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STATE AS OF DECEMBER 8, 2012

After  48  weeks of weekly voting, the final round commenced on December 8, 2012.  The results will be analyzed after December 28, 2012. The final results will be published on January 1, 2013.

In the final round there are two groups of songs. The first group is called BLUE-GREEN and includes songs about love, dance, devotion, suspense, philosophy, etc. THIRTEEN TOP songs will be selected from this group. The second group, called ORANGE-RED, includes songs that are funny and songs about romance, seduction, defiance, etc. ELEVEN SONGS will be selected from this second group to make a total of 24 songs!

VOTING GUIDELINES – VERY IMPORTANT

One remembers certain songs at certain times. Unfortunately no one seems to remember what Calculus problem they were working on when they experienced something unique and beautiful. Music clearly has the ability to transport us to a different time and place.

Yet, we are now faced with the task of voting for our favorite songs. In the initial rounds I noticed that the videos were having a much bigger impact than what I had expected. The other factor may have been our emotional attachment to the actors who passed away recently. In the final round I would like you to not weigh the actor-factor that heavily. The best homage to the Indian and other artists we can pay is to pick what we see as the BEST songs with the highest long-term musical value (a phrase I heard from Pradeep Gavankar).

For songs related to DANCES, CABARET and HUMOR (FUNNY) visual images inarguably play an important role in the impact of songs. I would like you to judge the songs in the categories called FUNNY, DANCE and CABARET/SEDUCTION using the following metrics:

• Words or lyrics = 25%
• Voice or singing = 20%
• Music = 25%
• Images or video = 30%

For all the other song categories (Love, romance, philosophy, loss, defiance),  I suggest you simply close your eyes and listen to the audio portion only. Please use the following general guidelines.

• Words or lyrics = 30%
• Voice or singing = 30%
• Music = 30%
• Other (Context-dependent) = 10%

Ok, for those who see things ‘holistically,”  I want you to ask the following questions:

• Is this song hummable?
• Does the song evoke an emotion?
• Has this song come to my mind in the past?
• Does the song transport me to another time and/or place?
• Does the song have an eternal quality about it?
• Is the song saying something important and universal?
• Does the music speak to my heart?
• Is there something creative about the whole song and the video?
• Do I see myself listening to this song say 5 years from now?

If your answers to most of the above questions are YES or affirmative, VOTE for that song.

INCENTIVE: A PRIZE WORTH US $50.00

Since the final round surveys are long, I am offering an additional optional incentive  to respondents. Three lucky winners one from each region will be selected from a random drawing from the first 100 respondent’s names. The three regions are: Outside the United States, Houston and the Surrounding area; and, The Rest of the United States (excluding Dallas…just kidding!)

Each winner will receive a prize worth US $50.00. The winners will be announced after January 1 but before January 15, 2013. . The winners will be informed via e-mail.  So, please vote for your favorite songs. Here are the links to the two surveys: BLUE GREEN; ORANGE RED I wish you the best!