David Lat

Because I don't detest cheap sentiment,

unlike my beloved Margo Channing, I recommend to you the wonderfully maudlin video for "Teardrops on My Guitar," a new song by Taylor Swift, an 18-year-old country music singer. Taylor's love interest in the video is Tyler Hicks, another young singer-songwriter.

Study question: Who's prettier, Taylor or Tyler?

Taylor Swift: Teardrops on My Guitar [YouTube]

Britney's Shout-Out to the Philippines

I was struck by the passing reference to the Philippines in Britney Spears's pleasurable new song, Piece of Me. So I thought I'd write a quick little post about it.

Here are the relevant lyrics (emphasis added):

I’m Miss American Dream since I was 17
Don’t matter if I step on the scene
Or sneak away to the Philippines
They still got pictures of my derrière in the magazine
You want a piece of me?
You want a piece of me…

But in the digital age, everything you might want to think or say has been thought or said already. Several other bloggers, on both sides of the Pacific, have already opined on the shout-out.

Here's what one Filipino blogger had to say:

Thanks to pop singer Britney Spears, not every pop culture reference to the Philippines is negative.... [Describes the reference.]

That's awfully nice and all, but it doesn't mean we're required to buy a record that badly written.

Oh come now, who buys Britney albums for the writing? We buy Britney albums for simple, ear-candy pleasures -- especially the infectious choruses, like the one in Piece of Me. [FN1]

A U.S.-based blogger, over at The Hollywood Gossip, offered this caustic commentary on the Philippines mention:

There’s a good chance this is the worst rhyme of all time. No one sneaks away to the Philippines. Come on. That’s the best you can do?

I agree that the rhyme is a bit forced, which comes across more clearly when you listen to the song. But I disagree that "[n]o one sneaks away to the Philippines." The island of Cebu, where my mother's family is from, was recently named one of the top resort islands in the world, by Conde Nast Traveler.

Not surprisingly, commenters jumped all over the Hollywood Gossip, with the zeal of paparazzi stalking Britney:

"[N]o one sneaks away to the Philippines? I’ve been to many places, and they have one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. You don’t know anything coz you don’t have enough money to travel the world and visit places like I do. I bet the farthest you’ve gone is your shitty toilet. Get a life. Earn money. Don’t attack Britney just because your life is worth less than her pouch bag."

"whoever wrote this article is stupid as hell! some celebs sneak away to the philippines! george clooney and mariah carey were spotted at some hidden private resort. you obviously don’t know what it’s like to be a celebrity so stop hating on britney."

"— WTF?! R U LKE OUT OF YOUR MIND?. WATS WRONG ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES. ITS SUCH A NICE COUNTRY… AND I ACKNOWLEDGE BRIT FOR PUTTING OUR COUNTRY IN THAT SONG… get a LIFE… if u hve one! "

To paraphrase a certain disturbed -- and disturbingly androgynous -- young man: "LEAVE... THE PHILIPPINES... ALONE!!!"

[FN1] For an example of the writing quality of the Spears oeuvre, consider the lyrics to Hit Me Baby One More Time: a grand total of forty-two (42) words, for the entire song (and that's counting "you're" as two words). We're not talking Coleridge here.

Britney Spears - “Piece of Me” Lyrics [Just Jared]
Britney Spears - Piece of Me [YouTube]
The Philippines and Britney Spears [Metroblogging Manila]
You Want a Piece of Britney Spears? [The Hollywood Gossip]