Purity Rings

During the 2008 MTV Music Video Awards, host Russell Brand, poked fun at the Jonas Brothers for wearing purity rings and bashed their idea to wait until marriage for sex. The boys, more mature than most, handled the situation well. Brand was later harshly criticised for his remarks and he properly apologized to the sibling trio.

Middle brother, Joe, in an interview on Larry King Live, has stated that their rings symbolize "a promise to ourselves and to God that we will stay pure until marriage."

Nick, the youngest brother, comments to People Magazine that the rings "are just one of our ways of being different than everybody else out there [Hollywood]."

The JoBros claim to abstain from alcohol, tobacco and other drugs in addition to sex. Kevin 22, Joe 20, and Nick 18 are loved by little girls all across the world and are loved even more by the little girls' mothers because of the Jonas' positive message and respect towards women.

Much like the Scientology situation, the creators of "South Park" have taken it upon themselves to jab at the Jonas Brothers. The hysterical episode features the boys singing the unrealistic lyrics "I've got a ring on me finger to remind me what I'm not to do." Later in the episode Joe Jonas is shown getting his face bashed in by their boss Mickey Mouse.

Hip-Hop artist Jay-Z has also just reportedly released a new CD with a song ragging on the brothers. The lyrics of his song titled "Real As It Gets" reads "No I'm not a Jonas, I am a grown up, no I'm not a virgin, I use my cahoonas".

What I like best about the JoBros is no matter who dishes about them and what is thrown at their way they always have enough dignity to rise above the situation. Never do they sink to their enemies "level". They have always remained silent and carried on as though nothing has ever been said.

The Passion of the Christ

The violent Christian film "The Passion of the Christ" debuted to the public on February 25, 2004, which is also Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent). As we all know, "The Passion" received much attention because it was co-written, co-produced, and directed by the popular actor, Mel Gibson.

Many film critics were disturbed by the extreme violence Gibson portrayed in Jesus' crucifixion and strongly recommended that parents don't take their children to watch.

According to christianitytoday.com, Gibson has been recorded saying, "I think that my first duty is to be as faithful as possible in telling the story so that it doesn't contradict the scriptures. Now, so long as it didn't do that, I felt that I had a pretty wide berth for artistic interpretation, and to fill in some of the space with logic, with imagination, with various other readings."

I was in the 8th grade when "The Passion" was released. My church was offering to pay for the movie tickets for any member that wanted to attend a showing. I remember my friends and I debated on rather or not to go because of the fear of not being able to handle the violence; but in the end we decided we could not pass up the opportunity. I remember crying constantly throughout the majority of the film. When it came time to nail Jesus to the cross my best friend and I actually left the theatre and stepped out into the hallway.

Gibson definitely portrayed the death of Jesus in a gruesome way, but he did it truthfully and by the book [the Bible]. When reading the story of the crucifixion in the Bible it is easy to overlook what all Jesus Christ had to bare, but seeing it on big screen, clearly in front of you, it hits you on a much deeper level. In the movie you will see images that will never leave your memory.

Gibson is now being strongly criticized for his actions since the release of "The Passion." Since 2004, Gibson was caught in a DUI scandal with police and has recently divorced his wife and had a child out of wedlock.

Madonna - Like A Prayer

In the year 1989, pop sensation Madonna gave birth to one of her highest-selling hits ever, "Like A Prayer". Shortly after the dance hit was released on radio MTV featured Madonna's controversial music video.

The questionable video was directed by Mary Lambert, who had previously teamed up with Madonna to create videos for Madonna's hits "Borderline" and "Like A Virgin."

"Like A Prayer" music video features Madonna witnessing a white man stabbing a white woman in an alley. The white man runs away and a black man quickly runs to the rescue. Shortly after the black man arrives, so do the police. The black man is wrongly accused and arrested. This violent scene causes Madonna to literally run to church and pray about the situation.

While praying at this church, Madonna walks up to an African-American wax figure that is believed to be Jesus. She softly kisses his foot and the figure comes to life and instantly starts brushing her shoulders and consoles her.

The lyrics play "Just like a prayer, your voice can take me there, Just like a muse to me, you are a mystery, Just like a dream, you are not what you seem, Just like a prayer, no choice you voice can take me there" as she dancing with a robe-dressed choir.

The music video is controversial because it later displays Madonna dancing in front of several large crosses that happen to be set aflame. Burning crosses are largely connected to symbolize the hatred of African-Americans in the Ku Klux Klan. The video also shows Madonna asleep in one of the pews being awakened by the Jesus figure kissing her on the lips.

Obviously all the controversy made the video more popular to the viewers as it went on to be recognized by MTV as one of the "Most Groundbreaking Music Videos Of All Time."

Media Review - Boys Like Girls "Love Drunk"

On August 22, 2009, the punk pop group Boys Like Girls debuted their sophomore album "Love Drunk" (RCA) to the public. After the popularity of their first self-titled album in 2006, many questioned if the boys in skinny jeans could bounce back with as much fame.

BLG's first album (holding five hit singles) was completed with a collaboration of melodic lyrics that created a seamless transition from track to track. On the other hand, their second album "Love Drunk," attacks its audience with its explosive, energetic beats. The only trait that the two albums share is the lyrical themes: love, drugs, sex and heartbreak.

"Love Drunk" starts off waking the listener up with "Heart Heart Heartbreak," a poppy track about getting into a rocky relationship that is destined to end in failure. With the catchy bridge followed by a strong guitar solo BLG gives off a new forceful vibe.

The first hit from the album, ironically titled "Love Drunk" is almost an identical copy of the group's first-ever hit single "The Great Escape" from their first CD. Both songs have an upbeat tempo, based on the theme of love which makes it hard to resist for their teenage audiences.

Throughout the entire album this is an evident common thread of being "under the influence" of love. The first account is found in the hit "Love Drunk" with the chorus line "I used to be love drunk, but now I'm hung over, I loved you forever, but now I'm sober." The second account is found midway through the album in a catchy song titled "Contagious." "Contagious" unknowingly forces the listener to nod their head along with the beat while it tells a story of a boy that is falling for a girl because she is so extremely infectious. "Chemicals Collide" is the final piece to the puzzle, explaining that being in love is similar to being under the influence of drugs. Much like the effect of drugs, the song can't help but give the listener a worry free, feel-good feeling.

BLG did not collaborate with other artist on their previous album, but on "Love Drunk" lead singer Martin Johnson teams up with country pop start Taylor Swift in the love ballad "Two Is Better Than One." Together these teen sensations sing about the joy of new found love in a slow acoustic number, backed by a string section. The song has a more mature edge and should be widely popular because it reaches out to both ends of the spectrum touching Swifts country fans and BLG audiences.

After listening attentively to both Boys Like Girls CD's it is safe to say that even though the proper genre category is titled "punk pop" these boys lean more towards a pop sound than punk. Unlike punk bands like Blink 182, Sum 41 and Good Charlotte, BLG appeals more to the female fans which makes up a large contribution of the pop musical genre.

BLG, without a doubt reminds me of the 1970s group, The Cars. With hits like "My Best Friend's Girl" and "Just What I Needed" The Cars attempted to reach out to a punk rock audience, but were instead categorized more properly in the pop music genre.

The pop sound is clearly evident in the finale of the "Love Drunk" album with the slow tempo track "Go." Johnson's voice is extremely monotone throughout the final song creating a dull, almost lullaby vibe that will quickly put the listener to sleep. If BLG feels the need to continue their use of slothful tunes they can surely count on their fan base to drop along with their album sales.