* Originally posted on 1/13/10
One Sunday morning at a church my sister used to attend, the pastor spoke of someone in the church that was battling cancer. Because they did not have medical insurance they were now facing financial devastation as well. Donations started pouring in from the community. Each week the pastor would speak of this person and how their condition continued to deteriorate. As word spread donations were steadily coming in from all over. Everyone was so caring and so sympathetic. This person that he had been referring to was himself. When the truth was revealed, (as it eventually always is) people were devastated. He did not have cancer and never did. He had used his position to contrive a superficial story, playing on others sympathy…profiting from a tragic situation that never existed.

Written as a tribute to her late “fiance” Jeff, Gretchen Rossi released her first single today, Nothing Without You. Proceeds of the song will be donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the Jeff Beitzel Foundation (which cannot be found) in memory of Jeff Beitzel. Brilliant gesture.

We all know Gretchen wants to break into the music industry, so is this just a brilliant (I use that word loosely) marketing plan? Jeff was not her fiance, but what better way to make a debut? Capitalize on a tragic situation, a man’s death and a relationship that didn’t exist? Why not release a song about Slade, her knight in shining armor? Perhaps next time. Another brilliant gesture? Maybe next time you could donate the proceeds to
The Amazing Gray Fund

Seriously, nothing surprises me anymore.

Title: Nothing Without You
Artist: Gretchen Rossi
Genre: Classic Classless