I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned it before but I am 100% on the Pandora bandwagon. I love Pandora. I have been introduced to so many new artists and new songs that without Pandora I wouldn’t even know exist! When I was in school, I listened to the same couple of stations whenever I would do homework. I write papers better/faster/easier when I listen to easy music – it helps me focus. And there were a few songs that would pop up pretty frequently and I fell in love them.
On Monday we finally got some rain after days upon days of oppressive heat and I sat in my window seat listening to those stations again as I watched the rain drops bounce off of the leaves… here are some of my favorites! Some are old and some are new! Hope you enjoy!
[Mark you’ll be proud. There’s some Blink 182 in here. Eat your heart out. Or listen :) Whichever’s easier]
And now for the final installment of my May Divas. So sad it’s over :( But really excited about this last lady. It’s a surprise ending… Maybe not a real surprise. Maybe just surprising :)
Barbra Streisand
This woman. This woman has so much behind her name…
1. She has the longest spanning musical career of any female with a span of 46 years between her first and last album.
2. She has had gold albums in five consecutive decades.
3. She has had 51 albums go Gold, 30 go Platinum, and 13 go Multi-Platinum.
4. She holds the record for highest number of top ten albums by a woman – 31 to be exact!
5. She is one of the few people to have an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Tony. And she has 2 Academy Awards, 4 Emmys, 8 Grammys, and 1 Tony…
6. She is the best-selling female artist EVER. Only female on the best-selling top ten list too.
Obviously she’s had a rockin’ career. And a long one too…. She recently did a PBS special with Il Divo that was beautiful. If you haven’t ever heard of Il Divo – look ‘em up. They’re phenomenal!! I think Simon Cowell had something to do with them. But I digress. Her voice is powerful and if she’s won that many awards and had that many records sold – there’s obviously a reason :)
I saved the best song for last. It’s a really long intro but it is the best version of Somewhere I have ever heard. Seriously you will be hooked.
Hope you’ve enjoyed the journey down Diva lane :) I love music. And I’m pretty passionate about it… Please let me know if you have any suggestions!! I’d love to be introduced to something new :) Happy Wednesday!!
Sadly today’s Diva isn’t really a Diva anymore. Or healthy for that matter. I think she may have had a resurgence in her career but her addictions have overtaken her life. It is so sad because an incredible talent and a beautiful life have been captured by sin. But let’s focus on the good…
Whitney Houston
She will always be remember as one of the greats. She was super super talented. There’s not much to say for this post because I think her story is very tragic. Her music says all that needs to be said. Her voice was astounding. Her music was vivacious and her smile was infectious! All you need to do is listen to her music and you know that there hasn’t been a voice like this in a long long time… no body comes close :)
I Will Always Love You is obviously her most famous. It’s like THE most famous song ever. Song Fact: Dolly Parton did it originally when she chose a different career path and left her partner Porter Wagoner. It is also one of less than thirty singles to have sold 12 million copies worldwide. AND for all you Full House fans – they played this song at DJ’s prom just as she and Steve reunited after the hotel room/elevator fiasco.
This week’s Diva is known for being bootylicious. She has an alter ego. And she married a man with just as much renown the business as herself.
Beyonce
I vividly remember walking through Target and looking up above the TVs and DVDs and seeing huge album covers – one of which was Destiny’s Child. I remember thinking wow they must be so famous. They’re so beautiful. I wasn’t allowed to listen to their music but that didn’t mean I was unsure about who they were…
There was lots of turmoil surrounding them but I wasn’t that up on pop-culture in elementary school… Thankfully that didn’t ruin them. Anyways somewhere along the line I heard Beyonce sing and I was amazed.
1. She’s beautiful. HAHA this all sounds strangely familiar to last week’s post. She’s had every hair color and style under the sun. She wears ball gowns, jeans, and costumes for her performances and always looks amazing.
This was one of my favorite B moments. The Grammys. Her gold dress, purple eye shadow, and armful of Grammys. What a moment!!
2. She is a classy woman who likes to stay out of the public eye. She has never been a regular in the tabloids because she keeps her personal life personal. She even got married without anyone finding out!! I think it’s great that some people find a way to have a career in the spotlight but keep some semblance of normalcy. And maybe everyone respects her privacy because she is so legit and classy. Maybe.
3. She is in one of my favorite movies: Dream Girls… alongside another fabulous lady Jennifer Hudson!!
4. She never settles for anything less than the best. Her choreography, her lyrics, her music. I heard her in an interview before I Am… Sasha Fierce came out… She said she recorded 70 some songs and picked the ones she thought were the best for the album. THAT is dedication!!
5. Finally – her music. Might just make ya wanna get up and dance a little :) You Go Girl! The last song is long but it’s really good – favorite from Dream Girls!! Definitely rent it if you’ve never seen it!
And obviously I couldn’t leave this one out :) The video was necessary! Did I forget to mention that she’s an incredible dancer. Well she is. This video is a little craycray but it’s pretty intense. Beyonce is super talented. The end.
Diva. What a word. It can be either super good or super bad. But I don’t really care too much about that… I just am in love with a few divas. Their out-of-this-world voices. Their amazing music. All of it. So I have dubbed this month DIVA MONTH. And every Wednesday you’ll find out which women I think are Divalicious :) This Week:
Mariah Carey
I’m not such a huge fan of her in the 21st century. I think she forgot she was getting older. And there’s something strange about a forty-year-old making a hate video to Eminem. But that’s all besides the point. She also is not the most modest woman. So I’m definitely not supporting her wardrobe. But I’m talking REAL Mariah. My dear friend Amy is about eight years older than me so grew up in the Mariah Glory Period. She would always let me route through her cd’s and she had almost every MC album. I was hooked.
1. She is beautiful. Always has been. Always will be. And I mean really really pretty. Flawless makes me jealous pretty. She could have been famous for her hair and face and never opened her mouth. Obv a girl crush exists here :)
2. Her voice has suffered and isn’t as fabulous as it used to be but MC can sing. Forreal. Really really really well. Her range is incredible. Her voice, originally, wasn’t computer generated or perfected. She had pipes and she didn’t hold back. I love real raw talent. Today since her voice isn’t as strong and I’m sure she’s helped a lot in the studio but that doesn’t bother me too much – like I said before, I’m not a huge fan of her current stuff anyways. She had it. She brought it.
3. Her music is about love. Her music is real and honest. Her music is universal. She sings every girls thoughts…. Sure it’s girly and dramatic and romantic and over the top – but so is she.
4. She has a thing. A trademark. She loves butterflies. She had an album titled Butterfly… They’re all over her website. She’s holding one on her Greatest Hits Album cover. It’s cute. Whatever floats her boat :)
5. And now for the real proof. The music. This is the real true reason I love her. I can listen to her music any and every minute of the day. At school I used to get ready with my friend Joelle in the mornings and we’d glam up with her…
Hope you enjoyed!! Stay tuned for next week’s Diva!! Any other Mariah fans?!?
Also ps. congrats Mariah and Nick Cannon on dem babies!!!
Yes. Center Parts. And more specifically: center part pony tails. This is such a random post but within two days I saw all three of these pictures. So I figured the trend was starting. Remember when LC wore that braid across the front of her head in the place of her bangs on The Hills and every girl from age 16 to 26 started doing it? Yeah. The center part pony tail could be the next LC side braid.
But back to the pony tail. If you’re like me you instantly think of yourself in second, third, or fourth grade. You didn’t really care too much about your hair and weren’t too aware of your appearance. So you hopped out of the shower, brushed your hair, parted it down the middle, let it air dry, and then swept it back into a bumpy pony tail after it got on your nerves. It definitely was not stylish. It was haphazard and comically cute. After all, you were in the third grade.
Well my friends, that totally hot hairstyle is making a comeback. And it’s being worn by Hollywood's sexiest, most confident, and most adored ladies.
Gwyneth Paltrow – singing Adele’s Turning Tables on Glee
Beyonce – promoting her new single in Paris
Kim Kardashian – on some red carpet promoting something
Now I think all three ladies totally work this hairstyle. Why? Well they have amazing faces. During Glee the camera kept rotating around Gwyneth's face and her bone structure is so amazing that it was great to have her hair back away from her stunning face. The center part worked because her face is really symmetrical. And same for Beyonce and Kim. It’s also really important to remember that someone else is doing their hair and make-up. So do I like this hairstyle? I suppose. I’d rather see really pretty natural flowing hair, but this is pretty too. I just think it should stay in Hollywood. It’s one of those things we common people can envy from the middle class :) Plus – if we tried this on a sunny day we’d have awful sunburn on our scalps. And when that starts to peel it isnot fun. Just ask my sister :) Sunburn aside, I kind of hope this doesn’t catch on. Some people can definitely pull it off, rock it, and whip it back and forth ‘cause they’re that fabulous… but I’m not a humungous fan of this. Who knows… maybe it’ll become the girls night out ‘do like LC’s braid and in a month I’ll be kicking myself because I didn’t “own that pony tail, work that up-do”. Have you ever worn your hair like this? Send me a picture!! I want to envy your symmetrical face and amazing cheek bones :)
I started off this week talking about threes so I’m gonna keep up with that theme :)
There are three ABC tv shows written/directed/produced/whatevered by the same lady – Shonda Rimes. They’re all medical/doctor shows. And I love them all.
* DISCLAIMER – I do NOT agree with everything on these shows. AT ALL. I watch it all with a grain of salt. Or a handful.
1. Grey’s Anatomy – I love this one because I think the writers do SUCH a good job of including the whole cast into it. There are so many characters but viewers really get to know all of them. I also think the writers do an incredible job of communicating realistic reactions/comments/events. Hospital Shootings – not super common, but not far out of the realm of possibility these days. Sadly. The reactions to the shootings – DEAD ON. LOVE GREYS. Most of all I love Meredith, Cristina, Bailey, Lexi, and OF COURSE Jackson.
Yes. Jackson Avery. You may recognize him as Lena Kaligaris’ love-interest/artist-friend from Sisterhood. Oh you don’t remember him? Let me give you a visual. Ah yes. Jackson.
HhhOK Moving On!!
2. Private Practice – the Grey’s spin off revolving around Addison Montgomery who used to be married to Derek Sheppard. This show is based in L.A. at a private practice – hence the name. No mystery there. But this show really deals with the ethics of the medical practice. Almost every case has some moral dilemma. And it’s really neat to see how each individual doctor’s previous history and experience shapes their decisions.
Also this cast is just amazingly beautiful. Addison, Naomi, Sam, Violet. Oh, and Naomi (Audra McDonald) was in the one movie adaptation of the musical Annie. And Sam (Taye Diggs) is married to Idina Menzel. They were both in Wicked and Rent. Yes. Amazing. Did I ever mention I love Broadway? Well I do. And I love Taye Diggs.
3. Last but not least – Off The Map – this is a doctor show about a medical clinic in Central/South America. The medical supplies are limited. The technology is outdated. The sterilization isn’t ideal. And the doctors are just as damaged as their surroundings. The cases that come into the clinic are SO interesting. One time a wild life photographer fell and broke his pelvis. The only reason he wasn’t bleeding out and dying was because a snake (the kind that suffocates you to death and I can’t remember which kind that is) was wrapped around him. The snake was constricting him to death but was also keeping his body aligned enough so he wouldn’t die. Yeah. Crazy.
Ryan Clark will be familiar to the Twilight fans – she was the original Victoria. And Otis Cole was dating Dr. Bailey on Grey’s last season or two seasons ago – I forget. This cast is pretty neat too – I can’t wait to learn more about them as the seasons pass…
Anyways – Grey’s and PP are on Thursdays, Off The Map is on Wednesdays. And they’re all on Hulu. You should definitely tune in. Again, I don’t agree everything – especially their personal decisions. But I’m not the average American either. So yeah. The medical cases and the characters are what really make these shows so appealing. The medical stuff is really really interesting – sometimes a little gross – but SO neat.
Do you watch any or all of these? Whose your favorite character??
Pearls are so classic. They can be super gorgeous on a bride. They can be very stylish on a businesswoman – they’re very first lady. And they can be super pretty on the every-day lay-day.
I am in category Numero Tres. Obv. Because I am neither a bride or a businesswoman. Ha. Anyways. I love pearl studs. They are my go-to accessory. Whenever I can’t decide which pair of earrings to wear – I pick my pearls. I used to think they were too dressy for the everyday but then I facebook stalked a girl that Mark knew from high school and she wore them all the time and I had a girl crush on her and I was convinced they were totally acceptable. SO if you feel like you can’t pull them off because you’re going out to run errands or go to the movies and you’re not walking down the isle – fear not. Pearls are/can-will-should be your best friends.
My pearl earrings, despite my extreme love for them, seem to be the disappearing sock of my jewelry hutch. I lose them like resident’s at the home lose their keys. Mark has gotten me pearls for ever holiday since I met him – because I always lose them. Bless his heart. They’re an easy gift that I wear ALOT. So he knows he can’t go wrong :) He also got me a charm for my Chamilia bracelet that has three pearls in it. That my was Christmas present this past year. I wear it every day. I love it. Again – it might be a bit fancy for my CVS run but I honestly think that A. it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed and B. I should feel fabulous about one thing every day… And if that’s my really nice bracelet – so be it!!
I also love this one… I used to bird watch with my mom when I was little and I have two sisters… so this bead would be symbolic for the girls in my family…
Basically I love pearls. I love everything about them. They can dress an outfit up or just make a cute outfit even cuter! If you’ve never really been into pearls I encourage you to go for it!! Pearl studs go with everything. They add a touch of class and elegance – and what lady doesn’t want that?!
Sadly… I am NOT on the Taylor Swift bandwagon. And there are many reasons for this – none of which include the fact that everyone loves her so I’m being a devil’s advocate. I just actually don’t like her. But I used to.
My family and I aren’t too picky about our music – we don’t discriminate against anything other than screamo annnd maybe that’s it. We’re country lovers for sure. And I can remember my freshman year of high school falling in love with Tim McGraw. I thought her lyrics were amazing and I loved the story. She’s from around my area so I felt a certain loyalty to her. And she personalized the song for tons of radio stations so when she sang XTU I was super proud.
Then something happened. Something called Love Story. Which I also loved. I downloaded it from itunes right after I heard it. The whole world loved it. The whole world loved her. And her long curly blonde hair. And the fact she was so young and wholesome.
And then something else happened. Something called every song sounding the same. Something else called she talk-sings. Something else called people killed Taylor Swift. People went bonkers. And I stopped liking Taylor Swift.
Back to December wasn’t too bad. But Fifteen and You Belong With Me were. And Teardrops Of My Guitar kinda made me wanna cry and scream. Simultaneously.
What I will say is this: She is talented. She can play the guitar really well. She writes lyrics and music really really well. She knows who she is, what her style is, and she goes for it. For that I like her. She’s not swayed by everything else. And when Kanye ruined her moment I felt really really bad for her. That was plain wrong. Even though I think Beyonce should have won – he shouldn’t have done that. Poor thing. I wouldn’t have had that much class or poise… not in a million years.
I was in fact a fan of the relationship with Jacob. If that had worked out they’d both be named Taylor Lautner. HAHA. Too funny.
So to all the Swift fans I say go for it. But I just can’t get on the bandwagon for this one. There are a few things I like but she bores me.
And Side note: It is also upsetting that our culture goes WACKO over people. Justin. Taylor. People actually go crazy. I feel bad for her cause there are probably some real weirdos out there… Maybe you’re one of them? JUST KIDDING!!! I love Justin so I’m totally in the celebrity-obsessed category. But I don’t have a Mrs. Bieber shirt. Not yet anyways.
Hope I don’t get any hate mail for this one :) But if you want to sway me to hop on board let me know!!
Here is a playlist of my favorite songs of the week! And here’s an explanation cause who doesn’t love to brag about the stuff they love?!
1. PYT – My mom and I hear this all the time and we turn it up real loud in the car… We sing at the top of our lungs… we’ve also turned my eleven year old sister into an MJ fan. It’s just a fun song… and Glee did it. So it’s a favorite.
2. You & Me – I sing this on warm days with my car windows down. Stress is GONE. Non-existent. It’s magic. You should definitely try it.
3. Don’t Dream It’s Over and Something’s Missing – Pandora favorites…
4. For the First Time – Fell in love the first time I heard this… “Oh these time’s are hard, don’t give up on me baby” has really applied to my life these past few months…
5. Oh the Deep Deep Love of Jesus – I love this song. I love when my dad plays it on the piano or sings it in church. Maybe one day I’ll get to sing it with him. This song beautiful and has Easter written all over it. I love it.
Last week I threatened/promised featuring Glee and well, I just couldn't hold myself back - so here we go :) And yes Glee was new last night but no I haven't seen it because:
a. our TV is in the basement and it's freezing cold down there - plus, if you're down there for too long you get a wicked cough and possibly bronchitis - Mark's still pretty bitter about it...
b. I can't stand comercials
c. Hulu is free and is watchable while in my pjs, tucked in my still-warm covers
SO moral of the story is I will be watching tonight's episode tomorrow morning - probobly at the same time that this little post is posted... Ok so here we go... ahhh let the fun begin...
I am a total Gleek. I watched the pilot episode when it aired after American Idol a few years ago and was hooked. I definitley don't agree with everything on the show, but there are so many more acceptable things than questionable things and I just can't help but love it. Every week the show delivers. The music selections, the casts' one liners, the plot - everything. I laugh, I sing along, I long to be on the show... Totally a Gleek.
I have loved Journey since I was younger, so I was thrilled when Lea Michele and Cory Monteith sang this in last seasons finale... Lea Michele can sing like nobody's business... In true Glee fashion, they brought new life to an old song and I think it's great that this show is bridging the gap between my generation and my parent's generation...
This song features Lea Michele and Idina Menzel (married to Taye Diggs, starred in Wicked and Rent). The two are a mother-daughter duo on the show and this remix of Poker Face is so fun! It sounds so different from the original that it's almost a completely new song... love that...
This song is such a good example of how creative Glee really is - they took Teenage Dream by Katy Perry that was already super popular, put a new spin on it, and made America fall in love with it all over again - not to mention fall in love with Blaine who starred as a new character in this episode...
mmmmhmmmm....
ok.... moving on....
This is just a crowd-pleaser feel-good song... my mom, sarah, and I frequently belt this out to/from the mall :) Amber Riley is incredible - seriously phenomenal!!
In addition to the excellent songs that are sing-sang-sung each week, the characters are hilarious.
Kurt Hummel, Rachel Berry, and Mercedes Jones - The Divas
Santana Lopez, Quinn Fabray, and Brittany Pierce- The Cheerios
Mike Chang, Puck, Artie Abrams, and Sam - as The Justin Bieber Experience
Artie, Sam, Kurt, Finn, Mike, and Puck - All the boys together
Sue Sylvester and her assistant Becky
Coach Beiste, Sue, and Will Schuester
Will and Emma Pillsbury
And then Principal Figgins - who recently referred to Ke$ha and "Key -dollar sign- ha"
And if the cast wasn't big enough, talented enough, or good-looking... enough? Here are some of the guests - some of which, thankfully tend to reappear :)
Jessie St. James (Jonathan Groff) - Vocal Adrenaline's and Rachel Berry's one-time main man
Doris (Carol Burnett) - Sue's Nazi-hunting mother
April Rhodes (Kristin Chenoweth) - Will's former classmate
Dentist Carl (John Stamos) - Emma's fiance
Bryan Ryan (Neil Patrick Harris) - Will's high school rival
I may have missed a few people because it's such a huge cast and the show is constantly changing/adding characters, but I think you get the point. One of my favorite parts of the show is when someone is singing and everyone else is sitting in the practice room... the drama/story/plot line is always drawn out during these sections because every character is shot in a close up and the viewers get to see exactly how each character is feeling or what they're thinking (dramatic irony) - I love it!!
Brittany and Sue also have the BEST one-liners...
Mr. Schue: "Who can tell me what a ballad is?"
Brittany: "A male duck."
Santana: "This food was not satisfactory."
Brittany: "There was a mouse in mine."
Brittany: "I hope you will all respect that I want Glee club to remain a place where I, Brittany S. Pierce, can escape the torment of Britney Spears."
(get it? Brittany S. Pierce "Brittany Spierce")
Sue: "That was the most offensive thing I've seen in 20 years of teaching — and that includes an elementary school production of Hair."
Sue: ''I thought I smelled cookies wafting from the ovens of the little elves that live in your hair.''
Sue: ''You think this is hard? I'm passing a gallstone as we speak. That is hard!''
Sue: ''I'm all about empowerment. I empower my Cheerios to live in a state of constant fear by creating an environment of irrational, random terror.''
Maybe they're all funnier in context - but I love these two... they crack me up :) As does the majority of the cast... And if you haven't yet seen an episode, you can check their site to watch clips, full episodes, and see when they'll next be on your boob tube (see this post for the refernence) -- you can thank me later!!
OH. ps. I didn't really come out and say this and I'm not sure I have to because its blatantly obvious BUT I am 100% on the Glee Bandwagon... or Glee Train... cause that sounds like a whole lotta fun too :)
