I mean, there’s a fucking Titanic reference, but it so perfectly represents the moment in time it came out. I have never met a girl from my generation that disliked this song.

Rank: 2

Title: “Amnesia”

Original Appearance: Circus (2008) (UK Deluxe Edition)

Interpretation: A woman forgets about her boyfriend when she’s in the presence of a new guy.

Comments: I can almost guarantee you’ve never heard “Amnesia.” Not unless you have the UK Deluxe Edition of Circus, are a devoted fan of Britney.com, or have been living with me for the past 4 months. I cannot get enough of this song. It’s addictive. It’s like crack. And I play it all the time. I pity my roommates, truly. My recent obsession is probably why this song ranks so damn high. In time, it may fall, but until then, I suggest you check it out via Youtube. It angers me that “Amnesia” wasn’t good enough for the album. WTF?

Rank: 1

Title: “Lucky”

Original Appearance: Oops!…I Did it Again (2000)

Interpretation: The story of Lucky, a Hollywood actress disenchanted with her lonely life.

Comments: For many, many, many years, “Lucky” has been my favorite Britney Spears song. By the time it came out, I stopped hiding the fact that I liked Britney. I love the irony of the song. It’s like Britney’s producers thought “Hey, everyone thinks she’s got the perfect life but I bet she cries herself to sleep every night. Let’s write a song about it!” Of course, in 2000, it was simply a prediction if anything. It wasn’t until many years later when the song rang as true. Britney is technically the omniscient narrator telling us the story and she’s supposed to be unaware the story she’s telling is actually about her. But she’s not. It’s almost as if Britney knows this is her fate. Unlike “Mona Lisa” and “Piece of Me”, “Lucky” shows the sad side of life in the public eye. The desperate and naïve side. I wonder if Britney knew it was just the beginning, or if she thought she would overcome her loneliness in time. This is also one of my favorite music videos. But I’ll save that for another blog.