The Bachelor...and His Happily Never After

Did anyone watch this last season's The Bachelor? It was nothing spectacular. It always seems to be the same old thing. Sexy guy meets 25-30 "eligible" ladies and eventually has to pick and choose, weeding out the bad eggs, until he is left with the one woman he "wants to spend the rest of his life with". Blah blah blah...two months later...SPLIT.

What makes this show SO popular? I realize that the majority of this show's viewers are female, for a FEW obvious reasons. I have a confession...Ok, I have a couple confessions. #1: I enjoy the show. #2: I've had my share of Bachelor "crushes" (I mean, COME ON!! They pick some seriously sexy guys sometimes!) Is there more to this show that has been a huge hit since 2002. Is it Chris Harrison? It very well could be for some ladies!

While the show isn't nearly as popular as, let's say, American Idol, The Bachelor still averages nearly 10 million viewers in its audience. What is the big deal? Why the popularity? The answer: Women will be women. What do women thrive on? Gossip. Drama. Happily ever afters. But is it really happily ever after?

Season 1: Alex Michel and Amanda Marsh broke up several months later.
Season 2: Aaron Buerge and Helene Eksterowicz broke up several months later.
Season 3: Andrew Firestone and Jen Schefft broke up several months later.
Season 4: Bob Guiney and Estella Gardinier broke up shortly after the show aired.
Season 5: Jesse Palmer and Jessica Bowlin broke up several months later.
Season 6: Byron Velvick and Mary Delgado split after five years.
Season 7: Charlie O'Connell and Sarah Brice broke up, got back together, and broke up again.
Season 8: Travis Stork and Sarah Stone broke up shortly after the show aired.
Season 9: Prince Borghese and Jennifer Wilson broke up a couple months later.
Season 10: Andrew Baldwin and Tessa Horst called off their engagement and broke up.
Season 11: Brad Womack chose none of the girls to be with.
Season 12: Matt Grant and Shayne Lamas broke up a couple months later.
Season 13: Jason Mesnick and Melissa Rycroft broke up and Jason went after the other girl he sent home, Molly Melaney and they actually got married!!
Season 14: Jake Pavelka and Vienna Girardi broke up a couple months later.
Season 15: Brad Womack (AGAIN) and Emily Maynard are still together...but let's face it, it's only been a couple of months.

Do you see a familiar pattern? With the exception of Seasons 13 and 15, I would say that this so-called match-making show does not have a great track record. However, who really cares? For the most part, the audience doesn't care about what happens afterwards. We care about the drama and love story to get to the proposal; then it's on to the next season. My prediction is that this show won't last for too much longer. It's always the same old story. Eventually, it will die out, just like all..er..,I'm sorry..MOST.. of the "relationships" it has sparked.

The Origin of Country Music

I guess I've never really thought about where the different music genres came from. For example, if you asked me where country music started, I'd probably say that someone around Nashville or Oklahoma or somewhere that has a Southern accent picked up an acoustic guitar one day and just started playing country music. It started out in the countryside? I suppose I just picture plains and fields of tall grasses swaying in the wind with the banjo playing. That is my version of the origin of country music.

Don't worry. I am aware of how naiive my version is.

Country music was, in fact, founded in the Southern United States around the 1920's. Hillbillies do exist. In the 1940's, this was the movement in country music. It's the kind of picture painted by banjos and guitars on an old wooden front porch with a glass of iced tea.

I feel as though we might only picture country music as being something that is a form of Western entertainment, but other places have their own versions of country music. The United Kingdom and Ireland have their own versions of country music, as well as Australia. Go youtube their versions of country music; it's not the same "My dog died, my woman left me, etc" story, but it's still country music.

After doing a tiny bit of research, I was so shocked to learn that Elvis Presley was known as "the Hillbilly Cat" and a top selling solo artist for country music. WHAT?? He defined rock and roll! It never occurred to me that this is where he began. He could definitely be considered as a crossover artist.

While many of my peers hate country, it is obviously a very popular genre. Statistics show that "while album sales of most musical genres have declined since about 2005, country music experienced one of its best years in 2006, when, during the first six months, U.S. sales of country albums increased by 17.7 percent to 36 million. Moreover, country music listening nationwide has remained steady for almost a decade, reaching 77.3 million adults every week" (Wikipedia).

It's really no wonder why 2006 was such a huge year for country music. George Strait's "She Let Herself Go" gave him his 40th Number One spot on the Billboard chart. Keith Urban got married to Nicole Kidman. Johnny Cash released "American V" which would obviously be a huge hit! The Dixie Chicks' lead singer made those comments regarding President Bush while they were over in England. Carrie Underwood's song writers were awarded a Grammy in 2006. On top of all of this, there was SO much more going on in the country world to gain publicity. Of course 2006 was going to be a good year for this genre!

While this particular genre is always going to get the “This is boring” or “This is just hick music” comments, it will remain a very popular genre. There are enough listeners who appreciate this style of music to help keep its popularity. Although I love this style of music, from Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash to Shania Twain and Taylor Swift and everything in between, I am aware that I am one of very few amongst my peers. That is ok with me, though. To each his own.

"The Real Slim Shady"

Marshall Bruce Mathers III is brilliant. I don't care who you are or what kind of music you like or don't like, but Eminem deserves recognition. Eminem is brilliant. He is talented. He is devoted. An artist doesn't win 13 Grammy Awards, rank in the list of best-selling artists in America (or anywhere, for that matter), get voted "The Best Rapper Alive", or earn a place in the list of best-selling singles worldwide by being mediocre and fluffy. By the word "fluffy", I mean sugar-coated and unrealistic.

Eminem is one of the most realistic artists you will encounter. His lyrics are genuine and down to earth. Teenagers can feel the rebellion in his work and they can relate to it. This is why he is noted for "keeping it real". He reaches out with an attitude that his listeners can identify with. For some, this reality and genuine spirit is key to their taste in music.

As for myself, I respect the reality. Although it can be depressing and somewhat graphic at times, it is in turn quite ironically refreshing. I have used Eminem in my previous writings as an example and I thoroughly enjoy listening to his work. However, there are times when lyrics need to be somewhat unrealistic. Sometimes I listen to music purely for the purpose of ESCAPING reality. Listening to the troubles and heartache of it are not always my definition of escape. Often enough, I enjoy listening to lyrics that are full of fantasy and unrealistic love stories. It gets my mind wandering to a pretty peaceful place and there are times when that is exactly what I need. Of course, it's still a huge slap in the face when those fantasies are demolished and I return to the real world, but it has it's place and that place is still wonderful.

For those who always need to listen to reality, I applaud you. It can be a tough listen. When you crave to hear lyrics about the truth constantly, you must have some sort of strength. The truth and reality are not always pretty. I enjoy it. I do. Like I said before, it can be somewhat refreshing. However, I could not handle it every time I wanted to listen to music. Sometimes listening to a sappy Taylor Swift love song is what I need to hear. While her lyrics can sometimes seem very unrealistic (although she claims that most of them are written from experiences), they provide this cute little fantasy world to escape into on occasion. It is quite lovely.

Enjoy the reality, but it's ok to escape every now and then.