Mama Pajama

Thursday Thirteen: My George Michael Concert Experience

Oh yes.  I finally got to see my musical soulmate live and in person.  It was everything I thought it would be and more.  His voice was crystal clear, the band was amazing, and I lost my voice screaming and singing to every single song. Even Chris agreed that this was an awesome concert.

My husband bought me tickets after we saw him on the American Idol Finale.  I hadn't heard that he was touring in the US until that night...so there was simply no way we weren't buying tickets that very same night - Happy Birthday to Me!!!

I have loved George Michael through every step of his career. (My very first .45 record was Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.) I was a seven year old dancing to his Make It Big album (cassette tape). I ran out and bought Music From the Edge of Heaven when it was released in the US. My friend and I had the video of George singing "I Knew You Were Waiting for Me" with Aretha Franklin on a VHS tape that we watched over and over again until it fell apart. I was a preteen loving the Faith Album.  But, Listen Without Prejudice is my favorite of all. Every single track reminds me of different times in my life - and hearing him sing Waiting (Reprise) at the beginning of the concert gave me chills.  I also had an unexpected reaction to I'm Your Man. I started crying! (picture the teenage girls falling apart over the Beatles in the 60s)  But I quickly pulled it together - reminding myself that I'm now a 31 year old stay-at-home mom. 

As an adult, I have bought each of his newer albums as they've been released. I still haven't found a song I don't like!  I wish he had played a few songs that weren't on the concert playlist (Waiting for That Day) - but then again, I'd probably want him to sing his entire repertoire and that's just not practical for a two hour concert. 

I've followed his entire career, but I'm not obsessed with his personal life - just his music!  His voice is incredible, and he really gets down while singing. I'm talking about the shameless, fantasticly fun kind of dancing that makes you want to get up on the stage and join him....but don't worry, I didn't. 

Here are my 13 favorite songs that George sang on July 14th in Houston. (I ranked them with #1 as my favorite) In case you want to hear/watch the song, click for a youtube link!

13. Feeling Good

12. One More Try

11. Flawless

10. Father Figure

9. Too Funky

8. Everything She Wants

7. Amazing

6. Faith

5. An Easier Affair

4. Star People

3. Hard Day

2. Waiting (Reprise)

1.Fast Love - I'm Your Man

Thursday Thirteen: Name that Future Star!

This week it's very simple. Figure out who each person is below, and email me your answers at holly_f_smith@yahoo.com. I will post the answers on Monday, July 7th. Thanks for playing!!!

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13.

Music Mama

I am someone that always has to have music playing.  I especially love to listen to music while working out and cooking.  I adore my ipod nano, that I've had for almost three years.  But, after I crashed my computer recently, I realized that all of my itunes were erased.  This isn't as devastating as it seemed at first, since as long as I don't plug in my ipod to the computer, the songs I have stored on it will remain on there forever. I use a little plug-in charger anyway.  But, of course, now that I can't add or change songs on there, I really want to do so even more.  I've been researching different MP3 players, and I might go ahead and get a new one that will hold more songs.  But that still won't change the fact that the songs we had loaded are now gone! And as I end this post, I can hear the world's tiniest violin playing just for me.

Thursday Thirteen: My Favorite American Idol Performances

I thought I'd squeeze in another post about American Idol while we can all still remember the names of the final contestants!  My husband and I definitely watched American Idol more this year than in the past few years combined.  There were several performances that just blew me away. Here's my list of favorite American Idol performances from this past season: (Click on the song title to watch/hear it on youtube)

1. Michael Johns - It's All Wrong - Dolly Parton

2. David Archuleta - Imagine - John Lennon

3. David Cook - Always Be My Baby - Mariah Carey

4. David Archuleta - Stand By Me - Ben E. King

5. Michael Johns - Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

6. Carly Smithson - Alone - Heart

7. David Hernandez - Papa Was a Rolling Stone - The Temptations

8. Jason Castro - Somewhere Over the Rainbow -  Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

9. David Cook - Hello - Lionel Richie

10. Syesha Mercado - One Rock n Roll Too Many  - Andrew Lloyd Webber

11. David Archuleta - Shop Around - The Miracles

12. Brooke White (with Graham Nash) - Teach Your Children Well - Graham Nash

13. Top 12 Finalists - George Michael Medley (you know I had to get my George in there somehow)

Thursday Thirteen: My Favorite George Michael Songs

I can still hardly believe that George Michael performed on the American Idol Finale  last week (just read the posts below).  So, he's been on my mind all week.  I've listened to my old CDs, and I've even learned his new songs that are currently playing on his website.  (I LOVE THEM ALL - of course) so I decided to list my 13 favorite George Michael/Wham! songs of all time for this week's Thursday Thirteen. 

1. Faith - George Michael

2. Father Figure - George Michael

3. I Knew You Were Waiting For Me - George Michael and Aretha Franklin

4.  Monkey - George Michael

5. Kissing a Fool - George Michael

6. One More Try - George Michael

7. The Edge of Heaven - Wham!

8. Please Send Me Someone (Anselmo's Song) - George Michael

9. A Different Corner - Wham!

10. Praying For Time - George Michael

11. Freedom '90 - George Michael

12. Waiting For That Day/You Can't Always Get What You Want - George Michael

13. Heal the Pain - George Michael

Wednesday Night Delight

Well, I know it has been a week since the American Idol Finale.  But I still can't believe the way the show ended.  I was very happy for David Cook, but I would have been equally happy for David Archuleta.  They both seem like genuinely nice people, and clearly, they are both extremely talented vocalists. But these two weren't the reason I was so excited.

Chris came home from work and casually stated, "you know your boy is on American Idol tonight." Are you kidding me? George Michael???  Why hadn't I heard about it? But, oh yes. It was true.  I had missed the first twenty minutes of the show, so I was afraid that I had missed it.  But then......the final number with the final twelve contestants.....Faith, Father Figure, Freedom '90.....and then George Michael himself singing Praying for Time! Clearly, this was all planned out for my benefit.  Who else loves this guy's music as much as I do?  And Praying for Time is one of my absolute favorite songs.  Thank you American Idol......I needed that. 

Poll # 13 : The Results Are In!

This was a particularly fun poll for me, because I genuinely love all five of the songs in the survey.  There's something about good oldies that can just put you in a terrific mood.  Cameron and I listen to music every day and dance around.  I think it's good for everyone!

Just click to hear any of the songs on YouTube:

Ain't Too Proud to Beg

When a Man Loves a Woman

(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay

Hey Baby

I voted for "Ain't Too Proud to Beg", but "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay" is also one of my all-time favorites. Twenty five of you voted this week, and here are the final results:

32.0% My Girl (The Temptations)

28.0% (Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding)

16.0% Ain't Too Proud to Beg (The Temptations)

12.0% When a Man Loves a Woman (Percy Sledge)

12.0% Hey Baby (Bruce Channel)

80's Music Quiz

You Scored 60% Correct

You are a solid child of the 80s You'd never confuse Tiffany from Debbie And while you may not know Prince's first #1 hit You know every word to Little Red Corvette

How Much Do You Know About 80s Music?

Heart

Heart performed on Ellen today.  I just realized that I love that group and I don't have any of their songs!  Ellen is always playing "Guitar Hero", and "Barracuda" is her favorite song to perform with it.  I hope I have a few bucks left on my itunes gift card!

Thursday Thirteen #21

When Chris took off for his trip to Louisiana, for the National Championship Game, we made a bunch of CDs for him to bring along.  Most of them were just fun, uplifting songs to help him get pumped up for the game. But, we did make a CD for him to listen to in case LSU lost. (Thank goodness they won!)  Here are the last thirteen songs we uploaded to the ipod in preparation for his trip.  Please let me know if you like any of these songs in the comments section. Thanks!

1.  Big & Rich  - "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)"

2. Black Eyed Peas - "Let's Get It Started"

3. Electric Light Orchestra - "Showdown"

4. Otis Redding - "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay"

5. Fergie - "Big Girls Don't Cry"

6. Keith Urban - "Somebody Like You"

7. King Harvest - "Dancing in the Moonlight"

8. Mary J. Blige - "Family Affair"

9. Moby - "Extreme Ways"

10. Montgomery Gentry - "My Town"

11. Orleans - "Still the One"

12. Rascal Flatts - "Stand"

13. The Rolling Stones - "Paint It Black"

Heads or Tails #15

The theme for this week is Heads: Mark.

Here's Marky Mark "singing" Good Vibrations.

[Pay attention to these very deep lyrics] ; )

Vibrations good like Sunkist
Many wanna know who done this
Marky Mark and I'm here to move you
Rhymes will groove you
And I'm here to prove to you
That we can party on the positive side
And pump positive vibes
So come along for the ride
Making you feel the rhythm is my occupation
So feel the vibration

Head on over to Skittles' Place to participate!

Thursday Thirteen #13 (oooh)

I love Entertainment Weekly Magazine. The articles are really interesting, and it's not a tabloid.   I just enjoy reading it cover to cover each week.  They include lists of the top selling and rented DVDs, the top movies available, and music charts as well. This week, I will link you to my favorite article from each of the past 13 issues. 

1. 8/17/2007 - Cover features the cast from the movie Superbad.  Best article: "Talkin' 'Superbad': Comedy Isn't Pretty" by Josh Rottenberg.

2. 8/24/2007 - Cover features Reese Witherspon.  Best article: "Spotlight on Brad Paisley" by Chris Willman.

3. 8/31/2007 - Cover features "The Summer of Scandal."  Best article: "Spotlight on Ethan Hawke" by Gregory Kirschling.

4. 9/7/2007 - Cover features Jodie Foster. Best article: "Jodie Foster: Unbreakable" by Karen Valby.

5. 9/14/2007 - Cover features Kate Walsh.  Best article: "The Anniversary Party: Regis & Kelly" by Nicholas Fonseca (click here for the extended on-line only interview)

6. 9/21/2007 - Cover features (ugh) Britney Spears.  Best article: "Spotlight on Viggo Mortenson" by Missy Schwartz.

7. 9/28/2007 - Cover features Masi Oka from Heroes. Best article: "Spotlight on Jimmy Smits" by Missy Schwartz.

8. 10/5/2007 - Cover feature Steve Carell and Melora Hardin from "The Office".  Best article:  "Crazy Love" (about the DVD Collector's Edition of Misery) by Nicholas Fonseca.

9. 10/12/2007 - Cover features The Lord of the Rings. Best article: "The Hobbit: Peace in Middle-Earth?" by Benjamin Svetkey.

10. 10/19/2007 - Cover features Patrick Dempsey.  Best article: "The Things They Carried" by Josh Rottenberg.

11. 10/26/2007 - Cover features Carrie Underwood.  Best article: "The Confessions of Carrie Underwood"  by James White.

12. 11/2/2007 - Cover features Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Best article: "Q & A: Clash of the Titans"  by Josh Rottenberg.

13. 11/9/2007  - Cover features Johnny Depp in Sweeney Todd. Best article: "The Big Picture: Sweeney Todd" (no link available yet)

Remember These?

Thursday Thirteen #11

13 "Guilty Pleasures" Volume 2:  Late 80s and Early 90s

(*click on the song title if you'd like to hear it and watch the video*)

1. All I Need is a Miracle - Mike & The Mechanics

2. Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone - Glass Tiger

3. Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley

4.  She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young Cannibals

5. Walking On Sunshine - Katrina and the Waves

6.  Nothing Compares to You - Sinead O'Connor

7.  Groove is in the Heart - Deee Lite

8.  Rock Me Amadeus - Falco

9.  Shoop - Salt-n-Pepa

10. Mr. Wendal - Arrested Development

11. Distant Sun - Crowded House

12. Monkey - George Michael

13. Alone - Heart

Just For Fun

Let's Hear It For the Boy - Kids Incorporated (1984). The blonde little girl is Fergie when she was a kid. She used to be so cute, right?  Do you remember Martika?  I used to love Kids Incorporated when I was a little girl.  As cheesy as it might have been, those kids could really sing! Enjoy!

Trivia Fanatic?

With my huge love for all things having to do with entertainment, I naturally love to play trivia games.  I'm always trying to find quizzes about the shows and movies that I enjoy.  I even love Trivial Pursuit, or any board game that relates to entertainment.  Did I mention that I'm a bit competitive?   (Sigh...)  Imagine a place where all that seemingly useless information you have stored in your brain could actually help you win big money....Well it's here!  Consider how much you know about celebrity gossip, music, and sports...Well now you can put it to good use!  Are you the annoying person that must shout out , "That's the guy that played _____ in ________!"  If so, then you're like me, and you are going to love this new opportunity!

Just imagine my excitement when I found www.TriviaOnNet.com!  Now I can play trivia games at any time!  In this community, you can play against others, just for fun,  or you can play with money!  The topics  include movies, sports, music, and just general knowledge.   My husband is a whiz at sports trivia, so I know he'll love it.  Seriously, when we watch sports trivia game shows on ESPN, he really scares me with the stuff he has stored in that head of his. Sound familiar?  There are even jackpot games where you're playing for hundreds or even thousands of dollars! The trivia software has a great look!  It's also really easy to use.  Once you become a member, you can create a buddy list of those with whom you'd like to interact.  You  have nothing to worry about in terms of fairness.  TriviaOnNet.com provides a safe, fun, regulated, and secure environment.  They have their own servers which guarantee automated game results without the risk of human tampering. 

I cannot wait to get started playing in the online, multiplayer trivia tournaments. Then,  I can prove once and for all, that reading all those magazines and spending all those hours on the internet really did serve a purpose!

Thursday Thirteen #10

Last week, Malcolm from Pop Culture Dish did his Thursday Thirteen on Guilty Pleasures. You know, those cheesy songs from the past that you secretly still love to hear. This seems to be the case for most of my favorite music! It's not that I'm ashamed of my songs, it's just that I know there are lots of people that might laugh at my selections. I'm afraid I've come up with a really long list. So, I've broken it down into two volumes. I might even have to roll out a third volume at some point.  Like I said, it's a really long list!  Cameron might even be getting  a little brainwashed by all the eighties music going on in this house!

 

So here we go.......(click to watch a video of each song).

13 "Guilty Pleasures" Volume 1: The Eighties

1. "Let's Hear It for the Boy" - Deniece Williams

2. "Wham Rap" - Wham!

3. "I Think We're Alone Now" - Tiffany

4. "Died In Your Arms Tonight" - Cutting Crew

5.  "Cherish" - Madonna

6.  "Blame It On the Rain" - Milli Vanilli

7.  "Head to Toe" - Lisa Lisa Cult Jam

8. "Forever Your Girl" - Paula Abdul

9.  "Sister Christian" - Night Ranger

10. "Nothin's Gonna Change My Love For You" - Glen Medeiros

11. "Glory of Love" - Peter Cetera

12. "Heaven is a Place on Earth" - Belinda Carlisle

13. "Karma Chameleon" - Boy George

Pick the Next Big Star!

I am such a big fan of shows like "American Idol."  I also loved "Star Search" when I was a kid.  It's just so neat to see someone really talented "make it big." 

I found this amazing new site, called Algeka.  It integrates an online music store, internet video sharing, and a television 'idol' contest.  What an awesome idea!  As a music fan, I can help pick the next big star!  Algeka is the home of the best emerging music videos in the world!  Solo singer-songwriters upload their original music videos to the online music video site.  As a user, I can get thirty second previews for free.  If I like what I hear, I can buy DRM-free downloads of either videos $1.99, or MP3 audio for 99 cents.  The great thing about Algeka, is that the videos are screened before they are posted.  You won't have to listen to any pranksters or awful sounding songs. 

The singers will actually get paid 20 percent of the proceeds from their downloads!   Songs that gain popularity will be given a better spot on the site.  I just think this is such a cool avenue for new artists to try.  Your odds of being heard are increased exponentially on the internet, compared to contests where only a handful of people get selected on television shows. 

My favorite video currently on the site, is "Waste My Breath" by Sheri Miller. I love the tone of her voice.  She plays the guitar with an acoustic sound.  I just love it!  Wouldn't it be cool if you helped "an unknown" singer rocket their way to the top?  Everyone has to start somewhere, and now Algeka is making it even easier!

Heads or Tails #9

This week's theme is Tails: List ten things in one category of your choice.

OK.  I am always listening to music.  If I'm changing a diaper, cooking, cleaning, or exercising, the radio is always on.  I like all kinds of music, but I'm an 80's pop music fan at heart.  Here are 10 songs that I MUST sing out loud like a goofball when I hear them on the radio - no matter who's around. (It was very hard to limit this to ten!)

1.   If You Don't Know Me By Now - Simply Red

2.  Shameless  - Garth Brooks or Billy Joel

3.  The Rose - Better Midler

4.  Sold! - John Michael Montgomery (Please tell me I 'm not the only one that can't help but sing along!)

(Well I went down to the Grundy County Auction
Where I saw something I just had to have
My mind told me I should proceed with caution
But my heart said, "Go ahead an' make a bid on that!"

An' I said, hey, pretty lady, won'cha gi'me a sign
I'd give anything to make you mine all mine
I'll do your biddin' an' be at your beckon call
Yeah, I never seen anyone lookin' so fine
Man, I gotta have her, she's a one-of-a-kind
I'm goin' once, goin' twice,
I'm sold! on the lady in the second row
She's an eight, she's a nine, she's a ten, I know
She's got ruby red lips, blonde hair, blue eyes
An' I'm about to bid my heart good-bye!)

5. Rock Steady - The Whispers

6. Landslide - Fleetwood Mac

7. Groovy Kind of Love - Phil Collins

8. Without Me - Eminem

9. Don't Cha - Pussycat Dolls (*Cameron's favorite song*)

10. Careless Whisper - Wham!

Thursday Thirteen #10

I'm such a big fan of soundtracks. I'd say about half of my CDs are movie soundtracks. They are like little "greatest hit" albums that remind you of where you were when you first saw that particular film. I had a hard time narrowing my list to just thirteen. But, these are the ones that I've listened to the most. Please let me know if you like or own any of these yourself.

My 13 Favorite Movie Soundtracks:

1. Cocktail (1988)

2. Forrest Gump (1994)

3. Philadelphia (1993)

4. Corrina, Corrina (1994)

5. Boys on the Side (1995)

6. Singles (1992)

7. The Lion King (1994)

8. Curious George (2006)

9. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

10. The Graduate (1967)

11. The Big Chill (1983)

12. Reality Bites (1994)

13. Top Gun (1986)

Great Prices for Music Lovers!

Are you a recovering music geek?  I'm afraid I might be.  You can take the girl out the marching band, but you can't take the marching band out of the girl.  I have my old clarinet hidden in a closet so that my husband might forget about his idea to pawn it....OK, so I haven't played it in twelve years...that doesn't mean I don't want it!!!

If you want to find music supplies for CHEAP, check out  goingTODAY.com.  They offer one item everyday for sale until it's sold out.  Most of the items up for sale are "geared for the musician geek." It's a great site for finding true bargains.  If you don't need the item currently up for sale, just wait until midnight Eastern Standard Time.  You never know what you might find! All you need is a paypal account and a love for all that is cheap...

Thursday Thirteen #6

Here are the first 13 songs that played when I "shuffled" my ipod:

1. I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) - George Michael with Aretha Franklin

2. Tears In Heaven - Eric Clapton

3. If Tomorrow Never Comes - Garth Brooks

5. Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith

6. Killing Me Softly - Fugees

7. Livin' On Love - Alan Jackson

8.   Pride (In the Name of Love) - U2

9. Pink Houses - John Mellencamp

10. Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover - Sophie B. Hawkins

11. Vultures - John Mayer Trio

12. The Way It Is - Bruce Hornsby and the Range

13. (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone - The Monkees

Thursday Thirteen #4

Last night, as I was trying to fall back asleep to the very annoying soothing music coming from my son's "Baby Tad," it dawned on me.  I know what I can write about this week! I still have about twenty 45 records from the eighties.  Here are 13 of them that I can remember off the top of my head....

1. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean [JUST A GREAT SONG]

2. Wham! - Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go [AS I'VE EXPRESSED BEFORE - I'VE ALWAYS LOVED GEORGE MICHAEL. I SECRETLY WROTE, "I LOVE YOU" ON THE BACK OF THIS COVER - ONLY TO BE MORTIFIED WHEN MY BROTHER FOUND IT....]

3. George Michael - Faith  [NO EXPLANATION NEEDED]

4. Starship - We Built This City  [I HAVE IT ON MY IPOD NOW. STILL A FUN SONG TO LISTEN TO WHEN I WORK OUT]

5. Starship - Sara [THIS RECORD WAS ACTUALLY BLUE!]

6. U.S.A. for Africa - We Are the World

[CYNDI LAUPER, KENNY ROGERS, LIONEL RICHIE, MICHAEL JACKSON, DAN AKROYD? oh yeah...]

7. Lionel Richie - Say You, Say Me   [I LOVE THIS MAN'S VOICE! BALLERINA GIRL....OH....WHAT A FEELI-IN...WHEN YOU'RE DANCIN' ON THE CEILING]

8. Dire Straits - Money For Nothing  [I DIDN'T REALLY LIKE THIS SONG - THIS ONE WAS A GIFT...BUT I LIKED THE VIDEO]

9. Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun   [MY ANTHEM AT SEVEN YEARS OLD]

10. Cyndi Lauper - She Bop  [I HAD NO IDEA WHAT THIS SONG WAS TALKING ABOUT, BUT MY FRIEND AND I MADE UP A DANCE ROUTINE TO IT AND PERFORMED IT IN A SCHOOL TALENT SHOW.....2ND GRADE]

11. The Bangles - Manic Monday   [FUN TUNE...I STILL HEAR IT ON MY EASY LISTENING STATION]

12. Gloria Estefan - Anything For You  [NOT HER MOST POPULAR SONG, BUT MY FAVORITE]

13. Dionne and Friends - That's What Friends Are For   [I'VE BEEN SINGING THIS ONE ALL MORNING AND MY SON'S GIVING ME A LOOK OF DISGUST...BOY I LOVE THIS SONG]

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Improve Your Mood

This is my first blog.  I have always wanted to have a place to talk about anything and everything that's important to me.  Music is high on my priority list.  I am still in love with my ipod after over two years.  I can always count on it to improve my mood.  The perfect song can take you right back to that perfect moment in your life, or, at least, to where you were when you first heard it.  My favorite artists include: George Michael, Dave Matthews, U2, Tina Turner, Coldplay, and George Strait.  Whether I'm working out, playing with my son, or just doing things around the house,  my music is there to make it fun.