uggghh and aww nos....
i absolutely positively completely and utterly HATE this song......... i have to hear it like 5 times a night....
What's That Song in the Kohl's Commercial?
Posted Apr 11th 2008 2:00PM by Kim Davis
Filed under: What's That Song?
Click to view'We're All in This Together,' by Ben Lee
Pretty girls in flowing dresses, along with beaches, butterflies and kites: No, it's not puppy heaven. It's Kohl's latest commercial boasting its line of spring clothing. Wind-blown images of printed dresses and men's suiting dance along the screen as Ben Lee's breezy tune swoops in to assure us that these well-dressed folks, whether chillin' in the field or makin' it in the big city, are 'All in This Together' -- a funny message when one considers the stunningly stylish condition in which these people find themselves. But we'll move on.
One unfamiliar with the musical stylings of Lee before the Kohl's commercial might mistake him for a perpetually sunny pop artist. But it hasn't always been this way. His previous releases have been known to experiment with electro beats and drum machines, and he has lamented on love in more than a few songs. 'Together' was a late single off his fifth album, 2005's 'Awake Is the New Sleep' -- an album that marked a mood shift for the 27-year-old Australian. Perhaps it had something to do with the end of his five-year relationship with actress Claire Danes (she was pretty gloomy in 'My So Called Life'). Or perhaps it had something to do with wooing Ione Skye -- yep, the brainy chick from 'Say Anything' (and daughter of '60s folk rocker Donovan) -- who he is now engaged to marry. "Find your place," the advertisement suggests, "in the rhythm of life." For whatever reason, it seems like Lee has. Firmly planted in the light and lovely.
Last year, with the release of 'Ripe,' Lee refined his positive pop but firmly held on to his penchant for lyrical puzzles. We at Spinner have even had our fun with Lee's less-than-lucid meanderings. Verbosity aside, there's something relentlessly endearing about him and undeniably infectious about his music. And we're not the only ones who think so. Lee's roster of fans is an impressive list that spans actors like Jason Schwartzman and myriad cred-heavy musicians including Jellyfish's Jason Falkner, Mandy Moore, Good Charlotte's Benji Madden, members of Rooney and Sara Watkins from Nickel Creek, all of whom contributed vocals to 'Ripe.' Lee also recently told Spinner about his new project, 'A Mixtape From Ben Lee,' which will feature vocals by Aussie pop sensation Kylie Minogue, E from Eels and She & Him singer-actress Zooey Deschanel.
With his big-name collabos and retail outlets like Kohl's taking notice, it's safe to say that Lee is sticking around. But the Kohl's ad isn't the first time his music has made its way to the screen. Most recently, you would have heard his uber-hooky 'Catch My Disease' (also off 2005's 'Awake') in the Ryan Reynolds comedy 'Just Friends,' and both Dell computers and 'Grey's Anatomy' have enlisted Lee's help in creating sonic backdrops. And that makes sense. "I often think about songs in terms of cinematic moments," he told Spinner. And while he's happy with this particular outcome due to the commercial's "themes of unity and individuality," the most important thing to keep in mind, he maintains, is to "never look a gift horse in the mouth."
and speaking of horses....
Eight Belles' Trainer Defends Jockey
By JEFFREY McMURRAY,
AP
Posted: 2008-05-05 17:22:37 LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 5) - The trainer of euthanized filly Eight Belles adamantly defended the way jockey Gabriel Saez handled the Kentucky Derby runner-up.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Monday, Larry Jones said Saez applied the whip only to prevent Eight Belles from crashing into the rail.
"This filly in every race has tried to drift toward the rail," Jones said. "It's her comfort zone, and Gabriel knows this. This kid made every move the right move, and I hate it that they're wanting to jump down his throat. He did not try to abuse that horse to make her run faster. He knew he was second best, that she wasn't going to catch Big Brown."
Jones spoke while traveling from Churchill Downs to Delaware with his other prized filly, Kentucky Oaks winner Proud Spell. Jones is scheduled to have a news conference Tuesday at Delaware Park.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called for Saez to be suspended, contending he should have noticed an injury and pulled the horse up rather than applied the whip. Calls Monday to the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority were not immediately returned.
Eight Belles broke both front ankles while galloping out a quarter-mile past the finish line and was euthanized on the track.
Jones said he has watched the race from various angles and found that not only did Saez do nothing wrong, but everything right.
"We're putting him on multimillion-dollar horses, and I think this kid represented our business as professionally as could be run," he said. "If I were to run in the Derby tomorrow, I'd put him right back on my horse."
Jones acknowledged changes could made to make the sport safer, although he doubts any would have saved his filly from what he called a freak injury.
Stewards could, for example, mandate lighter whips or riding crops, Jones said. However, he said his training program takes great care to make sure no horse is abused, even in a rush for the finish.
"My horses don't come back from races with welts on their body," Jones said. "Very seldom do we find a mark on these horses. I don't think we need to make (the whips) out of foam rubber, but you could get to a happy medium where you know it's not going to hurt them and the horse would still know what you want them to do."
Jones said some of his horses don't respond to the whip at all. In fact, this year Jones petitioned officials at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas to let him send out a jockey without one. Jones' petition was accepted despite initial concern the jockey wouldn't be able to control the horse.
As for the prospect of changing dirt tracks to synthetic ones, Jones said he supports continued research on how that will improve safety. He insisted, however, the track at Churchill Downs was not to blame for the loss of Eight Belles.
"Churchill's track was as close to perfect on Saturday as it could be," he said. "The moisture in it was wonderful."
Jones said he hadn't yet decided where Proud Spell would run next but acknowledged the loss of Eight Belles has taken a toll on his team.
"I'm sure the way this affects us mentally, we'll probably bounce too far to the conservative line for a little while, being probably too safe on our horses," he said. "We're having a hard time getting this in perspective and behind us. These horses are very dear to us. I never got to say goodbye to her."