It Was Bewildering And Humbling To Keep

'the Voice' Has Lots Of Singers Who Fit The 'idol' Mold Of Young, Innocent Ingenues With Psycho Stage Moms. But It Also Has Long-suffering Adult Pros, With A Whiff Of Thirtysomething Despair In Their Voices. That Adds An Edge Of Realness.

When I Started Out As A Music Journalist, At The End Of The 1980s, It Was Generally Assumed That We Were Living Through The Lamest Music Era The World Would Ever See. But Those Were Also The Years When Hip-hop Exploded, Beatbox Disco Soared, Indie Rock Took Off, And New Wave Invented A Language Of Teen Angst.

When Ke$ha Tries To Rap Like L'trimm, She Sounds Like Any Ordinary Lonely Teenage Girl Stuck In A Nowhere Town, Singing Along To Her Radio And Dreaming Of A Party Where She's The Star. Ke$ha's Greatness Is That In Her Voice, You Can Hear Both The Loser Girl And The Star. All Hail The Queen Of Noi$e!

Anyone Watching '30 Rock' Always Knew Tina Fey Was Playing A Fictionalized Version Of Herself, A Workaholic Comedy Writer Who Also Plays One On Tv. She's The Boss; Liz Lemon Just Works Here.

Tonight, I Feel Like My Whole Body Is Made Out Of Memories. I'm A Mix-tape, A Cassette That's Been Rewound So Many Times You Can Hear The Fingerprints Smudged On The Tape.