Another year has come and gone... and 2011 had a lot in store for me. I had a lot of new things that I did over the past 365 days. Compared to the blog I wrote back in 2010, I did a lot more new things... and opened up to a lot of new experiences, socially. I hope you enjoy reading what I have done over the past year, because I certainly did! January:
-Purchased a lottery ticket (I couldn't resist trying to win $355 million, even if I didn't win anything that night)
-Drank Irish Ale (Boulevard) in an Irish Pub (Kelly's in Westport)... my ancestors would be so proud of me!
-Wore a corset. It was black and hot pink, from Torrid (hotness) and I showed it off at the Rocky Horror Picture Show (with a lot of good reaction, hehe) :-)
February:
-Ate prime rib (courtesy of a coworker that mixed up 2 rib dinners with prime rib)
March:
-Had an article published by a Kansas City newspaper (It was for The Pitch and it was on their Wayward music blog)
-Ate gumbo (on Fat Tuesday... how appropriate, hehe)
-Attended a movie pre-screening (Kevin Smith's Red State- followed by a Q&A session)
-Went to a convention (Planet Comicon) featuring comic books, Star Wars, and other various geek stuff :-)
-Had a published article that included quotes from a local celebrity (radio personality Kelly Urich, for the Kansas City Pitch)
April:
-Witnessed a coworker get fired (yeah, that sucked)
-Performed in the shadow cast for the Fishnets and Floorshows production of the Rocky Horror Picture Show (as Magenta)
May:
-Visited an erotica house (I thought I was going to a birthday party for a friend, who did not specify to me what kind of house it was. For the record, this particular place wasn't actually that bad, meaning that it was very clean and comfortable- not dirty)
June:
-Started couponing when grocery shopping (I'm not talking about a coupon here or there, I mean combining sales and coupons to get mega deals with a small budget)
-Learned how to dance on a stripper pole (at Club Monaco for a friend's birthday party- with another friend teaching me some simple tricks)
July:
-Pushed for a promotion and earned it (from EXPO/food runner to server at a grill and bar)
August:
-Became a director (co-director) of a show/production- Kansas City's Fishnets and Floorshows (Rocky Horror Picture Show)
September:
-Attended a divorce party
-Had a (recent) ex-boyfriend become obsessive/stalker-like after a breakup, which led me to having to remove him from all social networking connections
October:
-Participated in a walk in support of a good cause- Zombie Walk for Hunger. Dressed as a zombie fairy.
November: -Purchased tickets for a concert just hours before the event began (Yo Gabba Gabba! Live for my son and myself)
-Considered poly amorous relationships
-Gave a guy my phone number without having to be asked for it beforehand. :-)
-Ate Korean food (and it was on my birthday!)
-Bought a case of beer for myself (New Belgium Snow Day Ale... best winter/seasonal drink, in my opinion)
December:
-Fell in love with someone in less than two months (although we had been friends for over 14 years)
And... that pretty much sums up my year of new things. Happy New Year everyone!!!! I plan on having a great 2012 and I hope you guys look forward to a great year to come. :-D
Back in September, I was browsing around on Facebook and came across a note that someone had written about the things that he did in 2009 that he had never done before. I really enjoyed reading it and felt inspired to write my own list. It's amazing how many things one person can experience in a year. I hope this inspires some of my friends and readers to do the same!
Here are the new things I experienced in 2010
January:
-Toasted to the new year with champagne with a huge group of friends (the first time I toasted with something with alcohol in it)
-Had a picture taken with celebrities (The band Everclear after winning tix and meet and greet passes on the radio, went with my cousin Katy)
February:
-Cut my own hair (like over a foot off... and kinda butchered it, but my Mom was able to fix it)
March:
-Went to my first 3D film (Alice in Wonderland)
-Attended a Q&A of one of my favorite filmmakers, Kevin Smith
-Encountered the Westboro Baptist protesters (in front of Midland theater before Kevin Smith Q&A)
-Attempted to do my own taxes (using one of those free Internet programs) and found more credits than my Dad did (who normally does mine)... and got a nice return!!!
April:
-Enrolled a child for school
-Spent an entire Saturday watching movies I had never seen before (total of 5 movies that day)
May:
Donated money for a walk (ended up doing two donations: one for Hospital Hill Run and the other for Crohns Colitis walk)
June:
-Made a cake using one of those Wilton cake molds (it was a palm tree), I also experimented with food coloring for the icing
-Successfully removed Malware from a laptop (with the help of my best friend walking me through it via text messages)
July:
-Attended the Rocky Horror Picture Show with a live audience and "lost my virginity" (ended up going a total of 5 times this year, would have been 6 if the last showing wasn't sold out before I got to the theater, grrr)
-Started blogging
-Used diet pills
-Went on a first date since my divorce
-Failed a background check for a potential employer
August:
-Hired at a job that I never applied to (and accepted)
-Put a child on a nightly, routine bedtime
September:
-Attended the wedding of an ex-boyfriend (was my high school sweetheart Ben)
-Went to a bachelorette party
-Went to a strip club
October:
-Ate all four courses while dining at a restaurant (Melting Pot)
-Tried duck and ratatouille (Melting Pot)
-Attended a drag show (Flo's Cabaret)
-Learned to swallow pills whole (opposed to chewing them or using liquid medication)
-Participated in a wedding as a bridesmaid (my sister's wedding)
-Felt an aftershock from the 4.3 magnitude earthquake in Oklahoma on the 13th (my desk was vibrating as I was sitting at it, reported incident to USGS website)
-Got full on drunk and had to have a friend take me home (normally I am the DD or I eat while drinking... it just never happened until now)
-Wore a garter belt (rawr!!!)
-Saw a burlesque show
November:
-Voted in an election
-Waited in a store until midnight to take advantage of Black Friday sales (Walmart... and yes it was crazy)
December:
-Tailgated in the parking lot before a football game
-Attended a Pro Football game (KC Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos)
-Went to a masquerade/ball (1940's USO themed, in a very nice Unitarian church)
-Watched a full lunar eclipse (during Winter Solstice, which the last time those events happened at the same time was in 1638)
And:
-Had an entire calender year go by without being in the presence of my ex-husband (actual count, it has been about 15 months since I last saw him in person)
Wow, I should do this every year! This is an awesome way to reflect on the things I accomplished. I recommend you do the same!
August 1, 1981. Midnight. A brand new channel makes it's debut on cable:
Mtv helped bring music and television together. Even though for the first few days they played the same five videos, they developed a following. Eventually things progressed to the point where artists were creating music videos that told a story. Then, on December 2, 1983... everything about music videos took a huge leap, thanks to Michael Jackson's Thriller. Somehow, this video of epic proportions became a mold for all future music videos... to the point where every hit single had to have an accompanying video.
My dedication to Mtv started when I was a teenager. I watched The Real World, Beavis and Butthead, and Daria all the time. Although I enjoyed those shows, there was very little programming for music videos. Then came Mtv Live, which eventually became Total Request Live.... a program that showcased the top 10 videos every day (as voted by the viewers). Ah, now I get to actual watch videos on the MUSIC channel!!!
All right, I did the history part. Let's move forward with what I intended to blog about!
One random night (I would guess about 2 1/2 years ago), I was flipping channels and came across Mtv Hits, which plays 24 hours of music videos. Yes!!!! I can experience what others did in the early 80's. It is normally the first channel I go to when I turn on my television (and you guys thought it would be a movie channel, didn't you?). With this channel, I have been able to watch all the newest music videos by all of my favorite artists. With this being the end of the year, I would like to showcase what I consider the best music videos of the year. Please note that I said music videos, so the songs are pushed aside (to an extent) for the visual brilliance I have witnessed these past 12 months. *** Be warned that some of these videos are the long versions and/or uncensored***
Here are my ten favorite music videos that debuted in 2010:
#10
30 Seconds to Mars "Hurricane"
I'll admit it... I don't fully understand everything that is going on in the video. I mean, the kinky S&M sex and the violence yes, but the actual story of the video? No. Maybe if I translated the foreign speech (which I believe is French), it could give me some more insight. This is one of those videos that I can compare to a car accident that you drive past.... you just can't look away!! There are aspects of this video that I find myself making fun of (Leto's mullet... thing), but I do appreciate the cinematography and how dark it is (which are the contributing facts that this video made it onto this list).
#9
Eminem featuring Rihanna "Love the Way You Lie"
Speaking from personal experience with domestic violence, this video does a very accurate portrayal of what happens in such a relationship. Moments of love, moments of hate and anger, and back to love again. It's a vicious cycle. I loved the symbolism of the burning house behind Eminem and Rihanna. To me, I saw it as burning away the past of their own experiences with violence by those they loved. If you watch this video and realize that you are living with this kind of relationship, then you either need to make a drastic change or get out of it.
#8
Kanye West "Runaway"
I'm only going to talk about the music video, not the 30+ minute mini film (if you want to watch it, here's the link). Kanye knows how to make a classy video, from formal dining, ballerinas, and the monochromatic color scheme (the green wall/background made everything pop!). It kind of makes me want to attend a formal dinner inside an empty warehouse, LOL. When you accompany the song with the video, you can grasp the emotional turmoil that Kanye is expressing and feel for him. The "Taylor Swift incident" proved beneficial to him, since it helped provide some great material for this album.
#7
Florence + The Machine "Dog Days Are Over"
I first saw this video a week before the Video Music Awards. It was nominated for best rock video. I immediately caught onto the brilliance and uniqueness of the video. Every single color used in this video just popped out in contrast to the white. I was engulfed in the gorgeousness of it! It's a very eclectic video, but I love how it all seems to come together, and not in the oddball, weird kind of way. This artist is one that I listened to other works of hers and realized I knew several other songs. I love how one video opens you to a world of new and familiarity at the same time! :-)
#6
Ke$ha "Take It Off (K$ n' Friends version)"
The first time I watched this video, David Bowie's "Labyrinth" came to mind. It just had that feel to it. Then I read about what inspired Ke$ha to create a second video of this song. Not only did she create the Labyrinth vibe, but also paid tribute to Revenge of the Nerds and Tron (and I saw a little Avatar in there, with all the animal transformations). This video makes me want to attend an underground party like this one. It would be fascinating and you will never know what to expect next!!!
#5
Cee Lo Green "Fuck You"
A 60's styled diner, Doo Wop singers, and the heartbreaking journey of a young boy to man attempting to reach out to a girl that he wants so dearly to be his... what more could you ask for? I loved the Motown flavor of the video and song and how it incorporated into present day. You feel for young Cee Lo and hate the "Heartbreaker" who won't give him the time of day. That is, until she sees the success he made in his life, in which he turns her away. Perfect video for one of the best breakup songs out there!
#4
OK Go "This Too Shall Pass"
I have always been fascinated with Rube Goldberg machines. The way that one simple task sends of a ripple effect of activity is highly impressive. For OK Go to make an entire music video using this machine was ingenious. As you watch the events unfold in front of you, you realize that all of this was filmed in one take. I loved watching the guitar rotate around as spoons hit the glasses, the rainbow colored flags, and the climatic ending, with flying black umbrellas, signage, and splattered paint. It was a successful machine, and you feel as proud as the people who built it when it was over.
#3
Lady Gaga "Alejandro"Ah, Lady Gaga... whom I have dubbed the newest queen of visual stimulation (meat dress, anyone???). Her videos are extremely theatrical and I LOVE it! When coming up with the concept for Alejandro, she wanted to pay homage to her homosexual friends with a "homoerotic military theme." It kind of fit, timing wise, to release this video over the summer, since the "don't ask, don't tell policy has been in the news (and Gaga was one of the public figures to promote the repeal of the policy). This is another representation where a monochromatic color scheme (with the color red) added symbolism to the video: Gaga's lipstick, the heart on the pillow, the nun habit dress, even the fiery orange flames toward the climax of the video. I cannot take my eyes off the video once I start watching it... it draws me in every time.
#2
Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg "California Gurls"
Will Cotton is an artistic genius!!! For those not familiar with his work, he creates visual landscapes using pastries, candy, and ice cream. Katy Perry wanted to portray his work in her video, along with representing Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland, and the board game Candy Land. I can't help but admit that this is my dream scenario for a heaven full of sweets and ice cream!!! Only Snoop Dogg can pull off a cupcake suit with his pimp walking stick, and I love him for that! When watching the "making of" featurettes, I learned they they threw in a lot of pop culture into the details (like how Tower Records is on the board game (made with pancakes and marshmallow fluff). This video is just full of fun... oh to be a California girl!!!
And, ladies and gentlemen.... my favorite music video this year:
Lady Gaga featuring Beyonce- "Telephone"
First, I have to remind everyone that this music video is a sequel to Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi." One of the first things I loved about this video is where the prison guards strip her down to prove that Lady Gaga is, in fact, a female (when artists poke fun of their own tabloid rumors, I appreciate them a lot more than I did). Then there is the whole random product placement in the video (Diet Coke cans in her hair, Wonder Bread and Miracle Whip in the kitchen of the diner, and the package of Honey Buns). I could be wrong on this, but I see that was Gaga's way of poking fun of how things are marketed in movies/videos. Oh, and the best thing about this video: it hones in on my movie geekness. The video pays tribute to Thelma and Louis, Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill (Hello.... the Pussy Wagon!). What more could I ask for in a music video??? :-)
I cannot wait for 2011. I am ready to see what's in store for music videos, especially since Lady Gaga will have a new album in the Spring (and based on the two videos I have listed, I expect even greater things for her future "mini movies"). I hope you guys enjoyed watching these videos and appreciated why I put these specific ones on my list. I always welcome recommendations of videos I might have missed, so feel free to mention ones that I need to check out.
