Dancelife is my new teen dream...actually they are not even teens so I don't have to feel guilty.....

There’s a lot of things I’ve wanted to blog about lately. The new job; the wait staff at John’s Place’ the paint guy at General Paints; the leaked Arcade Fire album (can you say, GOLDEN?!!??), my white sockettes; my parents’ old house that somehow manages to creep out multiple groups of adults ingesting copious amounts of illegal pharmaceuticals. But before I get on to any of that, stuff. I really have to talk about what’s really up: J.Lo’s DanceLife!

It is da bomb. I love it so much. Yes. Even more than Laguna, (maybe because I can picture myself as a struggling Puerto Rican dancer better than an over-privileged, rich, beauty queen). It is the best show. The music is sooo good, ( which by the way, includes a theme song by Young Love who I heard about 100 years ago and saw open up for Lady Sovereign). Like the music is undeniably good. So good that I spent a good 60 minutes of time at my new "high-pressure" job trying to get some track listings for each episode. To no avail, I might add. But the show is awesome.

Not only are there bitchy gay boys (Hi Blake, you sooo belong in the washroom line-up at celebrities complaining about how "like No one is here tonight,"); but there’s the resident heartthrob ( Kenny, dumb your girlfriend in the Pussycat dolls and go out with Nelly Furtado; you know she wants you. Don’t worry, her high-pitched hysterics will grow on you); the underdog ( Nolan, I can’t believe you didn’t get that job with MJB; your life is NO MORE DRAMA) and… well, there’s some chicks too but they are kind of boring so whatevs.

Everyone should watch this show. I don’t care if the Canadian guy is bitchy. He is hot and a great dancer. I don’t care if Kenny has this creepy South Boston accent. He is hot and a great dancer. I don’t care if Nolan is a drug addict. He is hot and a great dancer.

Do what’s good for you. Watch Dance Life. It’s like Laguna except the people are coloured and they shop at Forever 21 instead of Abercrombie & Fitch.

I'll be your Dreamgirl, boy........

Okay so I am a bit late on the hype machine. Actually that’s not true. I was first on the Dreamgirls bandwagon but I have finally seen the goods to back up my claims. Dreamgirls is the best movie ever and Jennifer Hudson is a star.

The best thing about Dreamgirls for sure is the music. Crazy black-girl hysteronics abound and I loved the sista attitude that Effie throws around like yesterday’s news. I loved it when she pretends to get all DIVA on everyone because Martin Luther King Jr. has a record out which is the recording of his famous "I have a dream" speech. Everyone is all scared of her but she is just kidding. It is too funny.

Of course, without a doubt the best part is when Effie gets kicked out of the group and dumped by her man and she sings "I’m not going." I had seen that part before, since my favourite computer techie sent me all the Jennifer Hudson solos to watch on my computer while I waited for Victoria to catch up with the rest of the world and get Dreamgirls in local theatres. And even though I have seen her sing that song like 100 times and I listen to that song on my mp3 player almost everyday, every time I hear it, I get chills. And in a big theatre, within the actual context on the real movie, I got loads of chills. The way her fingers quake when she is trying to hug her boyfriend; the way her legs are weak and she can barely walk as she is belting out this song, this song that represents all her struggles and weaknesses. It is amazing. Period. She is the best ever.

And Eddie Murphy? What? Eddie Murphy in a full 2 hour movie without cracking some kind of fart/diaper joke or donning a fat suit? ( BTW, Am I the only one who finds it kind of perverse that he is so into wearing fat suits in his movies? I’m just saying) He is so good. I mean I loved "My Girl likes to Party All the Time," but I had no idea he had all that soul in him. And maybe it’s just my doe-eyed adoration for all-things Dreamgirls, but he should really look into keeping that pompadour hairstyle going. He looks good. The pompadour is cool. Guys should wear their hair like that again. Strap a do-rag on that mofo and you are gangsta; remove and you are ready for your entrance on a Broadway musical stage.

Last and least, I suppose no exposition on the greatness of Dreamgirls can be complete without some mention of Beyonce. She was not as bad as I had expected. And in a lot of ways, her character demanded her to be mousy and bland. She did a good job of staying in the shadows as required and then coming out and taking centre stage. But even when she was centre stage she was no match for Ms. Hudson. So maybe she is eating sour grapes lately. But it must be hard to take when you are always used to being the one who receives the most accolades. ( nevermind that it’s your mom and dad managers that ochestrate it to be like that all the time). I think Beyonce did a good job. And I liked it how as she was getting more and more famous her skins was looking lighter and lighter. Very subtle.

Best Albums of 2006

Continuing with the trend of not doing much in these post-Christmas, pre-New Year's creepy days, I have decided to create my own list of the best albums of 2006. I am nothing if not opinionated. Even more than that, my opinion is right, and if you don't agree with me then your opinion is wrong. I kid, I kid!


10. Gnarls Barkley - Crazy

Most people won't give this CD a break. Sure, it had that once-catchy-but-then-super-annoying-because-it-was-played-every-30 seconds-on-some-radio-station-in-North-America, "Crazy", but the rest of the CD is also wicked. I could due without the retro 90s psychedelia motif and the weird kitschy costumes they wear when they perform but the beats and the random lyrics are golden.

9. Morrissey - Ringleader of Tormentors

Maybe it is being back in my mom's basement over the holidays that reminds me of all my just-under-the-surface teenage angsty feelings or maybe it is just a fluke of nature that this happened to be one of teh CDs that I didn't leave in storage; but I have recently rediscovered this gem and I remember why those kids in the back corner of photography class wore those long trenchcoats and wore their hair in those cringe-worthy pompadours. Morrissey. When you want to write bad break-up poetry or comtemplate why God is so cruel to you and no one else, this is your CD. "You Have Killed Me", is one of my favourite songs ever.


8. M. Ward-Post War

Okay so I haven't actually bought this CD. But I am obssessed with M. Ward. A quick Internet search will prove that any music critic worth his salt is also obsessed with him. His music is stripped-down, melodic and beautiful. Forget Sufjan; it's all about M. Ward now.


7. Regina Spector- Begin to Hope

Okay, so maybe I didn't get into Regina Specktor until after I heard she was dating my boyfriend Julian from the Strokes, but please don't hold that against me. She is sooo cool. Her lyrics are like little stories; she actually talks about more than her broken heart (shocking)! My favourite song is "Fidelity", I probably listen to it almost everyday still, like 3 months later!

6. Jay z - Kingdom Come

Most hip hop heads label this album as sub-par; but that is an unfair rating. It's like after Michealangelo did the Sistine chapel or his statue of David; I'm sure people were like " oh this painting of this fruit bowl is no Sistine Chapel" Well, you know what? There can only be one Sistine Chapel and there can only be one The Black Album. While I will admit the first single, "Show me What you Got," was less than stellar; the rest of the CD is great. I love the new single, "Lost Ones," and "Beach Chair" featuring Chris Martin of Coldplay will be a cult classic.

5. The Dears - Gang of Losers

I have loved the Dears since No Cities Left came out in 2003. "Expect the Worst/cos she's a Tourist" was like the song of that summer for me. So when I found a leaked copy of Gang of Losers this year I was so happy. This is a CD that sounds different everytime i hear it. After every listen I discover some new clever anecdote that I didn't get before. They are so great and I vow that I will see them live in 2007!


4. Justin Timberlake-Future Sex/ Love Sounds

You know I don't really want to like Justin Timberlake. I still have a grudge from that "Cry me a River" video where he called out my girl, Britney. Then there war that whole Super Bowl debacle of 2004 where he left Janet Jackson hanging, literally. But you know what? I can't help but like him. He's hot! He's funny ( did you see SNL?)! He's talented. He's well-dressed! He can dance! He can really do no wrong! Even when he does do wrong; he goes back to doing what he does best which is create the best dance songs! "Chop me Up" featuring the Three Six Mafia is my favourite song. I hope it is his next single.


3. The Decemberists-The Crane Wife

The Decemberists are the songwriters every English Major doing nothing with their degree wants to be. Listening to the Crane's Wife is how I try to retain my rapidly fading books-smarts. Their songs are epic and swirling and beautiful and grand. Now I am gushing. Am I gushing? I love this CD. I would name my first-born the Crane's Wife if it wouldn't cause an irreversible identity crisis for my child if it was a boy. If you ever feel like you are getting dumb from too much Youtube or reading too many US Weeklies at the gym; listen to the Crane's Wife; lie down and really listen. I swear when you wake up the next morning you will feel smarter and a bit melancholy.


2. Lady Sovereign-Public Warning

This CD never lived up to the immeasurable hype from Def Jam.Maybe because all these songs were already available and released in the United Kingdom over a year ago. But it is still awesome. She is like a michevious little minx and her lyrics are totally funny and tongue in cheek. Maybe she is a drunk and will be kicked off her label soon; but she puts on a fun show and her song "9-5" was like my theme-song for the last year and a half.


1. The Killers-Sams Town

Was there any doubt? The Killers are the best band ever; even with their scraggly facial hair and Brandon Flowers' grandiose comments on the music industry. Say what you want about their posturing and personal lives but Flowers can write a sing-a-long pop song like no ones' business. There's nothing I like better that singing along at the top of my lungs to "Why do I keep on Counting" and "My List."

Gonna Crash a Party!

Cami is my hero!

Somebody told me that you are my boyfriend

So, yeah, I did it. I downloaded the whole new Killers album, Sam's Town at work. But whatever. I am still so going to buy it when it comes out next Tuesday. And plus, you can listen to the whoel album anywasy at www.mtv.com/theleak. I love it. Like seriously. I love it like how I loved Snow Patrol's Final Straw two years ago; I love it like I loved Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head; I love it like I loved Lauryn Hill's the Miseductaion of Lauryn Hill. Yeah. It's true. I love it that much. It is that good.
Hot Fuss was a great album. It was infectious and new. Catchy. But it was a bit more timid. Lyrically, it was a lot of "I saw a guy who looked like a girl who looked like a ... yadda yadda yadda. " If the last CD, was Brandon Flowers whispering about things he saw on the playground; Sam's Town is Flowers announcing his musings from the mountaintop. Maybe they are not as cute anymore; and maybe they are kind of biting on the whole Baz Luhrmann aesthetic from 1996's Romeo and Juliet; but they still rock and are totally bringing thoughtfulness and irony back to music.

My Favorite song on the album is definetly My List. It is so pretty. There is this Gregorian choir lady singing in the background and it sounds so pretty. My favorite line is: "When your heart's not able/ and your prayers cannot save you/ Let me show you/Let me show you/ how much I care."

I know. I know. That line isn't so profound. But it is simple and sweet and it sounds really pretty when you atcually hear it. When I write it down, I'm like okay, Preety is like a crazy Philliopino teenager writing out song lyrics on her blog. ( Seriously is it just me or is blogger a hotbed for lonely romantic Philiopino teens that gush about Jesse McCartney and Panic at the Disco all day long??)

Whatever. I feel the need to digress into like a 13-year-old Phillopino girl some more and mention my other favorite sappy lyrics because I was listening to the sad songs playlist on the mp3 player on my way to work.

Bright eyes - Lover I don't have to Love Favorite lyric:

I want a lover I don't have to love

I want a boy who's so drunk he doesn't talk

And where's the kid with the chemicals?

I got a hunger and I can't seem to get full

I need some meaning I can memorize

The kind I have always seems to slip my mind

Okay. I realize that was like a whole verse. But it is a rare occasion that I can remember something properly and i want to take full advantage of it. But I will admit that I double-checke the lyrics online just in case I was going to publish something that was so random that didn't make any sense.

Like remember when Billie Jean came out and he was like " The kid is not my son?" Well, I always thought it was "the chair is on my bum." Seriously for years. I would debate the authenticity of that lyric tooth and nail. I thought he was being ironic. As if he would be so obvious to directly answer his detractors in a form so plain as a song. Seriously.

Anyways, back to the Killers. My Favourite song is My List. But I also love this bonus track that is called "Where the White Boys Dance." I feel that is an ode to my imaginary hood, Misshapes. And Bling ( Confessions of a King) is a really, really pretty and sad song as well.

I have a feeling that this CD is going propel the Killers into like U2, Coldplay, Green Day status. And I saw them first! Well, maybe not the first person ever. But I saw them in 2003 when they were opening for Sam Roberts in Victoria. So I feel like we are really connected. On account of they have been to my hometown and stuff.

Awesome... I FUCKING shot that!!!!!

I love the Beastie Boys!!!! I just bought their new live DVD Awesome I FUCKING shot that, and it rawks!!! It is awesome! I loved it! Even though I had alredy been to this concert when they came to Vancouver last Fall, seeing everything on DVD in Madison Square Garden was so cool. There were a lot of differences in the show from MSG compared to teh show here last year. In teh MSg show they come out in blue tuxedos and play their instruments and on teh DVD I can actually see what's happening which I could barely do from my nosebleed seat where I was kinda drunk, I think, at Pacific Coliseum.
I really love live DVDs, I realized. I mena I love live concerts more, obviously. But Live DVDS are sooooo good. Especially this one, because it does my favorite things. Take shots of fans dancing around craily to the music. It is so funny and so cool and they even show some shots of Ben Stiller getting down which makes me love him even more.


Of course, there is no doubt that the best rapper and funniest guy in Beatie Boys is Ad Rock. he has the best ryhmes ( If you try to mock me/You'll get knocked/ I'll stir-fry you in my wok) He has the funniest voice; he looks the youngest; he is the best dancer; and he is just about the best ever!!! I love the Beastie Boys 4-eva! Until I'm 95, I will be body-moving and drinking the Brass Monkey ( figuratively, of course!)

The. Funniest. Shit. Ever.

At first it's amusing. Then it's gets funny. then it gets fucking hilarious. then everything you say all day ends up coming out in that rhythm. Then it's over, BETCH!

thanks for showing me the light Adri:)

Dear Tai, Cher would be like, soo proud.....

Am I the only one who can barely belive that this girl, in all her dumpy, overly-eager glory has trasnformed from ugly duckling, to coke-out whore, to the D-listed, teen version on Meg Ryan to an actual campy and glorious singer?




It's weird. But somehow hypnotic. And the song is catchy as hell.
And for some inexplicable reason, I feel like a proud mama, like a proud Cher when she unveiled Tai in her apres make-over glory to the class and all the boys were all over her including her ex-stepbrother, ( Paul Rudd before he got a little chub and wrinkly) which made her jealous, because now she had like created a monster or something as everyone was talking about Tai instead of her and now she had the hotts for her ex-step-brother. But I digress.

I love this song. I love Clueless. I love Cher.
The End.

Music...makes the people.. come together......

Sometimes a borring office job has it's perks. There's the ability to email your freinds and plans your weekend all day long. There's the option to spend 3 hours discussing what you should eat for lunch with your one co-worker. There's an unlimited supply of Canada Springs water and endless opportunities to flush your system. And there's days like today where I can upload fun new music to my mp3 player.

Here are my new (to me) favourite tracks this week:

Stellastarr* - Sweet, troubled soul.

Artic Monkeys - A Certain Romance

The Knife - Heartbeats.

The Rentals - Friends with P. (F.Y.I. This is my new theme song. Be forewarned).


Yah!! I love new music on my mp3 player! WOO HOO! Feel free to leave your new favourite songs. NO oldies!!!

MISSHAPES here I come.....

There are so many reasons why I've become obssessed with Misshapes. I love dancing to rock music. I imagine that there wouldn't be much grinding at misshapes or (unwanted) groping. There'd be polite boys in ties and bomber jackets and T-shirts with ironic saying on them and shaggy shaggy hair. Ther'd be girls in comfortable shoes. Girls who use make-up as crayons. Girls who didn't spend more than $8.99 on their entire outfit but next season will be worth thousands of dollars on the Marc jacobs runway. There'd be tons of peopel taking my photo and I would pretend they were paparazzi even though I love it. Ther'd be absolutely NO smiling. Only weird angular poses a l a Furonda on ANTM. Ultragrrl would be there and she'd give me a job at he record label doing nothing except waxing poetic about what songs I like from which as-yet undiscovered myspace talent. I'd dance like nobody's businss and people would be in awe that I was from canada not a born and bred NYC-girl. Axle Rose would stop by and I would ask him where Slash was but he wouldn't bitch-slap me or anything because I'm a girl and I say it in such an endearing and sweet way that teh worst thing he does is tossle my hair ( Which BTW is a well-documented flirting move on the one and only Stephen Coletti). And Misha Barton would be there and say that she likes my shoes or some shit like that.
Misshapes in my mind is AWESOME.


Currently Listening To: Bossy By Kelis