Labels are no joke, people.

Anyone remember that episode of the classic TV show Friends where the gang take a trip to Las Vegas? Well, two of the characters, Ross and Rachel, ended up leaving later than everyone else and found themselves sharing the same flight. They spent most of it playing pranks on each other and trying to get into each others' heads, and at one point, Ross uses a marker to draw and moustache and beard on a sleeping Rachel's face.

Seemed harmless enough but there was one problem - he drew on her using a permanent marker.

Anyway, this gag came to mind when I read a recent story in the newspaper in which a Brazilian Incredible Hulk fan, Enrique dos Santos, painted himself head-to-toe in green paint to pay homage to his comic book hero. Unfortunately, the product he used was a substance used for ballistic missiles and nuclear submarines and is virtually impossible to wash off.
He tried in vain to wash it off in the shower but it did not work. Only when he got a 24-hour scrubbing from as many friends and neighbours that he could find did the green substance come off.

Well, what can I say? Don't people read labels anymore? Seriously, they do serve a purpose, people! If you are going to use a substance on your skin (and on someone else's for that matter) make sure it is safe to do so! It won't kill you to take a couple of seconds to read warning labels prior to using a product or substance, especially if it is one that you are going to apply onto your body. How would you feel if you slathered yourself with some product only to learn the hard way that you were allergic to it? Yeah, the idea of being covered from head to toe in rashes or something worse doesn't sound like a fair trade.

Warning labels on items are no joke, people. You can roll your eyes at them and sometimes you would be right to do so, but in other instances you will pay for it dearly. So come on, guys. Let's be careful out there.

Cheer up, Delta.

It's hard not to feel a little sympathy for Delta Goodrem. Just nine years ago she was the darling of the Australian music scene, a singer-songwriter whose songs were honest and wholesome and whose brave battle against cancer won the hearts of the nation.
But lately her reputation has taken a battering.

As one of the judges on Australia's version of The Voice she's had to endure the criticism from viewers who think she is annoying and a try-hard as well as being snubbed by contestants in favour of more seasoned fellow judges in Keith Urban, Seal and Joel Madden. In one episode, she offered a contestant who happened to be the younger brother of former Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian (with whom she is good friends with) a spot on her team, but he turned her down to go with Seal. Delta's response was to bolt from her chair and head backstage in tears. Ouch! That's got to hurt!

I'd say the rot began in 2004 when she started dating tennis loser Mark Philippoussis. Heck, she wrote a song about him called 'Out Of The Blue'. That relationship didn't last and later that year she began dating former Westlife singer Brian McFadden - despite the fact that he still hadn't divorced his estranged wife and was known to be a foul-mouthed jerk. Suddenly, this 'good girl' singer wasn't so sweet anymore. Some people went as far as to call her a floozy who took it up with a married man. Still, she remained popular on the airwaves and retained much of her fan base.

Her relationship and subsequent engagement to McFadden didn't last and so she focused all her energy on her career. She tried to crack the US market but wasn't exactly successful in doing so (though her song 'In This Life' managed to get airplay there and her album Delta was a success). She then began a relationship with US pop star Nick Jonas (who is eight years her junior) that ended earlier this year. I'll bet many of her cynics saw that move as nothing more than a publicity stunt. Can't crack the US market? Why not go out with a young American pop star instead?

And now she's come back with her first single since 2008. The song, Sitting on top of the world was a success, debuting at number 2 on the Australian singles chart. Unfortunately, more controversy was to follow. Apparently, the song sounds similar to Rebellion (lies), a 2005 song by Canadian band Arcade Fire. How about that? She releases her first single in four years, it roars up the charts and then this happens. She just can't catch a break these days.

The Voice Australia judges (L-R): Keith Urban, Delta Goodrem, Joel Madden, Seal

All I have to say is cheer up, Delta. You still have many fans, your current single is sitting pretty on the charts and you have some pretty talented contestants on your side on The Voice. Throwing a hissy fit when a contestant rejected your offer wasn't a good move, however. Seriously, calm down! They didn't reject you because they don't like you. Maybe they just preferred to go along with musicians who have more experience on the world stage.

Also, it's refreshing that you stayed true to yourself as far as being a musician is concerned. Your songs continue to be the same heartfelt tunes that they were back in 2003 and you're still one talented singer-songwriter. It's great that you did not feel the need to overly 'sex' up your image and reduce yourself to singing about what you like to get up to in nightclubs and in the bedroom and show everybody what you look like with little to no clothing on. Much respect to you in that regard!
And as for the controversy surrounding your new song, it was an honest mistrake. Like I said in a previous blog, there's only so many tunes you can come up with and sooner or later you might accidentally produce a song that sounds similar to someone else's.
And as for your personal life, well it's not really anyone's business but yours. Just take the criticism on the chin and keep moving forward. To Delta's credit, she seems to be doing exactly that.

Quick takes:

1. So Jessica Simpson and her fiance Eric Johnson had a baby girl that they named 'Maxwell Drew'. Regarding the girl's unusual first name, Jess explained that 'Maxwell' is Eric's middle name. Jess, once again you prove to your critics that you really are an airhead and Eric, way to fuel the stereotype that male athletes are dimwits. Naming a little girl after her father? That just doesn't make sense! Unless, of course, the father had a unisex name like 'Ashley' or 'Taylor'. 

2. Kate and Gerry McCann stated to the British media this week that they have renewed hope their daughter Madeleine, missing for five years now, is still alive and that she will be found. Seriously, whenever I read about this case it makes me sad. No parent should have to go through what they're going through and no child should be taken from their parents like this. Yes, I have a heart, people! But all jokes aside, I really hope that The McCanns are reunited with their little one soon.       
But in saying that, I am still staggered at the irresponsibility that Kate and Gerry showed on the night that their daughter disappeared. Leaving your young children unattended to meet with friends is dumb. Leaving them unattended in an UNLOCKED hotel room is preposterous.
I don't have children myself but I know that once you have children, they are your responsibility and you should always be there for them. Couldn't Kate and Gerry have taken their kids with them? Sure, they probably wouldn't have been able to stay out for too long but when you have kids you're going to have to make sacrifices - including saying goodbye to aspects of your social life. Feel like going out with your friends but can't find someone you trust to babysit your kids? TOO BAD, TOO SAD!!! Stay home and be a parent.
Kate, Gerry, I truly hope and pray that you do get your daughter back and can move on from this horrible chapter in your lives, but seriously, what the hell were you two thinking?

3. Australian swimming legend Grant Hackett has bitterly separated from Candice Alley, his wife of five years. According to friends of the pair, they have been bickering for a while now and their problems may have stemmed from the fact that Hackett has been turning to booze to drown his sorrows whenever he and Candice quarrelled.
Sources state that the problems may have started when the couple moved from the Gold Coast (Hackett's hometown) to Melbourne. For a beach-loving man like Hackett, it was too much.
To make it worse, Candice forced him to sell his beloved Ferrari before the couple's twins were born.

All I'm going to say about this is that I wouldn't be surprised if Hackett manages to climb out of this mess and then attempt a comeback to competitive swimming. It'll be the Geoff Huegill story all over again.    

4. 17-year old Shaun Wilson-Miller, who is dying of a chronic heart condition, makes an emotional video in which he urges viewers to live life to the fullest. In addition to that, he asked his friends to make sure his father will be alright.
Wow. Just, wow. Here you have a kid on the losing end of the toughest fight of his life urging us all not to take our lives for granted and live it to the fullest in addition to saying his good-byes. Inspirational stuff right there.
Shaun, you are a brave warrior and thank you very much for the video. You are a true champion!