Thumbs down for FMF
I am a recent transplant back to the state of Florida; I was from Miami and then in Los Angeles the last five years working for Universal. I have been living here in Orlando about four months. I just wanted to let you know that I thought your column `Notable Noise, May 25` was dead-on this week and thank you for expressing it. I didn't go to the Florida Music Festival and am glad I didn't. It seems to suffer from artifice and everything counter to any sort of worthwhile artistic endeavor.
Robert Coe, Orlando
Thumbs up for Imogen
Last night I attended the sold-out show by Imogen Heap at The Social. I don't know that people in Orlando, or anywhere else, have seen the kind of talent she displayed on the stage last night. Her music is outstanding, beautiful, imaginative and original.
On top of her musical qualities she has wonderful charisma and it is so hard not to fall in love with her as she displays her beauty with a sense of innocence that I have not seen in a long time. Behind us there were two people arguing who loved her more; "I think I love her more," "No. I think I do." I have to admit that was somewhat extreme but that is the kind of feeling a great performer will awaken in us.
She is an original and there are very few like her. The sincerity of her act is so refreshing. I just hope that next time she comes to Orlando she can find a bigger location, free of smoke and no age limit as The Social understandably has, but she must serve as an inspiration for aspiring musicians.
M. Celi, via the Internet
Johnny's no rebel
"Clowntime Comics" seems pathetic. Is somebody just really jealous of somebody named "Johnny"? As far as the hair goes, maybe with the gas prices they don't have enough money to get a haircut. A lot of males have that hairstyle anyway. Are they a coward? It seems like they get hit an awful lot if they are always in that comic. Do Disney and Ringling place their aesthetic over everybody else in a way that even the cops would be dissatisfied? I think of the new wave clubs in the late '90's, how it was congruent with the ages and people worked 50-hour weeks along with going out for drinks every once in a while. Sometimes even military types hung out there. Then all of the sudden there are a bunch of character actors from the Groundlings trying to sell Ben & Jerry's and purple shirts.
What if Johnny's not a rebel, he's just the only one that's straight and the Ben & Jerry's scene is just mad that they can't get a lick?
John McManus, via the Internet
Send in the clowns
Tallahassee is where the rich flaunt clout and the lobbyists take charge. And this year's legislative session was no exception. As usual, our "representatives" proved to be little more than lackeys for the insurance companies, toadies for the sports team moguls, lap dogs for the developers and flunkies for the special interests.
What did the Legislature do this year to curb the sky-high insurance costs that plague our state? What did they do about the millions of Floridians with no health insurance? What about the millions of working Floridians who don't make a living wage? What did they do about affordable housing? What did they do about the hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants living in our state? As far as I can see our state Legislature did little about these problems, but they did manage to provide tax cuts for the rich and plenty of corporate welfare for the sports team owners.
The legislative session was a big circus and our representatives nothing but a bunch of clowns.
Bob Snow, Clearwater
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