I just want to say this about aging superstars (with a nod to Prince and his ass-out pants in 1992)
The very things that made women pop stars popular (looks, talent, personality) are the very things that will be used against them once they start to age. Janet has survived a good deal longer than anybody thought, but even she knows her days are numbered. You got all these young folks biting at her ankles (Beyonce, Brittany, Christina, Mya, etc.). She knows that it is THEIR time. Why? The industry likes fresh meat. So does America. Hell, so do I. Getting old is so frowned upon in our society that it is shameful. Janet showed us her breast (yeah, she did it on purpose, don't be stupid, she's 2 shakes from being 40) for three reasons: 1) she wanted to do something provocative (thus, the titty) and 2) she’s gotta drum up new buyers for the new album coming out, and 3) she was being sweet by offering us some milk.
Personally I think Janet is okay, no big beef with her or her music. I think she could stand to grow up a bit. She seems to have regressed since The Velvet Rope, but hey, she’s out to make dollars, not art. With The Velvet Rope Janet bared her soul to a very uninterested and unsurprisingly superficial audience (“Bitch, we don’t wanna hear about your domestic abuse! You a millionaire! Fuck you! Dance!”) which is perhaps why the album didn’t do as well as the rest of her joints (except for the first two, which really don’t count.) I will say this…actually I’ll say it to Janet directly because she always reads my blogs:
Dear Janet: It’s okay to retire. I don’t expect you to be on top always, I don’t. You gave us some good albums and I am appreciative of your efforts. Now if you want to do something else, that’s cool. Try mountain climbing.
There. Somebody need to say it before she kills her damn self by continuing to make meaningless pop music like her brother, Prince, Whitney, Bobby, etc., and so many others who think they will always be popular.
Janet: you had your day in the sun and that’s good enough for me. So keep your titty to yourself.
You know, now that I look closer at the picture, that shit was very intentional - the other boob's got one of those rip-away thingies. To me, Janet's always tried to be perpetually seventeen. Her voice, her moves...all that stuff. What is it with them Jackson kids?
Posted by karsh / on Feb 3 @ 2:57 PMMan oh Man I can't believe you're saying this about age-ing artists. What I'd like to see, is for some of these 35 and overs to start making more mature music. Prince, thank his Jehovah's Witness, is doing just that. And die hard fans will always be there for him.
I ain't mad at the titty pop at all, but I do agree Steven, she should grow up. Make mature music. And go after a different audience than the teens. Man it's like Madonna all up in the Britney Spears video. SHucks!!! I'm really not mad at them, they keep it together, really they do. But be a legend not a has been.
Posted by lynne / on Feb 3 @ 3:44 AMI think we have yet to see Janet's artistry come to full fruition. At least that's what I'm hoping. True, "All For You" proved that she's a little more than distracted by the Beyoncés and Britneys and less focused on doing her own thing, but I think the best is yet to come.
Hell, I think Whitney even have a few more moments ...
Posted by Donald / on Feb 2 @ 11:45 PMI think of it like this here...after that event, she can be thought of as an eccentric artist and should be able to do whatever the f(## she wants.
Like her titty, she will always shine.
Posted by ej / on Feb 2 @ 6:05 PM