i know i usually write about music or post music videos, etc etc but as of late ive had this one track mind…and that leads me to (500) days of summer. rarely have i been this excited about a movie premiere (the last movie i was really excited about was Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist) but for some reason (500) Days of Summer has become the only thing i REALLY care about watching.  lets just say that i’ve become so obsessed with the movie that ive watched every interview, read every article, made my own playlist from the soundtrack, and watched the trailers an infinite amount of times; yes i know, insane.

i absolutely love love love the trailers for this movie, particularly the international trailer that i posted above.  its so heartbreaking and funny at the same time. I CANNOT WAIT. july 17th. go see it. “i dont want to get over her, i want to get her back.”

so in hopes of getting other people just as interested, i’ve decided to post a few of my favorite interviews from Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon Levitt (who i have officially decided are two of my favorite actors right now). 

Zooey and JGL re: music – i think Zooey sums it up best when she says “nothing can make you feel something as quickly as music can”

Zooey and JGL re: Los Angeles- “tom waits says he wont feel good about a song until he hears it in the car”

and for the music:

Music From The Film

….let’s take a minute to remember [t.i.] with a little help from mary j. blige.

here’s to hoping that t.i. is okay and that when he gets out of prison he’ll do another fantastic interview with chelsea handler.

its almost the weekend (i mean wednesday, come on close enough!) so dance your pants off…or as miley cyrus says dance till the dance floor falls apart! because if only everybody could dance as unabashedly as the little boy in that video (granted, these videos are probably going to haunt him for the rest of his life) i really believe everybody would be that much happier…::wiggle wiggle::  but to get you in the mood for a wonderful SUNNY weekend just dance, it’ll be okay, doo doo do da di dance (ironic that a song called just dance features very little dancing isn’t it?)  here are some of my all-time fav dance videos…if ive left any of your favorites out let me know! i always LOVEEEEEEE to see new music videos with dancing .

michael jackson- smooth criminal.

mya- case of the ex. but i also really like my love is like wo

usher- you remind me.

chris brown- run it. when chris brown wasn’t even 16…didn’t beat women…and was making a name for himself as a kick-ass dancer.

justin timberlake- rock your body.

omarion- touch.

ciara- goodies. pre-love sex magic semi-dancing ciara.

nsync- pop. ps. check out wade robson filling in for joey fatone.

britney spears- im a slave 4 u. pre-crazy brit brit.

beyonce- get me bodied.

ginuwine- what’s so different.

pcd- buttons. i cant actually tell if this is much of a dancing video…all i know is it’s really hot and they have that breakdown section where they dance.

Awhile ago I was jocking Chester French and I must say that the more I follow them, the more I love them. Their first album came out on April 21st and prior to the drop they emailed everybody on their mailing list a link to dl their mixtape with Clinton Sparks called Jacques Jams, Vol 1: Endurance. First of all, the fact that being on a mailing list means something more than just shameless plugs for tours is nothing short of amazing.  Instead of just briefly skimming through dates, I’ve grown to look forward to these emails that are always chock full of musical goodness (whether it be in the form of free shows or free music).   Second, the mixtape was incredible, definitely worth the FREE dl and a great way to get anybody (even non-fans) to buy the actual album.  I love when bands actually interact with their fanbase and are appreciative of the support that fans are giving them; the mutual respect bodes well for long term success (even if it isn’t an incredible amount of success…there definitely is a sense of longevity associated with bands that communicate with fans).

But more about the music and less about the band.  While most of the tracks on the mixtape are tracks from Love the Future, the tracks that were left off: Nerd Girl ft Janelle Monae and Life In LA ft Pharrell, are in my opinion two of the better tracks and definitely deserve a place on the actual release.  while the mixtape boasts some impressive collaborations ie Pharrell, Common, Janelle Monae, Jadakiss, Diddy, the actual album features no collaborations and yet is suprisingly still a worthy listen; definitely a feat considering that most albums (and artists) these days utilize impressive collabs as a launchpad for success. instead, the witty lyrics and a good mix of that Pharrell rock/hip hop feel with that classical approach most bands are layering into their music these days (definitely for the better i might add) make for an enjoyable listen.  However, while the album as a whole hinges on its amazingly catchy hooks, the interludes seem a bit pretentious (REALLY? a whole track in portugese….that i do happen to enjoy) and I could really do without them; particularly the country interlude…and beneath the veil…maybe country just isnt my cup of tea.  overall im thoroughly impressed and am sure you will be too if you give these guys a shot (i definitely want to make it out to their show at the El Rey on May 26th).

despite all the hype for she loves everybody i think that the best tracks on the album are c’mon (on my own) and bebe buell (particularly because i think its funny that they cite Kanye’s Drunk and Hot Girls).  check it out via their myspace playlist or just buy the album.

ps. apparently if you say tweet da wallach and say you dont like the band, he’ll try to change your mind…

ciara’s new album came out a couple days ago, 5/5/09, and in her very short career, she has already had a series of hits…and flops, causing for her to sort of fall off the radar.  so! the largest question for me has really been is love, sex, and magic going to be her only hit?

at first glance, the album looks promising.  with a series of high-profile collabs ie ludacris, justin timberlake, chris brown, young jeezy, the dream, missy elliott, these are the artists these days that are making it big, helping new people get recognized (mainly keri hilson), resurrecting old careers (mariah carey and the dream), and basically producing every hit that comes out these days (rehab for rihanna by jt).  even the producers on this album are decent….so all in all it looks promising!

but looks can sometimes be deceiving.  it seems that all these stars have given their best hits to everybody else.  i mean sure there are a couple catchy songs, but for the most part everything sounds…a little dated, without the best hook;  and lets face it, hooks are what make hits.  its not even that ciara can’t sing, dance, or is unattractive, in fact, i think ciara bests rihanna in all three of these categories.  but when you look at song choice and entourage choice, rihanna’s got it in the bag…she knows how to pick hits.  in ciara’s corner you used to have timbaland, missy elliott, and jazze phe…..rihanna has jay-z, kanye, pharell, ne-yo…and had chris brown (before he beat her up).  hands down rihanna has a power house and i can’t see her disappearing anytime soon (as much as i wish she would).

overall, the tracks are decent and get better with each listen. go here to listen to the full album on imeem.  and is it just me or does work ft missy elliott sound just like another song ciara did? but tracks i like…pucker up, i don’t remember, turntables.

and just for good measure: ciara – 1, 2 step

after a long hiatus, ive decided to make a comeback (sort of like the reemergence of boy bands).  so let’s kick it off with a best of boy bands list and the music videos that made you (and me) swoon. ps before we get started with some of my favorite 20…im judging boy bands not off of style of music, but off the fact that none of them actually…are a band with instruments of any sort.

1. the backstreet boys. i will always love the backstreet boys more than n*sync despite my intense love for justin timberlake. before i loved justin and his smooth dancing ways, i was in love with aj mclean, brian littrell, and nick carter (howie and kevin i’m sorry, i searched for some sort of apprecation for you, but none was found. try again next time).

backstreet boys- all i have to give.

2. nsync. justin timberlake marry me please (even after my long hiatus, my blog brings in a large number of hits thanks to justin timberlake. people search for images of him as if he’s a relative). the rest of the group…..jc, i had a little love for you, but your solo career killed you. all of you could sort of dance (minus joey fatone who had wade robson fill in for him during a video shoot) and you had good poppy songs…too bad justin was too big for the group and went solo (and lance wanted to be an astronaut).

nsync- girlfriend ft nelly. welcome to the beginning of justin’s solo career.

3. 98 degrees. pre-jessica simpson (the newlyweds…and divorce) two brothers and two other guys came together and made 98 degrees…all were really buff…except justin.  and for the longest time i only knew nick, jeff, and drew and the other guy. but what i loved about these guys was that they could actually sing and harmonize (and they were hot). and drew lachey proved that he can dance too (dwts!)

98 degrees- i do (cherish you). brought to you by screech powers and ali landry.

for more awesome boy bands…

4. lfo. not a great boy band at all. but how can i make a list of boy bands and not include the goodness that is lfo and how much they love girls that wear abercrombie and fitch (and jennifer love hewitt).

lfo- summer girls.

5. soul for real- candy rain.

6. new edition- im still in love with you.

7. 112- cupid.

8. boyz II men- water runs dry.

9. new kids on the block- the right stuff. because you cant list boy bands without listing the one that made lfo famous (new kids on the block had a bunch of hits, chinese food makes me sick)

10. 51ve- when the lights go out.

11. the wonders- that thing you do. even if they were a made for movie band i still loved them and their record on playtone records.

12. b2k- bump bump bump. omarion pre-fame. ps. how lame does diddy look in this video when he’s checking out the picture of the girl on the phone?

13. immature- never lie. marques houston (you know…roger from sister, sister) and the boys with crazy ridic hair.

14. jackson five- i want you back. michael jackson was once cute and black (and not a pedophile).

15. westlife- swear it again.

16. o-town- all or nothing. the original group from Making the Band…pre- danity kane, day 26, donnie klang, and da band.

17. soul decision- ooh it’s kind of crazy… i cant find a version to embed so…oh soul decision and trl.

18. bbmak-back here.

19. the beach boys- dont worry baby.

20. next- too close

please. im not katy perry; i’m talking about gavin degraw.  back with his third studio album, Free, gavin’s back with the same sappy pop stuff that we’re used to from him.  while his sophomore album may have been a flop…except that one hit in love with a girl (yes kristin cavallari from laguna beach is in the video), this third album might not be as well written as his first, but shows definite growth in musical quality and refinement.  what i love about this album is that sort of stripped down acoustic feel of things (without being acoustic) that reminds me of John Mayer (his classmate at the Berklee College of Music) mixed with James Morrison.  hopefully this album has some big hits for gavin degraw because I definitely feel as if he doesnt get the recognition he deserves; he’s a talented vocalist and lyricist with a knack for phrasing that evokes such emotion and warmth.

for the actual music…

in love with a girl (off of gavin degraw)…and this is an acoustic version that’s really good

follow through (off of chariot)….the acoustic version

stay (off of free) (this isn’t an actual video since there isnt one yet, but its one of my favorite songs of the new album)…he also kind of looks like keifer sutherland now that he’s not wearing a hat and his hair is cut.

T.I. was sentenced to a year and a day of prison today for posession of weapons but i still love him (kind of like my love for chris brown).

so lets do it…reasons why I love T.I. and can’t wait for him to get out of prison with new material (and let’s pray that nothing happens to him while he’s in jail).

1. TI is one of the few rappers that I can actually understand while he’s talking (and he’s smart and funny)…I love his interviews with Chelsea Handler of Chelsea Lately.  and i really like at around 4:45 when he says “you lie”

2. Dope Boyz was one of his first videos (but was never released). you can kind of tell why it wasn’t released, but it’s still t.i. and came out before jay-z’s song also entitled dope boyz.

but I’m Serious was actually his first single…

3. when that douche ashton kutcher punk’d him…he was kind of cool about it…and he’s smart!  “it’s a bullet, but it ain’t mine!”

4. he works with justin timberlake.  enough said.  i love jt. i love t.i. (and the way he smirks when he raps).

5. and he can act …atl, american gangster, entourage, the oc…

and a bonus…number 6. he’s rocks every single song he’s featured on. please see the following.

destiny’s child- soldier

t.i. ft rihanna- live your life.…t.i. managed to take one of the most ridiculous songs and make it a hit. ps rihanna looks hot in this performance

r.kelly ft t.i.- i’m a flirt

and of course…whatever you like…”i want your body, i need your body, long as you got me you won’t need nobody”

u don’t know

bring em out

i’ve been awol for a bit these past few weeks and have driven (personally and by others) 2700+ miles in the past two weeks…which is insane and tiring.  as a result im sick, sore, and tired but there are some amazingly hot videos that premiered recently and i’d like to share!

keri hilson ft kanye west & ne-yo- knock you down. keri hilson’s new album is fantastic!! love the song, particularly ne-yo’s part, and love kanye and keri.

keri hilson- turnin me on. two keri hilson video’s for the price of one! i love this video and i love that she dances.

ciara ft justin timberlake- love sex & magic. i would lick jt’s ear  too…but that is probably tmi.  definitely a hot video but i wish they both danced in it…because we all know they can both dance. (but…what is ciara wearing in this video…besides not much)

asher roth- lark on my go-kart. LOVE the throw back to saved by the bell in the beginning

britney spears- if u seek amy. i’m a much bigger fan of circus but this is definitely an interesting video (and the song is good too).

pussycat dolls- jai ho. not the biggest fan of the video, but i do like that they can dance and they always look hot in their videos.

coldplay-life in technicolor II.

march madness starts tomorrow and for once my bears are dancing!!!

make sure you fill out those brackets or just watch the games, there are going to be some amazing games, upsets, etc etc!

AND AND AND BECAUSE CAL IS IN IT THIS YEAR, here are some articles…

JEROME RANDLE- ps. if randle had left, i would’ve cried. (my bracket is titled “jerome randle is my hero”)
EVERYBODY LOVES MONTY- monty has been god. we have almost exactly the same roster as last year plus a few newbies…but ben braun wouldn’t have been able to do this for us.  too bad jordan wilkes doesn’t want to stay his last year of eligiblity because next year we’re going to be freaking fantastic.
OBAMA FILLS OUT HIS BRACKET (barackatology)- sigh…obama has no faith in the pac-10.
FIRST BID SINCE 2006.

sadly…cal’s chances of winning the tourney this year are set at 100-1…but we’re the best 3pt shooting team in the nation