Bit of Christmas Cheer

Even though I rear-ended a car on the way home tonight (some teenager decided that he was going to slam on his breaks to take a drink from his soda while exiting I-75), I have decided that if I might need some cheering up (my front end is cracked and will need to be replaced - and the car isn't even a year old yet!) then some of you might need cheering up too!

Who can be sad with Mickey staring at you so sweetly. Car accident, Greg Page retires (my longest post to date)... just not a good day. Work you magic Mickey, like you always do, my friend.

Be good poppets and I'll talk to you soon.

Greg Page - The Yellow Wiggle - Retires

It is with a bit of sadness that I post about Greg. I know it is a children's show but I love sitting with Sami watching The Wiggles. They are funny and have no problems making fools out of themselves for the educational value of children. It is one of the few shows that is entertaining for both parents and children.

Below is the post from The Official Wiggles Website regarding Greg's decision to stop performing. Thank you for keeping us all in the loop with such detail as we can now properly wish Greg to get well. The website said that this posting is official as of November 30, 2006 - they are ahead of us in time so I guess you could say I am posting the future... and as The Wiggle's would say "Beauty Mate" ~

Greg Page Leaves The Wiggles

30 November, 2006

GREG PAGE LEAVES THE WIGGLES

[Greg's Video Message](tip: click on the video file, which will open in a new window, to commence download before reading the article due to video file size being 14MB)

Thursday November 30

The Wiggles have sadly announced today that Greg Page, also known as the Yellow Wiggle, is unable to continue performing with The Wiggles due to a chronic condition and has reached the decision to leave the group.

Greg has been suffering symptoms for many months, affecting his ability to perform. The condition is related to blood pressure and while in no way life threatening it affects his balance, breathing and coordination at unpredictable times and with varying severity. Greg has discovered he is genetically predisposed to this condition and that he now needs to focus on managing his health.

Greg is a founding member of The Wiggles and has devoted 15 years to the group. The whole band, crew, and all Wiggles staff, have expressed their sadness and their wishes for Greg to overcome his health problems.

The Wiggles this year have continued their worldwide success, just completing a tour of the US, and have announced Greg’s replacement with his understudy Sam Moran to ensure the continued future of one of Australia’s most successful entertainment troupes.

“This emotional decision was one which was very difficult, as I have dedicated almost half my life to the Wiggles, and with a question mark over my health, I feel that this is the right decision. I will miss The Wiggles and the other guys very much, as well as seeing all the children in the audiences that we perform in front of. I wish the guys continued success, and welcome Sam Moran with open arms to the Yellow Skivvy – I know he is a great performer, and is well equipped to be the Yellow Wiggle,” Greg said.

Sam has been performing with The Wiggles for the past nine years and as understudy has performed over 150 shows as the Yellow Wiggle. Educated at the Conservatorium of Music, Sam has been a Wiggly dancer, Wiggly band member and will be a wonderful addition to the group.

Murray Cook (Red Wiggle) said, “I know I speak for all The Wiggles and our staff in expressing our sadness at Greg’s leaving. The four of us started from humble beginnings 15 years ago and we’ve been through many adventures together. We will miss Greg as a superb singer, performer and songwriter but mostly we’ll miss him on the road as a friend and ally. We wish him well in dealing with his illness and in future.”

“We welcome Sam in his place in the Wiggles. We know first hand that he is an extremely talented performer and is already well-loved by our Wiggly audience”.

The Wiggles will continue to tour the world, record and film new DVDs with Sam Moran as the new Yellow Wiggle.

For further information, please contact:

Dianna O’Neill Publicity

Phone 02 9337 2288

Mobile 0418 468 148

Email dioneill@ozemail.com.au

MEDICAL CONDITION BACKGROUND

Greg Page is afflicted with a condition known as orthostatic intolerance. Put simply, it means that when Greg stands up, his heart does not compensate for the change in posture by pumping more blood around his body for it to function properly. A similar problem occurs when there is a change in the environment such as a warm room or hot weather.

This condition is causing problems with his walking, balance, speech and coordination. It relates to the proper functioning of the autonomic nervous system, which is the way the human body regulates things we don’t consciously have to think about such as heart beat and temperature regulation.

As many as 30,000 people in Australia suffer orthostatic intolerance at varying levels of severity. The condition is notoriously difficult to diagnose. Greg is currently suffering a severe and chronic case but episodes, specialists now believe, date back some 12 years. At that time, testing was inconclusive, because the symptoms were mild to moderate, sporadic, and could have been attributed to a number of causes. All major organs in his body were functioning properly, so there was no further testing done. It is possible that his most recent bouts of illness with two hernias (prior to Oct 05) brought on the orthostatic intolerance with increased severity.

There is no diagnosis of the cause for this condition in Greg’s case yet. It is clear, from extensive testing, that his heart is perfect and functioning normally, however his brain is not communicating properly with his heart and, from time to time, in unpredictable circumstances, results in the onset of symptoms.

Greg is still seeking further prognosis and advice on how to manage his condition from specialists. Although it is not life threatening, it is also not likely to be cured so will require careful management to keep it under control. Stepping back from the very strenuous live performance demands of being part of the Wiggles is now his only option.

“Although orthostatic intolerance is not uncommon in the world population, its symptoms can be mild enough to remain undetected or extremely difficult to diagnose, or it can be dormant for a long time and brought on spontaneously by a trigger, sometimes something seemingly trivial, as it seems likely could be in Greg’s case, or it could be the two hernias that he had last year.”

“Then the symptoms can become chronic and incapacitate normally healthy active people to an enormous, and highly unpredictable, degree. Greg is fortunate he is not at the fully disabled extreme of the condition, but he is currently suffering a level of the condition that requires considerable further assessment and development of a plan to manage the condition, as it is not likely to be cured, but we expect we can minimise the impact on his life in the future,” said Associate Professor John Watson, Neurologist.

Orthostatic intolerance

The symptoms for this condition may include the following:

• Excessive Fatigue

• Exercise Intolerance

• Nausea

• Tachycardia

• Palpitations

• Tremulousness

• Weakness - most noticeable in the legs

• Chest Discomfort

• Shortness of Breath

• Migraines and Other Headaches

• Gastrointestinal Problems

27 Days Til Christmas!!

I know there are "12 Days of Christmas" but I have way more Christmas themed wallpaper than that to share!! I thought I would start the season off with a view of Belle's Castle in Disneyland Paris. It just makes you think of how magical it would be live in such a beautiful place...

Thanksgiving Weekend

So my brother comes down every year for Thanksgiving, as you have been hearing. This year he came down and stayed until this morning - which is odd since he usually leaves on Saturday morning. All in all, it was a nice visit.

He came down Thursday and arrived alittle before noon. This means that I did not get to see Santa come down Broadway so if anyone was able to watch the end of the parade, will you please tell me which Santa we had this year!! I missed it - though I tried to hide my disappointment. Three hours and forty-five minutes dedicated to the parade viewing and I missed the finale!!

We moved supper to later in the evening so we had snacks around noon. So we sat around and ate junk, basically, while we caught up. Come to find out they all came down carrying a cold with them! Needless to say I am not real happy since I have two little people who will probably be ill within the next two weeks... but hey, you can't be mad at family just because they have colds.

That night we all ate a nice Thanksgiving dinner that my mom made - it was fabulous. Later we had pie and vegitated for the rest of the night. I had to sleep in Sami's room since my brother and s-i-l had my room. It was odd not being able to sit here in my pjs and post the daily events. Plus, the bed in Sami's room isn't that comfortable and she has a habit of waking up, seeing me and singing the "Mama" song. Granted, it is the cutest thing ever but not so much at 3 a.m.!

Friday, we all get up and head out to Walt Disney World - of course! I took them to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Dave told me something that I thought was funny. He said "Do you remember how you used to run around and tell all your friends that your brother was a cop? I go around now and tell everyone my baby sister works for Disney!". I had to giggle at that... along with tons of thank yous he kept saying. He hadn't been since we were kids, literally kids. I think the last trip we made was about twenty years ago!! We got home kinda late, had supper and all toddled off to bed.

Saturday we were supposed to go to The Art Institute of Tampa where my neice, Amanda, wants to go to school for culinary arts. Dani and I were going to tag along so we could see the Art college (literal art since she is a fabulous artist) but she wigged out at the last minute. She decided that it was too scary and she didn't want to go. Since she wasn't going I wasn't going to leave Mom home with both the girls considering I drug her all over Disney creation yesterday. Dad went with them and we decorated the house for Christmas. It was fun. After we finished and had lunch, Dani and I went out to Michael's and then Books A Million for a Peppermint Bark Mocha and light reading. She loves going to get Manga books so she can get inspiration and half the time she ends up getting a "How To Draw Manga" book... there are like 40 in the series. She saves up her allowance for them and at least once a month we toddle over for her latest installment. I got plain bags to decorate for my Christmas gifts I am handing out to my cast. I've been drawing the Mickey Ornament on them and writing "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" in red and green. I really like how they are turning out. I have completed 8 and have 22 left to go!

Like I said earlier, they went home today. Once they left, around 8 a.m., we commenced to cleaning up everything. All sheets, towels and clothes came down for washing and Mom & Daddy went out for their traditional Sunday morning breakfast. While they were gone Dani and I pulled the leaf out of the table and cleaned up for Mom. I then came up here, uploaded my pictures, checked my email and ran out of time for blogging - hence the late message tonight. I did manage to find time to check out my favorite sites and then take care of the three S's before running out the door to DRC.

All in all, it was nice... but it is also nice to be back to normal. Now, I am gonig to go and curl up in my nice comfortable bed and get some sleep. Hopefully I won't wake up several times over the course of the night to use my inhaler or tell Sami to go back to sleep... we'll see.

Be good poppets and I'll see you soon!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I wish everyone

a wonderful holiday

with their family and friends!

High Fidelity

Below is a posting I just found about High Fidelity, one of the Top 5 greatest John Cusack films of all time. For those of you who got that last bit - rock on - for those of you who did not - read on... but first let me say that I am not sure how this is going to pan out as a Broadway show. Don't get me wrong - love the show and love Broadway but still, this isn't really set up to be done as a musical production. Stage production, possibly but not a musical. I found this article and thought it was worth a posting...

By Andrew Gans and Ernio Hernandez for Playbill.com
Will Chase, who was on Broadway this past season in the short-lived Lennon, will head the cast of the new Broadway-bound musical High Fidelity.

Chase, according to press notes, has been cast in the role of Rob, the "record store owner who knows almost everything about pop music, but almost nothing about how to hang on to a girl."
Additional casting for the romantic comedy, which is based on Nick Hornby's novel, will be announced at a later date.

Will Chase has starred on Broadway in Lennon, The Full Monty, Aida, Rent and Miss Saigon. His regional credits include roles in Assassins, Mame, Electra, Son of Fire, You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow and Trask & Fenn. He was also part of the star-studded concert version of The Secret Garden.

*
As previously announced, High Fidelity will play a pre-Broadway engagement in Boston before landing on Broadway in fall 2006.

Walter Bobbie (Chicago, Sweet Charity, White Christmas) will direct the new Tom Kitt, Amanda Green and David Lindsay-Abaire musical take on the Nick Hornby novel, which was also a film. Jeffrey Seller, Robyn Goodman, Kevin McCollum — the team behind the 2004 Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q — will produce the new work.

High Fidelity follows the story of a record store owner (and constant Top 5-listmaker) who — when things in his current relationship go sour — revisits his former relationships to find where he went wrong.

The 2000 film reset the Hornby story in Chicago (rather than England) and starred John Cusack, Jack Black, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lisa Bonet, Tim Robbins and Lili Taylor. The musical will be set in New York.

Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole, Kimberly Akimbo, Fuddy Meers) will pen the book with music by composer Tom Kitt (Laugh Whore, Debbie Does Dallas) and lyricist Amanda Green (For the Love of Tiffany, Up The Creek Without A Paddle ).

The world premiere pre-Broadway production will play an out-of-town tryout engagement, Sept. 26-Oct. 22 at the Colonial Theatre as part of the Broadway Across America – Boston series. The show will then begin previews on Broadway in late November and open in early December at a theatre to be announced.

"The wit, humor and humanity of Nick Hornby's characters and story naturally lends itself to musical treatment," according to songwriters Kitt and Green. "It is a socially acute contemporary love story about people who are obsessed with, and define themselves by pop music and culture. The hero's life is a soundtrack and the big moments are songs."
Christopher Gattelli (Altar Boyz) will choreograph the musical. The design team for High Fidelity features Anna Louizos (set), Theresa Squire (costumes), Ken Billington (lighting) and Acme Sound Partners (sound).

Tickets for High Fidelity at the Colonial Theatre, 106 Boylston Street (near Tremont Street) in Boston, MA are available through Broadway Across America - Boston at (866) 523-7469. For more information, visit the website www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.

Click Here to Buy Tickets to This Show -->

Forgot the Update..

Forgot to update you on the whole ran to Doctor's thing on Thursday... yeah, allergy induced asthma is apparently what I have... going to have a Pulmonary Function Test done on the 30th and I can't take my medicine before I go in... not fun. He put me on Allegra, Tussin (expensive cough syrup) and refilled my Albuterol Inhaler .

Doesn't all this sound like fun? Wait until you read all about the PFT test that I get to take... you'll wish you were me! So much for my Year of a Million Dreams.

Heart Attack Grill

This is a real restaurant in SW Arizona!! It sounds so funny I am going to have to plan a time to run over there for supper - not that it is anywhere close to me but there are somethings that you just have to do in life... one would be to visit this place for the sheer fun of it.

The "nurses" will even wheel you out to your car if you've eaten too much.. the best part is that Arizona State Board of Nursing is threatening a lawsuit against them!! Get over it - go check out the Heart Attack Grill website and have a good giggle... and be sure to thank them for the wallpapers I put up for y'all.

Be good poppets until I come back.

Cookie

We made our first batch of Christmas cookies, chocolate chip of course! Mom made the batter, Dani and I decorated, Sami and Daddy were the official tasters of each batch. We told Sami that if she said the word "cookie" she could have one... she has now mastered the word and it's all I've heard all day long! Too cute to say no to, so guess who has been eating cookies all day long!?!

Mom-E & Dani Date Night

Before Sam came along Dani and I had all the time in the world to do whatever we wanted - and we usually did. When I found out that we would be adding the precious little monster, I decided to have Mom-E & Dani Date Night. It occurs every Friday and it is just time alone where Dani and I can sit and reconnect. When Sami get's older, she and I will have our own special Date Night but for right now she is content babysitting Nana and PopPop.

Normally we go to the bookstore or walk around the mall or curl and watch a movie that she picks... lately we have been watching Ghost Whisperer - really great show!

Today is a completely different ordeal all together!! In the next hour, I am going to run up to her school and surprise her by taking her out. Then, we are going to go and play at DisneyQuest and I have tickets to tonight's 6 p.m. performance of Cirque du Soleil: La Nouba... I've only taken one time before Sami was born... it was around this time actually... and she loved it and has been begging to go back. I got a set of tickets Wednesday night and didn't tell her. She will be so surprised - I can't wait!!

Disney Shopping Pt 2

When I created the post they were all lined up pretty and it looked great... something happened in the upload... must contact HTML guru, MK, and ask why it blew up... oh well - my apologies for the ugliness of post below.

Disney Shopping

Okay, so I need to jet off to work but I wanted to pass on some savings to everyone... tis the season of giving right? So, if you go to DisneyShopping.com I have a couple coupons you can use... just click and go!

Thank you, DisneyShopping.com! Don't forget to read the small print below...

To redeem your 20%, 30% or 40% Off Promotion, just follow these simple steps:
Place one or more eligible items in your Shopping Cart.
Type the Promotion Code GOOFY20, GOOFY30 or GOOFY40 into the Special Offers and Discounts field, then click Submit.
The 20%, 30% or 40% Off Promotion will automatically be applied, if eligible.
Continue Shopping or Begin Checkout.
NOTE: If you will be using more than one Promotion Code, remember to click Submit after you enter each one.
20%, 30% and 40% Off Goofy Coupons Promotion Restrictions: * Offer expires 11:59 pm PT, November 15, 2006 or while supplies last, whichever is earlier. Valid only on select Holiday Décor, select Electronics, select Toys & Games, select Collectibles, select Clothes & Accessories and select For the Home merchandise. Cannot be combined on a single item. Offer excludes Shipping & Handling charges, gift cards, animation art, Walt Disney Classics Collection, Pins, DVDs, videos, CDs and cassettes, video games, CD-ROMs, You-Design-It merchandise, Disney Couture, Watches, Run Disney Marathon Collection, books, sing-alongs, read-alongs, pre-sales, gift wrap and gift boxes and items not in stock. No adjustments to prior purchases. Merchandise must be exchanged for identical item or returned at discounted price with valid packing slip. Offer valid only on orders placed online at DisneyShopping.com. Not valid on phone orders or purchases from DisneyOutlet.com, Disney Store outlet or retail locations. Promotion Code may not be redeemed for cash. Promotion Code may not be sold, altered, duplicated or copied and will not be replaced if lost, stolen or corrupted. Use of Promotion Code is acceptance of its terms. This offer may be canceled or modified at any time due to system error, fraud or other unforeseen problem. Void where prohibited.
© Disney. All Rights Reserved.

TIME's Top 100 for 2006

Thanks to TIME, for the art and info... just thought I would share who they feel are the Top 100 People for 2006. I have to say, I don't agree with all of them (heck, some I haven't even heard of before) but who does, right.

ILLUSTRATION FOR TIME BY EDEL RODRIGUEZ

Artists & Entertainers

This diverse galaxy of influential stars has won fans and spawned imitators around the globe
J.J. Abrams
George Clooney
Dixie Chicks
Ellen DeGeneres
Nicolas Ghesquiere
Wayne Gould
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Arianna Huffington
Ang Lee
Renzo Piano
Rain
Rachael Ray
Jeff Skoll
Kiki Smith
Will Smith
Zadie Smith
Howard Stern
Meryl Streep
Reese Witherspoon
Rob Pardo
Daddy Yankee
Tyra Banks
Dane Cook
Matt Drudge
Stephen Colbert


Scientists & Thinkers

Whether by harnessing the power of the Internet or probing the mysteries of the mind, they have come up with the big ideas of our time
Mike Brown
Kelly Brownell
Nancy Cox
Richard Davidson
Kerry Emanuel
Jim Hansen
Zahi Hawass
Bill James
John Jones
Ma Jun
Jim Yong Kim
Steven Levitt
Jacques Rossouw
Andrew von Eschenbach
Jimmy Wales
Geoffrey West


Leaders & Revolutionaries

Dictators, democrats, holy men (and a TV host)—these are the people with the clout and power to change our world
Muqtada al-Sadr
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
Hugo Chavez
George W. Bush
John McCain
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Ayman al-Zawahiri
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Pope Benedict
Condoleezza Rice
Wen Jiabao
Ehud Olmert
Pervez Musharraf
John Roberts
Ismail Haniya
Angela Merkel
Jigme Singye Wangchuk
Archbishop Peter Akinola
Junichiro Koizumi
Oprah Winfrey
Bill & Melinda Gates


Heroes & Pioneers

Meet some global icons—actors, politicians, athletes, entertainers and others—who are using their influence to do the right thing
Bono
Michelle Wie
Wynton Marsalis
Angelina Jolie
Bill Clinton & George H.W. Bush
Steve Nash
Orhan Pamuk
Elie Wiesel
Jan Egeland
Joey Cheek
Chen Guangcheng
Ian Fishback
Wafa Sultan
Pernessa Seele
Ralph Lauren
Mukhtaran Bibi
Paul Simon
Al Gore
Katie Couric


Builders & Titans

Innovation, grand plans, style and substance—that's what it takes to be influential in the world of business
Vikram Akula
Tom Anderson & Chris DeWolfe
Franz Beckenbauer
The Flickr Founders
Sean Combs
Jamie Dimon
Brian France
Tom Freston
Huang Guangyu
Omid Kordestani
Eddie Lampert
Patricia Russo
Sheikh Mohammed
Anne Mulcahy
Nandan Nilekani
Jim Sinegal
Steve Wynn
The Skype Guys
Dieter Zetsche

Stupid Humor for Hump Day

What do you get if you cross the Lone Ranger with an insect?


The Masked-quito!

Good Pedigree

The lil' Columbia, Maryland Yuppette was shopping in an upscale pet center. "I want a dog of which I can be proud," she told the salesman. "Does that one have a good pedigree?"

"Miss," declared the clerk, "if she could speak, she wouldn't talk to either one of us."

Have a happy Hump Day... today is actually my Friday - woo hoo!! Sometimes we all just need a little stupid humor to make it through the day. Much love and be good poppets while I'm gone!

M-I-C... See Ya Real Soon...

K-E-Y... Why? Because we like you! M-O-U-S-E!! I love my job... I love my job... forever let me hold my lanyard high, high, high, HIGH! Come along and sing the song and join the DRC. M-I-C-K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E!!

Another exciting day at the DRC today. I had to go to another Leader about one of their cast members.. actually, they came to me and I had to give an honest answer about their behavior. Later on that cast member invaded my personal bubble and hissed to me about ratting them out. Yeah, fun. Does the blue badge mean nothing to you, moron!?!

Then I had to sit with an order taker who needs to be a magic maker. Personality my foot is all I have to say. I actually told this cast member that we work in an "On Stage" area so I suggest that he find a character with a more inviting and personable tone. I also suggested that this one go and get a pixie dust refill. It all feel on deaf ears - can we say "Retrain or Retire".

Met with the DRC Leader and explained my ten year plan. He seemed very excited and supportive. I mapped it all out for him and he gave me some quiet praise. It was nice but I must say that calling our meeting a Meet and Greet was kind of silly since I have met with him on numerous other occassions.

Upside of silly meeting - got to chat with hot reporting guy in the office. Hadn't been able to run into him for a few weeks since our Meet and Greet, which him lasted three and a half hours... yeah, baby. We talked about our kids and just stuff in general. Was kind of hoping he would wander down to my neck of the woods and ask me out - has yet to happen but I do have Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust so we'll see.

I saw a shooting star on the way home tonight! It was the coolest thing and I made my wish - I know it will come true because that is the kind of girl I am.

Love to all and be good poppets until I return... headed to bed now because I could fall over from exhaustion. Remember: It's a bright big beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day!!

Vote for MK {Popbytes}

So I have this guilty little pleasure blog that I read daily, Popbytes. It is wonderfully written by MK. You feel as though you are sitting with him at a corner bistro just, pardon my language, bitch picking people as they walk by - a favorite past-time of mine as y'all know.

Well, MK has been nominated this year in the Verve Weblog Awards!! Twice even!! Though I don't know him personally I can say that he is truly talented and deserves to win. So if everyone could please pop on over and vote for him, that would be fabulous.

The page is here, so just click away and follow the directions. Let's be good poppets and award the great MK as he so richly deserves.

DO NOT READ THIS CRAP!!

I have a Google alert set up for daily doses of Disney posts. Tonight, as I was going through the preview posting, I came across this one. Naturally intrigued about my idol, I hit the link and ventured forth to read... well... swill!! This is complete garbage and massively untrue!! Please, do me and all of us who uphold Disney Tradition and Excellence, do not put money in this man's pockets because his story is completely unfounded and untrue. Thanks United Press International for the heads up on Mr. Gabler's future filth ~

Walt Disney focus of new biography

BURBANK, Calif., Nov. 12 (UPI) -- A new biography about Walt Disney, the creator of Mickey Mouse, is set to offer readers an insight into the iconic U.S. cartoon animator.

Within the more than 800 pages in "Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination" by Neal Gabler, Newsweek says that the biographer details Disney's tumultuous relationships with his employees and wife, while also disproving several rumors about the creator of Disneyland.

The biography reportedly tells the tale of a man who created Mickey Mouse as a symbol of his defiant individuality, yet found himself disinterested in his carton creation after it was mellowed for mass production.

According to "Triumph," despite having fallen into a depression over the corruption of his creations, Disney never stopped trying to offer the best product to his fans.
"We're making corn," he is quoted in the book as saying to an employee. "Let's make it the best we possibly can. We're trying to please people."

Such shocking revelations are nothing new to Gabler, who previously offered intriguing ideas in his best-selling work "An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood," said Newsweek.

About Josh

Text and Images Courtesy of Josh Groban's Official Website... Layout courtesy of P88hBear!

Groban's 'hands on' approach in the creative process of "Awake" is reflected in several Groban penned and produced songs along with musical contributions from Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Dave Matthews, Glen Ballard, Eric Mouquet, John Ondrasik (Five for Fighting) Marius DeVries, David Foster, Imogen Heap and Herbie Hancock.

"Awake's" 13 new songs including the just released first single, "You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)" show the Grammy nominated Groban's tremendous growth as a vocalist, producer and songwriter since he first appeared on the musical landscape.

"I learned from touring that my fans are really open-minded, musical, intelligent people and I feel like they want to come on this new journey with me. The music still sounds like it's coming from my heart and my soul and my voice. That is always the most important thing to me. My goal on "Awake" was to create the music and find the best people to help me create it," commented Groban.

With a lineup of stellar producers including Marius DeVries, Guy Sigsworth, Glen Ballard and David Foster, the album contains songs in Italian, Spanish and of course English. An early stand-out, "February Song" with Josh on keyboards came to the 25-year-old Los Angeles native on a sleepless night. “I wanted to write a song that melodically and lyrically represented the craziness I felt in that moment in the dark dark space. I walked over to the piano and it just came to me in a half hour in the most magical way."

Additionally, Groban recorded a suite of two stunningly haunting songs where he harmonizes with longtime idols Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The first song, the Groban/Dave Mattthews penned "Lullaby" is sung a cappella and the follow up, the South African song, "Weeping" which Josh first heard on a trip to South Africa. "The musical tapestry of the country and their heated history, the honor of meeting Nelson Mandela and visiting schools in Soweto was totally inspiring. And, it was a dream of a lifetime for me to sing with Ladysmith in the studio. I've loved them from the moment I heard Paul Simon's Graceland."

Josh Groban burst on to the international music scene in 2001 with the release of his self-titled debut album featuring the hit single, "To Where You Are." His follow up CD "Closer" with the smash hit "You Raise Me Up" brought enormous success to the young singing sensation. He has made scores of television appearances beginning with Ally McBeal and continuing with countless performances on Oprah Winfrey, Good Morning America, The Today Show, two PBS specials, the Superbowl, the Oscars and the closing ceremonies of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics with an audience of over 2 billion people. His first PBS Special went on to become the No. 1 selling DVD of 2002. On the touring front, Groban started out his now legendary 40-city concert tour (which sold out in a record breaking 20 minutes) and then went straight forward to a two year arena tour across the US. A Josh Groban tour for 2007 is expected to be announced shortly.

Josh Groban - Simply Fabulous

I have been a fan of Josh Groban's ever since I saw his debute on a NYC rooftop during a Christmas special years ago. He is not only precious eye candy, oh no! This man can sing like an angel - makes your toes curl and goosebumps rise. Just close your eyes and he transports you to another plain of existance.

Enjoy!

Where's Katie?!?!

The write up on the TV Guide website stated my fear - Meredith Vieira is hosting the parade this year. I knew it would happen but I held out a bit of hope that Katie would show up. Meredith was at home on The View but she has yet to find her grove on the Today Show just as Katie hasn't really gotten comfortable on the CBS Evening News so I would like to propose a switch! Let's put everything the way it should be... Meredith can do the news since she isn't an early bird and Katie can go back to be cute and bubbly instead of all serious on the evening news. What do you say? Anyway, thanks TV Guide for the write up below:

Meredith Vieira, Matt Lauer and Al Roker anchor coverage of the 80th annual procession in Manhattan, which is slated to feature appearances by Gloria Estefan, Julie Andrews, Barry Manilow, Sarah McLachlan, Hall and Oates, Cheyenne, Ciara, Diana DeGarmo, Chris Brown, Renée Fleming, the Jonas Brothers, Josh Kelley and Darlene Love. Also: character balloons, marching bands, clowns and 33 floats.

Animal Truisms

- I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult?

- If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket then giving Fido only two of them.

- In order to keep a true perspective of one's importance, everyone should have a dog that will worship him and a cat that will ignore him.

- No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as the dog does.

- Outside of a dog, a book is probably man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.

- People that hate cats will come back as mice in their next life.

- Things that upset a terrier may pass virtually unnoticed by a Great Dane.

- Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods. Cats have never forgotten this.

- We wonder why the dogs always drink out of our toilets, but look at it from their point of view: why do humans keep peeing into their water bowls?

- When a man's best friend is his dog, that dog has a problem.

- Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.

Super Dave

Another reason I love this time of year - Super Dave!

This is my older brother - the only sibling that I have - and I only get to see him once a year. Every year he comes home for Thanksgiving with his family (wife Sandy and stepdaughter Amanda) and spends the weekend with us. It used to be that he would come down on Tuesday night and stay until Sunday. As all things do with time, the schedule has changed and unfortunately gotten shorter. They come in now on Thanksgiving Day and go home on Saturday morning.

Where I can understand the need for making the trip shorter and wanting to get home with one day to recoup, it is still sad that our time has been cut to basically two days. With our schedules it is difficult to get together during the year and I really look forward his visit.

When we were little, Dave and I moved a lot. This meant that we had to be our own best friends for months at a time. Like all kids, when we made other friends we generally ignored our siblings or did as normal families and made up the time by fighting. No matter how badly we fought, he was always my big brother... even when I would pick a fight for him, but that is what little sisters are for, right?

So this year, Dave will be here on Thanksgiving afternoon since he has to drive 8 hours to the house and leave on Sunday morning. Our time is packed as well since we will have supper and a nap (Thanksgiving traditions all around the US), Friday I am taking all 8 of us to Disney for the day (even have a real pastry chef to meet with my niece), and Saturday we are all headed off to The Art Institute of Tampa where Amanda is looking into going for college in the culinary arts... Dani wants to go there too for her graphics art degree so it will be interesting.... then Sunday morning they are gone and that afternoon I head back to work.

Where most families think that visits are too long and can't wait for their family to go home... I think that this is too short and wish they would stay. So Super Dave - get your car packed, family buckled in and get your hineys down here already!!

12 Days Left!

There are 12 days left until one of my favorite events of the year happens - Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!! One year I will take the girls to see it live but for now, we will watch it in our comfy clothes piled on the couch. Thanks to About.com for the information on how to view the parade like a seasoned pro!

Event Details, Viewing Locations and Tips, and More

Since 1924, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade® has kicked off the holiday season in New York City. More than 2.5 million people line the streets every year to see giant balloons, floats, marching bands, and waving celebrities (while 44 million more tune in to the NBC TV broadcast).The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade® features more than 10,000 participants, along with fabulous floats and Macy's signature giant helium character balloons. In 2006, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade® is celebrating its 80th anniversary. Macy's is promising new balloons, floats, and other surprises to mark the occasion. You can expect to see Snoopy, Pikachu, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, and many more. Performers will include the Harlem Globetrotters and the New York City Ballet.

See the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade® will start at 9AM on November 23rd, 2006 and end at approximately noon. Planning to view the parade in person this year? Here's what you need to know. Parade Route:The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade® begins at 77th Street and Central Park West. It proceeds to Columbus Circle along Central Park West and turns onto Broadway. The Parade then marches down Broadway and turns west on 34th Street, just past Macy's Herald Square. The parade finishes at 7th Avenue.

Viewing Locations:

From Central Park West: The west side of the street from 70th Street to Columbus Circle and on the east side of the street from 70th to 65th Street.

Columbus Circle: The west side of the street.

Broadway: Between 58th and 38th Streets.

34th Street: The south side of the street between Broadway and 7th Avenue.Keep in mind that here is no public viewing or press access on Broadway from 34th to 38th Street. On 34th Street from Broadway to 7th Avenue, limited viewing is available on the south side of the street only.

Viewing Tips;
Make sure you get there early if you want a good view. The crowd starts to form as early as 6:30AM for a sort of informal pre-parade street party. Stop for donuts and coffee and have breakfast al fresco while you wait. Macy’s advises people to leave folding chairs at home. They become cumbersome when the crowds start filling up the sidewalk. Don’t forget to dress warmly. November in New York gets pretty chilly after a couple of hours outside. Layers are always a good bet.

If you’d rather stay inside, you can watch the parade live on NBC from 9AM to 12 Noon.

Lazy Can Be Good...

I just joined NetFlix and it is really fabulous! I came home from work and there were three movies waiting for me. I watched them when I wanted then just popped them back into the mailbox on my way out the door.

I have about 50 movies in my queue and as soon as the ones I just borrowed (Les Miserable 10 year Anniversary Concert, The Lake House, and Capote) get back home safe and sound they will shoot out my other movies on my list.

I seriously recommend that you sign up and get started.

Capote

Maybe I am not the artsy fartsy kind of gal but I just did not care for this movie at all!! I love Philip Seymour Hoffman and generally enjoy his work but there was something about this movie that I couldn't wrap myself around.

I knew a bit of the backstory so it wasn't a complete shocker when he opened his mouth and it was just so quiet. I knew the premise of his book (although I did not know that he never completed another novel afterwards)... something about this picture just turned me off.

If you like quasi noir intellectual films then you should feel all warm and fuzzy... I guess I just like my films to be warm and fuzzy too!

Had to share...

She's just so darn cute!!

Typical Saturday Morning

Here is a typical Saturday morning in my house... Dani's a pirate...

and Sami's all wet! I'll post more later on tonight when I get a chance... this is actually just a sneak away moment!