Watching American Idol became pretty much unbearable once Simon left, but occasionally there will be one or two people who make it worth your while. Case in point: Haley Reinhart. Full of sass, jazz and nonchalance, Haley won over pretty much everyone but the (completely insane, ridiculous) judges in 2011. I've sung my praises of her before, but she has prompted this post with the release of her awesome debut album, 'Listen Up!'.
I love everything about this from its' old school vibe to B.O.Bs guest appearance. Her voice is so extensive and there isn't much she can't do with it. I am all for the reviving of female artists who can actually sing well, and Haley is absolutely helping make advances in that field with her music. Another revival that I'm totally digging is the retro sound that people are moving more towards. This album has a whole lot of that, and a whole lot of tambourine, which is awesome. 'Keep Coming Back' is a sweet 70s throwback while the track 'Wonderland' sounds very 60s Supremes-esque and relies heavily on horns. She has a voice that is awesome for sad songs and showcases that quality on 'Undone' and 'Free' which is one of my favorites. I'm so glad that Haley wasn't another Idol castoff to fall off the radar, and I'm so glad that she's proving J.Lo wrong.
If you like Haley Reinhart then check out: The Supremes, Adele, Casey Abrams (another AI contestant and awesome duet partner of Haley)
here are three things i'm still obsessing over in this past week of London 2012 coverage...
USA vs. Canada Women's Soccer match. This was one of the best games I've
ever seen, and I was relegated to watching it on my phone (NBC Olympics
app, I love you.) but it was absolutely worth it. This picture is from
after Alex Morgan's 122nd minute goal, they really know how to make
something nerve-wracking don't they? But it all culminated earlier this
afternoon when they got redemption over Japan from last year's World Cup
final (I got to watch this game on a giant HD TV!).
Michael Phelps swam what he says was his final Olympic race, and I for
sure cried. I loved Michael during these games especially because he
seemed so much happier and relaxed, and still managed to rack up the
golds for the red, white and blue! I'm sad to see him go but am really
glad that I get to say that I watched the reign of the greatest Olympian
of all time. Also, this. You're welcome.
EPKE ZONDERLAND. This high bar routine is the absolute most ridiculously awesome thing I've ever seen. I love him. This was nuts. I don't even care that the US didn't medal here (I still love you Johnathan Horton and Danell!) if he didn't get the gold, I would have boycotted the Olympics from now on (yeah right).
okay, so it's friday... but let's pretend. here are three moments from London 2012 so far that I can't stop replaying in my mind.
Jordyn Wieber's floor routine during the team finals. She was so happy and it completely showed during that routine. I so hope that people will show this picture (or a video which isn't readily online yet) of this when speaking of her Olympic journey from now on instead of one of her crying. I am still so beyond happy about them winning, and a shoutout to Gabby Douglas (a Virginia native) for totally beasting in the All Around! And to Aly who I know has the bronze in all of America's eyes!
Ruta Meiluyte from Lithuania winning gold in the women's 100 breast. She's 15 and she won the first medal ever in swimming for Lithuania, and it was gold! Her face was awesome when she realized she won and she was crying from the moment she stepped out for her medal ceremony.
Missy Franklin, pretty much anytime she comes on the screen. She's 17, still in high school and has been training with the same coach since she was little. She is constantly smiling and so positive towards her teammates and opponents. She swam (will soon have swam) 7 races in her first Olympics and has won her fair share of medals already. My favorite was when she finaled in a 200 semi and came back 10 minutes later to completely dominate and win a gold medal.
I can't wait to see what epic moments next week will bring!
There are very few things in life that I enjoy more than the Olympics; every time the olympic torch makes a new stop I am glued to my couch for the next two weeks. During which I am more of a sap than I ever am the other 50 week of the year. Seriously, I cry like a baby whenever 1) an athlete's parents are interviewed 2) an American wins and the national anthem starts playing 3) a story of overcoming obstacles is told. I love the triumph and pride that comes with simply competing, don't even get me started on people winning.
When my mom and I visited the Olympic Training Center in CO Springs last year, where I might or might not have seen John Orozco training!
Being the Anglophile that I am, London being the host city only makes me even more pumped. I was supposed to be in London right now soaking up the awesomeness that is a country hosting the games and I guess taking some classes, but sadly (really sadly, I cried for like a week when I found out I wasn't going) the program was cancelled due to some scheduling conflict. So instead I'll be back on my couch, as per usual, which is fine I'm not still bitter about it. Kind of. I won't let my intermittent pangs of sadness damper my Olympic spirit though! I will yell and cry and survive heart palpitations along with the rest of the country.
Rumor has it that the opening ceremony will include a 40-foot Voldemort battling an army of Mary Poppins, James Bond, and of course ending with a sing-along to 'Hey Jude'. And the Spice Girls are reuniting for a closing ceremony performance. Be still my platform loving, girl powering, 90s heart. Oh yeah, and Rupert Grint carried the torch today. SO GREAT.
Here are some of my favorite Olympic Moments:
Beijing (2008) Men's 4x100 Freestyle Relay
a.k.a- the day Jason Lezak became a beast. remember sitting on my grandparents' couch freaking out while watching this. I'm not sure I've every been more excited about something that I was in no way involved in.
Athens (2004) Paul Hamm Horizontal Bar Routine
Comebacks seem to be a theme... If you don't know what happened, Paul had fallen on a vault attempt and landed in 12th place. After the next rotation of parallel bars he had made his way back to 4th but the chances of a gold seemed out of reach. He scored a 9.837 on this routine, nabbing the gold and also my love.
Beijing (2008) Men's 100m Final
INSANE. Just like I don't believe the Chinese gymnasts are over the age of 7, I don't believe that this being is a human.
Atlanta (1996) Kerri Strug Vault
Duh, does it get any better or more tissue-worthy than this?
2008 Beijing Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony is an awesome way to integrate culture and creativity into the games, and Beijing complete upped the ante with this one. It was so cool. Danny Boyle is going to bring it this year.
This is but a smattering of the Olympic moments that take up valuable space in my mind, and I am so looking forward to see what London will bring me. Phelps-Lochte showdown. Misty May and Kerri Walsh spiking the competition. Gabby Douglas dougie-ing all the way to the podium. Voldemort trying to figure out how a muggle like Usain Bolt is using magic to run that fast.
Don't miss anything, keep this schedule open at all times!
Ed Sheeran first caught my attention when he released his video for "Lego House" which featured Rupert Grint as a ridiculous, obsessive fan. As my friend Kara said when I told her about it, "Now I understand why you love him." It's true, I do have a special place in my heart for the miniature pig raising, ice cream truck driving ginger, so his connection to Ed certainly helped.
But what kept may attention after that was how every song on his debut album "+" is great. I am a sucker for an acoustic guitars and for the British, so the red-head was already pretty high in my book. But the album is a perfect mix of jaunt ("Gold Rush","Little Bird"), heartbreak ("U.N.I", "Small Bump"), and attitude ("You Need Me, I Don't Need You"). He's got a way with words that reminds me a little of Jason Mraz (except 50x better), he can spit them out like rapid fire but with an awesome fluidity. On the flipside there are times, such as on "Wake Me Up", when he's pretty much just talking and still manages to keep me hanging on every word. Call me a softy, but the line, "See I could do without a tan on my left hand, where my fourth finger meets my knuckle" gets me every time. His gentleness is conveyed in the former, but the he evokes such power on "Give Me Love" that it gives me chills.
Needless to say, I'm slightly obsessed with him right now. He not only writes all of his own music but also has a writing credit on One Direction's first album and has recently been writing with Taylor Swift. I am real pumped about the latter.
If you like Ed Sheeran, then check out: Tracy Chapman, Of Monsters and Men, Birdy
To say that I'm obsessed with Hello Giggles would probably be an understatement. I have tried time and time again to get others hooked too, but it just doesn't seem to be working. I post articles to my friends' walls... multiple times a week. I mention it in everyday conversation- while we're watching New Girl, whenever I happen to be mentioning my love for Zooey Deschanel. What else can I do? Maybe this will help to convince all four of the people in the world who read my blog (disclaimer: I am very content with that number) to follow the gigglers as blindly as I do.
1. They steal all of my thoughts.
Seriously, not a day goes by where I don't read something that has gone through my mind before. Somehow they manage to convey my thoughts better than I ever could. Everything I've ever thought about Call Me Maybe, right here. My thoughts on crafting (a.k.a my life)- here. The truth about Melissa Mccarthy, this guy. I am now paranoid that every time I think a thought, it will end up on Hello Giggles within the next week, which leads me to...
2. They blog everything I'm going to before I do it.
A few weeks ago my suitemates and I made a fort, and I was going to write a blog about it. Because I like forts and think they're cool, so therefore I should blog about them obviously. I was in the middle of writing the post when I saw this- Fort Life. This is a true story, and also why I haven't blogged in quite a while. I literally think that they have implanted a camera into my brain and are watching the inner workings of my mind.
3. I now think that everyone thinks like me.
Since it has been affirmed that there are people in the world exactly like me, I now think that I am unoriginal. Okay, not really, but it does make me think that I can bring up things that pop into my head and that other people will understand. This is not so. Apparently not everyone is constantly thinking of how their life relates to episodes of Saved by the Bell or why ABC Family is genius like me and the ladies of HG.
4. I now realize that I will never be as awesome as Zooey Deschanel.
Hello Giggles was founded by Zooey Deschanel and her two BFFs Sophia Ross and Molly McAleer. Zooey participates in running this shindig while being hilariously quirky on TV, singing retro folky songs and hanging out with Joseph Gordon Levitt and Mindy Kaling. All I do is go to college. Lame.
5. I never look at anything else.
When I open my computer there are a number of sites that I check immediately, but I go to Hello Giggles last because I know that it will consume the rest of my day. In my many open tabs, there is always an HG article open for me to read next. I even have it saved as an app on my phone so that it is always accessible. I am not ashamed to say that I have a problem, because it is a disease that I wish would spread as girls like me take over the world. Too far?
Today is February 1. Today, it is also 61 degrees outside. I'm wearing a short-sleeve shirt with no jacket, and it's February. I can't decide whether I'm happy about this or not, because it's supposed to be the thick of winter. I should be wearing 20 layers and be able to see my breath. What if the flowers get confused and come out before they should and then winter actually does come and they all die? Why is this such a dilemma? I'm not sure, but I do know that I'm going to take advantage of this weather while it's here. Our campus is so pretty and there are a lot of things you can do when it's nice out, but these are the best:
Hang out on the Quad (duh). On the first nice day of spring, students are notorious for skipping classes to sit on the quad and do nothing. In the springtime, it's difficult to even walk to class without seeing someone you know and being tempted to stay outside with them. Whether you're playing frisbee, reading, or just staring at the mountains, it's impossible not to fall in love with the quad.
a peaceful nook downtown
Walk around Downtown. Our town may not be big, but it certainly is charming. Taking a stroll down South Main in the sunshine and passing The Yellow Button, Dave's and Cat's Cradle is a staple in the life of a Duke.
p.s- Something to help ease everyone's mind, T-Swift will NOT be playing Eponine. Who will, you may ask, be taking the part? Well that would be none other than Samantha Barks! Thank you for coming to your senses Cameron Mackintosh! I dreamed a dream and it came true!
"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others."
One of my suitemates was home-schooled until college and also lived outside of the continental U.S for a good portion of her life. Because of this, there are a lot of things that she's never seen or heard of. For someone like me who constantly checks the Entertainment Weekly website and could tell you any useless fact that you wanted to know about the world of pop culture, this is basically a sin.
At the beginning of last semester she had never seen an episode of Gilmore Girls; not okay. Thankfully, we have two sets of the entire series in our suite, so that problem was easily solved. We started the journey through Lorelai and Rory’s lives, and it only took until the moment Dean steps onto the scene to get everyone hooked. We finished all seven seasons (154 episodes) of Dean’s hair, Jess’ mysterious ways, Luke’s dry wit and about 1,000 cups of coffee in one semester.
One point even required us to have an intervention because Gilmore Girls was on too often in our common room. We might have watched seven episodes one Saturday. Maybe. It’s just really hard to stop watching when you know that something is about to go down in the Dean-Rory-Jess love triangle.
My dad likes to make fun of the show, saying that no one could ever think or talk that fast, but I find it hard to believe that anyone could actually dislike it. They think on their feet, which I think is perfectly normal.
One of the many things that makes the show hard to hate is the set of characters. From Kirk to Paris to Mrs. Kim, there isn’t a character that is so annoying or infuriating that you want them to disappear from the show. Just when you think you can’t stand them anymore, they do something to pull you back in. Paris Geller may be one heck of an annoying person, but she is loyal to Rory and I would totally want her on my side if I were ever in a bad situation. She does know pretty much every martial art known to man after all. She would hurt you just for hating her.
It also must be kept in mind that this is the show that introduced the world to the geniuses that are Lauren Graham and Melissa McCarthy, although people like to think that McCarthy did nothing at all before Bridesmaids. She did; she was Sookie St. James and she was brilliant. And don’t even get me started on the fact that Lauren Graham never won an Emmy for being Lorelai Gilmore; I’m still not over it.
Last Friday, we finally reached the end, and I’m pretty sure every one in the room cried at least a little. It’s the end of an era in the Retirement Home, and I’m happy to say that we will never be the same because of it. Now I can make all of the Gilmore references I want to and people will actually understand them now!
“Oi, with the poodles already.”
We were supposed to start Friends next (she’s never seen that either!), but we accidentally put in the first season of The O.C last night and are currently on episode seven. Oops. I’m the only one in suite who has seen it, so they are just now experiencing the greatness that is Seth Cohen. At last, my undying love for him is being understood.
So, thanks to Amy Sherman for her masterpiece and thanks to my suitemates for letting me share my obsessions with them and allowing us to live in Starshollow for a semester. And sorry to them for letting it take over their lives.
p.s- Melissa McCarthy just got nominated for an Oscar! See- genius.
the following are the top 6 reasons that i need to be best friends with emma stone: 6. I love her hair; I know she's naturally blonde but she's the perfect redhead.
5. She's a geek just like me! She made a powerpoint to convince her parents to move to Hollywood. 4. She's dating Andrew Garfield who I love and they walk around looking like this...
It's raining. It's cold. It's gray. I actually have homework, and I had to spend $300 on two books. Today is kind of the definition melancholy. On a day like today, you don't want to listen to music that will make you happy. Sometimes a little bit on gloom is good. So here's my gloomy day playlist.
Dear Taylor Swift,
I want to start out by telling you that I think you're great. Really, I do. I've been to two of your concerts and have been thoroughly entertained both times. Even though you didn't pull out any super, surprise guests like at all of the rest of your concerts. Even though we were in the NATION'S CAPITAL, but really I'm not bitter.
I like you best when you're being witty(monologue song) and when you're toned down and acoustic("White Balnk Page" cover). I think your choice in Hollywood friends is awesome; I too would totally hang out with Emma Stone and Selena Gomez if I was given the chance.
I do have one beef with you though, completely excluding the fact that you dated John Mayer. You can NOT be Eponine in the upcoming film-version of Les Mis. I'm sorry if it has always been a dream of yours, but that is just not something that I can handle. It has been reported that you have been offered the role, and I have to ask what the director who already cast perfect people like Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman was smoking when he made the Eponine decision. I could maybe even (POSSIBLY MAYBE) see you as Cosette, but Eponine? I just can't handle that.
Once again I stress, I think you're great at what you do. I even think that you could be a good actress, but maybe start out in comedies? Besides Valentine's Day that is. You could just stick to writing songs for soundtracks like the Hunger Games song, that one is great! But Les Mis already has an grand soundtrack and I just really can not picture you singing "On My Own," granted you are good at the epic love song. Just leave this one to someone else... with brown hair, and a voice better suited to Broadway tracks.
Like maybe Samantha Barks?
Love, A Concerned Fan
(p.s- Check out my super awesome friend Maria's blog, A Year in the Life: Handstand Edition! She's doing a handstand a day in a different location for this whole year! So legit!)
