Celtic Thunder's "Take Me Home" Review

July 14 was a day Thunderheads waited for with much impatience and anticipation...The release of the "Take Me Home" CD and DVD from Celtic Thunder...well, the DVD was great craic, the guys looked and sounded awesome!
Keith's The Homes of Donegal makes me think of home and family and comfort/security...I love how his Irish accent comes through when he sings. His other song is "Wichita Lineman" and he does a wonderful job with it also-I don't mind CT covers of other songs, they have a way to take it and make it their own, this song is no exception.
I have trouble choosing a favorite song on the album but one of them has to be Ryan's "Midnight Well". If this song is in the new show it is going to be LETHAL, ladies...it has a very seductive latin beat paired with Ryan's smokey, sexy voice, you want to say ok to the gypsy, LOL. Ryan's second solo is the Police's "Every Breath You Take" funny how I like this version better than the original, same with Desperado.
Damian picked up two more Paul Anka songs "Happy Birthday Sweet 16" and "Breaking Up is Hard to Do"-they are soo much fun, you find yourself singing and dancing along...his voice has changed, it is much deeper and richer (not that is wasn't beautiful before).
Speaking of fun, the most fun on the album is George's "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)-it's catchy and it's great to see him jumping around and having such a time on stage :) "Working Man" is his other song, it tells a story of working in a mine.
Paul's song's are David Foster's (I'm a huge fan-he brought us Josh Groban and Micheal Buble') "Because We Believe" absolutely gorgeous, I'm such a fan of this amazing tenor-and "You Raise Me Up" Brought tears to my eyes at the PBS Promo in Houston (the first time I heard it) it is a beautiful rendition of a song that comforts me while my grandmother battles cancer.
The ensemble songs are "Take Me Home" a Phil Coulter song-it's beautiful and the harmonies get better and better...A new version of "Steal Away" which showcases Damian's beautiful voice, I loved the original Steal Away but this one takes your breath away...and "The Green Fields of France" this one brought a tear to my eye the first time I listened to the words, it's beautiful harmonies and you notice more of an accent from Ryan (imo) than in most other songs, but it is beautiful and enhances (not takes away) from the song.
There are two new orchestral pieces "Belfast Polka/Pennsylvania Railroad" and "Appalation Roundup" Both are fun, peppy pieces that have you dancing before you realize it :)
I'm no expert but I enjoy the CD and DVD and was in no way disappointed....here's to the new show in Oct!!!

Review of Dragonball Evolution: CAUTION SPOILERS!!!!

For the last (nearly) 9 years I have been into anime (Japanese cartoons)...a friend got me into them and they are great. Different from anything we have here, however now they are making their way more into the mainstream. The first anime I ever watched was Dragonball Z, so it has a special place with me, even though yes I know the story line tends to repeat itself each saga and it takes 3 episodes for Goku or Gohan to power up for the fight and there are better animes out there. I was nearly excited to see that Dragonball was making its way to the live action screen, first they were then they weren't making it..what saga would be portrayed? What villians would be faced (there are several that would have translated well to the big screen) what heros would make an appearance? Well finally it was released...now I was not expecting much, but....

*************OK SPOILERS ABOUND BELOW, IF YOU WANT TO BE SURPRISED I WOULDN'T READ BELOW*****************

five minutes into the movie the pain began.....a teenage Goku was being trained by (whom I first thought was Master Roshi) his grandfather Gohan...OK, Gohan was killed by Goku during his first transformation when he was just a baby, very young, however not long into the movie Picollo comes and takes out Gohan, who of course sends Goku to find Master Roshi. Teenage Goku-well Justin Chatwin looks like you'd picture Goku but he acted like his was Gohan during the Great Saiyaman saga...not goofy, fighting, everybody loves him Goku (that he is) but awkward, insecure (alot like Gohan was) and picked on...not the acting was a problem just how Goku was portrayed. He meets Bulma and Yamcha. The highlight of the movie was Chow Yun-Fat as Master Roshi...dead on! LOL...bumbling yet strong, kind hearted (and with his girlie magazines) and James Marsters was a great Picollo (ok-he was Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer for those who don't know, and he looked good in green :D ) he just should have been a bigger part of the movie. And the kicker-Goku turned ape to be Picollo's secret weapon... WTF?? The scenes really didn't have a good flow, it seemed kind of choppy and the action sequences were okay, the Ki scenes were neat. ChiChi was pretty and had good chemistry but she was ashamed of her fighting skills... Unfortunately, it was a bigger letdown than I was expecting (not that I was expecting much by any stretch)...It was have been great to see the Saiyan saga (Vegeta and Napa's arrival) or the Majin Buu saga, heck the Great Saiyaman saga or even yes the Picollo saga would have been okay with out totally taking it out of context from the established story. Goku's grandfather's death at that early age help shape the man he became, if you mess with the story like that you take away things that are important imo. Nice try, seems like a decent cast, decent effects- however the storyline didn't hold up to the Dragonball legacy.

New Years Resolutions-2009

As the final hours and minutes tick away of 2008 I think back on the past year. It was year filled with ups and downs-like any other year-of experiences, challenges and lessons learned.

My nephew Austin with my newborn neice, Riley

A few of the highlights of 2008 include the two beautiful babies we now have in our family. Addison Elizabeth is the daughter of my cousin (who is more like a sister b/c we grew up close) and her husband; she was born in May and is soo gorgeous. And on 12/30 my brother and sister-in-law welcomed their second child, a daughter Riley Claire; my nephew (and buddy) Austin is 6 now (quite the proud big brother). It will be interesting to watch them grow. The Celtic Thunder concert and trip to Houston was a great experience...over much too quickly.

I'm not going to list the challenges of the year-however they do tend to make you think about what you want (or want to change) and how to achieve it. That however is what prompts resolutions or changes for the upcoming year. In no particular order, here are some of mine-(I read an article where goals/plans need to be as specific as possible lol, so going to try that)...

1. lose 75 lbs (I have the planner, work out program, free weights, new running shoes, diet plan) so this will happen-progress reports will be made monthly. This is for me and my health and well being.

2. keep faith and belief in myself and God-sometimes in our struggles or challenges we forget we aren't alone and that we can make it. Life is what you make of it-some things that happen may be out of your control but you can control your attitude and how you deal with it--I'm going to try and remember this more, have a better attitude (even, or rather especially) when things don't go my way.

3. Get a career-even if means going back to school I am going for a career (not just a job-I have two of those now and can barely pay the bills) I want to be able to get in with a company and be able to grow, make enought money to support myself, travel, and get ahead of the bills for once.

4. take at least one trip-either overseas (Ireland/Scotland, England, Italy) are possibilities or just to NY for the St. Patrick's Day parade or go to the CT show with Missy in P'burg..I want to travel again this year! (Last yr went to Philly for Ron's graduation)

5. start a savings account-this way I can take bigger trips (LOL), plan for a new vehicle, a house of my own or I don't have to go to the parents when life gets in the way..this goes with #3...

6. be a better friend-I know when things get rough I tend to withdraw from friends-it's a bad habit, but when friend's go through things I'm always there-try to check on them (without being annoying) to listen or whatever, I tend to be protective of my friends, I don't want them hurt.

Well I think that covers the major ones-I know we all have challenges to face this upcoming year but hopefully it will be a blessed one for all :D......HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

CELTIC THUNDER-11/25/08-Houston, TX

Well-after the up/down ride of the last three weeks the BIG night was finally here! Jan, Keri (my friend who accompanied me) and myself headed out to The Golden Corral for a pre-show dinner. Denise, the other Thunderhead who was supposed to join us, didn't make it but we met up with her before the show :D Our seats were MUCH better than we had expected, getting tickets barely a week before the show! We were in the second floor section (but the first section only had 10 rows..great view!!) on the second row. We were armed with signs and green glowsticks-we were the ONLY ones there with them...it earned us smiles, chuckles, laughs and waves from each of the guys.
The show was absolutely AMAZING!! No matter how many times you watch the DVD (and as great as it is) to see it LIVE, to see the guys having fun on stage...they were much more relaxed and seemed to enjoy themselves. All were in TOP form, they sounded wonderful! Some of the things that stand out from the include:
-George waving to us and smiling really big during Mull of Kintyre
-Keith waved to us several times, Ryan and Paul kept grinning when they came over to our side of the stage-yes, we yelled and waved at them, they waved back!
-Heartbreaker...Yikes!! Wow...you need a few minutes to recover from THAT one!!!! Very nice LOL
-Danny Boy and Steal Away-the accapella songs were magnificent!!!! Such wonderful harmony!
-That's A Woman-WOOOW..double whammy!! Love the dark suit on Paul and Ryan-wooow has he really figured out how to play up the bad guy..and you still want to cheer for him. Though she isn't Zara, Michelle (her backup) did a wonderful job!!
-During the instrumental part of Lauren and I, Keith yells out "heellooooo Houston!" in his sexy accent
-Paul dancing during Raggle Taggle Gypsy-totally great (YES, we encouraged him, LOL) He's such a showman
-Puppy Love was a great attention getter for the audience, they loved it!! Damian was great!!
-Love Thee Dearest--WOOW Let's just say Paul was absolutely breathtaking!! So was Remember Me, Recurde Me
-Ireland's Call-we were dancing, jumping, yelling, waving our glow sticks, Paul asked...so he got :D..tooo bad all the old people who got the front seats didn't do it too!!!!
-Caledonia-hehehe we got kilt swishes-major ones, Paul's booty shak'n..great craic!! We were the ones standing up pointing back when they turned around.. LOL
The show is over much toooo quickly...leaving you wanting more :D It's a great sadness to see them begin to take down the stage, knowing they'll move on quickly...it was a night to remember forever!

Disappointment-

I know this will absolutely sound silly but I was heartbroken, disappointed and devastated to learn that the concert I had been looking forward to and had tickets for since July- Celtic Thunder in Baton Rouge was cancelled due to poor ticket sales. I had FRONT ROW center seats and backstage (meet and greet) passes through the local PBS affiliate...I am going to try to get tickets to another show-which will be about a 5 hour drive, but won't be front row and the meet and greets...
OK, first off- what's so special about CT? They are four guys from Ireland, one from Scotland-they range in age from 16-40, are all very talented singers/musicians/songwriters (not to mention all very handsome, down to earth, really truly nice guys-they are the ONLY artists I know of who take the time to answer questions in their forum and go into their chat room to visit with fans). Each of their own musical styles shows through in their solos and they come together to sing some group songs in amazing harmony. They were brought together by the creator/first producer of Celtic Woman, Sharon Browne and Phil Coultier (he wrote "My Boy" for Elvis and many other hits...so there is a good chance you've heard his work). I saw commercials for them on FOX news and had to check them out...it was a search but finally found their first CD, then their DVD-they are awesome! I joined and have become involved in the forum/chat room-I haven't done that for ANY other artist, and I haven't been this excited over a musical group since New Kids On the Block (NKOTB) and I was a freshman in high school...lol If you don't know who I'm talking about..www.celticthunder.ie check it out for yourself.

An Introduction-

OK so since I've decided to "blog" ,my first will be an introduction of myself. I am 32 years old, live in a very small town in Louisiana where I was born and raised but had the opportunity to leave to attend college at Northwestern State University where I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism (public relations) emphasis and a minor in criminal justice. I work two jobs now-the first is as case manager for the local school board in the homeless children program-no, it isn't necessarily children living on the street but staying with grandparents or other family or even friends. We help these children to succeed as well as the ones who have a steady home. My second job is as a program director for the Boys and Girls Club local unit. I can lots of good things about the BGC program in general-it is a great place for children ages 6-18 to come and get help with studying or homework or to come play/have a good time with other kids in a safe, fun environment. The only downside is that we have only been open to the children since Sept. 30 so we are still kind of disorganized and getting the kinks out, but it is getting better!
If I have any free time-not like I do-I love to read and write stories. I am nearly finished with WICKED-The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire-it is a wonderful book, tells the story of Elphaba, the "Wicked Witch of the West" from the 'Wizard of Oz'. Can't wait to get started on the sequel "Son of a Witch" Haha-no, it's about her son Liir.
I was written by the "writing" bug in 6th grade when the school librarian had all of the classes write and illustrate a "skinny book"-we each had to write a story and 1st, 2nd and 3rd places were selected from each class-from the 1st place entries a 1st, 2nd and 3rd overall was chosen. I placed 1st in my class and was selected as the overall winner. Ms. Brodnax (the librarian) encouraged me to keep writing..so I did. I have placed in the statewide Young Author's Competition a couple of times. Throughout the years as life interfered writing was placed on the back burner. I chose to start this blog to get back in the habit of writing, because I hope to have something published. I have written for newspapers, both in college and on the professional level-there is nothing like seeing your name in print. That's just a little about me, more to come as I have time...