OCR Text |
Show SpecialFeatures Monday, Aug. 24, 2009 Page 22 Alexa Ray Joel is trying to make a name for herself MOIRA E. MCLAUGHLIN The Washington Post WASHINGTON — It would be easy to judge Alexa Ray Joel, 23.Her dad is musician Billy Joel. Her mom is supermodel Christie Brinkley. Between her connections and her bank account, how can she possibly know what it’s like to be a struggling singer-songwriter in New York? “I’ve been really busy,” she says from her West Village apartment. She was 15 minutes Free Classifieds: www.a-bay-usu.com True Aggie Trivia Test! Answers found in this issue! late for the interview, having spilled juice and broken a glass moments before the call. “I’m a bit clumsy,” she confesses. “Some mornings, I wake up and I am just sort of out of it.” Out of it from the late-night parties? The booze? The glamour? The high society that she inevitably rolls in? Not quite. Joel seems determined to make her way in spite of, and not because of, her famous name. “I have these huge golden shadows over me, and I have to define myself on my terms,” she says. Defining herself on her terms means writing her own songs, plugging her own shows, designing her own Tshirts, doing all the things any unknown musician would do. Joel’s family history is legendary. Her mom married her dad after appearing in his “Uptown Girl” video. Eight years after Alexa was born, her parents split. Her mom married again. Her dad married again. Between them they have been married and divorced seven times. That’s good media fodder, but it may be bad for a shy teenager growing up in Long Island. She attended the New York University music theater program for a year but found herself skipping class to hang out in the piano practice rooms. “I was a late bloomer,” she says. “(My parents) didn’t spoil me. There was a curfew. They were strict. I was the shyest dork in the world in high school.” There were no boyfriends. No parties. She had no “edge” she said and still doesn’t. And today, her parents expect her to work. “I grew up very lucky. I am very fortunate. At the same time I have to stand on my own now,” she says. She released her first and only EP, “Sketches,” in 2006. “If you put good out, it comes back to you,” she says. Joel’s music is reminiscent of Norah Jones’ lazy, jazzy blues. Joel’s voice is bright and earnest. Her piano playing, similar to her dad’s, incorporates simple, thick, familiar harmonies. The songs are charming, youthful and full-hearted. Joel has performed in public with her dad only a few times. He is not a stage dad, she says. People ask, “ `Does (your dad) help you?’ Of course not! I’m 23 years old! You gotta grow up WINDOW TINTING 905 NORTH MAIN 753-6671 "We Buy and Sell Textbooks Every Day" 10% OFF Smart Aggies 117 N. Main always end Downtown Loganup 753-4857 at .... Bring in this coupon & receive FREE Chips & Reg. Fountain Drink with purchase of 6" Sandwich Full Tint expires April 2010 Where your Textbooks are CHEAP & Your Lunch is FREE! 20% OFF Clear Bra expires April 2010 at some point!” He will offer encouragement or the occasional piece of advice: Hold that note a bit longer. You’re doing a good job. And even “Tone down the pretty,” Joel says. (Her mom, who is more involved with her career, tells her the opposite.) Regardless, Joel feels that her name alone won’t get her a record deal. Then again, she has no desire to give up control of her music or her image. She is careful about who she is. She says she doesn’t want to be a “pop tart” or a one-hit wonder, and she doesn’t want people thinking she is riding on her dad’s coattails. She wants to earn respect and credibility, and, most important, she wants to move people with her music. She wrote the song “Invisible” about an ex-boyfriend who dumped her three times. As she performed it at a recent show, she said, a woman in the front row started crying. ALEXA RAY JOEL “That’s what I’m going for. I want people to share my emotional experience and make them their own,” she says. And what if people come to her shows simply to see Billy Joel’s daughter? “I don’t really care what gets people to the show as long as they leave and think about me and my music.” From domestic violence to reality TV LOS ANGELES (LAT) -- Two years ago, real estate executive Ryan Alexander Jenkins from Calgary, Alberta, was sentenced to 15 months probation and ordered to complete domestic violence counseling after hitting his then-girlfriend. But Jenkins came to Los Angeles and was selected as a contestant on the VH1 reality show “Megan Wants A Millionaire,” in which wealthy men compete for the love of a young woman. Now, Jenkins is wanted for the mutilation murder of his ex-wife, model Jasmine Fiore, and “Megan Wants A Millionaire” has been pulled off the air by VH1. The case raises questions about how a man with a record of domestic violence got onto a show where the object is to marry a woman. “Obviously it’s a huge screw-up here,” said Jon Taplin, a professor at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication, who teaches digital entertainment. “Part of the problem is there’s such a huge machine needing people to go on TV. ... But the problem is: If you need so many contestants, you’re probably not going to do the best job of screening them.” A spokesman for VH1 said that the network did not know about “any issues regarding any of the contestants on this show” and that it was standard practice for the company that produced the show to be “responsible for the screening/vetting process of contestant.” VH1 licensed the show from the Los Angeles- based 51 Minds Entertainment. According to a statement released by a spokesman for 51 Minds, the company was not aware of Jenkins’ record when it cast him on “Megan Wants A Millionaire.” “Obviously, if the company had been given a full picture of his background, he would never have been allowed on the show,” according to the statement provided this week by Allan Mayer of the public relations company 42 West. Mayer released another statement Friday saying that Jenkins’ criminal record slipped through the cracks because of “an error by a Canadian court clerk.” “To conduct background checks on potential cast members for `Megan Wants a Millionaire,’ 51 Minds Entertainment hired a well-respected investigative firm called Collective Intelligence, which has done similar work for more than 90 production companies involving hundreds of TV shows on virtually every major network,” the statement read. “According to Collective Intelligence, Ryan Jenkins’ criminal record in Canada escaped notice not because of any lapse on their part but as a result of an error by a Canadian court clerk.” After production of “Megan Wants A Millionaire” ended, Jenkins was selected as a contestant on a second VH1 reality show, the third season of “I Love Money.” But in June, he was charged with hitting Fiore at a Las Vegas hotel -- the second accusation of domestic abuse against Jenkins. Monday, Aug. 24, 2009 ClassifiedAds Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com Help Wanted Announcements NEED COLLEGE STUDENTS FOR EVENT MARKETING POSITION College Students Apply! ZAGG Inc has college Rep positions available at Utah State University. ZAGG College Representatives make an excellent commission on every sale. You choose your own hours too! We are looking for HIGH ENERGY friendly individuals who are well connected at Utah State University. Candidates must have professional appearance and good communication skills. ZAGG Reps make 20% commission on every sale ...as well as other perks. If this sounds interesting to you... send an email to Josh@ZAGG.com for more information. Roommate? "SDITUPOF "QBSUNFOUT 4UBSUJOH BU GPS UIF TDIPPM ZFBS & / Rommate needed Two Private Rooms in the Island I am buying a condo in Lakewood Condos. I will have to rooms to rent. The larger room will be $350/mo, and the smaller on is $300/mo. This includes utilities, cable, and internet. There is a washer and dryer in the basement. It also has HVAC. If you are interested the best way to get a hold of me is via email: blair.j@aggiemail.usu.edu. female roommate needed-- pet friendly -$250 per month plus 1/2 utilities -no deposit unless you have a pet -$200 per pet -- 1/2 refundable For For RentRent MALE FALL CONTRACT FOR SALE Amazing unit!!! Rent is $350 EVERY MONTH AND A HALF, utilities are about $25 per person per month. There %FQPTJU 0O TJUF MBVOESZ 'VMMZ GVSOJTIFE $MPTF UP $BNQVT /FXMZ 3FOPWBUFE (SFBU TVNNFS SBUFT %JTDPVOUT "WBJMBCMF 6UJMJUJUFT OPU JODMVEFE 8JSFMFTT *OUFSOFU are 4 other roommates and they’re pretty cool. The apartment has its own washer and dryer in the unit itself, which is very convenient. Within walking distance to campus, parking within the building. I’m getting married in the near future, so I’m getting into a married housing unit. CALL ME UP AND MAYBE WE CAN MAKE A DEAL. It’s move-in ready. Apartments for Rent- Maple Valley Apartment male contract for sale I’m selling my Maple Valley male contract. It is $235 a month plus 1/3 utilities, $150 deposit, pool, hot tub, fitness room, third floor, balcony, and plenty of parking. My roommate has a big screen TV, leather couch, and chairs and table. The room is unfurnished. Contract ends in May. Can move in now. Very clean! Best apartments in town. TWO SINGLE FEMALE CONTRACTS AT HAMPTON RIDGE TOWNHOMES 2 Single Female Hampton Ridge Townhome Contracts 1 Shared Room 681 E. 700 N. #103 Logan, Utah 84321 www.hamptonridgetownhomes.com (For more information) Call Kyla Stevens (the Landlord) at (435) 760-1462 or Martha McNamara at (801) 787-0437 $2895 for the school year Great location Very spacious, 3000 sq ft. Full sized kitchen with a pantry Washer and drier included Big screen TV, couches and beds also included Wireless internet access Also, VERY IMPORTANT! We are willing to pay the deposit for you! You would have to pay 35$, but we would pay the rest of the 200$! Room Available Large private room. Washer/dryer. Huge Yard. Storage Space. Month to month rent. $225.00 a month. Great Roomates. Garage. 2 story house w/ basement. Available now! 1-bdrm mother-in-law cottage for rent $445/month Cute, clean, well kept, private, detached, bungalow 1bdroom house (mother-in-law cottage) for rent, $445/month. 461 W and 200 S in Logan. Approximately 500 sq ft with additional basement storage. Washer/dryer hookups in basement as well. Great for graduate student, professional, or other mature person. 2 blocks from Crumb Brothers and 1 block from a bus stop. |