Regina's So-Called Blog

So I've finally reserved a little space on the "interweb" to record my random musings. The real challenge will be stepping away from my rampant pop culture consumption to actually write down my thoughts regarding said pop culture tidbits or anything else that crosses my mind. Or will it just become like my Facebook page that I never visit? Only time will tell.

Monday, May 16, 2011

10 Things I Love About Bruno Mars

In two short days, I will see my latest love, Bruno Mars, live. I am as giddy as a schoolgirl! I previously wrote a little love blog about him, now I give you a top 10 List of the many reasons why I fell so hard, so fast. Not necessarily in this order (but it's probably about right):

1) HIS MELLIFLUOUS VOICE
- His voice is beautiful. Amazing. Angelic. [Feel free to insert your own superlative.] It's just such a pure, effortless voice. The fact that he just opens his mouth, and that heavenly sound just comes out is nothing short of miraculous. He is truly blessed. Now there's someone who really should legitimately thank God when he wins an award because only God could bestow a gift like Bruno's voice. He is compared to Michael Jackson a lot, and it fits. The purity, the power, his high register. I love a man that can hit a high note. His voice for me is perfection. Do some of his songs sound similar? Sure, but guess what--I don't care because his voice makes anything sound good. I want to hear him sing every song I've ever heard my entire life b/c I'm pretty sure he can improve on them all. That's how much I love his voice. It's also refreshing to understand every word a singer says. I never have to look up his lyrics to clarify anything. Just another unusual and awesome Bruno quality.

2) HIS MOUTH -
That infectious, heart-melting smile. Those perfectly shaped, impossibly white teeth. Those cute little lips. It's an amazing mouth. It's ironic that he sings, "when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for awhile," because he could totally be singing about himself! I know I stop and stare when he smiles.

3) THOSE DIMPLES - Who can resist dimples? It's like icing on the cake with this kid. Just one more thing to love. I think they're most noticeable when he's singing.

4) HIS EYES - Those big, beautiful brown eyes with heavy-lids, that slant just a bit at the outer corners. Such beautiful (slightly Asian) eyes.

5) HIS MUSICAL ACUMEN - With a voice like his, he doesn't need any other instrument, yet he also plays drums, guitar & piano. And he beat boxes really well! He writes & arranges songs, too. He's a singer, musician, songwriter and producer. He is the whole package, and a gorgeous package it is. (Just so we're clear, I'm referring to his whole person, not his actual "package." Though some pics I've seen suggests he may be blessed in that area, as well. He has small hands but big feet, so it could go either way. What--too blue?)

6) HIS CHARISMATIC & WITTY PERSONALITY - Not only is he hot, but he seems like he'd be a ton of fun to hang out with. He is an awesome interview. Very personable and tongue-in-cheek. He's a quick and clever jokester. He knows what he's working with (see #1-5), and he plays up the image without being egotistical about it. He pokes fun at his talent, his sex appeal, his celebrity, and it's so damn endearing. He's just so damn likeable, never off-putting, comes across as a genuinely nice guy who really appreciates his budding success.

7) HIS JOY WHEN PERFORMING - He always looks like he's having a good time singing & playing. You can't help but smile watching him do his thing. And unless he's singing a sad song, his smile is constant. (I've already discussed how killer that smile is.)

8) HIS CONVICTION WHEN PERFORMING - Maybe we, the Bruno devotees, are just naive, but we believe every word he says when he sings. He sings with such passion & conviction & heart. When he sings "Grenade" acoustically, he barely opens his eyes, and you feel his pain with each crooned word, with each furrowed brow and scrunched face. And when he sings love songs like "Just the Way You Are," you believe that too. If he isn't feeling it, he's got a hell of a future as an actor because he looks and sounds like he feels it.

9) HIS FEDORAS - What he does for a fedora should be illegal. He's bringing sexy back by way of the fedora! His hair is adorable, kind of a curly fro. "Paterican" (Puerto Rican) hair, he calls it. I used to prefer him in a hat, but I've come to love his bare head. The fedora has become his trademark, but he's showing off his sexified rockabilly pompadour style hair more & more lately. He's a super hottie regardless, hat or no hat. :-)

10) HIS ECLECTIC TASTES - He likes all kinds of music. Dance, pop, rock, reggae. It's so sexy that he just loves & appreciates all music. He's a huge fan of 80's music & melodies, particularly MJ & Prince. How hot is that?! I love that someone born in the mid-80's loves the music of that decade so much. He also likes oldies "doo-wop" music, which shows in the simplicity of several of his songs. Apparently he's like a human jukebox. He & his band can play all kinds of songs from various decades on demand. One my fave youtube clips has them doing spontaneous snippets of Tina Turner's "Proud Mary," Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger," and MJ's "The Way You Make Me Feel." They don't get all the lyrics right all the time, but the fact that they can just start playing the song and even sing some of it accurately is mad impressive. Especially because they're only 25!

The fact that someone as genuinely talented as Bruno is actually experiencing success in the modern music biz is an unlikely victory. Maybe it's a harbinger of good things to come. Less autotune, more musicianship. Bruno is bringing real music back. Doesn't hurt that he looks good while doing it. :-D

Saturday, April 9, 2011

The Long, Winding Road to Gaga

Some eleven months ago, I bought tickets to last night's Lady Gaga Houston concert. Yes, you read that correctly--eleven months ago. I was unable to get tix to the first two shows, which happened last summer (sold out too quickly). Then they announced there'd be a third show! One small catch--it was eleven months away.

Below is a little walk down memory lane of the arduous journey to attain tix to the Lada Gaga concert, a journey I embarked on over a year ago. I do believe this experience was the catalyst of frustration that birthed my very first blog. Behold the Road to Gaga via e-communications with my "little sister monsters." :-D

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3/26/10 GAGA STILL TBA
why bother announcing the date if you don't have any other details?! just wait til you get your ducks in a row.
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3/29/10 GAGA STILL TBA
still no price or sale date info. frustrating!
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3/31/10 GAGA STILL TBA
just letting you know i'm still checking daily. it'll probably happen over this long weekend. i will continue my vigilance (we will not have a repeat of what happened with the peas, em, fear not). be on the lookout for gaga-texts from me this weekend!
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4/6/10 GAGA DETAILS FINALLY!!!
just posted today on toyota center website (took them long enough!):
Date: Sunday, July 25, 2010
Time: 8:00 PM
Doors Open: 7:00 PM
Ticket Prices: $175, $85, and $49.50

BUY TICKETS HERE
(On Sale Friday, April 9 at 10am)

I'm only game for the cheapest seats. At $49.50, expect the final cost to be in the neighborhood of $60 - $65 (once fees are added). Pricier than I had hoped but still relatively inexpensive for a concert (this is the same price we paid for Pink--i think that total came out to $62 or $63).
I can probably make sure my 3rd period class is "working independently" at approx. 10am on Friday, so I can get the tix. One has to have her priorities straight. :-D
So whadaya think, ladies? I think it could be worth it just for the sheer spectacle of it all. It's bound to be like nothing we ever have or ever will see again. Gaga be a freak!
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4/6/10 GAGA DETAILS FINALLY
okay. i invited [some other girls]. but the three of us are on for sure. and i plan to purchase right away at 10 on Friday. (there's a presale that started today for virgin mobile customers & citicard holders, but i don't fit either one of those). i'm excited now! you know how i love concerts! and i expect cheesecake factory pre-show dinner, obvs! that means we have a date to split chicken fingers on July 25. :-)
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4/9/10 RE: NO GAGA FOR US
that crazy bitch sold out in less then 30 minutes. and she's playing our basketball arena, not some small venue. by the time i actually managed to get thru to the website (maybe 15 or 20 mins after tix went on sale), it was already not giving me seats. i have never (and you how many times i've gone online to buy tix) had a situation like that. not even with all those madonna shows. yeah they sold out fast, but we always got in there b/c we were on it the second they went on sale. today, even that didn't make a difference. this is a true testament to just how large this woman is living right now. she was gonna open for kanye last fall (tour was kiboshed after the incident with taylor swift at mtv awards), and now she's selling out arenas in record time all by her lonesome. unreal.
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4/16/10 STILL NO GAGA FOR US
couldn't get tix again! easily got on website this time, but kept getting "no tickets matching your request available." i don't believe that crazy biyatch sold out 2 shows in a matter of minutes (possibly seconds).
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5/10/10 3RD GAGA SHOW ADDED!!!
There's going to be another Gaga show at Toyota Center. On Friday, April 8, 2011! Talk about early planning! What if she's not hot by then? Maybe she's a freakish fly-by-night act.
Anyhoo, if you're willing to put yourself out there again, I'm willing to try to get tix. I'm less than optimistic (not getting my hopes up) after being crushed twice before, but I will attempt to secure tix. The show is on a Friday, so that's good. Tix go on sale this Friday, 5/14. Who's still in?
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5/14/10 GAGA TAKE 3
tix onsale at 10. i'll let you know how it goes. don't get your hopes up though.
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5/14/10 WE GOT GAGA TIX!!!
took 3 three tries, and we have to wait a year (hope she's still relevant then!), but we have a date for April 8, 2011. yay! it's just us three. [the other girls] bailed. they couldn't commit to something so far away. it's $62 each btw. no huge rush, but soon would be good. :-)

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Some Thoughts on the Golden Globes

Disclaimer: I typed up some quick notes while watching the Golden Globes telecast. I started going back over them to fine-tune for publishing, but I gave up on proper capitalization, punctuation, sentence structure, etc. after a while. I have other things to do! So you're just gonna have to deal. I did kindly take the time to actually identify the shows & movies these folks are known for, since I realize most people don't automatically know this useless info like I do. LOL. Without further ado, my thoughts on tonight's awards show:

Yay for Katey Sagal! She kicks ass on "Sons of Anarchy." Clearly they didn't think she'd win b/c her seat is waaaay in the back. Love the joy on Ed O'Neils's face. A nice warm fuzzy for all us "Married with Children" fans. Awww.

Yay for Chris Colfer from "Glee"! His speech made me cry a little when he told kids to believe in themselves & ignore the bullies & naysayers. He was so sweet & overwhelm. Costar Lea Michele was crying tears of joy for him too. Awww.

Joe Mantegna's daughter is Miss Golden Globe this year. She's pretty, luckily doesn't look too much like dad. Whew. (I've never been a fan of Joe Mantegna. Hated the movie "House of Games," and I harbor resentment against the stars & the writer of the film. Been holding that grudge since the late 80's.)

Ricky Gervais (host & acerbic comedian) had the balls to diss "The Tourist" in Johnny & Angelina's face. Can't believe the camera didn't pan to them for a reaction.

Ooh, and a thinly veiled jibe at Tom Cruise & John Travolta. He said Jim Carrey & Ewan McGregor are straight men playing gay in "I Love You, Phillip Morris," which is the exact opposite of some famous scientologists. LMAO!!!

What's with Christian Bale's long hair and ugly beard?

What's with Dexter's red beard (as in why the beard and why is it red)?

Love everyone schmoozing & rubbing elbows during commercial breaks. Best reality show ever?--hearing the conversations a room full of actors have with each other when buzzed on alcohol & Godiva chocolate!

How did Piper Perabo get nominated (for tv actress in "Covert Affairs")? Also "The Tourist", "Love & Other Drugs," & "Alice in Wonderland" in the movie categories? Puhleeze.

Helena Bonham Carter has on two diff color shoes--one green, one red. Weirdo. (And let's not forget homewrecker--she broke up Kenneth Branagh & Emma Thompson and then Tim Burton & Lisa Marie. The wife of every director working with HBC better be on the lookout. Whoa here she comes, she's a maneater.)

Poor Andrew Garfield, stumbling over the word "inspiringly" while introducing "Social Network" clip. Makes you wonder how he made it through all of that rapid-fire Aaron Sorkin dialogue in the movie. It also doesn't instill a great deal of confidence in him as the new Spiderman.

the "true grit" girl got to present with justin bieber. lucky girl! her friends hate her even more now!

jennifer love hewitt--too tan? i think so.

loved ricky g's diss intros--bruce willis (called him ashton kutcher's dad & only listed his less successful movies) & robert downey jr (better known for betty ford clinic & la county jail rather than his hit movies). ha!

standing o for annette bening, such (unexpected?) reverence

commercial break schmooze moment: jesse tyler ferguson ("modern family) & jenna ushkowitz ("glee") posing for a picture together w/ one their phones

yo, sylvester stallone is announcing a best picture nominee. i still love you, sly!

another standing o, this time for al pacino.

yet another win (it cleaned up at the emmys last fall) for hbo biopic "temple grandin." feeling the pressure to see this boring looking movie. at least it stars claire danes, my always beloved angela chase from "my so-called life."

ricky g's banter with steve carrell is always fun at awards shows! ricky accused steve of being "ungrateful" and "killing that cash cow" for both of them by leaving "the office." (steve is leaving the show toward the end of this season; ricky is the show's creator & constantly jokes/brags about living off the show's residuals.)

hmm, the globes don't separate adapted vs. original screenplay. i find that bothersome.

they also lump all tv supporting actor/actress together (comedy, drama, miniseries), which is ridiculous.

oops--the camera cut to someone other than julia stiles (from "dexter") when they said her name.

jane lynch ("glee") gives good speech. she was funny as hell.
she is one of my fave famous lesbians (after ellen degeneres & wanda sykes). and little lea michele got all emotional again for another costar. awww.

why'd they have to put two of the few black presenters together? (blair underwood, vanessa williams) i might not have noticed how few black presenters there were had they not shoved two of them out simultaneously! that made it glaringly obvious. not cool, globes.

why is jane fonda making the rounds? she presented at the critics choice awards on friday as well.

kaley cuoco's ("big bang theory") genuine excitement when announcing costar jim parsons as the winner of best actor in a comedy series was so precious. made me like her a little more. (she seems kind of unnecessary on the show, but she seems to love her tv family, so awww...)

melissa leo ("the fighter") seems genuinely thrilled and gratefiul & humbled to be getting some awards attention. i guess she's worked a long time for his. nice to see. (she also won at the the critics' choice awards.)

such pedigree in the director category this year: david fincher ("seven," "fight club," "the game"), david o. russell ("three kings," "i heart huckabees," "flirting with disaster") chris nolan ("memento," "dark knight"), darren aronosky ("requiem for a dream"). wow!

isn't it weird that the guy (ryan murphy) who gave us "glee" also gave us "nip/tuck"? that's a guy with diversified interests.

i hate halle berry. not really, but she's just so impossibly (and agelessly?) beautiful. ditto for j.lo. i swear they look better than ever.

commercial break schmooze moment: emma stone ("easy a") & mila kunis ("black swan") holding each other's forearms & jumping up & down like a couple of teenagers.

joseph gordon levitt is adorable. and he had the best scenes in "inception."

looks like 2011 is shaping up to be natalie portman's best year ever: marriage (recently engaged), baby (currently preggers) & an oscar (she's the frontrunner). cowabunga. i'm pretty happy for that little girl i was first wowed by in "the professional."

i know natalie wasn't drinking (b/c she's preggers), but she was firing on all cylinders with the comic zingers during her acceptance speech (referring to her costar as "mila sweet lips kunis," and saying her fiance is such a good actor for saying he didn't want to sleep with her character in the movie b/c he sooo wants to sleep with her in real life.)

sandra bullock--bangs are too big. don't they itch her eyelids? my eyelids itch just looking at them. but sandy is hanging tough in the halle berry-j.lo "i-look-better-than-most-twentysomethings-even-though-i'm-fortysomething" club. rock on.

ooh, ryan gosling (sandra's former young lover) is up in the category she's presenting. not a chance in hell of him winning, but wouldn't that be interesting if he did?!

commercial break schmooze moment: johnny depp & robert downey jr. chatting. a meeting of weird minds in geek-chic glasses?

recent cancer victor michael douglas in response to his warm reception at the mic: "there's gotta be an easier way to get a standing ovation." there sure is, mike. see: robert deniro, annette bening & al pacino earlier in the telecast. :-)

one last thought: it is jarring just how thin hollywood actresses (and commentators--hello, giuliana rancic) are! they turn sideways, and there just isn't much there. and you can see every muscle, every rib, every shoulder bone, every sinew. it is disturbing. how do they do it? and why can't i emulate just a little of it. just a little, nothing too crazy.

ok, i'm done. typing this up has been exhausting. damn my long-windedness and pop culture fervor! damn, damn, damn.