2012 Halloween Playlist

Here is my 2012 playlist for Halloween!! It's spooky, dancey, creepy, and fun!!

1. "All Hallow Eve's Ball" instrumental from Van Helsing - I always like to kick off Halloween with this because it's from the film that made me fall in love with masquerade balls

2. "Monster Mash"

3. "Ooh Eeh Ooh Ah Aah Ting Tang Walla Walla Bing Bang" by the Witch Doctor

4. "We R Who We R" by Ke$ha - throwing in some dance numbers

5. "Remains of the Day" from The Corpse Bride

6. Jaws Theme Song by John Williams

7. GhostBusters Theme Song by Ray Parker Jr.

8. "Thriller/Heads Will Roll" mash-up from Glee

9. "Blame It (On the Alcohol)" by Jamie Foxx

10. "The Time Warp" from The Rocky Horror Picture Show (movie version)

11. "Monster" by Hurricane Bells

12. "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse

13. "For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Metallica

14. "Epiphany" from Sweeney Todd (movie version)

15. "This is Halloween" from The Nightmare Before Christmas

16. "Nine in the Afternoon" by Panic at the Disco

17. "Dance Like a Hippogriff" from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

18. "This Magic Works" from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

19. "Brand New Day" from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

20. "Masquerade" from The Phantom of the Opera (movie version)

The Must List, October 27

1. "Love to Me" from The Light in the Piazza musical
In my opinion, this is the most beautiful, most innocent love song ever sung!! It will melt your heart.

2. "Rumor Has It/Someone Like You" mash-up from Glee
What a fun song by the Trouble Tones, a group from the hit show Glee. It's fun, it's sassy, it's girl power! And, it features the amazing singing talents of character Santana as she comes to terms with being in love with fellow cheerleader Britney.

3. Halloween candy
YES!!! It's socially acceptable to eat as much junk food and candy as possible again! I love this time of year because I can indulge in my candy addiction without being chastised... as much, anyway! There's now a large bowl on our kitchen counter filled with Nerds, Crunch bars, Laffy Taffy, Air Heads, Pixy Stix, and Butterfinger bars! Delicious!! Now, how to resist having some for breakfast?

4. Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch
Yeah, probably my favorite breakfast cereal. I have loved it since I was a kid! Peanut buttery goodness mixed with crunchy-ness and cold milk, what's not to love? It's better than the regular Cap'n Crunch. I will admit the Crunch Berries are pretty awesome, but nothing compares to the Peanut Butter! Whoever said let's make cereal that tastes like peanut butter is my hero!

5. Green Street Hooligans
It takes about half the movie to finally understand the British English being spoken, but this is a movie with a fast-paced plot and such a satisfying ending --- arguably, the most satisfying ending in film history!! Matt is kicked out of Harvard just before graduating after his roommate frames him with drug possession. He flies to England to visit his sister and nephew where he meets his brother-in-law's brother, Pete. Pete runs the local hooligans that cheer for the West Ham United football team. It's more than a match to them. It's blood, guts, glory, fighting, and life and death. Elijah Wood sheds his Frodo baby face for this moving, gutsy movie alongside future Sons of Anarchy VP  Charlie Hunnam. Be sure to check it out.

6. The Hobbit updates
Come on, you know that you're secretly checking all the different movie blogs to get more and more details about The Hobbit. It's the most anticipated movie release since The Lord of the Rings. Sir Ian McKellen is back as Gandalf the Grey, Elijah Wood is back as Frodo, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, and Ian Holms is back as the old Bilbo Baggins. This is the movie event of the DECADE!!! And, it's a trilogy yet again! This is an epic moment in film history you're not going to want to miss!

Life of a Journalist: Top 5

As first published in the September 14th edition of The Western Carolinian...

For this issue's column, I thought I would share some insights, memories and all around fun with a Top 5 list of the greatest stories I have worked on as a journalist for this paper. I have covered it all from the "Before They Were Educators" series to serious coverage of scandals and issues plaguing Jackson County. Here are just five of my favorites.

1. SGA Illegal Voting
In the spring of 2011, I learned from a staff writer that the Student Government Association President and Vice President results for the election were delayed because of illegal voting. Fifteen votes during that election were deemed illegal. I was permitted to attend the investigative committee and write an article on the investigation and election, which determined TJ Eaves was President and Alecia Page Vice President. What I did not expect was runner-up Doug Bridges calling me on my cell phone late one night for an in-depth interview about his side of the story. Due to some finagling by former Editor-in-Chief and current Journalism Adviser Justin Caudell, we delayed printing long enough to get both stories in the next issue. The article took many late nights and long hours, but at the 2012 N.C. College Media Association Conference, Caudell and I received an Honorable Mention award for the story.

2. Food Shortage in Jackson County
This was a very moving story that involved many people, who I cannot thank enough for their assistance and dedication to their work. Amy Grimes at The Community Table in Sylva helped in pulling their records and giving me numbers of statistics from their organization. Also, Alison Hixson and Leigh Puttus at MANNA FoodBank in Asheville assisted extensively in making sure I had all the factual information I needed by emailing me various links and research. That article became the longest piece I had ever written and one that I am the proudest of.

3. "A Chorus Line" preview
Since my introduction to "CATS," I have been obsessed with Broadway musicals. For that reason, I began at The Western Carolinian as an Arts and Entertainment writer. One of my first stories was interviewing Charlotte D'Amboise, who directed Western Carolina's production of "A Chorus Line." D'Amboise made me feel right at home with her even though I was extremely nervous as we settled  into a small table at Starbucks in the Courtyard Dining Hall. Enthusiastic about the show, she gave me a great interview. After we wrapped up and I was back at Walker Hall working on the article, I realized that D'Amboise had worked with my all-time favorite Broadway actor Michael Gruber! I still smile remembering my dropped jaw as I put the pieces together. Think of all the interview questions I would have asked if I had known that before the meeting!

D'Amboise and Gruber

4. The Freshman Fifteen, Pound 9
It is not often that I get the chance to be funny to in my writing. My big comedy break came through my editorial column that I wrote as a freshman known as "The Freshman Fifteen." The craziest thing about that column was that there was a banner created to go with it (as seen below), and it was printed in the paper nearly every time. However, the banner only read "The Freshman" with a fork and knife framing the words that sat on a plate. No one ever fixed it, and I don't know if anyone ever said anything about it. It was always just plain funny to me! In "Pound 9," I wrote about what two weeks of my life were like suffering from bronchitis while having to attend classes and walk to the Courtyard Dining Hall for nourishment.It was the most miserable two weeks of my life. I renamed my laptop Kayne West because of its attitude, discovered a website of jigsaw puzzles and became addicted to Pixy Stix. It was a heck of a two weeks, documented for all of WCU to read.

5. The "Rodgers and Hammerstein Gala"
In January 2010, I attend the "Rodgers and Hammerstein Gala" at the former Fine and Performing Arts Center, otherwise known as FPAC. The performance, beautiful and entertaining, was not what made the event stand out. No, it was actor and musical theater student Jonathan Cobrda. During the first number, Cobrda purposefully fell from the stage nearly into the lap of an elderly woman in the front row. It was not until the house lights came back on during intermission that everyone saw the large pool of blood surrounding the woman. Cobrda had accidentally bumped into the woman's ankle and reopened her stitches from a previous injury. Completely unaware, she sat in the dark bleeding until intermission. EMTs arrived and carried her out on a stretcher as the small audience watched on with open mouths. Cobrda continued his performance in the second act without a hitch. Over a year later, I met Cobrda in a Ballroom Dance class. He introduced himself, and I smiled.
"I know who you are," I replied. "You're the one who made that poor woman bleed when you fell off the stage."
The look on his face was priceless, and he laughed. We have been good friends ever since! 

Jonathan and I after a Ballroom recital

The Must List, Sept. 16

I'm sorry I haven't posted in awhile, nothing original anyway. Life has been nothing but busy and bustle. When I do get time off from doing homework and working on the newspaper, the very last thing I want to do is write. As sad as it is, it's the truth.
Still, here is a new Must List!

1. "Parenthood" Season 3 on Instant NetFlix
Finally, finally, finally!!!! I'm so excited to watch this next season. Already, it's been fantastic. The road trip episode, Max running away, Christina setting her foot down... it's as good as usual but never as good as "Brothers & Sisters."

2. "One More Night" by Maroon 5
This is the new song that I can't get enough of. Well, one of the new ones...

3. "Runnin'" by Adam Lambert
This song is a bonus track on the deluxe Trespassing album. It is a beautiful song with a moving topic. As always, Adam has my musical heart!!

"My heart's beating faster, I know what I'm after.
I've been standing here my whole life,
Everything I've seen twice, now it's time I realize
It's spinnin' back around now, on this road I'm crawling
Save me cause I'm falling, now I can't seem to breathe right
Cause I keep runnin', runnin', runnin', runnin'
Runnin', runnin', runnin', runnin'
Runnin' from my heart."

4. Fresh melon slice-scented candle
I found one of these at Rite-Aid. It smells delicious. It's like a melon-flavored Air Head. I've suddenly taken a re-interest in candles. Right now, I have the melon slice scent, warm vanilla cream, banana nut bread, fresh cotton sheets, a candle rope for the bathroom, and a mixed blend from the Outer Banks.

5. Mast General Store in Waynesville
Imagine: barrels and barrels and barrels of overflowing CANDY! Air Heads, hot cinnamon pops, Smarties, Hershey's Kisses, Lemonheads, Nerds, chocolate malt balls, Double Bubble gum, rock candy, lollipops, Hello Kitty-themed candy, Hot Tamales, and so much more... it's my paradise!!

6. "It's Only a Job" mug
I bought a mug that fit me perfectly from the Bradley's General Store in Dillsboro. I thought I could gently poke fun at my staff writers at the next assignment meeting for The Western Carolinian! :)

The Must List, August 13

This week's list is refreshing, yummy, and musical!

1. Smart Water
Why have I never drunk Smart Water before? It's awesome! It tastes great, and the fun little lip makes me want to drink more. Stuart, you are a genius for buying these. I never want to stop drinking!

2. The Bang Bang Club DVD
Wow, what an awe-inspiring, powerful film! I couldn't stop watching. This is a true testament to photography journalism and the demanding factor of this job, especially overseas. Taylor Kitsch stole my heart away in this dramatic, moving film. 

3. The Western Carolinian newspaper's Seminar Week
You heard me right!! What a way to start the school year! Last night, we had a party at my house with Wii games and some greasy, delicious Bojangles chicken. Today, we had a seminar about AP Style where nearly all of us failed the AP Style quiz. Later, we're learning about Media Law then participating in team building exercises with Base Camp Cullowhee. Early tomorrow morning, it's hiking time before the Photography seminar!! You can't ask for a better last week of summer.

4. Bocelli's
This is a restaurant in Waynesville, NC, and already, Stuart and I are planning our future trips!! It was DELICIOUS and SO CUTE! An Italian eatery, it was the perfect mix of a place for a business meeting or a place to cuddle with your man near to the ivy-covered gates that frame the front of the restaurant. I have been searching that perfect little Italian place since coming to the mountains, and I have finally found one. Garlic knots, mouth-melting. Stuffed shells, delightful! Lemonade, we're buying a gallon next time!

5. "Promise the Stars" by We the Kings
Just another track from We the Kings that I'm in love with! I can't get enough of them. I'm sorry I missed them in the Warped Tour. The music video is pretty great, too.

6. AOL Radio
Pandora gave me attitude. Yahoo! Music Radio freaked out. Now, I'm a listener of the free radio provided by AOL. They play the great tunes that I want to hear, and they have few commercial breaks. If you're into rating, it's easy with a large heart icon or a negative icon. It doesn't get much easier than that.

The Must List, July 22

 This week's Must List will take you out to eat, to your nearest book store, shopping at iTunes, and relaxing with sweet music.

1. "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia) by Patrick Stump
I cannot get enough of this song! Yesterday, I posted the music video, and since then I've downloaded the song from iTunes for only .99 cents and have been listening to it like crazy! I love it!!

2. Sunday breakfast at Hooper's
Hooper's is the replacement restaurant for Flat Iron... which basically means it took a different name in order to get more business. Stuart swears it's the exact same menu. Papa's Pizza tried the same thing, poor dears, and became Mike's. They're now closed. They barely lasted two months. Thankfully for us, Hooper's is open and has the most amazing sausage patties and the fluffiest pancakes known to man!! A trip to Sylva is in order just to try their amazing pancakes. Watch out though. Hooper's knows how amazing their food is, so prices are a bit high!!

3. Goodreads
Goodreads is a website dedicated to books and book lovers. You can rate, write reviews, talk about books you own, connect with your Facebook and Twitter, participate in giveaways, take quizzes, add friends to see what they're reading... If you love books, this is the place to be! This morning alone, I updated my progress in Ghost Dogs of the South and participated in giveaway contests.

4. Ghost Dogs of the South by Randy Russell and Janet Barnett
What an amazing book rich with stories of detail, true puppy love, and history!! Pick up this book today and never put it down! You will fall in love with each amazing tale of a dog that loved its owner so much that it either returned from the grave or protected him or her from the evil of the afterlife!! There was even a story about why cats and dogs hate each other that was set in a town just a few miles from us!!

5. 1940's playlist
Build yourself a playlist of music from the 1940's. It's relaxing music. It's dinner music. It's dancing music! It's sitting on the couch on a Sunday blogging on your laptop music!! Be sure to include:

• "It Had to be You" by Dick Haymes and Helen Forrest
• "As Time Goes By"
• "Autumn Leaves" by Nat King Cole
• "Come Fly with Me" by Frank Sinatra
• "Moonlight Serenade" 

6. Adam Lambert's Trespassing album
There are only a few songs I can't get into on this album. The rest are Adam Lambert GENIUS!! "Pop That Lock," "Cuckoo," and "Kickin' In" are fun, booty-grooving songs. "Underneath" is raw beauty and truth exposed through song. "Never Close Our Eyes" and "Better Than I Know Myself" have already become huge pop favorites! "Outlaws of Love" is the last track that will leave you wanting more... so you better buy the extended version!

Movie Minute: Patrick Stump - "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)"

This is one of the most beautiful, amazing music videos I've ever seen... and not because it has this insane dance sequence or it tries to be a mini movie with a plot line and celebrity guest stars. No, it's just real with real, outstanding talent from ordinary people. YOU COULD BE YOUR OWN SPOTLIGHT!!! So, rock out and listen!

"South Pacific" sailed smoothly

I was very excited to do an Arts and Entertainment story again... the same section that I started with in 2009 as a unpaid freshman! I enjoyed the show... Stuart was not happy to have "I'm Gonna Wash that Man Right Outta my Hair" stuck in his head for days!

"Smoky Mountain High School’s theater department presented the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “South Pacific” at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University from May 11 to May 13.
The production was colorful, exciting and family-friendly with many musical talents like senior Elena Cope, junior Galen Martin and a guest performance from Western Carolina’s Joseph Callahan.
The show sets sails during World War II on two islands in the Pacific. The play provides two beautiful love stories and comments on racism and war. Nellie Forbush is a navy nurse who falls in love with Frenchman Emile de Becque, a man hiding some secrets about his past. When Nellie discovers that Emile loved and had children with a Polynesian woman, her racist attitude hurts the relationship. Meanwhile, Lt. Joe Cable falls for a native islander’s daughter, Liat, and is torn between his commitment to the army and his love for her. Both Joe and Emile leave to act as spies to report on the movements of the Japanese army, and the women are left wondering if they will ever see their men again.
Linda Haggard, theater director and chorus teacher at Smoky Mountain High School, said she has wanted to produce “South Pacific” for all 10 years she has been a faculty member. This year, she had the right type of voices among her students for the musical.
“It’s about America being at war in World War II,” she said. “We’ve talked a lot about the importance of living in a free country and what that means and the sacrifices that men and women have made.”
Haggard continued to say that the “South Pacific” sets were her favorite in her 10 years, and that they provided a feeling of stepping off a boat onto the warm sands of a Pacific island.
The Bardo Arts Center was decorated in such a fashion with large palm trees swaying onstage over platforms painted to look like stone terraces and walls. Each were covered with dozens of pink, purple and red flowers. Circling the outside of the orchestra pit, a beach walkway with harbor posts and netting allowed the actors to come closer to the audience and take a stroll in the sand.
Joseph Callahan, choreographer of the production and WCU student, stood in for senior Nate Buchanan, who was playing for the SMHS baseball team. Callahan was an excellent example of what the students will one day become if they continue to pursue musical theater. Callahan’s voice was noticeably more mature and richer. He responded well to the other actors and had more control over not letting his eyes wander or his hands fidget."

Read the rest of the story HERE!!!

Play On and On and On

It is the beginning of summer, which means it is time to jump in the car and go on a...

ROAD TRIP!!!!!!!!!!!!

But, you can't go on a road trip without the right music!!! You have to have the right tunes to get through

• awkward silences
• when the conversation runs out
• when the road trip games take their toll
• when you can't stand to hear anymore about your dad's five-step success plan (as in Little Miss Sunshine)
• and just in general!

So, here is a list of 25 MUST HAVE SUMMER ROAD TRIP MUSIC (in no particular order) that you should definitely consider downloading before your next trip to the beach, Grandma's, or the nearest national monument. You can thank me later! Also in the list are hyperlinks that will take you to one of the many YouTube lyric videos for the song!!! There are some new songs that just came out and some oldies! Prepare and enjoy!!!

IT'S SUMMER!

1. "Paradise" by Coldplay
2. "Underneath" by Adam Lambert 
3. "Blow" by The Prom Kings
4. "Los Angeles" by Sugarcult
5. "Trespassing" by Adam Lambert... which has a very Queen vibe
6. "Starships" by Nikki Minaj
7. "A Thousand and One Nights" by the SMASH cast
8. "Boogie Wonderland" from Happy Feet... because you've got to have something from a musical, as if SMASH wasn't enough!!! Give me some credit, I didn't include anything from Glee
9. "Wild and Young" by American Bang 
10. "Blackout" by Breathe Carolina
11. As much as you can get from the Adventureland and Elizabethtown soundtracks!
12. "Touch Me" by the SMASH cast
13. "Never Close Our Eyes" by Adam Lambert
14. Anything by Carbon Leaf
15. "Let's Don't Call it a Night" by Casey James... in case you're into that country stuff
16. "Dulaman" by Celtic Woman
17. "You're Not Thinking" by Drake Bell
18. "Any Way You Want It" by Journey
19. "You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi... from Barney's Psych Mix (How I Met Your Mother)
20. "Never Leave this Bed" by Maroon 5
21. "The Cave" by Mumford and Sons
22. "This City" by Patrick Stump
23. "I Don't Care" by Fall Out Boy
24. "Cuckoo" by Adam Lambert
25. "We are the Champions" by Queen... because you can't take an awesome road trip unless you're a champ!

Movie Minute: I Want it That Way Karaoke

Oh boy... being a college freshman! There's nothing like it and you'll never forget it. Thanks to my video camera, these random guys will never forget this moment:

24. The Music Teacher

Book 24: The Music Teacher by Barbara Hall (C+)

Um yeah, not that great. The story begins in the first person with a violin teacher living in the Los Angeles area describing how she promised never to be "that cranky woman you remember from your youth, the one whose face you dreaded seeing, whose breath you dreaded smelling..." (1). When a talented beyond her years student enters the picture, the teacher tries to force the girl to have the same go-for-the-gold dreams as the teacher had before she resigned to teaching. Then, the girl's family life isn't all it's cracked up to be and the teacher "cares too much" or something like it and involves Social Services to which the girl lies and says that the teacher went too far psychologically with her. It was just plain strange.

I guess a couple of lines from Chapter 9 explain it better: "The bottom line is this: life is about people interacting with one another. When people resist doing that, they go a little crazy" (143). This teacher completely ignores society. And, she does go a bit nuts.
I couldn't identify with any of the characters, not even the student whose attitude about life was just dumb. I don't know how this author writes young adult novels when she clearly doesn't understand young adults. At least not young adults on my side of the country. Maybe there are 14-year-olds like that in LA... In that case, I'm most certainly afraid!
Perhaps it is a better book for the reader who can play an instrument and understands that need to make sound. For me, who has failed at piano and the clarinet, I was completely bored from the beginning to the end. The only thing interesting about this story is that the actual book was published in Chapel Hill, North Carolina!

Works Cited:

Hall, Barbara. The Music Teacher. Chapel Hill: Algonquion Books of Chapel Hill, 

2009. Print.

Instrumental Awesomeness

Morgan's roommate Fox often plays music while we sit around the apartment - me waiting for Morgan to come work, him waiting for his friends to get online so they can X-Box together. And one night, he played this song. It was so amazing and beautiful and calming yet haunting!! I immediately fell in love with it.
Take a listen!!! You will too!