Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Chip & Dale Celebrate Mardi Gras!!!

CIMG0733 by jjcar69
CIMG0733, a photo by jjcar69 on Flickr.
Mardi Gras with Chip & Dale!!!

Monday, February 20, 2012

Madonna Music Monday - 02/20/2012

Don’t call it a comeback! Madonna‘s fans have welcomed her back with open arms, along with her lead MDNA single ‘Give Me All Your Luvin’. Just hours after getting fans familiar with the ‘Luvin’ visual, the diva is dominating iTunes charts globally, finding herself atop 49 countries listings, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and France just to name a few. Find out what countries L-U-V Madonna below…

#1 in Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US, Venezuela...and counting!!!

So what is causing all this commotion? Here is Madonna's new video for her international smash hit.

Enjoy!!!

Give Me All Your Luvin' (Feat. Nicki Minaj & M.I.A.)





John

Friday, February 17, 2012

Mad Tea Cups and Flying Dumbo - Magic Kingdom

Here is video of the first time I took any of my niece or nephews to Walt Disney World. Here I am taking my oldest nephew to the Magic Kingdom for the first time in 2005. Our 1st rides of the day were the Mad Tea Cups and Flying Dumbo. Enjoy!!!




John

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Whitney Houston : 1963 - 2012

It was the Summer of 1993. I was dating this guy that I knew was so wrong for me for so many reasons. I was dating him for all the wrong reasons too. Basically, I was with this guy just so that I could feel good about myself, so that I can say I was with someone. I knew this relationship was not gonna last long, so I just went thru the paces. I treated him to dinner dates. I bought him clothes. I tolerated all his 'bad habits'. And by 'bad habits', I mean his various drug habits. I took him to a SADE concert. I even treated him to an all-paid trip to New York City. It was my 1st trip to New York and I didn't want to go alone. Yet, while on the trip I did feel all alone. I guess the one good thing that come out of the New York trip was that I realized I loved Broadway musicals. On this trip we saw CATS. It was my 1st Broadway show. And I have been hooked ever since. So I guess some good can come out of a bad situation.

So over the summer of 1993, while I was dating this guy, The Bodyguard soundtrack was playing everywhere. And I do mean EVERYWHERE. You remember, don't you? It seemed like everyone owned a copy of that soundtrack, my boyfriend included. He would play that album every time we were together. At his place, at my place, in my car. Everywhere. Every time.

As the relationship started to end that summer, I had grown tired of The Bodyguard soundtrack and the number one song from that album, I Will Always Love You. I got so tired of that song that I started to hate the song. I mean HATE the Whitney Houston version. At the time, I knew Houston had a great voice and had recorded a good version of the song. I justified my hatred of that recording by saying that Dolly Parton's original recording was more emotional and that it didn't need all the dramatic phrasing that Houston's version had. I believe that less was more. I just didn't want anything to do with The Bodyguard and Whitney Houston. By the Fall of 1993, I had ended the relationship and I had moved on.


On February 11th 2012, Whitney Houston was found dead in a Beverly Hilton Hotel room. She was 48 years old. It was the night before the 54th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony. As news spread thru-out the night of Houston's death, I decided to go thru my CD collection to find some Whitney Houston music. I was a fan of her 80's recordings. Guess what I found in my collection? The Bodyguard soundtrack. How did I end up with this CD? I think I took my ex-boyfriend's copy when we broke up as pay-back for making me listen to it non-stop during the Summer of 1993. Too bad for him, too good for me.

As I started to listen to the CD, I realized why I hated this recording back in 1993. It wasn't because I thought Houston was over-rated on this recording or that it was over-produced and excessively over-hyped. I hated the recording because it was a reminder of the relationship I was in. I didn't hate Whitney Houstin and The Bodyguard soundtrack. I hated the guy I was dating. Talk about dis-placed anger. I guess we have to do those things in order to maintain some sense of humanity. At that time, I chose to hate a music recording instead of hating myself for being in a bad relationship with a horrible person. Now I can appreciate The Bodyguard soundtrack for what it truly is. Its an amazing rendition of a beautifully written song sung by one of music's greatest talents at the height of her carrear. It just that simple. I realized I was wrong. I realized that I loved Whitney Houston's version of I Will Always Love You.

I guess over time, with age, with maturity, we realize our faults and we try to improve ourselves. Unfortunately for some, that lesson is never learned and a huge price is paid. I wished that Whitney Houston had over-come her addictions and had made a true come-back and had restored her voice to how it was in her prime. I guess that was not meant to be. But on this sad day, we can reflect on what we have and cherish the fact that Houston left behind an amazing music legacy.

I sure you've been listening to this song all weekend, and you should. It truly is an amazing performance. Whitney Houston, you will be missed.




John

Monday, February 6, 2012

Madonna Music Monday - 02/06/2012

Well you knew I was gonna post about the Super Bowl, didn't you? As everyone on this planet knows, Madonna performed on last night's Super Bowl Half Time Show. Featuring guess performers Nicki Minaj, M.I.A., LMFAO, Ceelo Green and what seemed like a cast of a thousand dancers. Madonna performed VOGUE, MUSIC, GIVE ME ALL YOUR LUVIN'(a new song from her upcoming MDNA album), a bit of I'm Sexy And I Know It/Party Rock Anthem with LMFAO, OPEN YOUR HEART/EXPRESS YOURSELF medley and the grand finale of LIKE A PRAYER with an assist from Ceelo Green. But you have to HEAR and SEE the performance for yourself. It was simply AMAZING. So here you go, Madonna's Super Bowl Super Concert. Enjoy!!!

Madonna ~ Halftime Super Bowl XLVI (2012)




John