Never Say Bieber

I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks...in addition to mother's day, my birthday, girls beach weekend and end of school activities, my computer died on me last week. Phil took it in to the Apple store and they said I was at maximum capacity and very close to permanent freeze up level. So now I am on a fresh new beautiful MacBook Pro. It glows like JLo and I love it!

So I meant to write about the Zac Brown Band show a couple weekends ago (see above pic)...twas a fantastic performance by some very talented guys. As stated before, I only dabble in country music, but this band offered so much for the crossover fan. In the middle of a song, they would play a verse of Van Morrison or Kenny Rogers. They did win the Grammy for Best New Artist for a reason. If I can get Phil to belt out "Chicken Fried" then you better believe they were rockin'. I probably need to add that the show was at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, which is the go-to venue for the suburban set. We don't set foot at Lakewood any more and Chastain is too pretentious. But we'll go see a band we are only marginally interested in because it's in our backyard. So that's why we didn't see too many Wranglers or Lee Jeans- this show did not scream hard core country fans. The uniform for any girl under 25 was sundress + cowboy boots. The male accessory was a cold beer. But I digress from a concert review to a fashion critique.

My latest reco in DVD viewing may come as a bit of a surprise. But with 60 degree temps two days in a row (that's freezing for Atlanta for May), I picked up the new Justin Bieber movie, Never Say Never. The girls were very interested but I had to force Jackson to watch. He claims to hate The Biebs, as I have heard many young boys say. I'm not sure where this hatin' is coming from...are elementary school boys just programmed to hate what girls love? or perhaps they are just jealous. But it can't be because he is talentless- after watching this movie, I'm a total Belieber. This boy started playing drums as a four year old! And guitar not long after. He's a small town boy with a dream...and managed to sell out Madison Square Garden. He's got an amazing voice, endless energy, and is a great dancer to boot. Aside from being from Canada, I couldn't find anything wrong with him. It's a very uplifting movie, and a must-see if you are trying to groom showbiz kids (as I am unsuccessfully.). Even Jacks said, "His mother must be very proud of him."

I'm thisclose to buying the "The Future Mrs. Bieber" T-shirt at the mall...you smile, I smile.

Glee does Fleetwood Mac

Last night's Glee was great on many levels, not the least of which was that all of the songs came from the seminal Fleetwood Mac 1977 album- Rumours. Yes, I was only 5 when it came out but remember, I have 5 older sisters who all lived the heartache of Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham. As a general rule, I really don't like Jurassic Rock. I have a list of classic rock songs that if I never hear again in this lifetime, I'll be fine. (Another blog for another time.)

Fleetwood Mac is the exception to that rule. I loved "Landslide" well before Smashing Pumpkins or Dixie Chicks covered it. I went through a witch skirt phase, like my favorite gypsy Stevie (and in fact, just pulled a black one out of my friend Jamie's goodwill pile). I wanted to name my daughter "Rhiannon." In middle school, I had this cassette tape in my collection and a cute boy saw it and thought it was the Timex Social Club's radio hit (How do rumours get started? Started by the jealous people and they get mad seein' something they had and somebody else is holdin'). Of course I didn't correct him because A. He was cute and B. How uncool was it to have a 1977 Fleetwood Mac tape in your 1984 collection?

My sister Diane (pictured above) and I had many discussions over whether we liked Christine McVie or Stevie Nicks (which later prompted the now famous opinion switch exchange, which we do with just about everything. It goes something like:

Joy: Who do you like better, Christine McVie or Stevie Nicks?

Diane: Definitely Christine McVie, she has a much better voice.

Joy: Yeah, she's pretty good. I dig her. But I think Stevie is talented too.

Diane: Um, yeah, I guess you're right, Stevie is a cool singer.

Joy: And a really great songwriter too. She's way more interesting than Christine.

Diane: I love her raspy voice!

Joy: And she had to go through this break up with a band member in front of the whole world!

Diane: Definitely Stevie Nicks, definitely!

This can be done with two actors, movies, albums, foods, etc. Diane will switch with you if you talk her into it. My friend Hiedi thought this was so funny that she started doing it with her sister.)

So how excited was I that Glee sang all songs from Rumours last night? And a good plot too. For a while there this season, I feel like it has meandered a bit. But last night, they brought April Rhodes back (my Broadway fave, Kristin Chenowith.) Her "Dreams" duet with Mr. Shue was pretty much perfect. And the big reveal about Sam's heartbreaking secret got me choked up. The Glee club bought back his guitar!! I even didn't mind the super cheesy "Don't Stop" number at the end- I had a big grin at the love and support this group of kids provide for each other. What is wrong with me that I can't wait to find out who will be prom king and queen?? I'm re-living my adolescence but with better music.