Skyscraper

I cannot believe I have waited this long to talk about her.  She gained fame by entering the big Disney world of entertainment, starred in the hit movies "Camp Rock" and "Camp Rock 2" with two hit albums and a big success on "Sonny with a Chance".  But now she is entering a new chapter in her life, starting with the impactful single "Skyscraper" and her new album "Unbroken" on the way.  Yes, Demi Lovato has come back with a bang, and she isn't going anywhere soon. 

I knew about her when she first entered the spotlight on Disney, and while my little sister was a huge fan.  She entered the big time while appearing with the Jonas Brothers in "Camp Rock 1 & 2."  She then moved on to two hit albums titled "Don't Forget" and "Here We Go Again."  She then moved to TV with Sonny with a chance, which seems to have been a huge hit on Disney. 

But then she had to move into another chapter in her life, which was pretty dark, and one that she admits.  I won't go too in depth because I don't think it burdens her anymore, but it is important because I think it is what inspired her to move through the darkness and into the light.  In late October 2010, she dropped out of the Jonas Brothers tour and entered a treatment facility for physical and emotial problems.  Later, she spoke with Robin Roberts saying that her treatment was for bulimia and self-injury.  All things were piling on top of each other until she says she "was performing concerts on an empty stomach...I was losing my voice from purging. I was self-medicating. I was not taking medication for depression, and I literally was so emotionally whacked out..."

After her return to society, she decided not to return to "Sonny" thinking that it would cause the nervousness that led to past problems.  She instead decided to turn to music, which lucky for her and us, is turning out to be a very successful turn.  Her return with "Skyscraper" has pushed her up to the top, with over 17,000 positive reviews on iTunes, and placing her #19 on the Pop charts.  And who could be suprised with uplifting lyrics such as this:

You can take everything I have

You can break everything I am

Like I’m made of glass

Like I’m made of paper

Go on and try to tear me down

I will be rising from the ground

Like a skyscraper

So if you haven't bought it already, don't wait any longer and pick up "Skyscraper" now!  You can buy it on iTunes here.  And don't forget to buy her upcoming album "Unbroken".  And make sure to follow her on Twitter, because I am sure that we will be hearing more from her soon about the exciting album.  You can follow her at @ddlovato. 

And Demi, if you are reading this, know that you have a brand new band of fans growing very fast, like me, and we cannot wait to hear the best songs that you can come up with for us!  We hope to hear some more exciting news soon! 

If you are a great fan of Demi, feel free to post some of your favorite songs by her, your thoughts on the new single, and your predictions for the new album!

-Tyler

Deidre Hall

This woman is no stranger to the Daytime TV business.  She has been in it for over 30 years, and in the process, became a friend and idol to fans by playing the iconic role of Dr. Marlena Evans Black on Days of Our Lives.  Yes, I am talking about Deidre Hall.  And even I can proudly say that I grew up with her and her character while my mother watched it since my birth.  But now, after a two year break from the show, she is returning the famous character, making many fans very happy. 

Deidre, 63, who doesn't look that age by the way, has a very long track record during her life.  After graduating high school in 1965, she studied psychology before moving into the acting pathway.  She started with modeling gigs and commercials then went into the show "Electrawoman and DynaGirl".  She also appeared in "Emergency!" and "The Young and the Restless" before beginning her iconic role in Days in 1976. 

While she was unsure about her place in soap operas, she was cast and her fame began to shoot up.  She then juggled her scheduled by doing Days and then joining the show "Our House".  Then in the 80's, she left Days because of the strain, and then House was cancelled in two seasons.  She didn't immediately return to Days, but instead appeared on several different shows before returning in 1991.  And then in 1995, she produced and starred in her movie "Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story."  This movie depicted her struggles of becoming a mother. 

After her return of Days in 1991, she stayed on the show for eighteen years.  This is the era that I grew up in.  My mother told me about Deidre's iconic storyline when Marlena was possessed by the Devil.  And then my sister and I would watch every afternoon when her storyline was the Salem Serial Killer.  This storyline evolved into her in Meleswen and then her returned romance with Roman Brady and then her amnesia.  Then in 2009, her contract was terminated because of budget cuts.  At the time before she left the show, she was making a whopping $60,000 dollars a month. 

Since her departure, she has been traveling with her kids, guest hosting on a radio show, and then co-wrote a book called "Deidre Hall's Kitchen Closeup."

But the announcement was made that she is returning to Days.  This made me very happy to hear because I feel that the show went down hill and missing the classic acting that Deidre contributed.  And while I never really enjoyed watching soap operas, the character Marlena Black is the reason why I watched it.  So September 26th will be the day for many Deidre fans, and I'm sure it is going to be the feeling that we have felt from her for so many years. 

On Deidre's Twitter, she tells about some great plots, saying, "Back on stage. Its like never having been gone. Another long day...just like in the old Days! Check photos on my web site! D" and "What a fabulous week. Halloween in Salem is packed with amazing costumes and astounding drama. Great surprises from Darrell and Marlene!"

So if you aren't following her already, you should totally do it!  Go and follow her now! @DeidreHall

Deidre, if you are reading this, know that we are excited about you returning and we hope there is many years to come of your wonderful acting! 

So for all of you fans that are looking forward to Deidre's return, why don't you spend some time by telling us what is your favorite storylines that included Marlena.  And also predict what possible storylines could come in the future!

-Tyler

Giggles

Sometimes things are so funny that you cannot just hold it in.  And holding a giggle is sometimes a must when you are on national TV.  Otherwise, you will wind up on Youtube.  Well that is just what happened last night.  Anderson Cooper, probably one of the most professional host of TV today, couldn't hold it in long, and lost any restraint and let the giggles roll in.  Watch the video below and see what I mean. 

That makes the second person that I think can laugh like that.  And the other person would be Adam Goldberg when he guest starred in the hit show Friends.  So what caused him to laugh this much?  Well I turned to The Washington Post for more information, saying:

"During a pun-filled segment devoted to Gerard Depardieu’s recent urinating-on-a-plane incident, Cooper gamely stifled laughter while pumping out commentary that involved phrases like “an actual thespian actually thes-peein’” as well as a particularly clever play on words that involved Depardieu’s role in “La Vie en Rose.” (That movie was about Edith Piaf. You can probably guess where that one went.)

But at the 2:30 mark in the video below — when Cooper says the cleaning crew should “thank their lucky stars it wasn’t Depar-doo” — the distinguished journalist once hailed for his investigative reports during Hurricane Katrina starts giggling like a preteen girl with braces and a vicious Justin Bieber crush."

I think he laughed more about his choice of words than the actual situation.  But I think it was a moment where he should be allowed to laugh, given he has to report on Debt problems, the President, wars and other issues all the time. 

So what do you think about it?  Was he allowed to giggle about something so silly, or do you think it was unprofessional? 

-Tyler

Out of Sync

As a child fan of 'NSYNC, I was pleased to pick up a copy of Lance Bass' memior called "Out of Sync".  It has been a book that I have been waiting to read for some time.  I finally did it, and as soon as I started reading it, I didn't stop until I put it down the next day.  And what I read gave me a new respect for Lance, the other band members, and the great music that the band released during those years of my childhood.  And not only was the story about the band, but about Lance's childhood, his personal issues while in the band, the issues with Lou Pearlman, the extended hiatus of the band, his attempt to reach space, and then his coming out in 2006. 

I was so interested in reading about his childhood.  I guess it was great because these guys were my idol during the day.  So it was great to reading about his childhood, and the sucess he had made even before his induction into the band.  And it was also interesting to see that he felt that he was destined for greatness. 

And then the story behind the scenes of the band and the scandals with Lou Pearlman and then living with this fame took a good chunk of the book, and kept my attention the whole time.  I remember him mentioning when he knew the band was going to be big when they got a special on the Disney Channel, and that it was aired for 6 months after that.  I remember, because that's how I found out about them!  And my family even taped it.  (I think we may still have it after all these years!)  But it was interesting to read about the trips overseas to kick everything off, and the money problems with Pearlman.  Things like this were things I never knew, and was shocked to read. 

Other things that were shocked to read was what actually went down before the band finally went on indefinate hiatus.  The hard feelings that were once felt towards Justin for continually extending time for a new album when Lance could have been doing big things during this time.  And then there was the movie that Lance and Joey participated in called "On the Line" which he felt was finished because of touring and the tragedy with 9/11.

And then it was also interesting to read about his attempt to travel into space.  His stuggels that he went though in Russia studying and training to become certified to go up.  But it was sad to hear that it all fell through because of money.  We can all understand that now with the economy crisis right now. 

And then there was the next big chunk of his book: His sexuality.  This was the news that shocked alot of adoring female fans and brought Lance back into the spotlight.  But this news wasn't just a recent issue for him, but a life long thing.  And if you read the story, you understand the days before he decided to go public, and the courage he had to tell his conservative family that he was gay and then the emotional outpour he got from both family and friends. 

But the book was published in 2007, which means that alot more things have happened for Lance since then.  The book debuted on the bestseller list.  He became an activist for alot of Gay causes.  And just recently, news have been circulating that he is attempting to creat his own Boy Band version of The Voice.  And while all this going on, he also has time to host his own segment on the Sirius Radio and appear on popular shows like Drop Dead Diva. 

A article was released by People yesterday, talking about Lance ready to marry.  It says: "Now that same-sex marriage is legal in New York, Lance Bass is certain that someday he'll tie the knot. "I definitely want that. I'm a Southerner. We dream of having the family and the kids, and the parents want grandkids, that's all they care about, give me some grandbabies."  You can read the full article here. 

So you can tell that Lance Bass has had an amazing career, and continues to have one to this day. 
And we all look forward to seeing what the future holds for him.  This book is the only biographical book I have read, and probably ever will be because it was just so entertaining to read, and so insightful to find out more about a band member that I grew up listening to.  I encourage you to read the book.  Go to your local bookstore, or you can always buy it here at Barnes and Noble. 

And if you aren't already, I would strongly recommend that you follow him on Twitter.  I just started a few weeks ago, and I enjoy reading his posts.  So start by going to @LanceBass.

I hope you have enjoyed this post!  I hope you enjoy the book if you decide to get it.  For those who have read it, or have been a 'NSync fan, what did you think?  Post your comments!

-Tyler

Summer Conclusion

It is way after midnight, and I cannot believe that I am writing this.  It has been some since I have made my way on here.  I recall this time last year, I still managed to write, and I was twice as busy as I was this summer. But I don't seem to have made time for much of anything else except work.  Oh wait, I know what could be the obstacle....the late night meals at Huddle House that I have learned to do every other night.  I'll certainly have to change that before school starts back up. 

I haven't talked since the release since the final Harry Potter movie.  Wow, time sure has flown.  It wasn't that long ago that I was saying that the movie couldn't come fast enough.  I hope everyone isn't mad at me about my first review of the movie.  I went back and saw it for the second time that week, and actually liked it better the second.  But I figured you didn't want to hear me babble about it again. 

After my reviews, I actually was going to return with a article titled either "Summer Excitements" or "Summer Revival".  Alot of great things were happening for me during that time, and if I had time, I was going to talk to about it.  But like all good things, they must come to an end.  I would talk about it now, but it is a thing in the past, I have moved on from it, and seems irrelevant now.  Sorry, I guess that means you will just have to guess what it was. 

These past two weeks have been interesting and fast pacing at the same time.  I jumped in the car with my family, and headed down to Panama City Beach, Florida.  My most favorite vacationing spot in the world.  I removed all tech except my phone and iPod from my life, and took books and pen and paper with me.  And it was amazing for me, because it really got me focused on my reading, and my writing on my book.  Remember about that? 

But the trip included lots of sun, tanning, shopping and eating.  Oh, and how the eating was good!  And remind me never go into a bookstore while they are going out of business.  I walked into Border's closing sales, and walked out with 6 titles, including a 500-paged word search book. 

And also in these past couple of weeks, I have uncovered some things.  Some things are great, some not so much.  And while some of these things could bring me to a new level of happy, some of those things could bring me in a new level of hell.  Right now, I'm just taking it all one minute at a time, and hoping nothing goes in the crapper.  Pray for me. 

But what I really want to talk about is my book.  I guess I can call it that, since I have a good chunk invested in it now.  If you have been following my tweets, you probably read about me writing by the pool or beach.  When I was done reading, I had nothing else to do but write.  It was a great trick I played on myself by planning it earlier with the romoval of tech such as computers with WiFi and game consoles. 

But I think I wrote for a total of 10 hours combined there, the most commitment I have put towards it in a 5 day time frame.  And it really helped me deepen my plot, organize my thoughts one it, and helped set in stone where I wanted to go from there in the story.  I told my followers that I was probably a forth into the book, which seems alot.  But now I have returned home, and meshing what I have on paper with what I have on my computer makes me think I have just scratched the surface with this story. 

Right now I'm just going to spend a day or two going over my writing from the past week, and see how that works with what I already had.  And hopefully that will launch me into a fast pace in getting the story done.  When will I get it done?  No idea.  I'm hoping soon!

I'm guessing I need to stop here, and get some sleep before I return to my usual routine.  But this was fun.  I certainly want to come back and talk more.  Hope to be back soon!

-Tyler