"Some People Wait a Lifetime For a Moment Like This!" - Kelly Clarckson

For months now I've been planning our American Idol finale potluck at work, because there are a ton of people at the office that love it. I also am always down for good food and a good party. Plus I guess I was looking for an opportunity to make my mark, so when I leave the end of August, they might look back on me fondly. . that's the dream anyway.


So I e-mailed the staff, put up flyer's, and posted a sign up. Then I put together a little "American Idol Jeopardy" game so we'd have something to do during lunch, my original idea was to bring in Karaoke Revolution American Idol edition, but I then figured it would only be me participating. So that plan got squashed. But all in all I think everyone had a good time. Here are some shots from our office party.


It's not a party without balloons right!!!! And I also made a mix of some of my favorite songs from the show and played it during the party as well as gave them out as prizes.

Here we have Betty Moore the greatest secretary ever!!! Eileen Boylston who didn't want her picture taken I guess, we then have Mary Riojas who you will see a little later, then Ana Deleon, Irene Valdez, and Debi Keyzer who kind of gave me the idea in the first place. Behind Debi is my Office BFF Eric doing the infamous cereal box face (You know the one I always do with the thumbs up and mouth wide.) Then we have Suzanne Palmiero who was our Jeopardy champion and Tabitha whom you all know as my partner in crime.

Next from right to left we have Bob Meier who is like the principal of SkillSource, I'm not sure what his exact title is, then there is Reza Fiorezi and his wife, behind her is Delila Merkley, Lucy Fitterer is the redhead, but she did not want her picture on the Internet I hope she's not in the witness protection program or anything! That would be awkward! Next to her is Carmen Schwaub, then holding down the back row is Monica Macias, and last but not least David Nava.

Here is a horribly blurry shot of Mary running after the pinata, I bought this Pinata like 2 months ago for the goodbye potluck we had for when our administrator Albert left to take over King County's WorkSource, but nobody used it and I couldn't be there, because Tabitha and I had some outreach to do.

It was meant to be for this moment I guess!

























After about two whacks she had that baby on the ground and busted open, it wasn't until after that I realized I A)never got a shot of the pinata in the air, and B) I never showed you how i put a picture of Simon over it's face. Kind of doesn't give you the whole effect. . .my bad.

Eric was kind enough to hold it up, sacrificing his opportunity to take a whack at it. . . . what a gem. . . .thanks Eric!!!!


























Apparently nobody but Mary and Ana know how Pinatas work!





















Debi was all over the hillbilly teeth prizes. Her and David where kind enough to pose for a pic.






















You can't trust me with clean-up because I get distracted too easily. . . . don't worry I checked the weight limit on that cart and I was totally in the clear!


















Anyone wanna take a crack at my quiz? I attempted to make it pretty easy, and that was a good call, because sometimes they got stumped on some pretty easy questions. I'm sure some people I won't mention any names (Krystin, Angie, Nette, Michelle, and Gwen) will breeze through with flying colors, but try your luck and let me know how you did.

Here are the questions starting with the "What's Your Story" category

Answers will be posted at the end of each section


1. Kristy Lee Cook sold this to buy her plane ticket for the idol auditions.

2. This Contestant was in Jeopardy of getting kicked off the show when it was found out that he was formally a Male stripper before performing on Idol.

3. This contestant beat out Danny Noriega for the last spot in the top 12.

4. This was the type of musical group Luke Menard was involved in, which he said helped him prepare for Idol.

5. This Top 24 contestant claimed to have dated Britney Spears for two months when he performed as an Opening act for her with his Pop Group Boys and Girls.



Answers:
1. What is her Horse
2. Who is David Hernandez
3. Who is Chikezie
4.What is an Acapella Group
5. Who is Robbie Corrico



"It's All About Song Choice"


1. David Cook first started to wow the judges with his rock ballad interpretation of what Lionel Richie hit from the 80’s

2. This Contestant will most likely be remembered for when she started her song over in the
live performance during Andrew Lloyd Weber week


3. This is the instrument Jason Castro played during Idol Gives Back week, when her performed “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” for inspirational song week.


4. In one of his only major mistakes on the show David Archuletta famously flubbed up the words to this Stevie Wonder remake of a Beatle song.

5. Michael Johns wowed the judges with this song during Hollywood week, but had failed to capture that same moment many times following until he was voted off.




Answers:

1. What is "Hello"
2. Who is Brooke White
3. What is a Ukalele
4. What is "We Can Work it Out"
5. What is "Bohemian Rhapsody"





Thrid and Final Category "The Ghost of Idol Past"

1. This contestant from Season 6 was better known for his crazy hair do’s and his groupies that called themselves “Fanjiya’s”

2. This former Idol reject received an Academy Award for her lead role in DreamGirls!


3. This is the Year American Idol Started.


4. This Contestant was originally kicked off, but then brought back for the Wild Card week and eventually went on to be one of Idols most succesful contestants beating out the winner in album sales that season.


5. This was the guy that co-hosted Idol with Ryan Seacrest the first Season, but left the show because he didn’t see it going anywhere.

Answers:

1. Who is Sanjaya Malakar
2. Who is Jenifer Hudson
3. What is 2002
4. Who is Clay Aiken
5. Who is Brian Dunklemen



Tonight's the night most of us have been waiting for! I'm really excited for the finale tonight, I really really love the final show, even though it drags on forever, I love the celebrities that show up, I love the fact that the top five get to perform with someone that was influencial on them musically, that's sooooo awesome, and there's something about the whole ceremony and the confetti and cheezy inspirational songs that speak to my soul! I guess I love it because I dream about being there myself. . . . I may never let go of that little dream, and I think as long as Idol is on I hold on to the fantasy. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!

Peace!

"Mere bashfulness without merit is awkwardness."- Joseph Addison

I don't know what it is about Top Ten or Top 5 or even top 100 lists that everyone is obsessed with, but it seems to me you are a nobody in the blog world unless you have compiled some kind of list that expresses your feelings about something. Lately a lot of us have been buzzing about our favorite movies, songs, and albums. And I really love reading about peoples favorite forms of entertainment, but because I don't want to be a huge copycat, I've decided to switch it up a bit.



This Morning I read in the Tri-City Herald an interesting article about using the word "Awkward". They said "It is as if the world has become blessedly simplified. Every complex negative experience can now be encapsulated in two syllables." How true is that? How many times do we experience something uncomfortable and you look at your friends and say in your falsetto "AWKWWWAAARRDDD" I love it! Clears things right up!



They also included a list of top 5 things that are awkward so of course I decided to compile my own list!







Here is my Top Ten things that are Awkward!



10. "These are my Confessions" from the pulpit- I can't tell you how many times my friends and I have sat in Fast and Testimony meeting and just prayed that people wouldn't reveal their past transgressions as they attempt to say something spiritual, but really just make everyone squirm in their seats.



9. Slidding past people in a full row to get to your seat somewhere in the middle. . . . .especially at the movies and church- Excuse me, Pardon me, Excuse me, Pardon me. . . .You know the drill and the worst ever is trying to figure out which direction to go, because nobody likes a whole lotta booty up in their face, but is the other side any better. . . .I just don't know!!! And why do they put those darn rows so close together anyway??



8. Ignorance- let me give you an example, calling someone who is of Asian decent "Oriental" because you aren't aware that the word refers to product not People, and it's extremely offensive. Or joking about Cancer in front of someone who has it or lost someone with it. Pretty much when you aren't in the know you can create some seriously awkward moments.



7. Plus size girl trying to shop in the Juniors section- give it up sweety, i don't care if the material is stretchy it's not going to work, and you know all the ladies that work there are thinking the exact same thing!

6. Seeing someone you haven't seen for a long time, and them being excited to see you, but you don't remember their name!- this scenario especially sucks when you have other people around and it becomes necessary to introduce them. That's always a mess. Then having to shamefully ask them what their name is, and seeing their face drop, just adds to the horror!

5. Saying something really loud just as the room gets really quiet- Seriously it's like the weirdest thing, because it always happens, it's ineveitable you will almost always say something weird or stupid really loud just as everyone around you decides to stop talking for a second!!!

4. 9-11 yr olds- I can say this because these where by far my most awkward years, and I have yet to meet a kid this age that isn't slightly obnoxious sometimes! You know what i'm talking about right?

3. Hamburgers or sandwiches stacked really high- Seriously how do you eat those without looking stupid!!! Whose idea was it to make something way bigger then anyone could actually fit their mouths around?

2. Mixing Worlds- have you ever invited a co-worker to hang out with you and your friends, or had a family function with both sides of your family! yeah nine times out of ten someone feels out of place or people stay in their comfort zone and only talk to people they know! It's no use trying it never works!

1. Falling Down - No matter how graceful you are, I mean I don't care if you've been practicing Ballet since you where 2, nobody falls or takes a spill with sophistication and class! I can gurantee it's always gonna make you look and feel stupid, and it's almost always gonna make everyone around laugh really hard!!!


So that's that! Feel free to add your two cents. . . . did I miss anything?

Anyway um . . . . . well. . . . . I guess this. . . . . I mean I think this is when. . . . oh never mind

Peace Out!

"Doctor Doctor. . . . Give me the News!" -Robert Palmer

I'm really sorry I have not kept my promises, but I should get some gladiator pictures soon, and then it's on like donkey kong!!!!



I do how ever have an important matter to discuss. I don't remember what all I've mentioned about issues I'm having with singing and talking sometimes, but for months now I've been going through what I can only describe as a second pruberty because everytime I tried singing songs that should be in my comfortable range. (Or Tesatura for those of you music majors) and all I ended up doing was squeakin' all over the place. It's been uncomfortable to talk, and I have a difficult time communicating in certain tones and during Joseph I had a lot of people ask me if I was sick, or losing my voice. And the last straw was at Karaoke when I brought up my concern with Joey the lady that runs the music and last week during a paticularly horrible rendition of a pink's U + UR Hand, Joey went right over to Michelle and said "She's got to get that looked at there is something wrong there." So the next day I made an appointment.

I went and saw the ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) Doctor, and I was starting to really over think it, and was worried I had Vocal Noduls or even worse . . . .a polyp of some kind, but guess what I found out?

Apparently I have what they call "Silent Gastric Reflux" which is causing my vocal chords to swell!!! Crazy right? I always knew I was a little gasy, but I had no idea it would ruin my singing career!

The Doc. prescribed me some Pepcid, recommended I elevate the head of my bed, lay off the caffeine, and stop eating three hours before I go to bed. And I'll check back in six weeks and see if I've improved.

I wasn't quite sure what to do about my voice as far as talking and singing goes, so i've been doing some research and while I couldn't find anyone with the exact same issue, I came to the realization that my issues are mainly due to my lack of practice, and the other part is the swollen chords. . . . .so I've decided to follow the doctor's orders and a) not talk so much and make sure what I do and say is in a comfortable tone, and b) I need to warm my voice and vocalize just like an athlete warms up to play sports. I found this really cool site, with some great tips, and so hopefully I'll soon be on the road to recovery, because this crappy singing business I was not in love with!I got a little taste of what it's like to be those people that we make fun of at karaoke and on American Idol, and uh. . . me no likey!

The good news is I don't have anything that requires surgery as of yet, because word on the street is that stuff takes forever to recover from, or sometimes damage can be permanent.
So here's hoping in six weeks I'll be back on track!!!!

Sorry this post is so short, but I hope for some exciting stuff tomorrow!!!

Peace!

Oh yes mustard! That'll do... Mustard? Don't let's be silly. Now lemon, that's different... - Mad Hatter

For the past few years my Mother and My Aunt Francis have decorated a table for the Soroptomist Tea Mother's day weekend. And I believe every year they have out done themselves time and time again. You put my Mom and Francis together on creative decorating projects and they are an unstopable force! For yeasr they have been putting together table deocrations for the Rodeo Banquet and even though my Pappala is no longer a member, they still get asked to help because they are that awesome!





Anywho, this year my Mom came up with the "Alice in Wonderland" theme, and they decided all the patrons at the table would represent characters from the book. Aunt Francis ordered some pretty sweet stuff. . . . here are the pictures from our afternoon.

Here's a few shots of our table. . . . you can't tell here, but we had dry ice in the mug, that made it look like it was steaming, it was a nice effect!





























As you can probably tell, we went more for the book style, then the actual Disney! Funny story, there was another Alice in Wonderland table there as well, but that lady did not have anyone dressed up! She did however have little cupcakes that said EAT ME and little bottles that said DRINK ME!

She got us on that!




















































Here are my cousins ShiAnn as the MadHater, Samantha as Little Alice, ShayliAnn as Tweedle Dee (Tweedle Dum did not make an appearance) and Shi's friend Amber as the MarchHare.















































Here is Me as Alice, My Sister Amy (What Up Amus!) as the White Rabbit and My Mommalla as the Queen of Hearts!
















































My Mom and Francis as The Queen and King of Hearts!















































Amy saying 'Would You like some tea, Dear?"




























































"Why Yes I surely would,a thank you!"













































I would quite enjoy some myself!



















































These are my most favorite pictures of Amy and I it looks like she's trying to attack me with those hands!!!!!!


































It was good times, the Soroptomist's Ladies hired some story tellers, to entertain, and I decided I might have add that to my list of things I wanna do someday, I would like to be a professional story teller! How awesome would that job be! Huh?

Anyway chap. 2 of my Saturday Starts tomorrow. . . . .Gladiator's are you ready?


Peace!

"Truffle, Shuffle! Truffle, Shuffle!" - Chunk, Goonies

As promised I put my Windows Media Player on Shuffle and here's what I came up with!



1. Purple Rain, Prince- This song reminds me of one man and one man only, and that's Jo Jo. Let me tell you a little bit about him. Jo Jo is this black guy at karaoke that always wears a Kangol beret and turns everything into a soul song, mainly "Give Me One Reason" by Tracy Chapman and "Purple Rain". He also repeatedly performs "My Girl" by the temptations, Mustang Sally, and "Steam Roller" by James Taylor. And if you play the harmonica, holy crap! get ready to play that thing all night because Jo Jo eats that stuff up! I'm not exactly sure what Jo Jo does all day, I know he must be independently wealthy, because he's a big gambler, he also told me once he used to teach dance back in the 70's. Most of Jo Jo's life remains a mystery to me, but the one thing I do know he loves soulful music, and he loves to hit on skanky girls!



2. Final Countdown, Europe- I think it's undeniable, the beginning of this song has got to be the catchiest series of notes ever put in a song! Who ever came up with that little synthesizer bit was a bit of a genius! Every time I hear it, it gets stuck in my head. The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear this song is the Big Bend Basketball team and how they have started every game with this song since I've been going to games, and even way before then most likely. That dude that does the music for the games really holds on to the classics and will not let them go. I mean a lot of hits have come and gone, but I guess nothing can replace jams like Final Countdown, Space Jam, and the entire soundtrack of Footloose



3. Someone Like You, from Jekyl and Hyde- Gay semester 2004 was the semester at college I met every gay man at BYUI, it was also the same semester I met "Boss". Sister Bossard was my instructor for the Belt/Pop voice technique class I took, She was an amazingly eccentric lady, she dyed her hair crazy colors, she wore a lot of crazy prints or sequins and would sing entire conversations with people. The first time I ever heard her utter anything was when she waltzed into class that first day singing at the top of her lungs "Howya Doin' did you miss MEEEEEEE!" and she had a really whiny Mom from "All in the Family" voice, (I do a great impression if you ever wanna hear). Anyway this song, for ever and always reminds me of her mainly because we spent so much time listening to it an singing it, almost as much time as we spent watching "Kiss me Kate" and admiring how they got the biggest mouths in the biz to perform in the updated version we watched. It was the easiest "A" I ever received, and even though most of the time we goofed off I still remember a lot of stuff she taught me, she was a cool lady, and I secretly want to be her one day! And every time I hear that song I hear her bright and nasally voice and it puts a smile on my voice.



4. Boom Like I Do, Blaque- The first time I heard this song was at my super fantastic 16Th birthday I shared with my buddy Katie Jensen now Katie Reese. It was possibly the most glorious birthday celebration of all time complete with poofy pink dresses for Katie and I, except mine didn't turn out so classy and nor did my hair, but the party was awesome lots of friends, lots of food, and lots of presents!!!! It was glorious!



5.Angel, Sara Mchlauchlin- This song made me want to learn how to play the piano, and for a long, long time I thought it was the prettiest song I had ever heard! Sarah really knew how to write a song, and even though I still really don't understand what "building a mystery" is all about, the whole "Surfacing" album was fantastic and still tops my list of most favorite albums!



6. Gone, N*Sync- Justin Timberlake wrote this song with Wade Robinson, and so it makes me think of them, and if you ask me I think it was Wade that Britney cheated on Justin with, thus spawning the other favorite Justin Jam "Cry Me a River"! Think about. . . . Wade did Choreography for N*Sync and was a Tour manager for Britney, and him and Justin where BFF's and then him and Britney broke up and they have nothing to do with each other. . . . . . are you picking up on what I'm putting out there?



There where others, but I'm kind of memoried out. . . . . .maybe another time when I'm blog less I'll try it again!

This weekend should be a doozy! Lots of plans, so hopefully lots to talk about! Plus it's AmeriCorps week next week, so I should not leave you with out anything to entertain yourself with!!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mommy's!!!!

Peace!

"Be afraid. Be very afraid." - The Fly

I had a little incident happen this morning, as I was getting ready to leave for work, that I'd like to share with all of you!

We recently started putting my cat Soprano and her kittens outside, because the weather has been so nice. Well apparently she doesn't love that and always rushes to get inside, like she absolutley can't stand it and refuses to be put there. Yesterday when I got back from work she was right there scratching at the utility room door, and then rushed in and started gobbling her food down like she'd been starving for weeks and I felt bad because I thought "Oh man, have we spoiled her so much that she's forgotten how to hunt?'

Well this morning I'm walking out the door all excited because I'm leaving with enought time to get to work on schedule, and here comes Soprano gunning for the door with non other then a dead mouse in her mouth, and then wham right past me into the house!

Well then I start freakin' out because she brought this stupid mouse corpse into the house and not only am I going to have to wrangle her up and put her outside again, but I'm also going to have to clean up what ever mouse mess she's left behind!

I thought about just leaving, after all it's more important to be on time, and then I thought about the lecture I'd get from the parent's, and I chose dealing with my supervisor instead!

I threw my stuff in my car and march back in a little unsure of what I'd find, and there's Soprano and her kill waiting for me in the hall, and she looked up at my like "Hey look what I brought for you!" So I scooped her up, threw her outside and then prepared for the worst!

I was thinking to myself there was no way I could pick that thing up, so I grabbed the dust pan and broom and proceeded to sweep the malled mouse into the dust pan. . . . .IT WAS HORRIBLE!!!!! I HATE DEAD THINGS!!!!!

When I finally got to work, no one really cared, but when I told Eric (My Office BFF) he understood the horror of my story, in fact he was kind enough to put it into words like I never would be able too, and I think he really nailed it!

See for your self. . . . . .

Despite the warm glow from the impending, sun-filled spring day, I awoke this morning with a chill dread that not all was going to go as beautifully for me as the bright weather might wish me to believe. Perhaps it was the wan cast of the sun, revealing pallid shadows in the corners of my cramped quarters, where the meagerest devils might leap and cavort while my back is turned. I sometimes see them just out of the corner of my eye, but they vanish just as surely as hope when I turn my full attention to them.

Despite this unease, all my usual morning activities went according to the natural order of things. It even occurred to me that I might find myself at my workplace in a timely manner, which admittedly is sometimes something of a challenge for me. This is perhaps a consequence of living in the country and commuting to town, or perhaps a personal flaw, but neither of those things are the point. The important matter is that things seemed to be going too well, as though the forces conspiring against me wished to lull me into a sense of security before unleashing the tempest.

It was not long until they showed their sinister hand... I am usually acutely aware of where my cat is lurking. Though the animal shows all the outward signs of affection, the beast can never be fully trusted. Sometimes when she looks at me, it is as though I am being assessed, the gaze so penetrating that I feel violated by it. Perhaps she is trying to see the depths of my soul to report its weaknesses back to the fiend, that I might better be exploited for his utterly nefarious purposes. This, in the guise of warmth and purring, is surely a fearful tonic.

There can be little doubt of it, in fact. As I opened the front door, my hands full of necessities for the survival of the work day, here bounds the detestable creature from the bushes, eyes flashing with violent fury straight towards me. My heart quailed, for surely the monstrous beast will launch itself, full horrible fury, into my throat and finally fulfill its ghastly promise to its eldritch master.

As I braced for the inevitable, the savage ran straight past me and through the open door, and into the depths of my dwelling. As it sped by me, I saw something hanging languidly from its maw, and a sense of uncanny horror swept over me. The beast stopped in the middle of my living space and dropped from its jaws the flaccid body of its ghoulish prize, as though proudly displaying a garish trophy in the hopes of some unspeakable reward.

As I stepped forward in inevitable inquisition, my worst fears were confirmed. The choicest prey of a fiend like this, a field mouse, lay still on the floor. It might have been asleep but for the slobber of its captor; no blood, no gore. One can only imagine the horror of its last moments as its monstrous dominator swatted and rolled on it, smothering and crushing the life from it, adhering to the grim and ancient dance of predator and prey.

Gibbering, and realizing that the portents of the morning were coming horribly true, I cast about frantically for how to dispose of the torpid thing. I could not touch the carcass. Finally, realizing that I was going to be late for my appointed time at work, I decided on a dustpan and brush. Shooing the mewing beast from its kill, and recoiling in horror, the limp corpse lolled as I rolled it onto the pan, and at arm's length, hastened it from my home, depositing it outside the door where the feline had first violated the threshold.

The killer fixed me with its eyes, cold and calculating, as I turned away from the hideous thing on the door step. I realized with dread that I was now between the brute and its catch. Surely, now I must be the next victim, thought I. The creature, instead, dashed right past me and straight to its prize, once again seizing it with its fanged jaws and rushing to some dark place of seclusion, where it might in privacy perform the unspeakable conclusion to its murderous ritual. For this day, and perhaps this day only, am I spared the unavoidable, horrific end to my own morbid tale.


Uh huh . . . . .uh huh. . . . scary people! I should send this to Stephen King!

Any who, hope all your days started better then mine!

Peace!

"If you steal from one author, it’s plagiarism; if you steal from many, it’s research." - Wilson Mizner

I know some of you out there (mainly K Dizz and then Angie) are in need of new posts to keep yourself busy at work or at home or wherever, so I apologize for my crazy behavior last week, and I hope you will forgive me for only posting one day, even though it was a double shot! I sometimes am not quite sure what to write about, so that’s when I usually steal ideas from other people’s blog, and that would be exactly what I’m doing today. Tyson Pyle has had two great posts about Memory songs, and remakes, so I am stealing his shtick and I too am going to list my favorite remakes, as well as put my MP3 player on shuffle and tell you what memories come to my mind when I hear the songs it selects.

Top Ten Best Remakes Ever of All Time According to Emily


1.“The Heart of the Matter” India Arie- So en route to the Tulip Festival Angie previewed her newest playlist she had put together, and it just so happened to be all about remakes, and that’s when I first heard this little diddy. Now, I do love Don Henley and the original is super fabulous, but India Arie coming in and throwing her own special “Soul Sauce” on it, makes me want to listen to it over and over and over! I also heard it played as the background song for a Sex in the City Movie preview, I’m thinking it’s not a bad idea to put that on the soundtrack. . . .Hope they where smart enough to do it!

2. “One” Mary J. Blidge feat. Bono- Ok so Bono with his band U2 where the originals of this song obviously, but I guess he decided to come back and make it a dynamic duet between him and MJB. I love me some Mary J. she’s like the Tina Turner of my generation, with a voice that tears out your soul and makes you want to shout HALLUEJAH! That woman has some pipes and on this song she really lets em rip!

3. “Lately” Jodeci- Before I go any farther I should probably mention, that had it not been for Angie I probably wouldn’t know any of these songs, and just for further reference it’s probably always the case in anything Pop Culture based that I discuss. That’s the relationship her and I have she’s like my Sensei if you will, I am studying to be a Pop Culture Master under my great and wise teacher Angie Bates. Moving on. . . . . “Lately” is a sad “my lover doesn’t love me anymore and I’m just realizing it” song originally written and performed by Stevie Wonder, normally nobody can touch Stevie, but KC and JoJo do a pretty snazzy job, and add an element of desperation that makes you feel the meaning of the song even more!

4.”The Circle of Life” Mormon Tabernacle Choir- I know what you might be thinking, um really? But seriously, this song is the Finale to their Showtime CD released last year. They have two soloists that perform the verses and the chorus, while the choir does the Hangwinyama Hangwinyamabada. . . .And I can’t get enough of it! Usually MOTAB is as white as it comes, but I think they really accessed there inner African on this one!

5.”God Only Knows” Joss Stone- This is my favorite Beach Boys song, but when Joss remade it for a special promotion she did for Gap Jeans, I fell in love with it all over again. The instrumentation is just simply a piano and then some strings toward the end, but it’s a really beautiful arrangement.

6. “Hard for me to Say I’m Sorry” Az Yet- I think it’s pretty safe to say that you can make anything an R&B song and I’m probably going to love it! Because that’s all this list consists of. . . . Is regular songs made soulful! And that’s totally the case here as well. This song was originally done by Chicago, but was remade and was one of the only hits for the R&B group Az Yet.

7.”All Cried Out” Allure feat. 112- Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam in 1986 released this song, but I believe Allure and 112 really dominated it when they remade it in the 90’s, I also think sometimes things are even more awesome when you turn them into Duets, and such is the case with this ballad.

8.”Wild Night” John Mellencamp feat. Mee’shelle- I actually had no idea this was a remake until I was straightening shoes at the Payless inside Shopko when I worked in Idaho Falls. It came across the store speakers, and I was like how did I go all these years without knowing that! Van Morrison was the original, but I really dig Mr. Mellencamp’s rendition.

9.”Emotions” Destiny’s Child- Some of you might think the vocals on this track are a little over done, maybe a few less runs from Beyonce, but I say Nay! I think DC’s interpretation of this song is sheer brilliance. They really dressed up this BeeGee’s hit, and that’s why it’s one of my favorites.

10.”L.O.V.E Y.O.U., I Don’t Wanna Lose Your Love” Wyclef Jean feat. Eve- All the remakes on the 50 First Dates Soundtrack are awesome! This one just so happens to be my favorite. I love it when artists take a song and totally flip the genre. This one obviously an 80’s pop song made into a Reggae dance hall hit! The original was by a band called The Outfield.

So there you have it! Be sure to tune in tomorrow for my super shuffle memory post!

Peace!

"My Best Friend Leslie Says 'OH She's just being Miley'" -Miley Cyrus

You know what bugs me. . . . .Pop stars that make stupid decisions and then stay stupid stuff that doesn’t make sense, in an attempt to give the media an excuse as to why they did what they did i.e. Miley Cyrus! I have some things I need to get off my chest regarding this matter.

Here’s a little recap in case some of you did not turn on your television or radio last week. Miley Cyrus had a photo shoot with famed photographer Annie Liebowitz for an article in Vanity Fair, but once some of the photos got out; there was uproar in the media because the 15 year old Disney star appears to only be wearing a bed sheet in one of them! Once word got out that Cyrus’s photos where considered scandalous, she issued a statement claiming she thought they where “Artsy” but upon second look, she now realizes they where silly and big apologies to all my fans and blah blah blah, then her parents where all “Oh we weren’t there so we didn’t know what was going on” Then someone else claims she was manipulated into agreeing to do something she normally would say no too.

Well you know what I say. . . .That’s a bunch of BOLOGNA! First off, If I was a huge tweeny bop super star I might think twice about participating in a photo shoot where my shirt would have to come off . . . . . that might be my first clue that this might not lead to good things meaning as my main audience is impressionable little girls with outspoken moms that raise a fit when I get caught with my bra strap showing (Because that already happened.) Also, you’re telling me Billy Ray who is obviously really involved in his daughter’s career, didn’t come back from wherever he was and ask to look at what he missed? And what’s the deal with calling the photos that Annie Liebowitz who is kind of a big deal might I add. . . .”Silly”, why would you downgrade the work of the women who took the last photo of John Lennon before he died! She’s like a legend!

All my friends in this Blogasphere, are you familiar with Ms. Liebowitz’s work? Here are a few shots she’s been known for; I think you will see she’s quite brilliant, I mean I’m no expert, but judge for yourself. . . . . .

Here's the famous shot taken of Lennon 5 hours before he was shot. This was the shot he made Liebowitz promise she'd put on the cover.



This is a series of shots Liebowitz did for Disney's Anniversary, and I think they are amazing, I seriously want them in my house!

This is Scarlett Johanssen as Cinderella

Rachel Weitz as Snow White

Jessica Biel as Pocahontas

Marc Anthony and J-Lo as Aladdin and Jasmine

Um Hello how perfect is this. . . . David Beckham as Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty!

I don't get this, but Beyonce as Alice in Wonderland, Then Lyle Lovett and Oliver Platt as the MadHatter and the other dude. . . . .what is that guys name?

Here is a recreation of the Wizard of Oz with Kiera Knightly

Jodie Foster in a recreation of Alfred HitchCocks's "The Birds"

Oh and of course. . . . .here's Miley!

Um you think you could watch the midriff there Miley. . . . . !


To her credit Liebowitz is no stranger to controversy, she got a lot of flack for this cover of Vogue featuring LeBron James in set up that was supposed to have him resembling King Kong. Which apparently is offensive, I just add it to the bologna file!

A Side Note:

As I was looking on the Vanity Fair website for the Cyrus photos, I stumbled upon this gem of a picture! The one thing I find the most annoying thing is the constant polygamy jokes everyone throws out whenever they try to poke fun at Mormons, most of the time I don't laugh, but this is by far the funniest Polygamy joke ever!!!! And if you saw the original cover, you'd also laugh, because those girls where not that covered up previously!

Anyway, to make a long story even longer, Miley Cyrus bugged me before, because I don't even think she's that good of a singer, every time I've seen her perform I thought she sounded awful. I just don't understand what all the fuss is about! I will give her this, Her now overly played single "See You Again" is pretty catchy, so props to the song writers and producers that created it, but man she's such a huge personality that I have a really hard time understanding why there wasn't someone in her crew or posse that thought this might be an issue, and advised them to do something else, unless maybe this is exactly what they wanted, Maybe the Hannah Montana lip gloss's and bed sheets and clothes and credit cards weren't enough, she needed another way to force herself into the lives of the world and if that's the case you win Miley!

Peace