Just one more Maria....

Try this new Maria Mena on for size....
It's called My Heart Still Beats.
I love new music. 
 

Nobody said it was gonna be easy,
But when I forgive there are no strings attached
Was not gonna bring up your flaws in an argument,
Not gonna rest on a counter-attack

When you first revealed your betrayal,
My first reaction was “how dare you rob me of my trust”
But not even this would be able to shake
Our foundation ‘cause it was created by us.

I can still see you
Front row point of view

We spent our entire relationship fighting each other,
Our goals were exactly the same
I put you through hell by demanding apologies
Even though I was the one causing pain

With your little mishap the ball was in my court
To prove I could be the stronger one of us
By taking over the role you so elegantly played
Those years when I needed a rock.

I can still see you
Front row point of view

It hurts, but I’m not about to give you up
Though broken, my heart still beats, it will not stop,
Stop.

It hurts, but I’m not about to give you up
Though broken, my heart still beats, it will not stop,
Stop.  (Repeat)

Happy surprises on a beatfic day

I've already stated my love for Maria Mena and my excitement for her upcoming album. I've pre-ordered the album, Viktoria, from Amazon with an expected arrival date of October 17. Seems so far away. 
However, the devious child in me found the album online today :) I downloaded and began my heavenly listen. 
She DID NOT disappoint. It's an amazing album. 
I've previously featured This Too Shall Pass  on this blog already, but I feel the need to share another song. (Mostly cause I'm just in love with her)
There are 10 other songs for me to choose, so it's a hard choice. 
But I'm going with the song Habits.  
The word 'habit' is strong in my vocabulary recently, therefore I'm partial to this song. Take a listen. Lyrics are below :)

 I am a creature of habit
And I move in circles around you
I will admit there’s a pattern
One I created myself

None of my lovers dared leave me
I grew impatient and stale
Didn’t look back once I’d left them
Cause I always expected to fail

But this time it’s different
The rules don’t apply
But I need some distance to step out of line

So grant me this wish and meet me back here in a year
If we still exist, I can let go of my fear
Fear of normalcy
Fear of the solid walls of our future and let go of my past

I must be crazy to want this
Cause you are the girl of my dreams
But I’m prone to ruin the good things
Cautious ‘round balance it seems

But with you it’s different
The rules don’t apply
But I need some distance to step out of line

So grant me this wish and meet me back here in a year
If we still exist, I can let go of my fear
Fear of normalcy
Fear of the solid walls of our future and let go of my past

So grant me this wish and meet me back here in a year
If we still exist, I can let go of my fear
Fear of normalcy
Fear of the solid walls of our future and let go of my past

ADELE!

It's taken 7 months since the release of her album, but finally, a video for Adele's Someone Like You.
Heartbreaking perfection. Click the link. I love it. I love Adele. And please come hang out with me. I think we'd get along smashingly!

Someone Like You 
 

Suburgatory = real TV potiental :)

Last night Suburgatory premiered. I had to watch this show strictly because I'm a Jeremy Sisto fan. (6 Ft. Under fans?) 

Premise of the show: A single, New York dad (Sisto) finds an unopened box of condoms in the drawer of his teenage daughter, thus prompting him to move them to the suburbs. Simple, easy premise. I give it Two Thumbs Up.

First, it's so nice to see a father/daughter interaction that is based in some actual communication and mutual respect. (Really, it's there. They argue, fight, but still communicate.) 
And the depiction of this suburb is funny, stepford wives funny, with Cheryl Hines shining like the comedic star she is. 
This show has so much potential and it is the lead in to Modern Family, which could really give it the viewership needed to last. 
I have high hopes for this show. Plus Alan Tudyk (Firefly) and Rex Lee (Entourage)and Allie Grant (Weeds) are also in the show. That's a lovely cast for me!

Downside? I'm not sure who the target audience is for this show. I'm not a parent, nor a teenager, but enjoy watching both parties. But, as I've stated, I can watch anything good. 
So I just recommend to all....try it out. It's 30 minutes of your life. You may laugh and just have to tune in again. :)

Best New Website.........ever

Music is almost always playing in the background of every TV show we watch. Sometimes the music is even better than what is happening on screen. Ever wonder what those songs may be?

Well, I have discovered Tunefind ,  A website dedicated to listing every song played during every episode of every (almost) TV show. I now have this bookmarked and really hope it leads me to more music. 
Enjoy!

First Time at 32

 I'm not sure how I ever missed the circus as a kid, but I did. I've never been angry about it, it was just this elusive thing that kids do that I didn't. (I seem to have a lot of those)
However, my husband grew up going to the Circus and loving every bit of it. Just recently my Rob surprised me with my First Trip to the Circus. And it was everything I could have ever wanted it to be.

I rode an elephant. I glared at children. I marveled at the lions. My mouth hung open as the performing elephant danced around the ring. I ate a snow cone and popcorn. We bought an expensive, yet wonderful toy. And I saw a man shoot out of a canon and fly through the air 150 feet. It was marvelous. And really, for the price, it was so so so worth it. We spent 4 hours there! It was a long show, with intermission! I was impressed. And joyed. And happy. And in love. I'm a lucky girl. 


And more importantly, I love that I still get firsts. It's never too late to do anything. I probably appreciated the circus at 32 more than I ever could have at 8 or 12. 


Here's some pics, followed by a video!

 Snow Cone in a circus cup....a must!

 An expensive toy that is pretty and scares the shit out of our cat....a definite must

 Man on a motorcycle on a wire....Might be a bit epic :)

 Ride an Elephant with complete strangers? YES Please!

Rob happy at spinning neon colors? Priceless. 

Damn you, Ryan Murphy!!!

All I wanted out of Glee was for Quinn to keep the pink hair. Or at least sing some kick ass song while sporting a nose ring and pink hair. Remember This? NEITHER happened! Damn you, Damn you, Damn you. 


Luckily, Kurt's BF sang Something's Coming, an all time favorite song from West Side Story. This was redeeming for me. And of course to see/hear Rachel Berry and her mom (the lovely Idina Menzel) sing is always a welcomed pleasure. 
But where the HELL did Santana go? She should be singing the greatest song from West Side Story, America! 

Come on Ryan Murphy! Where's the spontaneity of singing in the hallways, without autotune?  Two episodes in season 3 and I just feel 'eh' about it all. 

I do hope the West Side Story side story continues and they get a chance to sing every freakin' song, including Gee, Officer Krupke. 
Please don't fail me. Make my heart soar! 
Make Santana sing,
   " A boy like that who'd kill your brother,
            Forget that boy and find another,
            One of your own kind,
            Stick to your own kind! "


If pink hair on Quinn is out, then my new stance, my new passionate NEED, is to cast Santana in the West Side Story musical as  Anita!

Ryan Murphy? Are you there? It's me, Mindy. Please make my dreams come true. Amen.

The video is for those of you who may not know West Side Story as well as others. This is the movie performance of America, featuring Rita Morena as Anita. She won an Oscar for this role. She won my heart. 

 ps. Brittany is a bicorn! LOL.

Oops. Ticket.

Today, as I am driving back from visiting my parents, I got pulled over. Dum, dum, dum....
Right before I was going to get onto I20 a passing cop flipped a bitch and the lights came on. I was totally unsure if I was speeding or not. In fact, I was in a driving heaven. I had the last of my Starbucks coffee, Madonna blaring through my Ipod, my window rolled down and my hair flapping in the wind.  I had just emptied my bladder and I didn't seem to have a care in the world.

Maybe my happiness payed off. The officer was a very pleasant lady. She ran my DL and after a bit returned to my window to inform me that she was only going to give me a seat belt ticket, instead of a speeding ticket. (I almost NEVER wear a seat belt, but for some reason, on this driving day, the seat belt was in place. This is irony right?) 

After instructing me to get a Louisiana Driver's license and register my car in Louisana, (3 yrs. here and I've failed to do either, obviously.) she sent me on my way with a motherly's advice, "Be careful and slow down a bit."

And I did. And I made it home. And a seat belt ticket is only $25. Cheapest Lesson Learned. Thank you.

Quickest Post Ever

Pan Am was descent enough. I'll watch again. It's pretty. Pretty people. 

Hart of Dixie was one of the WORST written pilots I've ever seen. I'll probably watch one more. (good faith to Josh Schwartz)

Gossip Girl lived up my wants and hopes. Except Dan looks too skinny. Weird. Wasn't he bulked up there for a bit? But Chuck Bass in a brown leather jacket could happy all season and I'd be a happy girl!

Way, Way more exciting posts to come.
Teaser: I've got pictures of something I had NEVER done before. The Child in me is screaming with glee. (And no, the cursor word glee is not an indication towards anything Glee.)

Thursday Night Explosion of Happy on TV

Thursday nights are my favorite. There are sooooooo many amazing shows on in one evening that it takes me the full weekend to watch them all. Let me list : (in no particular order)


It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia 
The Office
Community 
Parks and Recreation
Big Bang Theory
Grey's Anatomy
The X Factor
The Vampire Diaries
The Secret Circle


This is quite a load, right? And in a few weeks I will add Bones to that list. The only new show is The Secret Circle. (Damn I have a weakness for teen melodrama, especially when witches and powers are involved.) I won't review this show. It's either on your radar or it's not. I won't try to convince you to watch, it's not good enough, not yet anyway :) 


I'm sure there may be some great other shows airing Thursday nights, but how would I ever fit them into my schedule?!
I say that, but come on, if it's good enough.....I'll find a way.


So I pose a question to you, my loyal followers:
      Is there a Thursday night show that I'm missing?


I'd love to hear what you guys watch. Maybe there's some Mindy Loving Gem out there that I've ignored for some wrong reason. 


Leave your comments below! I really want to know what you guys watch on Thursdays!! Cause sometimes, I'm so self centered that I can't imagine that the whole world doesn't watch the exact same shows as me. Prove me wrong, Please. 


*On a special very exciting note: Gossip Girl premiers tomorrow night. I've missed me some Blair Waldorf. Will she marry the Prince? What about Chuck Bass? Or Lonely Boy? And the positive pregnancy test? *  


Go ahead, laugh. I don't mind. In fact, I encourage it. 

Success. Satisfaction. Pure F***ing Happiness

Fiona Apple. I've been waiting 6 years for a new album. Still waiting. In the mean time I stalk YouTube in hopes of finding some new performance or a new song or a cover. About a year ago I discovered Fiona doing a live cover of Elvis Costello's I Want You. I fell hard into a love that only Fiona can inspire. My one problem is that I couldn't find the song to download. I love music in my car, on my walks, but nooooooooo, it was never available. I could only watch the live performance on YouTube. (And it is an amazing passionate performance). But today September 24, 2011, I found the song and it's downloaded and its on my iTunes and on my iPod. It's the small things in life, right? :)

I shall share with you all the live performance. It should be watched more than once, so you can truly take in the passion. 

And if you're so inclined (which you should be) here is a link to download the mp3.
Fiona Apple : I want you 
Click the link above then right click on the link above her picture and "save link as" and maybe your dreams will come true.

Moral of this blog post : Persistence pays off. Cheers! 

Sara would have loved this performance. This is for you girl. 

TOO Much Happiness in One Clip!!

I've already refrenced Sarah Michelle Gellar as Kendal from All My Children and as some of you may know, AMC has come to an end. Well, SMG made a return to the show, but not to play her old character,

but to play....You must watch the clip!!

Oh how I love referential humor. 

Walking down a Memory Lane

I remember being in the 9th grade when Janet Jackson's song "If" came out. It is a lyrically fast song, hard to understand. This was also before lyric sites ran rampant on the internet. (Also, before I really used the internet! Gasp) 

So I remember laying on the carpeted floor of some classroom at Jr. High West with my Walkman and a notebook determined to figure out every single word. This memory will never fade for me because it was so bloody satisfying to even think I knew every word. (Years later I figured out I was wrong on some words, but whatever.) 

I did this routine with many of my favorite songs and albums. I'd listen so intently making sure I knew every word. Now, I just Google the song and find the lyrics in just 3 seconds. Not as satisfying, but damn convenient.

But, yesterday I was challenged. Rachael Yamagata put out another song called "Dealbreaker" from her upcoming album. I immediately Googled the lyrics, but they were no where to be found. *Gasp*
So I took a much needed walk and listened to the song over and over.
When I returned home, I knew it was time to go back to my 9th grade self and start transcribing every word she sang.


You can listen to the song here:
Dealbreaker

And here are my transcribed lyrics. I had just one problem, you'll see with all the questions marks. 
I'd love love love for someone to tell me what she's saying there....Test to all my 8 followers (bless you). 


Dealbreaker

I found that record you've been looking for yesterday
The one I've been searching for forever
I played that record all night, you were right
The last song said it all
Even though it skipped a bit, it sounded better
I never, I never, I never knew
The only way to listen to a record like that
is to play it through

But all of this means nothing
But all of this means nothing
But all of this means nothing without you

I packed up the car and started to drive
Without a plan, with no direction
You said it would be good for me to break out
of my daily routine
You were always trying to teach some lesson
you wanted, you wanted, you wanted me
to feel the open road with the wind on my face
well, I'm here and I'm finally free

But all of this means nothing
Yeah all of this means nothing
All of this means nothing, without you

You and I were partners in crime
Better days in the ????????????
Somehow we wound up here

I'm looking at a letter that I wrote you long ago
Wouldn't even know now where to send it
It's funny how it all poured out on paper
If only I had found a way to tell you
If only, If only, If only you
Had found a way to love me for who I am
the way that I loved you

But all of this means nothing
Yeah all of this means nothing
All of this means nothing without, without, without, without You.

Drive. (Oh you can drive me anywhere!)

This movie wins. Ryan Gosling is a God. A toothpick has never been so sexy. (You'll understand when you see the movie). And if you haven't seen this movie, shame on you. GO!

This beautiful masterpiece delivers on suspense, sexuality without overtness, character, and some thrills. Plus, the score/soundtrack is pure perfection. It reminded me of a throw back to early 90's movies. Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, a foreigner. So naturally, he takes a script (based on a book) and presents a story with slow, perfect precision. It's been a while since I've seen a main character with so few lines. Hands down, directed and acted superbly. And that poster?!! Yum. 5 stars *****

Rachael Yamagata

Rachael Yamagata is another singer/songwriter that I discovered back in the day. She had a minor hit and has been on a couple of soundtracks. She's brilliant. I was privelaged enough to see her perform in a small tent at Sundance 2010. I was only 20 feet away from her and cried most of the performance because 1. very surreal moment 2. she was incredible 3. my future husband was with me.  (plus, I got a hug and an autograph after the show!!!)

Rachael has a new album coming out soon (October I think) and I thought I'd share with you guys a new video and lyrics. 

I get a little selfish with Rachael. I want people to know and love her, but I want to keep her all to myself also, maybe more. So it's a special gift :)

"Even If I Don't"

I miss you most in the morning
Most every morning
I wake up thinking
I could call
I could come visit
I could come running
We could relive it

But when I think of all that we've been through
Going back to you
Seems such a foolish thing to do
I hope you know
That even if I don't
I wanted to

All those words
You said at the ending
Were pretty revealing
And I can't forget them
All those ways
We missed at connecting
Despite all our trying
It always came back to
What I couldn't give you

So when I think of starting up again
Or trying to be friends
It seems impossible to do
That even if we can't
I wanted to

Who knows why
Two people perfectly aligned
Should ever have to find themselves apart
I'll never understand my heart

I miss you
Most in the morning
Most every morning
I wake up crying

Revenge

 

It's like 1st season Desperate Housewives, but in the Hamptons. With some younger people and different motivations. It's juicy, soap opera shit that I usually can't get enough of. Solid pilot for me. But what do I know? I watch Gossip Girl. And I own all the seasons. What?! No secrets here. 2 thumbs up.

American Idol....whoops, I mean X FACTOR

It's always nice to see Simon on my TV again. He has been missed. Paula looks too thin. L.A. Reid is cool. At least he doesn't say "Dawg" all the time. The fourth judge....Cheryl Cole, no wait, Nicole Swizzzhaenhagitslkh. (whatever)

I'm extremely disappointed that producers pulled Cheryl off the show. For her small American screen time she was an absolute delight!

Forgive the quality, it's recorded from my tv via iphone :)
Cheryl made me laugh and made me want to speak British. My cat got confused by my loud pitched impersonations. 

All that said, we'll see if Nicole grows on me. There was some talent. There was too much melodrama. TOO MUCH producers! Too much. 
My favorite laugh of the night was the old couple singing Unchained Melody. I look forward to that age. I hope I'm cognitive enough to have a laugh!

Since XFactor has finally made the move to the USA, I find it appropriate to at least post a video of my favorite UK X Factor contestant. Cher Lloyd.  I'm hoping Cher hits it big in the US. She's this tiny thing that raps and sings and moves. I'm mesmerized by her. She has the looks that could only spring from the UK, so ugly she's damn cute. The accent always helps.  Check out the video below to see her rap and sing. She also wrote the rap. Oh, and she's 16!

Maria Mena - I am your stubborn hypocritical lover

I know I don't have a lot of followers, but if I could convince 1 person to fall in love with Maria Mena, then my week would be made! I've been a long follower of this Norwegian Pop Perfection. Her Discography reads (or sings) the ups and downs of my 20's and now into my 30's. She has a new album due in October. (Not sure when it will be available in the States! Boo!) However, until I find it, I have youtube. God bless youtube. (Her other albums are available on itunes!)

So here is a song for all of you. It's called This Too Shall Pass.  I'm playing this song on repeat. I can't get enough. I'm a huge lyric freak so under the video you will find the lyrics. 

  Not again i scream,
Over-analyzing everything.
The circle of us ,
Won't break It's pattern ,
Won't seize Cuz

-I am your stubborn hypocritical lover
Guarded by thorns of My past.
You have Been wounded, bled out
Anger gushing,
And none of us thought it would last

The winds of your ego
The waves of My tears
Made The most Perfect almighty storm That we've seen This year
But experience gathered
We've learned from our past
So don't worry darling
This too shall pass..

Soul-bruising, i look at you,
Accusingly Cuz i am Black and Blue.
Emotional fist,
You are The only man Who makes me feel like This.

I am your weakness, i am
Your protector,
But Who Will protect you from me?
The damage is obvious, patch me together,
Loosen your grip boy, i can't breathe

The Sing Off

I've had a few request for me to watch The Sing Off. If you know me, it's no surprise how much I love music. So one would think, "Mindy will love this show." I'm sorry to disappoint. I don't love it. I enjoy some aspects, yes, but overall....eh.

First, Nick Lachey. Why am I always staring at his cocked hips? I feel like he's about to start dancing. He's strange to me. 

Second, the judges. They use lingo that I don't get. Mostly because the people on stage are doing things with their voices that I don't totally understand either. (However Sara Bareilles did make me laugh with her comment about being distracted by their good looks! LOL)

Third, and final. It's rare I want to listen to the songs performed by the groups outside of the show. There are some exceptions, but mostly we as viewers are just memorized by the TV format.
Granted, I'm wrong on some aspects. My mother loves this show and downloads the songs to listen to while she goes for her morning walks. And my mom is adorable. But I don't really want to listen to these songs while I do anything.......

BUT,  here is my one exception.  I did love this song before the group performed it, but, hell on wheels, they made me love it more. 

Maybe that's my overall problem with the show. They aren't re-inventing songs for me. This group did. And because of the performance below, I will watch again. 
Here is Delilah performing Grenade.

 

GLEE! (with Pink hair)

My thoughts on Glee's Season 3 return:


Keep Quinn a badass. Don't change the hair. Repeat: DON'T change the hair. Give her some Tori Amos, circa Little Earthquakes, and let her be awesome.

Everything else was kinda the same. Not bad. Not Fantastical! Just straight up Glee!

New Girl

The tag line reads "Simple Adorkable" and I agree with that. For a pilot, it's a little rocky. But, seriously, any character that randomly sings is a character I will watch again and again. I've been a fan of Zooey since her breakout in the film Almost Famous. Years later she and Matt Ward formed the group She and Him. Since then, I've officially had a girl crush on her. (This girl can SING) I'm rooting for this show to continue with hopes of quirkiness reminiscent of Ally McBeal. I give the pilot a.....
Thumb and a half.  

The Playboy Club = Showgirls....No, that's too kind

 I like watching pretty things; boys, girls, buildings, clothes...pretty things. Because of this I decided to watch The Playboy Club.  And by watch, I mean I got about 15 minutes in before my cat became more interesting.
Here's my "I only watched 15 minutes" Review:
    -Reminded me of a prequel to Showgirls, but more boring
        -The main guy, actor Eddie Cibrian (he's pretty), spent his time  on screen doing his best Don Draper impersonation. Fail.


I do hope this gets Canceled. 

Here's an actual review if you care to read from actual professionals. They gave the show a generous C+.
http://www.assignmentx.com/2011/tv-review-the-playboy-club-season-1-premiere-pilot/ 

The Greatest Time of the Year......FALL TV

I love TV. All TV. Bad, good, shameful, embarrassing, reality, funny, angsty....I'll pretty much watch it all. At the end of August, every year, I receive Entertainment Weekly's Fall TV Preview.  It is by far my favorite magazine read of the entire year. (Sometimes Fall Movie Preview can rival, but we'll get to that later)
The day I receive the magazine I head to my local Starbucks and begin to schedule my Fall TV line up. Yep, you read that right, I schedule my TV watching time. This year is off the charts with 13 brand new shows I'm excited to watch. I expect half of these shows to be shit and I will eventually give them up, but the excitement for "new" palpates my heart. 

I'm not gonna give you detailed reviews that bore you. (Don't you hate that? It's TV, not rocket science!) I'm a lover of TV. If you entertain me, I'll watch you. Easy said. Easy done. I'm not a snob, hell, I've watched every episode of One Tree Hill! At times that show is laughable bad and sometimes I actually cry. And I embrace it all.

My First Review :   2 Broke Girls  CBS Mondays
I love Kat Dennings and she is the only reason I wanted to watch this show. I was skeptical by the promos, I tend to dislike laugh tracks, but any beautiful, curvy, funny girl will draw me in. So late last night I sat on my couch with my also skeptical husband and we began the show......and we laughed out loud! Kat's character is sassy and smart and quick witted. She bears a confidence we wish we all had, but is still laced with a perfect vulnerability that makes you want to be around her.  2 thumbs up......for now.    It could still go downhill quickly, but I'll definitely be tuning in next week. AND so should YOU!

Last Week Sum Up Reviews:  Ringer  CW Tuesdays, Up All Night  NBC Wednesdays, Free Agents  NBC Wednesdays
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of my all time favorite shows. Of course I was going to watch Ringer (its stars TV vet Sarah Michelle Gellar). And it was, watchable. I fear it might be too soapy for some, but I do feel it's potential. I love when SMG plays bitchy (Kendall anyone?) and she does have a bitchy character. So my final verdict: We'll see. I'm tuning in, but please keep it fresh and don't weigh us down! 1 thumb up.


Up all Night: Just watch it. Just watch it. Three comedic genius are blessing our TV screens every Wednesday night. Watch it for laughs and I bet some tears. And where else can you hear "Our baby is so f***ing cute!"  TWO big thumbs up.

Free Agents: It may it lost behind the glory of Up All Night, but potential is there. I had some laughs. Hank Azaria and Kathryn Hahn are also a comedic geniuses, but we'll see if they can shine after a month. I'll tune in again....1 thumb up.


Below is a scrap of my TV line up. the little *indicates new TV. 

 

Thoughts from a Couch

This isn't my couch. But it should be. In everyone's imagination, I'd seem smarter ranting on and on if I were to be pictured on this couch. It's a therapeutic couch with perfect lines that just beg for secrets. Plus, it's yellow. Yellow is equated with happy and I'm striving for that ;)

I spend a ridiculous amount of time online and watching TV. I shall not feel guilty anymore. I want to share. Thusly (i'm not sure that's a word, but it sounds good) I'm beginning...

Why Not Mindy

It's a play on words to help myself do something  and for any readers to ponder, Why Not Try Mindy's advice on clothes, TV, movies and occasionally, but really very rarely, world problems. (Yes, I think leopard print should be banned all over the world for at least 5 years.)

Stay tuned for my Fall TV reviews...