The power of sincerity.

I love songs that have a meaning, whatever that is, and this is exactly what is missing from most of today's music (and by this I refer to the young and "new" performers). I know I've said this a lot but that's my opinion. Of course there are many musicians nowadays as well who do actually know that the lyrics are important but sadly they tend to be the less popular ones. I guess I'm just one of those who admires past eras and their representatives a bit too much... But whenever I listen to The Crystals' He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss), I am dumbfounded. Not only because of the lyrics (simple yet shocking) but also because it is written about an issue that is probably more present in the media now than ever before, shows what some of those women who suffer domestic violence might feel. This song, written and recorded fifty years ago, is brutal because it not only justifies such horror but also because The Crystals sing it in such an innocent way and the music itself is great. If you think about it, you discover the romantic side of it and then you are shocked when you realize you find something so violent so beautiful - anything that absorbs you like this is, without a doubt, a masterpiece.

One picture, two legends.

It's no secret that I love photography, especially old black and white pictures of legends and Alfred Hitchcock is definitely one of them. There are numerous funny, creative and beautiful photos of him and the one below is my new favorite. The big cat is another film icon - none other than one of the MGM lions...

The exception makes the rule.

As someone who doesn't watch TV, it is obvious that I hardly know anything about shows like X-Factor and their participants. I generally prefer it this way (if someone is truly talented I'll hear about them anyway), but when I heard that there was a man in Hungary's version of Britain's Got Talent who sang opera and folk songs, I knew I had to see him.

For weeks I followed his performances and couldn't believe what I saw - not only because he has a beautiful voice and an incredibly down to earth character but also because he seemed to be one of the most popular contenders; to achieve this in modern mass media is something to remember.

Of course János Elek Mészáros couldn't avoid the comparisons with Paul Potts (an English tenor who won the first series of Britain's Got Talent), especially since János Elek also finished first in the Hungarian version just a week ago. Below you can see his beautiful interpretation of the Hungarian folk song A Csitári Hegyek Alatt.

As much as I don't believe in contemporary talent shows, if they found just one performer like him in every series, it would be worth it (for the record: in this specific series there was another talented musician who finished fourth).