CAN AN AMAZING SONG BE COVERED AND STILL BE AMAZING? CAN A DULL SONG BE COVERED AND MADE INTO SOMETHING GREAT?

Under follows a list of my PERSONAL favourite cover songs (in random order), and those i wish I’d never hear in the first place. A cover song can make a song into something fresh and wonderful, OR destroy them.

Purple  = original artist

Red = cover artist

PRINCE VS SINEAD O’CONNOR

(Nothing Compares to You)

Winner? Sinead O’Connor!

Depeche Mode vs Johnny Cash

(Personal Jesus)

Winner? Depeche Mode!

Dolly Parton vs The White Stripes

(Jolene)

Winner? Hard to tell.. Both so different and oh so great !

Tears For Fears vs Gary Jules

(Mad World)

Win? Again, no way I can choose.. Gary Jules made an amazing cover by turning a great song into something way different, a completely different genre.. Love them both!

The Who vs Hilary Duff

(My Generation)

Winner? The Who, who else?

Gary Numan vs The Dead Weather

(Are Friends Electric)

Winner? Though both versions are amazing and the Dead Weather version is the most played for me right now, The Numan version has to be the all time favourite..!

Aerosmith vs Macy Gray

Winner? Aerosmith!

Oasis vs The Mike Flowers Pops

(Wonderwall)

Best? Kinda funny, but mostly just weird (the cover)! Oasis got the best version, ofc..

Stirile de la ora 13:47
Vezi mai multe video Haioase

 VS

Well Both Women have pretty damn big titties that for sure, but which could hold the pressure of a constant titty bounceoff? Of Course both are filled with Cleavage but age may also come into play here…Both would start off great for the firt minute or 2 then I see Dolly’s Back problems giving her problems as she would need to stop bouncing often, Pam would continue bouncing her massive juggs for us all to drool over as Dolly Starts up again she tries to pick up steam but in the end dollys boobs deflate into 2 empty dry jerky looking sacks!

Dolly gives it her best but age cought up with her, In the End Pams titties are still bouncing in the breeze as the winner of the titty bounce off!

One of my all-time favorite books isn’t a book that’s going to be listed in The New York Times bestseller list. It’s an old book by Watty Piper called The Little Engine That Could. It’s the story of a little engine that believes in itself to get over the mountain, when all the new, shiny, and bigger engines said no before trying. I’m a firm believer in believing in oneself and just giving whatever comes in your way a shot. Just go for it. I always tell the teens in which I work that the only thing stopping them is themselves. All the people in their life that tell them that they can’t do it…well, they don’t always know what they are talking about. In 1996, Dolly Parton started her Imagination Library in Sevier County, TN. The program sends a book each month from the time a child is born until they are 5 years old. The books are absolutely free, and are meant to encourage the children in the joy of reading. The program has since spread to numerous counties, states, and nations. I’m sure when Dolly started the program, there were people that told her it would never work, or it was too expensive. Over 13 years later, and a couple of million books given away…the program is still going strong. The first book they receive is Watty Piper’s The Little Engine That Could. Anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it, and don’t give up! Don’t let the people around you dictate what you can and can’t do! You’re the only person standing in your way.

I hope you get a little encouragement from this. I know I needed to hear it today. Have a great day, fantastic readers.

Ok, before people start on me, i’m not a fan of Dolly’s music (apart from 9-5: obviously a classic). I’m gay, but i’m not THAT gay. I dunno about you though, but I really want Dolly Parton to be my nan! LOL. This clip is so cute! Dolly Parton thanks her UK fans for making her latest greatest hits album ‘The Very Best of Dolly Parton’ go platinum here in the UK. It has so far peaked at #8. Well done Dolly!

Big Raw Material Love and Kisses this week for:

• Viv: for her steadfast dedication to getting Johnny and Gozzers (Sketch Iz Dead) sorted out -image wise – whipped into shape and in Mixmag by the end of the month. And for putting up with their emails about porn. And for persuading Tom to sing karaoke.

• Danny Howells: we *literally* love Danny. We love his guinea pig dramas and we love his midnight Twitters. And we love him even more now that we know he’s got a huge collection of Pirate Radio content from the 80s – how cool is that?

• Paul at Exposure: for sending us cute little bottles of Patron
• The dwarves who came to Karaoke Box on Weds night: we hope you had as much fun as we did!
• Everyone who voted for HST on Channel AKA: you make the lads from Essex and Tiger Tom, plus label manager and all round rude boy Sean very happy
• Graeme at Leith FM: for backing D:REAM so wholeheartedly and playing the single. We owe you a whisky or something

• The model who let Jammo throw water at her all day: all in the name of ‘Jack TV’. True professionalism! lol

And rubbing us up the wrong way:

• Accountants: we know you’re a necessary evil but can you please talk English? (Actually, ours are better than most so I’ll give them a plug: they’re called Rodliffe and they are next door to the Hoxton Hotel and XRay touring’s office)

• Me Love Sushi: for some reason they send us HUNDREDS of texts and they don’t even deliver to Hoxton-Hollyoaks
• Coffee: on Viv’s advice we’ve decided we need to drink less of it. And Tom and Viv are going to smoke less. Next week looks to be a week of virtue and grumpiness…

How many words can you think of that use only the consonants PRTN, in that order, and no others? Proper nouns (like Dolly PARTON) are not allowed. You may repeat a consonant, but only if no vowels appear in between. For full rules, see the link at the upper right.

I have a list of nine words so far, and expect to have 12 or more by Wednesday, when I’ll post my answers.

Enjoy the beginning of the week!

“Se você quer o arco-íris, vai ter que aturar um pouco de chuva.” (Dolly Parton)

Shaconage

For years now, one of the things I thought about myself, is that I would leave this area of the country and move north. When someone talked to me, one could hear it in my tone and my voice. I wanted out. When the opportunities presented themselves to leave the hills, the opportunities would dissipate and I would be stuck in this area. I’ve been so ready to leave, that I’ve nearly forgotten how amazing and beautiful this area is. For those who don’t know, I live in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee. One of my heroes (which I’m sure you know) is Dolly Parton. Dolly grew up about 30 minutes from where I live. She has been a big inspiration for me for a long time. Someone recently asked me when I started being a Dolly fan. I honestly have no idea. I’ve just always adored her. I felt like I’ve always known of her and known her. I would go to her museum at Dollywood as a child and just soak it up. I would marvel at things like her Coat of Many Colors (which inspired one of her biggest hits), and her first record on the Goldband label, “Puppy Love.” She was always someone I felt like I had a kinship with. I’ve read her autobiography Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business about 34 times. I know that woman. Even now, when I see her on TV or in person…my heart flutters and I’m speechless. Even now, in Dolly’s new museum “Chasing Rainbows,” I wonder around and get filled with inspiration.

I started working at Dollywood in 2006, and I loved it. Things happened in my job where I didn’t love it so much. When I quit in 2008, I went on an anti-Dolly tirade. I didn’t want anything to do with her. I got rid of a lot of my Dolly paraphernalia that I’d accumulated for so long. A week before Dollywood opened this season, my family all got our season passes renewed for this season. A great friend of mine that works at the park gave…yes…gave…me her copy of Dolly’s Sha-Kon-O-Hey! Land of Blue Smoke. As I mentioned yesterday, Dolly wrote the music to the show of the same name at Dollywood. She recorded the songs and is selling the CD at Dollywood, Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede, and through the Great Smoky Mountains Association. The CD is $10, and all proceeds benefit the Great Smoky Mountains’ “Friends of the Smokies.” The money is going to the “Trails Forever” program.

I was excited about listening to the cd, as I was curious about the music that she would’ve written for it. The tracks have names like “My Mountains, My Home,” “Hey! Howdy Hey!,” “Working on a Dream,” “Time Flies,” “Heart of the Smokies,” “Good Time,” “Sha-Kon-O-Hey,” and “Forever Home.” The story of the show is a family has sold their land to the Park Service and are having to leave all their lives and pasts behind. The family meets a wizened storyteller and are introduced to a lot of the area’s colorful characters from the past including: Scots-Irish settlers, Railmen, Lumbermen, and the Cherokee indians. The show’s name is a phonetic spelling of Shaconage, which the Cherokee indians called this area. Shaconage means “blue like smoke.”

The CD reawakened my heart to the amazing beauty of this area. The first song, “My Mountains, My Home,” is a perfect telling of how I feel about my past here. So many wonderful memories! The fact that on a good day, I can look out my window and see the Smokies. In fact, living in the shadow of LeConte is such an amazing thing.

The last song in the show, “Forever Home,” is THE song that I realized that this area is always going to be my home. No matter where I go. I’ll carry the spirit of Shaconage in my heart.

I’ve posted some lyrics to “My Mountains, My Home,” for you to check out.

MY MOUNTAINS, MY HOME
Dolly Parton

These are My mountains, my valleys
These are my rivers flowing like a song
These are my people, my memories
These are my mountains, this is my home

There’s old an churchhouse, an old schoolhouse,
An old homeplace down a shady lane.
Conversation, playful recreation
Freinds and neighbors and you know em all by name
Time for stopping, makin’ time for family
Time for washin’ a little dirty face
Time for helpin’ grandpa in the garden,
Grandma in the kitchen sayin’ daily grace

REPEAT CHORUS

Heart’s heavy, not ready to leave it all behind,
Say goodbye and walk away
A new world’s calling, but we’re stallin’
The future tells me go, but my mountain heart says stay.

My home is a place heaven shines so brightly on
My home is a place where the mountain streams roll on
My home is a place of laughter, love and song
These are my mountains, this is my home.

REPEAT CHORUS X2

These are my mountains, my multi-colored rainbow
These are my mountains, this is my home
These are my mountains, this is my home.

I’ve been getting these headaches lately, at around 4 pm.  It’s most likely just mid day slump but it’s really annoying.  The headaches are those really rude ones that just start with no warning, and live right behind the eyes.  They never happen on rainy days when I don’t want to see anything anyway, only on really nice sunny, spring days.  Upon writing that I realize my allergies are to blame.  I consider that a break through.

Well, today’s headache made me want to write for some reason.  Not the typical reaction to a headache.  Usually I just want a cold wash cloth over my face and for the rest of civilization to disappear but today, I want to write.  And I specifically want to write songs, tons of them, I mean a ridiculous amount.  I read the other day that Dolly Parton has written over 3,000 songs. I realize more and more how much I love Dolly Parton by the way.

So, I am on a quest to write 3,000 songs, or just maybe somewhere around 12 songs, in the near future.  I am in no way hinting they will be any good, I simply intend to write them.

For now, I will remember Paris again, perhaps for inspiration…?

I just wanted a picture of this little tiny train.

merry-go-round.

Hi,

As i promised before i would be posting (slowly)!

I dont have enough time now to keep going on stardoll every single day so please be patient.

Well have you ever noticed the quality of the dolls?

Half of the Superstar Dolls are really rubbish, here’s my examples:

Britney Spears 1-

Now this doll was out when i first joined stardoll in late 2006. See the quality of the doll is a bit 2D, not like what it is today! The head of the doll isnt all that great but it still looks like Britney. Im sure the dress she is wearing is a lottery dress though im not sure . . . .

Compare it to this:

Basma Bosil-

Some pieces of clothing look the same as Britney’s (as in quality), still 2D! Most of them have Bland colours and dont stand out. The Doll’s head is what makes it a bit more modern than Britney’s. This doll is free NOW! So comparing the doll in 2006 to the 2009 and they both are a bit simpler is ot a great start for doll makers on stardoll!

___________________________________________

Now take a look at this one:

Amanda Seyfried-

The quality is a teeny but better, but is starting to get out of the 2D shape but not quite yet.  The clothes are quite tacky and simple and stardoll always have the 3 same wigs, blonde, brunette, red head! This doll is Superstar right now! Tut tut . . . .

Compare it to this:

Dolly Parton-

See this doll is definatly better than all the 3 over dolls put together! But of course there is a reason for this. Stardoll put the best quality on the dolls which are going to go into starplaza or the ones 85% of the time! Dolls head is really life like and the dresses are 3D. Most of the dresses in this doll are in starplaza. This doll is Superstar right now! Same goes to this one:

DIYana-

So when will start making better quality clothing for other dolls, we’re in 2009 not 2006 and when more and more members are coming they might be disapointed as roi-world and i-dressup are a world a head of us!! I know stardoll are short of time on keeping new dolls coming but they could at least try!!!!

Ive always wanted a panda doll . . . . . .

Lel1996

xoxoxo

P.S Im in the making of the suite makeover and i just need replies!

Officer Mike Parton and K9 Nugent, Daleville PD

When Nugent plops down on a cushion in Mike and Julie Parton’s living room, the yellow lab is off work, relaxed but attentive, quick to his feet like any young dog.

But when Nugent, 3, sits calmly at the end of his leash next to a suspect’s car and looks back at officer Mike Parton for his reward ball, he is at work as Daleville’s narcotics dog for the past year — and whoever is in the vehicle is likely busted.

Now the Parton-Nugent team seems an obvious match, but it didn’t start out that way.

“When the town first got Nugent, I did not pay much attention to him,” said Parton, a Daleville police officer since 2001 who previously worked for Chesterfield and the Indiana Department of Corrections. “But since I took over, I’ve leaned that it is amazing what he can do.

“His nose! He walks into a training room and takes off; he knows; his nose is so sensitive.”

Partners since January, Mike and Nugent paired up after the town’s former canine officer took another job. Town council members balked at the idea of losing Nugent, who had been purchased, trained and fed strictly from volunteers’ donations.

“I love it,” Parton said recently, in uniform at a monthly police dog training exercise with other departments at Muncie’s Northwest Wrecker. “Nugent is another tool for us.

“(Most of) the dogs are already trained, and the training is for us (the humans).”

Luckily, Parton is familiar with dogs to the point he might have seemed a likely pick more than a year ago after Nugent first arrived.

“I don’t know of any other family like our family, involved in the variety of things we have done with dogs,” said Julie Parton, Mike wife of 25 years. “There is my grooming shop (Chesterfield’s The Canine Design; see profile on page XX); there is Mike and Nugent, and there have been years with 4-H.”

Indeed, Julie, an Anderson Highland graduate, and Mike, from Alexandria, met at the Fairmount 4-H Fair. Together, they raised, kenneled, and showed their pets and others’ for years from JessLyn Kennels south of Chesterfield at their home. Mike describes JessLyn now as a home for mostly old show dogs — a German shepherd, dalmatian, beagle and a Nova Scotia duck-trolling dog — plus daughter Lyndsey’s not-so-old show dog, a boxer.

“It’s just the same,” Lyndsey said about the Partons’ dog-oriented lifestyle since Nugent arrived, “but he is very hyper.”

Mike and Julie thought Nugent had begun to settle in to his new surroundings and a new family. Lyndsey is 17 and sister Jessica (hence the kennel name JessLyn) is 20.

“He is great with our other dogs, gets along with the family, and likes to run around with the cats out in the garage,” Mike said. “And he stirs up the chickens.”

Sounds fluffy enough, but Muncie Police Department trainer Jay Turner has now seen Nugent twice with two different officers — and knows there is a need for a K-9 team in Daleville, located at the busy intersections of two state highways with Interstate 69.

“He is a wonderful addition to the Daleville area with a handler willing to put a lot of time into training,” Turner said after watching Nugent zero in on drugs stashed in various cars at the wrecking yard. “Putting them together in Daleville puts them in a good position every day to make finds.”

Still, Julie said the Madison County 4-H Club Rough Riders had immediately adopted the easy-going canine, and had donated $265 toward his maintenance — including a tracking harness and reflective safety vest for assignments along roadways.

“Nugent has to have a balance of family time, kennel time and time at work,” Julie said. “As a dog person, I see lots of untouched potential in Nugent — like a person who has only been to high school, yet needs to go on to college.

“He’s a peach, though, and I think he has found happiness.”

Link

This is my 100th post! WOW. Pretty impressive, considering (up to and including this post) I posted 66 times in December. It’s only December 29th! Well, I want to thank the people that come to this blog. Some comment, and some don’t…either way, I’m glad to get the viewers. I hope I continue to bring quality content…or at least content to you!

For my 100th, I’ve decided to make it my year in review. Enjoy.

2008 was a busy year for me! So, without further adieu…

Joie’s 2008 Year-In-Review

January

January started off as the past two January’s had. Jobless. Working at a theme park meant that we were laid off during January-March. I think my first big event of 2008 was going to the unemployment office. January 22, I was devastated to learn that Heath Ledger, one of my all-time favorite actors/crushes was dead. It was sad.

February

February brought a first in my life. On February 17th, Anthony and I started a relationship. It was a new feeling of joy and excitement. I finally felt somewhat attractive.

March

March brought yet another first for me. I drove out of state by myself for the first time! It was scary! On that drive, I got lost in the middle of the Northern Georgia mountains. While trying to get ahold of the people I was meeting, my cell phone broke in half…leaving me stranded. It was very scary! I also started back to work at Dollywood in my third season. It was different, as we had new leadership.

April

April. April. April. What a month. Anthony and I had our first sexual encounter (not all the way…yet) on April 10th. We were watching some DVDs of the 80’s “Dolly” show, when we started cuddling. Then, he reached his hand up my shorts, and felt my cock. We turned Dolly off and went into the bedroom. We both stripped down naked, and I was trembling. Not only was this our first encounter together, but for me, it was my first willing encounter. As I trembled, he whispered that it was okay, that it would be fine. Then, he told me to grab him. I did. I was already hard at this point. We used our hands on each other, then, he leaned toward me and took me into his mouth. It was such a new feeling. Then, he asked me to return the favor. I didn’t know what I was doing. I guess I figured it out quickly. He didn’t seem to mind. Yada Yada Yada…the end. Then…in another first for me…we showered together. It was so sweet.

May

(Late April) Early May saw yet more firsts for me. It was the first time I travelled on a plane completely alone. I was going to visit Anthony in NYC. When I got off the plane, I had to take a bus to the city to Grand Central Station. From there, I had to navigate my way to Brooklyn via the Subway system. Then, I walked to his house. When I got there, I was so tired that I feel asleep. lol. More firsts…it was the first time I saw Times Square at night. It was the first time I went to Radio City Music Hall. It was the first time I saw Ground Zero. It was the first time I saw a Broadway show. He took me to see Rent for our anniversary. It was amazing. I’ll always cherish that trip. May also saw the end of my time at Dollywood. I don’t want to get into details on that.

June

June arrived and saw Anthony come back to visit. It was late-June. During that trip, I returned to Dollywood for the first time since I had quit. It was painful to recall that memory.

July

July 3rd, Anthony, my mom, my sister, and I went to Dollywood. We were all sweaty and nasty so we each showered (individually…since we were at my mom’s house). That night, we turned on Will & Grace and started cuddling. One thing led to another…and that night, I lost my virginity. I’m not going to share too many details, but I still crave it like crazy. lol. July also saw my new phone come into my life.

August

August was probably my toughest month of the year. Things were going great with Anthony and I. Then, he called and mentioned we needed work. I’ve written about it before. August brought mey first heartbreak. It won’t be my last. The Olympics helped fill the void a little as I tried to understand my life. I started blogging seriously in August, too. My birthday (the 25th) came and went. Anthony was supposed to be there for my birthday, so it was bittersweet. The Democratic National Convention started my political heart going with the nomination of Barack Obama.

September

In an effort to try to mask the pain of the break-up, I started to entertain thoughts that I wasn’t gay. It worked through most of September. I got rid of all my gay-related things. Everything. I was going to live my life as a straight man. It never worked.

October

My great friend Brandi helped me realize that I’m perfect the way I am, and I don’t have to fit the criteria of a judgemental world. It brought me out of my straight-funk, and helped me realize that I’m gay. It’s the way I was made. October was pretty boring, lol.

November

A national first…the first African-American was elected President of the United States. I started “Joie to the Max” as a result of my new-found indepence and gay-motivation. I started the new job and that took most of my time up in November.

December

Well, here it is. This month basically started with GAPzaa, and it was awesome! You can search up at the top for GAPzaa posts, lol. It was my baby sister’s first Christmas. It was my first Christmas in two years away from Dollywood. My love for that place has reignited. It’s nice. I also admitted to the world that I was raped in 8th grade. I’d been keeping it a secret for 14-15 years. It’s not in the back of my mind anymore. True, I’m having to really get used to people knowing, but it’s helped.

I don’t know what 2009 will hold. None of us do. I’m a stronger person thanks to the experiences I’ve had. I wouldn’t trade…almost…anything. I’m the person I am.

Happy New Year, folks. Happy Reading.

Yup, so slightly embarrassingly I’m posting about Dolly Parton again. Some people who know me will be fine with this, and some won’t, but really, who cares!

Just the other day I went with a couple of friends to the SECC in Glasgow to see Dolly live. Now, I must admit that I don’t have much experience with concerts of the live variety but happen to be quite critical of some when I see them on TV afterwards. I don’t know whether this is a bad thing or not, you can make up your own mind about that.

Now, back to Dolly… My overall verdict on this concert was that it was fantastic, she really puts on a show and for a little lady she has a huge stage presence. The crowd were totally hyped for her to come on and some even cheered as her little blonde backing singer came on stage, thinking that it was the lady herself. OOOoooh the suspense!!

However, the show started with the amazing Two doors down which is always a crowd favourite. I must say that I was a little disappointed in the response of the audience, with most sitting down for the entire show. Needless to see, my companions and I were dressed up in our country gear, and some looking very dolly-ish, and we were not for allowing this to be a sitting concert. Afterall, doesn’t country music like Dolly’s just make you want to dance?

The set list for the first half looked like this: 

There may be some I’ve missed out of there, so if you’re aware of any I forgot then let me know and I’ll add them on. My personal favourites from the first half were definitely the autobiographic track Backwoods Barbie and then the Gospel Medley which was immense and I totally didn’t expect it. It also reminded me that there are people out there who just refuse to be ashamed of their faith and I think that’s great! The flow of songs in the whole evening was great, with Dolly bridging from song to song with stories from her life. Sometimes in a crowd of 10000 I felt like we were just sitting in her livingroom and she was telling me all about herself. Random eh?  But great!

After the intermission, Dolly came storming back onto stage in a similar but similarly stunning outfit (white with possibly rhinestones on there, but hey if you know me you’ll know I don’t have a clue – they were shiny!). She kicked off with Baby I’m Burning and I’d heard this song but had no idea Dolly sang it. The second half was even more amazing than the first half if that was even possible! She stormed through some of her classics and through some of her very first songs which were simply great! Again the whole thing was laced with jokes and story-telling which added to the evening and character of the woman. I must say that overall I was still disappointed with the crowd’s reaction, but Little Sparrow was where things began to change. Through the song the entire audience was stunned and silenced by her powerful vocals, and then she stuck up chords to her next song and the audience were energised.

Here’s a more comprehensive list of the songs she played in the second half. Again, I think I might have got some wrong but I’m sure someone will tell me if I got mixed up!

The last three songs of the main set were amazing, Islands in the Stream sung with her backing vocalist who was great, 9 to 5 having everyone on their feet and some (Er, Us of course!) dancing and singing, and then and energy filled version of the hit I will always love you. The crowd were wild for her, understandably and I was truly amazing at how this little woman could play a crowd so well with her vocals and amazing songs.

However, my favourite favourite bit of the evening was the Jesus and Gravity encore. I thought it was so so great, and its by far my favourite song on her newest cd (Backwoods Barbie 2008). My friend and I were totally waiting for this one and I’d almost given up that she was going to sing it! She sang it so beautifully and it was even more powerful than on the cd if that’s even possible! I think it’s an awesome description of the woman’s faith and allegiance that even in a concert where people would expect her to encore with 9 to 5 or something more well known that she actually chose to encore with Jesus and Gravity because her faith is important to her. In addition, I felt that because she left stage before the song was finished and the backing singers kept singing the words Jesus, Lifting me up, Holding me down, Keeping my feet on the Ground it just emphasised the thing she’d said more than once in various ways during the concert, that she needed to remain humble. I think the whole encore was actually a great testimony to her faith and humilty as a woman of God. I know there are people out there who disagree with this and would just say it was showmanship, but I’m not sure – I’d love to hear those arguments though. Go for it! 

Anyways, I am so pleased I got to see her, and I’m so glad the whole thing fulfilled my expectations and more. I would definitely go and see her next time she is back in Glasgow, and I would happily recommend anyone else to see her live. I will leave you with what I filmed of the encore. Be sure to leave me a comment here or over on Youtube about the video or your take on the Dolly in Glasgow experience!