A rock performance can be memorable by sheer entertainment and talent but also because of controversy surrounding it. Here is my take on ten (maybe even the top ten) rock performances of all time. I know my list is very classic rock orientated so I am eager to see what other users would add from different genres. Maybe even share performances you’ve seen first hand!

The Who rose to fame with a pioneering instrument destruction stage show. One infamous performance occurred on television in 1967. The drummer, Keith Moon, overloaded his bass drum with explosives which were detonated during the finale of “My Generation.” As a result, guest Bette Davsis fainted, guitarist Pete Townshend’s hair was set on fire, and there is a legend that he received permanent damage to his hearing.

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Product placement in television and movies has been around for a while. Seeing a “real life” product in a movie helps to give that movie a sense of realism. Usually, these placements are subtle: a can of Coke seen when a refrigerator door is opened, a box of Cheerios on the breakfast table. Others, however, are in your face, up close and personal. Some are so obvious it seems the producers simply had the screenwriter leave a blank in the script and sold the spot to the highest bidder. Here are my top 10 examples of blatant product placement in the movies.

One entire scene revolves around Sandra Bullock’s character explaining to Sylvester Stallone’s unfrozen cop from the 90s that Taco Bell won the franchise wars and “now all restaurants are Taco Bells.” They then proceed to a fancy, sit down place where no Mexican food is present at all. It has nothing to do with the plot of the movie and any restaurant name could have been used. I guess Taco Bell was the highest bidder.

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Today is Good Friday, the day traditionally set aside in the year to remember the death of Jesus on the cross. Good Friday is one of only two days in the year that Roman Catholics do not have Mass. Instead, on this day, most Catholic Churches say the stations of the Cross (these are normally found an pictures around the inside walls of all Churches). In the 12th century, St Francis of Assisi devised the list and started the tradition of reciting it as a type of devotional service. Structurally, Mel Gibson’s 2004 film, The Passion of the Christ, follows the stations. This is the complete list of the 14 stations, as St Francis defined them.

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Euthanasia is a topic that often pops up in to the Mainstream Media when a person seeks a court ruling to allow them to kill themselves. The most recent case involved a French woman who suffered from a rare form of nasal cancer - her request was denied by the courts and she was found dead the next day (presumably at her own hand). The subject causes much debate - as is so often the case with ethics-related topics. So, in light of the subject coming back up, I want to know what you think: do you think euthanasia should be legalized, and if so, should there be restrictions placed on its use?

Should Euthanasia Be Legalized?

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There are books that are revered because of their effect on art, and there are books that are remarkable because they literally change the very society from which they came. Here is a list of ten books that radically changed or shaped American society. I’ve excluded all religious texts because those are just too obvious. So without further delay, here’s the list!

This 1855 book of poetry ushered in the American equivalent of the Romantic Era of literature. Whitman’s brilliant work changed art, and changed what could be discussed in art with his bold and bawdy epic poem. This work was both subversive and celebratory, that opened the door for discussion of many issues, and also was the work that opened the beat movement that followed nearly a century later. [Read the full text online]

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