VMAS HIT CLOSE TO HOME
At the MTV Video Music Awards this year, there were two Orange County references! OC's Young the Giant got the opportunity to perform their song “My Body” at the show. And they played admirably, putting on a lively performance that saw singer Sameer Gadhia leaping into the crowd and getting tossed around like a pinball between flippers. They were introduced by 30 Seconds to Mars lead singer (and Jim Jones protégé) Jared Leto, along with actress Zoe Saldana. She said that Young the Giant were performing with 250 fans in the audience from their hometown of “Irvin,” California. Where's that, again?
And then there was a sketch that featured Joe Jonas in his dressing room being granted a series of wacky rock-star requests. One of his hyperbolic rider demands involved Anaheim YouTube phenom Rebecca Black hanging out with him in a dinosaur suit. This might have been funny if people still cared about Black, who recently released a follow-up to her so-bad-it's-good song “Friday.” “My Moment” just wasn't good and didn't come close to the number of hits her first song received. Wise up, MTV, she's yesterday's news, and the real dinosaur in the room is you. From an Aug. 29 Heard Mentality post by Brandon Ferguson.
KELLY THOMAS CONCERT AND FOOD DRIVE
A concert and food drive in honor of Fullerton police-brutality victim Kelly Thomas is set for Sept. 17 at the Fullerton Museum Plaza on 125 E. Wilshire Ave. The 37-year-old homeless man suffered from schizophrenia and was living on the streets. On July 10, Kelly was pronounced dead at the UC Irvine Medical Center after suffering severe injuries during an altercation with six Fullerton police officers five days prior.
OC punk rockers Sederra are organizing and headlining the concert. In a statement on the Facebook invite page, the band describe the purpose of the event: “This canned-food drive and memorial concert being held in Mr. Thomas' honor is intended to raise community awareness of the homeless in Fullerton while helping out those people who are in desperate need of such assistance. Our hearts go out to the Thomas family. While we condemn the tragic actions of a few, we continue to support our local policemen and -women, who we hope will do everything in their power to ensure this never happens again.” More details of the event can be found at www.ktmf.org. From an Aug. 25 post by Ed Carrasco.
