We’ve all waxed poetic about Imus, his apology and his punishment, but now it’s time to get down to business. This isn’t about the shocking nature of Imus’s comment–whether it is racist or sexist–it is about morality. During one of his apologies, Imus said he knew the phrase he used came from the black community.…

There are two kinds of people in this world: Old Testament prophets and New Testament apostles. Johnny Cash, particularly the Man in Black of recent memory, was strictly OT. His lined crag of a face projected righteous lament, matching a voice that boomed from somewhere beyond the clouds. “Ultimate Gospel,” a posthumous collection of Cash’s…

When it comes to music, ethnic is in. From mainstream pop artists like Christina Aguilera, Shakira, and J.Lo singing in their native languages, to Madonna sampling a Hebrew song on her “Confessions on a Dancefloor” album, using foreign languages in contemporary songsmithing is pretty common … unless the language you’re thinking of is Samaritan. Sofi…

Every year the Eurovision song contest pits countries against each other in an international battle of the bands, which CNN describes as “a 50-year-old pan-European institution renowned less for serious music than for unbridled kitsch and terrible costumes but which is nonetheless a major TV event every year.” (Yes, just like Mamma Mia is on…

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