Wednesday, April 29, 2009

bumptious \BUMP-shuhs\, adjective:

• Crudely, presumptuously, or loudly self-assertive.

Bumptious is perhaps a blend of bump and presumptuous.
autotune

• Pitch correction software specifically for vocals that makes up for a lack of natural singing talent. 90% or more of all "professional" recordings use this software. An extreme example is that horrific Cher song from a few years back, and the Kid Rock song where is voice is all fucked up. Used in moderation it can hardly be heard except by a trained ear.

Remember before autotune, when singers could actually sing?
or
Man, that chick sings so bad not even autotune can fix it.
Trivia
The name of what part of a house comes from a French word that means “to sulk”?

• Boudoir. Derived from the Old French word bouder, its original meaning was “a place for sulking.”

Today in History:

• Joan of Arc: led her army into Orléans in victory over the English (1429)
• Dachau: concentration camp was liberated by US soldiers (1945)
• Los Angeles race riots: began after the acquittal of police officers accused of beating Rodney King (1992)
• Rent: Rock musical opened on Broadway; the Manhattan-set retelling of La bohème went on to win several Tonys, a Pulitzer and many other awards (1996)
• Yom Ha'atzma'ut: Israel's Independence Day

Today's Birthdays:

• Alexander II (1818-1881): Russian emperor who freed the serfs; Japanese emperor Hirohito (1901-1989) shared this birth date
• Rod McKuen (76): '60s poet and composer
• Zubin Mehta (73): music director for life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; also, musicians Sir Thomas Beecham (1879-1961), Sir Malcolm Sargent (1895-1967), Duke Ellington (1899-1974), Otis Rush (75), Tommy James (62) and Carnie Wilson (41)
• Dale Earnhardt (1951-2001): NASCAR superstar
• Jerry Seinfeld (55): comedian who made much ado about nothin', Seinfeld; also, actors Daniel Day-Lewis (52), Michelle Pfeiffer (51) and Uma Thurman (39)
• Andre Agassi (39): one of history's top tennis players