Take Home "Tailgates and Tanlines"

Nothing is more disappointing than fishing $15 bucks to buy that CD you didn’t really need on your “quick” run to Target and then disappointingly needing to skip more than a few songs on it when driving home.  Luckily, Luke Bryan’s latest soundtrack “Tailgates and Tanlines” does the opposite.  Fans listening to this soundtrack enjoy strikingly honest songs delivered by a country dish mixing Josh Turner’s smooth vocals with Tim McGraw’s sincere songs and sexy looks.  Maybe the ladies purchase “Tailgates and Tanlines” so she can enjoy Luke’s catchy smile shimmering up at her from the cover, but every country fan appreciates her purchase after she hits the play button.  Don’t believe me?  Talk to the million units it moved and recently made Bryan platinum since the soundtrack’s release in August release.  Songs like “Drunk on You” and “I Know You’re Gonna Be There” reverberate lyrics touching the heart of any love song junkie, and other hidden jewels like “Harvest Time” sending a shout out to the hardworking humble man, “You Don’t Know Jack” synthesizing with the achy heart of listeners handling a relationship with someone on the rocks, and “Country Girl (Shake it For Me)” cranking up the mood with a beat calling crowds to their feet leaves little if zero reason fans won’t enjoy the entire CD. The next time you guiltily toss a soundtrack in your basket convincing yourself you need new car music anyway, consider Luke Bryan’s latest: “Tailgates and Tanlines”.  It’s a catch, and not just because of it has a heartthrob singer.   

BAKED: Rousing Restaurants

Check Out the recent release of Syracuse University's BAKED magazine!

I have an article on the top 5 restaurants to eat at after commencement: It's titled "Study. Graduate. Eat!"

They’ll Fight if We Believe

It takes guts to turn legends into unordinary innovative characters with many different names and forms; yet, no better current example of someone with it exists than bestselling author William Joyce.  Illustrating a writer that risks rejection and gets great rewards, Joyce gave DreamWorks Animation reason to display heroes like Santa and the Easter Bunny in their upcoming feature Rise of the Guardians (releasing on November 21, 2012) despite the competing consortium of comic superheroes dominating theaters this summer with his fantasy series "Guardians of Childhood".  Recently, adaptations rule the blockbuster bang-a-rangs because audiences know what to expect (and want to see it).  This habit proposes a major question: are we ever going to get an adaptation that isn’t just another commercialized Spiderman 5 film?  Don’t get me wrong, I’m just as excited as the next superhero buff waiting for The Dark Night Rises and The Avengers to enter theaters, but I know the basics of these stories already and would love to see something more original.  Thanks to William Joyce, that search is over.  Well respected after his Academy Award for his innovative short film The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore in 2011, his character development concepts assisting Toy Story and A Bug’s Life and his contribution to Robots and Meet the Robinsons, Joyce represents a mischievous author encouraging young readers to continue imagining and believing in these legends that gift good we all desire and adore.  Thanks to his librarians and teachers, Joyce funnels his, “creative urges away from destructive things into fiction” to mold his ideas into fantasies like "Guardians of Childhood".  With a brilliant selection of familiar guardians every child (nay, every human) reminisces and loves like Santa and Easter Bunny, Joyce also throws curve balls by transforming figures like the Tooth Fairy (giving kids a way to turn painful events into exciting opportunities) and mysterious forces like Sandman (giving people the most spectacular dreams) into new and edgy heroes.  Audiences can expect nothing but the best creativity and magic in this DreamWorks adaptation paired by the popular voice talents of Alec Baldwin (giving Santa an epic Russian accent) and dashing Hugh Jackman (Easter Bunny), which give the heroes a kick when they battle the notorious Pitch and his threat to consume every innocent child in the world with fear.   Packaged with clever dialogue that tickles adult humor like in How to Train Your Dragon and a story that encourages young viewers to continue believing in genuine and honest things beautifying this world, DreamWorks Animation’s adaptation of Rise of the Guardians inspired by Joyce’s fantasy series “Guardians of Childhood” promises a lasting, original and rounded adventure that challenges the itchiest of imaginations craving for the next best story.           

I'll Pay for "Payphone"

TV judge Adam Levine rocks The Voice with his sharp taste and target tips, but that’s not the only talent he pulls out of his sleeve.  With summer hits on the horizon, music scouts don’t need to look further than Maroon 5’s newest album, Overexposed, which is expected to release on June 26.  Their sizzling single Payphone massively scooped up 493,000 digital downloads in its first week and the group's collaboration with Wiz Khalifa gives this song an edge that listeners keep on repeat.  Last year, Maroon 5’s summertime smash Moves Like Jagger marked their first top 10 single since Makes Me Wonder in 2007, so it will be interesting to watch Payphone as its hype expands in these beginning summer weeks.  Packaging a sugary pop beat, honest plus unique love lyrics and the growing popularity of Adam Levine makes it highly unlikely that this single won't hook anything but success.  Levine sculpts an artist with a distinctive and catchy voice, but the real secret to his raging success is his 150% genuineness.  Maroon 5 is great, but Levine gives listeners and viewers someone to respect.  Maybe he doesn’t rock wild colors in his hair like Nicki or pull off a 360 degree flip in his music videos like Chris Brown, but he does encourage kids suffering from ADHD to keep dreaming by appearing in OwnYourADHD.com commercials.  What’s even more amazing is that he consistently delivers lyrics in several love songs that always offer something different.  Flowing with striking lyrics that stream similar stories such as “It’s not always rainbows and butterflies/It’s compromise that moves us along” in She Will Be Loved; “So you say ‘Go, it isn't working’/ And I say ‘No, it isn't perfect’/ So I stay instead” in Never Gonna Leave This Bed; or “You say it’s too late to make it/ But is it too late to try” in his latest tune Payphone, Levine solos words that all lovers understand and remember.  Love unveils the universal reason people aspire to live and tops one of the more difficult things to verbally express, but not for Levine.  Paired with Maroon 5, he triumphantly puts a smile on his listeners' faces again and again regardless if they tell tales of happily-ever-after times or heartaches.  Delivering innovative and moving lyrics that capture the miraculous truth, sincerity and power of love, Maroon 5's songs like Payphone promise singles truly worth spending 99 cents on.      

Berry Berry Bliss Busting those Bedtime Blues

It's easy to let bummer bombs like the 12.7 million people and 8.2% unemployment rate or tragic deaths of Whitney Houston and Dick Clark get the average person down, but that doesn't mean it has too.  The solution?  A tasty late night treat that sends you to sleep in a good mood before allowing those negative thoughts drown your dreams.  For all those readers avoiding the rest of this Blog because they think it’s an easy excuse to gain weight, hold your horses because this dessert serves something sweet but also encourages you to try on discount bikinis at Target.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: Berry Patch Pie!  Calling for manageable ingredients of sugar, corn starch, lemon juice and the four heavenly berries of blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, this recipe brings a delightful aroma that announces summer is in the air with something easy to prepare, quick to cook and simple to clean.  With a berry filled body bursting multiple taste buds craving refreshing flavors and a low calorie count (250 a slice) with powerfully replenishing antioxidants, this sweet smakeral keeps consumers satisfied and smiling for the entire night.  Those excuses of “I’ve had a long day and don't have the time or energy to bake anything” won't work with this recipe, so simply accept it, embrace it.  When life gets you down, what should you do?  Just keep baking, just keep tasting, and let these berries beat your bedtime blues!

It's Gonna Be Nothin', but A Good Time

First, Meryl (not surprisingly) stunned us with her voice in the cinematic adaptation of Mamma Mia and John Travolta tickled us pink with his cross-dressing performance in Hairspray, but nothing will raise our sing-along-voices more than New Line Cinema’s promising film Rock of Ages entering theaters on June 15.  With so many recent Broadway adaptations entering theaters these past years, people can’t help but ask what makes the switch from stage to screen a hit?  Obviously big names like Streep and Travolta alongside heartthrobs like Efron promise initial blockbuster audiences.  Still, something more than stars singing on screen make fans groove to their beats.  Take one guess…right you are…it’s THE MUSIC!  Go ahead gentleman, pretend you don’t hum to those jazzy beats after taking your younger sister or girlfriend to that last film, but be prepared to accidentally MAKE SOME NOISE after watching Rock of Ages and having one too many whiskey drinks.  Big names like Tom Cruise as Stacee Jaxx and Alec Baldwin promise charm, chuckles and cheers to the audience snarffing on that butter popcorn as they chair dance in their cinema seats.  Mamma Mia and Hairspray are fun, but Rock of Ages is going to power crowds to their feet striking them with a musical MADE for the movies.  With all the lights, dazzle, and ROCK n’ ROLL beats bumping this underdog story, it teases a treat that tempts movie buffs of all genders to the ticket line; inevitably giving them entertainment far from the “same old, same old!”  Hold on to your panties ladies and gentleman, the Bourbon Room might get stripped from the LA streets, but it’s sure to get you “WILD WILD WILD” at your closest Regal.           

It’s Saturday Night Live! With Your Host…

Eli Manning!  Coming off his second Super Bowl win, New York Giant’s two-time Super Bowl MVP, Eli Manning, will be the 11^th NFL player to host Saturday Night Live on May 5, with a 3^rd time musical guest appearance by Rhianna. The commanders of the 30 Rock Stage know championship athletes like P. Manning, Armstrong, Phelps and Brady drive high ratings (Peyton and Brady collecting 5.9 and 6.0 household ratings).  The BIGGER question is: can Eli pull off the feverish fun and flavor his brother Peyton razzle dazzled when hosting in 2007?  Everybody loves a little sib competition, but it’s going to be tough tittles for Eli going up against pee-your-pants skits like his big brother's “United Way”.  Even Eminem probably smirked when Manning banished a kid to a portable bathroom for 20 minutes while hitting others with passes in the back and stomach in this, “Spend time with your kids so Peyton Manning doesn’t” skit.  With no stage experience, Eli admits he is “a little nervous about it, but excited also”.  In public, he doesn’t rock the spotlight naturally and enthusiastically like his big bro’, but father Archie Manning remains confident Eli will deliver come the big night.  SportsCenter commercial, "The Manning Family" hints he has such goofy potential, but I’m still hoping Peyton pulls out that closet humor with a guest appearance.                         

A Football Fairytale

Fans know Trent Richardson, the highest rated running back to enter the draft since Darren McFadden in 2008, is an exceptional athlete and the smart No. 4 draft choice for the Cleveland Browns; but few realize he’s as classy as Prince Charming after the clock runs out.  When most juniors of Hueytown High School in Alabama stressed over approaching SATs, Courtney Alvis courageously vowed to beat cancer, and did in time to attend senior prom.  Only one problem remained---nobody asked her to go.  That’s until Richardson (A.K.A. Football Charming) got wind of the situation, stepped onto the field and laudably changed the direction of her game.  Richardson’s mother also battles cancer so he understands how it inflicts many pains.  This relation also makes his claim of wanting to escort Courtney, absent of its inevitability to brew his publicity before the draft, extremely believable.  Well, Mr. Richardson, want it or not, you’re going to get such publicity.  It’s awesome to see chivalry exist under all the pads and powerful pounds on star athletes.  In the end, it didn’t matter that Courtney wasn’t a top demand, similar to most running backs sharing positions with three or four receivers.  Richardson confessed he was proud to escort a lady “willing to fight” and giving hope to her team until victory.  Hopefully the Browns will follow her example of patience when they draft in 13 days.  Courtney wasn’t a first pick, but she was the right choice for prom queen last Saturday, as Richardson would fit into the Browns.  The Browns might panic and scramble to pick a QB like Ryan Tannehill first; he is a potential franchise QB but offers no source of guarantee.  Instead, they should zero in on Richardson, collecting an athlete of speed and a gentleman of class certain to arm a mediocre QB like Colt McCoy, who they can pick up later in the draft.  

Expect Big Moves from Alex Smith

Coach Jim Harbaugh took a big risk at shaking Alex Smith’s confidence (finally having a breakout season in 2011 with 3,000+ yards) when he tried to sign Manning as the 49er’s new quarterback.  If he offended Smith so he signed elsewhere and Peyton turned him down (he did), Harbaugh would have been left with Colin Kaepernick to start.  Fortunately, Smith shook off the team’s attempt and even admitted he would have, “relished the opportunity to compete for the starting quarterback job with Peyton Manning” (noted in the San Francisco Chronicle).  Defensive captain Patrick Willis further reassured fans concerned for Smith’s confidence by emphasizing Smith understands this deal was business and nothing personal.  Contrarily, the 49ers maintain a strong family-like relationship that gives them an edge and Smith’s confirmation that Harbaugh and he remain on good terms launches a likelihood that Smith (craving the challenge) will work even harder in 2012; making him a top prospect for FF fans constructing their drafts.       

What is the worth of a Rookie QB?

Fantasy Football Fans should focus on rookie QBs as they get ready to make their drafts.  With Peyton off to the Broncos, the Colts turn to Andrew Luck for their first pick.  Passing over 3,500 yards in the 2011 season, the Colts hope he can bring the accuracy, drive and confidence needed to fill Manning’s shoes and save them from another pitiful 2-14 season.  Meanwhile, Robert Griffin III’s insane speed and athletic anticipation seem to make him the Redskins top choice.  All FF fans know QBs are unpredictable, which makes them especially hard picks.  That’s why it’s crucial to watch who goes where in this April draft.  You don’t want to nab players on teams that mess up their picks, but you do need to lap up those athletes that are quarterbacks, and not quarterbacks masking athletes.  Chemistry, speed and accuracy are everything in the game, so pay attention come April 26 and avoid missing sleeper superheroes like last season’s Cam Newton, who nabbed crucial points for the Panthers in some unpredictable tight-niche situations.