The Happiness and Sadness of August

This Sunday August 1st will be a both sad and happy day. Happy because I get the keys to my townhouse. Yes, that’s right- this little Latina is going to be an independent woman. I will be living with two former classmates who by the way are probably the most understanding and uncomplicated girls I have ever met. Needless to say, my father isn’t too pleased. He still lives by the old school mentality that a girl should live with her parents until she is married. Unfortunately for my daddy, I am not your typical girl. This little Pisces needs to swim and I know this change will be good for me. My mama on the other hand understands that I need this experience to mould me in to the woman I will be. My mom raised me like a Spanish boy- which means she liked doing everything for me. I am 22 and she still likes doing my laundry, so obviously I need to grow the hell up! I obviously will miss my parents soooo much but they literally will be living about 5 minutes away, so it’s not like I strayed too far.
So with this exciting move, what will be sad about Aug. 1st? Well, you see I live in Canada which means we get winter. I hate winter more than anything else in this world. I literally feel like my soul gets swept away with the blistering winds and harsh freezes. The beginning of August means summer is almost over. The heat and long days will be stolen from me once again. So August, I ask of you this: Please stay beautiful, please don’t run away too fast and please continue giving me a kick-ass summer!

Am I a Traitor?

As many of you know, I LOVE Madonna. She is the queen of pop and will forever be my woman. So when Lady Gaga first came out I called her a Madonna wannabe and although I did enjoy her music- I voiced that she would never amount of success the Queen has had. Fast forward two years later & I have succumbed to Gaga mania. I think it started after hearing songs like Paper Gangster and I Like it Rough from The Fame where I realized: Hey this bitch really knows how to make catchy music. Not to mention her duet with New Kids on The Block which is the best tune on their comeback album ()
Then came The Fame Monster and Gagaloo hypnotized me with the addictive song - Alejandro. If you’ve ever found Latino men attractive then you’ll know what this song is talking about. I could get more into the whole Latino men attraction but that’s for another time. Gaga tickets for the second leg of her Monster Ball tour just sold out and I’m stuck wishing I had tickets for this sure to be ridiculous show. One of my buddies has a theory she’s the devil saying “She’s just too good, always stuck in your head. Something is up with that…”
Whatever it is, there is no doubt this woman has captivated millions and has found a way to brand herself in a refreshing way. My fascination has left me feeling like a traitor to my beloved Madge. But then I think about it and realize: Lady Gaga would not be here if it wasn’t for Madonna. She paved the way for all pop female artists. Here is my final opinion. Although Gaga is great, she will never dethrone the Queen. Gaga is at her own element but that’s a title she cannot take.

Hope for Haiti and Canada for Haiti Air Tonight

Sometimes life just doesn’t seem fair. On January 12th, 2010 at about 4:53pm ET- a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the nation of Haiti. Haiti is already the poorest nation in the western hemisphere and this natural disaster has made poverty in the nation even worse. Approximately 215, 000 people have been identified as dead and close to a million are now homeless. With poorly built structures and a lacking government-the nation definitely needs some major assistance. There were already a large amount of children in the orphanage system and this is going to raise that number. On top of this, the living conditions are not what any human should have to experience. There is little food, water and the site of bodies all over the place has got to be unbearable.
Tonight two telethons will air in hopes to try and help the Haitian people.
At 7pm on all Canadian networks (CTV, CBC etc.) the Canada for Haiti telethon will air. This will feature appearances from notable Canadian celebrities and performers like Metric and K’Naan will take the stage. Following this, the George Clooney telethon will air and like the Canadian one will also be commercial free. This two hour star studded telethon will feature performances by Madonna, Justin Timberlake, and Taylor Swift among many others. Famous Actors like Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks and Mark Walberg will be taking pledges. Also appearing will be Wyclef Jean who is actually from Haiti so it will surely be an emotional time for him.
I can’t even imagine what these people are going through right now. All the people who have rushed to their aid are the true heroes of this earth and their compassion is remarkable. It’s going to take a long time for this nation to recover but with prayer and faith they will hopefully rise above and become stronger than ever.

Dear NBC, Leave Conan ALONE

I’ve been a fan of Mr. Conan O’Brien since I was about 14 years old. His tall lanky body, pale skin and string dance just really get to me. So obviously when he got the Tonight Show I was thrilled. No more waiting up until 12:30! Leno got a primetime gig at 10pm in hopes to add some comedy to the usually drama filled hour. The move forced other primetime shows (like Law & Order: SVU) to other time slots and people were frustrated they couldn’t find their favourite shows at the regular time. Ratings for Leno and for Conan were not up to the networks expectations and things of course got messy. In a frantic attempt to save their viewership, NBC proposed the following change:
Move Leno back to 11:30pm but only give him a 30 min. slot
Put Conan on from 12:05am-1:05am
Jimmy Fallon would be on from 1:05am-2:05am and poor Carson would be on at 2:05am.
Shockingly (note the sarcasm) Conan wasn’t having it. In a statement released on January 12th, Conan expressed his gratitude with his fans but explained he would not be agreeing to the change. Basically, Conan feels moving the Tonight show to 12:05 would damage the reputation of the Tonight show and having it air the next day, will no longer make it “the tonight show”.
(Click here for the full statement: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34828266/ns/entertainment-television/#storyContinued)

I honestly think this is so sad. If Conan is off the air, late night will not be the same (at least not for me). Sure, Conan is silly but that’s what I love about him. He’s not afraid to poke fun at himself or point out his awkwardness. On a positive note for, it’s been reported that if NBC decided to cancel Conan’s show they’ll have to pay him $30 million dollars for breaching his contract. NBC has already been seeing some pretty negative criticism over their proposal and as the number #3 network, they’re going to have to work even harder now to reclaim their “Must See TV” glory days.
So by now it’s probably obvious but I still have to proclaim: I’m TEAM COCO!

Up: More than just your average animated flick

I had heard great things about UP since its release in May 2009- but in the past 6 months had still not experienced it myself. I was warned by my sister I would weep and even my male co-worker Vince said he had to wipe his eyes a couple times.
Since I’m on Christmas break and actually had time on my hands- I sat down and ordered UP on my Rogers digital cable. Well friends, I was not prepared. This movie has quite possibly one of the greatest love stories ever told on film. Sure the characters are computer animated and it still has childlike humour but the love between Carl and Ellie will melt your heart. I cried like a baby at least four times. To be honest, I think this movie could’ve changed my life. In a world of meaningless sex and people playing constant mind games with each other this movie displays the beauty of pure and unconditional love. Who doesn’t want true love like this in their lives? I always try to act all hard headed but this movie almost makes me want to expose the hopeless romantic in me- ALMOST
If you haven’t seen this movie, watch it. For those who have, demand your friends to watch it. After all, word of mouth is one of the best sources of promotion and this movie should seriously be watched by everyone.