Joke No More

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With the Olympics going on, I figured it wouldn't be right to not have an Olympic-themed Oops Award this week. This one is fresh from London...

A Brazilian judoka, Felipe Kitadai, is fighting to have his Olympic bronze medal replaced it was broken. Apparently Kitadai was so excited about his victory, he decided to wear his medal wherever he went. As a joke, he wore it in the shower and ended up dropping it. 

Kitadai told Brazil's GloboEsporte.com that the part holding the medal's string broke, and now he can't wear it around his neck. He said there's also a small dent on it. The Brazilian Olympic Committee says it will request a new medal even though it knows the International Olympic Committee has no obligation to give him another.

Hopefully our friend here as learned a valuable lesson!

NMM: Jacob Whitesides

I always love to see and listen to some new, up and coming artists, especially teens who want to make it big in the music industry. Jacob Whitesides is no exception. At the age of fourteen, the singer-songwriter is very quickly gaining national as well as international attention; thanks in part to a very popular YouTube channel and a recent performance at TeenHoot, a festival in Nashville which profiles some young musical talent.

I'd heard of this guy before and decided to check him out on the live stream of TeenHoot a few weeks ago. What was wild was he ended up auditioning for the X-Factor in Greensboro when I went the very next day. This way, I got to see and hear him perform in person. After seeing that, I have to say, he's going to be a great artist.

Here's his performance of The Wanted's "Glad You Came." Also, he has a Kickstarter project going on to raise money so he can record his first single. You can check that out by clicking here.

Thoughts On Penn State

After hearing about the punishments handed down by the NCAA to Penn State, I've had some time to reflect and think about them. I understand what happened was disgusting and horrible, don't get me wrong, but I honestly don't think it's fair to punish current and future players who had absolutely nothing to do with these crimes. I also understand that, to make themselves look good in the public eye, the NCAA had to do something. My thing is, we don't know if this abuse affected the on-field performance of the team and coaches, which is what the NCAA uses to punish schools traditionally. I don't believe it was right for the NCAA to go against its own bylaws and rule on a case like this. Many officials are up in arms over all this because NCAA President, Mark Emmert, basically took matters into his own hands and sentenced the program to the "death penalty" so to speak. 

Now, turning to Joe Paterno, I hate how many people have been treating him. Sure, he could've done a lot more to stop this but we don't (and never will) know the full story. Who knows? He could've been afraid of what would happen if he told higher authorities. It's really ashame that people are harping so on Coach Paterno when, in fact, Sandusky was the real monster here. It's such a sad commentary on our society nowadays in how we judge people as guilty until proven innocent. Just ashame!

Is It Real?

Have you ever gotten spooked when you saw something that was fake but you thought it was real? Well, one woman in California had that happen to her when she saw a mountain lion lying on a neighbor's patio. The woman was already on edge because local authorities warned residents of a bobcat who had been snatching up pet cats. Seeing this put her over the top and she called a local 911 dispatcher to report it. When animal control arrived on the scene, they found the ferocious beast to be a harmless stuffed animal. 

As a weird twist to the story, the cat was actually real but had been stuffed. Some of the neighbors actually used it as a prank on their neighbor's wife but it looks like another neighbor beat her to it.

NMM: Live To Give

A new Christian artist, PJ Anderson, has hit the airwaves and was featured on the front page of the Christian/Gospel section of iTunes. His new song, "Live to Give," is sure to be a hit. I've actually tried to email K-LOVE, a popular Christian radio station, to play this song but they have never acknowledge them. I believe this song has a great message that needs to be heard so please request it on your local radio stations. Have a listen for yourself!

Bruised But Not Broken

I was horrified when I learned of the events that took place in Colorado. I mean, how could someone just walk in to a movie theater and shoot people he didn't even know? It truly makes no sense to me at all. I just don't understand it. What really pissed me off about the whole thing was the guy's mother was a psychiatrist and acted as if she knew something like this was going to happen. Why didn't you get him help beforehand? Once again, it makes no sense to me. It especially upset me when I heard children, some younger than age six, were either injured or killed. That's just flat out wrong! All these innocent people were doing was going to see a movie and they left with heartbreak.

Let me tell you one thing: this sick and cowardly stunt will never make Americans stop doing something they love like going to the movies. It simply breaks my heart that something as simple as this can be so risky. It should not be this way and I believe this, like the many other horrific events in our history, will only make us stronger as a nation!

I pray that God's love, mercy, and comfort will be with them all!

NMM: Incommunicado

"New Music Monday" is back this week with a rising country group that was featured on the front page of iTunes. The group is called Chad Sullins and the Last Call Coalition (try to say that five times fast).

The group has released a new album entitled Incommunicado and it's filled with a great mix of tunes. One in particular, "Only Girl," is a love song/ ballad but I love it for its amazing guitar parts and its overall different sound.

Below is a video of an acoustic performance of this song. I tell you, with great music making like this, you better watch out for this group!

Voice Of An Angel

If you didn't realize from my numerous Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram posts I went to two tapings of auditions for "The X-Factor" in Greensboro. I saw many amazing performances but none with a story like the one I'm about to share with you. 

One guy from Tennessee who auditioned was very obese. He entered the stage in a wheelchair and went on to tell the judges his story. At one point, he weighed over nine hundred pounds and almost lost his life because of it a few years ago. Due to his situation, he was on disability and was a full time minister. He did say that he was working on losing weight and had already gotten down to about five hundred pounds.

The man decided to sing "The Wind Beneath My Wings" and, honestly, I was a little concerned. However, when he opened his mouth to sing...WOW! I couldn't believe what I was hearing. His voice was heavenly to say the least. I was shocked along with everyone else in the arena listening, including the judges. It was a gift from God, plain and simple! Probably the most sentimental comment ever from Simon Cowell came after his performance. He said that he envisioned the man standing and singing that song and he wanted to work on getting him to that point.  It was an amzing moment to witness!

Make sure you watch Wednesdays and Thursdays starting Spetember 12 to see this amazing audition and more!

Double Dose #3

Another double dose of Oops for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!

Rare Mistake

Derek Jeter is known for his sharp fielding skills. But, unfortunately, even the best have their mistakes. The Yankees captain dropped a routine pop-up by Cody Ross of the Boston Red Sox. "If you think about it, it's probably the most embarrassing thing that could happen to a player on defense," said Jeter, whose error led to a Red Sox run. 

Jeter could laugh at the miscue because the Yankees went on to win. However, he wished he had a better explanation for his mistake. There was no wind on the play. He used both hands, though as he pointed out, the ball found neither of them.

  

Big Bay Boom Bust

 

A fireworks display lasts, how long? Some about ten minutes; others about twenty. Well, one of the longest fireworks displays in the nation suffered from a major case of oops. The "Big Bay Boom" in San Diego has gained national attention for being one of the best July 4th displays around. However, a technical glitch made fifteen to twenty minutes of fireworks go off in thirty seconds!

Andy Griffith

When you hear that name, what do you think of? Probably the famous TV show that captured the hearts of everyone who tuned in. But most of you probably won't think about the many other accomplishments this man achieved. Andy Griffith was, truly, a jack of all trades. 

He started out as a monologist but then made his film debut in the 1957 film A Face in the Crowd. After a few previous television experiences, The Andy Griffith Show launched in 1960 and lasted eight years. After some time away from Mayberry, Griffith starred in the television drama, Matlock, which lasted nine years. He also made character appearances on a variety of other shows. But his talents didn't stop on the television screen. Throughout his career, Griffith was an accomplished producer, Tony Award nominee, and Grammy Award-winning Southern-gospel singer. He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award given.

Even though he's no longer with us, Andy Griffith will always be an iconic figure in American history. He will be missed!

Did You Know? Andy Griffith was born on the same day and year as Marilyn Monroe.

Happy Fourth!

I'll make this short and sweet: this is what you SHOULDN'T do with a firecracker!

NMM: Edens Edge

If you're a big country music fan like I am, you may of heard of this new group. They recently released a self-titled, debut album that has some great tunes on it. One in particular, "Too Good To Be True," is sure to be one of those songs you can't stop singing. Check it out!