The whole wide world probably knows by now that Big Brother, that super awesome reality tv show where people live togheter for a determined period of time, is now coming to Canada.
I've been a die-hard fan of Big Brother ever since it began in 2000. The gameplay that evolves between those four walls is insane! It is very hard to predict what will happen next and it lives up to its tagline of "Expect the Unexpected".
When V - a Quebec television channel - launched its very own version of Big Brother, I was quick to jump on the bandwagon and applied to have a chance to enter the famous house. Sadly, I didn't get chosen but one of my friend's dad played. I played vicariously through him.
But the obsession to play a game like that doesn't stop there. I participated in three online versions of Phil's Facebook Survivor. It's quite addictive and you actually form alliances and have strategy just through your facebook message center. You think paranoïa is bad when you see two people walk off into the jungle to talk, imagine when you don't even know who's talking to who (unless you're a hacker).
First time I played, my parents computer was fucked and so I was voted off first for being non-existent. The second time I got the chance to play, I was determined to make it to the end. With the help of my cousin, we made final two - I won. Na-na-na-na *sticks out tongue to Katie, the cousin.*
Then a year later (I couldn't have waited any longer), I participated in a special Phil's Facebook Survivor All-Star: Winners VS Runner-ups. I was way too anxious and paranoïd to play this time around, especially against players who had pre-existing alliances. I was like 2nd or 3rd voted out and dumb-ass me, I gave the secret immunity clues to the one person who was playing one step ahead of me.
But now Big Brother is coming to Canada and I have another chance at playing a game of strategy. Wish me luck!
I feel kinda nostalgic lately. Maybe its because i'm spending a bit more time at the cottage with my parents. Maybe it's the summer. Whatever the reason, I'm suddenly remembering the times of my childhood and how much I miss running around after my sister and brother.
I know that as we grow up and forge our own paths in life we tend to lose focus on what matters the most - and that is family. It holds us together, forces us to comply and make sacrifices, grounds us in our daily routines.
I'm having my last - what I call "bettering myself" - session today and it'll focus heavily on my childhood, which is making me both anxious and nostalgic all at the same time. I was sure I would be ready to go back in the past and relive the moments I've cherished but I don't think I am.
If you have been following my blog, you know that my relationship with my sister isn't the same anymore - it has evolved. In the last year I've seen my sister as much as I have in one week only two years ago. And I miss that. I miss having my sister, my friend to talk to, share laughs with, discuss current events, however heated the debate got.
When I was younger, even though my brother loved to torment and scare me - like every older brother - he was still there each and every time I got scared at night. Even if he won every single monopoly game or didn't feel like it, he'd still play with me.
And our trips at the cottage, when all three of us would swim out to the floating docks, my brother lifting us up onto the platform for us to wave and scream and laugh as our mother snapped pictures.
And then I realise how lucky I am. To have those memories. And to be able to cherish them. Maybe I am ready to dive into the past.
Oh yay! It's that time of year where mega-produced songs come out to fill our ears with happy, joyful, and most importantly, festive music!! It's at that same time where we all suddenly forget what quality music sounds like and jump on the POP-SYNTH train that comes rolling in every week.
Come for the ride, enjoy the music!
Flo Rida - Whistle
Nelly Furtado - Big Hoops (Bigger the Better)
The Wanted - Glad You Came
Simple Plan - Summer Paradise
Rihanna feat. Chris Brown - Birthday Cake
These are just the songs that I can list off the top of my head, I'm sure there will be plenty more to come this summer! Rihanna and Flo Rida alone have twenty songs/ week.
I have breaking news. I mean, its news for people who have an equally disturbing love for zombies. If the walking dead ain't your thing, then turn around and walk away. But make it quick, I feel a fever coming on...
That was a zombie joke up there! Totally dying of laughter here! Okay - so back to the serious soft tissue at hand. The super-zealous rom-novel Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion is being produced for the big screen. Now that comes to no surprise to me since everything YA is being made into PG so might as bloody well adapt the next best thing in YAfiction.
Warm Bodies is a tale of two lovers unable to find its balance. One is human. One is a zombie. Seems suuuuuuuper ridiculous but it is quite the opposite. Sure it plays on zombie stereotypes - what art form doesn't, right? - but where most mediums exploit the slapstick, Warm Bodies embraces it as if it wasn't infected at all!
There is no release date yet but I plead y'all to go out and buy/read this book because once the movie comes out you will all be like:
"Where did I hear that title before and why is everyone so excited about a zombie love story?"
When I talk about Robyn, most people have one of two reactions: they ask me what the fuck Robyn is and what that eats during winter OR they reference her chart-topping US hit Show me Love. Neither of those reactions seem suitable to me because Robyn should be known by the world AND should be known for her recent efforts which kick Show me Love out of the park.
When Robyn dissapeared from North American radios, so did she from my mind. I never even thought twice about her. Sometimes when an artist just vanishes, i'm left wanting more or finding it a pity that they stopped making music. Yeah, didn't happen back in 1996.
Several years later A decade and several years later while watching an episode of So You Think You Can Dance, I noticed that one of the featured songs - Cobrastyle - was a musical effort taken from Robyn.
Robyn is a common name but in the music world, one can't just take the name of another and so I knew that the odd electro funk song was genuinely from the same Robyn who gave us the god-awful 90's powerhouse pop ballad Show me Love.
And so in 2008 - twelve years after I last heard her music - I was able to renew that musical relationship with the blonde girl from Sweden. With immense zeal I share with you Robyn's timeline.
Marie-Mai, a Quebec singer who was discovered thanks to Star Académie (a very succesful francophone singing competition) translated the song into french for her upcoming fourth studio album. She has yet to give a name to the album or a release date. She covered the song and released it as Sans Cri ni Haine (Without Screaming nor Hatred). She kept the meaning of the song (tell your ex to move on but do it nicely because he/she still has feelings for you). Anyhow, here's the lyrics video - which seem to be popular nowadays.
So yeah, that sums it up quite nicely. And that SNL performance is off the charts!
Well, it is time to say au revoir to our brown coin. With the announcement of the new budget, it has been decided that production of the Canadian penny will stop this Fall.
It's going to be weird not seeing 2,3,4,6,7,8,9's in the total price. Everything will finish with either a 5 or a 0. That concept scares me.
Another thing i'm deadly afraid of is the 0.01$ candies. What will happen to them? WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THEM?
I have not had a musical obsession in yeeeears. Come to think of it, the last artist to make my heart flutter and my ears melt with ecstacy was Alanis Morissette. Yeah like 15 years ago.
It's quite hard to put into words how I feel about Lana Del Rey (real name: Elizabeth Grant). Trust me, I've tried being coherent. Doesn't work.
**Please note you will not find any illegally-downloaded music of hers here. Part of becoming a fan of someone is hunting down their work. However hard it is to find. (I'm lookin' at you Jimmy Necco!!)**
Like a great deal of people, I didn't know about Lana Del Rey until earlier this year, when my cousin texted me to let me know (I) JUST HAVE TO LISTEN TO THIS NEW CHICK. Now, when it comes to music, I don't tend to listen to other peoples suggestions - nothing pretentious, I just know alot of music since I listen to pretty much everything.
So open a new tab, click on youtube link, enter VIDEO GAMES LANA DEL REY.
My world has changed since that search on youtube. Yup, so not the same person. I've become a net junkie, something I never was nor ever thought I'd claim to be. But here I am, searching the net for everything and anything Del Rey; Interviews, Music Vids, Promos, Songs, Stories. I even followed through with my oooold twitter account just to get newer news from the Del Rey herself.
What caught my attention at first was her odd yet seductive look; edgy but not marginal, classy but not typical. I must admit, Video Games did not attract me at all at first. It was a new sound, one I had long forgotten since the times of Portishead and Morcheeba.
When the clip was done and over with, I had to see what else was out there. I haven't stopped since. lol. As I gradually became accustomed to her sultry voice and deep tones, I found myself enjoying her more melodic, personal tunes (see Jump, Queen of the Gas Station, and Trash/Trash Magic/Miss America - she apparently couldn't find a suitable title as the song appears on Youtube under three different titles) rather then her more radio-friendly fares such as Video Games and Born to Die.
This so-called obsession could have passed had I not heard Dark Paradise and Money Hunny. The perfect blend of hip-hop and folk, trip-hop and blues, modern jazz and classic pin-up. This woman has everything and it flows out so naturally.
The lyrics are obviously very personal to Del Rey as many words or phrases come back again and again such as : Chateau Marmont, Daddy, Red Dress, Lipstick, Honey. She has a passion for Old Hollywood glamour and flare, as apparent by her numerous nods to pearls, big hair do's, and stars of that era (Elvis, James Dean).
She has so much love to give and it is so very obvious in how she talks and just generally interacts with fans. We can expect only better from this fresh talent, mainly because she still has a shitload of awesome songs that have yet to be re-released. You see, Lana Del Rey bought back the rights to her previous album and is (allegedly) going to re-release them. *crossing fingers*
I even made a little rap about how anxious I am for Lana Del Rey to release her old songs so we can listen to them freely and hopefully in better quality. You Can Be The Boss, for example, could benefit from a musical facelift!!
Ohmygod! An EP release
I need my L-D-R fix!
Gimme that treat
So I can stop my tricks
and listen to the beat
beat, beat, beat,beat,beat
Lana Del Rey
Beautiful Day
Cigarette Tray
And a Glass of Chardonnay
Oh man. It'll be a while before I ever get tired of Lana Del Rey. I can't remeber how it was before I started listening to her songs at work. All day. Every day.
Who knew Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia, The Unsuals, 127 hours) could be so damn funny?
Tamblyn released an e-mail conversation she had with singer/actor/model Tyrese Gibson (Fast & Furious franchise, Transformers franchise) in which he had misaken her for Amber Rose (Kanye's ex, Wiz Khalifa's fiancé). You see, Amber Tamblyn's email is Amberrose@whatever.com, with Rose being the actress' middle name.
Both Tamblyn and Tyrese were CC'd in the same e-mail and so Tyrese took the opportunity to talk business - and possibly flirt - with who he thought to be Amber Rose.
Still following?
Thinking all of this would be very funny, Tamblyn went along with the name confusion and made up some hilarious demos about the current women's health crisis in the States and shared them with Tyrese. Wait for "All in Favour" - you'll pee your pants, laughing!!
Well, here's the copy of the e-mail as well as Amber Tamblyn's message to Tyrese (who has been less then kind upon hearing about the release of the e-mail and demos. Don't know why, this is funny as hell!)
*please note, the videos have been added in the place where Tamblyn uploaded her "demos". I don't have soundcloud so had to use youtube videos. But you get the jist of it.
Tyrese Gibson (of Fast and Furious and Transformers) saw my name cc’d on an email that a mutual friend sent out and thought I was the model ex girlfriend of Kanye West, Amber Rose. (My middle name is Rose and my email adress is registered as Amber Rose). I’ve never met Tyrese before. He pulled my email addy from that cc list and emailed me wanting to work on an album together. So I recorded my demos on my iPhone and sent them to him. I guess you could call them Awareness Raps? I am the Hilary Clinton of Ghostface Killahs.
Below are all the email correspondences I had with Tyrese as well as the songs I sent him.
DISCLAIMER: Tyrese is a very sweet guy with good intentions who made a mistake and I, being an actress and engaged to a comedian, could not help myself. Tyrese, please accept my 87% hearfelt apology for stringing you along. I think we could have made beatufiul music together.
THE EMAIL:
On Sun, Feb 26, 2012 at 11:41 AM, Tyrese Gibson wrote: Hit me now … ***.***.**** Respectfully, Tyrese Gibson Amber Rose Wrote: Sorry boo I would but my neighbors is really into exotic animals and I promised I would go over and see their new baby Ball Python. On Sat, Feb 25, 2012 at 9:04 PM, Tyrese Gibson wrote: On this new album it’s whatever.. Respectfully, Tyrese Gibson
On Feb 26, 2012, at 10:16 AM, Amber Rose T wrote: lol u are so sweet boo I’ve been trying to get this album goin for so long u know how it is. Attached is the single demo I’ve been workin on… not finished yet but soon! Thanks to u boo lol. I will send you more demos soon. You will have demos comin out ur demos!! lol
On Sun, Feb 26, 2012 at 10:55 AM, Tyrese Gibson wrote: We can make it real …. I’m sitting on a lot of magic … Let me know when ur in LA .. We can play until we customize AR Respectfully, Tyrese Gibson
On Feb 26, 2012, at 11:03 AM, Amber Rose wrote: I like the way you think. The music is just temp tracks but the lyrics and songs are my babies. Attached is another one. I’m so happy you are feelin’ these! God Bless lol Love 4Ever
On Sun, Feb 26, 2012 at 11:21 AM, Tyrese Gibson wrote: That song was not it … Not even remotely …. Just keepin it real Respectfully, Tyrese Gibson
On Feb 26, 2012, at 11:29 AM, Amber Rose wrote: Thank you so much for keepin it really real, T. That last one I was just messin around with. The first one I sent called Dancefloor Etiquette” is important to the feministical evolution and fourth wave movement of Woman-Beats and Girl-Music. Ya know? NEWayz, I will send more! Demos and demos lol….xA
On Wed, Feb 29, 2012 at 11:33 AM, Tyrese Gibson wrote: What u on? Respectfully, Tyrese Gibson
On Feb 29, 2012, at 12:43 PM, Amber Rose wrote: Virgin America!
On Wed, Feb 29, 2012 at 12:47 PM, Tyrese Gibson wrote: Hit me when u land Pluto lady .. I got some shit in the stash Hope I’m not wasting my time .. I got 6 hot ones for u ***.***.**** Respectfully, Tyrese Gibson
On Mar 1, 2012, at 11:23 AM, Amber Rose wrote: Here listen to these 2 first…What do you think? Then we can talk. ON THE REAL talk.
On Thu, Mar 1, 2012 at 11:26 AM, Tyrese Gibson wrote: That was trash …. Sorry .. At this point I don’t even believe this is Amber …. I’m cool … Good luck on your career … One Respectfully, Tyrese Gibson
On Mar 1, 2012, at 11:40 AM, Amber Rose wrote: Wow…okay. Sorry you feel that way. To each his own I suppose. These do mean something to me. They are from my heart and I feel like there is an important message in each and every song. But okay, good luck on your career as well. OH AND BY THE WAY – For the record, this is really Amber. Best, Amber Rose Tamblyn
On Thu, Mar 1, 2012 at 11:47 AM, Tyrese Gibson wrote: Didn’t sound like u on the songs Respectfully, Tyrese Gibson
On Thu, Mar 1, 2012 at 11:47 AM, Tyrese Gibson wrote: Here’s something ONLY YOU would know … One night we left what party..? And u dropped me off where..?? Respectfully, Tyrese Gibson
On Mar 1, 2012, at 12:00 PM, Amber Rose wrote: I don’t know what you’re talking about. What party? Best, Amber Rose Tamblyn
Tyrese Gibson ************* to me show details 12:20 PM (46 minutes ago) Never-mind .. Respectfully, Tyrese Gibson
I have a feeling we haven't heard the last of Tamblyn's awareness raps...
I've been a die-hard fan of Big Brother ever since it began in 2000. The gameplay that evolves between those four walls is insane! It is very hard to predict what will happen next and it lives up to its tagline of "Expect the Unexpected". 
