John Mayer's new album "Battle Studies"

The charismatic John Mayer has produced another album of eleven songs about sadness, lust, anger, and frustration, but surprisingly the album fits into Mayer’s collection without being annoyingly repetitive. As a John Mayer fan I hoped that his creativity with melody and lyrics would differ from the catchy, but sometimes-similar songs from previous albums, and I am pleasantly surprised.
The theme of the album entitled “Battle Studies” incorporates themes of fighting to make a relationship work, and undergoing difficult break-ups. Songs that inherently portray these topics include “Heartbreak Warfare”, “Assassin”, and “War of My Life”. The first has a catchy melody and interesting lyrics such as “clouds of sulfur in the air/ bombs are falling everywhere”, which evoke imagery of war, paralleling a difficult break-up. “Assassin” introduces a melody that varies from Mayer’s traditional style but fits appropriately with lyrics that liken the singer to a murderer of relationships. And the latter song is stylistically similar to the singer’s previous albums, but is equally appealing to “Heartbreak Warfare”, with simple lyrics and hushed, low vocal tones.
Mayer collaborated with pop-country star Taylor Swift on the song “Half of My Heart”, which fits amazingly into John Mayer’s collection of songs because of its upbeat melody and overall lyrical creativity. However, Swift barely contributes to the song, acting as a back-up singer regurgitating lyrics. The song itself is quality, and easily a hit, but it fails to represent any cooperation between the performers, which could have resulted in an amazing duet.
A song that has become a hit, though controversially, is “Who Says”, which portrays themes of drug use in a clever and funny way. Mayer attaches an unexpected melody with the topic to keep the song simultaneous humorous and serious.
But, clearly the most thoughtful song on the album, is “Edge of Desire”. The song evokes passion in a creatively sincere way as evidenced by the lines “just a great figure eight or a tiny infinity”, and “Wired and I’m tired/ think I’ll sleep in my clothes on the floor/ or maybe this mattress will spin on its axis and find me on yours”. The smart, heartfelt lyrics epitomize Mayer’s style as an artist perfectly. Overall the album is entertaining and with Mayer on tour throughout the beginning of 2010, these songs will definitely enhance his set list.

Jingle Ball '09

On December 12th I attended a concert with the most eclectic variety of performers. With such headliners as Shakira, The Fray, and Timbaland, Jingle Ball ’09 was bound to please a wide scope of Y100 listeners. The entire line-up performed as follows: Leighton Meester, IYaz, Jason Derulo, Colbie Caillat, 3OH!3, Flo rida, LMFAO, Jordin Sparks, Timbaland, The Fray, and Shakira. With each of the 11 artists playing a few songs, the concert was a five-hour event that was exciting from beginning to end.
IYaz and Jason Derulo played their hit songs “Replay” and “Whatcha Say”, while Colbie Caillat performed three songs including “Fallin’ for you”. 3OH!3 performed “Starstrukk” and “Don’t Trust Me”, followed by Flo rida who chaotically sang “Sugar” and “Right Round” while throwing his shoes into the audience and offering his gold chains to fans. Afterward, LMFAO sang “La La La” and “I’m in Miami Bitch”. Jordin Sparks sang prior to Timbaland’s performance in which he promoted his new album “Shock Value II” and brought out surprise guests JoJo and Brandy. Guest hosts, Leighton Meester and Adam Lambert, announced the final performers of the night, while Lambert sang a verse from a song on his new album “For your Entertainment”. The Fray and Shakira wrapped up the event beautifully, with the latter performing “Over my Head”, “Never say Never”, and “How to Save a Life”. Finally the nearly 33-year old danced while singing “Hips Don’t Lie” and “She Wolf”. The event was long, but with several breaks between performances (during which, the arena’s speakers blasted “Tik Tok” by Ke$ha, “Somebody” by Kings of Leon, and “All I want for Christmas is you” by Mariah Carey) the show was a once in a lifetime experience.

New Moon has arrived!

Well, my anticipation has finally been quelled. I went to see New Moon last weekend and, let’s just say, it’s lived up to my expectations. Clearly the film was not the work of Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke, but that of Chris Weitz. The movie shifted from a cozy, somewhat homemade flick to a big-budget blockbuster of a film. The special effects have improved drastically and the sequel has an overall more professional aesthetic. However, the movie did retain its alternative rock-infused soundtrack featuring Muse and The Killers. Fans of the novel will not be disappointed; Weitz adhered to the novel fairly well. Although some minor details of the book were sacrificed for time, the film illustrates every major event of the novel explicitly. Even the new actors, comprising of the ‘wolf pack’ and ‘Volturi’ vampires, precisely depict the characters in the series. And if you were a fan of the commentary on the Twilight DVD (like I am; I highly recommend watching it) then you will be excited to know that Weitz plans to record a commentary for New Moon with Rob Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner. Ultimately the film was a success as evidenced by the $142.8 million earned during its opening weekend, and ultimately I cannot wait for the release of Eclipse on June 30th, 2010.

A google of Google

I just wanted to quickly comment on the rise in popularity of the various Google websites. Where there once was only Google, the brand has expanded past Google, images and videos and now includes several separate sites. Googlegooglegooglegoogle.com allows a person to simultaneously google on four pages at once. Which, of course is very useful for a number of reasons, I just can’t think of any. On Mystery Google, a person's Google search is sent to another user, while you receive their search results. This site is equally as useless at Google(x4) but is extremely entertaining. Trust me. Other search engines include 'Emogoogle' which functions like Google, but with a black and red background. 'Blackle' has a black background and claims to be an energy saving search engine, and Givoogle donates a percentage of advertising revenue to cancer research. The brand even has "elgooG" which shows results in reverse. So whether you want to find out how to plan a road trip on Google maps, have a social life on GMail, or simply want to tell a stranger something random (mystery google), then Google has a site for you.

Thanksgiving 2009!

Once again, the third Thursday in November has arrived, and as the temperature outside drops, the temperature inside your oven escalates to 450˚F. While Thanksgiving traditionally centers on food, family, and friends (in that order), the holiday has attracted many traditions over the years. So if your one of the lucky ones who has taken on the task of cooking, there are plenty of ways to celebrate while waiting for the turkey to thaw, and your only a click away.
To fully experience Thanksgiving, the Macy’s day Parade is a must. From 9am until noon, the 82nd annual event will feature performers such as Boys like Girls, Katharine McPhee, and Jimmy Fallon, and new balloons that include Spiderman and the Pillsbury Doughboy. In addition to new balloons and floats, this year’s participants will march down a new route along 7th Avenue, making a few turns before reaching 34th St. and Herald Square.
After the parade, enjoy another classic event, the American Kennel Club’s annual Dog Show. Sponsored by Purina, the show highlights a wide variety of canine breeds and is the perfect family-friendly event for dog-lovers.
Of course, you can’t go wrong watching a football game. The Oakland Raiders will be playing the Dallas Cowboys beginning at 4:15, with a guest appearance from AI competitor Daughtry at halftime. Also, the New York Giants will play the Denver Broncos at 8:20.
No matter how you celebrate the holiday season this year, remember to enjoy the long weekend spent with family and friends. And dessert. Definitely enjoy the dessert.

Halloween-Get Creative!

Tomorrow is Halloween and I have come up with some tips for trick-or-treaters and partygoers alike.

Creativity Counts! Dump the devil’s horns and angel wings in the trash and opt for a more inventive ensemble. Coordinate group costumes and celebrate as Charlie’s Angels or the Little Rascals. Or make the ‘treating’ rounds in a homespun creation. Anything goes when it comes to Halloween attire.

Staying in? Celebrate by watching classic movies! Whether you’d prefer a comedy like “Young Frankenstein” or a real bone-chiller such as “Night of the Living Dead”, there are plenty of choices to properly observe the holiday. Even Michael Jackson’s quintessential “Thriller” video would be appropriate.
So tomorrow night, remember: be creative and have fun!

World Series '09-Game 1

The 2009 World Series begins tonight at 7:57, starring the New York Yankees, and incumbents, the Philadelphia Phillies. The series looks promising, as the Yankees compete for the 40th time as American League champions, and the Phillies defend its title as 2008 World Series champs.
I am overjoyed as the Yankees clinch the AL pennant for the first time since the 2003 Marlins-Yankees series, which resulted in a Florida victory. The team has not won the Series since its memorable ‘Subway Series’ versus the Mets in 2000. But after the strong series against the LA Angels, in which two of the five games played into extra innings, will the Yankees be able to play another forceful series to overtake the defending champs? With CC Sabathia pitching, and the first game of the series beginning in New York, in the new Yankee stadium, I am hoping for the best because a Yankees victory is long overdue.

Fall premieres fall short

With the appearance of back to school commercials in full effect, another popular promotion emerges: series premiere plugs. And after loitering all summer, I was fully enthusiastic about the premieres of some of my favorite TV programs, including Grey’s Anatomy, and House. Unfortunately, I am left unimpressed by the pair of medical shows.
Concluding with an intense cliffhanger in which a main character dies, the Grey’s premiere was ultimately depressing. As hospital employees grieve in unison, a new plot diverges away from the chaotic lives of Seattle Grace’s residents, toward Chief Richard Webber’s (James Pickens Jr.) struggle to maintain his position at the hospital. The restructuring of the show is due to conflicting schedules among cast members, as Katherine Heigl was filming a movie at the same time that Grey’s was filming. Also, Ellen Pompeo was expecting a baby throughout filming, which explains why her character will be subtly faded out of some of season six. Overall, the new season looks disappointing, especially sans George, the sweet, altruistic, and promising young surgeon whose death was the focus of the dreary two-hour long premiere.
Conversely, in the premiere of House, Hugh Laurie’s character’s storyline is the only one’s to progress. The show starts off by isolating Gregory House in a psychiatric facility, where the stubborn doctor is analyzed and treated, and apparently cured, in the span of the two-hour program. The program concludes with a psychiatric doctor temporarily withholding House’s medical license. So not only does the season premiere exclude House’s posse of coworkers, it further removes itself from the medical genre by limiting House’s interaction with the cast of doctors. In doing so, the episode fails to deliver the humorous quips that fans expect from the show.

I think it’s time for me to find a new medical-themed show this season.

Giving Back Woodstock

Taking Woodstock, a comedic account of the concert that revolutionized musical culture in the 60’s, ineffectually attempts to recount Woodstock’s generational influences. Hoping for a retrospective depiction of the famed event, I was utterly disappointed with the perspective that director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Hulk) and screenplay writer James Schamus portrayed. Instead of glorifying the tradition and music, the film consisted mainly of ribald comments and crude characterizations of stereotypical hippies. The plot centers on young adult Elliot Tiber (Demetri Martin) who struggles with mediocrity as an adjunct manager of his parent’s motel, The El Monaco. Tiber obtains a permit for what was intended to become a small, annual cultural festival, but when Woodstock is forced to relocate, the White Lake, NY native jumps at the opportunity to attract a bevy of customers to the deteriorating motel. The story then gravitates around the chaos caused by an influx of ‘free spirits’ who damage Tiber’s and surrounding properties, and whose wild antics disturb the conservative-minded town. Raw, illicit themes associated with Woodstock are highlighted in the behind-the-scenes portrayal of the concert. Martin’s character never actually attends the concert, although he organizes the event, because he is too preoccupied taking care of the disorderly motel. The only positive element to the movie was the use of newscasts and wardrobe/hair/language styles emphasize the 60’s setting, but the excessive reminders of the time period suffocate the audience. For the most part, Taking Woodstock was a slow moving, bawdy film that further tarnishes the reputation of an innovative and profound event.

Teen Choice? Not my pick

The Teen Choice Awards '09 went on last night in CA while the awkward Jo Bros hosted and accepted insane dares from viewers. In an effort to make the show more relatable to teens, the award show offered a segment ‘Dare the Jonas Brothers’ which included Mike Tyson cutting Joe’s hair, Kevin getting a tattoo, and Nick hugging audience members. The ‘dares’ were unrealistic. Viewers only saw a quick clip of Joe’s hair getting snipped, didn’t get to witness Kat Von D taking a needle to Kevin’s wrist, and Nick’s dare was a complete set up, with about 20 girls lined up on stage for him to hug.
The night definitely didn’t improve with the performances. Sean Kingston’s ‘Fire Burning’ was terribly lip-synced and all the dancers and Jamaican flags were distracting. Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A" was much worse, however. With a stripper-pole routine and ensemble to match, the ‘singer’s performance was completely wrong. But I should have known to change the channel the second I saw the queen of Tiger Beat strutting out of a shabby looking trailer.
Overall, the awards show failed to serve their intended audience. Aiming at pre-teens with the Disney stars, and I-don’t-know-what-audience with Miley’s routine, the show left me un-entertained.

On Set Vacations

As a fan of all aspects of entertainment, when vacationing in New York City I knew I wanted to track down some of my favorite actors and actresses in Manhattan. With onvacationlocations.com, finding filming locations is effortless. The blog lists TV shows such as Gossip Girl, House, Mad Men, Monk, Just Wright (with Queen Latifah), and movies such as Grown-ups (starring Adam Sandler), and The Bounty (with Jen Aniston and Gerard Butler). The site offers photos of actors on set, and lists events that celebs will be attending. For example, the website announced when and where Ashton Kutcher and Anne Heche’s after party for their new movie Spread, would be. They also reported that Jennie Garth would be involved in a charity program for TJ Maxx in Manhattan, via her husband, Peter Facinelli’s twitter. The site is reliable, and whether you’re in Manhattan, LA, –or in the case of Grown-ups, Massachusetts– your bound to find some of your favorite stars filming. Visit www.onlocationvacations.com for filming location information.

'My Sisters' not a keeper

Eagerly anticipating the release of My Sisters’ Keeper, I went to the theater to see the film the day it came out, June 25th. Unfortunately I am disappointed about the film adaptation of the dramatic novel. Having read the novel, and several other works by Jodi Picoult, I believe the movie fails to live up to the quality of the original story plot. While some minor details were changed, the most difficult one for me to deal with is the change in the movie’s ending. The end to the novel is unpredictable and ironic, but the movie ended extremely predictable (that is, if you hadn’t read the book and expected the written conclusion) and made the movie boring and depressing. With the plot surrounding a young girls battle with Leukemia and a family’s struggle to save her, Jodi Picoult did an ample job to lighten the mood of the plot with a wide range in character stories. The author included details about a relationship between the main character Anna (Abigail Breslin)’s attorney and her guardian ad litem. Picoult further describes the situations that Anna’s brother Jesse (Evan Ellingson) gets into rebelling from the tumultuous family-life he’s grown up in. These side-stories bring humor to the melancholy plot line. The movie completely ignores the relationship between attorney and guardian, and even eliminates the latter character completely. The film also barely acknowledges Jesse, but rather shows clips of him walking around out late at night, or smoking alone on a street corner. With these details eliminated from the movie, the plot becomes depressing and tragic, instead of creative and inspiring.

(Go to http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1078588/synopsis for a full plot synopsis of My Sister Keeper-the movie, and http://litsum.com/my-sisters-keeper/ for a synopsis of the book.)

Countdown to New Moon

I cannot wait until November 20th, the release date for New Moon, the second novel and upcoming movie in the Twilight series. Having waited months for Twilight to be released last November, I am hopeful that this movie will equally be worth the wait, and hopefully better than the first. New Moon will vary from the preceding film due to a change in directors and several new cast mates. Director Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass) has taken over for Catherine Hardwicke (Lords of Dogtown, The Nativity Story) in the upcoming film. In addition, about 15 new actors will be joining the cast, making up the Quileute tribe’s ‘wolf pack’ and the reining vampire coven, the Volturi. Michael Sheen and Dakota Fanning are just two of the new cast members, both playing Volturi vampires in New Moon.
Another difference from the previous movie will be the main male character, with Twilight's vampire-smitten Bella (Kristen Stewart) falling for wolf-pack member Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) after Edward (Rob Pattinson) abandons her in an attempt to keep her safe. Watch the trailer at http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=58185785 and see for yourself!!

(Go to stepheniemeyer.com for more info on the movie and book series)