Need some new songs for your iPod?

Probably my biggest consumption in the entertainment world is music. Growing up in a house with 6 siblings, silence was never an option. Oddly, instead of treasuring the quiet, I find it unsettles me. So I have background music on almost all the time- kitchen, car, gym, shower etc. Thus, I always look for new songs to keep it fresh.

I listen to all kinds of music, but probably pop/alt rock the most. As we move into spring and summer, there are always good pop songs on the horizon this time of year. Gaga just released a new single, "Judas", and I'm quite simply almost always going to like a Gaga product. The whole Adele CD, 21, is great. I love, love the new Foo Fighters CD..."These Days" is a gem but the entire thing reminds you of just what a great rock band they are. It's made me go back and listen to their older stuff and appreciate them more. I heard a familiar voice on my Alt Nation Sirius station the other day and had to download- Crystal Castles has a song called "Not in Love" featuring Robert Smith of the Cure. Has a good beat and I can dance to it. I'm a total Gleek and love the Warblers too. Their version of Pink's "Raise Your Glass" should have won them Regionals. J. Lo is so hot right now, being the most beautiful woman in the world and all, and I dig her new single, "I'm into You." I don't dabble in country music much, but Kelly Clarkson has a good duet with Jason Aldean currently on the radio. And I do like his song, "Dirt Road Anthem"- it's almost like a country rap song. And speaking of rap, even though we have listened to Wiz Khalifa's "Roll Up" and "No Sleep" many many times, we still have not settled the debate as to which one is THE song of Spring Break 2011. (I say the former, Phil says the latter. The kids are split. If you do let your kids listen to Wiz Khalifa, download the clean version. And if they get a look at the record cover and ask you what "rolling papers" are, tell them that Wiz is just stocking up on toilet paper...)

These are just a few to sample. Happy listening!

A Royal Dilemma

I had my first unsolicited question to this entertainment blog- happy day! The query was-

"I am planning to DVR the royal wedding...any suggestions as to which channels? I have 2 DVR's." An excellent question!

First of all, I'm in 150%. I'm setting my clock to get up at 4a to watch it live. Having followed the Royals since a young girl, I am quite excited about the upcoming wedding of the century. And if I wasn't excited before, media coverage this week has made me frothy. I love the detailed stories of William and Kate's early childhood, into courtship, into a long on again/off again romance, to finally the big wedding. The commentaries from the British press give me endless new phrases, such as "Wills is very playful, he's not so serio." And, "Quite simply, he really fancied her." And my favorite, "William saw Kate in a skimpy outfit at a school modeling show and thought 'Now this is a bit of all right!'." (All of these should be said in your best Mary Poppins accent.) I love the speculation on every last detail of the day and ceremony (How will Kate wear her hair? Will they use the word 'obey' in their vows? Will Harry be drunk?). And who doesn't love hearing British upper crust names like Davina Duckworth-Chad or Isabella Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe?

But back to the question at hand. Interestingly, the US is has more stories about this wedding than the UK. The coverage is endless. Here's a short list of your options for royal watching, taken from examiner.com:

Friday, April 29 Live Coverage

• BBC 3:00-8:30 a.m. Huw Edwards anchors live coverage from London – If you have BBC or BBC America, this is going to be the sure bet for the best coverage.

• http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/ will be streaming the wedding live. Details in the video at left.

• ABC 4:00-10:00 a.m. Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer will host ABC’s coverage from London. The coverage this week on ABC has been overall pretty good, a few mistakes here and there, but ABC should be a safe bet.

• CBS 5:00-9:00 a.m. Katie Couric hosts live coverage from London

• NBC 4:00-10:00 a.m. Meredith Vieira, Matt Lauer, Brian Williams, Natalie Morales, Ann Curry and Al Roker host a special edition of Today from London.

• CNN 4:00 a.m. Piers Morgan, Anderson Cooper and others host live from London

• E! 4:00-9:00 a.m. Giuliana Rancic hosts live coverage from London; E! will repeat coverage immediately after for those folks who can’t bear to either get up this early (or stay up that late in the PT). I can't imagine this coverage being very good.
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Thursday, April 28

• ABC 8:00 p.m. 20/20 Special with a behind-the-scenes look at what Kate Middleton's life will be like after the nuptials

• Bravo 11:00 p.m. Watch What Happens Live: Royal Wedding Spectacular with Andy Cohen. Again on this one, I can't image this coverage is going to be any more than gossipy.
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Friday, April 29 Post-Wedding Coverage

• ABC 9:00 p.m. 20/20 Special with highlights from the big day

• CBS 8:00 p.m. The Royal Wedding: Modern Majesty prime-time special with Katie Couric

• NBC 9:00 p.m. Dateline two-hour documentary, hosted by Ann Curry

So, for my money, I'd set my two DVR's for NBC and CNN...because you can't go wrong with the silver-haired fox Anderson Cooper and I have a loyalty to the Today Show.

Will you be watching live, DVRing, or ignoring the whole thing? I love feedback, feel free to post your comments!

Cheerio!

My New Unpaid Job

My brilliant husband helped me come up with this blog- an outlet to share the best of what I've watched, read or listened to lately. I'm adding it to the list of other unpaid jobs that I currently hold: Room Mom, PSR teacher, entertainer, DJ (though occasionally this is a paid job), social coordinator, admin to Phil, matchmaker, house elf, children's stylist, short order cook (cannot call myself a chef while I am still fixing chicken nuggets) carpool driver, personal shopper, party planner, camp administrator, personal trainer, overall bon vivant and now blogger. I like it.

Last week I went to see who I consider to be the Madonna of our time, Lady Gaga. I went into the concert with high expectations and the show did not disappoint. I love that this somewhat homely girl from NJ fashioned herself into this worldwide pop icon. But where she differs from Madge is two ways- first, that she is actually very talented musically. When she slowed down "Born This Way" on the piano, her voice and playing were pretty amazing. Second, where Madonna is ice-queen untouchable, Gaga is a little more vulnerable. She credits her fans for making her brave and strong.

Her sets were pretty extravagant- felt very broadway and that's a good thing. She had 12-15 dancers on stage with her for most songs. Though she didn't have an outfit change for every song (as my friend Becky said she did for her last tour), she did have at least 5 different costume changes, mostly outrageously perfect. The fans, called "Little Monsters", kept their paws up in awe of the Mother Monster. People-watching was at an all-time high. There was a short 40-something asian man sitting next to us who arrived alone but sang every word to her songs. Something tells me he had practiced in a Buford Highway karaoke bar. Lots of youngsters and lots of queens. I felt at home.

She sang all of the hits, with appropriate drama. Overall message of the night was to believe in your dreams, believe in yourself, don't let people bully you or call you a freak, because in Gaga's World, you have a home.

Tix for this were purchased almost a YEAR in advance and were about $200. Ouch. But- I would do it again, and I won't miss her again if she comes back through the ATL. Some shows are just worth it.