amusant

Grammys

2011-02-13T23:31:00.000-08:00

Live Blogging:

8:15 Christina Aguilera fell! Oh xtina.

8:54 This Bruno Mars black and white thing is really cool! I got excited when he said "just the way you are."
This arrangement of "Grenade" is a nice refreshing change from the tune that's being played out on the radio at the moment.

9:10 BIEBER TIME =]
Jaden Smith is getting taller. Will, Jada, and Willow look so proud, as they should be.
Whoa!Usher just made his sunglasses disappear! That was really cool!!! Oh, is Bieber wearing them?

Selena Gomez read Justin's pop album nomination, wink.

9:50 Ceelo looks gnarly. I'm digging the puppet band.
Gweneth is sounds great! Her heels are super high! I'd be scared to walk in those, let alone stand on a piano!

10:00 I love glittery eye shadow. I wish I had an occasion to rock it.
Awww! Katy had footage of her wedding in the background! She reminded me Valentines Day is tomorrow.
Okay, I know "Teenage Dream" already says it all. Her choregoraphy is still funny to me. It doesn't even try to be innocent at all.

10:03 Does John Mayer not know the words to this song? That was nice! They should have performed more!

10:12 Seth Rogen made the joke I sort of expected to come up this evening.

10:15 Rihanna's dress looks firey. This performance with Eminiem is FIRE. I feel the anger. It's pulling me in, making sure I pay attention and WATCH his performance.
I thought they were kidding when they said Avril Lavigne was on stage too. The lighting is dimmed everytime she takes the stage. I almost didn't recognize her with the shorter black hair.
Here's Dre! Wow.

10:40 It won't matter if you can swagger like 'ol Mic Jagger. If you got heart and soul you can rock and roll. That was awesome.

10:53 Eminem's chain resembles the Deathly Hallows. Minus the Elder Wand.

Drama fix

2011-02-07T22:33:00.000-08:00

I watch too much TV!
I already have Pretty Little Liars, Greek, One Tree Hill, NCIS, Hellcats, Vampire Diaries, Grey's Anatomy, and General Hospital.
I've taken on House of Anubis.
My Life as Liz is back.
Glee is back.

I already gave up Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. I'm giving up Gossip Girl too.

Brittany mentioned One Tree Hill in a not-so-nice comment. One Tree Hill still retains a good audience for the CW even though it is in the same time slot as Glee and NCIS. Why? Because its fans are true and loyal.

They also mentioned One Tree Hill on Greek tonight.

OTH won't be cancelled. It will end, thank you very much.

Lunar Superbowl Sunday

2011-02-03T20:32:00.000-08:00

Family Fun Weekends are all the buzz lately at Disneyland. Fiesta and Kickin' Country weekends didn't appeal to me. I might have made an effort for Character Fan Days if it featured characters I really long to see (like Marie from Aristocats, villans, Phineas, Ferb and Perry).

Lunar New Year sounded cool. I sort of dressed for the occasion. It was Superbowl Sunday, but I didn't expect crowds to be light. I didn't think it was terribly crowded. FastPass reservations weren't too far in advanced. But then again, I hardly went on any rides.

The festival area is a HUGE, sort of hidden area of the park. I always thought it was a dead end past BTMRR and the petting zoo, but the area connects to Fantasyland!

Chinese Mickey, Minnie, Chip and Dale were out meeting and greeting people. Mickey and Minnie were just about to leave as we arrived. We lined up to be first for Mulan and Mushu. There was a dance number on stage. It was cute, though not authentic. Staged tourism, as I learned in intercultural communications last semester. But this is Disneyland, where everything is staged.

Mulan was nice. Mushuis as tall as her. Chip and Dale spit up and each got their own stations. I met Dale. His autograph is cool, he draws a picture of himself. I told him he was cooler than Chip.

There were also other dances from actual Asian groups, coloring tables, and expensive tea for purchase. As we were leaving, there was a dragon dance going through the audience.

After riding it's a small world, we went to Toontown. We saw Goofy and got in line to meet him. He started walking around and you had to follow. It wasn't as amusing as the Wonderland crew or Peter Pan.

We met Steamboat Willy at Mickey's House.
Courtney bought me a Disney Nerds lanyard! So I may start pin trading.
Decided on a corndog for lunch. It really hit the spot!
Saw Alice and Mad Hatter come out for musical chairs.

We crossed the esplanade and walked all the way around the construction walls to enter California Adventure. We got to watch Disney Channel Rocks. I like that they incorporate the World of Color fountains, but it would be more fun with a traveling stage like the High School Musical shows. I felt I was more into the show than the rest of the audience combined! I was dancing and singing along. Most of the songs were from Camp Rock.

Then, we played the boardwalk games. There was a little bending of the rules that resulted in a medium prize from the fishing game. Hahahahaha.

We did parent swap for California Screamin' and Tower of Terror. We passed through ElecTRONica on the way out. These girls had pink and red-lit Minnie bows. We wanted to buy some too, but they had purchased them in Japan. Dang.

The Park

2011-01-28T22:03:00.000-08:00

I'm proud to say that I was at Electric Heart's first show.
They performed six songs, beginning with "PopStar" and ending with "You Are the One."

OTH Accidents!

2011-01-03T19:46:00.000-08:00

The following article made me laugh and smile. I appreciate articles that count how many times similar or identical situations occur (e.g. the number of times Luc and Tess say "I know, right?" in Camp Rock 2). Fans like me really don't care that every major character of One Tree Hill has almost died. Remember what we learned from the (second) prom episode in Honey Grove, Texas? No one else has the same drama as these characters. The only thing you can relate to is the love and heart ache. I love these characters and I love this show!

'One Tree Hill' Loves Almost Killing Off Characters
By SHARON THARP

The latest car crash. [ Image Source ]

We still have two weeks until One Tree Hill officially returns for the last half of its eighth and most likely final season. And I gotta say, the show is actually better than it's been in years. It's still beating network favorite Gossip Girl in ratings and fans are more turned in then ever.

But, I gotta point something out. If you're a Tree Hill fan, then you undoubtedly noticed it, but the show has a tendency to feature a major car accident EVERY SEASON. Well, except season 7. But still. Seriously, every main character has gotten into a major car accident and nearly died. Every single one.

Let's recap, shall we?

Lucas

Lucas lands in a coma after his inebriated uncle turns at a red light in season 1. His real father, Dan, is forced to save him and despite a hurt shoulder, surgery and going into a coma, he's fine. Miraculous!

Nathan

Nathan, like his brother, slipped into a coma due to a car crash. He intentionally drives a race car off the road in season 2. Not only that, but he also inadvertently causes two other car crashes – one that makes Rachel and his Uncle Cooper drive off a bridge (season 3) and one that injures his pregnant wife (season 4). Way to go, Nate. Oh, and he crashes Peyton's car in season 1 while he's driving drunk.

Peyton

Peyton's adopted mother died when she ran a red light and Peyton tempted fate a few times in season 1. Aside from the psycho stalker who tried to kill her, getting shot in the leg by a school shooter and the near-fatal birth of her daughter, Peyton gets into a huge car accident in season 6 while pregnant. Surprise! She survives.

Haley

A pregnant Haley winds up in the hospital after getting hit by a car in season 4. The car that hit her was driven by a loan shark that her hubby Nathan got entangled with. She breaks her foot and spends the next few episodes on crutches, but all in all, she and the baby are fine.

Brooke

(accident around 3:02 mark)

For the most part, Brooke's escaped all the near-death experiences. Other than getting attacked in her store and having a little run-in with Quentin's killer, she's managed to stay...very much alive. She wasn't in the school shooting and she missed all the car accidents. That is, until this season. In the last aired episode, she tries to help Jamie and his friends out of an overturned car and almost dies herself when another car rams into it.

Dan

(accident around 2:28 mark)

A road-raged Nanny Carrie (another recycled plot line a la Psycho Derek) rams into Dan while he waits for his new heart in season 5. She later tortures him and he ends up killing her. And let's not forget Dan almost died in a fire, in prison and from a bad heart. All close calls.

So here's a little recap:

# of car accidents: 7 (at very least)
# of main character deaths due to those car accidents: 0

These are just the car accidents. I didn't even really get into the other death-ridden plot lines. Karen almost dies during pregnancy complications, Keith does die after Dan shoots him, Deb nearly overdoses on pills, Quinn and Clay get shot by Katy, Lucas has heart failure from his HCM, Rachel and Cooper almost drown, Quentin gets shot by Brooke's attacker, Peyton gets shot in the school shooting.

Actually, that's a sh*t load of shootings too. I could probably go on.
Moral of the story? We don't even care. No fan really does. It doesn't make us hate the show. Neither does the fact that every main character is famous (Peyton a record producer, Lucas a novelist, Brooke a fashion designer, Nathan an NBA star, Haley a musician etc). These are just things we learn to love about One Tree Hill, despite our forced suspension of disbelief.
One request though: Please kill off Mouth in a very dramatic (and appropriately annoying) car crash -- preferably by a car driven by the ghost of Jimmy Edwards or something equally ridiculous. I hate him. Thanks.

Original article: http://www.ology.com/screen/one-tree-hill-loves-almost-killing-characters

I would also like to say that I was on the edge of my seat while watching Darkness on the Edge of Town. Quinn, Brooke, Jamie, and Julian were in so much danger! They showed Julian giving Brooke CPR, then showed a hand move, but they had changed scenes to show Quinn!

Brooke and Julian are so great together. The future B. Davis Baker has a good man. <3

This was the 11th episode of Season 8. It could have been a bittersweet ending to the series, except not all the characters were in it. If all goes well, we still have 8 more episodes!

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

2010-12-10T21:20:00.000-08:00

I got into The Chronicles of Narnia franchise after since I fell in love with Prince Caspian.

I have been anxiously waiting for The Dawn Treader. They set up Dawn Treader displays in movie theatres, and every time I saw it, I had to take a picture.

I even did this:

although, this third movie was made by Fox, not Disney.

There wasn't a lot of promotion for the movie. None of the stars came to L.A. to be on talk shows or anything =/

I was late to the theatre, so I missed Lucy, Edmund and Eustace getting sucked back into Narnia through the painting =[

It's funny how the movies really utitlize Edmund's torch (flashlight).

Ben Barnes is hot as ever as King Caspian X. He has this glare that just takes your heart away.

Just one question: what happened to Caspian's SPANISH Telmarine accent? He has a British accent now. It makes him stand out less than the rest of the cast, I suppose. But I also suspect marketing managers considered the Telmarine accent as one of the factors to Prince Caspian's less-than-stellar box office performance (Oh man, does that mean I actually learn stuff in school?).

On that note, I watched it in 3D. There weren't any spectacular effects, so I wouldn't recommend 3D. It's just a way to boost sales.

I like this movie better than the Dawn Treader novel. I think that can be said about all the movies. I would probably feel different if I had read the books as a child.

It was nice to see cameos by Anna and Will. I'm glad it was just a fantasy sequence because this story was about the younger Pevensie siblings.

The need of the swords of the seven lords to be laid at Aslan's table and the evil green mist were not it in the book. They were added to give the film a more distinct goal and antagonist.

Eustace was a dragon for a long time. I thought the dragon was the coolest part of the book. I liked the relationship built between him and Reepicheep.

I really felt for Edmund! Yes, he was a traitor in the first film, but he had learned his lesson. It's okay, Ed, I'm on your team =]

The ending sad once again. Caspian didn't diva out and demand to go with Reepicheep like in the book. That makes sense because Caspian is a teenager in the books where as Ben Barnes' portrayl is a young adult. Ramandu wasn't in the film, and they gave his daughter a name. Oh Lilliandil, you are one lucky star to get to marry Caspian.

Lucy realized she and Ed wouldn't be returning. That always makes me sad! All that work and they don't get to enjoy the magical land.

The left just enough for a possiblility of the another movie installment. Eustace may return. His mom announced Jill Pope came for a visit. I would definitely watch another Narnia movie. The Silver Chair is my favorite book. But if they don't, it was a good run.

Tangled

2010-11-28T08:22:00.000-08:00

I didn't know Tangled was a musical! They didn't advertise any of the songs. I guess they wanted it to be a surprise or something. I really liked it! The lantern festival was so magical! They should have done that at Disneyland, though that would be really messy. They really do release lanterns into the sky in China and other countries that celebrate the Lantern Festival for Lunar New Year.

& I like Rapunzel's hair.

AMA 2010

2010-11-22T08:32:00.000-08:00

The American Music Awards will forever bring back good memories.

Train performed. During "Hey Soul Sister," a bunch of girls wearing t-shirts that said SOUL SISTER came out and danced on stage with them. Could that have been me? Oh well. There's another contest that could work out for me. Check it out!

Train is teaming up with Hanes for a special giveaway! Everyone will receive 5 free points from specially marked Hanes products and can enter to win a trip to see Train live in concert during their 2011 tour. The prize pack includes two concert tickets to see Train, at any venue of the winner’s choice, the opportunity to go backstage and meet the band, and roundtrip airfare for two. Winners can also receive two signed copies of Train’s latest CD “Save Me San Francisco”, two Train concert t-shirts, and a one night hotel stay. Follow the link (http://comfortrewards.com/rewards/sweeps/view/27) for a chance to win this special opportunity

Sigh..?!!

2010-11-21T17:07:00.001-08:00

I miss it too.

You confuse me.

Deathly Hallows

2010-11-20T12:09:00.000-08:00

I started reading the Harry Potter books just before I turned 11. I just started middle school. The series kept winning the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Book. My new friends were reading them too. After reading the Sorcerer's Stone, I had hoped an owl would deliver a Hogwarts acceptance letter to me on my birthday. An owl never came. I am just a muggle who is a huge fan of the series. The books, of course, are 1000x better than the movies. The movies are great, they just don't include everything in the story.

On July 21, 2007, I lined up and bought Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at 8am, right when Target opened. I read all day and finished in less than 24 hours. Maybe I should have slowed down, to make it all last a little longer. The ending is brilliant. Sheer genius, that J.K. Rowling is.

Three years later, the movie finally comes out. It's split in two parts. We expected only 7 movies, but we got 8... how appropriate ;]

Ron and Hermione's opening scenes broke my heart. The trio was saying goodbye to their lives as they knew it. Ron and Hermione's were only briefly mentioned in the book. The movie didn't show Harry saying goodbye to the Dursleys. I was so looking forward to his handshake with Dudley. Oh well. Can't be too mad because they still kept a lot of material from the book.

Wasn't Hedwig's demise so tragic? That was the saddest death for me in the books.

The movie had a slower tone than the other 6, since it is outside of Hogwarts. They're so grown up now!

I love the dance scene between Harry and Hermione. Ron's horcrux nightmare more mature than I envisioned when reading the book, haha.

Dobby has been trending all weekend. You go, Dobby.

The ending was so great. Everyone in the theatre was bummed when it was over. We all wanted more! You can't be mad, like Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest because we knew it's in 2 parts.

Part 2 is going to have a faster pace and more action. I plan on watching it in IMAX 3D. It is the final movie, after all. It will be EPIC.

And another one

2010-11-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

Wesley is out too. III Factory?

Camp Rock 2: ALBUM ART

2010-10-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, What's What edition premiered on Disney Channel on 10.10.10.

For me, the most interesting pop up fact was about the nods to rock and roll album covers.

"This movie is all about love of classic rock 'n' roll.
To give nod to some classic album cover art, several timeless album covers were recreated throughout the film.
You heard it straight from the horses mouth!"
I had noticed the Bruce Springsteen nod, and I was excited to discover more!

1. These three guys are seen as Mitchie and her mom arrive at Camp Rock in the beginning of the movie:

Crosby, Stills, and Nash
Crosby, Stills and Nash, 1969

2. Camp Rock is in chaos at first. Nate shows up at the dance classroom instead of his drums classroom:

Bruce Springsteen
Born in the U.S.A., 1984

3. Eventually, the new counselors finally get the flow of running the camp. A Camp Rocker brings this guitar to Mitchie's class:

Dire Straights
Brothers in Arm, 1985

4. Shane almost gets some alone time with Mitchie, but counselors are called to help out with the bonfire.

Depeche Mode
Music for the Masses, 1987

5. Nate sits on a bench and enjoys the view, right before he falls off because Dana startles him.

Boz Scaggs
Silk Degrees, 1976

6. Okay, so the JoBros weren't placed in some random cabin with a horse when Jason and Shane give Nate girl advice.

The Byrds
The Notorious Byrd Brothers, 1968

7. The junior rockers gather to listen to a bedtime ghost story.

The Beatles
With the Beatles, 1963

8. Jason and the junior rockers try to be stealth when they spy on Camp Star.

Paul McCartney & Wings
Band on the Run, 1973

I would like to thank google, my mom, my brother and my friend for their help. I also posted this on youtube:

Album art used to be on vinyl record covers. Then, they shrank to CDs. Now, a lot of people don't even bother downloading album art on their mp3 players.

GO FIX YOUR COVER FLOWS!

(500) Days of Summer TOUR

2010-10-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

(500) Days of Summer is a story of boy meets girl. You should know up front: it isn't a love story.

I love this movie. My brother loves it too. Since he has a fancy DSLR, we finally went on a mission to visit the locations in the movie.

The movie depicts Los Angeles as beautiful in a different way. It's not just glitz and glamour. There are some very architecturally beautiful buildings with great history.

Here are some photos from our walking tour. I wanted to recreate frames from the movie.

Day (35) - Tom's Apartment

Canadian Building, 432 S Main St

Day (35) - Tom's Apartment

Day (87) - Video/Record Store

(Bookstore in real life)

Day (290) - Video/Record Store

Old Bank DVD, San Fernando Building, 400 S Main St

Day (191) - Movie Theatre

Million Dollar Theatre, 307 S Broadway

Day (95) - Angels Knoll

W 4th St & Olive St

Day (260) - Angels Knoll

Day (408) - Summer's Apartment

Barclay, 706 S Normandie

Day (408) - Summer's Apartment

(This is in Koreatown, not Downtown L.A.)

Day (408) - Summer's Street

(The movie added the buildings in the background)

Day (488) - Angels Knoll

(Escalator from Metro)

Day (488) - Angels Knoll

Day (488) - Tom's Bench

Day (500) - First day of Autumn

Bradbury Building, 304 S Broadway
(Touring isn't allowed upstairs.)

I had to wear blue for this occasion. (It's Summer's signature color. She's the only one that wears blue, with the exception of the dance scene.) My outfit was inspired by the "Bank Dance" music video on the (500) Days of Summer iTunes podcast.

This was the first time I really looked at the buildings downtown. We all had a really good time. Stuff always look prettier in movies. I was surprised to learn that (500) Days of Summer did not over exaggerate these locations. They really are beautiful.

Download the walking tour here. Check out www.laconservancy.org for more.

Also, here's a link to additional film locations: http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/f/500DaysOfSummer.html

We exited Broadway off the 101, and parked in a lot on 4th Street and Spring. It's $5 flat rate on weekends. It's pretty much equidistant to Tom's apartment, the movie theatre and Bradbury Building, and Angel's Knoll.

It was overcast when we went. This was fortunate because if the sun had been out, we would have been really hot and tired from the walk.

If you go, I suggest going early. We started at 10am. Wear comfortable shoes. Bring a friend. Take pictures. Enjoy!

(Cinq Cents) Jours D'Été

2010-10-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more sights from my tour. I don't have matching screen shots from the movie, but enjoy!

Angel's Flight
- It's an alternative to the stairs, but it takes you above the park.
- 25 cents one way, 5 trips for $1
- If you buy a round-trip ticket for 50 cents, you get a souvenir ticket.

California Plaza

Angels Knoll

The Bradbury Building

- My favorite building! It's so pretty!!

- There's a Subway next door, so it smells like sandwiches inside.

- Touring isn't allowed upstairs.

- There's a statue of Charlie Chaplin on a bench.

Grand Central Market

- It costs 25 cents to use the bathroom.

Million Dollar Theatre

- It was closed for a private party. There were fashion events in L.A. this weekend.

Tunnel

- This isn't the tunnel Tom and Summer drove through. That's on 2nd Street. This is 3rd Street.

Barclay Hotel

- The lobby was used as the hangout spot for Tom and his buddies.

- Loitering isn't allowed in the lobby.

The San Fernando Building

- I had to feature this because I am a valley girl.

Summer's Neighborhood

- The whole street had beautiful exteriors.

- There was some sort of block party going on. Just activities and booths, no food.

Learn more here and here!

I hope this blog post inspires you to explore Downtown Los Angeles and watch (500) Days of Summer.

The Facebook Movie

2010-10-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I saw "The Social Network." I thought the movie was really good! It was a bit exhausting because they talk so fast and so much!

Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, and Armie Hammer gave phenomenal performances! I would not be surprised if they get Oscar noms.

Justin Timberlake did well too. I didn't like Sean Parker until I saw he had an epi-pen and an inhaler. Haha, so cute.

I give mad props to Armie Hammer. I did not realize he played both of the 'Winklevi' twins.

It was cool seeing Brenda Song and Malese Jow on screen.

Bill Gates made a cameo. I didn't recognize him. Yet, I was able to recognize Stan Lee on last week's episode of Nikita. I'm a shameful business major.

Andrew Garfield. I yearned for more scenes with him. He is so hot!!!! I really loved Eduardo Saverin. He got screwed over. Oh goodness me, Andrew Garfield is British-American and has an accent in real life. He's going to be the new Peter Parker. He is so hot!

The Social Network is a movie, so a lot of it was exaggerated or altered for entertainment. I had to look up what was real and what wasn't. I'm glad the chicken thing isn't quite true.

Reasons why I love facebook:
- the former exclusivity to college students [I had to wait until I got a ".edu" email address to sign up!]
- you can tag yourself and friends in pictures
- wall-to-wall feature
- simplicity in the uniform design
- "it's free, and always will be"

In the movie, I think they should have mentioned how they revolutionized birthday greetings.

On that note, when some people greeted me a happy birthday on facebook, some asked why I hadn't mentioned it when I saw them in person. It's because I knew facebook would let them know!

Still a possibility?

2010-10-08T19:41:00.000-07:00

It's official

2010-10-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

Finally, a formal announcement.
At least, as formal as Twitter can be.

Asher Book is no longer with the group... if there still is a group

Au revoir, V Factory.

It was fun.

A Year Without Rain

2010-10-02T08:39:00.000-07:00

Alex and Mason show their love as people been dong it for years: by slow-dancing to a pop song. It was cute! I noticed Wizards of Waverly Place has a bunch of one-hour specials. Nickelodeon would call them "movies"

After watching "Wizards Unleashed," I really to check out Selena & The Scene's new album.

I liked it. It continues Naturally's electro-ish/dance vibe.

She says "air-con" in Summer's Not Hot. That cracked me up. I thought only filipinos said that xD

I also hear more of the Scene in this album, though their name is really tiny on the album cover.

Hey Soul Sister

2010-10-01T09:51:00.000-07:00

You know it's a good concert when you can enjoy it without knowing most of the songs and the lead singer's name. My mom really wanted to watch Train live after seeing a concert on Palladia. They have been a band for 15 years. I'm actually familiar with a bunch of their songs because they're played on the radio.

I parked in a neighborhood downhill and saved $20, and got a free workout xD. The hike up wasn't bad. The houses are really pretty (and look really expensive!). I don't think I have been to Griffith Park since grade school. People were hanging out outside having picnics.

Inside the Greek's front plaza, there were a couple of cool preshow activities: Food and merch stands, of course. A band played a few songs on a small stage set up. My 104.3 gave away Dane Cook and Dodgers tickets. There was a coloring booth and you could get a free concert tee with a Sunday New York Times Subscription. My favorite were the FREE face paintings and henna tattoos! Check out what my mom and I got:

It wasn't until after that I realized what my tattoo looked like. What can I say? I love stars and dragonflies.

We caught the end of the opening act, Needtobreathe. Our seats were on the aisle next to the railing of the South Terrace. Pretty awesome, especially considering they were FREE.

The lights dimmed and the sound of train tracks and "choo choo" came on. There was Train.
(Note: When I say "He," I am referring to the lead singer)

They released beach balls into the audience during Meet Virginia.

They countrified She's on Fire. He wore a cowboy hat and they sped up the song-- it was really fast! 7 girls from the front row got to go up on stage. They got shirts and became known as the "Train-ettes." He told them to sing "She's on fire" with him while the audience sang the rest. He said most of us probably didn't know the words to the song, so he told us to just sing whatever words we wanted. Haha.

During Ordinary, clips from Spiderman 2 played on the screen. He wore the blue tour shirt with the Superman design. After, the took it off and threw it to the audience.They gave away a lot of guitar picks throughout the night.

Before he sang If It's Love, he asked us to have our cell phones ready. We all held them up when he sang, "Hold your cell phones up in the air" He took a picture and tweeted it.

He changed into a white shirt to sing Marry Me. He said he wanted to come out and say hi to everyone. I didn't know he was serious. He jumped off stage and walked around the entire venue. People with aisle seats totally had it made. It was super awesome! At this point, I realized I didn't know his name! Haha! It's Patrick. Yeah, I could totally love you. I think I do after this.

Our "first dance" song was Hey Soul Sister.

They sang Drops of Jupiter, Dream On, and This Ain't Goodbye for their encore.

They all performed really well. The sound was great. Pat was really energetic and funny. He wore shirts that said "Hollywood Girl" and "Stay Cali," which grants extra points. There wasn't a dull moment.

P.S. The Greek wasn't really strict. I could have brought in my own water and food. They didn't check bags. Flash photography and video recording were prohibited, but a bunch of people, including myself, did it anyway. There was no cell phone service.

Horoscope

2010-09-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

When I was younger, I loved horoscopes. I checked out what was in store for Libra each day.

The 12 zodiac signs are also constellations in the sky. Today in my Astronomy lab, I learned the astrological signs are determined by the constellation in which the sky appears on the date of your birth. So the range of the zodiac sign is the time frame the sun is in that constellation.

However, the earth's position in the sky changes, and the zodiac ranges we know are outdated. Using the computer program, I found out the sun was in Virgo the day I was born. So I'm technically not a Libra, but I feel like one. I always weigh in options and try to balance them.

This still isn't enough to make me check my horoscope everyday.

Camp Rock 2 Tour

2010-09-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

Rolling Stone said this is "The worst-selling summer concert season in recent memory." It breaks my heart that the Jonas Brothers had to cancel about 20 shows. I know what it's like to WANT to see these guys perform. To have that opportunity taken away is NOT fun. I am fortunate because there is always going to be an L.A. show.

It did not immediately occur to me that this show was going to be everything I have ever wanted.
My favorite band? Check.
Good venue? Check.
Good show? Check.
Last stop of the tour? Check!
Now, if it was filmed for a DVD, then I would be in nirvana.
Oh my gosh! "Please Be Mine" is on the set list!
Are you FOR REAL!?

I also felt this would be the last JB tour... at least for a while.

I didn't buy tickets at the Team Jonas presale. I have been checking LiveNation everyday since March 22 for decent seats. Finally, on Thursday, September 16, around 1pm, I purchased Orchestra 2 [center], Row N [13]. I had to purchase them as singles. It's a good thing I have ticket-buying ~~luck~~ skills.

There was traffic exiting for the venue. Irvine Meadows has free parking =] They made people line up in an orderly fashion to enter the venue. The line went all the way around the lot to the waterpark. It wasn't too bad, I was just scared we weren't going to make it on time. We saw Chelsea Staub ride up in a golf cart. We said, "Hi Chelsea!" and she said hi back. She was probably trying to be stealth. Oh well. She rocks.

Alyson Stoner was on stage when we entered, but she was just talking. She taught us choreography to "Heart and Soul." They brought up volunteers from the audience. Lindsay Taylor (lthiphop) went up. She had straight hair.

-Megan Martin and Chloe Bridges were in attendance, but they only came out to say hi.
-Anna Maria Perez de Tagle dances in heel the entire time!
-There wasn't real fire during "Fire."
-The choreography to "Start the Party" and "We Rock" was different than the movie.

Demi Lovato's set started right after the Camp Rock friends. She was really tan! It was a weird contrast from the movie trailers they showed on screen, where she's really pale. She must be getting in that GTL.

"Catch Me" started off really sweet. The background was a spinning carousel at dusk. The sky gets darker during "Don't Forget." When the song starts to rock hard, it started raining. Intense!

Her solo set seemed quick, but she performed so well. Her voice is just wow.

She changed clothes and shoes for another Camp Rock set. I danced along to "Brand New Day," "We Can't Back Down," and "It's On." She sang "Maybe It's Not Too Late," which wasn't in the movie.

We got snacks after her set. In the village, guess who we got to take a picture with:

Made you look!

OfficeMax had life-size cardboard cut-outs of the Jonas Brothers.

Back at our seats, a crowd emerged in the front of Orchestra 1. Ashley Greene was in the house. I went over to try to get a picture, but there were too many people. Her friends kept saying, "She just wants to watch the concert!" (a polite way of saying GO AWAY). Eventually, security got involved. Ashley must really like Joe to put up with that.

BOUNCE played through the speakers. We all did the Ham and Cheese and then the Chicken Wing. As soon as it finished, the lights went out, and the live music started.

By the way, our seats were great! Totally worth the wait.We got VIP seating, without paying the extra $100. [Begin VIP rant] Besides good seating, sound check is the component of value in the VIP package, but is it really the same worth as the concert? Not to me. The VIP lanyard doesn't even say Jonas Brothers/Camp Rock tour. It says LiveNation, and they write in the date of the concert. LAME. The gym bag was cool. It had a JB logo, but that's still not enough to justify the extra cost. Finally, it doesn't come with a meet and greet, which is what I really want! [End rant]

It's so great seeing Kevin, Joe, Nick, and the rest of the band on stage again. Three years later, their performances still bring a huge smile to my face.

Joe challenged Nick to perform "Introducing Me" in 1:59. He totally read my mind! I challenged him to sing it in under 2 minutes. I got really nervous (and excited) as the clock ran down. He sang the song really fast and finished in 1 minute, 53 seconds, 6 seconds to spare. Go Nick J!

The "Who I Am" fan submissions were really cute. I probably would have put "simple" or "fan." The girl who did put "fan" showed off all her JB CDs, including It's About Time. I have them all too!

The Shane and Mitchie duets were cute. The former Jemi duo acted like professionals. A girl in the front, Orchestra 3 held up a sign that said "vampires suck." OUCH. There was red pyro rain at the end of "Wouldn't Change a Thing."

It's too bad they cut "This Is Our Song" from the set list. I didn't get to sing na, na na na na, hey ya! Did people not LOVE that song as much as I did? Is it because at the beginning of the tour, Camp Rock 2 hadn't come out yet, so people didn't know why they should love the song? It's just a bummer because it took out the only opportunity to have the whole Camp Rock cast-- well, at least those on tour-- to be on stage together.

I have been waiting and hoping to see them perform "Please Be Mine" live for three years. They showed old photos on the screen. Kevin and Danielle's wedding photo came up during the last chorus when they sang "All our hopes and our dreams will come true." AWWW! The guys said they haven't changed much. I beg to differ. They have changed. I'm not saying that's a bad thing; people grow. Kevin, Joe, and Nick have matured, but they still retain that essence that keeps me coming back.

Lovebug was really cute! There were dancers dressed old school like the music video. JB wore white blazers. Confetti was released at the rockin climax of the song. That was fun, but I wish they had foamed us. I was finally close enough.

Grace said their shows aren't complete unless they perform "S.O.S." She's right. Kevin did his dance, but not full on. They closed with "Burning Up". There was fire. Big Rob came out and rapped. A couple of girls (idiots) jumped off on stage. Security grabbed them so fast! You go, security!

Other Highlights:
- I borrowed my brother's FlipVideo, but the lights drowned out their faces in the video

- Kevin spin took place during "Play My Music" instead of "Hold On"
- Dancers on bouncy stilts came out during "Year 3000"
- Frankie Jonas played tambourine during L.A. baby!
- China McClain performed "You Biggest Fan" with Nick
- The guys flew during "Fly With Me"... Well, the platform they were on rose.

It didn't feel like a final show. I was expecting pranks and extra songs. I wanted more, but what they gave was more than enough. What I'm trying to say is that I can never get enough. Please don't be the last Jonas Brothers tour. That's not a proper goodbye.

I need an annual pass!

2010-09-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

I wanted to be at Disneyland yesterday for the opening rope drop, but that didn't happen. I'm amazed that City Hall always seems to have a long line! We went to the information kiosk in front of Carnation Plaza Inn instead. The nice lady told us that Peter Pan was in Fantasyland at the moment. We went over and looked for him, but he wasn't in sight. So, we just rode Peter Pan's Flight. After, I wanted to take a picture by the old abandoned Skyway entrance. Guess who was there! The awesome Peter Pan. This one was better than the one we met on my birthday last year. He saw Erik's shirt (coincidentally, it was the same shirt he wore to meet the other Peter Pan), and said, "Nice!" He started to walk away, but he called out, "Come on, Lost Boy!" We were both really happy.

The boy that never grew up

Like the Motorboats loading dock, it's just THERE.

We got on the Mark Twain, but got rejected to ride with the pilot, or I wasn't sure what she had said. We got off so we could ride the Columbia instead, but our friends were at the entrance.

We got Yellow section World of Color Seating for the 10:15 show. Then, Tower of Terror and Mullhulland Madness.

We all had them (man-catching) beignets from the Mint Julep Bar. They were delicious!!!

Liz and Ivan got Dole Whips. I thought I saw Maynard, but I couldn't see his nametag, so I wasn't sure.

We left the park to have dinner at In-N-Out--best idea of the night! Burgers sounded so good, and we didn't want to spend a lot of money. There weren't any empty tables inside, so we sat on the curb by the car.

Haunted Mansion Holiday upgraded this year! The loading scene added Sally, the scientist, the vampires and more. There were more subtle upgrades throughout the ride. I approve! The ride stopped while we were in the graveyard. It wasn't because of us this time, I promise!

Later, I saw that the CM at the Tiki Room from earlier WAS Maynard!! The queue was empty because most people were at Fantasmic and the Fireworks. I walked up to him, and he thought we wanted to go to the show. I asked for a picture, and the people he was talking with said, "See! We're not the only ones! [Fans]" That made me feel better too. We posed behind the fence. He did his kind of scary face, haha. It was awesome. My friends thought I was weird.

Maynard!

Ghost Galaxy was fun. Rovee and Aireen fist pumped in the picture. The fireworks were going off as we were exiting the park. It's one-way traffic through the square, and we got to walk in front of the castle. OH MY GOODNESS! It is ASTRONOMICALLY AMAZING from up there! The castle is sooooooo pretty! I must watch from there one day.

World of Color was way better this time. We decided to stay in the Wet Zone. The floor boards weren't soaked from the last show, so I didn't think we'd get too wet. There were just heavy mists at times. I saw the Cheshire Cat too! Yay!

There's too much pressure in going to Disneyland without an Annual Pass. I always have so much I want to do, but I can't do them all!

I Don't Wanna Be

2010-09-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

The opening theme song is back for Season 8 of One Tree Hill !

Thank you for shout outs to Lucas and Peyton.

Hooray for Grease and writing letters on paper.

=D

Toppers

2010-09-03T23:25:00.000-07:00

Toppers Pizza Place is a franchise with seven locations all over Ventura County.

Today, we went to the new location on the Channel Islands Harbor. It's an awesome location. There was fog and marine layer, but the Toppers sign shined bright. It was Friday night, it was the beginning of a long weekend, and for whatever reason, the place was PACKED. We got lucky and found two booths for ten people.

There were only two soda machines for the entire restaurant. The lines for each got pretty long. But behold, the future of soft drink dispensing:

They are pretty gnarly machines. With the touchscreen menu, you first select which brand you would like.

From there, you have different flavors from which to choose.

We're talking vanilla, orange, lime, and cherry Coke.
strawberry, rasperry, cherry Lemonade,
grape and peach Sprite,
and many more!

Of course, you could make these flavors with a regular dispenser by mixing the flavors yourself, without the long line, but technology makes it so much easier...

For desert, a freshly baked cookie topped with vanilla ice cream. They call it a Pookie. I think Maureen named it, haha. There's only one flavor, and the cookie comes with nuts. Pizookies from BJ's are better.

The Final Jam

2010-09-01T23:43:00.000-07:00

Okay. I just watched Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. I love Disney on Demand =]

I didn’t have high expectations. (Side note: Ticketmaster released about 600 seats for the Irvine concert the other day. A pair of orchestra seats are available at the moment.) It seems like people aren’t excited about this. Why? Was it the off-screen relationship and breakup? Was it marketing? “It’s On” was Disney Channel’s summer slogan. Maybe it was too hyped.

However, I was kind of blown away by the movie! Grace and I YouTubed most of the official musical numbers last Friday. The songs tell the story, and they’re not cut too short. The scenes were cool, and they were way more amazing in context of the movie. I know the movie isn’t officially out yet, but I cannot wait to write my review! I have a lot to say, and I think I’ll try a more journalistic approach—or at least I’ll try to keep it up. No promises.

I give props to Paul Hoen and his direction. The film begins with the familiar faces of Mitchie and Connect 3 making their way back to Camp Rock for the summer. They didn’t have the boarding pass lanyards =[ The movie entered the “musical border” at “Brand New Day.” It flowed so well! The choreography was equipped with jazz hands/spirit fingers. It was the PERFECT opening number. We are filled with excitement, and we are ready for a terrific summer. Then, we learn a new camp has opened across the lake.

With Camp Star in business, there is lower enrollment at Camp Rock. At an opening bon-“Fire,” we discover Camp Star has more glitz and glamour. They ~~recruit~~ steal most of Camp Rock’s staff, and Camp Rock is forced to close down.

Mitchie won’t let that happen. She reassures her fellow campers that they “Can’t Back Down” in a huge and hard dance number. She and her friends take charge and become the new camp counselors.

At first, it is hectic. In a quick montage, we witness the chaos, but eventually everything starts to work itself out. There was a continuity error! After things improve and the montage ends, there is a scene where Shane tries to whisk Mitchie away from her clipboard. Unfortunately for him, Connie needs help in the kitchen. Connie says the situation isn’t working after we already saw it get better. To top it off, Mitchie is wearing the same outfit from the first hectic day. Yes, I noticed. Hello! It’s a distinct purple ensemble that she wore during the huge dance number!

They regain their confidence as the best camp and decide to challenge Camp Star. "It’s On" is so much fun! I want to do the dance when I’m at the Verizon Amphitheatre. There’s extra choreography I can learn! Axel turns the whole thing into a worldwide competition to be televised. It would have been more consistent if Hot Tunes TV had broadcasted the show, not Hitz TV. (That is probably a really dorky thing to notice, but I can be hardcore.)

Shane really wants to spend time with Mitchie, but she’s too wrapped up in trying to run and save the camp. You kind of want to strangle her at times because you think, “Really? Who died and made you boss of everything?” But, then you understand she’s doing this to save something she really loves. Joe is so good at looking at her! You can always see love in his eyes.

Nate has a Romeo-and-Juliet love interest in Dana, whose father owns Camp Star. Nick does a really good job portraying an unintentional douche bag. He just didn’t know how to express himself. It was adorable! I love “Introducing Me.” I challenge Mr. Nick J to perform it in less than 2 minutes!

After only ten minutes into the movie, Kevin was already hilarious. He stood there, soaking wet, and didn’t say a word, and I could not stop laughing.

In the end, JASON GOT HIS BIRDHOUSE! It is the most ROCKING birdhouse EVER!

Connect 3 did not have to become brothers, but it was nice to see their brotherly love on screen. I can’t help but LOVE watching them perform "Heart and Soul." This image cracked me up:

What's with the horse? LOL

Frankie wasn’t as much of a scene-stealer as I thought he would be.

All the other campers had smaller roles this time around. I’m glad they let Alison shine as a dancer. B-girl Shorty from the Beat Freaks and Courtney Galiano from SYTYCD got a lot of camera time.

Here is another dorky thing to notice: each girl basically sports a distinct hairstyle throughout the movie. It’s not exact like in the first film. There are slight variations. For example, Ella wears a hat mostly, but she also wore headbands. Mitchie mostly wears red hues, Shane wears blue, like in the first film.

I wasn't fond of Joe's leather jacket during "What We Came Here For." It looked like he borrowed it from Camp Star. I did love the use of beach balls. It would be awesome if they do that on tour. My little brother is going through a henley phase, and that's basically all Shane wore.

I won’t spoil the ending. I LOVE how the result of Camp Wars was revealed. It was INTENSE. Demi’s eyes and everyone’s facials were greatly performed.

I want to sing na, na na na na, hey ya!

The final scene warms my heart. “Our Song” is the PERFECT ending number. I truly wish that would happen to me in real life. I want to sing with my friends (and an awesome boy ;]) around a campfire.

A Camp Rock 3 isn’t necessary, so please don’t.

In summation: I loved this movie!

CR2 Soundtrack

2010-08-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

I bought the Camp Rock 2 Soundtrack today.

"Brand New Day" is the first track. The first line is "Last year's old news." I think that is very appropriate because a LOT seems to be different this time around. They're not regular campers, they're counselors.

This soundtrack is much more tuned for a musical than the last. Camp Rock songs were regular songs that just happen to fit into the scene. Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam songs actually tell a story.

"Rock Hard or Go Home" is a random way to end the tracklisting. It's not sung by any of kids, so I don't care to try to like it.

The Camp Star songs are more hip-hop-y. No reprise of the "Too Cool" shoulder thing by Tess/Megan =/ I like the chorus of "Tear it Down."

I love "Introducing Me"! It's so much fun when it gets fast =] I hope he sings this on tour. Question: how do you use "dude" as an adjective or an adverb?

"Wouldn't Change A Thing" > "I Gotta Go My Own Way" from High School Musical 2. I'm sure this scene will be amazing. I'd love to see it on tour, but if it's too awkward for Joe and Demi, I understand.

JB--I mean Connect 3 teaches campers how to rock out in "Heart and Soul." I guess there won't be any more hip-hop dance teaching from Shane? There's a lyric about fist pumping... are you serious?

I'd compare "You're My Favorite Song" to "You Are the Music in Me" from HSM 2, but it's acoustic. It's cute. Is this how Shane and Mitchie make up?

I think it's interesting that I compared songs to HSM2 istead of CR1. I'm able to compare songs from all HSM movies to each other, but I guess that could just come with the genre and less changes in those movies.

By the way, one of the "Road to Camp Rock 2" episodes showed the cast in the studio. I spotted Drew Ryan Scott giving direction, but he isn't credited as a writer on any of the songs.

RENT at Hollywood Bowl

2010-08-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

My mom and I decided to Park & Ride to the Hollywood Bowl. We had a nice charter bus. Most of the passengers bought their bus tickets for $8 as they boarded. We prepaid on Ticketmaster for $5 + $1.75 service fee, so we saved $1.25.

This was my first time at the Hollywood Bowl.

I love the view of the Hollywood sign!

There were searchlights shining at opposite ends. I definitely had that "Hollywood" feel! I really like the atmosphere. Everyone was just kicking back, having a picnic. Courtney and Keri brought Panera sandwiches for everyone. They were yummy. Also, 75-cent seat cushions are totally worth it! The screens are big, but I liked looking through my binoculars.

8:30 rolled around. The lights turned off. The National Anthem was played on the electric guitar. After a closer look, you see that the guitarist has his back to the audience, and he's wearing a sleveless black tee with plaid pants. It's Roger (Aaron Tveit)! Once he finished, he took a seat, and Mark (Skylar Astin) came out to start the show.

"Rent" was really strong. I was pumped! As I was writing this blog, I learned that Benny is played by Collins Pennie, who was in FAME!

I fell for Aaron Tveit. He looked a lot older than Tripp van der Bilt in Gossip Girl. I LOVE how he was about to strangle Mimi during their argument at the beginning of "Goodbye Love."

I have always felt that "Out Tonight" is a difficult song to nail. Sorry, but Vanessa Hudgens did not nail it. Her peformance was better than the video I saw on YouTube from the night before, but there were times where the notes were just off for me.
BUT her performance got better throughtout the night. "Without You" was really good!

Telly Leung did well as Angel, just as the role demands. He kept up Angel's charm and talent. Skylar Astin as Mark and Tracie Thoms as Joanne brought it as well.

Wayne Brady was very good as Collins. He started off with a higher singing voice than he ended with. Is that just me who noticed?

Nicole Scherzinger was extremely good as Maureen. This version of "Over the Moon" added some hip hop. She was SANS COWBELL. Uh, weird! I can't remember if Joanne mentioned it during "We're Okay." Other than that, it was really good. It makes you forget that Maureen isn't supposed to be super talented.

If you didn't love her before, you ought to now!

There were a couple of technical glitches. "Christmas Bells" wasn't as epic as I wanted.

Other changes I noticed:
- The absence of Mark's interruption/introduction at the beginning of "Life Support"

- Maureen is from Jersey, not Hicksville?

- They cut a verse from "Happy New Year"
- "Seasons of Love B" was cut =/
- They cut out the orgy part of "Contact." It went straight to Angel singing "Take me.."
- They don't admit the truth of about Evita to Benny.
- Collins doesn't rewire the ATM.

There are two giant screens on each side of the stage. They were utilized well. During "What You Own," Mark wark was shone on one side, while Roger was on the other. Then, at the appropriate moment, the scene collided. Some actual footage was shown from Mark's film.

I love this picture during "Seasons of Love"

This picture is from "I'll Cover You (reprise)" without Angel.

I liked the blocking after Mimi jumps over the moon. That final image of everyone singing on the table warms my heart. After "Finale B" ended, the lights went out. The actors took their positions in line at the end of the stage to sing an encore of "Seasons of Love". There wasn't a proper curtain call, and Neil Patrick Harris did not come on stage to bow or anything!! That bummed me out a bit. He obviously is a big part of the reason people came out to these shows.

We had 20 minutes to get back to the buses. We followed the massive crowd down the hill. That was a dumb move. If we had gone down through the seats first, we would have saved 10-15 minutes. Tip for next time!

CR2 "Book"

2010-08-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

I finally bought the Camp Rock 2 Junior Novel. I had trouble finding it in stores. The cover art isn't even on websites.

The first Camp Rock was about Mitchie getting over her insecurities and coming out of her shell as a person and a performer. This one shows her leadership ability as she fights to keep Camp Rock open.

I don't think it was necessary for Connect 3 to suddenly become brothers. Fans aren't used to them not being brothers? Well, in Camp Rock, they're not supposed to be Nick, Kevin, and Joe of Jonas Brothers or their fictional parody band JONAS. It's Nate, Jason and Shane of Connect 3.

Frankie Jonas plays the scene-stealing junior-rocker, Trevor.

Jason gets a birdhouse!

The first junior novel told the story way better than the movie. The movie underdeveloped the characters and storylines. For example, they didn't show Shane overhearing campers discussing his stupid, cookie-cutter popstar stuff. This is why he started writing a new, different sounding song, "Play My Music." Also, they didn't show Tess and Ella talking about lip gloss in their cabin, so the "BTW, you're lip gloss is SO NOT glossy!" line came out of nowhere.

I'm hoping this doesn't happen again for Camp Rock 2. Don't tell me it can't be done because the High School Musical 2 junior novel was on point! (I read because I'm too antsy to wait for the movie.)

Summer Belongs to You!

2010-08-06T21:44:00.000-07:00

You gotta believe in something. So, today I believed in you and you came through.
We made it. I've never been so proud.
I know it's perfectly implausable, but we accomplished the impossible. Now there's something that I've got to say out loud:
Time is what you make of it, so take a chance.
Life is full of music, so you ought to dance.
The world's a stage, and it's time for your debut!

Don't waste a minute sitting on that chair
The world is calling, so just get out there

Candace's verse spoke to me! I really wanted to go outside and play after this song and this awesome, epic Phineas and Ferb episode! But it was 9pm by that time and dark outside.

"City of Love" was really cute. I thought, you know, the two of you-- a boy, a girl -- alone in the city of love... Poor Isabella! "Rubber Bands, Rubber Balls" was really funny! I bought the soundtrack on iTunes. It's totally worth it to me.

P.S. The Summer Solstice is the FIRST day of summer, but whatever! I loved "the visual gag" in the beginning and when Phineas found a sponge and a starfish on the beach.

Inception

2010-08-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

Inception is the movie to watch if you want to know what happens after Teddy Daniels escapes from Shutter Island, after Tom Hansen's 500 Days of Summer, and after Juno graduates from high school.

Or perhaps those movies were really just the dreams of Cobb, Arthur, and Ariadne.

I liked this movie way more than Shutter Island. Dreams are more interesting to me than craziness.

Not to spoil the end, but I think he IS d__!

Mad World

2010-07-29T23:20:00.000-07:00

After Alex Wong's hip hop dance with Twitch, this season on So You Think You Can Dance, I was convinced he could take it all. Unfortunately, he got injured and was unable to finish the competition.

So then, I was rooting for Billy to win SYTYCD this season. C'mon, the show loves him. He's really talented. He made top 20 last season. They changed the format to Top 11 instead of 10 so that he could be in the cast. Last week, they changed it up AGAIN so he wasn't automatically eliminated for his knee injury.

I forgot to vote, and he got eliminated on tonight's semi-finals. He might have stood a chance if I had voted or if there was another girl in the top 3.

His contemporary routine with Ade last night was really beautiful. I really liked the song.

I realized I heard this song last friday on General Hospital during the climax of Francophenia.

Billy danced to the Gary Jules and Michael Andrews' version from Donnie Darko.

The orignial is by Tears for Fears.

I like both!

Adam Lambert's American Idol version is pretty good too.

Enter the terrible twos

2010-07-25T11:25:00.000-07:00

Sophie turned 2 on Saturday. To celebrate, my brother got 4 complimentary tickets to the Happiest Place on Earth. That's right, people, we got to go to Disneyland. I was elated!

First, we had to pick up FastPasses for World of Color. The line was huge! I'm happy for California Adventure. We got the Red Section for the 9pm showing. While Courtney and I got the FPs, Dan went on Soarin' Over California while mom watched Sophie.

We went to Disneyland and got a FP for Splash Mountain. Then, we rode Winnie the Pooh. I saw the moose heads!
I think that's pretty cool. I hope that if Disneyland continues to change, then they'll hide tributes like this for zealous people like me to find. After, we went on Haunted Mansion.

The guy in front of us was talking to a Cast Member about changes to Splash Mountain. He mentioned something about a watermelon after the first drop. After the first drop, we saw that they replaced one of the frogs with a huge watermelon. I totally forgot about the second drop IN THE DARK. It was SCARY! Then, the final, 50-foot drop was so steep to me! It was thrilling. In the final Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah scene, we saw the train pass by. I waved at the passengers. All-in-all, Splash Mountain was a lot of fun, especially with my brother's added soundtrack.

We had lunch at Napolini in Downtown Disney. Before we left, I split from the group to grab FPs for Thunder Mountain. I beat my family to Downtown Disney because they went through the crowded AdventureLand, while I exited through Frontierland. =]

After, we went to Captain EO. The floor shook the ENTIRE movie. I guess they want us to feel like we're dancing with them? Dan LOVED it. He wanted to buy a poster "for Sophie."

Then, Sophie got her face painted, while I got FPs for Roger Rabbit. We went on it's a small world and then back to BTMRR. Roger Rabbitt was kind of crazy. I tried positioning our front car to always face the back, so Dan could capture Sophie's reaction the the ride. We did a couple of gags at ToonTown, and I met Pluto!

Then, it was time for Chimichangas and Dole Whips. I went to Aladdin's Oasis while my mom waited in line, but Aladdin was getting ready to leave. This was it for Disneyland for today.

We went to California Adventure so we could watch the Pixar Play Parade. I welcomed the water because we were facing the bright, hot sun. Sophie was scared of the characters for some reason =/. Then we saw this guy:

Lotso! What a nice bear! That Mr. Potato Head cracks me up.

After, we went to Princess Dot's Puddle Park. THIS was Sophie's favorite part of the day. She just loved playing in all the water!

I got to check out the Blue Sky Cellar. I cannot wait for The Little Mermaid ride!

We rode Francis' Ladybug Boogie.

We headed over to the Hollywood Backlot and Animation Building. Dan was in awe of the Toy Story Zoetrope. Dan, Courtney and I talked to Crush, while my mom enjoyed the animation screens. When we got out, I saw a CM wearing red plaid. So, I looked for the celebrity he was with. It was Chelsea Staub from JONAS!!! My brother took a picture of us thinking she was one of my classmates from school.
Haha. I was pretty giddy as we made our way back to Paradise Pier for World of Color. I have always wanted to see a celebrity at Disneyland. Now I finally did =]

Red Section is all the way off to the right side, which didn't seem promising. Lines for the food and coffee near by are ridiculously long. The pre-show was cute.

Alas, the park went BLACK, and we entered the World of Color. The fountains soared high, and the colors were so beautiful! Seriously, it was like WOW. The projections weren't great from my angle. Half the time, I didn't know what character or scene they were showing. Center is the best place to be. For example, during the Nemo section, they made a tunnel with the water, but it just wasn't as awesome from the side. I don't remember seeing the cool Cheshire Cat or Steamboat Willie images from the early art concepts. "Part of Your World," "Colors of the Wind," and "A Whole New World" (with Mickey's Fun Wheel as stars in the sky) were really cool. My favorite part was the "So Close" section with all the love scenes. The blazing fire was a bit blinding. I can't wait to see it again, probably with a preferred dining package or the Wet Zone xP.

Courtney and I weren't ready to immediately after, so we went back to the Hollywood Backlot. Glow Fest is cool, but kind of weird. It's not Disney. We rode Tower of Terror, which was walk-on. The colors from Glow Fest did look cool from up there.

It was great to go Disneyland again. Until we meet again!

P.S. Check out Dan's blog.

GH

2010-07-23T21:40:00.000-07:00

General Hospital was SO GOOD this week!!
-Elizabeth had her baby.
-Lisa's slowly becoming psycho.
-Lulu randomly ends up in L.A.
-Shirley dies.
-Warren Bower's true colors come out and he shoots up the hospital.
-Franco dies...but I'm sure he's not really dead.

A lot was going on in GH, which is cool. I feel like they're rarely in the hospital.

I started watching the show in late 2009. I had Twilight on my brain, and whenever I read/heard,

Bella: How old are you?
Edward: 17.
Bella: How long have you been 17?
Edward: A while.

it reminded me of Tuck Everlasting.

Winnie: How old are you?
Jesse: You really want to know?
Winnie: Yes.
Jesse: 104.
Winnie: I'm serious.
Jesse: So am I! Let's just call it 17.

I read the book in middle school, and I loved the movie. I thought Jonathan Jackson was so cute! So then I wondered what happened to him. IMDB said he was on General Hospital. I would turn to the soap opera once in a while to catch a glimpse of Jonathan. Then, I got sucked into the story lines, especially Liz and Lucky, L&L2.

P.S. Here's another simiarity:

Mad as a Hatter

2010-07-22T15:15:00.000-07:00

In anticipation of my next visit, I went on YouTube and searched "Disneyland." The top result is Disneyland Channel by briberry.

This user has many Mad Hatter episodes, and I just happen to be in the current video on the homepage. How awesome is that?

You can read my entry and see pictures from that wonderful February day here.

JONAS L.A. > JONAS

2010-07-21T20:01:00.000-07:00

JONAS L.A. is the first Disney Channel show in a drama(ish) format. It's one continuous story, so they show what happened previously. They also preview what's to come. The change of the show's name and logo (from a tie to a palm tree) makes sense to me.

I have been enjoying each of the episodes more and more. Don't get it twisted, I liked the first season too, but it was a little young. I think this season relates more to the OG, long term JB fans. Marketing with YouTube videos and such have been a little weird, but what can you do? I'd like to say the show is there for the fans. As a fan, I'm loving it.

The soundtrack is AMAZING. I've been looking forward to its release. I kept listening to the 10 minute sampler on YouTube over and over. The sound was so fresh.

It was kind of annoying how people would put fake full versions. They looped the samples to make it seem like the full song. Still, on some songs, as they enter the bridges, and the transition doesn't quite fit well. To me, it sounds the same as the fake looped versions. Is that just me? Oh well.

I finally went down to Target and bought the CD. I was surprised to find out Jonas Brothers (Kevin,Joe, and Nick together) only wrote Your Biggest Fan. That would explain the variety of genres. Nick did partake in most of the songs. And what is that I see? Drew Ryan Scott is one of the writers on L.A. Baby, Hey You, and Things Will Never Be the Same?!!

I'd like to share my thoughts on each song:

1. Feelin' Alive - I don't have much to say about this song. I like the breakdown at the bridge.

2. L.A. Baby - I'm biased. I love L.A. I am an L.A. baby. I love how Kevin says "she's a" and "you're my."

Video and episode: They left their own party to hang out together as best friends and hover over the city! I love this town. It can be so glamourous. It's the city what dreams are made of.

3. Biggest Fan - I heard the song in its entirety when JB posted the music video on their YouTube yesterday. Of course, it's about JONAS #1 superfan, Macee. The Nick and Macee relationship is growing nicely. I approve. The video was totally cute. Nick was singing to her. That's a fan's total dream come true!

Nick sings in a normal voice. He also RAPS. At first, I thought it was their neighbor. I also thought the featured female voice was Jordin Pruitt. It turns out it's a girl named China McClain. She's a YouTube star. I don't know the story behind this. I'd love it to be that JB wanted a fan to be featured. That would be so awesome.

It's a great love song. It works literally and metaphorically. Second favorite.

4. Critical - I think this will be a sad scene. He falls that hard for her?

5. Hey You - The first line is "Mic check, can you hear me." Joe's gone hip hop and is rapping? Haha. But I loved the vibe.

The video is kind of weird. I don't like that actress with Joe. (Team Stella!) But I love Kevin to the rescue.

6. Things Will Never Be The Same - I like this song, but I don't have much else to say.

7. Fall - This song is reall sweet. It really paints the picture for both Joe and Nick falling for their girls.

Music Video: Anytime I see that upside down room, walking on walls effect, I always think of *NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye" video.

8. Summer Rain - This wasn't on the preview. The intro riff is cool. It's got a cool, laid back feel. When they cut the music, and it's just percussion, I always clap along. I can't wait to see this rainy day episode! Hopefully it'll be when Joe and Stella come to their senses.

9. Drive - Nick's voice isn't his usual high, nor his deep.

10. Invisible - When I first heard the lyric, "I'm waiting for the moonlight so I can find you in this perfect dream," I had to rewind. I had to listen to it again. That is such an amazing line.

When I watched this episode, I recognized the background music from the sampler, but I didn't match it to this song. Then, when Joe started singing, I almost died! It was such perfect context for this song. I was so excited to hear it. It was PERFECT.

Then, they showed Nick singing the second verse in front of the Psycho hotel. I loved how it became a music video. I loved that I recognized they were on the Universal Studios backlot. Kevin was in Who-ville from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. They really wanted to highlight what L.A. has to offer. It makes me want to go on the Backlot Tram Tour. I'm claiming this as my favorite. The feeling I had when I first heard and saw it can't compare to the others.

11. Make it Right - I remember at first, people thought this was a Joe Jonas solo demo. Joe plays this song on guitar by the pool. Remind you of Shane Grey and "Gotta Find You" much? The song is sad. It totally fit Joe and Stella.

12. Chillin' in the Summertime - First, I am biased towards song with "summer" in the title. I love summer. This song is so CHILL, haha. It does a great job of describing summer. Best line: "it feels so good to feel alive" because if you can say that, then you know you're enjoying summer. I LOVE.

The video is JONAS performing it outdoors on the beach. That's all you need.

13. Set this Party Off - I like the guitar riff and chorus. What summer without a party?

I really love this album. It's sort of a JB album, but you know I always thirst for those. I also have a spot in my heart for fake bands and soundtracks, which also applies. I loved these songs right off the bat, and I'm sure my love will grow once I see them all in context on the show.

Side note: Orchestra seats were available on Ticketmaster on Monday and Tuesday. Row J for single and row W for a pair. I did not buy. I would have if I were going alone. But, I'm still hoping for a pair of tickets closer to the stage. How about row T or closer? PLEASE????

Today, pairs for row N came up, but it's stage right-- Nick's side. Still no.

Don't wake me up if I'm dreaming...

2010-07-14T13:05:00.000-07:00

Jimmy Fallon had a California Dreams reunion on his show (since Saved by the Bell wasn't happening). It was flipping AWESOME. Mark and Lorena are missing, but still.

All but four episodes from the entire series were up on YouTube. So, I had a marathon. It's weird how NBC aired them out of order. Growing up on shows like this made me look forward to high school.

It's ON

2010-07-04T17:26:00.000-07:00

Disney Channel actually aired the FULL video today. Yay!

Hello there, V Factory. Well, 3/5 is better than nothing!

Eclipse

2010-06-30T22:31:00.000-07:00

My countdown to The Twilight Saga Eclipse:

1/7 - read leaked draft of script [Oh, Jackson. Tsk tsk.]

6/12 - read The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

6/21 - 6/25 - Listen to Eclipse audiobook (via YouTube) while at work. Yes, I was too lazy to re-read the book.

6/26 - Partial Lunar Eclipse! It peaked around 3:40am. Lucky me, the moon was visible from my front door. So, I didn't have to go outside in the cold to witness this event.

6/27 - Bella's truck photo op at Universal Studios Hollywood Citywalk. I expected a lot of people lining up for this. There wasn't, just a lot of people in and out.

6/28 - Buy movie tickets. Yes, I seriously lagged it. They said it was sold out. They think they're funny. Ha. My movie theatre used thermal receipt paper instead of real ticket paper.

6/29 - reread script

6/30 - 12:01am showing, baby!

I soon find out the number of Team Edward fans in my auditorium is very small. Team Jacob was everywhere, and they were loud.

I have to admit, there weren't any surprises for me. I only have myself to blame, having read the book and the script. New Moon surprised me because the book is my least favorite, and I had low expectations.. especially after the first film. Eclipse is my second favorite book in the series, and after watching New Moon, I had expecations for this film.

Eclipse wasn't as true to the book as New Moon, which is understandable. The action sequences were really good. They sped up the plot, minimizing the involvement and significance of Bella's HUMAN world.

The training sequence is the baseball game of the third film. You have to love the Cullens!

How cute are Alice and Jasper? How HOT is my husband, Jackson Rathbone?! ^_^ When he says "Ma,am," my heart just melts! I'm really glad Major Jasper Whitlock's history made it into the film. He played a bigger role in the film than I expected. His posture was so good! Jasper- the Southern Gentleman trained for combat.

Xaiver Samuel is HOT. Yay for aussies! Bryce was good as Victoria. I really didn't mind. She's just not as fierce looking as Rachelle was.

The engagement scene was really cute! I got really excited heaing "Bella's Lullaby" in the background. Just say yes, Bella! The screaming from the audience took away from the intimacy, lol.

After the tent scene with Jacob and Edward, how can you not be Team Edward!? He's so awesome. Jacob's an immature brat. I think the films and Taylor Lautner portray Jacob Black to be better than he really is. I could rant more about Jake, but why waste my time? Team Edward. Period.

Overall, I think Eclipse is better than Twilight and New Moon (films). And if they wanted to not make Breaking Dawn, that would have been OK. You get a sense of happy ever after with Bella and Edward at the end of this movie. I don't care about Jake, though I expected a tag after the credits of him running away like in the book. No go.

They made $30 million in midnight showings, beating the record set by New Moon in November AND it's a holiday weekend. Oh my!

I Got Five on It

2010-06-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

I noticed the meter while driving home on the 101 north/west. The sun kept giving a glare. Granted, my clock is always faster than the real time, but this is still flipping awesome (except the fact that I drive so much kind of sucks).

PLL

2010-06-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

I read all eight books in the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard because of the new ABC Family show. It's about five girls with different personalities, who used to be best friends. I can DEFINITELY relate, minus the murders.

The TV show has a lot of elements from the book, but it is still taking on a life of its own. I think the casting is perfect. Mr. Fitz is really cute! The girl who plays Ali is only 14, while all of the other girls are in their 20s? What the heck?

Fine, Fresh, FIERCE!

2010-06-15T12:38:00.000-07:00

California Gurls by Katy Perry is this year's summer anthem! When I first heard it, I only caught the end, and I heard Snoop say, "I wish they all could be California Girls." So, at first, I thought it might have sampled the Beach Boys. Then, I wondered if Katy Perry was allowed to sing this song. She grew up in Santa Barbara, so she's a legit California girl. Too bad she can't spell "girl" correctly?

Anyway, it rocks. Her performance at the MTV Movie Awards was everything I thought it would be. It definitely captured the song. Not to mention, the choreography taught me what some of the lyrics meant ;P

Now the video, WHOA. Candyland. I love the rude gummy bear. That was so funny! The video doesn't really remind me of California. The girls are like in bathing suits, and there's sort of a beach, but that's it. This video will definitely have people talking!

Chuck E. Cheese

2010-06-13T23:07:00.000-07:00

Chuck E. Cheese is a place where a kid can be a kid. Well, I spent 4 hours there today.

-I love that everything is only one token.

-We played Jurrassic Park, and conquered it. Sure, we spent like $4 worth of tokens, but it was totally worth it. It was weird, a bunch of tokens splurtted out of the machine at one point -- free play!

-There are 3 different photo opps.

-I'm still not pro at Skee Ball.

-Deal or No Deal is so lame! If you choose "No Deal," you have to enter more tokens. If you don't, you take the deal.

-My favorite game was some ball game in the kiddy section. You throw balls (like from the ball pit, but smaller) on the screen to kill the bugs or whatever. The animation is so cute and the game is super fun! But it only lets you play two areas per play.

-They played Justin Bieber and All Star Weekend on the TV screens in the Birthday room. Where were the Jonas Brothers and other young hollywood stars? Too hollywood, I guess.

-After all that, we had about 200 tickets. We got glow in the dark fangs and this thing that pops out at people.

You know what I miss? Hungry Hungry Hippos, the Ninja Turtle game, and the Barbie and Ken jet ski race.

Short Second Life

2010-06-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

I am a bit peeved that Stephenie Meyer wrote and published this novella before finishing Midnight Sun. I really want her to finish that! After reading The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, I know the wait for Midnight Sun will definitely be worth it!

I, of course, have read Eclipse. I knew Bree's ultimate fate.

I liked Bree. After reading her story, I was really hoping the ending I knew would change, for Bree's sake. I wanted it to be different, or perhaps, I wanted there to be more than what I saw in Eclipse.

But no. I finished the novella with sadness.

Let's Fly a Kite!

2010-05-31T17:24:00.000-07:00

I bought a kite for $1 at Walmart. The Little Mermaid was the only girly one they had in stock, which worked out because Ariel is my favorite princess!

On two different occasions, I went to the beach with my mom and attempted to fly the kite. I failed. I didn't know what I was doing wrong. I thought it might be the cheap kite, but I was determined to make it fly.

Finally, we figure out I didn't attach the string to the correct place. Once I did, that sucker flew! It was awesome. We had a picnic on Memorial Day.

Third time's a charm ;]

Sequels

2010-05-29T20:50:00.000-07:00

I saw a bunch of movies this week. I haven't been to the theatres in a while, so this was nice. I did start a collection of photos with one of the displays inside. Stay tuned to find out which one I'm talking about!

I went to the midnight showing of Sex in the City 2 Wednesday night/ Thursday morning. They didn't ask for my ID when I bought tickets, which means I actually looked at least 17! I expected more. The first one was so epic [and long]. The drama in the sequel was more suited for regular TV episodes.

It seemed like Iron Man 2 wasn't getting great reviews. I thought it was really good. Sure, the first one is better, but this one isn't terrible. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark is brilliant. I love the technology. Overall, it felt more like an Avengers prequel than an Iron Man sequel.

I also watched Sherk 4: Forever After, or is it the Final Chapter? We saw it in 3D. I definitely could have done without that. The movie was okay, I think I could have done without entirely. I remember laughing way more with the first three films. It didn't satire many fairytales or anything. Yet, high prices for 3D tickets allow this movie to be number one? Okay.

TG

2010-05-19T22:17:00.000-07:00

Exactly a year after Glee first premiered on Fox, Travis Garland performs on American Idol. By the way, Carlos Olivero, formerly of the 3rd generation Menudo is in that Starbucks - make your own frappe commercial.

The news articles say that TG is Perez Hilton's protégé... ARE YOU KIDDING? Like, seriously? I'm grateful for the aid and opportunity Perez has provided, but the association is a bit of a turn off for me.

"Believe" isn't my favorite TG original, and his performance lacked the spark I witnessed at Bandemonium =/

It's just a hill

2010-05-17T21:32:00.000-07:00

Mondays, at 8pm on the CW, I am automatically drawn to the television to watch One Tree Hill. The CW has not officially announced OTH's fate, but they will in 3 days. So, this episode could have been the SERIES finale.

I loved the Nathan and Haley flashbacks. They are the most epic couple on the show (since Lucas and Peyton left). Of course at the end, we get a sense that the characters are all going to live happily ever after. I want to go to the snow with a bunch of friends now. As they panned over the characters, I got the same feeling of closure as with the Season 4 high school graduation finale. And I totally got it: they were climbing a hill, and you could see trees -- One Tree Hill. Good one, Mark Schwan.

AND THEN the last couple of seconds made me SCREAM. What? WHAT?!!!! End scene. WHAT!?? The CW cannot not renew with that ending. That gives me hope. I would be really sad if they did just end it, but I hav hope.

L.A., L.A. BABY

2010-05-15T20:44:00.000-07:00

Today I watched the Jonas Brothers free show at the Grove. But remember, there is no such thing as a free show. You pay with the HOURS you spend waiting. I figured I would leave my house between 9 and 10, no rush. At 9, I look at twitter, and there are 500 people there already? Must leave NOW.
I got to the Grove about 10:30. It was promising, since the parking lot was not full. The security guard said there were about 7,000 people in front of me. Seven THOUSAND? Whoa! Apparently, the Grove has a 20,000 capacity. That number was far too large!

I met really nice people in line. All together, we were about twelve. This came in handy because around 1pm, the line started moving. However, it was a hectic mess. I nicknamed it a Jonas dash. While in line, someone flew a Camp Rock kite =O
Finally, around 2:15pm, we were going to be let in. It started at a slow, peaceful pace. Then, we started running. This video shows the BIG picture:

There was more waiting, warm weather, and packed bodies. The emcee gave away Jonas Brothers erasers, notebooks, dvds, and Dodger tickets! JB was in the second level window of the Quicksilver Store. They waved at the crowd briefly. The Wonder Girls opened and sang three songs. They were filming the audience for a show. I'm not sure which.

Jonas Brothers opened their set with "L.A. Baby" from the second season of their show. I was hoping they would play this! It sounds like an upbeat version of "Fly With Me." I heard the new JONAS L.A. has better writing. I'm looking forward to it. Next was "Year 3000" and "Play My Music." Everyone around me was singing along with all their heart. They slowed things down with "When You Look Me in the Eyes" and "LoveBug." They ended with "SOS" and "Burning Up." Big Rob came out and did his rap. Someone threw Joe a Kobe-24 jersey. he wore it for the rest of the show.

That brings the song count to 7. That was my guess when we discussed it in line (I win). It was very chaotic trying to get out of the concert area. I headed to the left. I'm glad I did because I saw Daniel Fathers -- Uncle Brown from Camp Rock! He was really nice and I got a picture. At the bridge, I could see a crowd for Honor Society. I was waiting for the area to clear out so I could get to Surf City. There was no need because security was escorting them out of the area. But it wasn't just Honor Society. A bunch of celebs were leaving, and I was in the exit path. So, I was able to ask for pictures!!! Hooray for me for not failing on taking pictures of myself!

Malese Jow from Vampire Diaries

Team Anna! I confess, I knew she'd be there (Twitter) and I was really hoping to meet her.

Lucy Hale from Pretty Little Liars

She is pretty and little! I don't know about the liar part.

The gentlemen of Honor Society.

Okay, I partially failed on one picture.

Steve McQueen from Vampire Diares

He said hi, but didn't stop for my picture. So I had to take my own actions! He's so cute!

Mind you, all those pictures were taken consecutively in less than 5 minutes. I get to put check marks on my Summer list. I got my Watermelon-Strawberry chiller so that I could wait for traffic to die down. Jack, Ryan, Garbo, and John were walking towards the valet. I almost went after them, but I had to wait for my drink. Grrr..

When I got in the car, "L.A. Baby" was playing on Radio Disney. Immediately after was "Give Love a Try." Yay for Jonas Brothers! I'm still a fan, but I got a sunburn. (That was me trying to bring a little Owl City into this story.)

Overall, the concert was great, but the fans are crazy! It's all good because:

Finding a good way to spend it

2010-05-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

After a long day of finals (4 finals spread out over 14 hours), I am officially on SUMMER VACATION!

I am dubbing the 134 days between now and the first day of autumn "fun time."
Since the Phineas and Ferb theme song says there are 104 days of summer vacation, I have made a list of 104 things to do during "fun time." Let's see if I make it!

Can't Be Tamed

2010-05-04T16:55:00.000-07:00

"Party in the USA" was a fun song, however, the video and the Teen Choice Awards performance were very on-the-fence for the Radio Disney audience. "Can't Be Tamed" is Miley's first single that probably will not be on the Radio Disney playlist. The music video is out of the question.

The video's premise is Miley is a rare, wild creature, newly found, on display at a museum. Miley has huge wings, dark makeup and very flexible dance moves. It's super hot and sexy, definitely. It reminds me of Britney Spears' "Oops! I Did it Again" and "Circus." It seems like an appropriate transition from "Party in the USA," but then I remember, the girl is still 17 years old!

Now now, this reaction is a little more harsh because Miley is a Disney star. So, I remembered past Disney divas:

Ashley Tisdale's "He Said, She Said," made it to #1 on TRL. The music video was Ashley's raunchiest, so far. However, the video's not even raunchy. Ashley's just at a night club, and she was about 20 when it was released. She does wear a bikini in "Aliens in the Attic."

Hilary Duff's music videos are still clean. She did have that threesome on Gossip Girl recently, but this is years after her Disney affiliation dried off. She was about 21.

Britney Spears was a member of the Mickey Mouse Club. She can be considered a Disney girl. She is still definitely one of the biggest female acts ever. Yes, "Baby, One More Time" and "Oops! I Did it Again" were definitely images parents didn't want their daughters imitating. However, they weren't as wild as Miley's latest. I compared those first because they were released about the time Britney was Miley's current age. Looking at Britney's discography, it seems her label/management waited for Britney to at least become legal before they allowed her to bring in the sexy with "I'm a Slave 4 U."

Of course, everyone grows up at a different pace. Maybe Miley has just matured faster than all of those other girls. Another thing that makes this video different is the fact that there is no hint of the young, Hannah Montana girl. It's all Miley. The video matches what's out there right now with Lady GaGa and Ke$ha. I do like the song; the chorus is a little annoying though.

Weebly

2010-05-02T17:01:00.000-07:00

"The Tie Girls'" ownership of the domain "vfactoryfan.com" has expired.

"The Tie Girls", the YouTube/MySpace alias of Grace and myself, expired long ago.

I don't want to call what else might be expired, though it's more than obvious.

Enation!

2010-04-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

@EnationMusic follows me on on Twitter!

I think they follow everyone that follows them, but it's still so cool!!!

Ryan Novak

2010-04-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

I tuned in to Dancing With the Stars just in time to catch the Debbie Allen's stars of dance routine. During the disco segment, who do I see? Ryan Novak, aka the dancer from Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus concerts and Fame that I totally adore! I'm 90% sure it's was him.. I'm 75% sure that's his name. Haha. Sorry. I recognize his face and his dancing more!

The rest of the routine was cool. Debbie Allen said her Fame quote. They danced to Naturi's version of the song.

Owl City @ Club Nokia

2010-04-10T16:36:00.000-07:00

L.A. Live is INCREDIBLE! Since 2007, I'd walk past it from the parking lot to Staples Center and it would just be under construction. Now, it's humongous and has all of these restaurants and high tech screens. It's crackin!

Paper Route went on at 7pm. They had a tiny drum set. At one point, someone was playing it, another was playing the regular drums, and then another was playing digital drums. The lead singer's mannerisms reminded me of Nicky T of V Factory. He was skinny and wore his trucker hat backwards.

Lights started at 8pm. She is so adorable! Some fan had a sign that read, "Now that we're engaged, cyber wife, we can get married at the cathedral of lights." She saw, laughed, and also mentioned World of Warcraft. Her band consists of her, a drummer and keyboard player. No guitar? Her drummer is cool though. "Ice" is a really cool song. She sings super fast during the bridge!

Finally, they were setting up for Owl City. The guy sound checking all the mics was the same guy in front of me on the escalators on my way into Club Nokia. I took a picture of his all access pass (I was stealth like a ninja).

Adam came out at 9pm. He played the drums, the band came out, he moved to the mic. It was totally out for the first verse and chorus of "Umbrella Beach." His set list was fun song, slow song, fun song, slow song. I know the fun songs more because I listen to the slow songs less.

"Hot Air Balloon" was AWESOME!! He threw a toothbrush to the audience during "Dental Care." Security was being strict on recording, but when the "song about bugs," aka "Fireflies," came on, EVERYONE had their cameras up. At the end of "Vanilla Twilight," Adam mouthed, "Take me with you!"

He ended with "Hello Seattle." It was a cool concert =]

Outside, the guys of Paper Route were selling their CD.

We ended the day at In-N-Out because Adam mentioned it between songs.

Vampire Diaries

2010-04-08T22:39:00.000-07:00

I started watching because of Malese Jow (Unfabulous) and Steven McQueen (Derek from "Minutemen").

Then I saw Melinda Clarke (The OC).

Then I saw Marguerite MacIntyre (Kyle XY).

The main girl was on Degrassi and the main guy's brother was on Lost.

So, when teen shows end, the actors become vampires?

Hidden Mickeys + Lilly Belle =

2010-03-19T23:55:00.000-07:00

My last visit as a passholder.

The first thing we did was ask if the Lilly Belle would be available. They took our reservation! We were so excited!

April and I decided to declare a Hidden Mickey hunt, but first, we grabbed double scoops of ice cream.

On Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, I dropped my list of HMs in the library. FAIL. They couldn't grab it without shutting down the ride. Sigh. April still had her copy though.

We went to Innoventions. I always thought it was kind of lame, but it's like a museum of cool technology. Note to self: come to Disneyland on a chill day to just hang and explore the Innoventions building.

The crowd was massive because it was Spring Break season. We waited in line at Big Thunder Railroad for half an hour. By the time we got on, it was 4:30. The goat trick works! The ride feels super fast! April got to see the hidden mickey. We got off the ride at 4:35. We had a 5pm reservation for the Lilly Belle, and they told us to be there by 4:45. So, we booked it from Frontierland to Main Street.

When we got to Main Street, the Disneyland Band was coming out, and they were clearing the road. So, we ran to get in front of them. We ran all the way to the train station. Third time's a charm. I was finally getting the chance to ride this Disneyland treasure.

The rules are: no eating and drinking on board, and you must remain seated while the train is in motion.

Jackie, our conductor was really nice and answered all of our questions. She even showed us the hidden mickeys on the carpet.

Stuff I learned:
- the thing about cats controlling the rat population is true.
- Walt Disney invented trash can lids because Lilly didn't like seeing the garbage.
- From New Orleans Square to Toontown, the tram goes through Splash Mountain.
- the longest working CM was a chef
- you can't work at both resorts (Anaheim and Orlando) simultaneously
- the tram has 2 minutes to unload and load passengers at each stop (excluding Main Street)

I asked Jackie about Maynard. She told me he was probably on the parade route or Tiki Room. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to seek him out.

Behind this wall are signatures of elite guests from back in the day:

Our trip around the park had concluded. We got off and and took a picture.

After, we went to California Adventure. We bought popcorn and went to Hemlich's Chew Chew Train. It was so cute!

April's a Pin Trader, so we got a Vinylmation Park #4 box. She got the Simba-looking one and the Finding Nemo one! We found a CM with a rooster vinylmation, April traded, but immediately traded back.

We waited in line for Tower of Terror. Our guide, Glenn was super awesome. I think it was the first time I had ridden at nighttime.

Alas, we called it a night. We were there for over 7 hours, and we spent most of it walking around the park. Though we didn't seem visit that many attractions, we both just love being in the park.

It's been a great year. I loved every single second I spent at the resort. It was a sensational treat, and I am sad I'll no longer have the ability to visit whenever I so desire (assuming no blackouts). Still, good things come to those who wait. I plan on renewing next year to hopefully catch the debut of the new California Adventure (with The Little Mermaid dark ride and World of Color!). In the mean time, I'll miss the castle, the hidden mickeys, and the magic of Disneyland.

Living the Dream 2

2010-03-19T21:04:00.000-07:00

My goodness, I miss the Jonas Brothers. SO much has happened in the past 2 years. I can't wait for what's next. =]

JONAS: Exam Jam

2010-03-14T20:48:00.000-07:00

This was definitely may favorite episode of the season, hands down. Why? Because it was mostly them performing their songs.

Wonderland

2010-02-26T19:53:00.000-08:00

Disneyland today with the mother and little brother. We got there just after 8am. First stop, Captain EO. Erik thought it was a ride. The 3D images aren't as clear as Avatar, but super spectacular, considering this was made in 1985. It's nice to see Michael up on the screen dancing and singing. I can see why the MJ fans couldn't wait for this attraction's return.

We went to the Jungle Cruise. My mom has never been, and the 2fer commercials make it look so cool. I asked for a map. I got one, yay! We boarded the Amazon Belle. Our skipper wasn't as funny as others I've had in the past. We got to the Hippo Pool and the turn wasn't so smooth. It was bumpy. We kept bumping.

She fires 6 shots. "Okay folks, stay calm. We have derailed. It's nothing to worry about, it happens all the time. Someone will come to help soon."

All the other boats were returned to the dock in reverse. 15-20 minutes later, all of the animatronics had stopped moving. Another boat came and fixed our problem. We went back to shore and got a fastpass.

At New Orleans Square, we watched Tiana's Mardi Gras celebration. It's basically the Showboat Jubilee with only Tiana and without the showboat. She sings songs from the movie.

They didn't have any Death Certificates at Haunted Mansion.

Next, lunch at Red Rocket Pizza Port.

After, we were by the Matterhorn, and who do we see? Why, the Wonderland crew! Alice, the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, and the Queen of Hearts. I was so happy! Now I didn't have to wait for musical chairs to meet them.

We followed them around. By the way, they don't stop. They're always on the move, so if you want a picture or an autograph, you have to follow them and be fast! This guy was wearing the new Johnny Depp Mad Hatter hat, and the original Mad Hatter was outraged. "That's not me!" He protested with the sales clerk for selling this weird merchandise.

I put on my handmade top hat. I went to take a picture with Alice. "Don't be mad," I told her. She asked why I would be mad. Because of my hat. She said, "Oh no, yours is prettier!" She then wandered off. Another little girl asked to take a picture. She shrugged and said "Okay." It's such madness. By the way, this Alice has been Tinkerbell in another life.

The Mad Hatter saw my hat. He liked it because I made it myself. I was missing the price tag though. He let me take a picture.

On the way back to Main Street, we saw Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. I only got a picture with Tweedle Dum.

Cruela DeVil was in front of the firehouse.

Over to California Adventure. I entered A Bug's Land for the first time. The rides are cute! It's like a carnival. All I need is my niece so that I have an excuse to ride all the attractions. We cut through to Tower of Terror.

On the way out, the High School Musical parade just started singing "I Want It All." I raised my hand to be chosen. It all happens so quickly. I got my Star Dazzle Award!

Out of the park before 6pm.

At a glance:
~California Screamin'

~Captain EO

~Haunted Mansion

~High School Musical Parade

~Jungle Cruise (fail)

~Peter Pan's Flight {+1HM}

~Pirates of the Caribbean

~Red Rocket Pizza Port

~Soarin' Over California

~Space Mountain

~Tarzan's Treehouse

~Tiana's Mardi Gras Celebration

~Tower of Terror (x2)

The Chronicles of Narnia

2010-02-23T11:31:00.000-08:00

Introduction

~I watched The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe on the Disney Channel over winter break.

~I enjoyed it very much (to my surprise).

~I watch Prince Caspian on Encore.

~I love it.

~Ben Barnes is so cute. [[ He was in a boyband for 4 and 1/2 minutes? I think I'm in LOVE! ]]

~I can't wait for Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

~I decide to read the series.

~I also watch a few episodes of the BBC series adaptation.

Critique

The Chronicles of Narnia series was written for children. This is exhibited as the author dictates the most obvious events. C.S. Lewis's descriptions of places and people really allow you to paint a picture with all of the senses.

Each adventure journeys through different parts of Narnia. Some journeys are longer than others (way longer), and there are epic battles and wars fought by children. I wanted one instance where they traveled to Narnia and just chilled and had fun. I suppose the story wouldn't be as interesting though.

I read it in publication order. It works that way.

Comparisons

~The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was a really good and true adaptation.

~Prince Caspian: movie > book [more Ben!]

~Voyage of the Dawn Treader < Silver Chair

Conclusion

Overall, I think it's a really good series. I shall add it to my future library. The last two paragraphs of The Last Battle turned my world upside down. I suppose I got what I wanted, but not exactly the way I expected. Although, it does make sense.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader hits theatres in December. I think they should stop with the films after this. I'm hoping for a M&G opportunity with Ben! Skandar's cute too, but he's younger than me xD

Blitz

2010-02-15T00:50:00.000-08:00

I played Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook. I played it for so long, that I lost the drive to always get the high score, but I still enjoyed playing. When I realized it counted each score into brackets, I set out to achieve gold metals in all areas.

It was a new way to be awesome.

They recently unleashed a new version of the game. It has new toys, and higher scores are now capable. It's another challenge, but I think I'm good with finishing my first challenge.

So here it is:

I used no new tools, I played it old school. Here are my totals:

25k - 252 [this was reset when the new version came out]

50k - 555

75k - 611

100k - 716

125k - 665

150k - 575

175k - 509

200k - 359

225k - 250

250k - 257

Starstruck

2010-02-12T20:13:00.000-08:00

This new Disney Channel movie was cute. It's a musical. Sterling doesn't really sing (Drew Ryan Scott dubs), but so what? I forgot that I had Disney Channel on Demand and could watch it early!

The story line reminded me of Camp Rock. A couple of the songs remind me of other songs. For example, the opening riff to "Hero" sounds like "One Less Lonely Girl" by Justin Bieber. "Got to Believe," which was on the soundtrack, but I guess, cut out of the movie, sounds like "Harder to Breathe," by Maroon 5.

For me, their "photography tour" around the city of L.A. made the movie for me. When you live here, it's easy to forget that this wonderful city can be glamorous and have so much to offer. I love that they went to the Hollywood sign. I always look at it when I drive past on the 101. "Something About the Sunshine," sounded cheesy on the soundtrack, but became so cute when it was played during this montage.

Hear the robin going..

2010-02-12T18:47:00.000-08:00

I gave in. I am using Twitter. I am only using it to follow other users. It's easier to keep up with everyone's updates with a Twitter account.

I don't plan o tweeting anything myself because I rearely have anything interesting to say (and no one cares). Plus, if I have something to say, I blog about it HERE.

-MTV has removed "Music Televison" from their logo. It's officially no longer the network I grew up with.

-Sterling Knight admits Christopher Wilde is part him and part Drew Ryan Scott of Varsity Fanclub.

-According to Wikipedia, Selena Gomez's "Kiss and Tell" has sold more copies than Demi Lovato's "Here We Go Again."

-Selena's performances have improved.

-Nick Jonas debuts at #3.

-Disneyland's attendance is up, but profits still aren't.

-I started rating songs on my iPod.

Dashboard

2010-02-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

This is what I saw just before I got to work:

FORTY-FOUR THOUSAND, FOUR HUNDRED FORTY-FOUR miles in 2 years.

Nick Jonas & the Administration

2010-02-04T08:12:00.000-08:00

Nick Jonas has had a busy week.

First of all, I was shocked when I heard Nick had a solo project. I knew it was coming, yet I'm not ready for Jonas Brothers to be over. None the less, I think he has done a great job, I support him, and I'm happy for him.

"Who I Am" was released. 10 songs. I do feel that old school raw rock and roll vibe when I listen to it. In my history of rock and roll class, I learned that albums were supposed to capture the essence of live shows. They were made for those who couldn't make it out to the concert and for those who wanted to relive it. Nick's album does that. My favorite track is "Last Time Around."

On Tuesday, he decided to spend release day with the fans. He tweeted that he was headed to the Santa Monica Pier, Sherman Oaks, and Downtown Disney.

This, of course, KILLED ME. Tuesday is the one day of the week I'm NOT in town. It's okay, my time will come, I HOPE!

I couldn't make it out to any of the shows at the Wiltern last week. When he first announced his tour, I hadn't planned on going. Videos on youtube changed my mind, especially the covers of Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato and Owl City songs.

I did think he would be on Jimmy Kimmel Live to promote the album. So, I requested tickets for the whole week he was in town for the tour and this week for the release.

Last night, he was on the show. Wednesday is the one night I COULDN'T go. I have a class, crucial to my major, that cannot be skipped.

There once was a time when I would be willing to skip class for a Jonas show.

There once was a time when my grades wouldn't suffer for it.

That time is over =/

Here's a list of things to make me feel better:

~I am a Jonas Brothers fan.

~If Nick's covers are what got me excited, then I ought to go see the original artists live.

~No M&G (okay, I might have won if I entered, but I want to meet all 3 brothers!)

~Nick didn't perform on Jimmy Kimmel.

~Target's edition of "Who I Am" comes with an exclusive DVD of performances.

80s Dance

2010-02-01T21:42:00.000-08:00

Tonight's episode of One Tree Hill was so cute and cheesy, but so well done. Once I heard Simple Minds "Don't You Forget About Me," I was instantly transported to the teen movie world of John Hughes.

I loved the tribute. Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, Weird Science, Ferris Buller's Day Off, and probably another.

This is my second favorite episode of the season so far. (First place goes to "I and Love and You" because of Clay + Sarah love story and "Belle of the Boulevard.")

GRAMMYS Live Blogging

2010-01-31T22:17:00.000-08:00

GRAMMYS LIVE BLOGGING

8:00 Hey it's the guy from Hairspray.

The set says "The Fame Factory." My mom says, "V Factory?"

8:03 Yep. The rumors were true. She's doing a duet with Sir Elton John. He's got bling glasses and a huge earring.

8:04 Dang. They painted Lady Gaga's face really quick.

8:09 Russel Brand looks different

8:10 Jonas Brothers!!!!!!!! Joe's wearing glasses.

8:11 Cool! iPad really is a giant iPhone

8:13 wow. They hardly got any time to accept their award.

8:14 Fearless was more of a Pop album.

8:33 Was Alanis supposed to join Beyonce on stage? Beyonce just sang her song.

Maybe it's my TV, but I do recall poor audio mixing last year. I think I have the same problem this year.

9:05 Jonas Brothers presenting on stage! I miss the 3 of them together. Kevin looks married. Ha.

Lady Antebellum started playing while JB was still introducing them. What the?

9:09 I like the way Kaley Kuoco presented.

9:26 Kesha is what Sharpay Evans would look like when she gets older.

9:55 the superbowl commercial's 3d effects were not cool. This MJ tribute is awsome!

10:00 That was it for the tribute?? No dancing?

Oh wow! Michael's kids! Awwwwwwwwwwww.

Okay. I'm over watching it. I'm just going to check the winners online.

FEARLESS WON ALBUM OF THE YEAR?!!!!! WHATTTTTTTTTT?? I can't help but wonder if everything would have been different if Kanye hadn't interrupted Taylor at the VMAs.

Beyonce wins 6.

Jay-Z has 3? Go Jay!

Lady Gaga gets 2. I will check out her acceptance speech later.

Twilight LOST.

Back on:

10:48 Beyonce called Jay-Z her husband =]

Joe on Idol

2010-01-28T15:52:00.000-08:00

Joe's presence as the 4th judge didn't seem to make a difference. They didn't show him making any interesting comments. In fact, they barely showed Joe talking at all. When he did speak, he said "Yeah," while the other judges said "Yes."

Big Time Rush

2010-01-25T19:14:00.001-08:00

For the record, I love boy bands.
Nickelodeon created this new show and provided a new crush for me: Logan Henderson. Wait a second-- oh no, it's okay. He is my age. Phew, that was a close one. The two shorter members are older than the taller members.

I have a series recording for new episodes.

I would like to attend live concerts and meet and greets.

Fake bands are fun. There's a poster of 2ge+her at the record label. Oh, Viacom.

When In Rome

2010-01-10T20:06:00.000-08:00

They handed out fliers for a preview screening in Burbank last week. It said that it was the premiere. They totally lied. I know not what the point of lying was, but it was still cool because it was at the El Capitan.

There was some sort of concert at Hollywood and Highland by a group called X Japan. It turns out it wasn't just a concert; they were filming music videos.

Before the movie, we went to the Disney Soda Shoppe next door. We got the Black and White Sundae. They were out of cherries, but the marshmallow sauce was bomb!

The movie was super cute. Very feel-good comedy. Josh Duhmel is so cute! I did not realize Jon Heder was in the movie. He rocked. I totally reccommend it. Boyfriends won't hate it and you can watch it with the whole family.

Avatar

2010-01-03T20:02:00.000-08:00

Three hundred million dollars well spent. Well done. I liked it. Pandora is a very interesting planet and a remarkable concept.

You must watch it in 3D. If there had been wind in the theatre, I would have felt like I was really flying.

Sam Worthington resembled Brian Austin Green a bit =]

MUFASA

2009-12-17T20:13:00.000-08:00

Grace and I decided to hip up California Adventure. Jokes were told on the tram:

Why is Peter Pan always flying around?

-Because he can Never Never Land!

Why does Simba always win the race?

-Because he MU FASA!

We made them our facebook statuses.

Grace shares my desire to collect all of the free buttons. They were out of Happy Anniversary, but we got Happily Ever After.

Characters on the backlot:

Our guide in the Tower of Terror movie room was way into it. His name was Brian. He rocked. We sat in front and did a heart pose for the picture. The monitor for our car was busted. Boo. So, we went on again. However, we got the same exact car! Oh well. At least Brian was the attendant for the elevator that time around. He jumped out and said BOO! when we got back. I got scared lol.

We went on Monsters, Inc. and then got free tortillas.

We watched the High School Musical show. Grace got chosen during "I Want It All." She got a button for participating! Had I known, I would have volunteered. That's a goal for next time!

Then, we went to Toy Story Mania. Mr. Potato Head really talks to you! I had a lower score, but higher accuracy.

We tried doing the heart pose on Screamin', but didn't put it high enough. Fail.

Solitaire

2009-12-16T23:30:00.000-08:00

My Annual Pass expires at the end of March. I'm not renewing until 2011 when The Little Mermaid Ride opens. That way, I'll hopefully also get to experience the new California Adventure. I made a goal to visit all the Disneyland attractions before my pass expires. So, today, I went to Disneyland by myself and rode the kiddie rides no one usually wants to go on.

All of the dark rides in Fantasyland - Peter Pan + Roger Rabbit's Toon Spin + Winnie the Pooh are way more frightening than the Haunted Mansion or the drop on the Tower of Terror.

Whittier High School's acapella group was performing at the Carnation Plaza Gardens. I decided to to sit and stay for a bit when they sang "Carol of the Bells"-- my favorite xmas song this year.

Then, I went to see if I could be in one of Tiana's Showboat Jubilees. Since I was only a party of one, I got to be the 20th member of the 11:30 show that was about to start.
First, you wave a handkerchief. During the chorus, you wave it up and down. "Going down the bayou.."
Next, you wave giant music notes.
Last, you put on yellow robes and play tambourines. I got to go on the second level for this part.
The songs were fun. It makes me want to watch the movie.

Once we were past the Sailing Ship Columbia, we were in the clear. They collect the robes and we get a meet & greet with Tiana (princess), Naveen (frog), and Louis (alligator).
I don't often see princes in the park, so of course I had to get a picture with just him! He looks like Mark Ballas from Dancing with the Stars.

After everything, they gave us cool beads for participating. Holler! Those are limited, yo!

Next, I went to Tom Sawyer's Island. I observed the Fantasmic! stage and walked around every speck of the island. I walk faster than Mark Twain's Riverboat. A CM greeted me and said I did a good job in the show =] I asked if there were any maps of the island, but she told me they don't make them anymore =/
Dead Man's Grotto is really cool. There are lots of scary tricks. I can't wait to trick others ;]

I tried for the Lilly Belle. They didn't say NO right away this time. But I think I'd like to not experience it alone. So next time. I hope I haven't missed my opportunity.

On to DCA. I went to the Muppets Show and then watched Drawn to the Magic. It's cute with the live performances of classic songs. I was really excited when the characters they drew came to life! I got to meet the Cinderella that left me on my birthday.

The 2010 merchandise had hit shelves.

Grace and her friends came just in time for the Holiday Parade. We sat on the sidewalk in front of the Main Street Railroad station. Really good seats! Then, we went to the Tiki Room.

April met me outside the Tiki Room, and she brought me McDonalds. We hit up Haunted Mansion Holiday, Indiana Jones, Pirates, got keychains, and then went to watch the fireworks.

Fantasmic! had been cancelled. Sad day!

Also sad: the passing of Roy Disney. My mom texted me the news, and I was shocked. He's always been a part of the Disney company that I have known. Is he the last male Disney? Will the name die now? He will be missed.

At a glance:
*A Christmas Fantasy Parade [front row seats]
* Alice in Wonderland [to feed my Alice fettish]
* Believe..in Holiday Magic
* Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
* Casey Jr. Circus Train [+1 HM]
* Chip `n Dale's Treehouse
* Disney Gallery
* Donald's Boat
* Drawn to the Magic
* Goofy's Playhouse
* Haunted Mansion Holiday
* Indiana Jones [+1 HM and eeyore!]
* Main Street Cinema
* Muppet Vision 3D
* Pinocchio's Daring Journey [+1 HM]
* Pirates of the Caribbean [+1 HM]
* Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin [+1 HM]
* Storybook Land Canal Boats
* Tiana's Showboat Jubilee [participant!]
* Tiki Room
* Tom Sawyer's Island
* Turtle Talk with Crush

THLAWS09

2009-12-16T08:28:00.000-08:00

The Hundreds is HUGE.

My little brother is way into it. He got me and my older brother into it as well. They held their warehouse sale last weekend, and we went on day 2.

We made the blog entry "Tales from the Sale"

Dude on the right (with his bro and sis) parked in my space, then had the nerve to call me out on Twitter for blocking him in! But it’s the Holidays, all is forgiven.

I'm "sis"! It's pretty sick. I was stoked to make the blog, I'm not gonna lie.

What the blog doesn't know is that we camped out at 8pm the night before. The warehouse is in Downtown LA. The lights from the Nokia Live were taunting me, for the Jonas Brothers were performing at Stevie Wonder's concert. It rained on and off all night, at times, really hard. It was cold. I couldn't rough it out like Erik. I slept in the car.

It's all good. It was a great bonding experience for me and my brothers. I also tried the new BBQ dish at Yoshinoya and the McRib. The sun came out the next day in time for the sale.

We spent about an hour inside shopping. They played awesome 80s music. We decided to make it an annual thing. Until next year. Hopefully we'll make it to the first drop.

Alice

2009-12-08T12:49:00.000-08:00

First of all, I'd like to address the network's name change from SciFi to SyFy. It goes from shorted words to mere syllables, that don't have a meaning on their own. A 2 letter difference: was it worth it? Is it effective? It definitely adds to my fear of NewsSpeak.

This "Alice" in Wonderland story was very cool. It not only took place in today's modern world, but also modernized the fairytale world of Wonderland. It had a corrupt economy, which was very interesting, and probably reminiscent of our own world.

The scenery was beautiful. I loved the Knights' fortress with the gargantuan chess pieces. The house of cards as a casino was brilliant. I liked how the roof design was giant dominoes.

I enjoyed identifying the classic characters. Caterpillar's coat was really cool. It gave the caterpillar look. I loved Alice's dress. I miss the card on Hatter's hat. Dr. Dee and Dr. Dum were really creepy.

The film (miniseries?) was presented in 2 parts, 2 hours each. That may seem long, but I couldn't get enough! I didn't want to leave Wonderland, but I'm glad a bit of Wonderland went home with Alice.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays

2009-11-22T23:53:00.000-08:00

I hit up Disneyland with friends. I dubbed it vampire weekend, so Aireen and I wore Twilight shirts and had Team Edward buttons on our backpacks.

I got asked to prom xD via scavenger hunt from the entrance, through Main Street, ending at the castle. Each stop had a gift and another clue. It was awesome! I said yes, of course.

We all got Family Reunion buttons from City Hall. I asked if the Lilly Belle was operating. The Cast Member said yes, but you need a ticket to board, but the tickets aren't for everyone. BURN!

Attractions:
-Buzz Lightyear - i scored 4800. F A I L
-NBC Haunted Mansion - I asked for a Death Certificate. They only give them out during regular mansion.
-Indiana Jones
-it's a small world holiday - we saw the light show while waiting
-Matterhorn [Fantasyland side]
-Monorail - can't ride it without singing the song from the Simpsons!
-Pirates of the Caribbean
-Pocahontas - met her in front of the Hyperion theatre
-Rainforest Cafe for dinner
-Sorcerer's workshop
-Space Mountain
-Talk to Crush - I asked "Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?"
He responded, "Can I be Team Crush?"
-Tower of Terror - WHAT zone? Twilight zone?!

We only spotted 3 others wearing Twilight merch. Something was wrong there! LOL

NEW MOON

2009-11-20T02:40:00.000-08:00

Initial reaction: EEEEP! SO GOOD!

I'm listening to "Twilight" by Travis Garland as I write this blog. It's super cute.

First of all, New Moon ranks 4th in the series for me. The absence of Edward and the annoying-ness of Bella made it difficult for me to read the book.

I didn't obsess over this film as I had over Twilight. But I enjoyed New Moon WAY MORE. It could be due to the fact that I hold the book to a lower standard.

New Moon was a very good adaptation! They kept most of the stuff in the book, and I'm sure because I read the book on Wednesday.

Taylor Lautner is Jacob Black.

The werewolves were VERY nice to look at. =]

My husband, Jackson Rathbone/Jasper Cullen, got an extra scene!

I always got mad at Edward for freaking leaving. But when he apologizes in the movie, I totally forgive him!!

I love the ending.

Lame moments:
1. Alice's vision - did they have to wear those clothes and run in slow motion?
2. Jacob called Bella "loca"

Things that were better in Twilight:
Jasper's hair
the soundtrack

New Moon had a $50 million budget this time.
It made $26 million in Friday midnight showings and holds the top record.
$140 million weekend total. 3rd highest overall.

I'm so proud! Eclipse better be the BOMB.

Quick Trip

2009-11-15T16:39:00.000-08:00

So we decided to stop by Disneyland, and only stayed for the 3 hours of free parking at Downtown Disney.

I noticed that Guest Relations had this sign:

So that's where I'll go when I have a reservation, if ever.

It's Christmas time! The Christmas tree is HUGE.

We rode it's a small world holiday. It was really cool with all of the holiday overlays, especially if you have ridden it as many times as I have.

Then we rode Dumbo! It's not lame at all! You can control it going up and down.

Lastly, we tried tracking down one of the performers in the High School Musical show for my brother. We would have followed them as the parade left, but she was on the float, so there was no point. xP

Where is everyone?

2009-10-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

I figured the closer to Halloween, the larger the crowds. However, today surprised me. We got dropped off on Harbor. There wasn't a line to check the bags. There wasn't a line at the gate. There was a line at DCA. Main Street wasn't as packed.

Of course, I didn't mind this.

First stop, it's a small world. The last day before it closes for 3 weeks! Note to self: choose the line on the right side that goes across the water. It's way faster. The left side also has a line for the handicapped and fastpass holders, so it takes longer.
Will they ever put that sad clown back?

After, took a look at villain's photo op. There were 3! The Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. My old nickname ;] I'm convinced a man was inside that costume. "She" was way too tall.
Then, the evil witch from Snow White. Does she have an actual name? When no one was waiting for her, she would survey the crowd and give evil looks. A couple kids got scared. I'm used to the Fantasmic performers being males. This witch was a female. She asked "How are you?" I replied, "Fine." She said, "Of course you're fine; you're meeting me!" Loved it!

Next up, Captain Hook. While I was waiting in line, I saw him meet a birthday boy. He pointed to his birthday button. The little boy nodded. Captain Hook did a slow clap and a whoopdee do gesture. So funny!

From there, we headed to Toon Town. Gad zooks. Why is Roger Rabbit always a long line? We just went to Mickey's house. There wasn't a line outside. We were at the front of the movie barn, when a little boy named Dominic was reported lost =0 . I don't know if they found him. I hope they did. We waited longer because of that. The movie reel looped. We finally went through. I asked for Steamboat Willie. & I got him!! Yay!!
I get it. There are 3 different rooms. Regular Mickey, Fantasmic Mickey, and Steamboat Willie. Helps move the line.

The Princess Fantasy Faire line didn't look too bad. I caught a glimpse of Ariel and Belle and was sold. Okay. I'm really going to wait in this line. It was long. Long lines make you tired. Sophie started dozing off once we neared the front of the line! Not good, so I fed her juice to wake her up. Princess Jasmine. Ariel. and Belle. I could feel the underwire at the bottom of Belle's dress. I bet the whole dress weighs a lot. I tend to copy the hand gestures princesses do. Is Giselle ever there? She should! I love her wedding dress.

We watched the Celebrate! Street Party, and then grabbed a bite to eat at Tomorrowland Terrace.

Lastly, we rode the Mark Twain Steamboat and took a picture at the Club 33 door.

Baby days = chill photo days.

I like that PhotoPass gives you the option of adding their autograph.

That's a small?

2009-10-24T23:51:00.000-07:00

Guppy Tea House has locations in Cerritos, Irvine, Anaheim, and Hacienda Heights.

They don't serve soda.

They have shaved ice, smoothies, and tea.
They also have fried rice and popcorn chicken.

The menu says the Small was good for 2.
It's really good for 6.

Chocolate Chip Calzone

2009-10-23T15:43:00.000-07:00

If you love chocolate, you'll love this one. Baked fresh to order in our stone hearth oven with white and bittersweet chocolate chips, vanilla bean ice cream & homemade whipped cream. Please allow 15 minutes .

I didn't realize it was under Claim Jumper's
Desserts for SHARING section.

But it's totally worth it!

Legacy

2009-10-21T22:11:00.000-07:00

Jonathan "Legacy" Perez

I caught the end of So You Think You Can Dance while I waited for Glee.

They announced the top 20.

& there he was.

He was my favorite in ACDC! He's so good! And cute =] Though, his voice isn't what I imagined. I wonder how he'll do in this competition. I'm down for a bboy to take the title.

Hmmm... I might keep up with this season.

No world series then.

2009-10-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

Dodgers lost =[

C'mon blue!
Next year, I guess.
Damn Phillies. haha.

I guess it'll be Phillies and Yankees.

I'd only want the Angels to go if the Dodgers were going too.

Anaheim IS NOT Los Angeles.

BLUE > RED

Bounce

2009-10-16T01:20:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh!

I love them.

Celebrate 20!

2009-10-12T18:20:00.000-07:00

C'était mon anniversaire! You're free on your birthday, but since I have an annual pass that isn't blocked out, I got the Birthday Fun Card worth $72. Score!

I got my birthday button and wore my prom tiara.

Attractions:
Blue Sky Cellar
Disney Gallery

Finding Nemo - The ride wasn't operating yet when we got there and they weren't letting people line up. They said maybe in about 20 minutes, so we just waited aside. Luckily, they were right about 20 minutes and we were first in line!
Robert, the driver was so cool! He spoke in the Crush voice. He gave shout outs to the little dudes and dudettes. He greeted me on the way out.

Ghost Galaxy - pretty cool! the ghost follows you and tries to get you.
Again, please try not block the people behind you in the ride photos.

Maliboomer - more fun this time. we really shot up fast!
Monster's Inc. {+1HM}
Peter Pan

Redwook Creek
Talking with Crush - my brother was amazed.

We saw Peter Pan in front of Monsters Inc. "You're a princess! Like Tiger Lily. She's better than all the other princesses because she actually has fun!"

Fantasmic Mickey and Cinderella left before I could get to them.

Baby Day

2009-10-11T21:32:00.000-07:00

I went to Disneyland with my mom and my 1 year old niece.

Sophie wore her Rosetta dress. So the first thing I wanted to do was Pixie Hollow. I hoped Rosetta would be there, but it was Silvermist instead. They shrink you while you're in line to go to Pixie Hollow. That's why we're the same size as Tinkerbell. They were both so cute. Sophie was a little scared, and they just kept saying "we're friends, remember?"

It was just a photo day at Disneyland. I spotted the Villans area. The ugly witch from Snow White and Jaffar were there. Sophie had fallen asleep. I didn't wake her. I told the witch she ate one of the poisoned apples. She did that evil hand thing. Jaffar is freaking tall. I'm shorter than his snake staff.

it's a small world was closed for some maintenance. sadness.

We headed to California Adventure.

{+1HM} behind the 'R'

Snow White and Dopey were in front of the Animation Building. Dopey left right before our turn. I liked the Snow White from yesterday better.

It was lunch time for Sophie, so we sat inside the animation building for about an hour. I watched ALL of the videos.

Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular!
We had orchestra seating, which was an advantage during "Prince Ali"
Genie's jokes were the best!
-"No wishing for more wishes. Unless you're Bret Farve"
-"You can't wish for someone to fall in love with you. Call that the Jon and Kate rule. YEAH. I went there!"
-"Yo, Jasmin, imma let you finish, but..."
-"Sorry, Al. I guess she was a Taylor Swift fan."
-"I can' t help you anymore. You're out of wishes. I just gave you the Nobel Peace Prize! What more do you want from me?"
-"If your last name was Peppershakers, you'd be Sultan Peppershakers."

There are like 5 different Aladdin stand-ins.

Dinner @ Condor Flats.

Mickey's Fun Wheel NON swining gondola. They let you on. They finish loading the rest of the ferris wheel, so you stop a lot. The wheel spins once around, and then they let you off. The lights are pretty. It'll be prettier when DCA is no longer under construction.

Finally, King Triton's Carousel. You know, they're pretty fun.

This is Halloween

2009-10-10T23:59:00.000-07:00

It's Halloweentime at Disneyland!

Pretty much opened and closed the park.

The Saturday crowd wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be.

Jack-o-Lanterns are everywhere on Main Street.

At California, I got a picture with Farmer Mickey and Snow White.

We saw Jack Skellington in New Orleans Square, but they had closed off the line by the time we ran over. "He'll be back tomorrow," they said.

Attractions:
California Screamin - @ night! i love the first drop!
Big Thunder Railroad - {+1HM}
Buzz Lightyear - {+2HMs} ride stopped for a bit. i ranked extra points
Haunted Mansion Holiday - {+1HM}
Indiana Jones - couldn't spot Eeyore =/
Jungle Cruise
Matterhorn (x2) - the Fantasyland side was more fun. it felt faster.
Pirates - {+1HM}
Railroad - Tommorowland-->Main Street
Sleeping Beauty Castle - always awesome for pranks
Snow White - {+2HMs}
Splash Mountain - riders in the back don't get as wet, but they may get cut out of photo!
Star Tours - my first time. reminds me of the old Back to the Future ride at Universal. I love the robot!
Tower of Terror (x3) - please do NOT hold your arms up for the photo if someone is behind you.
Winnie the Pooh

Lunch @ Stage Door Cafe - got free extra food
Dinner from Tomorrowland Terrace

No Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. The line was insanely long! But the outside looks really cool.

Halloween Screams - besides Jack's voice, it was AMAZING. way better than Magical.
11:30 Fantasmic! - i met Murphy, at last! it takes 30 seconds to descend. yes, i counted.

We were the last ones to take a castle picture with a Photopass photographer. Her name was Megan. She let us do a cool jumping pose.

Selena & the Scene

2009-10-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

Wizards of Waverly Place debuted on the Disney Channel on my birthday a few years ago. I secretly boycotted the show because Selena Gomez also played Mikala, Hannah Montana's competition.. and I was team Hannah? That sounds so stupid now.

I watch the show now and then. David Henrie is so cute. I didn't know the show beacme was a huge phenomenon. The movie obtained 11 million viewers, the highest DCOM debut after High School Musical 2. I enjoyed it because I could relate to the sibling rivalry. When David Henrie said "I don't know who you are, but I believe you," my heart totally melted.

In addition to having the highest viewed program on Disney Channel, Wizards also beat Hannah Montana and iCarly for the Best Children's Program Emmy.
WOW.

And now, Selena has a band, and they released an album. My review: it's okay.
I think she's stronger in acting. Her voice isn't that strong. The songs aren't going to be in my top 25 most played anytime soon. Maybe the sound will grow on me. Her tween audience probably will enjoy it.
I do like "Crush," "Naturally," and "I Promise You."

I thought her acoustic performance of "Falling Down" was good.

Better than I expected.

The Dancing With The Stars performance, I didn't enjoy as much. It seemed stiff, which is reasonable, it was her debut. The vocals need to improve. I shall leave it at that.

She's got potential. Look at your best friend, Selena. I'm not saying copy her style, but take note of her comfort and presence on stage.

Baby, Remember My Name

2009-09-25T22:24:00.000-07:00

FAME!

I've been talking about this movie since December, and I finally got to watch it in theatres.

*THIS IS IT trailer looks amazing on the big screen!*

The auditions were really cool.

Got to see "Asher Book" during the opening titles. I'm so proud of him! He was really good. Marco, the charmer. He has a smile on 97% of the time. I'm already biased, but I think I like fell in love with him. I hope other girls do the same.
[and then they can find out more about him. and then they'll learn about v factory!],
He had a fight with his girlfriend. When he said, "What did you think was gonna happen?!," he said it in a way that reminded me of this clip:

"See, I knew we were having too much fun!"

Paul Iacono's character was really funny. Dang it! I was standing next to him before he left the Grove. I should have asked for a picture.

Kerington was really good. I wish I had paid more attention to season 3 of SYTYCD.
When she was dancing to "Black and Gold," she jumped into this guy's arms. My exact thoughts were: who is this? whoa, okay. hello cute dancer that i will now proceed to stare at for the rest of the number. But he looked familiar to me. I realized he was a dancer for Hannah Montana on the Best of Both Worlds concert.
I did the same thing at her concert! I stared at him while Miley sang. The guy in red. In the concert movie, he's the one that dropped her. ♥
Yeah, I have a thing for dancers sometimes. You know, the cute awesome ones.

Other highlights: Anna Maria Perez de Tagle [her name is so long!], Megan Mullally singing, Kay's Success speech, "Try," and "This Is My Life."
I was right when I said "This Is My Life" would be the most exciting part of the movie. It was the only "musical" part. They don't randomly start singing elsewhere. All of the other songs on the soundtrack are either background music or performed by the characters in the movie.
I like the soundtrack more now that I've seen the movie.

Overall, the movie was cute. I do like all of the characters. However, the cast is large, and it takes place throughout all 4 years of high school. There's a lot going on, and I feel that a lot was cut out of the final product. For instance, Rosie had a curtain call and her own TV spots, but she wasn't showcased in the movie. There were a couple of other quotes that didn't appear on screen.
This is probably why I was left feeling that the characters didn't really quite develop. It's the same feeling I had with Camp Rock. If there's a novel for the movie, I would definitely read it to get more of the characters. Shoot, maybe I should start writing it! But I understand that it was in the interest of time [1hr 47mins].
Also, it didn't go as deep or extreme as it could have. All of the conflicts were kind of naive. Where's the "I'd do anything" factor? Oh, it's rated PG. Nevermind.

But go watch it. You'll have a good time.

FAME Movie Premiere

2009-09-23T23:09:00.000-07:00

The movie hits theatres in 2 days!

The premiere was held today at the Grove in Los Angeles.

Before hand, we just walked around and shopped. I spotted Olesya Rulin.

Saw the guys just as they were about to hit the red carpet.

The red carpet was set up in the grass area between the fountain and the stage. I didn't really see. It wasn't your typical set up. The carpet was black, first of all. There wasn't a backdrop, just posters here and there. You can see fans gandering behind the celebrities.

I totally missed a JC opportunity! I had no idea.

I totally don't count this because they didn't walk the carpet together.

As we made our way to the stage, I see Chucky Klapow.
Here's the thing: when I first watched "Getcha Head In the Game" in High School Musical, I took notice of number 44. He was really good [and cute!]. I learned his name. I learned that he was assistant choreographer. I learned that he attended my high school [he was voted best dancer!].
One day, senior year, he had visted a couple classes. My friends told me of this news. None of them knew who he was, or could even recall his name. But I knew, and I was tres triste that I didn't get to meet him.
And almost 3 years later, there he was :) I can cross him off my list of people to meet.

He asked what year we graduated. I should have said 1998 or whenever he had graduated. Dang it. haha.

They announced V Factory. I was surprised they were opening with "Get Up." This is a different set list, I thought. The song ended. They said their thank yous. And THAT WAS IT. LoL

That's right folks, one song. They weren't kidding when they said it'd be quick. I still love them, none the less.

No formal m&g after. They had to rush to the theatre to watch the movie. But Travis Garland was lingering around somewhere.

We ended the evening with a quick trip to New York and then a trolley ride around the grove.