Thursday, February 26, 2009
'Lovin' My Baby' In Vegas....
Yep, it's back to Vegas for year number four. The old man and I told ourselves in 2007 that we'd like to make the VLV ROckabilly Weekender our yearly Anniversary trip so do it we shall! Room is booked, friends are on board (Yay M & M!), pin-curls are mastered, and tickets are purchased.
So dance that goofy dance, Anne-Margaret....DANCE!
Monday, February 23, 2009
The Oscars-My Superbowl
The show seemed a bit sloppy to me but a few great acceptance speeches, a wonderfully talented (and sexy)host, a few noteable changes, and some gorgeous dresses made it a worthy addition to Oscar ceremonies past.
THE RED CARPET: I watched from five o'clock and the styles that impressed the most this time were the ones sported by the ladies in their 'prime'-the over 35 group. Diane Lane, Meryl Streep, and Robin Wright Penn stood out to me-mainly because they all looked their age but also, I couldnt remember having seen them look better. Other 'honorable mentions' were Penelope Cruz looking like a southern belle, Evan Rachael Wood looking like a goddess, Toraji B. Henson's tiered ruffles, Anne Hathaway's smile, and of course Angelina Jolie whose emerald earrings were the best thing I saw all night. I have to say the over-abundance of guilded and metallic dresses was off-putting. Leave the glitter to the Oscar-Man!
THE HOST: Hugh Jackman sliipped into the role w/ ease...and looked dang good in the process. His 'tribute' song to the five Best Picture nominees was one of the night's best moments, especially when he literally stole Anne Hathaway from her seat to join him in regaling Slumdog Millionaire in typical broadway fashion. Both of them are very gifted singers and pulled off an impressive duet that did Jackman's musical theater background proud! The inclusion of Hugh's 'Homemade props due to budget cuts' just added to the lighthearted atmosphere of the opening sequence. It was a hit!
THE MUSICAL NUMBERS: Other than the opening song, which was comedic in nature, the rest of the numbers were a bit of a let down. The 'tribute to the return of the movie musical' started off well but as soon as Beyonce' made her appearance, the performance went dismally south. So many songs were shoved into the mix in such a haphazard manner that the singing talents of the performers were placed on the backburner and it became more a race to see who could hit their cue w/ the least ammount of blundering. From what I understand, Baz Luhrman is to blame for this mess of a medley and his frenetic style didnt resonate w/ me this time. The nominated songs were thrown into another medley, which didnt necessarily work since the song from Wall-E (my favorite movie of the year, incidentally) needed its own atmosphere and not a troupe of bali-wood dancers to accompany it. I didnt care for the two Slumdog Millionaire songs and find it difficult to believe that these three tunes were the only ones that qualified for the award. On an up-note, Queen Latifah sang 'I'll Be Seeing You' for the 'In Memorium' segment and it was lovely.
THE PRESENTERS: Most of the presenters read their teleprompter just fine but Ben Stiller decided to do a parody of Joaquin Phoenix's bizarre Letterman interview while presenting and it was only partly successful. Everyone else played it pretty straight except perhaps the inherently funny Will Smith who played 'host' for a full four awards and made us wish he'd come back and do the whole sha-bang next year. One welcome change this year was in the acting awards which were presented by five prior winners in the category, all of whom showered praise on one of this year's nominees. It was moving and genuine but I can see that it would grow tired if such a thing were attempted every year. I say bring back the 'performance clips' and do this type of presentation every five years or so.
THE SPEECHES: Thank goodness for Kate Winslet. Though the majority of the speeches were run-of-the-mill gushers, Winslet was the only one who seemed to be completely in possession of every ounce of grace and poise in her curvy self. Her speech was just a pleasure, witty and moving all at once. Others made an impression as well. Penelope Cruz was endearingly funny w/ her charming accent, 'Man On Wire's Phillipe Petit balanced his Oscar on his nose, and one Japanese winner ended a series of muddled 'Sank-you's' with 'Domo-Arigato Mister Roboto' and alot of laughing. Unfortunately, Sean Penn's politically charged speech had me wishing Mickey Rourke was there to flip us off and the many winners associated with Slumdog Millionaire all seemed cut from the same dignified cloth.
But it was the Oscars and I take a deep breath and sigh every time they're over.
Til' next year.
THE RED CARPET: I watched from five o'clock and the styles that impressed the most this time were the ones sported by the ladies in their 'prime'-the over 35 group. Diane Lane, Meryl Streep, and Robin Wright Penn stood out to me-mainly because they all looked their age but also, I couldnt remember having seen them look better. Other 'honorable mentions' were Penelope Cruz looking like a southern belle, Evan Rachael Wood looking like a goddess, Toraji B. Henson's tiered ruffles, Anne Hathaway's smile, and of course Angelina Jolie whose emerald earrings were the best thing I saw all night. I have to say the over-abundance of guilded and metallic dresses was off-putting. Leave the glitter to the Oscar-Man!
THE HOST: Hugh Jackman sliipped into the role w/ ease...and looked dang good in the process. His 'tribute' song to the five Best Picture nominees was one of the night's best moments, especially when he literally stole Anne Hathaway from her seat to join him in regaling Slumdog Millionaire in typical broadway fashion. Both of them are very gifted singers and pulled off an impressive duet that did Jackman's musical theater background proud! The inclusion of Hugh's 'Homemade props due to budget cuts' just added to the lighthearted atmosphere of the opening sequence. It was a hit!
THE MUSICAL NUMBERS: Other than the opening song, which was comedic in nature, the rest of the numbers were a bit of a let down. The 'tribute to the return of the movie musical' started off well but as soon as Beyonce' made her appearance, the performance went dismally south. So many songs were shoved into the mix in such a haphazard manner that the singing talents of the performers were placed on the backburner and it became more a race to see who could hit their cue w/ the least ammount of blundering. From what I understand, Baz Luhrman is to blame for this mess of a medley and his frenetic style didnt resonate w/ me this time. The nominated songs were thrown into another medley, which didnt necessarily work since the song from Wall-E (my favorite movie of the year, incidentally) needed its own atmosphere and not a troupe of bali-wood dancers to accompany it. I didnt care for the two Slumdog Millionaire songs and find it difficult to believe that these three tunes were the only ones that qualified for the award. On an up-note, Queen Latifah sang 'I'll Be Seeing You' for the 'In Memorium' segment and it was lovely.
THE PRESENTERS: Most of the presenters read their teleprompter just fine but Ben Stiller decided to do a parody of Joaquin Phoenix's bizarre Letterman interview while presenting and it was only partly successful. Everyone else played it pretty straight except perhaps the inherently funny Will Smith who played 'host' for a full four awards and made us wish he'd come back and do the whole sha-bang next year. One welcome change this year was in the acting awards which were presented by five prior winners in the category, all of whom showered praise on one of this year's nominees. It was moving and genuine but I can see that it would grow tired if such a thing were attempted every year. I say bring back the 'performance clips' and do this type of presentation every five years or so.
THE SPEECHES: Thank goodness for Kate Winslet. Though the majority of the speeches were run-of-the-mill gushers, Winslet was the only one who seemed to be completely in possession of every ounce of grace and poise in her curvy self. Her speech was just a pleasure, witty and moving all at once. Others made an impression as well. Penelope Cruz was endearingly funny w/ her charming accent, 'Man On Wire's Phillipe Petit balanced his Oscar on his nose, and one Japanese winner ended a series of muddled 'Sank-you's' with 'Domo-Arigato Mister Roboto' and alot of laughing. Unfortunately, Sean Penn's politically charged speech had me wishing Mickey Rourke was there to flip us off and the many winners associated with Slumdog Millionaire all seemed cut from the same dignified cloth.
But it was the Oscars and I take a deep breath and sigh every time they're over.
Til' next year.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
The American Idol Weekly Rundown: Top 36
Yep...that time of year again. Bear with me while I clap with glee! No, I am not an AI fanatic but I must admit, I love me my talent shows. Last night was utterly average. But there is definitely some potential there. This was the first group of 12, out of 36. THe show itself was also a kind of a mess...lots of missteps in the directorial dpt and tons of flubs, which were kinda funny and which really tested Ryan's hosting ability. I do have to say that Kara (the new judge) had some great critique to offer. I like her much better than scatterbrained Paula.
Anyway, here it go:
The Best:
1. Alexis Grace-I like her pink hair and she has a good voice. Plus she's from Tennessee! She sang an Aretha Franklin song, which was too big, but she had lots of stage presence. I thought she looked a bit Vegas-y with her pearl necklace and stance but no one else did, evidently. So yeah, she was the best-but that's not saying much.
The Good:
2. Danny Gokey-Robert Downey Jr Look-a-like is a shoo in for the final 12, mainly because he can sing but also because he already has a HUGE fan base and got tons of air time during the audition weeks. His wife died four weeks before the auditions...sniff sniff...he was about to lose hope...sniff sniff...and now he has something to LIVE FOR! *sarcastic chuckle* He sang 'Hero' by Mariah Carey. It was good but super schmaltzy.
3.Ricky Braddy-I find 'A Song For You' a snoozy choice. But I really thought he did a nice job with it. He has a very pretty voice. One of the best I've heard so far in the season.
4.Anoop Desai-He was another impressive voice on the auditions. But I really didnt like this song choice. It was a song my Monica, for goodness sake! These people had the entire Billboard catalogue to go off and this is what they chose? Anyway, he can sing stuff so he'll be okay, I think.
5.Michael Sarver-I didnt like the song choice...it's too overdone on this show. But he has a great voice and I like him too. He's friendly looking. One bad point was that he continually switched his mic from one hand to the other...it was mildly distracting. He's gonna have to get over that, methinks.
6. Tatiana- I don't care what anybody says, I love this gal! I can totally see her becoming a huge star and having a nervous breakdown before the release of her first album (heh heh). She is such a crazyhead. I like the way she tried to pass herself off as 'sane' this week and only succeeded in making herself look like a manic depressive. Anyway, she sang 'Saving All My Love For You' and it weren't half bad! I actually like her voice quite a lot. Oh, and I love the way she looked into the camera completely straight faced and said 'THis is my dream America, and it's up to you to keep my dream alive.'like she was reciting the pledge of alliegiance. HAHAHAHAHAHA....Brilliant!
The Bad:
7.Brent Keith-Slips into the mediocrity of virtually every male artist in what is laughingly known today as 'country' music. No, I don't see anything memorable about him or anything that stands out. I don't even remember what song he sang though I guess he sang it well. Okay, he sang 'Hick Town', which I think is a Keith Urban song. Whatever, it could have been anybody.
8.Ann Marie Boskovich- She's from Nashville and she's (surprise!) a demo singer. So it was no surprise when her performance of Natural Woman sounded like a demo. Plus, something about her styling looked really dated. She needs short messy hair or something. Wierd.
9.Steven Fowler- He didnt sing it all that badly, but 'Rock With You' will always kinda sound like elevator music from the seventies-which it kinda is. Not that I don't like the song, but it doesnt translate well in this type of atmosphere. His high note also cracked...or maybe that was my tv signal. Hmmmm.
The Ugly:
10.Jackie Thone-A horrid butchering of a fun Elvis song, "Little Less Conversation'. There's no doubt she can sing but I don't think she has anything all that special to bring to the table...except maybe a twisted fashion sense. She was wearing a polka dotted bustier with tight (shiny) eighties spandex pants and SNEAKERS. Oh, and a red cinch belt to set off the 1986 look just right. Aye me. She had fun and she involved the audience but that can only take you so far. I DID like her polite 'dissing' of everyone who has ever sung 'I'm Not Going' on the show. Haha.
11.Stevie Wright-During the auditions, she stood out to me. But this was an absolute train wreck! Why a girl w/ a strong voice would choose to sing Taylor Swift (who has very little vocal ability) is beyond me, but she didnt even do it well. She was off key through almost the whole song. Sounded like every other karaoke performance at your neighborhood bar. And yes, drunk people would have clapped with just about the same warmth that this audience did.
12.Casey Carlson-pretty little squirt. Unfortunately she tried to do The Police and it was wretched indeed. She also made wierd faces and hit a flat note or two. Yikes. Side thought: Am I the only one who has noticed that everybody has the sixties 'bump' in the back of their head these days? Man, are they ever running with THAT trend.
Anyway, here it go:
The Best:
1. Alexis Grace-I like her pink hair and she has a good voice. Plus she's from Tennessee! She sang an Aretha Franklin song, which was too big, but she had lots of stage presence. I thought she looked a bit Vegas-y with her pearl necklace and stance but no one else did, evidently. So yeah, she was the best-but that's not saying much.
The Good:
2. Danny Gokey-Robert Downey Jr Look-a-like is a shoo in for the final 12, mainly because he can sing but also because he already has a HUGE fan base and got tons of air time during the audition weeks. His wife died four weeks before the auditions...sniff sniff...he was about to lose hope...sniff sniff...and now he has something to LIVE FOR! *sarcastic chuckle* He sang 'Hero' by Mariah Carey. It was good but super schmaltzy.
3.Ricky Braddy-I find 'A Song For You' a snoozy choice. But I really thought he did a nice job with it. He has a very pretty voice. One of the best I've heard so far in the season.
4.Anoop Desai-He was another impressive voice on the auditions. But I really didnt like this song choice. It was a song my Monica, for goodness sake! These people had the entire Billboard catalogue to go off and this is what they chose? Anyway, he can sing stuff so he'll be okay, I think.
5.Michael Sarver-I didnt like the song choice...it's too overdone on this show. But he has a great voice and I like him too. He's friendly looking. One bad point was that he continually switched his mic from one hand to the other...it was mildly distracting. He's gonna have to get over that, methinks.
6. Tatiana- I don't care what anybody says, I love this gal! I can totally see her becoming a huge star and having a nervous breakdown before the release of her first album (heh heh). She is such a crazyhead. I like the way she tried to pass herself off as 'sane' this week and only succeeded in making herself look like a manic depressive. Anyway, she sang 'Saving All My Love For You' and it weren't half bad! I actually like her voice quite a lot. Oh, and I love the way she looked into the camera completely straight faced and said 'THis is my dream America, and it's up to you to keep my dream alive.'like she was reciting the pledge of alliegiance. HAHAHAHAHAHA....Brilliant!
The Bad:
7.Brent Keith-Slips into the mediocrity of virtually every male artist in what is laughingly known today as 'country' music. No, I don't see anything memorable about him or anything that stands out. I don't even remember what song he sang though I guess he sang it well. Okay, he sang 'Hick Town', which I think is a Keith Urban song. Whatever, it could have been anybody.
8.Ann Marie Boskovich- She's from Nashville and she's (surprise!) a demo singer. So it was no surprise when her performance of Natural Woman sounded like a demo. Plus, something about her styling looked really dated. She needs short messy hair or something. Wierd.
9.Steven Fowler- He didnt sing it all that badly, but 'Rock With You' will always kinda sound like elevator music from the seventies-which it kinda is. Not that I don't like the song, but it doesnt translate well in this type of atmosphere. His high note also cracked...or maybe that was my tv signal. Hmmmm.
The Ugly:
10.Jackie Thone-A horrid butchering of a fun Elvis song, "Little Less Conversation'. There's no doubt she can sing but I don't think she has anything all that special to bring to the table...except maybe a twisted fashion sense. She was wearing a polka dotted bustier with tight (shiny) eighties spandex pants and SNEAKERS. Oh, and a red cinch belt to set off the 1986 look just right. Aye me. She had fun and she involved the audience but that can only take you so far. I DID like her polite 'dissing' of everyone who has ever sung 'I'm Not Going' on the show. Haha.
11.Stevie Wright-During the auditions, she stood out to me. But this was an absolute train wreck! Why a girl w/ a strong voice would choose to sing Taylor Swift (who has very little vocal ability) is beyond me, but she didnt even do it well. She was off key through almost the whole song. Sounded like every other karaoke performance at your neighborhood bar. And yes, drunk people would have clapped with just about the same warmth that this audience did.
12.Casey Carlson-pretty little squirt. Unfortunately she tried to do The Police and it was wretched indeed. She also made wierd faces and hit a flat note or two. Yikes. Side thought: Am I the only one who has noticed that everybody has the sixties 'bump' in the back of their head these days? Man, are they ever running with THAT trend.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Tag: Ten Things I Love with the Letter 'B'
I won't be doing any tagging, prolly. Just jump in if you like:
1.Bobby Pins- indeed I do love my vintage hairstyling. Without these little buggers, it would be impossible to accomplish them.
2.Black and White movies-You notice the details!
3.Besame' Cosmetics-again, catering to my vintage girly side
4.Baby Things-showcasing God's sense of humor one fuzzy head at a time...
5.Blue-Most shades make me pretty happy.
6.Berries-preferably black or straw w/ whipped cream, in a cobbler. mmmmmmmmm.
7.Blasters-'Nothing beats a good one'
8.Blues (Jump)-makes me wish I knew how to 'jive'
9.Bale, Christian-pointless tirades or no, he is one heck of a good actor (see entry below)
10.Bernice-My Great Pyrenees. Cuddly Doggage.
1.Bobby Pins- indeed I do love my vintage hairstyling. Without these little buggers, it would be impossible to accomplish them.
2.Black and White movies-You notice the details!
3.Besame' Cosmetics-again, catering to my vintage girly side
4.Baby Things-showcasing God's sense of humor one fuzzy head at a time...
5.Blue-Most shades make me pretty happy.
6.Berries-preferably black or straw w/ whipped cream, in a cobbler. mmmmmmmmm.
7.Blasters-'Nothing beats a good one'
8.Blues (Jump)-makes me wish I knew how to 'jive'
9.Bale, Christian-pointless tirades or no, he is one heck of a good actor (see entry below)
10.Bernice-My Great Pyrenees. Cuddly Doggage.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
In His Defense...
Kay. I know you guys have heard by now that Christian Bale is a big (beautiful) baby. His 'tirade' at the director of photography on the set of the new Terminator movie is now all over the news and I have to admit, I'm not surprised. I have heard about this temper of his and it just makes me glad I don't know him personally.
I won't post a link to the 'blow up' because it is tedious and laden w/ all sorts of profanity (though it can be heard edited)...and it goes on for far too long.
But I do kinda wish people would leave the guy alone...and not just because he's pretty...heh heh. He is obviously meticulously dedicated to his craft (as it pretty evident from his extreme weight loss for The Machinist) and a rabid perfectionist to boot. And it does have to be incredibly frustrating to feel that you've FINALLY got the shot the way you want it, finally accomplished the performance you wanted, and then had it ruined through no fault of your own. I mean, you can't get it back.
I DO NOT condone this type of behavior by any means but it is a shame there has to be an audience. I mean, Van Gough probably threw some major tantrums when 'Starry Night' was giving him trouble but he was fortunate enough not to have cameras or audio equipment around to record and make dance remixes out of it...Ach!
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Random Questions (Stolen From Bookyeti)...
What are a couple things you love about the town/city you live in? The scenery is gorgeous, the lake is closeby, and we have a Wal Mart. Also, all our service territory, just about, is rural. So that means lots of friendly goats and pot bellied pigs to pat.
What are a couple things you dislike about the town/city you live in? The people are cliquish, show little desire to educate themselves on anything outside of their everyday life, and we are a 'a geographical oddity-two weeks from everywhere'! Well, not quite two weeks, but it do seem like it sometimes.
Pair of sneakers you own: Ryka sports trainers
Can you do cartwheels? Yes and 'round-offs'. hee hee
Describe your typical vacation: 'Typical' is not really an operative word here. But we love Disneyworld and Las Vegas.
Library or Bookstore? Bookstore-especially the kind w/ a kids area and alot of cozy little chairs...oh, and a COFFEE SHOP!
What do you usually eat for breakfast? Usually a Zone nutrition bar or the like, with coffee.
Favourite Brand Name: Stop Staring or Tarantula Clothing
Two of your Favourite Online Stores: Pinupgirlclothing, Coastal Scents
Two of your Favourite Offline Stores: Flashback (in Memphis) and Borders
Shoe size: 8
Do you wear a watch? yes, a vintage (style) Mickey Mouse one from Disneyworld.
Five of your Favourite Hobbies: Creating Retro Hairstyles/makeup looks, reading, watching old movies, listening to music, writing odd journal entries.
First fear you can remember: Madame Madusa (from The Rescuers) and Gene Simmons from KISS
Habits? nail biting, rubbing my face when I'm tired, making clicking sounds when i'm busy.
Most listened to song of the moment: Drugstore Rock N Roll-Janis Martin
Natural hair colour: light brown (I think).
One thing you wear now that you wouldn’t have worn as a kid: a two piece swimsuite
Coffee or Tea? coffee!
If you had this coming Monday off of work, how would you spend it? Deep cleaning my house and youtube.
A location in your province/state that you haven’t visited and would like to? Le Conte Lodge...a Lodge on Mt LaConte that is only accessible by foot...or alpaca.
A leisure book you’d like to read: I'd like to finish Anna Karenina. Then I would like to tackle The FOuntainhead.
One thing you would change about your looks: dark circles under (around) my eyes...
One thing you would change about your personality: More patience! The ability to NOT put my foot in my mouth or say things the wrong way...
A random fact about yourself: I know every word to Miss Saigon and Les Miserables.
Laptop or Desktop?: both
Some of the best gifts you were given: a pearl necklace, some beautiful paintings and antique furniture, my children.
Last movie your watched: The Count of Monte Christo (with Jim Caviezel)
A movie you would like to see: Benjamin Button!! (and Slumdog Millionaire)
Favourite Tree-Maple (sugar AND yellow leaves!)
What do you like your pizza? Mushrooms and Black Olives.
Post a random photo taken today:
What are a couple things you dislike about the town/city you live in? The people are cliquish, show little desire to educate themselves on anything outside of their everyday life, and we are a 'a geographical oddity-two weeks from everywhere'! Well, not quite two weeks, but it do seem like it sometimes.
Pair of sneakers you own: Ryka sports trainers
Can you do cartwheels? Yes and 'round-offs'. hee hee
Describe your typical vacation: 'Typical' is not really an operative word here. But we love Disneyworld and Las Vegas.
Library or Bookstore? Bookstore-especially the kind w/ a kids area and alot of cozy little chairs...oh, and a COFFEE SHOP!
What do you usually eat for breakfast? Usually a Zone nutrition bar or the like, with coffee.
Favourite Brand Name: Stop Staring or Tarantula Clothing
Two of your Favourite Online Stores: Pinupgirlclothing, Coastal Scents
Two of your Favourite Offline Stores: Flashback (in Memphis) and Borders
Shoe size: 8
Do you wear a watch? yes, a vintage (style) Mickey Mouse one from Disneyworld.
Five of your Favourite Hobbies: Creating Retro Hairstyles/makeup looks, reading, watching old movies, listening to music, writing odd journal entries.
First fear you can remember: Madame Madusa (from The Rescuers) and Gene Simmons from KISS
Habits? nail biting, rubbing my face when I'm tired, making clicking sounds when i'm busy.
Most listened to song of the moment: Drugstore Rock N Roll-Janis Martin
Natural hair colour: light brown (I think).
One thing you wear now that you wouldn’t have worn as a kid: a two piece swimsuite
Coffee or Tea? coffee!
If you had this coming Monday off of work, how would you spend it? Deep cleaning my house and youtube.
A location in your province/state that you haven’t visited and would like to? Le Conte Lodge...a Lodge on Mt LaConte that is only accessible by foot...or alpaca.
A leisure book you’d like to read: I'd like to finish Anna Karenina. Then I would like to tackle The FOuntainhead.
One thing you would change about your looks: dark circles under (around) my eyes...
One thing you would change about your personality: More patience! The ability to NOT put my foot in my mouth or say things the wrong way...
A random fact about yourself: I know every word to Miss Saigon and Les Miserables.
Laptop or Desktop?: both
Some of the best gifts you were given: a pearl necklace, some beautiful paintings and antique furniture, my children.
Last movie your watched: The Count of Monte Christo (with Jim Caviezel)
A movie you would like to see: Benjamin Button!! (and Slumdog Millionaire)
Favourite Tree-Maple (sugar AND yellow leaves!)
What do you like your pizza? Mushrooms and Black Olives.
Post a random photo taken today:
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Simply Classic!
I rediscovered this by accident today! It's so brilliant, I had to share. Dare you not to smile!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Anthony Warlow-Tenor Extraordinaire!
For my gal pals who love musical theater like I do...no one tops Anthony Warlow. You may know him as Enjolras from the Symphonic Recording of Les Mis. I know him as the best vocalist I've ever heard! In my eyes he is the best Valjean, the best Enjolras, the best Phantom, the Best Don Quixote, the best-everything. Plus, he originated the role of Jeckyll and Hyde in the musical production. The transformation and vocal demands of the part are incredible.
I love youtube because, though his albums are difficult to come by here in the states, you can still catch him there. Below are example of his phenomenal presence and abilities as both The Phantom and Valjean ...enjoy!
I love youtube because, though his albums are difficult to come by here in the states, you can still catch him there. Below are example of his phenomenal presence and abilities as both The Phantom and Valjean ...enjoy!
Monday, January 19, 2009
28 Hours in Memphis
My father was giving his first public talk in about 20 years yesterday so I had been planning for months to visit for this event. I am so proud of him and there was no way I was missing it.
I was super sick Friday night so I didnt get to leave when I wanted but we did decide to make the trip Saturday morning. Suprisingly, things went fine. The trip was fun and my friend Misty came along to keep me company since Jonathan couldnt make it this time.
My mom agreed to babysit that night so Misty and I could to out 'gal-avanting' and we took advantage of the opportunity to do some vintage shopping, eat some good sushi, and meet up with my great set of Memphis cronies.
After eating at Bluefin, a trendy cool new restaurant on the downtown trolley-line, we took a chilly stroll to Beale street and Superior Bar, a fun karaoke place that can pretty much accomodate any song choice and pipes your voice out onto Beale for passersby to 'enjoy'...haha.
This particular night was especially great. Not only was the karaoke a blast but there was a girl there from England that completely blew us away with her voice, singing everything in a completely effortless bluesy style similar to Dusty Springfield or more recently, Adele. After she nearly made me cry with 'Making Believe', I had to ask if she was professional and indeed, she is. Her name is Beth Rowley. She has an album and a big ol' fanbase in England. Our group kept 'requesting' songs from her, which she would only sing if we accompanied her. She made my rendition of 'Son of a Preacher Man' sound halfway palatable! heh heh.
Anyway, so much fun should be illegal...and almost was since I got pulled over on the way home for forgetting to turn on my headlights. Doh! Fortunaely, Mr.'friendly Memphis Cop' gave me a written warning and did not automatically assume I was a menace to society. whew!
My dad's talk was great; couldnt even tell he was nervous! I'm so glad I made it and there were so many people there to enjoy it. The whole feeling behind the event was very moving. And very happy. He seems so comfortable on stage.
We ate a quick lunch at Huey's before coming home and even though the 28 hours that passed were a blur, I feel like the trip was a success!! So glad I didnt give up and not attempt it.
Below is a youtube link to Beth Rowley. She has lots of stuff...give her a listen!!
I was super sick Friday night so I didnt get to leave when I wanted but we did decide to make the trip Saturday morning. Suprisingly, things went fine. The trip was fun and my friend Misty came along to keep me company since Jonathan couldnt make it this time.
My mom agreed to babysit that night so Misty and I could to out 'gal-avanting' and we took advantage of the opportunity to do some vintage shopping, eat some good sushi, and meet up with my great set of Memphis cronies.
After eating at Bluefin, a trendy cool new restaurant on the downtown trolley-line, we took a chilly stroll to Beale street and Superior Bar, a fun karaoke place that can pretty much accomodate any song choice and pipes your voice out onto Beale for passersby to 'enjoy'...haha.
This particular night was especially great. Not only was the karaoke a blast but there was a girl there from England that completely blew us away with her voice, singing everything in a completely effortless bluesy style similar to Dusty Springfield or more recently, Adele. After she nearly made me cry with 'Making Believe', I had to ask if she was professional and indeed, she is. Her name is Beth Rowley. She has an album and a big ol' fanbase in England. Our group kept 'requesting' songs from her, which she would only sing if we accompanied her. She made my rendition of 'Son of a Preacher Man' sound halfway palatable! heh heh.
Anyway, so much fun should be illegal...and almost was since I got pulled over on the way home for forgetting to turn on my headlights. Doh! Fortunaely, Mr.'friendly Memphis Cop' gave me a written warning and did not automatically assume I was a menace to society. whew!
My dad's talk was great; couldnt even tell he was nervous! I'm so glad I made it and there were so many people there to enjoy it. The whole feeling behind the event was very moving. And very happy. He seems so comfortable on stage.
We ate a quick lunch at Huey's before coming home and even though the 28 hours that passed were a blur, I feel like the trip was a success!! So glad I didnt give up and not attempt it.
Below is a youtube link to Beth Rowley. She has lots of stuff...give her a listen!!
Thursday, January 08, 2009
"I'm Sorry, The Card Says 'Moops'."
My husband and I are kind of trivia-heads...medium-sized fountains of useless knowledge that we have no option of ever using outside of gameplay. Therefore we have reserved most Sunday nights at 8:30 (the boys' bedtime) for a round of Trivial Pursuit. Right now, I only have the Silver Screen (my specialty) edition and the Genus (until last Sunday, I have my whole life thought the big blue box was called the 'Genius' edition...aren't I astute?)edition. To humor me, my husband allows me to use the Silver Screen cards whenever I land on a pink space which gives me a slight advantage but still hasnt won me a single game.
Anyway, the other night we came accross a mistake in one of our trivia questions. The question (under the category of Arts and Literature) was, 'How Many Children Did Adam and Eve Have?' Of course, the answer is unknown, but somehow the creators of this game got it into their heads that they had three...Abel, Cain, and Seth. Amazing how the human race came from three men, isnt it? *chuckle*
Anyway, the other night we came accross a mistake in one of our trivia questions. The question (under the category of Arts and Literature) was, 'How Many Children Did Adam and Eve Have?' Of course, the answer is unknown, but somehow the creators of this game got it into their heads that they had three...Abel, Cain, and Seth. Amazing how the human race came from three men, isnt it? *chuckle*
Friday, January 02, 2009
Cookies, 'Life', and Cyd Charisse-2009
Hello my friends! I have to say, I'm glad I made my blog open to invitation only ( I was getting alot of unsavory visitors) but I am worried that I have prevented some of my old blog-buddies from visiting as often. That's a shame. I miss you guys!
Wednesday night, I made a nice dinner of boxed pasta and cheese bread before settling down with cookies and coffee to await the new year. The boys (the older two) wanted to stay up until 12 so we okayed that, never expecting they could actually do it. We played 'Life', watched one of those over-exaggerated New Years Shows, and cozied up in blankets on the living room floor. The New Years show of our choice was the FOX broadcast, for no reason other than that it was going to show Robbie Kenievel jumping his bike over the Mirage Volcano in Vegas and the boys thought that sounded cool. It was really anticlimactic, as always, and David Cook's performance was ho-hum at best. Nothing else much was happening there so when we finished our game, I flipped over to TCM and showed the boys the That's Entertainment marathon that was on.
'That's Entertainment' is a movie that features clips of the great MGM musicals as they progressed over the 20's, 30's, 40's, and 50's. Something about watching Gene Kelly and Anne Miller dance their way around the stage was phenomenally uplifting and made the new year seem less daunting. Regardless of how much I have ahead of me, how much uncertainty we are faced with-at least we have Cyd Charisse! She was feminine, powerful, AND vulnerable all at once. I could watch her forever. So I did...until midnight, at least.
Daddy had dropped off to sleep at 9 o'clock but the boys and I powered thru and made it to watch the ball drop at midnight. Then the boys dragged themselves off to bed and I continued to watch Judy Garland and Fred Estaire until 2am. As I hung out in my recliner with a cup of coffee, rewinding the 'dancing on the ceiling' scene from 'Royal Wedding', I realized that my new years eves seem to keep getting better.
Jonathan asked me the other day what my Salad Days were. I wasnt really all that familiar with the term so he clarified: Salad Days are the days that most people view as the 'best' of their life. For many people, their college days are their Salad Days. For most, it is the time of their life that they felt the most freedom, felt their best physically, or still had their whole life ahead of them-the 'green' years. Without hesitation, I told him that my 'Salad Days' are now. I can't imagine my life being any better than it is...or not having everyone in it that I currently know. Sure, we've got problems with the economy and maybe we're getting older. But those things pale in comparison to the wealth of things that we enjoy in our boys and our spiritual family. And when it comes to that, I still feel 'green'. After all, the stuff that's coming-I'm new at that.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Hahahahahahahaha
Yes, I know this is poor taste and I seriously hope none of my readers hold it against me but ...dear lord this is hysterical!
Tiny Tim was a freak! A wonderful freak...
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Friday, December 05, 2008
A Moment of 'Cinematic Proportions'
Brilliant! I would love to know what Sophia Loren is thinking just at this moment, with that sidelong glance at the magnificent breasts of Jayne Mansfield.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
...Things Are Goin' Your Way
On my way to the store last night, Wilson Phillips' 'Hold On' came on and I couldnt help but remember a HILARIOUS time in 1993 (?) when Toby and I drove to Nashville with Annie and Shane Phillips to see the Pink Floyd Concert at Vanderbilt. Heading out of Memphis, this song came on the radio and the funny thing was, nobody turned it. The funnier thing was, everyone knew the words (every word, even the little nuances like 'ooo things are goin' your way'). And the funniest thing was, we all proceeded to sing the entire song as LOUD as we could in its completion. I will never forget that. Shane and Toby belting Wilson Phillips was so entertaining that me and Annie had difficulty doing our 'part' but sing we did. It was almost sad when the song was over.
That was also the trip where Toby's blue Celica broke down at the Waverly exit and we had no choice but to patiently wait on the side of the Interstate until Jonathan (my then boyfriend) drove his little Honda to pick us up. We hung around in the car for a while. Then we got bored and proceeded to break out Annie's camera and take pictures of the oddest things. One was of Me, Annie, and Shane doing the three monkey 'hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil' on the back of the car. One showed Shane sitting on the ground in the median of the Interstate tossing grass in the air. And one was of us lying in the middle of the interstate w/ our feet in the air. Whoever has those pictures needs to come forward!!
Love you guys! kiss kiss.
Monday, December 01, 2008
'FSBO'
A realtor from Century 21 came out on Wednesday of last week. He had seen our house on Craigslist and seemed pretty certain that even in today's market, there shouldnt be much of a problem selling it. After much consideration, we decided to sign w/ him-only to be told that he wouldnt be able to actually sign w/US until we improved the 'curb appeal' of our property. Which takes money. So again, we're at a stand still when it comes to 'officially' listing the house.
In the meantime, we have listed it w/ five free FSBO websites, including Craigslist and kijiji (ebay's version of Craigslist) in hopes that it will sell before we ever sign w/ a realtor at all. Wouldnt that be great? The proverbial 'pbthhht' in the face of the guy who claims 'selling w/ a realtor is the ONLY way in today's market'. hee hee. THat extra 12,000 certainly wouldnt come amiss.
http://nashville.craigslist.org/reo/925867197.html
Anyway, I looked back over my earliest postings to this blog and I'll admit it made me really really sad. I do love my house. I love my views, my dogs that run free, and the herds of deer that skip around on our hill. It's obvious from the things I wrote that I thought we'd never leave. But priorities (and economies) change and we have a new set of goals that don't involve the upkeep we took on with this place. To be honest, we really don't have the time or funds to bring it to its true potential. Yes, we should have thought of all of this three years ago (when we started building) but we were too excited to really weigh out the pros and cons adequately. So lesson learned.
Now, we're not really sure where we'll end up after we sell. We still would like to try the desert out for a while but are not too certain if that is the wisest initial move; perhaps a transition period somewhere local makes more sense. We do know that we want to be in 'town' somewhere-close to things we can actually walk to-with little or no upkeep so that Jew can focus on other things for a change. Renting will be our first step for sure. Maybe even home schooling. Who knows? And after a couple of years, we may decide this area is where we need to be after all. Sometimes you just need to step back and tilt your head.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Divorce- American Style
Saw this interesting clip in October's segment of 'Watching the World'. So crazy!
Divorce: Bad for the Environment
The surging divorce rate worldwide is huring the environment, since it results in increased consumption of limited resources. Divorce leads to more households, decreased household size, and higher consumption per head, says a study printed in the 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Divorced households in the US could have saved more than 38 million rooms, 73 billion killowatt-hours of electricity, and 627 billion gallons of water in the 2005 alone if their resource-use efficiency had been comparable to married households." In the year 2000, there were 6.1 million 'resource inefficient' households of this kind in the United States.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
My Many Layers
I saw this on another blog...looked worthy.
LAYER ONE:
– Name: Ashley
– Birth date: 1975
– Birthplace: Memphra Tn
– Current Location: The Boonies
– Eye Color: Brun
– Hair Color: Platinum blonde currently
– Height: 5 ft 6, I think
– Righty or Lefty: Righty tighty
– Zodiac Sign: Cancer, I think...not interested in that pagan stuff :)
LAYER TWO:
– Your heritage: Anglo Saxon
– The shoes you wore today: Ryka trainers
– Your weakness: pretty things that I simply MUST have
– Your fears: none, really
– Your perfect pizza: mmmm, black olives and pepperoni
– Goal you’d like to achieve: saver not a spender, pioneer, and more patience
LAYER THREE:
– Your most overused phrase on AIM: lol...I really don't do it that often when I'm typing. And it really looks silly.
– Your first waking thoughts: Usually my boys.
– Your best physical feature: I don't know...my nose maybe?
– Your most missed memory: I miss the desert
LAYER FOUR:
– Pepsi or Coke: Coke zero please
– McDonald’s or Burger King: Burger King!
– Single or group dates: I like both.
– Adidas or Nike: neither...I really like vans and rykas
– Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Lipton
– Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla
– Cappuccino or coffee: Cappuccino
LAYER FIVE:
– Smoke: No
– Cuss: Sometimes
– Sing: All the time
– Take a shower everyday: No
– Do you think you’ve been in love: for many years now
– Want to go to college: nah
– Liked high school: not especially
– Want to get married: not again! hee hee
– Believe in yourself: sure...i am certain i exist.
– Get motion sickness: yes i do
– Think you’re attractive: somewhat
– Think you’re a health freak: not at all
– Get along with your parent(s): yes
– Like thunderstorms: yes, when i am not driving
– Play an instrument: no, i wish i did though.
LAYER SIX: In the past month…
– Drank alcohol: yes
– Smoked: nope
– Done a drug:alcohol counts, I'm sure. And I've taken benedryl
– Made Out: yes
– Gone on a date: yes, actually. wow.
– Gone to the mall?: nope
– Eaten an entire box of Oreos?: are you kidding? who can do that??
– Eaten sushi: yes
– Been on stage: yep
– Been dumped: no
– Gone skating: no
– Made homemade cookies: yes i did
– Gone skinny dipping: nope
– Dyed your hair:yes
– Stolen Anything: not unless you count 'time'. yikes
LAYER SEVEN: Ever…
– Played a game that required removal of clothing: yes, my shoes
– Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: i don't believe so.
– Been caught “doing something”: what??? i'm not sure what that means.
– Been called a tease: not that i know of
– Gotten beaten up: no
– Shoplifted: i took some face powder once but i didnt know it until later
– Changed who you were to fit in: yeah, i did
LAYER EIGHT:
– Age you hope to be married: i was the right age, i think-for me
– Numbers and Names of Children: 3
– Describe your Dream Wedding: i had it. but i really loved misty and michael's wedding
– How do you want to die: i don't want to die
– Where you want to go to college: n/a
– What do you want to be when you grow up: i don't want to grow up either
– What country would you most like to visit: Italy
LAYER NINE:
– Number of drugs taken illegally: none
– Number of people I could trust with my life: one
– Number of CDs that I own: about fifty now
– Number of piercings: just two
– Number of tattoos: one
– Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper?: once or twice when i was in elementary school -oh and in some obituaries i think
– Number of scars on my body: four that i know of
– Number of things in my past that I regret: lots of things but there's a reason it's called the 'past'.
LAYER ONE:
– Name: Ashley
– Birth date: 1975
– Birthplace: Memphra Tn
– Current Location: The Boonies
– Eye Color: Brun
– Hair Color: Platinum blonde currently
– Height: 5 ft 6, I think
– Righty or Lefty: Righty tighty
– Zodiac Sign: Cancer, I think...not interested in that pagan stuff :)
LAYER TWO:
– Your heritage: Anglo Saxon
– The shoes you wore today: Ryka trainers
– Your weakness: pretty things that I simply MUST have
– Your fears: none, really
– Your perfect pizza: mmmm, black olives and pepperoni
– Goal you’d like to achieve: saver not a spender, pioneer, and more patience
LAYER THREE:
– Your most overused phrase on AIM: lol...I really don't do it that often when I'm typing. And it really looks silly.
– Your first waking thoughts: Usually my boys.
– Your best physical feature: I don't know...my nose maybe?
– Your most missed memory: I miss the desert
LAYER FOUR:
– Pepsi or Coke: Coke zero please
– McDonald’s or Burger King: Burger King!
– Single or group dates: I like both.
– Adidas or Nike: neither...I really like vans and rykas
– Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Lipton
– Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla
– Cappuccino or coffee: Cappuccino
LAYER FIVE:
– Smoke: No
– Cuss: Sometimes
– Sing: All the time
– Take a shower everyday: No
– Do you think you’ve been in love: for many years now
– Want to go to college: nah
– Liked high school: not especially
– Want to get married: not again! hee hee
– Believe in yourself: sure...i am certain i exist.
– Get motion sickness: yes i do
– Think you’re attractive: somewhat
– Think you’re a health freak: not at all
– Get along with your parent(s): yes
– Like thunderstorms: yes, when i am not driving
– Play an instrument: no, i wish i did though.
LAYER SIX: In the past month…
– Drank alcohol: yes
– Smoked: nope
– Done a drug:alcohol counts, I'm sure. And I've taken benedryl
– Made Out: yes
– Gone on a date: yes, actually. wow.
– Gone to the mall?: nope
– Eaten an entire box of Oreos?: are you kidding? who can do that??
– Eaten sushi: yes
– Been on stage: yep
– Been dumped: no
– Gone skating: no
– Made homemade cookies: yes i did
– Gone skinny dipping: nope
– Dyed your hair:yes
– Stolen Anything: not unless you count 'time'. yikes
LAYER SEVEN: Ever…
– Played a game that required removal of clothing: yes, my shoes
– Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: i don't believe so.
– Been caught “doing something”: what??? i'm not sure what that means.
– Been called a tease: not that i know of
– Gotten beaten up: no
– Shoplifted: i took some face powder once but i didnt know it until later
– Changed who you were to fit in: yeah, i did
LAYER EIGHT:
– Age you hope to be married: i was the right age, i think-for me
– Numbers and Names of Children: 3
– Describe your Dream Wedding: i had it. but i really loved misty and michael's wedding
– How do you want to die: i don't want to die
– Where you want to go to college: n/a
– What do you want to be when you grow up: i don't want to grow up either
– What country would you most like to visit: Italy
LAYER NINE:
– Number of drugs taken illegally: none
– Number of people I could trust with my life: one
– Number of CDs that I own: about fifty now
– Number of piercings: just two
– Number of tattoos: one
– Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper?: once or twice when i was in elementary school -oh and in some obituaries i think
– Number of scars on my body: four that i know of
– Number of things in my past that I regret: lots of things but there's a reason it's called the 'past'.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Freedom at the Bottom
There is somehow a marvelous freedom in being at the bottom of the barrell. Need a loan? NO!! Want to sell your house? NO!! Want to sell a portion of your land? Hmmm, let me think-er-NO!! What about a job...want a new one? No way!! But we might have some layoffs to offer.
In the light of the ever-increasing economy slump and housing situation, things may seem bleak. But just think how nice it is to have so much company at the bottom of the stack. Let's have a party down here!
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