Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince comes out on Wednesday, July 15. I've included themovie trailers below if you want to watch them. I highly recommend that you watch them actually, they're brilliant!

This movie is going to be amazing. No offense, Twilight fans, but the Harry Potter movies are in a whole nother league compared to the Twilight movies.

The one thing i'm confused about, regarding HBP, is its rating: PG. If i remember correctly, this book was fairly frightening. Hopefully the rating isn't a direct reflection of it leaving out essential parts of the book, especially if it's in order to allow more fans to see the movie in the theaters. Quality people!!!! that would make me and a lot of other HP fans pretty mad.


Trailers:

New Moon: 11.20.09

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON trailer in HD


OK. I admit it. I'm 25-years-old and am a tween lit reading, chick flick watching, pop culture obsessed, fantasy junkie and as embarrassing as you might think it is for me to admit what I just did...well it's just something I had to do.

I love the Twilight series and canNOT wait for the New Moon movie to come out! November 20, 2009. Mark it down on your calendars right...meow! You know i already have!

I actually wasn't super excited about the New Moon movie, especially after watching and laughing at the horrible acting and "special effects" in Twilight. Well, that was until I watched the New Moon trailer, which i have conveniently included in my post for your viewing pleasure :)The special effects look a gazillion times better, the acting too.

It'll be interesting to see if Taylor Lautner can pull off playing the leading male role in New Moon. I really hope so! I loved Jacob in the series and hope I can continue to appreciate the character in the movies as well. (Good luck to you Mr. Lautner!)

On another note, You have to read this FmyLife.com post about Twilight. I LOLed when i read it. I mean i love Twilight, but this girl takes the cake!

FMyLife.com: "Today, my girlfriend dumped me proclaiming she wanted someone more like her "Edward". I asked her who Edward was. She held up a copy her "Twilight" book. She was talking about a fictional vampire. FML"

Friday Playlist: I'm Good I'm Gone

Its been a pretty awesome week:

Obama was Inaugurated as our 44th President
Bush is FINALLY gone
I dyed a pink streak in my hair
I worked out 5 times this week
Finished reading New Moon
Baked 3 things this: cookies, rice krispie treats AND banana bread
Discovered a ton of new music!!!!!

But not all weeks are as awesome as this one. Another work week has come and gone and many times the only thing really getting me through the week is my music. So starting this Friday, today, I will post the playlist i have created for the week. Ok friends, time to peace out, shut down my computer, get off the world wide web and enjoy the wild world that is reality.

Thank you. Please come again

blog playlist #1

Happy Obama Day!

Today, January 20th, Barack Hussein Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America. Today I am proud to call myself an American and even prouder to say that WE, the American People finally came together for the greater good and elected someone we are proud and honored to call our President.

"Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task."

For the full transcript of his Inaugural Address, go here: http://www.pic2009.org/blog/entry/president_obamas_inaugural_address/

And in honor of our 44th President, here's a lil playlist i've created:

As JFK said back in 1961, in his Inaugural Address: "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you- ask whta you can do for your country." It's time for change. Lets make it happen.

T.I.'s Whatever You Like

Yup. That's Mr. T.I. and he's uhhhhhmazin! His newest single "Whatever You Like" is so catchy, I can't stop listening to it. Its my newest song obsession, well this song and The Killer's "All These Things That I've Done" but I'm not making this post to talk about The Killers, that'll have to wait til my next post...

The radio stations in Portland haven't started playing this single yet. But I predict Jammin and the other Rap-tastic stations in the City of Roses will be all over this single within the next few weeks and before you know it, you won't be able to get away from it. It's gonna be everywhere.

So you might as well jump on the band wagon now and purchase this song off of iTunes before the rest of the cool kids do.

k, that was my break for the day. Back to work and back to some more of T.I.'s sweet sweet tunes.

PS: I think i really enjoy this song because it makes me feel a lil gangsta. Kangsta the Gangsta!

Who needs vowels when you got consonants?!

So I decided i'm pretty into bands with names that have no vowels, such as...

M83
Nsync
RJD2
TLC
TQ
112
B52

and last but not least...MGMT!!!! Woop woop. I'm pretty sure i started listening to them purely based on the fact that I was intrigued by their name. Are you supposed to call them Management? or M-G-M-T? Well after weeks (more like minutes) of self-deliberation, i decided that "calling them M-G-M-T is the way to go.

"Electric Feel" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtUI5MC9tVM) is currently my favorite song of theirs. Couldn't embed the music video, sorry, so check out the link to see it. "Kids", "Destrokk" and "Time to Pretend" are also pretty bad ass.

For all you Portlandites who are reading this, listen to the song and imagine yourself at the Fez, clad in a neon, spandex outfit, drinking gin and tonics and dancing in a group circle. Awesome huh :)

Taylor Swift: Should've Said No

The Academy of Country Music Awards were on CBS this past Sunday night and people are still talking about one spectacular performance by none other than country's lil diva, Taylor Swift. It was so bad ass. She's so bad ass!

For all you kids that hate country music, ya'll might change your mind after watching her performance of "Should've Said No" off of her album "Taylor Swift".

She starts out sitting on a stool, guitar in hand, wearing a hoodie and jeans and then she kicks her performance into high gear as she tosses her guitar off stage, tears off her hoodie and jeans to unveil her black dress. And oh no no no no no, it does not stop there my friends.

Just as the song seems to die down, she walks to the back of the stage and stands underneath a waterfall and ends the performance soaking wet, on her knees, just like an effin rockstar!

I'm pretty sure i'm obsessed with this song now, purely cuz of her performance. I hope its on the radio over and over again. You might think I'm crazy, but i'm tellin ya, just watch the video and then you'll understand.


Oh yeah! She also won Top New Female Vocalist of the Year. hoooty hoooo. I'm such a Taylor Swift groupie now, haha.

Confessions are obsessed with Confessions

Helloooo! (PS: i just said that in a Jerry Seinfeld voice) Its been awhile since I've posted something. Sorry! Between work and being the incredibly "popular" individual that I am, I've had limited time for myself. And I've decided to spend that time eating copious amounts of food and... yeah i guess that's about it. Anyway, I digress...

Yesterday, I was doing some research for work and came across this really bad ass music blog Confessions of a Would-be Hipster. Confessions of a Palindrome... becomes obsessed with ...Confessions of a Would-be Hipster?! haha, that's funny, don't you think?! I hope so, otherwise why you readin my blog fool? WOW.. did i really just say that? ok, I'm embarrassed, back to the blog, my bad....

This blog does a great job of not only spotlighting a variety of indie artists that only the cool kids aka hipsters know of (jk), but also providing free song downloads with each new post! oh holler! You should definitely check it out if you're into cool and hip music ;).

So i spent a fair amount of time reading through the blog and found my newest song obsession, Voxtrot's "The Start of Something".

Voxtrot's "The Start of Something"

The sun is finally deciding to make an appearance in Portland, which means I'll be rocking out to this song all the time. I can just see it now... running on the waterfront, with my ipod, this song on repeat. Ah what a life!

Cary Brothers: The Glass Parade

Last week I went to one of the most original concerts I've ever been to, The Hotel Cafe Tour. Ingrid Michaelson headlined the tour but she didn't act like a big wig at all. Cary Brothers, Meiko, Jessica Hope, Jim Bianco and William Fitzsimmons were also part of the tour and the show seemed more like a bunch of friends that got together to have a jam session, but a professional jam session (not one of those where the same riff gets repeated for a good 20 minutes) instead of a formal concert. They each took turns playing three songs each with a mini story about each song before they played so you could get a taste of each artist. It was awesome. The only way I would've enjoyed this concert more was if I was sitting at a table with a cup of coffee.

I initially bought a ticket to the concert because I wanted to see Ingrid, but I left the concert really pleased with the performances of the other artists as well, especially Cary Brothers and Meiko, so pleased actually that I went out and bought Cary Brothers' newest cd: Who You Are. I knew his songs "Blue Eyes" from the Garden State soundtrack and "Ride" from the Last Kiss soundtrack but i was never a CB fan til now. I always thought Cary Brothers was a band, not just one guy named Cary Brothers. I think a lot of people think that.

At the show, he played "The Glass Parade" and I just fell in love with it. The Youtube video isn't great, so just listen to the lyrics and his voice. oh my goodness his voice is just one of the softest, sweetest sounds I've heard in a long time. It's the kind of voice where you just want to believe everything he says. The lyrics are amazing too.

I'm not really into guys with long shaggy hair, its actually a deal breaker for me, but for him it works. i could be into him...



The Glass Parade- Cary Brothers
Just a voice inside your head
Whispering all the hope is dead
All the time you had to prove
That no one really loves you

I found you in a reflection
You didn't want me to see
I will give you all i have
Just look up, break down and believe

This is a glass parade
A fragile state
And i am not trying to break
And the stars are shining
The moon is right
And i would kill to be with you tonight

Wish you told me all the truth
So afraid to face an absolute
All the fights you had to lose
All the fear was put upon you

I found you when you were broken
Too many cracks of deceit
I will give you all i have
Just look up, break down and believe

This is the feeling, falling
So much i want to say
Show me the same emotion
Show me what's at stake
How much can you take
When you realise your fate?

Hold me now as the car lights fade
And we are dancing in the glass parade

It's just a voice inside your head

Side note: Meiko sang this song called "You and Onions Make Me Cry." AWESOME! The song pretty much was all about hot dogs and crying because of onions and boys. I am a fan of any song that incorporates food into the lyrics.

Cool Happy Genius Heroes

TGIF everyone!

So I'm not a depressed individual by any means but if you didn’t know me and looked at my project playlists and cd mixes you might think otherwise. This song adds to that misperception.

I don’t know much about this group, The National. Actually I don’t know anything about them, other than that they’re from Brooklyn. I haven’t even heard any of their other songs, but I really like this one "Santa Clara."

It s the kind of song you want to listen to when you’re down in the dumps. With the lights off, door closed, laying on your bed, and this song, just blaring from your stereo, on repeat… haha, ok, so once again, I’m not a sad person, but I do have my moments when I am sad and when I am, I want to listen to this song, along with "The Funeral" by Band of Horses, "Where have you been" by Manchester Orchestra, and even "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol.

Not too sure what this song is about but my prediction is that its about loved ones that have passed on and how you don't have to worry about them cuz you know they're finally at peace.

"Cool Happy Genius Heroes"

Two Hump Day tunes to Hum along to

Danity Kane's "Damaged"

As much as I try and hate Diddy and all his stupid attempts to form the ultimate girl and boy bands... I just can't. I think all his shows and business antics are brilliant. Well I guess you can hate him, but you can't deny the fact that he's a genius businessman. Same with 50 Cent and his Vitamin Water.

After watching the 2nd Season of Making the Band 4, i became a huge fan of Danity Kane and Day26 but as of right now, I cannot stop listening to "Damaged." You can probably find me at work, chair dancing along to this song non-stop for the next few weeks. It makes me want to get up and dance or take an aerobics class.... in silver spandex of course ;) Aundrea, the brunette, is my fav. i love how she has one, just one dimple.


M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes"

" This is MIA. A third world democracy. I got more records than the KGB"

MIA, real name Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam is one of the most bad ass female artists ever. She just has this edgy, "if you f*ck with me i'll kill you with my ferocious lyrics and ghetto fabulous style" vibe about her. Watch the video and you'll understand.

I heard her for the first time this past weekend when I was down in Eugene for Easter. Daniel had her album on his laptop and so i burned it from him but i'm going to go buy the album with my next paycheck. She's going to be in Portland in May. Can't wait!

Enjoy! Only 2 more days til the weeekend.

March Madness

Happy March Madness Everyone!!!

I love all the anticipation that goes into the tournament. I love filling out my bracket and comparing it with my friends. I love CBS.com and I love its Live Game Feed.

So far i'm 6 for 7 and if you wanna know, I have North Carolina winning it all. Yeah Tarheels! The NCAA tournament is so exciting i think. More exciting than any other sporting event, even more so than the SuperBowl.

I also love that the UO Ducks AND the PSU Vikings both made it into the tournament this year. First of all, not only did the Ducks make it to the tournament, but they were ranked 9th! Wow, I can't believe it. I have them beating Mississippi St but not Memphis...

I'm not sure what the next few weeks of bball mania holds for me and my bracket, but i'm excited for each and every game.

Go UNC. oh man i wish i knew their fight song right now...

Bleeding Love

Every morning, I turn on the tv and get ready by either watching ESPN Sports Center or music videos on MTV, VH1 or CMT. This morning i chose to watch VH1 and found myself totally engrossed with this song: "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis. Apparently Leona is a big deal in the UK. She wrote her first song when she was 12 and in 2006, she entered the show "The X Factor" and ended up winning the whole thing, along with a recording contract.

She's also one of VH1's "You Oughta Know" stars on the rise, along with: Ingrid Michaelson, Sara Barielles, Feist and more. She could be the next Alicia Keys? What do you think?

If I could compare her to any animated character it would have to be Nala from the Lion King. Right? Blah, ok now i'm just babbling. Enjoy!

TGIF!

TGIF! Here are some videos that I am currently obsessed with. I watched them continuously for a good hour or two last night, especially the "Whateva" baby.

"Whateva" Baby

The way the little girl rolls her eyes and sticks her hand up in the air is priceless. My favorite part starts at -0:20 seconds. One day my future baby will be just as cute, actually cuter if that's even possible.

Shaq, Lebron and Dwight Howard All-Star Dance off

Shaq definitely took the show. He can "pop his booty just like he should." Thanks Kelis. I would've died if I saw this in person. May have even fallen out of my chair.

Bush arrested in Brattleboro?

Happy Hump Day!

Morning Edition, March 5, 2008 · Wherever President Bush may travel next, it's reasonable to assume that it may not be Brattleboro, Vt. Brattleboro voters approved a measure that would instruct police to arrest the president and vice president — for violating the Constitution of the United States — should they drop by.

hahahahahahahaha.
Thanks for sending that over Julie!

The Hills: "Reality" TV at its best

Happy Hump Day everyone! Here's a little video for your Hump Day viewing pleasure.

The Hills: Season 3 continued...
DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA. I'm not a dramatic person and i like it that way, so instead of creating drama in my life, i leave it to Reality TV to provide it for me. Hence my obsession with "The Hills."
I'm a HUGE fan of the show and can't wait til they air the rest of the season.
So to tie me over, i've been watching this video, a preview for the rest of the season, over and over and over again.

March 24. Mark it on your calendars. I'm not going to even pretend like i haven't already.

I'm a 23 year old single mom with two daughters...

Starting this week, I'm getting a dose of reality by playing mom for two middle school girls, Jenny (12) and Jane (14). Their parents are in Israel for work and decided that I would not only be the most dependable but most responsible and loving individual to care for their precious little ones for the next 2 weeks. You see, I used to be their Sunday School teacher probably 7-8 years ago back in Eugene so not only have i known them for a few years, they know I love Jesus too which is a huge plus in their book. Nanny Hannah to the rescue!

So as what all loving mothers do, I'm going to blog about them for the next 12 days. Oh and not only that, I'm also going to post as many pictures I can, just show you, how with my guidance and immaculate parenting skills, they have grown up to be such outstanding citizens in today's society.

Asian kids are the best. I feel very confident making that statement. Growing up, I never had this "free time" that all my other schoolmates talked of. After school, i had either piano lessons, flute lessons, swimming lessons, math tutor, writing tutor, volunteering or Bible study until dinner at 8, which was followed by shower time, reading and then finally bed time. So really, even if i wanted to be a troublemaker, there was no time for me to do so. Brilliant. I'm pretty sure all other Asian parents do the same with their kids as well. Absolutely brilliant!

Back to the girls. Today after school Janet studied Algebra for an hour, followed by an hour of homework, 30 minutes of piano and she just finished vaccuming the stairs. Jenny spent her afternoon doing all of her homework, watching YouTube videos, loading the dishwasher and writing up a 2 page book report that she asked me to assign to her because she was bored. Really?! Not only that, Jenny didn't practice her violin after school because she woke up at 7:15 this morning and practiced before school instead. Wowza.

Ok, well now its time for me to let them have a little fun. We're gonna watch American Idol and play Scrabble :) Be jealous. night! :)

Tuesday's Tune: Jack Johnson's Angel

My brother is my music guru. Whenever I make a trip down to Eugene, i end up getting sucked into his computer for hours, blowing off plans to hang out with real people and instead, I find myself sitting on my bed, making cds from his 5,000+ song collection. From Atmosphere and Damien Rice to Lily Allen and Say Anything, he pretty much has it all. The 3 things my bro and i bond over are music, food and golfing. Yeah, not gonna lie, we're pretty cool :)

Anyway, over the weekend, he gave me Jack Johnson's newest album, Sleep through the Static and the cd pretty much stole my heart. I loved it right off the bat, just like his other cds. The 4th song, "Angel" just kills me, kind of like the first time i ever heard "Bubbly" by Colbie Callait. The lyrics are so genuinely sincere and I'm pretty sure it can't get any sweeter than this song. You can tell that he wrote this song about someone he truly loves, probably his wifey.

If i were a boy, I would learn to play this song on the guitar and serenade an unsuspecting crush or current lover. It would woo them over in a heartbeat.

"She gives me presents, with her presence alone." Really? Gosh. I love this song so much, i looked at my itunes play count yesterday and i listened to it 60 times?! In one day?! No biggie.

K, i'm gonna go listen to it another 60 times, better start now. Hope you like it as much as I do. Just go out and buy the cd, you won't be disappointed. Promise.

SUPER Tuesday: "Yes We Can"

If this video doesn't inspire you to care about this year's presidential election, I'm not sure anything will. Former Black Eyed Peas member, Will.i.am gathered together a group of celebrities and musicians to create a song and video in support of Obama, called "Yes We Can." These celebrities and musicians include, but are not limited to: Kate Walsh, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Scarlet Johansson, John Legend, Nick Cannon, Common, Nicole Scherzinger and so many more.

After the outcome of the past 2 elections, Will.i.am decided he wanted to get involved early on but wasn't sure who he wanted to support, and then came Obama's New Hampshire speech and Will.i.am was in. He wanted to do just what Obama said, create Change, because why? "Yes We Can." And in a matter of just 48 hours, he rallied up enough support and resources to create the song and video which first aired on ABC News Now's "What's the Buzz" segment on Friday (2/1/2008)

"I'm not trying to convince people to see things how i do...I produced this song to share my new found inspiration and how I've been moved...I hope this song will make you feel...love...and think...and be inspired just like the speech inspired me...," said Will.i.am

"Wake up Dwayne, you know who it is!"

Yesterday was SuperBowl Sunday, yes yes it was. A day full of pigging out, excessive drinking , and a whole lot of sitting in front of the TV defending your team and critiquing the commercials. Go America!

Last night's game was pretty uneventful, I think, until David Tyree of the Giant's made that AMAZING helmet catch with 1:15 left in the game. I was cheering on the Patriots but i can still recognize and acknowledge a fantastic catch even if it was on the opposing team. So congratulations Giants fan, well deserved win. Even though it would've been nice to see the Patriots end their flawless season with a SuperBowl win. Oh well, i guess there's always next year. Anywho... on to the commercials.

eh... there are always the standard Budweiser commercials which are generally pretty entertaining, but the 2 commercials that stood out to me this SuperBowl were the eTrade baby commercials and the Charles Barkley and Dwayne Wade T-mobile commercial. Genius.



"Either play better or call in sick!" haha, so funny.
I couldn't find a video of the eTrade baby commercial yet, so here's a link to the video on their site: eTrade SuperBowl commercial