Brandon McCulloch

A large and busy hotel lobby bar is not exactly the venue where one expects to find folksy, pop music that can quiet groups involved in group chatter or immersed in pro football on several screens. But, once Brandon McCulloch got going the chatter quieted down and the NFL audience found itself veering back and forth from his performance to the game.



Tall, but slimly built, I was surprised his voice could be booming one minute and soothing and soft the next. But, he actually pulled it off. His music easily blends what we often hear in pop music--pain, loss, love and redemption. But, it was his vocal mastery that made it seem so authentic and effortless. He might appear young, but maturity is evident once he begins his set. He seems to possess an amazing certainty--an "I'm good and you'll agree with me momentarily" attitude. And that cockiness was rewarded as he pulled it off for a solid hour.



The pain he sings about is handled in what could be called 'appropriate cynicism'- a musician who's seen his share of destruction, both emotionally and physically. 'Poison,' 'Train That's Coming Down' and 'Leaf in the Gutter' all dealt romance and broken romance.

The guy has a voice, good guitar skills and the cockiness that probably will lead him far. The words, videos and other material are at: http://www.brandonmcculloch.com/

The Still Hazy World of Sexual Harassment--Isiah Style

The sports world is still calling for Isiah Thomas' head following a civil jury's awarding of millions of dollars to Anucha Browne Sanders. He very well could be one who deserves to be immediately dismissed by the New York Knickerbockers organization from his lofty general manager post.

Testimony has leaked out and Rev. Al Sharpton, not surprisingly, has weighed in--as have so many others from coast-to-coast.

The only problem with the whole 'affair' is that the definition of sexual harassment is still hazy. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that from boss to employee advances, inappropriate language, etc. can be construed as sexual harassment. However, from employee to employee it's not clear at all.

If Thomas asked Browne Sanders to kiss him, that is totally inappropriate. If he demeaned her with vile language, that also is inappropriate. But, society is so quick to weigh in without the benefit of all the facts. Sharpton, who had called for a protest outside Madison Square Garden (the Knicks' home) until Thomas apologizes, also admitted that not all of the information on Thomas' taped interview reached the public.

So, why not wait before making hasty judgments? Did Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson learn that from jumping on the bandwagon that vilified the Duke University lacrosse players accused of raping a black woman?

Sometimes, it appears, very few lessons are ever learned.

O.J. Simpson A Flight Risk?

His face is still recognized around the world, yet criminal justice officials in Las Vegas won't release O.J. Simpson on bail out of fear that he's a flight risk.

Well, where could/would he go? Where on planet Earth could O.J. Simpson hide?

He's a man who soared to stratospheric levels with his gridiron skills, sexy looks as a legendary NFL running back with the Buffalo Bills and later as a performer on the big screen. Of course, all that ended 13 years ago when he was found not guilty of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend, Ron Goldman.

He still gets jeered along with a few cheers here and there. And he's all over the news now that the book he wrote, 'If I Did It,' has hit bookstores. And it's the top-seller at Amazon.com.

He was arrested in Las Vegas after he and several accomplices allegedly burst into a hotel room and threatened men who he claimed illegally held his memorabilia. Reportedly, guns were wielded by Simpson's accomplices.

Is the denial of bail some bizarre way of getting back at Simpson for upsetting so many people 13 years ago?

Britney Is Not a Beached Whale, Folks.

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No, Britney Spears not the brightest star in the galaxy. No, she never was educated about leaving home without underwear. And she seems to have adopted her parenting skills from the gloved one. But, was her lethargic movement at the recent Video Music Awards in Las Vegas worthy of the seemingly worldwide scorn? Geez!

Seems television and music fans want their female stars to be around the size of Kate Moss or, if you're older than 40, Twiggy. That's dangerous territory. And what society is doing is telling average girls (and some boys) that almost everything is borderline obese. The woman had a couple of kids and probably will take a while to, if ever, get a flat belly again.

So why all the venom? Yes, her bizarre recent actions--shaving her head, storming out of photo sessions---are cause for some ridicule. But, it seems mighty dangerous to focus so much on weight when the woman is hardly a beached whale or the Michelin Tire Man.

Rutgers Player Sees the Light, Drops Bizarre Lawsuit

Kia Vaughn, one of the Rutgers University women's basketball players, egregiously insulted by Don Imus, finally saw the light and dropped her lawsuit against the controversial radio and television personality.

Imus, who has straddled that fine line of parody and decency for many years, finally crossed it last spring when, on his MSNBC program, he called the Rutgers women's basketball team some "nappy-headed 'hos." The team had come close to winning the NCAA women's championship and had their stellar season overshadowed by Imus' remarks.

But, how did Vaughn figure that she, more than the rest of her team, was overly traumatized by Imus' comments? Imus has made a career of insulting people and institutions.

Did a lawyer get to her and find some obscure law that would suggest that she'd been irreparably damaged by what he said about the entire team, not her?

Well, the good thing is that common sense seems to have prevailed. She's back on the ground, ready to go on with her life and Imus is still in the background, though he's very likely to resurface on the airwaves again.

Ignored Racial Remarks in Larry Craig arrest

When Officer Dave Karsnia arrested Idaho Sen. Larry Craig, people were understandably shocked and outraged that a long-standing ultra-conservative leader was literally caught with his pants down.

Craig, for anyone who may have been overseas for a month, was arrested during an undercover sting operation in the men's room at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport. He allegedly was propositioning an undercover police officer in a stall.

What seems to have been totally ignored was the remark made by Officer Karsnia when interviewing the Senator following the arrest. He indicated to Craig that "people look up to you." He also said that had Craig been "from the 'hood" the behavior somehow would have been understandable.

Is Karnia suggesting that those in or from the 'hood are prone to aberrant social and sexual behavior? Only 'hood residents proposition individuals for sex in public places?

Why was he not called on to explain his words? Are we so caught up in the salacious nature of the charges against a man who's been so anti-gay anda caught in a seemingly gay situation that we overlook Karnia's totally inappropriate remarks?