Well kids it’s that time of the year & I start thinking about my favorite songs of the year. The older I grow the more I find I don’t like some popular music so a lot of the songs you’ll find in this list you may not know. It’s ok because a lot of the songs are British or from another country. There are even songs on here like Don’t Stop The Music, Valerie & Bleeding Love that were actually released in 2007. But, they didn’t become big here in the states until this year. Even my number one song Just Dance was released this past summer & I’ve been loving it since. It’s only been the past month or so that it’s really taken off. Which makes me happy since I’ve been a Gaga supporter for months now. Rihanna is the female with the most hits this year with 7 appearances on this. Chris Brown is the male with 5 songs in my top 100. This year also saw all my divas release an album & some crashed & burned & some blew up. I decided that for this chart there would only be songs that charted somewhere in the world. I had plenty of songs that were actually my favorite songs on the year although they weren’t released as official singles. ’Tomorrow’ & ‘Distant Dreamer’ by Duffy, ‘Candy Shop’ & ‘The Beat Goes On’ by Madonna, ‘I’m That Chick’ by Mariah Carey, ‘So Much Out The Way’ by Estelle would be just to name a few. I hope you enjoy my list & if you don’t know a song look it up & if you don’t believe the chart positions…. well I highly doubt you should doubt me! I wish everyone a happy new year & they say whatever you’re doing at the stroke up midnight you’ll be doing the rest of the year. Well here’s to stroking & make sure whatever you do you do it well!!! With no further ado here is my top 100 for 2008.
1. Just Dance/Lady Gaga (#1 Canada/Australia #3 US)
2. Don’t Stop The Music/Rihanna (#1 Australia #2 Canada #3 US #4 UK)
3. Bleeding Love/Leona Lewis (#1 UK/US/Australia/Canada)
4. Valerie/Mark Ronson featuring Amy Winehouse (#2 UK)
5. Touch My Body/Mariah Carey (#1 US #2 Canada #5 UK)
6. 4 Minutes/Madonna & Justin Timberlake (#1 Canada/UK/Australia #3 US)
7. I Kissed A Girl/Katy Perry (#1 US/UK/Canada/Australia)
8. When I Grow Up/Pussycat Dolls (#2 Australia #3 Canada/UK #9 US)
9. Feedback/Janet Jackson (#3 Canada #19 US #1 US Dance)
10. Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)/Beyonce (#1 US #6 Australia #8 Canada)
11. Black & Gold/Sam Sparro (#2 UK #4 Australia #8 US Dance)
12. Chasing Pavements/Adele (#2 UK #82 US)
13. Disturbia/Rihanna (#1 US #2 Canada #3 UK #6 Australia)
14. Dance Wiv Me/Dizzee Rascal & Calvin Harris (#1 UK #13 Australia)
15. Give It 2 Me/Madonna (#7 UK #8 Canada #57 US #1 US Dance)
16. Mercy/Duffy (#1 UK #11 Canada #26 Australia #27 US)
17. Spotlight/Jennifer Hudson (#1 US R&B #11 UK #24 US Pop)
18. Poker Face/Lady Gaga (#1 Canada/Australia)
19. Movie Star/Roisin Murphy (#3 US Dance Singles Sales)
20. In My Arms/Kylie Minogue (#10 UK #35 Australia)
21. Womanizer/Britney Spears (#1 US/Canada #3 UK #5 Australia)
22. So What/Pink (#1 US/UK/Canada/Australia)
23. Work/Kelly Rowland (#4 UK #6 Australia)
24. With Every Heartbeat/Robyn (#1 UK #5 US Dance)
25. Keeps Gettin’ Better/Christina Aguilera (#4 Canada #7 US #14 UK)
26. Amazing/Seal (#1 US Dance)
27. Breakin’ Dishes/Rihanna (#4 US Dance)
28. Can’t Speak French/Girls Aloud (#9 UK)
29. No Air/Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown (#1 Australia #3 US/UK/Canada)
30. Hot N’ Cold/Katy Perry (#1 Canada #3 US #4 UK/Australia)
31. Let It Rock/Kevin Rudolf & Lil’ Wayne (#2 Canada #5 US #13 Australia)
32. Numba 1 (The Tide Is High)/Kardinall Official & Rihanna (#38 Canada)
33. Spiralling/Keane (#23 UK)
34. I’m Yours/Jason Mraz (#3 Australia #4 Canada #6 US)
35. Apologize/Timbaland & One Republic (#1 Australia/Canada #2 US #3 UK)
36. Better In Time/Leona Lewis (#2 UK #6 Australia #9 Canada #11 US)
37. I’ll Be Lovin’ U Long Time/Mariah Carey & T.I. (#36 US R&B #58 US Pop)
38. I Decided/Solange Knowles (#1 US Dance #27 UK #44 US R&B)
39. Clumsy/Fergie (#4 Canada #5 US)
40. Miss Independent/Ne-Yo (#6 UK #7 US #1 US R&B)
41. Low/Flo-rida & T-Pain (#1 US/Canada/Australia #2 UK)
42. Viva La Vida/Coldplay (#1 US/UK #2 Australia)
43. American Boy/Estelle & Kanye West (#1 UK #3 Australia #9 US/Canada)
44. Love Song/Sara Bareilles (#1 Canada #4 US/UK/Australia)
45. Sexual Eruption/Snoop Dogg (#7 US #24 UK)
46. Be Mine/Robyn (#10 UK)
47. Let Me Think About It/Ida Corr (#2 UK #1 US Dance)
48. The World Should Revolve Around Me/Little Jackie (#14 UK)
49. Cry For You/September (#5 UK #14 Australia #74 US #1 US Dance Airplay)
50. Live Your Life/T.I. & Rihanna (#1 US #2 UK #3 Australia #5 Canada)
51. Shut Up & Let Me Go/Ting Tings (#6 UK #55 US #1 US Dance)
52. If I Were A Boy/Beyonce (#1 UK #3 US/Australia #4 Canada)
53. Damaged/Danity Kane (#10 US)
54. The Promise/Girls Aloud (#1 UK)
55. Like You’ll Never See Me Again/Alicia Keys (#1 US R&B #12 US Pop)
56. Into The Nightlife/Cyndi Lauper (#1 US Dance)
57. You Know Me Better/Roisin Murphy (#47 UK)
58. Wow/Kylie Minogue (#5 UK #11 Australia #19 US Dance Airplay)
59. Piece Of Me/Britney Spears (#2 Australia/UK #5 Canada #18 US)
60. Forever/Chris Brown (#2 US/Canada #4 UK)
61. See You Again/Miley Cyrus (#4 Canada #6 Australia #10 US #11 UK)
62. That’s Not My Name/Ting Tings (#1 UK #8 Australia #88 US)
63. Handle Me/Robyn (#17 UK #5 US Dance)
64. Just Fine/Mary J. Blige (#3 US R&B #22 US Pop #13 UK #1 US Dance)
65. Love Story/Taylor Swift (#1 US Country #4 Canada #5 US Pop)
66. Lollipop/Mika (#18 UK)
67. Closer/Ne-Yo (#1 UK #7 US #8 Australia
68. Stop & Stare/One Republic (#4 UK #11 Australia #12 US)
69. With You/Chris Brown (#2 Canada/US #5 Australia #8 UK)
70. Pocketful Of Sunshine/Natasha Bedingfield (#3 Canada #5 US)
71. Our Song/Taylor Swift (#1 US Country #16 US Pop)
72. Who’s That Girl/Robyn (#26 UK)
73. Foundations/Kate Nash (#2 UK)
74. Dangerous/M. Pokora & Timbaland (#1 France)
75. Calabria 2008/Enur & Natasha (#46 US #1 US Dance Airplay)
76. Teardrops On My Guitar/Taylor Swift (#2 US Country/Canada #13 US Pop)
77. Superwoman/Alicia Keys (#12 US R&B #82 US Pop)
78. Leavin’/Jesse McCartney (#10 US Pop #1 US Dance)
79. Up/The Saturday’s (#5 UK)
80. Can’t Get Over/September (#5 Sweden #12 US Dance)
81. One Step At A Time/Jordin Sparks (#11 Canada #12 Australia #17 US)
82. Last Name/Carrie Underwood (#1 US Country #19 US Pop)
83. Forgive Me/Leona Lewis (#5 UK)
84. My Joy/Quentin Harris feat. Margaret Grace (Top 20 US Dance)
85. Won’t Go Home Without You/Maroon 5 (#7 Australia #16 Canada #48 US)
86. All I See/Kylie Minogue & Mims (#3 US Dance #81 Canada)
87. Love Is Gone/David Guetta & Chris Willis (#9 UK #98 US)
88. If I Never See Your Face Again/Maroon 5 & Rihanna (#11 Australia #12 Canada #28 UK #51 US)
89. If I Can’t Dance/Sophie Ellis-Bexter (#9 Portugal #17 Spain)
90. Run The Show/Kat De Luna (#2 US Dance)
91. We Break The Dawn/Michelle Williams (#4 US Dance)
92. Be O.K./Chrisette Michele & Will.I.Am (#61 US R&B)
93. Shawty Get Loose/Lil’ Mama, T-Pain & Chris Brown (#10 US)
94. Kiss Kiss/Chris Brown & T-Pain (#1 US Pop #2 US R&B #6 Canada)
95. The One/Kylie Minogue (#2 UK Dance #10 Australia Dance #36 UK)
96. Just A Dream/Carrie Underwood (#1 US Country #29 US Pop)
97. Take A Bow/Rihanna (#1 US/UK/Canada #3 Australia)
98. Right Here (Departed)/Brandy (#22 US R&B #34 US Pop #1 US Dance)
99. Break The Ice/Britney Spears (#9 Canada #43 US #1 US Dance)
100. Miles Away/Madonna (#1 Spain #5 Japan #39 UK #1 US Dance Airplay)
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
A Hard Candy Christmas
Hey, maybe I’ll dye my hair
Maybe I’ll move somewhere
Maybe I’ll get a car
Maybe I’ll drive so far
They’ll all lose track
Me, I’ll bounce right back
Maybe I’ll sleep real late
Maybe I’ll lose some weight
Maybe I’ll clear my junk
Maybe I’ll just get drunk on apple wine
Me, I’ll be just
Fine and Dandy
Lord it’s like a hard candy christmas
I’m barely getting through tomorrow
But still I won’t let
Sorrow bring me way down
Hello everyone! It’s that time again. I swear it seems once Halloween gets here then Thanksgiving is 5 minutes after. Then, just as your starting to digest your food….. Christmas comes to slap you in the face. For some years now I’ve not thought of Christmas as the happiest of times due to family stuff but over time I’ve gotten better. I had actually planned to try to write something yesterday but I’m glad I didn’t. I was in a uhh let’s just say fowl mood. Unfortunately for me I’m not able to mask very well if something is wrong with me. All through the day friends at work were like, “Are you ok? You seem down.” With a quick, exasperated smile I would say no & that I was just tired. Then I get to the gym & see other people I know. ”Nick…. you seem a little…..” Even before the sentence was out I would quickly exclaim all was well & that I was just trying to get my workout done. I swear, sometimes having an expressive face is an annoyance. But, like most things with me…. I refuse to be down about anything for too long. Just like Dolly Parton in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas I’ll be fine & dandy. I always liked the words to that song. Recently, I did just die my hair. Although given my current state maybe I should have went dark & brooding. I don’t plan on moving anywhere (yet). I don’t like cars so I don’t plan on getting one (unless I would per se move). If any one loses track… well how did that happen when I’m on every social network known to man it seems? I’m not really a texter so if you want to talk to me that’s what you’re gonna have to do…. talk… to… me.
Today is my last day of work because my agency is closed until January 5th, which is incredibly nice. I’m looking forward to sleeping in, staying in the gym longer, cleaning out the junk & I’m sure I’ll imbibe on something festive over the holidays. They say the holidays are some of the most drunken times. Last year I didn’t play apart of that since I could not drink. But it seems this year I’ve somehow tried to make up for it. Which has me thinking that it’s time to calm myself down. The last few weeks have gotten a bit out of control & next thing you know there are drunk & scandalous pics of me being tagged on facebook. Dammit, where is my publicist when I need her to make sure these things don’t happen? This is why I always say take pics at the beginning of the night & then when things get out of control hide the damn camera!
Hey, maybe I’ll learn to sew
Maybe I’ll just lie low
Maybe I’ll hit the bars
Maybe I’ll count the stars until dawn
Me, I will go on
Maybe I’ll settle down
Maybe I’ll just leave town
Maybe I’ll have some fun
Maybe I’ll meet someone
And make him mine
Me, I’ll be just
Fine and dandy
Lord it’s like a hard candy christmas
I’m barely getting throung tomorrow
But still I won’t let sorrow bring me way down
Hmmm learning to sew may not be my thing but it would certainly be helpful. Lying low is easy. I love my me, myself & I time. Hitting the bars? I think I covered that in the last paragraph. Counting the stars is not something I have done in NYC ever. I don’t think I have ever properly paid attention to it. Settling down & making someone mine was done before, it didn’t work out so well. Not to say I do not discount it. I marched proudly twice for the rights to gay marriage. Equal rights ARE equal rights. Last night I was chatting with a friend who was mentioning he may want to marry his bf & I said well you can count on me to be your best man. Like anything, it has its ups & downs. I think about this time last year & how it was right before another big change was about to go down. Somehow over the year I’ve celebrated and grieved it’s loss more then I would like to admit. A sigh as the writer takes a minute to think.
This Christmas I have once again decided to stay in NYC for the holidays. I haven’t been to NC for Xmas in yrs. It hasn’t felt the same since my grandmother died so I like to celebrate Xmas my own way, with friends who have decided to stay here as well. I’ve also decided to go down to NC when it’s a lil bit warmer & I can escape the cold here (since I’m sure it will be cold here for many months to come). I don’t really have any New Years Eve plans yet. I have done the megaclub, I have done the stay at home, I have done the house party. I think that’s what I prefer at this point. I’ll keep you updated but that is next week. As for this one, Santa Claus is coming to town even though the economy sucks. As long as he brings my friends & some music & a lil bit of booze….. I’ll be fine and dandy.
Maybe I’ll move somewhere
Maybe I’ll get a car
Maybe I’ll drive so far
They’ll all lose track
Me, I’ll bounce right back
Maybe I’ll sleep real late
Maybe I’ll lose some weight
Maybe I’ll clear my junk
Maybe I’ll just get drunk on apple wine
Me, I’ll be just
Fine and Dandy
Lord it’s like a hard candy christmas
I’m barely getting through tomorrow
But still I won’t let
Sorrow bring me way down
Hello everyone! It’s that time again. I swear it seems once Halloween gets here then Thanksgiving is 5 minutes after. Then, just as your starting to digest your food….. Christmas comes to slap you in the face. For some years now I’ve not thought of Christmas as the happiest of times due to family stuff but over time I’ve gotten better. I had actually planned to try to write something yesterday but I’m glad I didn’t. I was in a uhh let’s just say fowl mood. Unfortunately for me I’m not able to mask very well if something is wrong with me. All through the day friends at work were like, “Are you ok? You seem down.” With a quick, exasperated smile I would say no & that I was just tired. Then I get to the gym & see other people I know. ”Nick…. you seem a little…..” Even before the sentence was out I would quickly exclaim all was well & that I was just trying to get my workout done. I swear, sometimes having an expressive face is an annoyance. But, like most things with me…. I refuse to be down about anything for too long. Just like Dolly Parton in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas I’ll be fine & dandy. I always liked the words to that song. Recently, I did just die my hair. Although given my current state maybe I should have went dark & brooding. I don’t plan on moving anywhere (yet). I don’t like cars so I don’t plan on getting one (unless I would per se move). If any one loses track… well how did that happen when I’m on every social network known to man it seems? I’m not really a texter so if you want to talk to me that’s what you’re gonna have to do…. talk… to… me.
Today is my last day of work because my agency is closed until January 5th, which is incredibly nice. I’m looking forward to sleeping in, staying in the gym longer, cleaning out the junk & I’m sure I’ll imbibe on something festive over the holidays. They say the holidays are some of the most drunken times. Last year I didn’t play apart of that since I could not drink. But it seems this year I’ve somehow tried to make up for it. Which has me thinking that it’s time to calm myself down. The last few weeks have gotten a bit out of control & next thing you know there are drunk & scandalous pics of me being tagged on facebook. Dammit, where is my publicist when I need her to make sure these things don’t happen? This is why I always say take pics at the beginning of the night & then when things get out of control hide the damn camera!
Hey, maybe I’ll learn to sew
Maybe I’ll just lie low
Maybe I’ll hit the bars
Maybe I’ll count the stars until dawn
Me, I will go on
Maybe I’ll settle down
Maybe I’ll just leave town
Maybe I’ll have some fun
Maybe I’ll meet someone
And make him mine
Me, I’ll be just
Fine and dandy
Lord it’s like a hard candy christmas
I’m barely getting throung tomorrow
But still I won’t let sorrow bring me way down
Hmmm learning to sew may not be my thing but it would certainly be helpful. Lying low is easy. I love my me, myself & I time. Hitting the bars? I think I covered that in the last paragraph. Counting the stars is not something I have done in NYC ever. I don’t think I have ever properly paid attention to it. Settling down & making someone mine was done before, it didn’t work out so well. Not to say I do not discount it. I marched proudly twice for the rights to gay marriage. Equal rights ARE equal rights. Last night I was chatting with a friend who was mentioning he may want to marry his bf & I said well you can count on me to be your best man. Like anything, it has its ups & downs. I think about this time last year & how it was right before another big change was about to go down. Somehow over the year I’ve celebrated and grieved it’s loss more then I would like to admit. A sigh as the writer takes a minute to think.
This Christmas I have once again decided to stay in NYC for the holidays. I haven’t been to NC for Xmas in yrs. It hasn’t felt the same since my grandmother died so I like to celebrate Xmas my own way, with friends who have decided to stay here as well. I’ve also decided to go down to NC when it’s a lil bit warmer & I can escape the cold here (since I’m sure it will be cold here for many months to come). I don’t really have any New Years Eve plans yet. I have done the megaclub, I have done the stay at home, I have done the house party. I think that’s what I prefer at this point. I’ll keep you updated but that is next week. As for this one, Santa Claus is coming to town even though the economy sucks. As long as he brings my friends & some music & a lil bit of booze….. I’ll be fine and dandy.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
21st Century Life
Originally I had planned to write something right after Halloween. I figured you would want to hear about all the shenanigans that took place. There were plenty believe me. I posted pics on here & Facebook & by the beginning of the week I had put myself on hiatus from everyone because I was so tired & needed some major me, myself & I time. We all had a great time. But, there were some moments that could not escape my thoughts. Just a year ago I wasn't celebrating Halloween because I was worried someone would hit my head with something. I also felt like I looked scary enough to not even need a costume. I stayed in the apt with Scott & Larry & we watched scary movies & ate pizza. So this year I was excited to actually be able to celebrate & not be worried about anything. I dressed as a semi-wrestler. Ok I know, anything to be semi-naked. I originally planned to do a Roman soldier look but then everyone in Gay Manhattan decided to do the same look & clearly I'm not a follower so I had to take that back. Some friends dressed as variations of bunnies & Scott was a disco soul white man with black afro. We all got together at Wissam's & drank & got ready for the parade. We took pictures & had a wonderful time. Then the night came & there were at least 3 different occasions where we encountered hate. In Chelsea of all places. Some straight idiots had yelled out fags to my friends walking in front of me. My friend yelled back, "That's right bitch so get out of Chelsea!" Then, a few blocks later, we encountered some small children in their get ups. They couldn't have been more then 5 or 6 yrs old. One of them grumbled 'homos' as he went by. The older guys didn't shock me but this did. This kind of behavior had to be taught. When I was that age I didn't know what that word was. Even though we all had a blast that night I couldn't help but think & wonder why hate begats hate.
A few days later was the election. Time Square was packed & you would have thought it was New Years Eve. My own friends spent the time together & said, "Yes! We Did It! Yes! We Can!" I went to bed with a smile on my face. It was a wonderful feeling to know that someone with merit can become president & it didn't matter what color their skin was. It felt like we were finally taking a step forward. But then the next day my happiness was quickly taken away. As everyone else was taking a step forward the news came that Proposition 8 passed in California. It was like ok, a lot of you can step forward but the rest of you need to take a step back. Go & sit in the back of the bus. You are a second class citizen. What was also hard to hear was that 70% of African Americans & a large percentage of Latino's voted for this Proposition as well. What the hell people? Why would groups that experienced & still experience discrimination inflict it upon others? Why does hate begat hate?
What happened to that phrase 'Do unto other's as you would have do unto you.' Yes, that's what I thought. Do only when it's convenient. And what about this sanctity of marriage thing? Bull shit. If it was so important then I doubt half of all marriages would be ending in divorce. I didn't initially mean to make this a rant blog. As we know, that's not my style. But, deep down I never thought Prop 8 would pass. I thought we had been taking great strides in the way adjusting what people thought about us. I just assumed it was crazy so called religious people & that number wasn't that much. That's where I & so many other people I know thought wrong. Don't discount the crazy's. They apparently travel in large numbers. Well the alarm has went off & something must be done. I'm going to a few protests this week & I'll let you know how it goes. I never figured myself to be the protest type but things change. Hate has to stop. Another change has gonna have to come.
But when the night is falling
And you cannot find the light
If you feel your dream is dying
Hold tight
You've got the music in you
Don't let go
You've got the music in you
One dance left
This world is gonna pull through
Don't give up
You've got a reason to live
Can't forget you only get what you give
A few days later was the election. Time Square was packed & you would have thought it was New Years Eve. My own friends spent the time together & said, "Yes! We Did It! Yes! We Can!" I went to bed with a smile on my face. It was a wonderful feeling to know that someone with merit can become president & it didn't matter what color their skin was. It felt like we were finally taking a step forward. But then the next day my happiness was quickly taken away. As everyone else was taking a step forward the news came that Proposition 8 passed in California. It was like ok, a lot of you can step forward but the rest of you need to take a step back. Go & sit in the back of the bus. You are a second class citizen. What was also hard to hear was that 70% of African Americans & a large percentage of Latino's voted for this Proposition as well. What the hell people? Why would groups that experienced & still experience discrimination inflict it upon others? Why does hate begat hate?
What happened to that phrase 'Do unto other's as you would have do unto you.' Yes, that's what I thought. Do only when it's convenient. And what about this sanctity of marriage thing? Bull shit. If it was so important then I doubt half of all marriages would be ending in divorce. I didn't initially mean to make this a rant blog. As we know, that's not my style. But, deep down I never thought Prop 8 would pass. I thought we had been taking great strides in the way adjusting what people thought about us. I just assumed it was crazy so called religious people & that number wasn't that much. That's where I & so many other people I know thought wrong. Don't discount the crazy's. They apparently travel in large numbers. Well the alarm has went off & something must be done. I'm going to a few protests this week & I'll let you know how it goes. I never figured myself to be the protest type but things change. Hate has to stop. Another change has gonna have to come.
But when the night is falling
And you cannot find the light
If you feel your dream is dying
Hold tight
You've got the music in you
Don't let go
You've got the music in you
One dance left
This world is gonna pull through
Don't give up
You've got a reason to live
Can't forget you only get what you give
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
NickyBoomBox Goes GaGa
I’m waiting
For my moment to come
I’m waiting
For the movie to begin
I’m waiting
For a revelation
I’m waiting for someone
To count me in
Cos now
I only see my dreams
In everything I touch
Feel their cold hands on
Everything that I love
Cold like some
Magnificant skyline
Out of my reach
But always
In my eyeline now
I realize it’s been a long time since I’ve blogged & the last time I came back after such an absence I told you all about having a tumor. Well you can all rest assured that I’m not gonna hit you with bad news. This time last year, I was dealing with the aftermath of a brain tumor. I didn’t want to be seen & I was still out of work & not about to celebrate Halloween for fear someone would hit me in the head. Now, a year later, I found myself feeling a lil melancholy & thinking about all the bad things that I had gone through. I also found myself watching plenty of shows that dealt with accidents, tumors & brain surgeries. Eli Stone, Grey’s Anatomy & Lipstick Jungle had these in a few of their episodes. Almost making me emotional, I was glad to have Samantha Who to have some much needed comic relief. When I went back to the hospital I found the whole scenario kind of anti-climatic. The MRI showed the same result that it had showed back in April which IS good news. The doctor told me I will have to have these for years to come every 6 months. I don’t look forward to because it somehow drudges up these emotions every time I go in. But hey, what can you do? As long as it shows I’m ok I am happy.
So since the bday fall has come with a quickness. It’s much colder then I anticipated & for my first Halloween since 06 I’ll probably be covered up more then I would like. Then again this is me we’re talking about so I’m sure I’ll end up semi-clothed sometime in the night. I also caught the Madonna show at MSG which was good but definitely not my favorite. I was amazed at how much she danced. I aspire to have such movement in 20 yrs! For me though, it wasn’t the same as the experience I had seeing her at Roseland back in April. There was something about the intimateness of it & plus she was so incredibly close to me. It’s one thing to have your idol so close but then quite another to pay a lot of money to see her but then feel like you’re still miles away.
Last night, I saw lady GaGa at Highline Ballroom & man oh man it was awesome. I realize that many of you may not know her but she has become my favorite artist of the year. She’s new & fresh & has the perfect sound of what pop music should be. Her single ‘Just Dance’ has gone to #1 in Canada & Australia & I’m sure once it’s released in the UK it will have a similar fate. Unfortunately, here in the states it’s not found the same success. Meanwhile she’s written for Britney & the Pussycat Dolls, who’s sound is very similar. Watching Christina Aguilera on the VMA’s & seeing her new video I was like “Ahh!!!! She’s ripping on my GaGa!” But anyway, back to the show. There were quite a few other performers & they did their thing. Cazwell & Amanda Lepore came out & by the time Amanda ’sang’ her infamous line of “I don’t know much about clothes but my hair looks FIERCE!” she was completely nude. Which I’ve seen plenty of times before. I swear I’ve seen her titties & plastic whooha more then I’ve seen my own perky busoms & goodies! But this I will say it always gets the crowds attention. I had a LOT of girls around me who was just open mouthed as they witnessed such provocativeness. There was also a group called Semi Precious Weapons who were rockers. And boy oh boy did they rock. The lead singer called us all cunts & said that we will never see something as hot as him. Being that if it’s in my mind then it’s on my face, I begged to differ. But kudos to his crazy cracka ass for having some witty things to say. He also pulled this girl on stage & danced with her all wildy. He poured water all over her & then proceeded to rip her shirt off. I saw more titties in one night then I’ve seen all year! Then Lady GaGa took the stage & tore it up. It was great to see an artist perform with such hunger & love for her audience. Not someone who looks like they’re just going through motions or just trying to get a paycheck. I’m not mentioning any names but when she said “I love you guys” I seriously felt she meant it. She even crowd dived 6 times almost letting her fans whisk her away. I also found her to be very genuine when I met her before the show. She signed my cd & was looking Gagalicious. I paid $14 for this show & I definitely felt like I got my money’s worth. This Saturday I’m suppose to see Janet & I have a pretty good seat so we’ll see how that goes. I’ve already read the reviews & know the drama about her canceling her NY show a week ago. I’ll let you know.
In other NSP news, my antics out & about have had a crazy twist of events. I was kicked out of a club folks! Last Saturday night I was dancing with my peeps at Splash, somewhere we have been going since Roxy has been closed. Now before your eyes get all big let me say this, I was sober! I’d had some drinks but was not even buzzed. We were dancing near our friend Danny who was deejaying when all of a sudden I saw this drunk mess walk by us & he throws his empty glass at my feet. It had not broke when it hit the floor & the only thing I thought to do was kick it out of our direction. I didn’t want any one of us to slip or something. Then, a bouncer comes up to me saying “I saw you click that glass!” I said yes & told him why but he had not seen the other guy throw it. It became a complete misunderstanding & it was like when you’re in school & the teacher punishes you for something some other brat does. I then called him a dick for the way he was talking to me, which didn’t help matters. But seriously, I only speak the truth. What I find amusing is out of ALL the drunken shenanigans I know I have done over the years I got thrown out by being sober & just trying to do what I thought was a good thing. Oh well, NickyBoomBox will survive & dance again. A plague to that mofo’s house & after the way I was treated I will not be going there again. So I’ll end with this, have a safe & happy Halloween. Get your tricks & make sure they give you some treats. Not anything that has to be cured by penicillin though! I’ll also make sure I write more next week to let you know about Janet & oh yes, how my Halloween was & just what provocative costume I wore or didn’t wear wink wink.
For my moment to come
I’m waiting
For the movie to begin
I’m waiting
For a revelation
I’m waiting for someone
To count me in
Cos now
I only see my dreams
In everything I touch
Feel their cold hands on
Everything that I love
Cold like some
Magnificant skyline
Out of my reach
But always
In my eyeline now
I realize it’s been a long time since I’ve blogged & the last time I came back after such an absence I told you all about having a tumor. Well you can all rest assured that I’m not gonna hit you with bad news. This time last year, I was dealing with the aftermath of a brain tumor. I didn’t want to be seen & I was still out of work & not about to celebrate Halloween for fear someone would hit me in the head. Now, a year later, I found myself feeling a lil melancholy & thinking about all the bad things that I had gone through. I also found myself watching plenty of shows that dealt with accidents, tumors & brain surgeries. Eli Stone, Grey’s Anatomy & Lipstick Jungle had these in a few of their episodes. Almost making me emotional, I was glad to have Samantha Who to have some much needed comic relief. When I went back to the hospital I found the whole scenario kind of anti-climatic. The MRI showed the same result that it had showed back in April which IS good news. The doctor told me I will have to have these for years to come every 6 months. I don’t look forward to because it somehow drudges up these emotions every time I go in. But hey, what can you do? As long as it shows I’m ok I am happy.
So since the bday fall has come with a quickness. It’s much colder then I anticipated & for my first Halloween since 06 I’ll probably be covered up more then I would like. Then again this is me we’re talking about so I’m sure I’ll end up semi-clothed sometime in the night. I also caught the Madonna show at MSG which was good but definitely not my favorite. I was amazed at how much she danced. I aspire to have such movement in 20 yrs! For me though, it wasn’t the same as the experience I had seeing her at Roseland back in April. There was something about the intimateness of it & plus she was so incredibly close to me. It’s one thing to have your idol so close but then quite another to pay a lot of money to see her but then feel like you’re still miles away.
Last night, I saw lady GaGa at Highline Ballroom & man oh man it was awesome. I realize that many of you may not know her but she has become my favorite artist of the year. She’s new & fresh & has the perfect sound of what pop music should be. Her single ‘Just Dance’ has gone to #1 in Canada & Australia & I’m sure once it’s released in the UK it will have a similar fate. Unfortunately, here in the states it’s not found the same success. Meanwhile she’s written for Britney & the Pussycat Dolls, who’s sound is very similar. Watching Christina Aguilera on the VMA’s & seeing her new video I was like “Ahh!!!! She’s ripping on my GaGa!” But anyway, back to the show. There were quite a few other performers & they did their thing. Cazwell & Amanda Lepore came out & by the time Amanda ’sang’ her infamous line of “I don’t know much about clothes but my hair looks FIERCE!” she was completely nude. Which I’ve seen plenty of times before. I swear I’ve seen her titties & plastic whooha more then I’ve seen my own perky busoms & goodies! But this I will say it always gets the crowds attention. I had a LOT of girls around me who was just open mouthed as they witnessed such provocativeness. There was also a group called Semi Precious Weapons who were rockers. And boy oh boy did they rock. The lead singer called us all cunts & said that we will never see something as hot as him. Being that if it’s in my mind then it’s on my face, I begged to differ. But kudos to his crazy cracka ass for having some witty things to say. He also pulled this girl on stage & danced with her all wildy. He poured water all over her & then proceeded to rip her shirt off. I saw more titties in one night then I’ve seen all year! Then Lady GaGa took the stage & tore it up. It was great to see an artist perform with such hunger & love for her audience. Not someone who looks like they’re just going through motions or just trying to get a paycheck. I’m not mentioning any names but when she said “I love you guys” I seriously felt she meant it. She even crowd dived 6 times almost letting her fans whisk her away. I also found her to be very genuine when I met her before the show. She signed my cd & was looking Gagalicious. I paid $14 for this show & I definitely felt like I got my money’s worth. This Saturday I’m suppose to see Janet & I have a pretty good seat so we’ll see how that goes. I’ve already read the reviews & know the drama about her canceling her NY show a week ago. I’ll let you know.
In other NSP news, my antics out & about have had a crazy twist of events. I was kicked out of a club folks! Last Saturday night I was dancing with my peeps at Splash, somewhere we have been going since Roxy has been closed. Now before your eyes get all big let me say this, I was sober! I’d had some drinks but was not even buzzed. We were dancing near our friend Danny who was deejaying when all of a sudden I saw this drunk mess walk by us & he throws his empty glass at my feet. It had not broke when it hit the floor & the only thing I thought to do was kick it out of our direction. I didn’t want any one of us to slip or something. Then, a bouncer comes up to me saying “I saw you click that glass!” I said yes & told him why but he had not seen the other guy throw it. It became a complete misunderstanding & it was like when you’re in school & the teacher punishes you for something some other brat does. I then called him a dick for the way he was talking to me, which didn’t help matters. But seriously, I only speak the truth. What I find amusing is out of ALL the drunken shenanigans I know I have done over the years I got thrown out by being sober & just trying to do what I thought was a good thing. Oh well, NickyBoomBox will survive & dance again. A plague to that mofo’s house & after the way I was treated I will not be going there again. So I’ll end with this, have a safe & happy Halloween. Get your tricks & make sure they give you some treats. Not anything that has to be cured by penicillin though! I’ll also make sure I write more next week to let you know about Janet & oh yes, how my Halloween was & just what provocative costume I wore or didn’t wear wink wink.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Dirty, Flirty & 30
Nickakah came, saw, & conquered. I've finally gathered up some sleep & can put together the memories of what was one of the most fun weeks I had in quite some time. I started off celebrating by going to 6 Flags with Larry, Ej & Jeremy. Larry almost wasn't able to get in because his shirt was deemed offensive. It said 'Rick Said Good Evening Bitches'. Mind you I don't see how this should be offensive but it's hard to offend me. What WAS offensive were the prices for food. $17 for a small burger & small fries & a drink? Now that's offensive bitches! I also couldn't help but think that the next time I go I'll rock the Flash Pass. Without it you just stand in lines waiting & waiting & any one who knows me, knows how much I HATE to wait. As we were waiting for one ride, a conductor in the most monotone voice ever would finish her spiel by saying, "This will change your life." After hearing that at least 15 times I was ready to let her know that it BETTER change my life. This was a water ride & I had been wanting to ride it for hours because it was so hot outside. By the time it was over I felt like I had been spritzed & Ej walked away soaked. Clearly that ride did not change my life. After all was said & done, I had my most fun on the tea cups. I had that thing spinning round & round & faster then any one else's. I felt like I was getting an arm & ab workout & then trying to walk off of it, I felt like I was drunk. A workout with a shot of a buzz? Clearly the one for me. The next day I got myself up to go to Fire Island. It should be noted that I should have known how it was going to go when I got on the train & then the conductor told at least 20 of us to take another train. As I got on I thought something about this doesn't seem right. Turns out I was right. He had sent us on the wrong train so I then had to switch at another stop just to go back to my original stop. It ended up taking me 4 hrs to get out there. The rest of the trip had similar craziness but I wasn't surprised. The actual Pines Party that I went to was tons of fun & I had a blast dancing for hours with all my boys. Jordan had managed to get Chase & I in for free as long as we worked for a few hours. We were security. Now, Chase as security I can totally see. As for me, not so much. But being this was with the gays we didn't have to worry about fights, just blow jobs in corners & extra curricular activities. All the while I still managed to have a drink in my hands & in my book that is a wonderful way to work security. Once it was over, in true Nick out to Fire Island form it rained. I can never seem to make it out there for actual sun. It's a good thing I have other ways to tan here in the city. By Monday I decided I needed to just go to work & then to dance class. I knew that I was going to need all the sleep I could get for the next 6 days of Nickakah.
Tuesday night was the official kick off to all things ME. I decided to go to Pieces & do a little karaoke. It was a lovely way to start. The drag queen decided that it would be a good idea for me to take off my shirt after I sang Tears Dry On Their Own. I said no. She said, "Take it off." I said, "What do I get for it?" She said, "Drink tickets." That seemed reason enough for me & after that she also let my friend Krista get up & sing some Janis Joplin without putting a slip in. Ahhh, the things I do for friends & drink tickets. Seen at the kick off: Scott, Larry, Ej, Nicole, Jeremy, Chase, Gilbert, Lil Tom, Jon & with a very special guest appearance by Vadim. All day long he had been telling me he was too tired to make it. He had even done a fake call at 10 pm saying he was going to sleep. So imagine my shock when I saw Basic Trash make his way through the crowd. It was a great way to kick things off & I had a blast with all my peeps.
I’ve had a little bit too much
All of the people start to rush. Start to rush by.
How does he twist the dance?
Can’t find my drink oh man.
Where are my keys, I lost my phone.
What’s go-ing out on the floor?
I love this record baby, but I can’t see straight anymore.
Keep it cool what’s the name of this club?
I can’t remember but it’s alright, alright.
Wednesday was my last day of work for the week & I decided that night I would usher in 30 by entering in a talent competition at Therapy for their Cattle Call night hosted by Peppermint Gummybear. Yes, she's a drag queen for those that don't know. I told only a few people because this was my first time performing in front of people for quite some time & my nerves were getting the best of me. The place was packed & when my name was called first I wanted to throw up a little. To add there were 2 other people there celebrating their bdays as well. I was like these bitches are stealing my thunder! But, as soon as I got on the stage & a light shun on me.... I felt back in my element. I performed Fever which was always a Greatest Hit for me so to speak. People yelled & hollered & during a key moment of the song Peppermint came over & helped rip my shirt open, then proceeded to rub what I swear felt like Crisco on my chest. The crowd roared & I ate it up. Those other bday bitches weren't gonna steal this thunder now! After me were 2 other guys. One sang a....uhhhh....(think of something nice to say)....neat version of I am Changing from Dreamgirls. The other had a guitar & sang something that I couldn't make out. It was slow & draggy & then I heard my friend say, "At least you kept people watching you!" It didn't get better after that because it was then a black guy in a wig doing his best uh errr drag. I could have done a better job but once again, if I can't say anything nice then I won't say anything at all. As we moved on to the next, it was Angelique Ali. I've heard her out & about for years & she's famous in the scene. I was fully prepared to come in 2nd to her. She has an amazing voice & sounds like Deborah Cox. She came out in an evening gown which just added to her fabulousness. Oh & I should add, she is trannylicious. That's right, when she speaks she's got this low low tone to her voice and a penis. Penis or no penis, she sang & brought the house down. Scott looked at me & tapped me on the shoulder & said, "At least you'll get 2nd." Then the last performer came out on the stage & was ummm either a girl dressed as a man or a really, really odd looking midget man. IT got on stage & sang something that sounded like 5 rats fighting over a piece of cheese & then did a 'performance piece' to Breakin Dishes (which is one of my favorite Rihanna songs). Then IT threw out paper plates during the chorus & I couldn't watch it anymore. Seriously, was this entertainment? Imagine my utter shock when we got on stage & it came down between IT & Angelique. Apparently IT had a lot of friends to show up & cheer IT on. I had barely told people because I was worried I may suck. Guess I should have made that the kick off. Then in a very shocking moment while we were standing on stage, these 2 guys sitting near us got into a bitch fight. Next thing you know I hear yelling & glasses flying. Literally, bitches were breakin dishes up in there! A piece came to the stage & hit Angelique in the forehead. She fell back against me & I thought, "Tranny down! Tranny down! I need back up!" Guess I was gonna be security after all. Things were finally composed & they were escorted out & the winner was announced to be IT. Honestly, I can't remember the name so I called it IT. I then joked that Angelique & I lost to Pat from SNL! She thought it was funny & then she asked me where she knew me from. The guy with the guitar then said it as well & added, "I feel like I should know you because you're famous or something." I joked that if I was indeed famous then I would NOT be opening for IT/Pat. I then said I would open for Angelique any time & she raised her eyebrow & smiled. Uh oh clearly she took that not the way I intended. So then it was back to hanging with my friends who had showed up to see me. Seen: Scott, Daniel, Ricardo, their friend whose name eludes me right now, Ej, Sean, Mickey & Nico.
I woke up late Thursday morning & thought about how now I was officially in the 30's club. I decided I needed to go downtown & do some shopping. I tried on jeans & got all excited to know that waist 30 fit me & my ass perfectly. The shirts fit me perfectly & showed off the perky busoms just the way they should. If this is how 30 looks then 30 looks good bitches. My ego was stroked tremendously when I told the salesgirl it was my bday & she asked how old I was turning. I told her 30 & she looked shocked. She exclaimed that I looked 25. I said thank you & beamed with excitement. That night I invited a few peeps over for bday cake. (Not too much, how else do you think I stay like this?) I welcomed gifts from Ej, Larry & Jordan & we had some drinks before we went to the Ritz. Seen: Ej, Larry, Jordan, Scott, Vadim, Big Tom, Tommy & John. Then we all went to Ritz without Big Tom because he was a tired, tired man. At first there was no one at Ritz but my friends which felt nice. Dj Danny played music that only we wanted to hear & Vadim said, "Oh no! Your bday is turning into just what mine had! No one comes!" He seemed more upset then I was because he was living vicariously through Nickakah. Someone would say Happy Bday Nick & he would say thank you. Just when we thought there would be no crowd Natasha aka Jackee Star Jones came into the room. Rocking a new wig & mad Bday love she worked the stairs. Before I knew it, I turned around & the room was filled. I was working the fan, Nicole was spinning around & Vadim was happy his vicarious bday was gonna be a success. Dj Danny even gave me a bday shout over the mic & I jumped up & down. Seen: Billy & his bf John, Dennis, Jason, Russell Murray, Colin aka Fake Billy, other people I'm forgetting now but you have all my love. At one point in the night this guy came up to me & said, "I love your films." I felt puzzled. How did he know where to look out for me in Glitter or the other movie that no one saw called New Best Friend. So I said, "What are you talking about?" "Your films! I get off to you all the time." Then it hit me! "Ummm, I don't do porn." He looked shocked & then said, "Whatever, I know it's you. You just don't what everyone to know & say something to you." He then turned away & went back to his friends. I thought it was funny how apparently everyone is sure I'm famous in one way or another. I went back to dancing & then Danny played something like Britney or something sexy & I found myself doing a danceoff with Jackee Star Jones. I started dancing all sexually suggestive with myself & then the dude came back to me & said, "Ok you're gonna dance like that & say you DON'T do porn? Right!" Shortly after I met a guy who was flirting with me & then I decided to take him home. That's right I was going to have a bizzniss associate after all. I thought, "Hey! It's my bday! I should get some bday sex out of it." Everything seemed nice until he decided to talk. He was from California & had this surfer way of speaking. Which I can be fine with but it must be said, I'm not much of a talker during sexy times. Don't tell me what you're gonna do, don't give me a dramatic monologue, just do it. Honestly, it felt like a bad porn & being that I was just told I did porn this was not helping. He then says, "Awww seriously.... this ass is hot." All of a sudden I flashed to the conductor at 6 Flags with the monotone voice & thought, "This ass will change your life." Which proceeded to put me in a fit of giggles. Which must have not helped his ego. Needless to say not the sexiest of times was had.
Wish I could shut my playboy mouth.
How’d I turn my shirt inside out? Inside out babe.
Control your poison babe
Roses have thorns they say.
And we’re all gettin’ hosed tonight.
What’s go-ing out on the floor?
I love this record baby, but I can’t see straight anymore.
Keep it cool what’s the name of this club?
I can’t remember but it’s alright, alright.
Friday ended up being a small crew of us going to Pyramid. A few peeps flaked out but don't worry, I still got mad love for you Jackie & Shaq. Chip who we refer to as Uncle Fester even changed up his mix tape & threw in some 80's jams I haven't heard in ages. Sheena Easton's Strut had me doing JUST that. We had our own highlights of the night by changing the words to Papa Don't Preach. But, my highlight was Scott & I using a very long piece of fabric to do a dance that was So You Think Can Dance Mia Michael's contemporary worthy. Normally my grooves are premeditated but this dance fully had him & I creating on the spot. It was fabu. Seen: Scott, Larry, Vadim, Ej, Andy, Kevi Kev, his friend Wayne & Jeremy
Saturday was meant to be spent at the Pier but the rain canceled out that plan. Instead Larry, Scott & I decided to do my double feature plan of seeing 2 movies for the price of 1. We watched The Dark Knight which I found to be entertaining but not as great as everyone has hyped it up to be. Heath was good as the Joker but really? Oscar worthy? Hmmmm. Maybe I'll have to watch it again to fully GET it but not any time soon. We then watched Mamma Mia. The best singer was the girl from Mean Girls. Who know! Screw Lindsay Lohan trying to release a hot song. Someone sign this girl up! Meryl was good & gave a good performance especially during the Winner Takes It All. Christine Baranski & the other lady playing her friend was wonderful. I could have done without Pierce & his singing. I felt like he was yelling at me. All in all the experiences were good but honestly & it must be said..... do not bring your baby to the movies! This couple in front of me in the Dark Knight drove us nuts with their loud ass baby! Then in Mamma Mia these 2 teenage girls sitting a few seats down from me were driving me crazy talking about random high school shit. OMFG I AM getting old, teenage girls are driving me crazy! So other then that we had a nice time. Double features is fun & it's the only way I like to watch movies. It's a bit of a commitment though. 6 hours in a movie theater can make your ass sore! Later, Vadim had a save the animals meeting he had to do in Union Sq & Scott & I decided to have some pre drinks before we went to Splash. Tons of fun was had & we danced our asses off & Scott & I even re-enacted out string dance. It wasn't as great as the night before due to the fact that we had limited space. But either way we gave it to the fans! Seen: Scott, Vadim, Nicole, Rob, Brad, Jude, Frank, Matt B, Chase, Lil Tom, Erick, Erica, Kevin M & Dennis. At the end of the night Scott ended up staying with me. I wanted to make sure he would be on time for brunch & not accidentally sleep through it. I asked for a hot man in my bed & instead I get Scott! Just kidding Scott. We had a nice time & watched Sordid Lives on Logo & then finally went to sleep.
Sunday was a gathering at HK for brunch. As I have stated before, when we do brunch we do it right. Drinking mimosa's & bellini's for hours upon hours. Vadim, Scott, Larry, Ej, Nathan, Tasia, Pricilla & I had a lovely time. Discussing all the events of Nickakah & how next year Vadim is going to celebrate his bday as well during Nickakah. Which I will not be having, This was the first year where I was constantly hearing it was someone's bday as well. It was really odd. There were the 2 at Therapy & then just walking around the street I would hear convo's about so & so's bday. Either way no one stole my thunder. There were some people that I expected a little more from. I'll not name any names & it's not like I should be incredibly shocked due to the past circumstances. It just makes me that more thankful for the people I did have. Which is why I try to celebrate as much as possible because I know other people have things to do. But seriously, when you can't make at least ONE event? That's seriously putting you in the DTM category. Now, I'm sure there will be some people reading this & there are a few people I knew had stuff going on so i understand. I'm not that selfish. As for the others ooooo my memory is long, very, very long. Unless I have been drinking. What definitely HAS to be said is there was one person who made every single event.... Scott. I realize I celebrate for days & I also realize not everyone can keep up with me.
Don't stop me now, don't need to catch my breath
I can go on and on and on
When the lights go down and there's no one left
I can go on and on and on
So Scott big ups to you for Giving it 2 me for each & every single event. I definitely owe you the best of me. Thank goodness your bday is still some time away so I can fully rest for it lol. And many, many thanks to all my ladies & gents who showed just how much love they have for me. Vadim, my Basic Trash Pencil Buddy work that couture. Larry, 7 yrs & still offensive & going strong. I wouldn't have it any other way. Ej, forever having a new scheme. As for this no sex thing? Well you still have another month so I'll try to have enough for the both of us. I would add more here but it would just make this blog longer & I know how much you guys hate to read too much. I still would like to use a blog to reflect upon the 20's but as for now here's hello to my 30's. Are you ready bitches?
Just dance. Gonna be okay.
Da-da-doo-doo
Just dance. Spin that record babe.
Da-da-doo-doo
Just dance. Gunna be okay.
Duh-duh-duh
Dance. Dance. Dance. Ju-ju-ju-just dance.
Tuesday night was the official kick off to all things ME. I decided to go to Pieces & do a little karaoke. It was a lovely way to start. The drag queen decided that it would be a good idea for me to take off my shirt after I sang Tears Dry On Their Own. I said no. She said, "Take it off." I said, "What do I get for it?" She said, "Drink tickets." That seemed reason enough for me & after that she also let my friend Krista get up & sing some Janis Joplin without putting a slip in. Ahhh, the things I do for friends & drink tickets. Seen at the kick off: Scott, Larry, Ej, Nicole, Jeremy, Chase, Gilbert, Lil Tom, Jon & with a very special guest appearance by Vadim. All day long he had been telling me he was too tired to make it. He had even done a fake call at 10 pm saying he was going to sleep. So imagine my shock when I saw Basic Trash make his way through the crowd. It was a great way to kick things off & I had a blast with all my peeps.
I’ve had a little bit too much
All of the people start to rush. Start to rush by.
How does he twist the dance?
Can’t find my drink oh man.
Where are my keys, I lost my phone.
What’s go-ing out on the floor?
I love this record baby, but I can’t see straight anymore.
Keep it cool what’s the name of this club?
I can’t remember but it’s alright, alright.
Wednesday was my last day of work for the week & I decided that night I would usher in 30 by entering in a talent competition at Therapy for their Cattle Call night hosted by Peppermint Gummybear. Yes, she's a drag queen for those that don't know. I told only a few people because this was my first time performing in front of people for quite some time & my nerves were getting the best of me. The place was packed & when my name was called first I wanted to throw up a little. To add there were 2 other people there celebrating their bdays as well. I was like these bitches are stealing my thunder! But, as soon as I got on the stage & a light shun on me.... I felt back in my element. I performed Fever which was always a Greatest Hit for me so to speak. People yelled & hollered & during a key moment of the song Peppermint came over & helped rip my shirt open, then proceeded to rub what I swear felt like Crisco on my chest. The crowd roared & I ate it up. Those other bday bitches weren't gonna steal this thunder now! After me were 2 other guys. One sang a....uhhhh....(think of something nice to say)....neat version of I am Changing from Dreamgirls. The other had a guitar & sang something that I couldn't make out. It was slow & draggy & then I heard my friend say, "At least you kept people watching you!" It didn't get better after that because it was then a black guy in a wig doing his best uh errr drag. I could have done a better job but once again, if I can't say anything nice then I won't say anything at all. As we moved on to the next, it was Angelique Ali. I've heard her out & about for years & she's famous in the scene. I was fully prepared to come in 2nd to her. She has an amazing voice & sounds like Deborah Cox. She came out in an evening gown which just added to her fabulousness. Oh & I should add, she is trannylicious. That's right, when she speaks she's got this low low tone to her voice and a penis. Penis or no penis, she sang & brought the house down. Scott looked at me & tapped me on the shoulder & said, "At least you'll get 2nd." Then the last performer came out on the stage & was ummm either a girl dressed as a man or a really, really odd looking midget man. IT got on stage & sang something that sounded like 5 rats fighting over a piece of cheese & then did a 'performance piece' to Breakin Dishes (which is one of my favorite Rihanna songs). Then IT threw out paper plates during the chorus & I couldn't watch it anymore. Seriously, was this entertainment? Imagine my utter shock when we got on stage & it came down between IT & Angelique. Apparently IT had a lot of friends to show up & cheer IT on. I had barely told people because I was worried I may suck. Guess I should have made that the kick off. Then in a very shocking moment while we were standing on stage, these 2 guys sitting near us got into a bitch fight. Next thing you know I hear yelling & glasses flying. Literally, bitches were breakin dishes up in there! A piece came to the stage & hit Angelique in the forehead. She fell back against me & I thought, "Tranny down! Tranny down! I need back up!" Guess I was gonna be security after all. Things were finally composed & they were escorted out & the winner was announced to be IT. Honestly, I can't remember the name so I called it IT. I then joked that Angelique & I lost to Pat from SNL! She thought it was funny & then she asked me where she knew me from. The guy with the guitar then said it as well & added, "I feel like I should know you because you're famous or something." I joked that if I was indeed famous then I would NOT be opening for IT/Pat. I then said I would open for Angelique any time & she raised her eyebrow & smiled. Uh oh clearly she took that not the way I intended. So then it was back to hanging with my friends who had showed up to see me. Seen: Scott, Daniel, Ricardo, their friend whose name eludes me right now, Ej, Sean, Mickey & Nico.
I woke up late Thursday morning & thought about how now I was officially in the 30's club. I decided I needed to go downtown & do some shopping. I tried on jeans & got all excited to know that waist 30 fit me & my ass perfectly. The shirts fit me perfectly & showed off the perky busoms just the way they should. If this is how 30 looks then 30 looks good bitches. My ego was stroked tremendously when I told the salesgirl it was my bday & she asked how old I was turning. I told her 30 & she looked shocked. She exclaimed that I looked 25. I said thank you & beamed with excitement. That night I invited a few peeps over for bday cake. (Not too much, how else do you think I stay like this?) I welcomed gifts from Ej, Larry & Jordan & we had some drinks before we went to the Ritz. Seen: Ej, Larry, Jordan, Scott, Vadim, Big Tom, Tommy & John. Then we all went to Ritz without Big Tom because he was a tired, tired man. At first there was no one at Ritz but my friends which felt nice. Dj Danny played music that only we wanted to hear & Vadim said, "Oh no! Your bday is turning into just what mine had! No one comes!" He seemed more upset then I was because he was living vicariously through Nickakah. Someone would say Happy Bday Nick & he would say thank you. Just when we thought there would be no crowd Natasha aka Jackee Star Jones came into the room. Rocking a new wig & mad Bday love she worked the stairs. Before I knew it, I turned around & the room was filled. I was working the fan, Nicole was spinning around & Vadim was happy his vicarious bday was gonna be a success. Dj Danny even gave me a bday shout over the mic & I jumped up & down. Seen: Billy & his bf John, Dennis, Jason, Russell Murray, Colin aka Fake Billy, other people I'm forgetting now but you have all my love. At one point in the night this guy came up to me & said, "I love your films." I felt puzzled. How did he know where to look out for me in Glitter or the other movie that no one saw called New Best Friend. So I said, "What are you talking about?" "Your films! I get off to you all the time." Then it hit me! "Ummm, I don't do porn." He looked shocked & then said, "Whatever, I know it's you. You just don't what everyone to know & say something to you." He then turned away & went back to his friends. I thought it was funny how apparently everyone is sure I'm famous in one way or another. I went back to dancing & then Danny played something like Britney or something sexy & I found myself doing a danceoff with Jackee Star Jones. I started dancing all sexually suggestive with myself & then the dude came back to me & said, "Ok you're gonna dance like that & say you DON'T do porn? Right!" Shortly after I met a guy who was flirting with me & then I decided to take him home. That's right I was going to have a bizzniss associate after all. I thought, "Hey! It's my bday! I should get some bday sex out of it." Everything seemed nice until he decided to talk. He was from California & had this surfer way of speaking. Which I can be fine with but it must be said, I'm not much of a talker during sexy times. Don't tell me what you're gonna do, don't give me a dramatic monologue, just do it. Honestly, it felt like a bad porn & being that I was just told I did porn this was not helping. He then says, "Awww seriously.... this ass is hot." All of a sudden I flashed to the conductor at 6 Flags with the monotone voice & thought, "This ass will change your life." Which proceeded to put me in a fit of giggles. Which must have not helped his ego. Needless to say not the sexiest of times was had.
Wish I could shut my playboy mouth.
How’d I turn my shirt inside out? Inside out babe.
Control your poison babe
Roses have thorns they say.
And we’re all gettin’ hosed tonight.
What’s go-ing out on the floor?
I love this record baby, but I can’t see straight anymore.
Keep it cool what’s the name of this club?
I can’t remember but it’s alright, alright.
Friday ended up being a small crew of us going to Pyramid. A few peeps flaked out but don't worry, I still got mad love for you Jackie & Shaq. Chip who we refer to as Uncle Fester even changed up his mix tape & threw in some 80's jams I haven't heard in ages. Sheena Easton's Strut had me doing JUST that. We had our own highlights of the night by changing the words to Papa Don't Preach. But, my highlight was Scott & I using a very long piece of fabric to do a dance that was So You Think Can Dance Mia Michael's contemporary worthy. Normally my grooves are premeditated but this dance fully had him & I creating on the spot. It was fabu. Seen: Scott, Larry, Vadim, Ej, Andy, Kevi Kev, his friend Wayne & Jeremy
Saturday was meant to be spent at the Pier but the rain canceled out that plan. Instead Larry, Scott & I decided to do my double feature plan of seeing 2 movies for the price of 1. We watched The Dark Knight which I found to be entertaining but not as great as everyone has hyped it up to be. Heath was good as the Joker but really? Oscar worthy? Hmmmm. Maybe I'll have to watch it again to fully GET it but not any time soon. We then watched Mamma Mia. The best singer was the girl from Mean Girls. Who know! Screw Lindsay Lohan trying to release a hot song. Someone sign this girl up! Meryl was good & gave a good performance especially during the Winner Takes It All. Christine Baranski & the other lady playing her friend was wonderful. I could have done without Pierce & his singing. I felt like he was yelling at me. All in all the experiences were good but honestly & it must be said..... do not bring your baby to the movies! This couple in front of me in the Dark Knight drove us nuts with their loud ass baby! Then in Mamma Mia these 2 teenage girls sitting a few seats down from me were driving me crazy talking about random high school shit. OMFG I AM getting old, teenage girls are driving me crazy! So other then that we had a nice time. Double features is fun & it's the only way I like to watch movies. It's a bit of a commitment though. 6 hours in a movie theater can make your ass sore! Later, Vadim had a save the animals meeting he had to do in Union Sq & Scott & I decided to have some pre drinks before we went to Splash. Tons of fun was had & we danced our asses off & Scott & I even re-enacted out string dance. It wasn't as great as the night before due to the fact that we had limited space. But either way we gave it to the fans! Seen: Scott, Vadim, Nicole, Rob, Brad, Jude, Frank, Matt B, Chase, Lil Tom, Erick, Erica, Kevin M & Dennis. At the end of the night Scott ended up staying with me. I wanted to make sure he would be on time for brunch & not accidentally sleep through it. I asked for a hot man in my bed & instead I get Scott! Just kidding Scott. We had a nice time & watched Sordid Lives on Logo & then finally went to sleep.
Sunday was a gathering at HK for brunch. As I have stated before, when we do brunch we do it right. Drinking mimosa's & bellini's for hours upon hours. Vadim, Scott, Larry, Ej, Nathan, Tasia, Pricilla & I had a lovely time. Discussing all the events of Nickakah & how next year Vadim is going to celebrate his bday as well during Nickakah. Which I will not be having, This was the first year where I was constantly hearing it was someone's bday as well. It was really odd. There were the 2 at Therapy & then just walking around the street I would hear convo's about so & so's bday. Either way no one stole my thunder. There were some people that I expected a little more from. I'll not name any names & it's not like I should be incredibly shocked due to the past circumstances. It just makes me that more thankful for the people I did have. Which is why I try to celebrate as much as possible because I know other people have things to do. But seriously, when you can't make at least ONE event? That's seriously putting you in the DTM category. Now, I'm sure there will be some people reading this & there are a few people I knew had stuff going on so i understand. I'm not that selfish. As for the others ooooo my memory is long, very, very long. Unless I have been drinking. What definitely HAS to be said is there was one person who made every single event.... Scott. I realize I celebrate for days & I also realize not everyone can keep up with me.
Don't stop me now, don't need to catch my breath
I can go on and on and on
When the lights go down and there's no one left
I can go on and on and on
So Scott big ups to you for Giving it 2 me for each & every single event. I definitely owe you the best of me. Thank goodness your bday is still some time away so I can fully rest for it lol. And many, many thanks to all my ladies & gents who showed just how much love they have for me. Vadim, my Basic Trash Pencil Buddy work that couture. Larry, 7 yrs & still offensive & going strong. I wouldn't have it any other way. Ej, forever having a new scheme. As for this no sex thing? Well you still have another month so I'll try to have enough for the both of us. I would add more here but it would just make this blog longer & I know how much you guys hate to read too much. I still would like to use a blog to reflect upon the 20's but as for now here's hello to my 30's. Are you ready bitches?
Just dance. Gonna be okay.
Da-da-doo-doo
Just dance. Spin that record babe.
Da-da-doo-doo
Just dance. Gunna be okay.
Duh-duh-duh
Dance. Dance. Dance. Ju-ju-ju-just dance.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Goodbye To Innocence
It's the eve of my birthday & the number 30 is about to make love to my face. It's a kiss I have not been yearning for. I spent the earlier part of the day writing this fabulous blog. Unfortunately, Safari decided to shut down & all my wonderful words were erased. At least it can't take away my memories dammit. My work day is almost over & I plan on taking off tomorrow & Friday as well. Nickakah is in full swing & believe me I will be discussing it really soon. I would also still like to take a blog to wax poetic on the decade that has seen me go through hairstyles, colors, women, men, jobs, cities, states, you name it. It was a time for learning things about myself & coming into my own. I remember years ago I was always attracted to older guys. Men in their 30's just seemed to have it more together. Ofcourse that wasn't always the truth but it was something I was attracted to. How funny it is now when I get hit on by young boys. I was reminded of me from so long ago. So here's to hoping that I exhibit the qualities that I used to be so attracted to. Because if this is where I am in life at my thirties in seems a nice place to start. So at around 4 something in the morning it will be official. Is it any shock that I came into this world in the middle of the night? Of course not, the night time is when I'm at my most festive. Goodbye to an innocence that I will remember fondly & hello to everything that awaits me.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Too Much Pride
It's Thursday & I'm finally back at work properly after only working half a day on Tuesday. Why you ask? Well, at 4 something Monday morning I woke up covered in sweat & my sheets soaked. I had a fever & my throat was sore. A few hours later I called into work sick & went to the store to get tylenol & all that other stuff that's suppose to make you better. By Tuesday I went back to work but by this point my throat was massively swollen & it hurt to swallow. Everyone at work said we figured you were just calling out of work because it was Pride weekend. I wish that had been the case. I went to the dr on my lunch break & found out I had acute tonsillitis. He also said I could be contagious so I needed to be alone for at least 24 hrs once the anti-biotics kicked in. I was like wow, if this is what it's like acute then I'd hate to see what it's like if it was called unattractive tonsillitis. Solitary confinement is not fun. I mean we all know how much I love my me, myself & I time but being forced to is not fun. Yesterday I decided I would go to the movies & do my classic double feature. Pay for one movie & then sneak into another when it is done. I watched Hancock & Wall E, both I would highly recommend. I would have snuck into another but alas, my ass was tired of sitting.
But I digress, let's chat about what I think brought about this whole acute tonsillitis. Last week was Pride week here in NYC & my friends & I had tons of it. This is Vadim's holiday & he had been figuring out what he was going to wear since the day after Pride a year ago. Don't laugh, it's his thing. This was also Scott's first Pride so we had to make sure to do it up right for him. We officially kicked it off on Thursday by going to an Out magazine party where our friend Joe was deejaying. There wasn't dancing really but when he put on my second favorite dance song of all time 'You Used To Hold Me' I couldn't help myself, I had to shake my ass a little. All the while, double fisting. That's right. My tolerance has come back. It's not it's full capacity but it definitely is better then it was. After the Out party we headed over to the Ritz to meet up with the rest of our crew. Tons of dancing & posing ensued & I rocked the stairs with Jackee Star Jones. Who is that you may ask? Well it's a name Vadim & I have given a drag queen there. She always works the stairs & wears a black bob wig & black glasses. Before, it had been a long, curly, luxurious do. But I'm assuming that is just TOO much hair now that it's summer in the city. We get the name from Jackee who used to be on 227. We've found tons of ways to bring those characters to our life. In my building, on the first floor there is a sweet older latina lady & she just sits at the window watching everyone's business. We call her Pearl. 227 was fabulous. There ain't no place like home. I mean no place child.
So, back to Pride. After a tiring day at work, I went home to take a small disco nap. I had to prep myself for Friday night's Madonnathon at Pyramid. I had also convinced my straight roommate to come out with us. He's been bringing up the fact that he wishes he could have the gay lifestyle & has been a little jealous of my antics recently. I seem to go through phases. Either I'm incredibly virginal or I'm a raving sex-omatic. I've been calling it my Virgin/Whore Complex Tour. So for me to do my best at getting a straight man laid was going to be hard. There are tons of girls who show up to Pyramid on Friday nights so I figured he had a pretty good chance. I was doing my best until I got sidetracked by a hot piece of man on the go go box. Then it was each man for his own. I jumped on the box, ditched the shirt & started making out with him. This continued for a while until he said he had to leave. Either way, it wasn't gonna break my stride. I continued dancing & then somehow magically found myself in the arms of someone I knew for quite some time. All of us had given him the nickname Whore of Charm School. Now I was in his web. What can I say? I kissed a boy & I liked it. The taste of his cherry chap stick. It felt so wrong, it felt so right. It definitely didn't mean I was in love that night. In the midst of all that he then told me had a boyfriend & felt all kinds of bad about what he was doing so he abruptly left. Once again, my stride wasn't broken. We stayed & danced for quite a while. My straight roommate had long given up on the 2 girls he was trying to woo & by this time he had decided to leave. We ended our night with apparently one more guy asking if I would make out with him & being that I was apparently giving it out so freely I did. Then, Vadim & I left & went walking the streets of the East Village. It was there we came across this rather cute guy who stopped & talked with us. We went back to his apartment & the conversation would go kind of like this. Guy to me: Ummm you're really cute. I'd smile. Vadim would all of a sudden say Thank You! Laughter would ensue & then he'd say you have really nice skin tone. I'd smile. Vadim would again say Thank You! The night ended with Vadim leaving & me staying. You can use your imagine but I will say I didn't fully seal the deal on it.
By the next morning I felt hungover & hot. This guy had no AC & I was in need of getting the fuck out. So on my walk of shame I went. The day consisted of me doing laundry & other odds & ends & I met up with Sean so he could put some highlights in my hair. Later that night we all went to Splash & I ended up keeping my Maneater ways under control. A guy that I had had my first real date with in almost 3 yrs had meant to show up but ended up not getting in because the club was filled to capacity so they weren't letting any one else in. So we all danced the night away & then went home. Sunday was the day of the parade & I met up with everyone at different locations. I went up to Jason's work office to go to the bathroom & hang out when all of a sudden the clouds came over & a flood of rain came over the parade. It didn't seem to phase many people as they just took off their shirts & dance & run around in the parade. Scott looked like a kid in a candy store to me. It was his first parade & visions of sugar plum bottoms were all dancing in his head. I was reminded of my first pride in 2000 when I was 21 & I ended up going to to Jersey with a couple. Sigh. Oh how innocent I was then. Now it's 8 years later & I'm almost taking over the role of the Whore of Charm School. But maybe I'm being too hard on myself. Maybe it's just that virgin/whore complex I've been having. Maybe it's the fact that I have friggin tonsillitis & I'm just sure I got it from my antics of Friday night. Anyway, whatever it is it is. All in all Pride was a wonderful time. We finished the day off by going to Dallas BBQ & then hanging out some more at Jason's. The night ended with some drama that I won't get into but I did find myself back at Jordan's apartment. Unfortunately, he had received some bad news about his grandmother. A couple days ago, she passed away. I couldn't help but think about how when mine had passed & how I took the news alone. I figured no one else should have to do the same. What I found interesting was the fact that he called me. As it turns out, some times we still use each other as the go to if something go wrong. I guess when you're used to something for so long it's easy to revisit & count on it. I was just glad to be able to be there. I do know that when I got sick at the beginning of the week I did remember how easier it was when I wasn't single & I could lay in bed & someone else would make chicken soup or whatever. But that's how it is, you get the pro's & con's with everything.
As for this weekend I think I'll keep it a calm one. I'm perfectly ok with it. Yesterday my sister turned 20 & I'm once again reminded that my bday is just right around the corner. The big 3-0. Sigh. It is what it is. I'll still keep on being fabulous.
But I digress, let's chat about what I think brought about this whole acute tonsillitis. Last week was Pride week here in NYC & my friends & I had tons of it. This is Vadim's holiday & he had been figuring out what he was going to wear since the day after Pride a year ago. Don't laugh, it's his thing. This was also Scott's first Pride so we had to make sure to do it up right for him. We officially kicked it off on Thursday by going to an Out magazine party where our friend Joe was deejaying. There wasn't dancing really but when he put on my second favorite dance song of all time 'You Used To Hold Me' I couldn't help myself, I had to shake my ass a little. All the while, double fisting. That's right. My tolerance has come back. It's not it's full capacity but it definitely is better then it was. After the Out party we headed over to the Ritz to meet up with the rest of our crew. Tons of dancing & posing ensued & I rocked the stairs with Jackee Star Jones. Who is that you may ask? Well it's a name Vadim & I have given a drag queen there. She always works the stairs & wears a black bob wig & black glasses. Before, it had been a long, curly, luxurious do. But I'm assuming that is just TOO much hair now that it's summer in the city. We get the name from Jackee who used to be on 227. We've found tons of ways to bring those characters to our life. In my building, on the first floor there is a sweet older latina lady & she just sits at the window watching everyone's business. We call her Pearl. 227 was fabulous. There ain't no place like home. I mean no place child.
So, back to Pride. After a tiring day at work, I went home to take a small disco nap. I had to prep myself for Friday night's Madonnathon at Pyramid. I had also convinced my straight roommate to come out with us. He's been bringing up the fact that he wishes he could have the gay lifestyle & has been a little jealous of my antics recently. I seem to go through phases. Either I'm incredibly virginal or I'm a raving sex-omatic. I've been calling it my Virgin/Whore Complex Tour. So for me to do my best at getting a straight man laid was going to be hard. There are tons of girls who show up to Pyramid on Friday nights so I figured he had a pretty good chance. I was doing my best until I got sidetracked by a hot piece of man on the go go box. Then it was each man for his own. I jumped on the box, ditched the shirt & started making out with him. This continued for a while until he said he had to leave. Either way, it wasn't gonna break my stride. I continued dancing & then somehow magically found myself in the arms of someone I knew for quite some time. All of us had given him the nickname Whore of Charm School. Now I was in his web. What can I say? I kissed a boy & I liked it. The taste of his cherry chap stick. It felt so wrong, it felt so right. It definitely didn't mean I was in love that night. In the midst of all that he then told me had a boyfriend & felt all kinds of bad about what he was doing so he abruptly left. Once again, my stride wasn't broken. We stayed & danced for quite a while. My straight roommate had long given up on the 2 girls he was trying to woo & by this time he had decided to leave. We ended our night with apparently one more guy asking if I would make out with him & being that I was apparently giving it out so freely I did. Then, Vadim & I left & went walking the streets of the East Village. It was there we came across this rather cute guy who stopped & talked with us. We went back to his apartment & the conversation would go kind of like this. Guy to me: Ummm you're really cute. I'd smile. Vadim would all of a sudden say Thank You! Laughter would ensue & then he'd say you have really nice skin tone. I'd smile. Vadim would again say Thank You! The night ended with Vadim leaving & me staying. You can use your imagine but I will say I didn't fully seal the deal on it.
By the next morning I felt hungover & hot. This guy had no AC & I was in need of getting the fuck out. So on my walk of shame I went. The day consisted of me doing laundry & other odds & ends & I met up with Sean so he could put some highlights in my hair. Later that night we all went to Splash & I ended up keeping my Maneater ways under control. A guy that I had had my first real date with in almost 3 yrs had meant to show up but ended up not getting in because the club was filled to capacity so they weren't letting any one else in. So we all danced the night away & then went home. Sunday was the day of the parade & I met up with everyone at different locations. I went up to Jason's work office to go to the bathroom & hang out when all of a sudden the clouds came over & a flood of rain came over the parade. It didn't seem to phase many people as they just took off their shirts & dance & run around in the parade. Scott looked like a kid in a candy store to me. It was his first parade & visions of sugar plum bottoms were all dancing in his head. I was reminded of my first pride in 2000 when I was 21 & I ended up going to to Jersey with a couple. Sigh. Oh how innocent I was then. Now it's 8 years later & I'm almost taking over the role of the Whore of Charm School. But maybe I'm being too hard on myself. Maybe it's just that virgin/whore complex I've been having. Maybe it's the fact that I have friggin tonsillitis & I'm just sure I got it from my antics of Friday night. Anyway, whatever it is it is. All in all Pride was a wonderful time. We finished the day off by going to Dallas BBQ & then hanging out some more at Jason's. The night ended with some drama that I won't get into but I did find myself back at Jordan's apartment. Unfortunately, he had received some bad news about his grandmother. A couple days ago, she passed away. I couldn't help but think about how when mine had passed & how I took the news alone. I figured no one else should have to do the same. What I found interesting was the fact that he called me. As it turns out, some times we still use each other as the go to if something go wrong. I guess when you're used to something for so long it's easy to revisit & count on it. I was just glad to be able to be there. I do know that when I got sick at the beginning of the week I did remember how easier it was when I wasn't single & I could lay in bed & someone else would make chicken soup or whatever. But that's how it is, you get the pro's & con's with everything.
As for this weekend I think I'll keep it a calm one. I'm perfectly ok with it. Yesterday my sister turned 20 & I'm once again reminded that my bday is just right around the corner. The big 3-0. Sigh. It is what it is. I'll still keep on being fabulous.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
My Trip To Fire Island Part 2
Recently, I was talking to my friend Nathan about how I may need to give Fire Island another chance. Anyone who KNOWS me, knows it's not held the fondest memories. Scratch that, I just read my first blog about it & a few others & was reminded of some happy times. So let me say this, it's like if I watch a movie & I'm loving it. Then, the end comes & it absolutely sucks. It will make me dislike the whole movie, even if it had good parts about it. So I'll just put it like this. I needed to try it on my own terms & do it the way I would want to do. So when Nathan told me I should take his place in his house since he couldn't be there, I decided to jump at the chance.
After working 10 hr days for 3 days in a row I felt it was necessary to take a day off so I decided to take Monday off. That way I could have a full 3 days there. So on Friday I was all packed & ready to go & I swear Friday felt like the longest day ever. Another co-worker was heading there as well & we were counting the hours away. She said, "Oh I'm going to Ocean Bay, is that where you're going?" I said no & exclaimed I had done the Bay & now it was definitely time for me to be with the gays in The Pines. By the time 5:30 came around I bolted from the door & met up with Mickey (whom I would be sharing a room with). Then it was off to the train at Penn. We decided to get a drink to start the weekend off right. Which is what the rest of the weekend seemed to hold for us. Wow, those boys do it up right. I will need to detox for days & days. There was party after party. Once we were there Friday night & rocked the hot tub & had drinks it was off to an underwear party. Now I haven't done one of these in years & years, so I felt hey, why the hell not? Tons of fun was had & I even managed to get Mickey to do it as well. I should reiterate that you can do anything once I set my mind to it. On Saturday we apparently missed the monsoon that hit the city because we had sun & lovely weather. We managed to get to the beach & hang for a lil bit before it was time for another party. It's funny to me on how I go away & still wind up seeing tons of people I know. Also, meeting tons of new people is always nice. There's somehow not that since of pretentiousness that you can get at certain places in the city. Not sure what it is, the sun, the drinks or the camaraderie but people are so much more approachable & more friendly. I even met some boys that were from North Carolina & knew all about Carowinds. What was hilarious was that on the train ride there I was just telling Mickey about it & he said, "What the hell is that? Rehab in NC? That's what it sounds like." Another funny moment was when this guy was (I guess) hitting on me & just kept trying to figure out ways he knew me & I was not picking up what he was putting down. Later Mickey goes, "When someone asks you if you went to Cornell, you say YES."
Everyone was also trying to explain to me about the difference between Low Tea, High Tea, Middle Tea. Basically I still may not know which one I'm at but to put it in simpler terms....it's just another party & the Dj playing good music. One of the housemates was Dj David Marc playing tons of festiveness. I was in heaven. I even reconnected with people I haven't seen in years & years. I also connected with people I surely hope to see again & again. There was no drama, no arguments, no feeling uncomfortable about ANYthing, just fun. It's probably why I was able to not give a damn that the weather turned bad by Saturday night. Me running in the rain with gay guido boys trying to not get their spiky hair wet was a lovely moment. Sunday was cloudy & pretty much Monday as well. That seems to be the one thing that is a constant with me whenever I go there. But seriously when you're with the right group of people, all of that can be thrown into the wind. I had probably the best time out there I have ever had & it's nice to know a stigma on something can finally be wiped clean. I will have fun stories to talk about for quite some time. I also have tons of quotes from the weekend but I'll not chat about them here in order to keep this PG rated. Let's just say I'll hold them in my body of evidence.
After working 10 hr days for 3 days in a row I felt it was necessary to take a day off so I decided to take Monday off. That way I could have a full 3 days there. So on Friday I was all packed & ready to go & I swear Friday felt like the longest day ever. Another co-worker was heading there as well & we were counting the hours away. She said, "Oh I'm going to Ocean Bay, is that where you're going?" I said no & exclaimed I had done the Bay & now it was definitely time for me to be with the gays in The Pines. By the time 5:30 came around I bolted from the door & met up with Mickey (whom I would be sharing a room with). Then it was off to the train at Penn. We decided to get a drink to start the weekend off right. Which is what the rest of the weekend seemed to hold for us. Wow, those boys do it up right. I will need to detox for days & days. There was party after party. Once we were there Friday night & rocked the hot tub & had drinks it was off to an underwear party. Now I haven't done one of these in years & years, so I felt hey, why the hell not? Tons of fun was had & I even managed to get Mickey to do it as well. I should reiterate that you can do anything once I set my mind to it. On Saturday we apparently missed the monsoon that hit the city because we had sun & lovely weather. We managed to get to the beach & hang for a lil bit before it was time for another party. It's funny to me on how I go away & still wind up seeing tons of people I know. Also, meeting tons of new people is always nice. There's somehow not that since of pretentiousness that you can get at certain places in the city. Not sure what it is, the sun, the drinks or the camaraderie but people are so much more approachable & more friendly. I even met some boys that were from North Carolina & knew all about Carowinds. What was hilarious was that on the train ride there I was just telling Mickey about it & he said, "What the hell is that? Rehab in NC? That's what it sounds like." Another funny moment was when this guy was (I guess) hitting on me & just kept trying to figure out ways he knew me & I was not picking up what he was putting down. Later Mickey goes, "When someone asks you if you went to Cornell, you say YES."
Everyone was also trying to explain to me about the difference between Low Tea, High Tea, Middle Tea. Basically I still may not know which one I'm at but to put it in simpler terms....it's just another party & the Dj playing good music. One of the housemates was Dj David Marc playing tons of festiveness. I was in heaven. I even reconnected with people I haven't seen in years & years. I also connected with people I surely hope to see again & again. There was no drama, no arguments, no feeling uncomfortable about ANYthing, just fun. It's probably why I was able to not give a damn that the weather turned bad by Saturday night. Me running in the rain with gay guido boys trying to not get their spiky hair wet was a lovely moment. Sunday was cloudy & pretty much Monday as well. That seems to be the one thing that is a constant with me whenever I go there. But seriously when you're with the right group of people, all of that can be thrown into the wind. I had probably the best time out there I have ever had & it's nice to know a stigma on something can finally be wiped clean. I will have fun stories to talk about for quite some time. I also have tons of quotes from the weekend but I'll not chat about them here in order to keep this PG rated. Let's just say I'll hold them in my body of evidence.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
As promised, this is the last of my female pop star chart blogs. What can I have left to say about Madonna? She's been referenced & quoted in MANY of my blogs in the past 3 years. She's amassed 38 #1 singles on the US Dance chart. A record for any artist & the only artist that comes close is Janet Jackson with 18. She has 12 #1 singles on the US chart, 13 in the UK, 11 in Australia & a whopping 20 in Japan. She recently passed Elvis with the most top 10 singles ever by an artist in the US at 38 singles. In the UK that # is actually 61. There is no denying her Icon status. So now it's time to discuss M's chart statistics. So for everyone wanting to read about my life, I promise the next one will be all about me hee hee. Also, in case any of you doubt this feel free to go to Wikipedia.
In 1982, after being in NYC for 5 yrs, Madonna was signed to a singles deal with Sire/Warner Bros. The first single released was Everybody which found major success on the Billboard Dance chart. It barely missed the Hot 100. Follow up double A side single Burning Up/Physical Attraction was a hit as well on the dance chart & as Burning Up was garnering airplay on MTV, Sire ok'd the release of her debut album. On July 27th, 1983 (just a few days before my 5th bday) the debut album was released. The next single released was Holiday in September & as we all know that's the one that started her chart fame. The singles found success on the dance chart, hot 100 & even the R&B chart. The album stayed on Billboard's top 200 for over a year & eventually peaked at #8. To date the album has sold 8 million copies worldwide. In the UK the album was re-released as Madonna the First album in 1985, after the major success of Like A Virgin. Holiday was released there on 3 different occasions & eventually peaked at #2, being held out of the top by Into The Groove. But that's getting a head of myself.
1. Everybody #3 Dance
2. Burning Up/Physical Attraction #3 Dance #13 Australia
3. Holiday #16 US Pop #25 R&B #1 Dance #6 UK(re-release #2 1985, #5 1991) #4 Australia
4. Borderline #10 US Pop #4 Dance #56 UK(re-release #2 1986) #12 Australia
5. Lucky Star #4 US Pop #42 R&B #14 UK #36 Australia
In Nov. 1984 she was full on ready to take over the world. She had debuted the song Like A Virgin at the first ever MTV VMA's to scandalous reviews. This was the era where she was all over the pop charts. Songs from the album, songs from films such as Vision Quest & Desperately Seeking Susan were all over MTV & the radio. She had also made news by some nude photos that were taken way back in her modeling days. Playboy & Penthouse published them & at the LIVE AID she made a statement in her jacket on the hot day by saying, "I ain't taking shit off today!" Originally, people thought she'd be a one hit wonder & the real star would be Cyndi Lauper. Kudos to Cyndi & all but we know how this turned out. The single became her first #1 in December staying put for 6 weeks & the album followed suit in February of 1985. Worldwide it has sold 22 million to date. During this time she also embarked on the Virgin tour.
1. Like A Virgin #1 Pop/Dance/Australia #9 R&B #3 UK
2. Material Girl #2 Pop #1 Dance #49 R&B #3 UK #4 Australia
3. Crazy For You #1 Pop/Australia #80 R&B #2 UK (re-released #2 1991
4. Angel #5 Pop/Adult Contemporary/UK #1 Dance #71 R&B #1 Australia
5. Into The Groove #1 Dance/UK/Australia #19 R&B (in the US it was released as the bside to Angel)
6. Dress You Up #5 Pop/UK/Australia #3 Dance #64 R&B
7. Gambler #4 UK
8. Love Don't Live Here Anymore #2 Japan
Live To Tell was released in March of 1986 & it was in the film At Close Range, starring then husband Sean Penn. They would go onto be in the commercial flop Shanghai Surprise, but let's discuss True Blue. It was released in June of '86 & to date is the album that has sold the most worldwide with 20 million copies. Every single released from it went to #1 in either the US or the UK. A feat that hasn't been done on any other Madonna album.
1. Live To Tell #1 US Pop/Japan #2 US Adult Contemporary/UK #7 Australia
2. Papa Don't Preach #1 US/UK/Australia #4 Dance
3. True Blue #1 UK/Japan #3 US #5 Australia #6 Dance
4. Open Your Heart #1 US Pop/Dance/Japan #4 UK #16 Australia
5. La Isla Bonita #1 UK/US Adult Contemporary #4 US Pop #5 Japan #6 Australia
In the summer of 1987 the soundtrack to Who's That Girl was released & while it didn't sell huge it still managed to go to #7 & sell 5 million copies worldwide. The same can not be said the film. Released to horrible reviews, it was another commercial flop. To this day I actually like the movie & thought it was quite funny. Then again, that's just me. Meanwhile, the singles from the soundtrack were big hits. Then at the end of 1987, the remix album You Can Dance was released & while it only went to #14, it still sold a million copies. It would later start the trend for artist to release remix albums. Such as Milli Vanilli, Jody Watley & Paula Abdul (just to name a few). The album did contain one new song, Spotlight. It was originally supposed to be on the True Blue album but was taken off. While it was releases as a radio airplay single, it wasn't released commercially in the states. But, it was released in Japan where it was a big hit. During 1987 she also embarked on the larger scale Who's That Girl Tour. It grossed 20 million in the few months she was on tour. While playing at MSG, all proceeds of the show went to the American Foundation for AIDS research.
1. Who's That Girl #1 US/UK/Japan #5 Adult Contemporary #44 Dance #7 Australia
2. Causing A Commotion #2 US #1 Dance/Japan #4 UK #7 Australia
3. The Look of Love #9 UK
4. Spotlight #3 Japan #1 Dance (as You Can Dance LP cuts instead of Spotlight)
In 1988, there was no new music released & she pretty much stayed out of the spotlight. She did act on Broadway in the play Speed The Plow. During this time her marriage to Sean Penn had began to crumble. On True Blue she had dedicated the album to him & said he was 'the coolest guy in the universe'. By Like A Prayer, it was obvious that had all headed south. Released in March of 1989 it was critically acclaimed & the scandal of the video caused Pepsi to back out of it's promotions for her. After all was said & done the videos from each single were masterpieces. She performed at the '89 VMA's & won the Viewer's Choice award for Like A Prayer, which in turn was sponsored by Pepsi. Express Yourself also won Video of the year. The album went on to sell 13 million copies worldwide & it was to be her last US #1 album for at least another decade. The album also featured a collaboration with Prince & Randy Jackson playing guitar on the title track.
1. Like A Prayer #1 US/UK/Japan/Australia/Dance #3 Adult Contemporary #20 R&B
2. Express Yourself #2 US/Japan #1 Dance #5 UK/Australia
3. Cherish #2 US #1 Adult Contemporary #3 Japan/UK #4 Australia
4. Oh Father #20 US #16 UK (released in 1996) #59 Australia
5. Dear Jessie #5 UK #41 Australia
6. Keep It Together #8 US #1 Dance #5 Japan #66 R&B
1990 was a big year for the Material Girl. She went on tour with The Blonde Ambition Tour (to this date my absolute favorite) which was also documented for the Truth or Dare. Just ask me or any of my friends & we can still quote lines from it. Ok we still do. This was also the time that she taught the world how to Vogue. It had been an underground dance style in NY for a few years. The 'children' would pose & get in limber moves to Balls all over NY. Meanwhile, I was 11 & played the video over & over & over again just to make sure I had the moves down. I think I have stated that I won my first dance contest while dancing to it. But enough about me lol, back to M. I'm Breathless was released in May to coincide with the film Dick Tracy. The film finally found her playing a character that was more Madonna suited & it was a commercial success. Originally the song Vogue wasn't even supposed to be a hit. It was to be the b-side to Keep It Together, but the record company thought it was too strong of a song so it was tacked onto the album last minute. It went onto be another worldwide #1 single & the album sold 5 million copies worldwide. She performed on the 1990 VMA with the now classic performance. It's no lie..... this is my most favorite song ever by her.
1. Vogue #1 US/UK/Japan/Australia/Dance #16 R&B
2. Hanky Panky #10 US #2 UK #6 Australia #17 Japan
The Immaculate Collection was released in November of 1990 & to date has become one of the best greatest hits album seller's ever. Worldwide it has sold 23 million copies to date. It amassed most of her hits from 1983 to 1990's Vogue. Unfortunately, there were quite a few songs but the tracklist had to include new singles Justify My Love & Rescue Me. Justify My Love was her first video ever banned by MTV for its scandalous scenes & she found a way to profit off of it by releasing it as the first video single. Needless to say she profited highly off of it. I always considered that song to be inferior to Rescue Me but I think the controversy around it helped it. The song was the first #1 single of 1991. The following year she appeared in another hit film A League of Their Own. This film paired her with her soon to be BFF Rosie O' Donnell. She also had another #1 single from the film, which would be her last #1 single for a few years.
1. Justify My Love #1 US/Dance #42 R&B #2 UK #4 Australia
2. Rescue Me #9 US #6 Dance #3 UK #11 Japan #15 Australia
3. This Used To Be My Playground #1 US/Japan #3 UK #4 Adult Contemporary #9 Australia
I was a Freshman in October of 1992, when Erotica was released. This was the time of the Madonna backlash. The Sex book had taken controversy to a whole new level. No other pop star had ever been so in your face with nudity & thoughts of sexual shenanigans. I wasn't old enough to buy the book & my mom was like you will not have such filth in this house. Between the album, the book, & the film Body of Evidence..... Madonna's uhhh body of work was everywhere. The album debuted & peaked at #2 & sold 5 million copies worldwide. Which was her lowest number at that time. The film was an absolute flop & in many ways seemed to be a rip off of Basic Instinct. The book did completely sell out & even today it's hard to get your hands on unless you go to Ebay or Amazon. As for the album, I feel it's highly under-rated & in fact is one of my favorite albums by her. In the end it spawned 6 singles. In 1993, she went on her Girlie Show Tour. Which was to be her last tour for at least 7 years.
1. Erotica #1 Dance #2 Japan #3 US/UK #4 Australia
2. Deeper & Deeper #1 Dance #6 UK #7 US #11 Australia
3. Bad Girl #10 UK #11 Japan #32 Australia #36 US
4. Fever #1 US Dance #6 UK #7 Japan #51 Australia
5. Rain #14 US #7 Adult Contemporary/UK #2 Japan #5 Australia
6. Bye Bye Baby #15 Australia/Japan
1994 found her dealing with the backlash of the Sex scandals but she found a new scandal by her appearance on Letterman saying the word Fuck over & over. Scandals aside, she did a song for the soundtrack to With Honors & it became a big success chart wise. It was held out of the top spot by I Swear by All 4 One but stayed at #2 for 4 weeks. By the end of October, Bedtime Stories was released & peaked at #3. It found her going the more R&B approach & dabbling in a techno sound that she would later touch upon on albums to come. The album sold 7 million copies worldwide & Take A Bow became her longest running #1 single in the US at 7 weeks.
1. I'll Remember #1 Japan #2 US #7 UK/Australia
2. Secret #1 Dance #2 Adult Contemporary/Japan #3 US #5 UK/Australia
3. Take A Bow #1 US/Adult Contemporary/Japan #15 Australia #16 UK
4. Bedtime Story #1 Dance #4 UK #5 Australia #42 US
5. Human Nature #2 Dance #8 UK #10 Japan #46 US
Something To Remember was released at the end of 1995 & was more or less a ballads collection. It did feature 3 new songs & a remix of Love Don't Live Here Anymore which had originally been only released in Japan in 1985. I Want You, a cover of the Marvin Gaye classic, was released in video form only. Something that she had not done before. The album debuted & peaked at #6 & worldwide sold 10 million copies. The following year she played the title role in Evita to rave reviews. She won the Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy & the song You Must Love Me won Best Original song at the Oscar's. The soundtrack went to #2 in the US & #1 in the UK & worldwide sold 17 million copies. She also gave birth to her daughter Lourdes in October of 1996. Once again Madonna had reinvented herself from the Material Girl to the Material Mom.
1. You'll See #1 Japan #5 UK #6 US #9 Australia
2. One More Chance #11 UK #35 Australia
3. Love Don't Live Here Anymore #16 Dance #78 US #27 Australia
4. You Must Love Me #10 UK #11 Australia #17 Japan #18 US
5. Don't Cry For Me Argentina #1 Dance/Japan #3 UK #8 US #9 Australia
6. Another Suitcase In Another Hall #7 UK
7. Buenos Aires #3 Dance
In March 1998 Ray of Light was released to the best reviews she had since Like A Prayer. The techno sound had re-emerged & she found massive success commercially again. Lourdes had re-energized her & for a moment she took on a pseudonym of Veronica Electronica. Worldwide, the album sold 18 million copies & was kept out of the #1 spot on the Billboard chart by the soundtrack to Titanic. As we all know Celine's heart went on & on & on. By 1999 the Grammy's showed her love in the form of 3 Grammy's. She also won Video of the year for Ray Of Light at the 1998 VMA's.
1. Frozen #1 Dance/UK/Japan #2 US #5 Australia
2. Ray Of Light #1 Dance #2 UK #5 US #6 Australia
3. Drowned World/Substitute For Love #10 UK/Japan #16 Australia
4. The Power of Goodbye/Little Star(b-side in the UK) #6 UK #11 US #33 Australia
5. Nothing Really Matters #1 Dance #4 Japan #7 UK #15 Australia #93 US
In 1999 she did a single for the soundtrack to the Austin Powers soundtrack & although it wasn't released commercially, it debuted on the hot 100 due to new chart rules of airplay only tracks able to chart. This would pose as the problem for the next single American Pie. A cover for the soundtrack to The Next Best Thing. Which turned out to be another bomb acting wise. Single wise, they were huge around the world & if had been released commercially here would have done much better. American Pie had done so well in fact that in other regions around the world it was tacked on to the album Music which was released in September 2000. Earlier in the year she had filmed the video while pregnant for her second child Rocco with Guy Ritchie. The single was a huge success & was her 12th #1 single in the US. It put her in a tie with Janet Jackson as the only artists to have #1 singles in the 80's, 90's & 2000's. The song was nominated for Record of the Year in the 2001 Grammy's. The album went to #1 & was her first #1 album in the US since Like A Prayer. It sold 13 million copies worldwide & 2 other singles were released as commercial singles. Impressive Instant got a club only release & the song Amazing was originally set to be the last single but was pulled from release. In 2001 Madonna went on tour for the first time in 7 years, the Drowned World Tour. This was my first time ever seeing her perform live & as you can imagine.... I was overwhelmed with happiness.
1. Beautiful Stranger #1 Dance/Japan #2 UK #5 Australia #19 US
2. American Pie #1 Dance/UK/Australia/Japan #29 US
3. Music #1 US/UK/Japan/Australia/Dance
4. Don't Tell Me #1 Dance #4 US/UK #7 Australia
5. What It Feels Like For A Girl #1 Dance #6 Australia #7 UK/Japan #23 US
6. Impressive Instant #1 Dance
GHV2 was released at the end of 2001 & while it contained most of her greatest hits since the Immaculate Collection it had no new singles. Still it went onto sell 7 million copies worldwide. Her next projects went back to acting. Swept Away was released in 2002 & even being a huge Madonna fan, I must say I've seen it once & that was enough for me. It was another commercial flop & critics ravaged her performance. It's in fact the last film that she has done playing a character. Will she come back to acting? It's not like ALL the films have been bad, but I just think it needs to be better roles. Ones more suited for her. She did make a cameo in 2002's Die Another Day playing a fencing instructor. The bigger hit for her was the single released from it. It was the biggest Bond theme song since A View To A Kill. This would in fact be her last top 10 single in the US for years to come because the next album completely bombed. American Life debuted at #1 on the US album chart but fell off very quickly & to date is her lowest selling album here ever. I must say it's my least favorite Madonna single ever. This was also the first time since her career debut that singles released from an album didn't even chart on the hot 100. The album did sell 5 million copies worldwide & the singles did well in the UK. They in fact did very well on the dance chart here. She holds the record for scoring 7 top 10 Dance hits from one album. A record no other artist has. During this time, she performed at the 2003 VMA's with the memorable performance seen round the world for that kiss with Britney. Which lead to the pairing on Britney's single from her In the Zone album. Unfortunately, it didn't blow up in the US but was a hit in clubs & round the world. Remixed & Revisted, an EP of remixed songs from American Life, was released in 2003. Debuting & peaking at #115 in the US it still sold 1 million copies worldwide.
1. GHV2 Megamix #5 Dance
2. Die Another Day #1 Dance #3 UK #5 Australia #8 US
3. American Life #1 Dance/Japan #2 UK #7 Australia #37 US
4. Hollywood #1 Dance #2 UK #16 Australia #103 US (called the Bubbling Under chart)
5. Nobody Knows Me #4 Dance
6. Me Against The Music w/Britney Spears #1 Dance/Australia/Japan #2 UK #35 US
7. Nothing Fails #1 Dance #101 US (Bubbling Under)
8. Love Profusion #1 Dance #11 UK #25 Australia #106 US (Bubbling Under)
9. Mother & Father #9 Dance
After the failure of American Life, Madonna went on tour again & reminded us all why she was still #1. The Re-Invention Tour sold out 55 of it's 56 shows & made $125 million. While doing many songs from the American Life album, she also performed songs that were her greatest hits over the past few decades & for me it was my most favorite tour that I had seen. It was so nice I saw it twice. The following year, 2005, she went back to what I had always loved..... dance music. Confessions On A Dancefloor debuted at #1 in 29 countries, a record for a solo artist. It went on to sell 8 millions copies around the world. The single Hung Up was a monster #1 single everywhere in the world, but here. It was her first top 10 in years but that was solely based on sales. In fact, it was widely reported that she was being banned from the radio stations due to anti-war statements she had made with American Life. While the rest of the singles did well in other countries, they did best here on the dance chart. In 2006, I'm Going To Tell You A Secret film & DVD was released. Another documentary style film but Truth or Dare this definitely wasn't. It showed how she had grown as a person & mother & her love for Kabbalah. It was the first time she had ever released a Live album commercially it debuted at #33 in the US in 2006 & sold 1 million copies worldwide. Also in 2006, she went on her Confessions Tour & it became the biggest selling concert by a female artist ever at $194.8 million. I saw this one as well, but that shouldn't be a surprise. This time, it was shown on NBC & the controversy about her on a cross was all the press seemed to talk about. Once again a Live album & DVD was released & this time it debuted higher at #15 in the US & worldwide sold 1.2 million copies.
1. Hung Up #1 Dance/UK/Australia/Japan #7 US
2. Sorry #1 Dance/UK/Japan #4 Australia #58 US
3. Get Together #1 Dance #7 UK #13 Australia #59 Japan #106 US
4. Jump #1 Dance #9 UK #29 Australia #105 US
Recently, Hard Candy was her 7th #1 album in the US & puts her in 2nd place behind Barbara Streisand as the female with the most #1 albums. It's no lie that I worried this album would suck when I originally heard she was going to work with Timbaland, Justin & Pharrell. The first time I heard the demo's & then the debut single I hated it. But somehow, it grew on me. New single Give It 2 Me is about to make noise on charts all over the world. Other stand out tracks are Miles Away which has already been playing in Japan on a tv show. Candy Shop & The Beat Goes On are also single worthy. 4 Minutes has become her biggest hit here in the US since Music 8 years ago. While staying at #1 on the digital sales chart for 3 weeks it missed out on the #1 hot 100 chart due to the fact it's airplay wasn't enough. Either way it's got her another hit & she is now about to tour again on her Sticky & Sweet tour. A couple months ago she was also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
1. 4 Minutes #1 Dance/UK/Australia/Canada #2 Japan #3 US
2. Give It 2 Me #57 US #8 Canada (so far)
For all you other Madonna fans I hope you enjoyed this. It took over a day to fully complete. As promised the next blog will get back to all things NSP. Have a good Memorial Day Weekend & mad love to you all!!!
In 1982, after being in NYC for 5 yrs, Madonna was signed to a singles deal with Sire/Warner Bros. The first single released was Everybody which found major success on the Billboard Dance chart. It barely missed the Hot 100. Follow up double A side single Burning Up/Physical Attraction was a hit as well on the dance chart & as Burning Up was garnering airplay on MTV, Sire ok'd the release of her debut album. On July 27th, 1983 (just a few days before my 5th bday) the debut album was released. The next single released was Holiday in September & as we all know that's the one that started her chart fame. The singles found success on the dance chart, hot 100 & even the R&B chart. The album stayed on Billboard's top 200 for over a year & eventually peaked at #8. To date the album has sold 8 million copies worldwide. In the UK the album was re-released as Madonna the First album in 1985, after the major success of Like A Virgin. Holiday was released there on 3 different occasions & eventually peaked at #2, being held out of the top by Into The Groove. But that's getting a head of myself.
1. Everybody #3 Dance
2. Burning Up/Physical Attraction #3 Dance #13 Australia
3. Holiday #16 US Pop #25 R&B #1 Dance #6 UK(re-release #2 1985, #5 1991) #4 Australia
4. Borderline #10 US Pop #4 Dance #56 UK(re-release #2 1986) #12 Australia
5. Lucky Star #4 US Pop #42 R&B #14 UK #36 Australia
In Nov. 1984 she was full on ready to take over the world. She had debuted the song Like A Virgin at the first ever MTV VMA's to scandalous reviews. This was the era where she was all over the pop charts. Songs from the album, songs from films such as Vision Quest & Desperately Seeking Susan were all over MTV & the radio. She had also made news by some nude photos that were taken way back in her modeling days. Playboy & Penthouse published them & at the LIVE AID she made a statement in her jacket on the hot day by saying, "I ain't taking shit off today!" Originally, people thought she'd be a one hit wonder & the real star would be Cyndi Lauper. Kudos to Cyndi & all but we know how this turned out. The single became her first #1 in December staying put for 6 weeks & the album followed suit in February of 1985. Worldwide it has sold 22 million to date. During this time she also embarked on the Virgin tour.
1. Like A Virgin #1 Pop/Dance/Australia #9 R&B #3 UK
2. Material Girl #2 Pop #1 Dance #49 R&B #3 UK #4 Australia
3. Crazy For You #1 Pop/Australia #80 R&B #2 UK (re-released #2 1991
4. Angel #5 Pop/Adult Contemporary/UK #1 Dance #71 R&B #1 Australia
5. Into The Groove #1 Dance/UK/Australia #19 R&B (in the US it was released as the bside to Angel)
6. Dress You Up #5 Pop/UK/Australia #3 Dance #64 R&B
7. Gambler #4 UK
8. Love Don't Live Here Anymore #2 Japan
Live To Tell was released in March of 1986 & it was in the film At Close Range, starring then husband Sean Penn. They would go onto be in the commercial flop Shanghai Surprise, but let's discuss True Blue. It was released in June of '86 & to date is the album that has sold the most worldwide with 20 million copies. Every single released from it went to #1 in either the US or the UK. A feat that hasn't been done on any other Madonna album.
1. Live To Tell #1 US Pop/Japan #2 US Adult Contemporary/UK #7 Australia
2. Papa Don't Preach #1 US/UK/Australia #4 Dance
3. True Blue #1 UK/Japan #3 US #5 Australia #6 Dance
4. Open Your Heart #1 US Pop/Dance/Japan #4 UK #16 Australia
5. La Isla Bonita #1 UK/US Adult Contemporary #4 US Pop #5 Japan #6 Australia
In the summer of 1987 the soundtrack to Who's That Girl was released & while it didn't sell huge it still managed to go to #7 & sell 5 million copies worldwide. The same can not be said the film. Released to horrible reviews, it was another commercial flop. To this day I actually like the movie & thought it was quite funny. Then again, that's just me. Meanwhile, the singles from the soundtrack were big hits. Then at the end of 1987, the remix album You Can Dance was released & while it only went to #14, it still sold a million copies. It would later start the trend for artist to release remix albums. Such as Milli Vanilli, Jody Watley & Paula Abdul (just to name a few). The album did contain one new song, Spotlight. It was originally supposed to be on the True Blue album but was taken off. While it was releases as a radio airplay single, it wasn't released commercially in the states. But, it was released in Japan where it was a big hit. During 1987 she also embarked on the larger scale Who's That Girl Tour. It grossed 20 million in the few months she was on tour. While playing at MSG, all proceeds of the show went to the American Foundation for AIDS research.
1. Who's That Girl #1 US/UK/Japan #5 Adult Contemporary #44 Dance #7 Australia
2. Causing A Commotion #2 US #1 Dance/Japan #4 UK #7 Australia
3. The Look of Love #9 UK
4. Spotlight #3 Japan #1 Dance (as You Can Dance LP cuts instead of Spotlight)
In 1988, there was no new music released & she pretty much stayed out of the spotlight. She did act on Broadway in the play Speed The Plow. During this time her marriage to Sean Penn had began to crumble. On True Blue she had dedicated the album to him & said he was 'the coolest guy in the universe'. By Like A Prayer, it was obvious that had all headed south. Released in March of 1989 it was critically acclaimed & the scandal of the video caused Pepsi to back out of it's promotions for her. After all was said & done the videos from each single were masterpieces. She performed at the '89 VMA's & won the Viewer's Choice award for Like A Prayer, which in turn was sponsored by Pepsi. Express Yourself also won Video of the year. The album went on to sell 13 million copies worldwide & it was to be her last US #1 album for at least another decade. The album also featured a collaboration with Prince & Randy Jackson playing guitar on the title track.
1. Like A Prayer #1 US/UK/Japan/Australia/Dance #3 Adult Contemporary #20 R&B
2. Express Yourself #2 US/Japan #1 Dance #5 UK/Australia
3. Cherish #2 US #1 Adult Contemporary #3 Japan/UK #4 Australia
4. Oh Father #20 US #16 UK (released in 1996) #59 Australia
5. Dear Jessie #5 UK #41 Australia
6. Keep It Together #8 US #1 Dance #5 Japan #66 R&B
1990 was a big year for the Material Girl. She went on tour with The Blonde Ambition Tour (to this date my absolute favorite) which was also documented for the Truth or Dare. Just ask me or any of my friends & we can still quote lines from it. Ok we still do. This was also the time that she taught the world how to Vogue. It had been an underground dance style in NY for a few years. The 'children' would pose & get in limber moves to Balls all over NY. Meanwhile, I was 11 & played the video over & over & over again just to make sure I had the moves down. I think I have stated that I won my first dance contest while dancing to it. But enough about me lol, back to M. I'm Breathless was released in May to coincide with the film Dick Tracy. The film finally found her playing a character that was more Madonna suited & it was a commercial success. Originally the song Vogue wasn't even supposed to be a hit. It was to be the b-side to Keep It Together, but the record company thought it was too strong of a song so it was tacked onto the album last minute. It went onto be another worldwide #1 single & the album sold 5 million copies worldwide. She performed on the 1990 VMA with the now classic performance. It's no lie..... this is my most favorite song ever by her.
1. Vogue #1 US/UK/Japan/Australia/Dance #16 R&B
2. Hanky Panky #10 US #2 UK #6 Australia #17 Japan
The Immaculate Collection was released in November of 1990 & to date has become one of the best greatest hits album seller's ever. Worldwide it has sold 23 million copies to date. It amassed most of her hits from 1983 to 1990's Vogue. Unfortunately, there were quite a few songs but the tracklist had to include new singles Justify My Love & Rescue Me. Justify My Love was her first video ever banned by MTV for its scandalous scenes & she found a way to profit off of it by releasing it as the first video single. Needless to say she profited highly off of it. I always considered that song to be inferior to Rescue Me but I think the controversy around it helped it. The song was the first #1 single of 1991. The following year she appeared in another hit film A League of Their Own. This film paired her with her soon to be BFF Rosie O' Donnell. She also had another #1 single from the film, which would be her last #1 single for a few years.
1. Justify My Love #1 US/Dance #42 R&B #2 UK #4 Australia
2. Rescue Me #9 US #6 Dance #3 UK #11 Japan #15 Australia
3. This Used To Be My Playground #1 US/Japan #3 UK #4 Adult Contemporary #9 Australia
I was a Freshman in October of 1992, when Erotica was released. This was the time of the Madonna backlash. The Sex book had taken controversy to a whole new level. No other pop star had ever been so in your face with nudity & thoughts of sexual shenanigans. I wasn't old enough to buy the book & my mom was like you will not have such filth in this house. Between the album, the book, & the film Body of Evidence..... Madonna's uhhh body of work was everywhere. The album debuted & peaked at #2 & sold 5 million copies worldwide. Which was her lowest number at that time. The film was an absolute flop & in many ways seemed to be a rip off of Basic Instinct. The book did completely sell out & even today it's hard to get your hands on unless you go to Ebay or Amazon. As for the album, I feel it's highly under-rated & in fact is one of my favorite albums by her. In the end it spawned 6 singles. In 1993, she went on her Girlie Show Tour. Which was to be her last tour for at least 7 years.
1. Erotica #1 Dance #2 Japan #3 US/UK #4 Australia
2. Deeper & Deeper #1 Dance #6 UK #7 US #11 Australia
3. Bad Girl #10 UK #11 Japan #32 Australia #36 US
4. Fever #1 US Dance #6 UK #7 Japan #51 Australia
5. Rain #14 US #7 Adult Contemporary/UK #2 Japan #5 Australia
6. Bye Bye Baby #15 Australia/Japan
1994 found her dealing with the backlash of the Sex scandals but she found a new scandal by her appearance on Letterman saying the word Fuck over & over. Scandals aside, she did a song for the soundtrack to With Honors & it became a big success chart wise. It was held out of the top spot by I Swear by All 4 One but stayed at #2 for 4 weeks. By the end of October, Bedtime Stories was released & peaked at #3. It found her going the more R&B approach & dabbling in a techno sound that she would later touch upon on albums to come. The album sold 7 million copies worldwide & Take A Bow became her longest running #1 single in the US at 7 weeks.
1. I'll Remember #1 Japan #2 US #7 UK/Australia
2. Secret #1 Dance #2 Adult Contemporary/Japan #3 US #5 UK/Australia
3. Take A Bow #1 US/Adult Contemporary/Japan #15 Australia #16 UK
4. Bedtime Story #1 Dance #4 UK #5 Australia #42 US
5. Human Nature #2 Dance #8 UK #10 Japan #46 US
Something To Remember was released at the end of 1995 & was more or less a ballads collection. It did feature 3 new songs & a remix of Love Don't Live Here Anymore which had originally been only released in Japan in 1985. I Want You, a cover of the Marvin Gaye classic, was released in video form only. Something that she had not done before. The album debuted & peaked at #6 & worldwide sold 10 million copies. The following year she played the title role in Evita to rave reviews. She won the Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy & the song You Must Love Me won Best Original song at the Oscar's. The soundtrack went to #2 in the US & #1 in the UK & worldwide sold 17 million copies. She also gave birth to her daughter Lourdes in October of 1996. Once again Madonna had reinvented herself from the Material Girl to the Material Mom.
1. You'll See #1 Japan #5 UK #6 US #9 Australia
2. One More Chance #11 UK #35 Australia
3. Love Don't Live Here Anymore #16 Dance #78 US #27 Australia
4. You Must Love Me #10 UK #11 Australia #17 Japan #18 US
5. Don't Cry For Me Argentina #1 Dance/Japan #3 UK #8 US #9 Australia
6. Another Suitcase In Another Hall #7 UK
7. Buenos Aires #3 Dance
In March 1998 Ray of Light was released to the best reviews she had since Like A Prayer. The techno sound had re-emerged & she found massive success commercially again. Lourdes had re-energized her & for a moment she took on a pseudonym of Veronica Electronica. Worldwide, the album sold 18 million copies & was kept out of the #1 spot on the Billboard chart by the soundtrack to Titanic. As we all know Celine's heart went on & on & on. By 1999 the Grammy's showed her love in the form of 3 Grammy's. She also won Video of the year for Ray Of Light at the 1998 VMA's.
1. Frozen #1 Dance/UK/Japan #2 US #5 Australia
2. Ray Of Light #1 Dance #2 UK #5 US #6 Australia
3. Drowned World/Substitute For Love #10 UK/Japan #16 Australia
4. The Power of Goodbye/Little Star(b-side in the UK) #6 UK #11 US #33 Australia
5. Nothing Really Matters #1 Dance #4 Japan #7 UK #15 Australia #93 US
In 1999 she did a single for the soundtrack to the Austin Powers soundtrack & although it wasn't released commercially, it debuted on the hot 100 due to new chart rules of airplay only tracks able to chart. This would pose as the problem for the next single American Pie. A cover for the soundtrack to The Next Best Thing. Which turned out to be another bomb acting wise. Single wise, they were huge around the world & if had been released commercially here would have done much better. American Pie had done so well in fact that in other regions around the world it was tacked on to the album Music which was released in September 2000. Earlier in the year she had filmed the video while pregnant for her second child Rocco with Guy Ritchie. The single was a huge success & was her 12th #1 single in the US. It put her in a tie with Janet Jackson as the only artists to have #1 singles in the 80's, 90's & 2000's. The song was nominated for Record of the Year in the 2001 Grammy's. The album went to #1 & was her first #1 album in the US since Like A Prayer. It sold 13 million copies worldwide & 2 other singles were released as commercial singles. Impressive Instant got a club only release & the song Amazing was originally set to be the last single but was pulled from release. In 2001 Madonna went on tour for the first time in 7 years, the Drowned World Tour. This was my first time ever seeing her perform live & as you can imagine.... I was overwhelmed with happiness.
1. Beautiful Stranger #1 Dance/Japan #2 UK #5 Australia #19 US
2. American Pie #1 Dance/UK/Australia/Japan #29 US
3. Music #1 US/UK/Japan/Australia/Dance
4. Don't Tell Me #1 Dance #4 US/UK #7 Australia
5. What It Feels Like For A Girl #1 Dance #6 Australia #7 UK/Japan #23 US
6. Impressive Instant #1 Dance
GHV2 was released at the end of 2001 & while it contained most of her greatest hits since the Immaculate Collection it had no new singles. Still it went onto sell 7 million copies worldwide. Her next projects went back to acting. Swept Away was released in 2002 & even being a huge Madonna fan, I must say I've seen it once & that was enough for me. It was another commercial flop & critics ravaged her performance. It's in fact the last film that she has done playing a character. Will she come back to acting? It's not like ALL the films have been bad, but I just think it needs to be better roles. Ones more suited for her. She did make a cameo in 2002's Die Another Day playing a fencing instructor. The bigger hit for her was the single released from it. It was the biggest Bond theme song since A View To A Kill. This would in fact be her last top 10 single in the US for years to come because the next album completely bombed. American Life debuted at #1 on the US album chart but fell off very quickly & to date is her lowest selling album here ever. I must say it's my least favorite Madonna single ever. This was also the first time since her career debut that singles released from an album didn't even chart on the hot 100. The album did sell 5 million copies worldwide & the singles did well in the UK. They in fact did very well on the dance chart here. She holds the record for scoring 7 top 10 Dance hits from one album. A record no other artist has. During this time, she performed at the 2003 VMA's with the memorable performance seen round the world for that kiss with Britney. Which lead to the pairing on Britney's single from her In the Zone album. Unfortunately, it didn't blow up in the US but was a hit in clubs & round the world. Remixed & Revisted, an EP of remixed songs from American Life, was released in 2003. Debuting & peaking at #115 in the US it still sold 1 million copies worldwide.
1. GHV2 Megamix #5 Dance
2. Die Another Day #1 Dance #3 UK #5 Australia #8 US
3. American Life #1 Dance/Japan #2 UK #7 Australia #37 US
4. Hollywood #1 Dance #2 UK #16 Australia #103 US (called the Bubbling Under chart)
5. Nobody Knows Me #4 Dance
6. Me Against The Music w/Britney Spears #1 Dance/Australia/Japan #2 UK #35 US
7. Nothing Fails #1 Dance #101 US (Bubbling Under)
8. Love Profusion #1 Dance #11 UK #25 Australia #106 US (Bubbling Under)
9. Mother & Father #9 Dance
After the failure of American Life, Madonna went on tour again & reminded us all why she was still #1. The Re-Invention Tour sold out 55 of it's 56 shows & made $125 million. While doing many songs from the American Life album, she also performed songs that were her greatest hits over the past few decades & for me it was my most favorite tour that I had seen. It was so nice I saw it twice. The following year, 2005, she went back to what I had always loved..... dance music. Confessions On A Dancefloor debuted at #1 in 29 countries, a record for a solo artist. It went on to sell 8 millions copies around the world. The single Hung Up was a monster #1 single everywhere in the world, but here. It was her first top 10 in years but that was solely based on sales. In fact, it was widely reported that she was being banned from the radio stations due to anti-war statements she had made with American Life. While the rest of the singles did well in other countries, they did best here on the dance chart. In 2006, I'm Going To Tell You A Secret film & DVD was released. Another documentary style film but Truth or Dare this definitely wasn't. It showed how she had grown as a person & mother & her love for Kabbalah. It was the first time she had ever released a Live album commercially it debuted at #33 in the US in 2006 & sold 1 million copies worldwide. Also in 2006, she went on her Confessions Tour & it became the biggest selling concert by a female artist ever at $194.8 million. I saw this one as well, but that shouldn't be a surprise. This time, it was shown on NBC & the controversy about her on a cross was all the press seemed to talk about. Once again a Live album & DVD was released & this time it debuted higher at #15 in the US & worldwide sold 1.2 million copies.
1. Hung Up #1 Dance/UK/Australia/Japan #7 US
2. Sorry #1 Dance/UK/Japan #4 Australia #58 US
3. Get Together #1 Dance #7 UK #13 Australia #59 Japan #106 US
4. Jump #1 Dance #9 UK #29 Australia #105 US
Recently, Hard Candy was her 7th #1 album in the US & puts her in 2nd place behind Barbara Streisand as the female with the most #1 albums. It's no lie that I worried this album would suck when I originally heard she was going to work with Timbaland, Justin & Pharrell. The first time I heard the demo's & then the debut single I hated it. But somehow, it grew on me. New single Give It 2 Me is about to make noise on charts all over the world. Other stand out tracks are Miles Away which has already been playing in Japan on a tv show. Candy Shop & The Beat Goes On are also single worthy. 4 Minutes has become her biggest hit here in the US since Music 8 years ago. While staying at #1 on the digital sales chart for 3 weeks it missed out on the #1 hot 100 chart due to the fact it's airplay wasn't enough. Either way it's got her another hit & she is now about to tour again on her Sticky & Sweet tour. A couple months ago she was also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
1. 4 Minutes #1 Dance/UK/Australia/Canada #2 Japan #3 US
2. Give It 2 Me #57 US #8 Canada (so far)
For all you other Madonna fans I hope you enjoyed this. It took over a day to fully complete. As promised the next blog will get back to all things NSP. Have a good Memorial Day Weekend & mad love to you all!!!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
The Rejuvenation of NSP
Feliz Cinco De Mayo! I'm hitting you up with tons of blogs it seems & I'm sure a few of you will be saying 'Shut the hell up Nick.' To that I say:
I'm like that ooowee
You're fiendin' to blaze up
And taste me
Got flavor like ice cream,
Cause I'm that CHICO you like
And you know you need this man
And you know I got this man
Gonna be your everything
I'm that CHICO you like
Since Mariah has claimed she's that CHICK, I had to remix it for sure. Being that I've been remixing & revisiting tons of things in life these days let me take a moment to dish about my return to Arriba Ariba. It's a Mexican restaurant & it's actually one of my favorite places to go. Not for the food because oddly enough, I'm not a fan of Mexican food. When I go I always order the same thing & then I turn it into the blandest thing ever. Chicken Quesadilla but I make sure they ONLY put in chicken & cheese. Yes, I know...... I am a picky bitch but at least I put it out there right at the beginning. Anyhow, the point is I finally made my return to this place 2 Friday's ago. The reason why I would not go was because I said for months now that my return to drinking would be celebrated with one of their Mama Margarita's. I missed a bday soiree there & PLENTY of other get togethers as well but honestly I was so glad I had the company I had when I made my return. Larry, who hadn't had a drink in 6 months as well, was first on the list. He had decided way back in October that he would stop & not have another until I was A OK. I didn't ask this of him & never in a million years would I ask anyone to do it. But it must be said, it was nice to know that I could count on him when I was the only sober one in the room. Larry is & remains a best friend to the end. Vadim, in the midst of all my drama, changed his life as well. He has embarked on his journey as a Vegan & friend to all elephants & all other animals. He knows that I could never be a Vegan being that I am self described pick pus & if I gave up meat I would starve to death. BUT, I do say kudos to him that he has found a cause. More people should do the same as in finding a cause but, I'll keep my voice off the soap box. Anyhow, I was completely thrilled to have them share my first drink with me & I was just as thrilled to have Scott show up. He was terribly late, but bless his heart..... at least he always trys. He reminds me of my mom in the fact that they're both Libra's & both eternally late. Lastly, my girl Tasia also managed to come to witness my sips of said margarita. So see Taisa, I remembered & here it is in blog form. I LOVE TASIA. This must also be said, the taste of that Margarita was better then I ever remembered it to be. At first my body was like what is this?! What is this odd but somehow familiar feeling. Then it was like slipping into your skinny jeans. Ahhhhh! I also have to say that my tolerance is nowhere near what it was. A few sips & I was already getting giddy. At least from here on out I'll be a cheap drunk. Being that I have decided to try to stick to the plan of drinking rarely, let's hope I remain a cheap drunk. Fun & good times was had by all & I had had just enough to stay giddy & fun but also make sure I was going to remember everything. The next morning though found me with a slight headache & I fully blame the tequila & it also had me saying that I didn't miss that feeling at all. That being said, as I sit here at work I sip on a small cup of Sangria. My work peeps are being festive & now that I can actually join in on their festiveness it's definitely nice.
The next topic of hand is my beloved Mariah. I said that she would be one of my next diva's & as any one who knows me KNOWS I love me some her. The morning of my first drink was spent at Good Morning America to see her perform. The lambs were out in full force. In case you don't know that's what she calls her fans. There were Ghetto Lambs, Gay Lambs, Girly Girl Lambs & even some Granny Lambs. Getting them all together was a lil nuts. Especially when I was trying to see past Granny Lambs sign saying that they were there from so & so Baptist Church in Texas. Before I knew it a girl named Starkeisha standing next to me goes, "Oooo If they don't put those signs the fuck down Ima hunt them down." All technical difficulties aside, Mariah was on fire & I live for her telling her back up singer to stop singing her part. Same thing happened on Idol during Bye Bye. I was yelling at the tv screen for that bitch to shut up my damn self. But, that's just how my love for Mimi runs. I have been there for it all. A fan from the beginning. My younger sister's Anna's middle name is Mariah. My mom said that it was a family name but I also KNOW I helped put that name in her head. My sister was born in Feb 93 & I was playing the hell out of some Make It Happen & all the other jams from that time.
'Vision of Love' came out in the summer of 90 & I was about to turn 12 & waiting for 7th grade. I distinctly remember reading about how she was of mixed race & that really hitting me at my core. People kept being like is she white or is she black & I couldn't help but relate. My dad was Mexican & my mom is Irish but that fact never occurred to me that it should be a big deal. It wasn't until I heard other kids in school say things & off the cuff remarks. It was only then that I realized with some people it was a big ordeal. A friend of mine was half black & half white & kids would taunt her all the time. I remember her saying, "Why does no one do this to you? You're mixed too." Apparently it was because I looked like any other regular white kid. Also, I didn't grow up with my dad's family & I only knew my mom's side. My mom had taught me spanish & I was apparently bilingual until I came home from school one day at the age of 5. She went to talk to me in spanish & I said that I only wanted to speak english since that's what my friends talked. I don't remember this & even now my Spanish is VERY limited. But don't worry, it's on that big to do list I have created for myself in 08. To make a long story short, I remember thinking that if Mariah could go & do something major in life then that was a true inspiration to all the other mixed kids like myself.
The debut album came out in 1990 & blew everyone away. I can still listen to every track because they are seriously that good. It had something for everyone. I would hear it on all stations & it also has the only song where you'll hear her doing a lil rapping. A very small hint of the real kind of music that she truthfully was down with. It sold 9 million in the states & each single went to #1. A feat that hasn't been matched by any debut artist since. Christina came close & so did Fergie but so far can't no one do it like MC.
1. Vision of Love #1 Pop/R&B #9 UK
2. Love Takes Time #1 Pop/ R&B #37 UK
3. Someday #1 US #3 Pop R&B #38 UK
4. I Don't Wanna Cry #1 Pop #2 R&B
5. There's Got To Be A Way #54 UK
In the fall of '91, Emotions popped out rather quickly. The album wasn't as huge as the debut but still sold 4 million. A number that doesn't even happen these days & if it does it's rare. The debut single went to #1 as well & further solidified her status in the record books as a debut artist with the most #1 singles in a row.
1. Emotions #1 Pop & R&B #17 UK
2. Can't Let Go #2 Pop & R&B #20 UK
3. Make It Happen #5 Pop #7 R&B #17 UK
MTV Unplugged was a hot commodity in the 90's & showed musicians at their best. Sony released this live album at the beginning of the summer in '92 & her cover of I'll Be There was huge! Originally, it wasn't going to be performed but a day or so before was done & before you know it another #1 was on her belt. The album sold 3 million & after the success 'If It's Over' was a planned single release outside of the states but it ended up not charting.
1. I'll Be There #1 Pop #11 R&B #2 UK
Music Box was released in the fall of '93 & became a monster hit. She was at #1 with Dreamlover for 8 weeks & the video showed her in pig tails & flannel. Apparently Granny Lambs love this Mariah. Ballads galore & the success of Hero & Without You were huge. The later became her first #1 in the UK. I have many a memory of walking into Wal-Mart & that song being played on major rotation. To this day we hear TONS of renditions on American Idol & even overseas there was some bitch who couldn't pronounce it properly & called it Ken Lee. Ok watch it peeps, just for the laugh. This album was the first to go Diamond by selling 10 million. After all the singles were released she did a cover with Luther Vandross that was a huge success as well. It was on his Duets album.
1. Dreamlover #1 Pop #2 R&B #9 UK
2. Hero #1 Pop #5 R&B #7 UK
3. Without You #3 Pop #1 UK
4. Never Forget You #7 R&B (b-side to Without You on the pop chart but as the a-side on R&B)
5. Anytime You Need A Friend #12 Pop #22 R&B #8 UK
6. Endless Love #2 Pop #7 R&B #3 UK
Christmas '94 brought the STILL huge seller Merry Christmas. Even now & at the most random times a dj will throw on the massive single & the crowd will go ape shit. I'm talking even in like July. Each year it's released in the UK & each yr it does major business. The single didn't get a proper commercial release so it was in-eligible to chart until years later. The album has sold 5 million copies so far & each year stays a consistent seller. All I Want... has a total of 3 videos for it but my fav has to be the 60's era version. Joy to The World was even remixed for clubs & charted at #17.
1. All I Want For Christmas Is You #2 UK/Australia/Japan #12 US Pop Airplay
finally charted in 2000 in the US at #83, re-released in the UK last Christmas & went to #4
Next came probably my most favorite album by her ever. It was a perfect mixture of everything. Pop, hints of where she was going & classic ballads. Daydream was released while I was in the hospital after having appendicitis. I was in some pain but turning on the tv to see her video for Fantasy completely made my day. In the US they only released 3 singles but each was huge! Fantasy was at #1 for 8 weeks & One Sweet Day holds the record for longest #1 single ever with 16 weeks. At my graduation, Wendy Harding & I sang this for our commencement ceremony. Looking back on this I wonder why, since no one had died. But, everyone in school knew we could sing so why not? Precious right? Meanwhile the other tracks were hits outside of the US & they got released & one of my favorite songs by her ever was released to the R&B stations complete with a remix. Still hot & I still love it. It sold 10 million copies as well.
1. Fantasy #1 Pop/R&B #4 UK
2. One Sweet Day #1 Pop #2 R&B #6 UK
3. Open Arms #4 UK
4. Always Be My Baby #1 Pop/R&B #3 UK
5. Underneath The Stars #69 R&B Airplay
6. Forever #9 US Pop Airplay
Around my 19th bday in 1997 the video for Honey dropped & to this day it's one of my favorite by her. This album Butterfly celebrated the new Mariah. The one who was all sexy & liberated. It had TONS of good singles & unfortunately Sony only released 2 of them commercially here in the states. I blame that on Tommy & his crazy anger. Either way the album still debuted at #1 & went on to sell 5 million copies.
1. Honey #1 Pop #2 R&B #3 UK
2. Butterfly #16 Pop Airplay #12 R&B Airplay #22 UK
3. The Roof released outside of the US but the video was aired on BET/MTV/VH1
4. Breakdown #52 Pop Airplay #13 R&B Airplay #38 Australia later released as the b-side to My All
5. My All #1 Pop #4 R&B/UK
6. Whenever You Call Live video released & airs on VH1
#1's was released in Nov '98 & celebrated the fact that she had achieved 13 #1's at the time. More then Madonna, Whitney or any other female singer. At the time I was working at a music store & we had a stand up of her which I ended up taking & kept it in my room. I seem to remember Shuley being afraid of it when the lights were out. She would think that it was a real person. Oh scaring Shuley is always fun & good times. There were new songs on it as well & technically 3 of them were released as singles. I must have been one of the FEW people to buy the single for Sweetheart because after a day of it's released Sony pulled it. Damn that Mottola! Anyhow, the album went onto sell 5 million copies.
1. Sweetheart w/Jermaine Dupri #53 R&B Airplay #15 Germany
2. When You Believe w/Whitney Houston #15 Pop #33 R&B #4 UK
3. I Still Believe #4 Pop #3 R&B #16 UK
Rainbow came out towards the end of '99 & was also a big seller. It had plenty of songs that were personal & showed major growth. It was kept out of the top spot despite having her best first week sales ever. Faith Hill was huge with Breathe & Rage Against the Machine were, well.... raging at the time. Not my cup of tea so I'm not familiar. The album sold 3 million & this was to be her last for Sony, since she felt she wasn't getting the kind of promotion she had before. In the UK, Against All Odds was released with Westlife (who are in fact HUGE over there). It became her second #1 single there & to date is the last time she's had a #1 single there.
1. Heartbreaker w/Jay-Z #1 Pop/R&B #5 UK
2. Thank God I Found You w/Joe & 98 Degrees #1 Pop/R&B #10 UK
3. Crybaby w/Snoop Dogg/Can't Take That Away #23 R&B/#28 Pop
4. Against All Odds w/Westlife #1 UK
Now we're up to Glitter. Hmmmm, what else can be said about Glitter w/o running it into the ground? Here's some info you may not know. I was in Glitter! They filmed a dance scene at Limelight here in NYC in the summer of 2000. This was my first time seeing her up close & I of course was nervous & shy. At the time, I had no idea it would turn into the bomb that it later became. If you click on the right spot on your dvd you can see a very young me with natural hair color in the middle of the dancefloor doing a handclap. That's right bitches, I got moves you ain't ever seen. I actually liked a lot of the songs on Glitter but I think some of it had too much rap on it. The song Don't Stop is blazing when she sings but, when Mystikal raps I want to rip off my ears. The album sold poorly but still managed to get a million. It was her one album with Virgin & during this time it was highly documented about her crazy antics. It was like everyone had it out for her & was ready to write her off. I saw her outside of the TRL studio's & still have those pics. I still think she just needed some sleep.
1. Loverboy #2 Pop #1 R&B #12 UK
2. Don't Stop w/Mystikal #42 R&B #32 UK
3. Never Too Far/Hero Medley #81 Pop
4. Reflections (Care Enough) released only in Japan through Sony
5. Last Night A DJ Saved My Life w/Busta Rhymes promo video & single in Spain
After all the drama with Virgin & the Glitter debacle, MC went to Island Def/Jam. She also appeared on Busta Rhymes big single I Know What You Want. Charmbracelet was released in 2003 & found Mariah going for more hip hop & gospel songs. Through The Rain is probably one of least favorite MC singles ever & apparently everyone else agreed because it was not a hit. The album sold a little more then Glitter & did manage to reach a peak position of #3.
1. Through The Rain #81 Pop #69 R&B #8 UK
2. Boy (I Need You) w/Cam'ron #68 R&B #17 UK
3. I Know What You Want w/Busta Rhymes #2 R&B #3 Pop/UK
4. Bringin' On The Heartbreak #5 Dance
After this, MC took one of the longest breaks she had ever taken. During the 90's, she either popped out singles or album every single year. So when 'The Return of the Voice' promo's came out me & all the other lambs felt like something major was in store. Boy, were we right. The Emancipation of Mimi came out in April '05 & went onto be the biggest seller of the year. We Belong Together became her first #1 single since '01 & it stayed there for 14 weeks. It was her first album back at the #1 spot since Butterfly & sold 6 million. Single after single was released to all different kinds of markets. It was so big they re-released it with video's & new tracks. The return of the voice was the return to form. Back at #1. I later saw her on tour, a bday gift from Jordan. She did all the hits I loved & then some.
1. It's Like That #16 Pop #17 R&B #4 UK
2. We Belong Together #1 Pop/R&B #2 UK
3. Shake It Off #2 Pop/R&B
4. Get Your Number #9 UK
5. Don't Forget About Us #1 Pop/R&B #11 UK
6. Say Somethin' w/Snoop Dogg #79 Pop #27 UK
7. Fly Like A Bird #19 R&B
8. Mine Again #71 R&B not officially released as a single but charted on its own
Last month E=MC 2 was released & solidified another #1 album, single & she had the best first week sales of her career. For me, this album has all the upbeat songs that were not on the last one. So for me, both albums are like perfect book ends. There's the ballads that are lovely but for me it's all about MC having a little more fun. Which is where I'm at in my life after all the drama & health scares. It's definitely time to get OOC & once again I'm that Chico you like!
1. Touch My Body #1 Pop #2 R&B #5 UK
2. Bye Bye #23 Pop #71 R&B as of now.......but expect that to go up, up & up!
and I've heard the next single will be Love Story. In a perfect world I'm That Chick & I'll Be Loving You Long Time will see commercial releases as well.
I'm like that ooowee
You're fiendin' to blaze up
And taste me
Got flavor like ice cream,
Cause I'm that CHICO you like
And you know you need this man
And you know I got this man
Gonna be your everything
I'm that CHICO you like
Since Mariah has claimed she's that CHICK, I had to remix it for sure. Being that I've been remixing & revisiting tons of things in life these days let me take a moment to dish about my return to Arriba Ariba. It's a Mexican restaurant & it's actually one of my favorite places to go. Not for the food because oddly enough, I'm not a fan of Mexican food. When I go I always order the same thing & then I turn it into the blandest thing ever. Chicken Quesadilla but I make sure they ONLY put in chicken & cheese. Yes, I know...... I am a picky bitch but at least I put it out there right at the beginning. Anyhow, the point is I finally made my return to this place 2 Friday's ago. The reason why I would not go was because I said for months now that my return to drinking would be celebrated with one of their Mama Margarita's. I missed a bday soiree there & PLENTY of other get togethers as well but honestly I was so glad I had the company I had when I made my return. Larry, who hadn't had a drink in 6 months as well, was first on the list. He had decided way back in October that he would stop & not have another until I was A OK. I didn't ask this of him & never in a million years would I ask anyone to do it. But it must be said, it was nice to know that I could count on him when I was the only sober one in the room. Larry is & remains a best friend to the end. Vadim, in the midst of all my drama, changed his life as well. He has embarked on his journey as a Vegan & friend to all elephants & all other animals. He knows that I could never be a Vegan being that I am self described pick pus & if I gave up meat I would starve to death. BUT, I do say kudos to him that he has found a cause. More people should do the same as in finding a cause but, I'll keep my voice off the soap box. Anyhow, I was completely thrilled to have them share my first drink with me & I was just as thrilled to have Scott show up. He was terribly late, but bless his heart..... at least he always trys. He reminds me of my mom in the fact that they're both Libra's & both eternally late. Lastly, my girl Tasia also managed to come to witness my sips of said margarita. So see Taisa, I remembered & here it is in blog form. I LOVE TASIA. This must also be said, the taste of that Margarita was better then I ever remembered it to be. At first my body was like what is this?! What is this odd but somehow familiar feeling. Then it was like slipping into your skinny jeans. Ahhhhh! I also have to say that my tolerance is nowhere near what it was. A few sips & I was already getting giddy. At least from here on out I'll be a cheap drunk. Being that I have decided to try to stick to the plan of drinking rarely, let's hope I remain a cheap drunk. Fun & good times was had by all & I had had just enough to stay giddy & fun but also make sure I was going to remember everything. The next morning though found me with a slight headache & I fully blame the tequila & it also had me saying that I didn't miss that feeling at all. That being said, as I sit here at work I sip on a small cup of Sangria. My work peeps are being festive & now that I can actually join in on their festiveness it's definitely nice.
The next topic of hand is my beloved Mariah. I said that she would be one of my next diva's & as any one who knows me KNOWS I love me some her. The morning of my first drink was spent at Good Morning America to see her perform. The lambs were out in full force. In case you don't know that's what she calls her fans. There were Ghetto Lambs, Gay Lambs, Girly Girl Lambs & even some Granny Lambs. Getting them all together was a lil nuts. Especially when I was trying to see past Granny Lambs sign saying that they were there from so & so Baptist Church in Texas. Before I knew it a girl named Starkeisha standing next to me goes, "Oooo If they don't put those signs the fuck down Ima hunt them down." All technical difficulties aside, Mariah was on fire & I live for her telling her back up singer to stop singing her part. Same thing happened on Idol during Bye Bye. I was yelling at the tv screen for that bitch to shut up my damn self. But, that's just how my love for Mimi runs. I have been there for it all. A fan from the beginning. My younger sister's Anna's middle name is Mariah. My mom said that it was a family name but I also KNOW I helped put that name in her head. My sister was born in Feb 93 & I was playing the hell out of some Make It Happen & all the other jams from that time.
'Vision of Love' came out in the summer of 90 & I was about to turn 12 & waiting for 7th grade. I distinctly remember reading about how she was of mixed race & that really hitting me at my core. People kept being like is she white or is she black & I couldn't help but relate. My dad was Mexican & my mom is Irish but that fact never occurred to me that it should be a big deal. It wasn't until I heard other kids in school say things & off the cuff remarks. It was only then that I realized with some people it was a big ordeal. A friend of mine was half black & half white & kids would taunt her all the time. I remember her saying, "Why does no one do this to you? You're mixed too." Apparently it was because I looked like any other regular white kid. Also, I didn't grow up with my dad's family & I only knew my mom's side. My mom had taught me spanish & I was apparently bilingual until I came home from school one day at the age of 5. She went to talk to me in spanish & I said that I only wanted to speak english since that's what my friends talked. I don't remember this & even now my Spanish is VERY limited. But don't worry, it's on that big to do list I have created for myself in 08. To make a long story short, I remember thinking that if Mariah could go & do something major in life then that was a true inspiration to all the other mixed kids like myself.
The debut album came out in 1990 & blew everyone away. I can still listen to every track because they are seriously that good. It had something for everyone. I would hear it on all stations & it also has the only song where you'll hear her doing a lil rapping. A very small hint of the real kind of music that she truthfully was down with. It sold 9 million in the states & each single went to #1. A feat that hasn't been matched by any debut artist since. Christina came close & so did Fergie but so far can't no one do it like MC.
1. Vision of Love #1 Pop/R&B #9 UK
2. Love Takes Time #1 Pop/ R&B #37 UK
3. Someday #1 US #3 Pop R&B #38 UK
4. I Don't Wanna Cry #1 Pop #2 R&B
5. There's Got To Be A Way #54 UK
In the fall of '91, Emotions popped out rather quickly. The album wasn't as huge as the debut but still sold 4 million. A number that doesn't even happen these days & if it does it's rare. The debut single went to #1 as well & further solidified her status in the record books as a debut artist with the most #1 singles in a row.
1. Emotions #1 Pop & R&B #17 UK
2. Can't Let Go #2 Pop & R&B #20 UK
3. Make It Happen #5 Pop #7 R&B #17 UK
MTV Unplugged was a hot commodity in the 90's & showed musicians at their best. Sony released this live album at the beginning of the summer in '92 & her cover of I'll Be There was huge! Originally, it wasn't going to be performed but a day or so before was done & before you know it another #1 was on her belt. The album sold 3 million & after the success 'If It's Over' was a planned single release outside of the states but it ended up not charting.
1. I'll Be There #1 Pop #11 R&B #2 UK
Music Box was released in the fall of '93 & became a monster hit. She was at #1 with Dreamlover for 8 weeks & the video showed her in pig tails & flannel. Apparently Granny Lambs love this Mariah. Ballads galore & the success of Hero & Without You were huge. The later became her first #1 in the UK. I have many a memory of walking into Wal-Mart & that song being played on major rotation. To this day we hear TONS of renditions on American Idol & even overseas there was some bitch who couldn't pronounce it properly & called it Ken Lee. Ok watch it peeps, just for the laugh. This album was the first to go Diamond by selling 10 million. After all the singles were released she did a cover with Luther Vandross that was a huge success as well. It was on his Duets album.
1. Dreamlover #1 Pop #2 R&B #9 UK
2. Hero #1 Pop #5 R&B #7 UK
3. Without You #3 Pop #1 UK
4. Never Forget You #7 R&B (b-side to Without You on the pop chart but as the a-side on R&B)
5. Anytime You Need A Friend #12 Pop #22 R&B #8 UK
6. Endless Love #2 Pop #7 R&B #3 UK
Christmas '94 brought the STILL huge seller Merry Christmas. Even now & at the most random times a dj will throw on the massive single & the crowd will go ape shit. I'm talking even in like July. Each year it's released in the UK & each yr it does major business. The single didn't get a proper commercial release so it was in-eligible to chart until years later. The album has sold 5 million copies so far & each year stays a consistent seller. All I Want... has a total of 3 videos for it but my fav has to be the 60's era version. Joy to The World was even remixed for clubs & charted at #17.
1. All I Want For Christmas Is You #2 UK/Australia/Japan #12 US Pop Airplay
finally charted in 2000 in the US at #83, re-released in the UK last Christmas & went to #4
Next came probably my most favorite album by her ever. It was a perfect mixture of everything. Pop, hints of where she was going & classic ballads. Daydream was released while I was in the hospital after having appendicitis. I was in some pain but turning on the tv to see her video for Fantasy completely made my day. In the US they only released 3 singles but each was huge! Fantasy was at #1 for 8 weeks & One Sweet Day holds the record for longest #1 single ever with 16 weeks. At my graduation, Wendy Harding & I sang this for our commencement ceremony. Looking back on this I wonder why, since no one had died. But, everyone in school knew we could sing so why not? Precious right? Meanwhile the other tracks were hits outside of the US & they got released & one of my favorite songs by her ever was released to the R&B stations complete with a remix. Still hot & I still love it. It sold 10 million copies as well.
1. Fantasy #1 Pop/R&B #4 UK
2. One Sweet Day #1 Pop #2 R&B #6 UK
3. Open Arms #4 UK
4. Always Be My Baby #1 Pop/R&B #3 UK
5. Underneath The Stars #69 R&B Airplay
6. Forever #9 US Pop Airplay
Around my 19th bday in 1997 the video for Honey dropped & to this day it's one of my favorite by her. This album Butterfly celebrated the new Mariah. The one who was all sexy & liberated. It had TONS of good singles & unfortunately Sony only released 2 of them commercially here in the states. I blame that on Tommy & his crazy anger. Either way the album still debuted at #1 & went on to sell 5 million copies.
1. Honey #1 Pop #2 R&B #3 UK
2. Butterfly #16 Pop Airplay #12 R&B Airplay #22 UK
3. The Roof released outside of the US but the video was aired on BET/MTV/VH1
4. Breakdown #52 Pop Airplay #13 R&B Airplay #38 Australia later released as the b-side to My All
5. My All #1 Pop #4 R&B/UK
6. Whenever You Call Live video released & airs on VH1
#1's was released in Nov '98 & celebrated the fact that she had achieved 13 #1's at the time. More then Madonna, Whitney or any other female singer. At the time I was working at a music store & we had a stand up of her which I ended up taking & kept it in my room. I seem to remember Shuley being afraid of it when the lights were out. She would think that it was a real person. Oh scaring Shuley is always fun & good times. There were new songs on it as well & technically 3 of them were released as singles. I must have been one of the FEW people to buy the single for Sweetheart because after a day of it's released Sony pulled it. Damn that Mottola! Anyhow, the album went onto sell 5 million copies.
1. Sweetheart w/Jermaine Dupri #53 R&B Airplay #15 Germany
2. When You Believe w/Whitney Houston #15 Pop #33 R&B #4 UK
3. I Still Believe #4 Pop #3 R&B #16 UK
Rainbow came out towards the end of '99 & was also a big seller. It had plenty of songs that were personal & showed major growth. It was kept out of the top spot despite having her best first week sales ever. Faith Hill was huge with Breathe & Rage Against the Machine were, well.... raging at the time. Not my cup of tea so I'm not familiar. The album sold 3 million & this was to be her last for Sony, since she felt she wasn't getting the kind of promotion she had before. In the UK, Against All Odds was released with Westlife (who are in fact HUGE over there). It became her second #1 single there & to date is the last time she's had a #1 single there.
1. Heartbreaker w/Jay-Z #1 Pop/R&B #5 UK
2. Thank God I Found You w/Joe & 98 Degrees #1 Pop/R&B #10 UK
3. Crybaby w/Snoop Dogg/Can't Take That Away #23 R&B/#28 Pop
4. Against All Odds w/Westlife #1 UK
Now we're up to Glitter. Hmmmm, what else can be said about Glitter w/o running it into the ground? Here's some info you may not know. I was in Glitter! They filmed a dance scene at Limelight here in NYC in the summer of 2000. This was my first time seeing her up close & I of course was nervous & shy. At the time, I had no idea it would turn into the bomb that it later became. If you click on the right spot on your dvd you can see a very young me with natural hair color in the middle of the dancefloor doing a handclap. That's right bitches, I got moves you ain't ever seen. I actually liked a lot of the songs on Glitter but I think some of it had too much rap on it. The song Don't Stop is blazing when she sings but, when Mystikal raps I want to rip off my ears. The album sold poorly but still managed to get a million. It was her one album with Virgin & during this time it was highly documented about her crazy antics. It was like everyone had it out for her & was ready to write her off. I saw her outside of the TRL studio's & still have those pics. I still think she just needed some sleep.
1. Loverboy #2 Pop #1 R&B #12 UK
2. Don't Stop w/Mystikal #42 R&B #32 UK
3. Never Too Far/Hero Medley #81 Pop
4. Reflections (Care Enough) released only in Japan through Sony
5. Last Night A DJ Saved My Life w/Busta Rhymes promo video & single in Spain
After all the drama with Virgin & the Glitter debacle, MC went to Island Def/Jam. She also appeared on Busta Rhymes big single I Know What You Want. Charmbracelet was released in 2003 & found Mariah going for more hip hop & gospel songs. Through The Rain is probably one of least favorite MC singles ever & apparently everyone else agreed because it was not a hit. The album sold a little more then Glitter & did manage to reach a peak position of #3.
1. Through The Rain #81 Pop #69 R&B #8 UK
2. Boy (I Need You) w/Cam'ron #68 R&B #17 UK
3. I Know What You Want w/Busta Rhymes #2 R&B #3 Pop/UK
4. Bringin' On The Heartbreak #5 Dance
After this, MC took one of the longest breaks she had ever taken. During the 90's, she either popped out singles or album every single year. So when 'The Return of the Voice' promo's came out me & all the other lambs felt like something major was in store. Boy, were we right. The Emancipation of Mimi came out in April '05 & went onto be the biggest seller of the year. We Belong Together became her first #1 single since '01 & it stayed there for 14 weeks. It was her first album back at the #1 spot since Butterfly & sold 6 million. Single after single was released to all different kinds of markets. It was so big they re-released it with video's & new tracks. The return of the voice was the return to form. Back at #1. I later saw her on tour, a bday gift from Jordan. She did all the hits I loved & then some.
1. It's Like That #16 Pop #17 R&B #4 UK
2. We Belong Together #1 Pop/R&B #2 UK
3. Shake It Off #2 Pop/R&B
4. Get Your Number #9 UK
5. Don't Forget About Us #1 Pop/R&B #11 UK
6. Say Somethin' w/Snoop Dogg #79 Pop #27 UK
7. Fly Like A Bird #19 R&B
8. Mine Again #71 R&B not officially released as a single but charted on its own
Last month E=MC 2 was released & solidified another #1 album, single & she had the best first week sales of her career. For me, this album has all the upbeat songs that were not on the last one. So for me, both albums are like perfect book ends. There's the ballads that are lovely but for me it's all about MC having a little more fun. Which is where I'm at in my life after all the drama & health scares. It's definitely time to get OOC & once again I'm that Chico you like!
1. Touch My Body #1 Pop #2 R&B #5 UK
2. Bye Bye #23 Pop #71 R&B as of now.......but expect that to go up, up & up!
and I've heard the next single will be Love Story. In a perfect world I'm That Chick & I'll Be Loving You Long Time will see commercial releases as well.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
My Sugar is Raw
Ok readers.....I wasn't going to mention this until a few blogs later. But, I couldn't resist. Last night, I had the once in a lifetime chance to see my favorite performer all up close & personal. So I have now found myself bursting with excitement ready to discuss it. Look at this as a little taste of a blog to come. Remember, my candy store has galore so this will get you ready for what's in store.
For days & days now those of us in what we call our Madonna Prayer Group have discussed the important matter at hand. How are we going to get our hands on the coveted tickets to see our lady full of grace at Roseland Ballroom. She hadn't been there since the promo tour for Music back in 2000. At that time I'd only been here a few months & had no idea how to get in. I remember walking by & trying to hear from outside. I couldn't help but think 'this time HAS to be different.' But, I found myself in a jam. People were lining up as of Monday. Each of us had done our best to score tickets. Entering contests, going to bars that were offering tickets etc. They all failed. My friend David won tickets through Verizon. Actually his boyfriend had so now someone I KNEW was going. Which, made it all more important for me to go. I just couldn't be left out so it came down to going outside & waiting in line. After work on Tuesday I met up with Vadim, John & Scott to get in line with some other people who already were in line. This was probably around 100 people or so. Mind you, she wasn't performing until Wednesday night so this was to be my first camp out EVER. I wasn't physically prepared so after securing my place in line I went home to change into layers of clothes & such. Once back, I started to prepare myself for the 13 hr wait that I was going to go through in order to get that coveted wrist band that was to be given out to 750 some people in line.
We made friends with people next to us. This kid behind us, Mickey, was incredibly overzealous for all things Madonna & brought tons of things that we started posted on our barricade. We later were known as that group with all the M posters as tourists kept walking by asking us what it was for. After hours & hours I dubbed us & everyone else 'The Gay Homeless'. At times we would go in between the avenues to try to hear M rehearsing. Later, Scott & Mickey & others ran back when a passerby said she was leaving. Imagine our surprise when she drove by everyone in line slowly & made her presence known. People that had been laying down were up & screaming. At one point she literally stopped right in front of John & I & we found ourselves just yelling & screaming in awe. Amidst the roar, I SWEAR I could hear her say 'I'll see you tomorrow night!' This may be just me & my imagination but in my head she definitely said it. Everyone in line was amped up after that & we continued playing Hard Candy & other jams on Mickey's ipod. We then prepared for the rest of the night & the realization that we still had HOURS to go before they handed out the wrist bands.
At around 3/4 in the morning I began to hate everyone. Mickey's enthusiasm had highly found it's way to my evilness & Scott's drunkenness had my salt level to a fever pitch. I had managed to squeeze out about 2 hours of sleep there in my huge ass coat on a 30 something degree night. Just the week before I was rocking some shorts in 70 degree weather. This didn't help my saltiness. Finally, the time came & the guards came over to give everyone a bracelet. They told us we could either stay in line or leave & come back later. Scott, John & Billy somehow found it in them to go to work for the day. I chose to go home. (Thank you to all my work peeps for helping a brother out. As always I love you Tasia & I LIVE for you Jackie.) Being that Vadim barely works anyway, he did the same. I scored about 4 hrs of sleep & then met up with Vadim to go get back in line. Being that this was a general admission thing you had to be as close to the front as possible if you wanted to get closer to the stage. This time, we definitely were. For the next few hours, it was festive as we waited for them to start letting people in. Vadim, John, Scott, Billy, Silas & I found ourselves getting interviewed by MTV Europe, some random man from Brazil, & some lady form Spain. We were International Fan Superstars as they asked about all things M. We saw tons of shenanigans as well. This Tranny with some CRAZY blonde hair & black roots, smudged red lipstick that was more on her teeth &painted on black eyebrows had us all in stitches. She was going for the bad Girl look but was more Courtney Love after MTV VMA throw down. When she wasn't able to get tickets I just knew she'd start throwing a heel or a compact at someone! W-KTU was driving around the block every 2 minutes & throwing out hard candy at everyone. The girls driving decided to take pics of us when I decided to start letting my booty get low. Then they sped away cutting off all the drivers in their way. Then, we didn't see C-Lo or the KTU girls for a while & I was just sure I'd hear Sade Baderwinwa say this headline 'Transexual ran over by KTU drivers in a drunken rage at a Madonna concert.... news at 11.'
Finally, we were about to be in. I told everyone since I was in front that there was no turing around. I was on a mission. Get as close to the stage as possible & just make sure you keep up. I found myself behind some BIG lesbian who was about to eat us all with her anger & before you knew it we were all packed in like sardines. This was a little after 8pm & we still had 2 hrs to go! For the celeb sightings I have to quote Vadim because honestly he said it best:
Oh my, all the celebs we saw:
Spotted: Fran Drescher wearing her American Life beret -- who started furiously texting her friend about how upset she was when all the attention to her evaporated when Rosie O'Donnell took her seat.
Then there was Richie RIch and Trevor Rains, one half of which looked cute, while the other looked kind of busted. I'll let you figure out which half was which. NICK'S Response: RR
Then there was Zac Posen near Fran. It certainly didn't take him long to let his drunkenness come through. Of course, all is forgiven since he is cute. NICK's Response: Scott has found his life partner so we need to set this up asapenis.
Then there was the design team from Proenza Schouler (whom you guys may now know), but they are the two cutest designers in all of the fashion industry. Just as cute in person as in photos.
Let's not forget Liz Rosenberg walking around in her very special loopy headgear. I have nothing more to say about her antennas!
Then there was "Lourdes" who was wearing way more makeup than usual and dancing up a storm. (And did anyone notice how the females in "Music" looked like were mini-Lourdeses?
Of course, we cannot forget "Courtney Love!" From the moment we saw her, we knew she was up to something. And she sure was! The taxi, the paps, the police. You KNOW the drunk-driving KTU girls totally ran C-Love over!
Now to be biggest celeb of all. Right after 10, the dj finally stopped his mixing of songs that would last 2 minutes then run into another. Where he was standing started to turn around & we saw M sitting in a Queen like pose on a chair fit for a King! The beginning of Candy Shop blared. All the fans cheering overwhelmed the music almost. I could see nothing but hands & camera's in the air. She began to dance & I couldn't take my eyes off her. Next was another track from the new album 'Miles Away'. During this she took a guitar & sat on a chair & strummed away. I think this is one of the best tracks on the album & I hope it's a single. Next, we got served some special ferociousness in the form of 4 minutes, complete with Justin Timberlake popping out. Damn is he handsome. Mind you, I've thought this anyway but after seeing him in the flesh it's even more juicy. I managed to squeeze in a few pics on my phone & unfortunately I can not figure out how to email these to myself so I just have them on my phone. Once this was over, M talked to us all & even showed some love to all of us that waited for hours & hours & said the next song was dedicated to us because she hates....to wait. Rocking out with a new rock version of Hung Up, M showed why she was inducted into the Hall of Hame. The woman is a bona-fide performer & all out star. Her dancing during Give It 2 Me(the next single) had me mesmerized because all I kept thinking was 'This woman is 20 yrs older then me & you would NEVER know it by looking at her.' I was originally close to the stage to begin with but when she had come closer to the front I felt myself being pushed so close that by the time she did 'Music', the show's closer, I was about 10 feet away. Everyone was so close to each other I had sweat on me from about 10 different people. Everyone wanting what we had all waiting in line for. A piece of Madonna.
Even as I watch the show from MSN I get giddy again. I may have gotten a cold from all of this but for once in my life I can absolutely say it was worth it. I will most definitely be getting tickets for when she tours later this year. The only thing is......now that I've gotten so close to her I feel it would be a tragedy to not be as close in the future. Whatever M's Candy Store plans on selling you can guarantee the Madonna Prayer Group & I will try to be first in line. Ok, maybe not with the homeless lesbians who sat there for days but we definitely won't be far behind..... considering my slinky ways to get through the crowd. I just have one of my teachers to thank for that, Madonna.
Here's the link to the actual show on MSN. Watching it I managed to see Scott & I. After more views, I'm sure I'll see more.
http://music.msn.com/madonna?GT1=28000&silentchk=1&
Here's another link on a blog that has Scott, Mickey & a few other people we came to know while being in line. Scott is the one with the drink in hand. Once again, Zac Posen..... this is your Future Lover.
http://madonnadownload.com/new_news_043008_1.html
For days & days now those of us in what we call our Madonna Prayer Group have discussed the important matter at hand. How are we going to get our hands on the coveted tickets to see our lady full of grace at Roseland Ballroom. She hadn't been there since the promo tour for Music back in 2000. At that time I'd only been here a few months & had no idea how to get in. I remember walking by & trying to hear from outside. I couldn't help but think 'this time HAS to be different.' But, I found myself in a jam. People were lining up as of Monday. Each of us had done our best to score tickets. Entering contests, going to bars that were offering tickets etc. They all failed. My friend David won tickets through Verizon. Actually his boyfriend had so now someone I KNEW was going. Which, made it all more important for me to go. I just couldn't be left out so it came down to going outside & waiting in line. After work on Tuesday I met up with Vadim, John & Scott to get in line with some other people who already were in line. This was probably around 100 people or so. Mind you, she wasn't performing until Wednesday night so this was to be my first camp out EVER. I wasn't physically prepared so after securing my place in line I went home to change into layers of clothes & such. Once back, I started to prepare myself for the 13 hr wait that I was going to go through in order to get that coveted wrist band that was to be given out to 750 some people in line.
We made friends with people next to us. This kid behind us, Mickey, was incredibly overzealous for all things Madonna & brought tons of things that we started posted on our barricade. We later were known as that group with all the M posters as tourists kept walking by asking us what it was for. After hours & hours I dubbed us & everyone else 'The Gay Homeless'. At times we would go in between the avenues to try to hear M rehearsing. Later, Scott & Mickey & others ran back when a passerby said she was leaving. Imagine our surprise when she drove by everyone in line slowly & made her presence known. People that had been laying down were up & screaming. At one point she literally stopped right in front of John & I & we found ourselves just yelling & screaming in awe. Amidst the roar, I SWEAR I could hear her say 'I'll see you tomorrow night!' This may be just me & my imagination but in my head she definitely said it. Everyone in line was amped up after that & we continued playing Hard Candy & other jams on Mickey's ipod. We then prepared for the rest of the night & the realization that we still had HOURS to go before they handed out the wrist bands.
At around 3/4 in the morning I began to hate everyone. Mickey's enthusiasm had highly found it's way to my evilness & Scott's drunkenness had my salt level to a fever pitch. I had managed to squeeze out about 2 hours of sleep there in my huge ass coat on a 30 something degree night. Just the week before I was rocking some shorts in 70 degree weather. This didn't help my saltiness. Finally, the time came & the guards came over to give everyone a bracelet. They told us we could either stay in line or leave & come back later. Scott, John & Billy somehow found it in them to go to work for the day. I chose to go home. (Thank you to all my work peeps for helping a brother out. As always I love you Tasia & I LIVE for you Jackie.) Being that Vadim barely works anyway, he did the same. I scored about 4 hrs of sleep & then met up with Vadim to go get back in line. Being that this was a general admission thing you had to be as close to the front as possible if you wanted to get closer to the stage. This time, we definitely were. For the next few hours, it was festive as we waited for them to start letting people in. Vadim, John, Scott, Billy, Silas & I found ourselves getting interviewed by MTV Europe, some random man from Brazil, & some lady form Spain. We were International Fan Superstars as they asked about all things M. We saw tons of shenanigans as well. This Tranny with some CRAZY blonde hair & black roots, smudged red lipstick that was more on her teeth &painted on black eyebrows had us all in stitches. She was going for the bad Girl look but was more Courtney Love after MTV VMA throw down. When she wasn't able to get tickets I just knew she'd start throwing a heel or a compact at someone! W-KTU was driving around the block every 2 minutes & throwing out hard candy at everyone. The girls driving decided to take pics of us when I decided to start letting my booty get low. Then they sped away cutting off all the drivers in their way. Then, we didn't see C-Lo or the KTU girls for a while & I was just sure I'd hear Sade Baderwinwa say this headline 'Transexual ran over by KTU drivers in a drunken rage at a Madonna concert.... news at 11.'
Finally, we were about to be in. I told everyone since I was in front that there was no turing around. I was on a mission. Get as close to the stage as possible & just make sure you keep up. I found myself behind some BIG lesbian who was about to eat us all with her anger & before you knew it we were all packed in like sardines. This was a little after 8pm & we still had 2 hrs to go! For the celeb sightings I have to quote Vadim because honestly he said it best:
Oh my, all the celebs we saw:
Spotted: Fran Drescher wearing her American Life beret -- who started furiously texting her friend about how upset she was when all the attention to her evaporated when Rosie O'Donnell took her seat.
Then there was Richie RIch and Trevor Rains, one half of which looked cute, while the other looked kind of busted. I'll let you figure out which half was which. NICK'S Response: RR
Then there was Zac Posen near Fran. It certainly didn't take him long to let his drunkenness come through. Of course, all is forgiven since he is cute. NICK's Response: Scott has found his life partner so we need to set this up asapenis.
Then there was the design team from Proenza Schouler (whom you guys may now know), but they are the two cutest designers in all of the fashion industry. Just as cute in person as in photos.
Let's not forget Liz Rosenberg walking around in her very special loopy headgear. I have nothing more to say about her antennas!
Then there was "Lourdes" who was wearing way more makeup than usual and dancing up a storm. (And did anyone notice how the females in "Music" looked like were mini-Lourdeses?
Of course, we cannot forget "Courtney Love!" From the moment we saw her, we knew she was up to something. And she sure was! The taxi, the paps, the police. You KNOW the drunk-driving KTU girls totally ran C-Love over!
Now to be biggest celeb of all. Right after 10, the dj finally stopped his mixing of songs that would last 2 minutes then run into another. Where he was standing started to turn around & we saw M sitting in a Queen like pose on a chair fit for a King! The beginning of Candy Shop blared. All the fans cheering overwhelmed the music almost. I could see nothing but hands & camera's in the air. She began to dance & I couldn't take my eyes off her. Next was another track from the new album 'Miles Away'. During this she took a guitar & sat on a chair & strummed away. I think this is one of the best tracks on the album & I hope it's a single. Next, we got served some special ferociousness in the form of 4 minutes, complete with Justin Timberlake popping out. Damn is he handsome. Mind you, I've thought this anyway but after seeing him in the flesh it's even more juicy. I managed to squeeze in a few pics on my phone & unfortunately I can not figure out how to email these to myself so I just have them on my phone. Once this was over, M talked to us all & even showed some love to all of us that waited for hours & hours & said the next song was dedicated to us because she hates....to wait. Rocking out with a new rock version of Hung Up, M showed why she was inducted into the Hall of Hame. The woman is a bona-fide performer & all out star. Her dancing during Give It 2 Me(the next single) had me mesmerized because all I kept thinking was 'This woman is 20 yrs older then me & you would NEVER know it by looking at her.' I was originally close to the stage to begin with but when she had come closer to the front I felt myself being pushed so close that by the time she did 'Music', the show's closer, I was about 10 feet away. Everyone was so close to each other I had sweat on me from about 10 different people. Everyone wanting what we had all waiting in line for. A piece of Madonna.
Even as I watch the show from MSN I get giddy again. I may have gotten a cold from all of this but for once in my life I can absolutely say it was worth it. I will most definitely be getting tickets for when she tours later this year. The only thing is......now that I've gotten so close to her I feel it would be a tragedy to not be as close in the future. Whatever M's Candy Store plans on selling you can guarantee the Madonna Prayer Group & I will try to be first in line. Ok, maybe not with the homeless lesbians who sat there for days but we definitely won't be far behind..... considering my slinky ways to get through the crowd. I just have one of my teachers to thank for that, Madonna.
Here's the link to the actual show on MSN. Watching it I managed to see Scott & I. After more views, I'm sure I'll see more.
http://music.msn.com/madonna?GT1=28000&silentchk=1&
Here's another link on a blog that has Scott, Mickey & a few other people we came to know while being in line. Scott is the one with the drink in hand. Once again, Zac Posen..... this is your Future Lover.
http://madonnadownload.com/new_news_043008_1.html
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