The Magic's Kingdom
May 30, 2009 9:01 PM Subscribe
She did it again. The Orlando Magic took no chances as they extended their undefeated record at home in the playoffs. The Magic remain undefeated when Gina Marie Incandela sings the national anthem(YT). Since first singing the national anthem for them in February, the team has won every game she sings at. Five years ago she was diagnosed with PDD-NOS autism and she now is a poster child for early intervention(YT). Not to get in a rut singing only the national anthem, Gina has released a CD single.
She'll get hate-mail and death threats when they finally do lose a game she sings at.
posted by nowonmai at 9:14 PM on May 30, 2009
posted by nowonmai at 9:14 PM on May 30, 2009
Maybe it's just that the Cavs should consider adding a second player to their roster.
posted by xmutex at 9:16 PM on May 30, 2009 [10 favorites]
posted by xmutex at 9:16 PM on May 30, 2009 [10 favorites]
"America the Beautiful" is the one true national anthem
It's to the tune of God Save the Queen/King. So, good luck with that.
posted by jedicus at 9:23 PM on May 30, 2009
It's to the tune of God Save the Queen/King. So, good luck with that.
posted by jedicus at 9:23 PM on May 30, 2009
Believing a Stephen King-style magical autistic person helps win sports games is only marginally more ridiculous than believing the all-powerful creator of the entire universe gives a flying fuck about who wins and favors one side or the other.
posted by Caduceus at 9:25 PM on May 30, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by Caduceus at 9:25 PM on May 30, 2009 [3 favorites]
It's to the tune of God Save the Queen/King. So, good luck with that.
I think you're thinking of "America", aka "My Country, 'Tis Of Thee".
posted by padraigin at 9:29 PM on May 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
I think you're thinking of "America", aka "My Country, 'Tis Of Thee".
posted by padraigin at 9:29 PM on May 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
"America the Beautiful" is the one true national anthem
It's to the tune of God Save the Queen/King. So, good luck with that.
Actually, it's "My Country 'Tis of Thee" that ripped off the melody from "God Save the Queen".
posted by arto at 9:29 PM on May 30, 2009
It's to the tune of God Save the Queen/King. So, good luck with that.
Actually, it's "My Country 'Tis of Thee" that ripped off the melody from "God Save the Queen".
posted by arto at 9:29 PM on May 30, 2009
Ha, wow, I gotta stop posting late at night. I confused it with My Country tis of Thee.
posted by jedicus at 9:30 PM on May 30, 2009
posted by jedicus at 9:30 PM on May 30, 2009
I absolutely despise hearing people sing the national anthem(s) at sporting events in North America. It's the fucking anthem, not the venue for you to show off that you can't stick a landing on a note if it's got a giant neon sign on it saying HEY YOU THERE THIS IS THE NOTE TO HIT and instead warble around everything. ARGH.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 9:33 PM on May 30, 2009
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 9:33 PM on May 30, 2009
The thing I hate about the US national anthem (maybe other countries' anthems feature this, too, I don't know) is the way that everyone who sings it thinks that the closer you are to the end, the slower you have to sing, resulting in a kind of Zeno's paradox of annoying song: 'O'er the laaaaand ooof theeeee freeeeeeeeeeeeeee, aaaaaaaand theeeeeeeeeee hoooooooooooooooooooooome ooooooooooooooooooof theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave.'
posted by shakespeherian at 9:40 PM on May 30, 2009 [6 favorites]
posted by shakespeherian at 9:40 PM on May 30, 2009 [6 favorites]
"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave"
posted by idiopath at 9:59 PM on May 30, 2009 [3 favorites]
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave"
posted by idiopath at 9:59 PM on May 30, 2009 [3 favorites]
I know everyone's snarking and everything, but that video brought tears to my eyes, and beautifully went against everything I've come to loath about "Star-Spangled Banner" performances.
In almost all cases, we're seeing ego on display, but this girl (by the story, at least) seems to have no ego about what she's doing, just joy in doing it at all. Secondly, her voice is phenomenal, and in a way which creates an enormous amount of tension. I can't quite explain it, but the way she was singing, my ear (which is tuned to a lifetime in musical theater and, um... karaoke) kept thinking that there was no way that she could transition properly to the next note without screwing it up. I mean, like, in my head I was hearing the note her vocal cords would voice her to go to instead of the right one, and then she hit the right note gorgeously anyway.
But my favorite moment (one which confirms my "ego" note above) was after singing "home of the free" - when everyone burst into applause... she didn't hold for it.
She just went immediately into the next and final line - something nobody does anymore with that song, even if they've got no applause or attention whatsoever. And it worked. It snapped people's attention back to the performance.
I don't know what this will do for her, positively or negatively, but I teared up watching it, so thank you for this.
posted by Navelgazer at 10:36 PM on May 30, 2009 [4 favorites]
In almost all cases, we're seeing ego on display, but this girl (by the story, at least) seems to have no ego about what she's doing, just joy in doing it at all. Secondly, her voice is phenomenal, and in a way which creates an enormous amount of tension. I can't quite explain it, but the way she was singing, my ear (which is tuned to a lifetime in musical theater and, um... karaoke) kept thinking that there was no way that she could transition properly to the next note without screwing it up. I mean, like, in my head I was hearing the note her vocal cords would voice her to go to instead of the right one, and then she hit the right note gorgeously anyway.
But my favorite moment (one which confirms my "ego" note above) was after singing "home of the free" - when everyone burst into applause... she didn't hold for it.
She just went immediately into the next and final line - something nobody does anymore with that song, even if they've got no applause or attention whatsoever. And it worked. It snapped people's attention back to the performance.
I don't know what this will do for her, positively or negatively, but I teared up watching it, so thank you for this.
posted by Navelgazer at 10:36 PM on May 30, 2009 [4 favorites]
Oh, and if I could choose my own pick for America's National Anthem, it would have to be "This Land."
posted by Navelgazer at 10:43 PM on May 30, 2009
posted by Navelgazer at 10:43 PM on May 30, 2009
'This Land' rocks! I really wanted Cleveland to advance. I wanted Denver to advance also, because George Karl is really, really due (and he almost got my Bucks there, but for some really crappy calls when they played the 76ers way back). I'm just saying that they're going to need some Lord of the Rings type of magic to defeat the Hollywoods. The Magic are an all around better team than the Lakers, but the Lakers have several players with finals experience. And Kobe's been looking a bit sluggish this last round, but if he explodes, I don't know what they're going to be able to do with him. He'll draw so many fouls, and the Magic are always in foul trouble. Done deal.
Oh yeah. That's cute about the little girl.
posted by Flex1970 at 11:12 PM on May 30, 2009
Oh yeah. That's cute about the little girl.
posted by Flex1970 at 11:12 PM on May 30, 2009
It's actually the other way around -- if they win, she lives to sing another day. If they lose on a day she sings, the braaaaaaaaaaave little girl dies.
Feeling any pressure now, Magic?
posted by pracowity at 11:31 PM on May 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
Feeling any pressure now, Magic?
posted by pracowity at 11:31 PM on May 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
Typical. They work their ass of getting that ball through the right hoop as many times as possible in the short time allowed to them, and who gets the credit?
posted by DreamerFi at 12:14 AM on May 31, 2009
posted by DreamerFi at 12:14 AM on May 31, 2009
It's bad luck to be superstitious.
posted by Dark Messiah at 12:33 AM on May 31, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by Dark Messiah at 12:33 AM on May 31, 2009 [2 favorites]
I'll break up the musical criticism and sports talk to discuss the other point of the FPP--autism is a developmental disorder that is helped by intensive therapy just like other developmental disorders. The parents who refuse to accept that autism is a developmental disorder, who blame vaccines, who are constantly looking for an instant "cure", who spend so much time on phony medical treatments are not just wasting their money (and possibly hurting their kids with things like chelation), they are also missing the opportunity for early intervention that could actually help.
posted by hydropsyche at 4:38 AM on May 31, 2009
posted by hydropsyche at 4:38 AM on May 31, 2009
Gina might be developing perfect pitch, which is awesome. The clip from when she was 6 and the more recent clip show both show her singing in just about the same key.
posted by emelenjr at 5:21 AM on May 31, 2009
posted by emelenjr at 5:21 AM on May 31, 2009
I may be the only person in the history of time to say this, but I bloody love the National Anthem. It's well written, imagistic, short, and has few jingoist platitudes about smiting our enemies or how god wants us to win. The bulk of it is about how we're getting our asses handed to us in battle. It reminds me of those old weird irish drinking songs where some old sod gets on a barstool and howls out a tale about the freakin brits killing a bunch of babies in 1664 or something and everyone cheers when he gets to the part about poor mary magoo. Sure it's swoopy and weirdly written and has big words, but that's why its best played by an individual, without accompaniment, which is totally apropos for the american esprit, imo. Plus it ends in a question mark, which, rhetorical as it may be, is a daily reminder that we can't take shit for granted, one day the answer could be no.
However, I lost $30 on that game so I hope that brat gets tuberculosis.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 6:57 AM on May 31, 2009 [6 favorites]
However, I lost $30 on that game so I hope that brat gets tuberculosis.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 6:57 AM on May 31, 2009 [6 favorites]
It's bad luck to be superstitious.
posted by Dark Messiah
eponysterical!
posted by humannaire at 7:01 AM on May 31, 2009
posted by Dark Messiah
eponysterical!
posted by humannaire at 7:01 AM on May 31, 2009
Oh. And this post inspired me to burst into spontatneous explosive applause.
Wonderful choice for posts on Sunday morning, Mr. geekyguy. (Saturday would have been good, too. The rest of the week before 7.)
posted by humannaire at 7:05 AM on May 31, 2009
Wonderful choice for posts on Sunday morning, Mr. geekyguy. (Saturday would have been good, too. The rest of the week before 7.)
posted by humannaire at 7:05 AM on May 31, 2009
The Magic remain undefeated...
Call me when the streak hits more than 4-0. Even naively assuming they're at 50-50 odds to win a game (untrue, since there's home-court advantage and they have a winning team this year), that's a "phenomenon" that is likely to happen 1/16 times. Or put another way, if every NBA team had an autistic kid singing the anthem, roughly 2 of the teams would have such a streak.
I know people are generally bad with correlation, statistics, and odds, but this is such a stupid observation. I don't mean to shit on this girl's parade either, but there is little reason to call attention to the so-called "streak" if the focus was meant to be on the girl.
posted by explosion at 7:20 AM on May 31, 2009 [1 favorite]
Call me when the streak hits more than 4-0. Even naively assuming they're at 50-50 odds to win a game (untrue, since there's home-court advantage and they have a winning team this year), that's a "phenomenon" that is likely to happen 1/16 times. Or put another way, if every NBA team had an autistic kid singing the anthem, roughly 2 of the teams would have such a streak.
I know people are generally bad with correlation, statistics, and odds, but this is such a stupid observation. I don't mean to shit on this girl's parade either, but there is little reason to call attention to the so-called "streak" if the focus was meant to be on the girl.
posted by explosion at 7:20 AM on May 31, 2009 [1 favorite]
explosion: "The Magic remain undefeated...
Call me when the streak hits more than 4-0."
The Magic are now 5-0 in the playoffs when she has sang for them and 6-0 overall when she sings.
Does it mean she is really responsible? Probably not. It is simply a nice side story about human spirit. Enjoy.
posted by geekyguy at 7:41 AM on May 31, 2009
Call me when the streak hits more than 4-0."
The Magic are now 5-0 in the playoffs when she has sang for them and 6-0 overall when she sings.
Does it mean she is really responsible? Probably not. It is simply a nice side story about human spirit. Enjoy.
posted by geekyguy at 7:41 AM on May 31, 2009
Yeah, I think this is the kind of thing that starts wars.
posted by Restless Day at 9:55 AM on May 31, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Restless Day at 9:55 AM on May 31, 2009 [1 favorite]
I wanted to be snarky too, strictly because I'm a very unamerican american (see how I don't even capitalize), but that little girl has a beautiful set of pipes. Color me impressed.
posted by Bageena at 5:10 PM on May 31, 2009
posted by Bageena at 5:10 PM on May 31, 2009
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Eponysterial.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:10 PM on May 30, 2009