DJ Earworm: United State of Pop 2009

I've been a fan of mash-up king DJ Earworm for several years now. I don't remember what song it was that first turned me on to his fantastic remixes, but some of my favorites are the pieces entitled "Promiscuous Lola" (Sarah Vaughan vs. Nelly Furtado) and what I refer to as the Gayest Mash-Up in History "Believe Somebody" (Whitney Houston vs. Cher vs. Madonna).

For the last several years, Earworm has brought us the United State of Pop, an annual year-end mash-up of all of the Billboard Top 25 for the year! No easy task!

Well the United State of Pop 2009, entitled "Blame It On the Pop", is nothing short of staggering. He has brilliantly intertwined these fantastic songs to bring us a piece that is both celebratory and heartwarming.

This amazing mash-up features the likes of Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Jason Mraz, Justin Timberlake, The Black Eyed Peas, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus, and many others!

You can listen to the song and watch the accompanying video below. If you love it anywhere near as much as I do, you can download the mp3 completely free by Clicking Here!

United State of Pop 2009 ("Blame It On the Pop")

Another Auld Lang Syne...

2009 was a year to be reckoned with. This should come as no surprise though. As Ogden Nash once wisely inquired, "Every New Year is the direct descendant, isn't it, of a long line of proven criminals?"

For many of us, the previous year may have seemed mostly to be just that. An ever-present dark angel with a wicked sense of humor and a bottomless bag of tricks. Always there listening to our thoughts as they would ask "Could it get any worse?" There would be the angel, with his cruel laugh and pointed finger, to show mercilessly just how much worse it can get.

But for all the mirth that dark angel enjoyed throughout the year, or throughout the years rather, there have been a great many more angels of light to silence his cackle and leave him sulking in a corner.

Angels of light in the form of family, longtime friends, an abundance of new friends, and the consistent faith, support, and generosity of them all. Angels of light allowing us to laugh, allowing us to dance, allowing us to grow, to learn, to love, and to hope. Angels of light allowing us to take pride in our accomplishments and pride in who we are.

Angels of light who will not allow us to give up.

So as we approach the dawn of the New Year, with both light angels and the dark in tow, let us march bravely and merrily into the new day. Even if 2010 should prove to be yet another in a long line of proven criminals, we shall face it armed with equal amounts of humor, determination, logic, and idealism.

Let us go forth fearlessly and unabashedly holding to the hope that the future exclusively holds. Always keeping with us the memories and the lessons we've learned, but never looking back with regret for a single moment of life.

"For last year's words belong to last year's language, and next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning."
- T.S. Eliot


With all the love and appreciation in the world, I wish a Happy New Year to you all!

Cheers and have another!

	Mairi Campbell And Dave Francis - Auld Lang Syne .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Pogo Treats "UP" and Returns to "Wonderland"

Well it appears that my would-be Australian lover, Pogo, has been a busy lad as of late!

He has most recently put his magic touch to use on a track entitled "Upular" composed using chords, bass notes, and vocal samples from the smash hit Disney-Pixar film UP. The video to accompany this track is featured below!

While working on that project, he also returned to Wonderland with the tracks "Bread and Butterflies", "Lost", and "Unbirthday". These are of course branches off of his initial success which was a track simply entitled "Alice". You can listen to all of Pogo's amazing work by going to his LastFM page where there are also a wealth of free downloads!

Here is the video for his latest track "Upular"! Enjoy!

Pee-Wee Returns

Comedic actor Paul Reubens has resurrected his wacky, childlike alter ego and will be unleashing him full force in 2010!

Pee-Wee Herman, a character Reubens first developed as a routine with The Groundlings, is back! Herman was catapulted to national fame in the 1980s with performances across the U.S. as well as multiple appearances on late night shows. The character's vast success was taken even further by films such as Pee-Wee's Big Adventure and Big Top Pee-Wee as well as the smash hit series "Pee-Wee's Playhouse".

The Pee-Wee Herman Show will officially begin its four week run at Los Angeles' Nokia Theater on January 12th, 2010.

Director Alex Timbers states that this is not just a comedy show, but a "90 minute theatrical extravaganza." An extravaganza, no less! Timbers went on to state that the show is based on the five-season run of "Pee-Wee's Playhouse" and will feature "eleven actors, 20 puppets, 7 puppeteers, and Broadway scale production values throughout."

There has already been talk surrounding this project in regards to a tour of the show and a new Pee-Wee's Playhouse film is already in pre-production.

Sign me up!

R.I.P. Brittany Murphy

Born: November 10, 1977
Died: December 20, 2009

5'5" actress Brittany Anne Murphy died today in her West Hollywood home just a little over a month after her 32nd birthday.

Thus far authorities and reports state that Murphy died of "cardiac arrest" and even "natural causes". Natural causes at age 32? I find that hard to believe. A good friend of mine summarized my thoughts pretty concisely: "Anyone ever hear of Karen Carpenter?"

Time will tell what the official cause of death was. An autopsy is scheduled for the next couple days.

However, what is official is that audiences have lost a great entertainer with a lot of talent, energy, and charm. Another great talent lost far too soon.

Moving with her mother to California, Murphy started her career in the early 1990s appearing on shows such as "Blossom", "Murphy Brown", "Kids Incorporated", "Frasier", and "Party of Five".

Her major breakthrough came with the role as Tai in the hit comedy Clueless alongside Alicia Silverstone. From there, Murphy went on to gain major audience and critical acclaim with her appearances in films such as Drop Dead Gorgeous, Riding in Cars With Boys, Just Married, 8 Mile, and Uptown Girls, among many others.

Two of my personal favorite film appearances of Brittany Murphy's were as Daisy Randone in Girl, Interrupted and as Shellie in Sin City.

Murphy also had a busy voice over career having voiced Luane Platter in 231 episodes of "King of the Hill", for which she won an Annie Award in 2005. She also provided voice over work for Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs and Happy Feet.

This well-loved actress who stated that "home is where my Mom is" will be greatly missed by many.

Below is a scene with Brittany, Angelina Jolie, and Winona Ryder from Girl, Interrupted.

Carrie Fisher's "Wishful Drinking"

Anyone living in NYC should do all they can to see Carrie Fisher in the Broadway run of her one woman show (based on her book) entitled Wishful Drinking. The woman is a riot and I am amazed at not only her fantastic stage presence, but also her unabashed honesty and willingness to laugh at herself. Not to mention her memory! The woman dishes out for two hours on that stage! And nearly every moment is dynamite. She is, at heart, a true entertainer and enviously intelligent.

I had the great fortune of being taken to this show (which is playing at the iconic Studio 54) by a dear friend of mine. I was completely elated from the first moment, when Fisher saunters out on stage in pajamas and a silk robe, singing "Happy Days Are Here Again", while pelting front row audience members with confetti.

The woman is crazy. And I love her all the more for it!

I have long been a fan of Fisher's, not just for her iconic role as Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy (which she talks about in depth on stage), but also for her fantastic comedic performances in films such as The 'burbs, When Harry Met Sally, and Soap Dish. She was also recently nominated for an Emmy for her memorable guest appearance on Tina Fey's "30 Rock".

Her show is endlessly entertaining. Go see it!

Click Here for tickets!

Pogo: Bangarang!

So a while back I had posted regarding the apparent battle that was sprung over Pogo's latest track, entitled "Bangarang", which was made using sound clips from the classic Steven Spielberg film Hook.

It would seem that the battle between my Aussie boyfriend and Sony has been resolved since the video is, to my delight, back online!

So for those of you who haven't already seen it, here is the video for this fantastically fun track!

My talented love has left some hints on his MySpace Music page as to what we might expect from him next and it would appear that his magic touch will soon be put on Disney's Winnie the Pooh. Be still my heart.