Nashville KOA a Country Christmas Vacation
It’s Christmas in Nashville. Join us at the Nashville KOA for an exciting winter retreat. Stay in one of our country setting lodges, Kamping kabins, Airstream or bring your RV to the Music City Capital- Nashville KOA.

Radio City Rockettes NashvilleTake in the world famous Rockettes as they host their Christmas special in Nashville, TN. You’ll experience high-precision dance accompanied by themes including “12 Days of Christmas,” “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” and “Living Nativity.” Hurry to book your tickets for this very limited engagement. Carriage Rides at OprylandExperience a horse-drawn carriage ride around the Gaylord Opryland™. hotel to enjoy the decorations and lights around Gaylord Opryland™. This magical ride is sure to delight young and old!

A Civil War Christmas Held at the Sam Davis Home and Museum, 1399 Sam Davis Road, Smyrna. Visit the Sam Davis Home during this holiday season to learn about Christmas in the midst of the raging Civil War. Regular hours and admission rates apply. Contact: Sam Davis Home, (615) 459-2341

21st Annual Dickens of a Christmas
Franklin 615-595-1239 This annual Victorian holiday festival is the signature event for Williamson County’s holiday season. It features characters from Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” as well as carriage rides, ‘living window’ crafters, strolling minstrels, great food and fun. The festival takes place outdoors along Main Street and the public square.Radio City Rockettes NashvilleTake in the world famous Rockettes as they host their Christmas special in Nashville, TN. You’ll experience high-precision dance accompanied by themes including “12 Days of Christmas,” “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” and “Living Nativity.” Hurry to book your tickets for this very limited engagement. 1-800-987-9852.

RiverView Mounds Christmas celebration ‘A Country Christmas’
1715 BOYD RINEHART RD CLARKSVILLE TN 37043 (931) 362-3832 Experience Clarksville’s Newest and Most Exciting Holiday Tradition. The magic and wonder of Christmas awaits you…down on the farm! Get your picture made with Santa, cozy up to one of our campfires, delight in the beautifully lit scenery…visit with Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer…Choose from a variety of fresh pre-cut trees..Sing a long with continuous Christmas Music and take SL’hayride with Santa’s Elves as they read you a Christmas Story. Make this your family tradition.

Victorian Masquerade Christmas November 7, 2009 – December 31, 2009

BELLE MEADE PLANTATION 5025
HARDING ROAD NASHVILLE 615-356-0501 All mansion tours will take place in this lovely Christmas atmosphere! Wear a masquerade mask as you tour the beautifully decorated 1853 mansion and learn Victorian Christmas traditions. Hear period music, practice a period dance in the parlor, and participate in Victorian parlor games. What a Christmas treat!

A Country Christmas
GAYLORD OPRYLAND RESORT 2800 OPRYLAND DRIVE NASHVILLE 615-889-1000 Enjoy a multitude of holiday family fun at the Gaylord Opryland Resort with any of the shows and activities offered during the holiday season. The Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the world-famous Rockettes is back this year by popular demand.

Plantation Holidays TRAVELLERS REST PLANATION & MUSEUM 636 FARRELL PARKWAY NASHVILLE 615-832-8197 Experience an 1830’s Christmas with costumed docents.

Christmas at Belmont BELMONT MANSION 1900 BELMONT BOULEVARD NASHVILLE 615-460-5459 It’s a Victorian fantasyland with yards of garland, fruit and dried flowers and traditional tussie-mussies. It’s a beautiful time of the year to take a tour!

Nashville Ballet presents Nutcracker Tennessee Performing Arts Center
This ballet tradition is the perfect way to kick off the holiday season. Nashville Ballet and a youth cast of more than 150 dancers bring to life the tale of Clara and her magical Nutcracker doll. For the third year, surprise guest stars will appear in the lively role of Mother Ginger. Larger-than-life characters, beautiful sets and costumes, bright lights and a bold dragon operated by nine dancers take the audience on a magical adventure. They journey through the Land of Sweets and the Snow Kingdom, with suspenseful battle scenes and engaging dancing along the way. Tchaikovsky’s classic score, performed live by The Nashville Symphony, sets the mood for the ideal holiday evening.

Radio City Rockettes Nashville Customer Rating: 4.9 of 5Based on 30 reviews. Rate and review this activity Radio City Rockettes Nashville Radio City Rockettes Nashville The Radio City Rockettes are once again returning to Nashville for a limited engagement during the Gaylord Opryland’s A Country Christmas. Held at the legendary Grand Ole Opry House, the Rockettes will showcase their famed precision dance numbers while surrounded by scenes of the season. From the always popular “12 Days of Christmas” to acts including the “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” and the “Living Nativity,” the Radio City Rockettes will offer an entertaining look at the traditional holiday motifs while spending your winter vacation in Nashville, TN.

So many of us think our STUFF doesn’t stink. We often think the STUFF we buy, is worth more than we paid for it when we go to sell it.

I think our STUFF is worth approximately 25% of what we paid for it. Now that’s a broad statement I know but If you do some research on eBay or What’s it Worth to You .com you can back-up or surpass my 25% of retail estimate. Check out:

www.ebay.com and/or www.wiw2u.com

Of course homes, vehicles and STUFF of the finest quality and condition sell best. Items that reflect the best features and benefits of their category sell best too, like;

The best home in the best neighborhood, a gorgeous Chris-Craft boat that has been lovingly kept up or a World War II medal kept in a safe deposit box for all these years.

Items that are hard to come by and rare may sell well too:

The smallest house in the best neighborhood, a car of which only “so many” were made or a chipped platter that served Elvis a Peanut Butter and ‘nanna sandwich.

So before you take my advice do your homework. You never know how much STUFF is worth until you do your research.

Carrie was sporting a shorter, lighter blonde do’ on the red carpet of the AMA’s in comparison to the red carpet at the CMA’s. Is it just me, or could Carrie wear a paper bag on her head and look beautiful. Short, long…doesn’t matter…she always looks great!

Carrie was sporting a shorter, lighter blonde do’ on the red carpet of the AMA’s in comparison to the red carpet at the CMA’s.  Is it just me, or could Carrie wear a paper bag on her head and look beautiful.  Short, long…doesn’t matter…she always looks great!

According to a recent report by the Commonwealth Fund , Canadian Primary Care physicians use less computerized reminders for guideline-based interventions and tests than Primary Care physicians in other many other countries.

The Commonwealth Fund, 2009

Therefore, as Canadians, we should not be surprised or discouraged by the recent Commonwealth Fund report.  It appears that there is an interest by physicians and the CMA to advance our nation’s medical IT status. This will take time, motivation on behalf of all players … and oh yes, ongoing funding!  So the next time you review a comparative study regarding the use of technology in clinical practices, look to see if there has been improvement overall in Canada, rather than compare ourselves versus other countries who have been ahead of us for a while already.  At least we have the opportunity to learn from what these countries have already experienced throughout their IT adoption process. 

The California Medical Association’s (CMA) House of Delegates have endorsed a resolution stating that the criminal prohibition of marijuana is a “failed public health policy.”

Source:
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2009/11/chronic_city_its_obvious_–_ca.php

I’m a little behind in posting this, but these boys were flat out robbed at the CMAs last week.  I get why people love Taylor Swift: she’s cute and young and can certainly sing.  BUT!  I haven’t seen her do anything like this.  If you ask me, it takes some serious intestinal fortitude to play “Devil Went Down to Georgia” live in front of the whole of country music.  And nobody, not even Charlie Daniels, ever played it like this.

Between hosting SNL and pissing of Winona Judd by cleaning up at the CMA Awards, Taylor Swift signed a deal for her own line of greeting cards. So random.

The line is through a partnership with American Greetings and will be available next spring.

She’s also on the super sparkly In Style December issue right now.

Source

Dejalo – Rilo Kiley

1) CMAs were amazing. Go taylor for rocking them like the all star that she is. 4 for 4 on the awards! amazing. it was all the good things about country/reminded me why i love country music too.

2) Second cabin trip was fantastic. fail at cranium and scene it. completed awesome mosaic puzzle that i want to put on my wall in a future apartment. beds SO comfy. great food, a fire, movies, music, mini hike, fun people. amazing weekend getaway.

3) ruby makes me happy monday was my first day on phones by myself. nerve racking but i stumbled my way through it. its a great place to work and i even got a cookie from amanda and some rubies! still working on getting to know people but i’m really excited for the holiday party in december. had yesterday and today off. back to work tomorrow. hopefully i don’t screw anything up the rest of this week!

4) having dinner with my cousin kristine tonight. little nervous because i haven’t had much contact, especially recently, with my cousins (they live all over the place and are at least 10-15 yrs older than me) but it should still be fun.

5) on the hunt for an apartment. can’t really afford $600/month and trying to find something closer to work. probably end up sharing with people…and even though that’s not my ultimate choice because of all the roommate issues i’ve had in the past it’ll be ok for now. stressing me out. most places require your income to be 3 times your income. mine definitely falls short. i’ve never rented anything before so that might be a problem for some places. not sure how my student loans will effect the screening process. its just frustrating and stressful and i feel like my options are so limited. finally got the job situation figured out and am getting settled in…but finding a place to live is just…discouraging. much like trying to find a job was. hopefully it works out in the same way…but sooner so i can stop imposing.

6) excited for thanksgiving even though its still aways out. well, maybe not. only a week. i feel like time is just flying by. i still don’t feel like i’m all gradumacated with a degree. maybe because i know i’m going back to school eventually so things feel unfinished. or maybe because my entire life school has been looming in front of me whenever a break is over. i guess i just feel like i’m on an extra long break.

7) working on updating info on here. trying to add books—one page for my favorites, another for what i’m currently reading. we’ll see how that goes. need to add more pictures too.

off to dinner and burlington coat factory!

]]> http://actorschecklist.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/cma-awards-gamesoundcon-streaming-media-west-ctn-animation-expo-music-in-media-highlight-november-media-and-entertainment-industry-networking-events/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:20:20 +0000 actorschecklist http://actorschecklist.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/cma-awards-gamesoundcon-streaming-media-west-ctn-animation-expo-music-in-media-highlight-november-media-and-entertainment-industry-networking-events/

An annual event in Santa Monica, the American Film Market is a film industry event of networking activity, production and distribution deals, running till November 11, where The AFM transforms The Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel and the Le Merigot Beach Hotel into a center for activity with 23 screens on the Santa Monica Promenade and the surrounding community put into play for festival activity. Held within the time period of the American Film Market, the city of Santa Monica also hosts the Santa Monica International Film Festival, through November 7, a competition independent film festival that showcases the work of independent feature, documentary and short films filmmakers from around the world. Waterford Film Festival in Greyfriars Waterford, will showcase a wide range of films from feature films, documentaries, animation, short films, experimental and student work. Academy Award nominee Feature Documentary ‘No End In Sight’, directed by Charles Ferguson, will have its Irish premier at the Festival. Distribution strategist Peter Broderick and journalist and author Scott Kirsner join forces to present a crash course on the new rules of marketing and distribution, especially tailored to the needs of independent filmmakers and artists, at a workshop in Los Angeles, November 7. BMI’s 57th Annual Country Awards honors the songwriters and publishers of the top BMI country songs from the past year. At the ceremony, BMI will honor Kris Kristofferson as a BMI Icon in Nashville, November 10. The 43rd Annual CMA Awards takes place at the Sommet Center in Nashville, airing live on the ABC Television Network. The CMA Awards represent the pinnacle of achievement for Country Music artists, musicians, producers, publishers, songwriters, video directors and industry executives.

Hosted by the Nielsen Company and Dow Jones, and guided by the combined editorial teams of The Wall Street Journal, Private Equity Analyst, Barron’s, Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek, Brandweek, Mediaweek and Editor & Publisher, the Media and Money conference, coming up on November 12 & 13, reveals new strategies for profitability through dynamic panel discussions and high profile keynote interviews. GameSoundCon features two concentrated days of seminars and panel sessions by the industry’s experts on the unique creative and technical challenges of creating audio for games, November 13-14, in San Francisco. The October 16 Video Production for Real People workshop, will go through a typical video production kit (complete with lights), cover camera basics, visualizing your idea (pre-production), shot selection, and ways to shoot so that you won’t have to “fix it in post.” Nokia Mobifest Toronto Symposium and Awards is an independent leaning, made for mobile film festival, started by Nokia to distribute mobile films under revenue sharing agreements, and to take a role as well to produce and commission made-for-mobile films. BMI is a sponsor of The Copyright Alliance’s Third Annual EXPO taking place on in Washington, DC. This November 17 event will showcase new products and economic benefits of America’s copyright industries that provides a platform for artists, trade associations and companies to exhibit creative work and discuss the future of copyright and its impact on local economies.

Folded into the established Streaming Media West, the new Online Video Platform Summit is a two-day event designed to help organizations of all types — not just those for whom video is their core business — debuting in San Jose, November 17-19. An online expo, produced by Sony, seeks to educate its participants through firsthand online interaction, on new and existing HD solutions based on your budget, through an Interactive Exhibit Hall, product demos, presentations, how-to videos, real-world success stories, group chats, networking, happening November 19, as a web only event at: pro.sony.com/bbsccms/ext/vtsnewecohd/index.shtml?
XID=E:VTS09_register:vtsnewecohdpage. CTN Animation Expo, November 20-22 in Burbank, is hosted by Creative Talent Network® to provide highly focused conference programming, workshops, recruiting, presentations and networking opportunities designed to connect animation artists, studio executives and industry leaders both locally and internationally. The Music In Media Interactive Conference, happening in Hollywood, November 20-22, is designed to inform, educate, entertain and create opportunities for conference attendees, and is specifically focused on conveying what (and who) you need to know to get your music in film, TV, video games, movie trailers, commercials and other forms of contemporary media. Imaginaria Film Festival, in Conversano, November 25-29, is attempting a new experience and new connection between international and independent cinema of a digital nature, through innovativeness fused through technology and creativity in an array of works including, feature film, short film, film and digital, music video, web video and video art installations.

The above events are only a sample of what is fully listed. Complete details are on the “Media, Entertainment and Performing Arts Industry News and Events” page at actorschecklist.com/news.html. Video and podcast versions of this news summary are also available at popular video sites around the Web like MySpace, YouTube, Daily Motion, as well as on The Actor’s Checklist podcast blog at actorschecklist.com/loudblog. Follow the posting of the news summary on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/actorschecklist. This month on the video news summary you will again see a dynamic array of artists in performance of film, music and documentary. These videos are now available on the Free Home Video Showcase at http://www.actorschecklist.com/video which now serves as an archive for all past video presentations but without the audio news narration. The Actor’s Checklist is proud announce the return of the photo gallery which you can visit at http://actorschecklist.com/coppermine to upload  head shots or other suitable pictures of your choice, create profiles, and use your pictures or others found on the gallery as ecards which you can email to friends and associates.

I am currently discussing tai-chi with my friend in Hong Kong… I have placed a bet with him that if I can convince him the classical applications of tai-chi have merit he must buy dim sum, if I fail I will buy the dim sum. No small wager, both of us can EAT.

I won’t defend Chinese Martial Arts at this point, the fact is CMA has been sold, prostituted many times over the years and the damage to its image is, rightly or wrongly, irreparable.

Anyway I need to be careful writing about CMA.

 If I continue down this line I may inflame some peoples sense of self : “I am a CMA practitoner and I believe you are WRONG” and in so doing they can snort a line of ego dust having given themselves the dirty little high of making themselves “right” by making someone else wrong. And I dont want to provide hungry little souls with that opportunity.

So, I will drop  defending or even discussing “CMA” for now.

But “Chi Sau” and energy drills, sensitivity drills… why would I value them?

Isn’t “street fighting” all about hitting harder, faster, firster and meaner than the other guy. In some senses “yes” and in some, not at all.

Ah blessed dogma… my karma ran over your dogma

“Every dogma has its day”

Anthony Burgess

(author of “A Clockwork Orange”)

I mean ultimately we will all get older and we will have to rely less on the attributes that are the dominion of younger people and more in intelligence, cunning and “savvy”.

In cantonese, young thugs, would -be triads, are referred to as “goo wak jai” meaning literally “cunning boys.” This attribute of being “cunning” having “savvy” and knowing your territory inside out is not one that practitoners of self protection often seek.

But they do seek to be more confident and to be better able to fight. If you want confidence and fighting ability, seek to be “goo wak” and know your territory.

Chi Sau, allows you to get to know that territory: the human body in a combative state. Get to know it, get intimate with human movement and the human body the way a masseur is, a physiologist, a therapist, a doctor.

Get intimate, get knowledgeable.

Another Chinese idea: knowing how to heal people as the yin yang opposite to learning how to break them.

Chi Sau ,or if you are “stuck” on the associations your overactive mind spews out of white people in silk pyjamas making nimrods of themselves in the name of “Kung Fu”, just think of “combative sensitivity drills” allow your body, not your brain so much, but your body to think, to “talk”.

And you want it to be “fluent” ideally. Knowing “just enough to get by” is the CLASSIC combative paradigm, that has also been prostituted, just like CMA has been, in the modern “Reality Based Self Defense” (blluuurgh, i just threw up a little bit in my mouth!) marketplace: LEARN TO KILL A MAN IN 2 MINUTES WITH YOUR BARE ELBOWS BY ABSORBING PURE MARTIAL SKILL THROUGH YOUR EYES BY WATCHING THIS DVD WHILST EATING ICE CREAM- “just like the matrix”

(I didnt make up that “just like the matrix” bit, that is from real sales copy, the people who wrote it? yeah they chow down on satans sausage and are going to a lake of fire for all eternity)

Profit and Quality make poor bedfellows in many ways … its really mixing your agendas to try and make money (which means giving people what they WANT) with trying to deliver quality training (which means giving people what they NEED, but dont really want because its not sexy or easy or quick, can be boring, painful and take a long time…ewww, sucks… change the channel.)

I say “Do Chi Sau”

Sorry, do “combative sensitivty drills”… because

it allows you to be more “goo wak” and you want to be a “goo wak jai” dont you?

if you want to learn to fight, you must have savvy, you must know how to move, how your opponent will move, you must teach your body to “think”, to “talk” to “read”… such that you can close your eyes put your hand on your partners chest and know solely through the info coming through your palm  “what his intention is” – dun, dun, DUUUUN!  (cue kung fu film music and zoom in close up)

sounds spooky, but its not at all, you can feel, what he wants to attack you with and where,  remember the hand is faster than the eye, if you can make contact and “sense their intention” – isnt this a useful skill? surely?

I’m advocating a traditional martial arts skill set and training tool? what? I thought this was street fight secrets?

I say: learn to do it.

If you aren’t a secret agent learning rudimentary hand to hand combat before being dropped behind enemy lines (heres a clue, if you are reading this, you aren’t… just in case you were confused) then you have more than 48 hours to study, you have the rest of your life to enjoy your training and to allow your training to develop you as a person, hollistically and organically.

Learn this skillset.

Then you can wear silk pyjamas and do blind folded chi sau too… and make everyone call you “sifu”.

Who knows… they might even buy you dim sum.

(for more info on the chi sau/sensitivity/ shot placement drills I like to do , its all covered step by step in  the “core concepts” 3 dvd set available now on special half price offer from http://www.streetfightsecrets.net/specialoffer.html)

Taylor Swift is one of sweetest, honest, hardworking young woman out there who is very serious about her music.  There is a certain humility about her which is endearing.  I think the CMA has chosen well awarding her the Country Music Entertainer of the Year title.  She has made a mark for herself on the music scene and I can see her evolving into the Dolly Parton and other country music enduring greats of all time. Best of luck in the future Taylor, continue working hard, doing the best you can and maintain your focus on your work rather than on your fame and good things will come your way.

As an addendum, I must say I was surprised that she won over Keith Urban who is a fabulous musician and entertainer.  I supposed his little sheningans with drugs etc. did not bone well with the officials.  He will survive.  Having said that, Taylor is riding on a strong wave of popularity in her own right so she deserves to win.

Japão mode ON

Fresh off her win as Entertainer of the Year, Taylor meets the press backstage at the CMA Awards 2009.  She discusses her rise to stardom, finding the next challenge, and dodges a couple of zingers.

I love the way she goes “I’m sorry” after being told a lot of people had to work hard to keep up with her.

Now I guess after so many you-know-what jokes, one member of the press felt compelled to ask about it all over again… Something you can tell she doesn’t appreciate.  Although you might think Taylor invited those questions again, the truth is that when Taylor made that joke about thanking people “not to run onstage during the speech” she was only half joking.  She was actually thankful about nobody was trying that as a joke all over again.  Because, unless you didn’t get the message, it’s really really old (remember the hollywood dish skit on SNL? That’s what the subtext was: stop asking).

She does address what people like to call her meteoric rise to fame.  While mainstream media didn’t know about Taylor Swift until the VMAs, the Pennsylvania native did win the Horizon Award at the CMAs in 2007 as well as having her albums go platinum long time before the incident (I can’t really bring myself to talk about it either).

There’s a funny bit when she even gets to play coy about the usual Taylor Lautner questions.  Everybody knows she’s playing coy, everybody is in on the joke, and when they move on nobody is surprised.

And that’s all we have time for.  Have a good weekend everyone!

(Source: ABC, CMA Awards 2009, YouTube)

American Idol-alum Kellie Pickler debuted her new color at the 43rd CMA Awards on Wednesday night.
I’m just now seeing pictures of her new ‘do–and I must say, I love it!
Your opinions?

What happens if you hit your dream too early?  For years I’ve watched this phenomenon play out in 21-yr-old NFL players who sabotage their early success.  The stories of drug abuse and personal failure as child actors become adults are legend.  Most lottery winners destroy their unexpected success within three years.  Last year I spoke at the White House to a group of mostly 30-somethings who knew they would be moved out with the next administration.  Where do you go after having had a White House assignment so early in your career?  

Wednesday night Taylor Swift described her emotions upon winning the CMA Entertainer of the Year – that industry’s highest honor.  She said she was dumbfounded at winning the award of her dreams at only 19 years old.  She added that she always likes a challenge and she wasn’t sure now what new challenge she would be working toward. 

Is it a good thing or a curse to “win” too early in life?  Is success sweeter if it comes only after years of hard work?  Are you ready to handle success? 

Cervantes said, “The road is better than the inn.”  In my own experience I know I’ve frequently enjoyed the challenge of success more than the end result I had in mind. 

Have you ever seen a dog that actually catches a car?   While the chasing seemed to be a thrilling adventure, reaching it usually produces a state of “What now?”  It seems that attaining success often confuses people as well.

I hope this is the last time any of us have to think about Kanye’s VMA fiasco. After two months, it’s safe to say the joke is over done. There’s a saying in the urban community, something’s cool until the white folks start using it. During the Country Music Awards, Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley did a bit where they talked about their favorite music videos, when Grand Ole Opry Legend, Little Jimmy Dickens pulled a “Kanye”.

Old people make me laugh so it’s kinda funny. Little Jimmy is nearly 90 year olds looks to be a foot shorter than Carrie Underwood. Props to the CMAs for a fun time indeed. But at some point we have to move on from this joke so the healing process can begin. No one in pop and country music is bigger than Taylor Swift right now. I’d like to see a moment where she doesn’t have to be reminded of Kanye every time she’s interviewed or recognized for her accomplishments. Let Taylor do her thing and Kanye get some help.

Hello everybody,

It has never been a secret that I am not a fan of country music. I think that genre of music is very boring, very few of the artists can really play well and the lyrics are … well, for the most part a joke. The fact I often times believe lyrics from hip-hop and rap tunes are more intelligent is pretty sad.

However, as a fan of music, I do respect an artist that works hard. Regardless of my personal feelings in regards to the music created by a musician, the fact is that individual or band is doing something I wish I could. During my grade school years I played trumpet in the band, was pretty good at it, but lost interest by the time I was in seventh grade and quit altogether after I graduated from junior high. In retrospect I wish I had continued to play into high school, and even today there are a few instruments I would love to learn how to play.

All this brings to mind what country artist Taylor Swift is having to hear right now in regards to her complete dominance at the CMA Awards this week. It seems that some people are jealous that a 19 year old not only won all four awards she was nominated for, but took home the coveted Entertainer of the Year trophy.

Wynonna Judd was especially harsh with her critique of the whole situation, claiming Swift’s rise to fame is indicative of how younger artists today experience fame too quickly. Well, Wynonna and several other “well-informed” people need to do some homework.

Taylor Swift took a demo of her singing karaoke songs to Nashville and explored every possible option on Music Row to break into the business … at the age of ELEVEN. I was too busy with Little League to worry about things like a career at that age! When she was turned down flat, rather than whine about things, she went home, learned to play the 12-string guitar and started writing her own songs. Oh, she did this by the age of TWELVE!

I have no use for her music, but I would be a hypocrite as a fan of the art of music if I was not impressed by what Taylor Swift has accomplished before she is even the legal drinking age! I hope she continues to well, if for no other reason to make a mockery of her critics. And Kanye.

Check out this article on Pollstar.com in regards to Wynonna’s little outburst about Taylor Swift.

Cheers!
Frank

Good morning kids and HAPPY FRIGGIN’ FRIDAY!!!

This week…
Charles Manson turned 75 and has spent more than half his life in prison.
Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the U.S. Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood Army Post in Texas a week ago, is paralyzed.
Three freshmen Tennessee football players were charged with attempted armed robbery Thursday morning.

I don’t normally watch award shows, but this week I watched a pretty good portion of the CMA Awards. I don’t watch these type shows because they are usually boring, but this one was actually quite entertaining. Especially when Little Jimmy Dickens comes onstage and interrupts Brad Paisley to give props to Taylor Swift, reminiscent to the way Kanye West interrupted Taylor’s acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards. The Zac Brown Band’s cover of “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” was quite awesome! All in all it was very entertaining. Taylor Swift, last year’s New Artist Of The Year, was nominated for and won 4 awards including the top prize, Entertainer Of The Year.

And now for something completely different…

http://www.savetheinternet.com/

When we log onto the Internet, we take a lot for granted. We assume we’ll be able to access any Web site we want, whenever we want, at the fastest speed, whether it’s a corporate or mom-and-pop site. We assume that we can use any service we like such as watching online video, listening to podcasts, or sending email. What makes all these assumptions possible is Net Neutrality.

Net Neutrality simply means no discrimination. It prevents Internet providers from blocking, speeding up or slowing down Web content based on its source, ownership or destination. It is the reason the Internet has driven economic innovation, democratic participation and free speech online. It protects the consumer’s right to use any equipment, content, application or service without interference from the network provider. With Net Neutrality, the network’s only job is to move data, not to choose what data is available to you.

The nation’s largest telephone and cable companies (AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and Time Warner Cable) want to decide which Web sites go fast or slow and which won’t load at all. They want to tax content providers to guarantee speedy delivery of their data and they want to discriminate in favor of their own search engines, Internet phone services and streaming video, while slowing down or blocking services offered by their competitors, such as Yahoo, Vonage, and Netflix.

Instead of a level playing field, these companies want to reserve express lanes for their own content and services, or those of big corporations that can afford the steep tolls, and leave the rest of us in the slow lane. The big phone and cable companies are spending hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying Congress and the FCC to do away with Net Neutrality, putting the future of the Internet at risk.

Basically, depending on who your internet service provider is, your access to certain websites may be restricted, or blocked altogether. If you use Comcast, they probably wouldn’t be to happy about you watching all your favorite shows on Hulu. AT&T probably doesn’t want you making phone calls via Skype or Vonage. It’s definitely something to think about.

Law Could Restrict Internet Access
http://www.dailyevergreen.com/story/30078

John McCain’s “Internet Freedom Act” Seeks to Block FCC’s Net Neutrality Rules
http://gizmodo.com/5388381/john-mccains-internet-freedom-act-seeks-to-block-fccs-net-neutrality-rules

Have a great weekend!!!

Stephen R. Schermerhorn
Dude

The 2009 CMA’s were on last night and the top prize was given to an unexpected nominee.  Taylor Swift is now the youngest owner of an “Entertainer of the Year” statue.  This is the second time this award season that Swift has come out on top unexpectedly. (Flash back to Kanye being a moron) This is also the second time this award season that she has made history by being the first country singer to win a VMA AND is now the youngest person in history to win entertainer of the year.

And so I say, congratulations to you Taylor Swift

The Zac Brown Band tore it up at the CMA’s tonight.  I generally don’t approve of people covering this song, but this was amazing.  I saw Charlie Daniels sing this once and by the end of the song his bow was completely torn up.  I remember thinking “Wow, nobody is ever going to come close to this.”  My mind has been changed.  I LOVE to see talented, young, musicians just kicking ass.  I didn’t even mind that the singing the fiddle playing were done by different people…..

You know you’ve done a good job at the CMA’s when you get a standing ovation and in the pan of the crowd you see Kris Kristofferson beaming.* 

Year’s ago, Jason used to see Zac Brown play at a bar he frequented.  I remember him coming home all the time  saying “Wow, that guy is going to make it big someday.”  At the end of this performance, Jason looked at me and said “Wow, I’m sort of bursting with pride right now.”

*How weird is it that I’ve mentioned Kris Kristofferson twice in the last week??