Musical Musing

My Chemical Romance, is one of my favorite bands. For those of you who don't know who they are, they are a band know for playing alternative music. So here are a few of their videos that I personally enjoy. I hope that you do too!
TEENAGERS

THE BLACK PARADE

DEAD

VAMPIRES WILL NEVER HURT YOU

MAMA

HONEY THIS MIRROR ISN'T BIG ENOUGH FOR THE TWO OF US


I hope you like them...if you want to know more about them, check out their website at http://www.mychemicalromance.com/...

A Battle of Epic Proportions

While surfing through the videos of http://www.youtube.com/, I came across one of the most amazing videos I have ever seen. This video, entitled Battle at Kruger, takes place on a safari in Africa. While on the safari, the group of adventurers comes across a watering hole; where low and behold, a pride of lions and a herd of water buffalo cross paths...I bet you know where this is going. With a few surprise "guest appearances" this video shows the rough and tumble world of the real jungle that many of us do not get to see. I hope that this video will enlighten you to the real world, for those of you who don't believe that these kinds of things happen. Now watch and be amazed as the lions and water buffalo engage in the battle of their lives to see who comes out victorious.

Musical Theater

As I've said before, I love all aspects of music. I am also really big on the performing arts, and have seen a lot of musicals throughout my life. I am always amazed in the way that directors and writers have been able to compose the music, lyrics, and general ideas that have made many successful musicals throughout the years.
One of the most recent musicals that I have grown to admire is The Wedding Singer. This is the theater version of the classic movie starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. This musical, starring Stephen Lynch, is equipped with a full array of songs, both from in the movie and many new original numbers--this musical has made headlines all over the Broadway world. Here is a film clip of the show's opening number: "It's Your Wedding Day".

Another musical that has been turning heads is one of the newest musicals to the Broadway Circuit. Jersey Boys, a musical about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, uses original songs from the Four Seasons to tell the story of how the group was formed. It is running on Broadway currently, and was also the show that St. Ignatius chose to use as the school's benefit this year. This is a video of the Broadway cast performing at the Tony Awards--enjoy!




The last show that I would like to talk about is Walt Disney's Beauty and the Beast. It has been one of Broadway's sixth longest running shows, and has been done in over seven different languages! Though I wasn't on Broadway, I have also performed in the show as Lumiere, the French candlestick--so naturally I have a strong appreciation, connection, and admiration of the show. Here is a clip of an amateur cast performing 'my song' "Be Our Guest" (I was unbale to find an original Broadway Cast--sorry).

A Surprising Mix of Classic and Rock

I have been affected by music for my entire life. Since I was young I have been singing in choirs, playing in an orchestra for a little bit, and experimenting with other musical instruments to see what I liked to play. Recently I have taken up guitar, and have been playing for a little more than a year. In no means do I think of myself as a future rock star, but I do see myself staying with the instrument, and keeping it a part of my musical life in years to come.
I have always preferred rock and roll music to classical, but this specific song made a blend that even I couldn't resist. Canon Rock, a song played by a Japanese guitarist by the name of JerryC, it a rock and roll version of Pachabel's Canon. It is an exhilarating piece and completely stunning to listen to. It is only believable if you hear it and see it though. That is why I attached a video for you...that way everyone can enjoy it.

Life As a Guy

Life as a Guy is a black and white flipbook style video that follows the many attempts of a seemingly confused guy as he trys to find the right way to attract a woman. Although his numerous attempts are foiled, mostly in a gruesome and fatal way, he keeps on trying...and eventually he finds the true way to a woman's heart (For all you guys reading this...you might want to take notes) Below is the video--I hope you enjoy it!

THE RESULTS ARE IN!!!

Finally, the news that many of you have been waiting for......Cheescake is a PIE!!!!

Below is a copy of the direct email that I received from Jolene Worthington, one of Eli's Cheescake's experts.

Hello Matt. Sorry to have delayed your inquiry on cheesecake. Our president forwarded your note to me but his message went to my junk mail. All desserts, pastries and candies have been classified by dominate mixture or base. For example although there are layer cakes , tea cakes ( banana bread, etc) and snack cakes ( Twinkies) they are all cakes since they have same ingredients and techniques.-flour, fat, egg and liquid. Pies are classified pies when they are encased in a crust or pastry. Pecan Pie is a custard but called a pie. Cheesecake is a cheese custard but when encased in short pastry, they are also classified pies. Until the 1950's cheesecake s were lower and often called pies. Pre-formed graham pie shells were developed for the home cook who made instant Jell-O "cheesecake". Not really a gourmet cheesecake that we have knowns since the 50's. Modern Cheesecake ( Modern is 1930's by my research) is absolutely unique and alone in its classification. Cheesecake history is BC. so you can image how many mixtures. shapes and sizes they have taken. Again, cheesecake ingredients and techniques actually put this dessert in the custard family. To wrap your mind around the classification, think of quiche made with eggs, cream and lots of cream cheese. Add the sugar and it is cheesecake. Hope I haven't confused you. call me if you want to chat about cc. Jolene Worthington

Why My Hair is Black (For those who were wondering)

Halloween is one of the best holiday that I can think of. In no other holiday does one get to dress up as something completely different from who they are--but you also get FREE CANDY!!!Although it is well past Halloween and many people are already looking to the new, more exciting holidays like Christmas and New Years--I still have a lasting, semi-permanent memory of that exciting day.

Unlike most "ordinary" people, I decided to be more original with my costume, and come as a complete opposite of myself. Contrary to many people's beliefs I am NOT normally an "Emo Kid". I am a clean cut, respectable and pretty much harmless kid--so for Halloween I thought it would be fun to be the person that my friends apparently saw me as.

In order to make such a project possible I needed to think of all of the things that went into becoming and embodying all that was "Emo". I had the entire black wardrobe, the skull and crossbones shoes, the depressed attitude and pessimistic outlook on everything, and a reliable source to apply dark, heavy eyeliner to me the following morning--but I was still missing something. That something was the signature black hair that defined so many people as being associated with the goth/emo look of our time. To understand how drastic of a change this was for me; you would need to have known me before I underwent my "Emofication". I have naturally brown hair with a medium darkness, I never really get in trouble, and I am always having a good time doing whatever I need to do; so this much of a change was sure to throw in some occasionally gasps, a few strange looks, and an all around confusion of what I had done to myself. The night before, I bought the hair dye to turn my hair from a nice chestnut brown, to what the company called "Radical Black". I went home, washed my hair, and proceeded to make the biggest mistake I have made in a long time.

Since I had never dyed my hair before, I read over the instructions carefully so I wouldn't do anything stupid that would cause me to regret my decision to actually dye my hair in the first place--but obviously I didn't read them good enough--and I will tell you why in a moment. I put the dye into my hair, and rubbed it throughout my entire head and into the roots as the instructions said. The only thing I had to do know was wait... Once again I read the instructions to see how long that wait was supposed to be; and from what I saw, I was to keep it in for 40 minutes and then wash it out--and that's just what I did.

Halloween was a blast, my new identity caused some shock amongst my friends and even served as a conversation starter with my AP Spanish teacher who couldn't believe that it was really me underneath all of the black and mascara. I went home that day tired from the very busy day and went to the shower, looking forward to going back to normalcy. As I showered I saw that the dye was coming out of my hair as I washed it; but what I didn't realize was that it was only the excess on the surface. I got out, dried off, and looked into the mirror to see that my hair was still the jet black mass that it was the day before.
I went to school the next day and was greeted with the same comments of: "Did you dye your hair permanently?"..."Are you keeping your hair like that?"...and an assortment of other senseless questions. I didn't know how to tell people that I had screwed up the dye job by leaving in the dye too long, but when I finally did--they weren't surprised...(and honestly neither was I).
That concludes the story of how my hair made it's drastic transformation from brown to black overnight. I hope that it has answered the questions that so many people wonder about on a daily basis (when they should be caring about other stuff) and hopefully now I won't be bombarded with stupid questions about nothing in particular. After all, it's just hair.

Frustrating, But NOT impossible

The Impossible Quiz, such a feat seems impossible...however the widely adored AddictingGames.com has created such a game. With the help of SPLAPP-ME-DO, the quiz has been used by many people, all of whom have probably ripped out a few handfuls of hair.

Featuring an unknown amount of levels, the Impossible Quiz takes the player through level upon level of ridiculous questions that are solved using the wit and thought that some many of us didn't even know we had. Questions ranging from "What is the square root of an Onion?" to tasks such as saving the world from meteors and petting cats until they vomit; this quiz has everythig imaginable. Answers to the questions are every where, from the actual answer boxes for the question to little holes between letters.

My personal best on this quiz is getting all the way to question 78, but since the last time I played it, I have run out of patience for the game, and now challenge you to the game that will leave you begging for more.

Take Off Hoser!

Canadians, Drinking, Idiot Brothers, and Mystery. All three of these things can be found in one of the funniest movies I have ever seen--Strange Brew. This comedy stars Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, two comedians who developed the two characters as a sketch for Second City TV in 1980. The two play Canadian brothers, Bob (Moranis) and Doug (Thomas) McKenzie. They filled their original sketch, The Great White North with hilarious undertakings and tips (like how to get a mouse inside a beer bottle) that tore audiences to stitches on a continual basis. This movie is just another funny undertaking of this dynamic duo. Both Moranis and Thomas wrote, directed starred in this 1983 classic which to my surprise was loosely based on Shakespeare's Hamlet.

The movie begins with the two brothers getting jobs at their favorite place, The Elsinore Brewery, which is oddly connected to what they describe as "The Looney Bin". They receive their jobs and continue to uncover a series of mysterious happenings. When they meet Pam Elsinore, the daughter of the late brewery owner, they discover that the brewmaster is up to something; and Jean LaRose, an ex-hockey player who was sent to the "Looney Bin", has the answers that the team needs. To make the movie even more stupid (but funny) the evil brewmaster has developed a way to turn the insane people into drones for his bidding.

I do not want to go into the movie anymore because I highly recommend that you see this movie for yourself. It is shot in high quality "3-B" (3 Beer) animation and the jokes and witty hunor will leave you with memories that you can look back on and chuckle at. You'll be able to find this movie in most rental stores if you're interested.

What the Heck is it?

The other day I was presented with what seemed to be a very tricky and confusing question... What is cheesecake? Is it an actual cake...or is it in fact a pie? After many days of toiling arguments leading to friendships breaking (temporarily of course) and scores of upset people. So I'm looking to you America! What do YOU think cheesecake is? Please help solve the question that has lead to so much terror, sadness, and all around confusion.

As a naturally contradicting person, I immediately took the stance towards cheesecake being more of a pie than a cake. My reasoning--cheesecake has a crust; where a cake does not. Cake on the other hand is a baked good and cheesecake is a pure, unbaked delight on any one's palate.

Many issues have arisen from this seemingly harmless question and there are many stances and arguments throughout the Internet and other sources with many good arguments from both ends of the spectrum; others had really stupid discussions that went nowhere and made no sense at all.

Being the concerned person that I pride myself as being; I took the liberty of asking one of the biggest "cheesecake aficionados" there is--The President of Eli's Cheesecake Factory in Chicago, IL. Ask any Chicago native and they will tell you that Eli's is the best cheesecake in the country. It has been around for a number of years and has made an impact on thousands of people from all over the world. If you've never had it before; I suggest that you step away from your computer right now, stop reading this ridiculous commentary, and go and get some of Eli's cheesecake.

Although the mystery of what cheesecake really is may never be solved, I would love to hear what you think about it. Give some examples supporting your idea and make your opinion count.

**STILL WAITING ON ELI'S PRESIDENT...WILL UPDATE AS SOON AS I GET IT**

The Tedious Art of Coloring

Like most kids growing up I had to know how to do everything. I was in a constant state of learning and had no time to stop, relax, and take my time on anything for more than a minute. One of the most frustrating things I wanted to learn was how to color a picture with the skill, neatness, and precision that my mom colored with. I tried to sit still for more than my usual 20 seconds; however such a task was difficult for a toddler with the attention span of a fly. I was awestruck by the way that my mom used to put a dark outline around the inside border of a picture then fill the remaining space using a lighter version of the color outlining. This technique caused the pictures to jump from the page and form lasting images in my mind.

I tried to do the same, but was unsuccessful dozens of times. With the idea of failure resting in my mind I attempted the feat one last time--SUCCESS! With this finally feat achieved I became a coloring machine. Coloring book upon coloring book were completed monthly and I had devoted my free time to honing my talents and making "presents" for my family. However, like every other great story, this one had some sad aspects in it.

As I began to grow up I found that with school, friends, sports and other commitments I no longer had time to color as much. What I thought was going to be my calling was now nother more than a hobby that I could do only when I had the time. The once full coloring books were now empty as they sat in a desk drawer collecting dust. My tools (crayons) were now broken or completely worn down to nothing. This was what I thought to be one of the darkest times of my childhood, but as I look back on it, it was only the beginning of new experiences, oppotunities and chances to prove to myself was I was truly capable of when not focused solely on one thing. I had become a starting blocker for my 7th and 8th grade volleyball teams and also excelled in singing and performing in my school's choir. By being able to see past the crayons, colored pencils, and blank pictures I noticed that all of my potential was revealed--and I liked it. I was able to do new things, try and fail at others, learn from my mistakes and move away from the childish past that I tried to cling onto as I grew up. In High School I was reintroduced to coloring once more; this time in a more difficult, yet educational way. For science class we are required to do a number of coloring sheets to help us learn different aspects of choir. Although it is hated by a majority of the school--including myself at times--I find it to be a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the stressful lives we all live. it brings us back to the times when we could color a picture of a cat any color that we wanted, or the sky green and ground blue. It not only brings back nice memories; but it also reminds us that there is still that little kid inside all of us--and that that little kid is never going to go away no matter how much we grow up.

Testing! Testing! 1...2...3!

This is only an entry to make sure that this is working. disregard it!