TELEVISION: America's Got Talent

[When I went up to SC last weekend, I made a stop to visit my sister in Charleston. Some of her friends were over, and we got caught up on America's Got Talent. It was surprisingly entertaining. Below are three of my favorites from that evening.]

Nick Pike, 30 Juggler - Orlando Auditions


Chipps Cooney, 61 Illusionist - NY Auditions, Day 2


Doogie Horner, 30 Comedian - NY Auditions, Day 1

MUSIC: "When We Didn't Get Along" by Danny Jacob / "S.I.M.P. (Squirrels In My Pants)" by 2 Guyz N the Parque from Phineas and Ferb

This past weekend, I was introduced to Phineas and Ferb, and now I'm a big fan. I was immediately drawn to the show's structure and incredible wit -- plus, Perry the Platypus is just adorable. And the songs... what a surprise! Below is "When We Didn't Get Along", my favorite of the episodes I've seen so far, though "S.I.M.P (Squirrels In My Pants)" is a close second... yeah, I'll post that one below too.

"When We Didn't Get Along"
by Danny JacobLyrics:

Without your schemes my life it seems is empty.
I spend all my time keeping you from doing wrong.
You were my only nemesis
I'd foil your plans but still I miss
The moments when we didn't get along.

I fell for you the moment that you pushed me.
You captured me and held me for so long.
But now you're doing battle
With a panda from Seattle
I miss the moments when we didn't get along.

So search your heart please Dr. D
And I am sure that you will see
That you were always meant to be
My only lifelong enemy.

You gave my life heroic cause
Back when my only mission was
The moments when we didn't get along.

-----

"S.I.M.P (Squirrels In My Pants)"
by 2 Guyz N the Parque

MUSIC: The Christmas Can-Can performed by Straight No Chaser

Thanks for the link Cung!

Straight No Chaser (Indiana University) performing their Christmas Can-Can:

And here's their 12 Days of Christmas from 2008:

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkhachakh, and Joyful Kwanzaa everybody!

VIDEO: "The Spartans" from SNL (Gerard Butler)

"No strategic value... just wanted to get my hands on you."

INAPPROPRIATE: Shake Weight Exercise For Women (...and Gay Men!)

Introducing the Shake Weight:

Order Today!!!

Click for hilarious spoof...

VIDEO: "Jon Stewart's Salute To South Carolina: Bestiality, Adultery, Racism, And Lindsey Graham"

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Thank You, South Carolina!
www.thedailyshow.com

[eop]

JOURNAL: Best In Town?

How can they say "Best In Town"? I mean... did they try all the Gyros in town? Come on!

[eop]

JOURNAL: Procrastination - JazzHands Jerrico

Okay, I wrote some notes for my upcoming Toastmasters speech, but I'm procrastinating for the most part as evidenced by the following picture:

My friend Jerrico along side JazzHands kitty.
Wow, the sense of accomplishment I feel right now is overwhelming.
...
I woke up at 9:00am, reheated and ate some leftover pasta for breakfast while watching an episode of Pushing Daisies. Then I went back to bed for another hour, clutching a small bowl of the hushpuppies I baked but was too tired to eat in front of the television.

I am definitely the most creative the moment I wake up from a nap, so perhaps I will try to punctuate the day with them. Who knows what I'll create next?!

VIDEO: 2009 Emmy Nominations for "Outstanding Commercial"

Today, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the nominees for the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards. The winners will be announced on Sunday, September 20, 2009 with Neil Patrick Harris hosting. The show will air on CBS from Los Angeles' Nokia Theater.

I could try to give commentary about all the Comedy/Drama nominees, but I don't have the time or energy, so instead, I'll continue my short tradition of posting the contenders for the category of "Outstanding Commercial".

But first, here's last year's winner:

Swear Jar - Bud Light
Hungry Man, Production Company
DDB Chicago, Ad Agency

And now for this year's nominees...

...for Outstanding Commercial

Airport Lounge - Amex/Platinum Card
Hungry Man, Production Company
Ogilvy and Mather, Ad Agency


Alec In Huluwood - Hulu
Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Ad Agency


Even though I'm a big fan of 30 Rock, I just don't find either the Amex or Hulu commercials entertaining in the least bit. It's like watching Baby Mama... kinda painful.

Bottled Courage - Nike
@radical media, Production Company
Wieden & Kennedy, Ad Agency


I know that song! "All These Things That I've Done" by The Killers. It really is inspirational.

Circus - Anheuser-Busch Budweiser
DDB Chicago, Ad Company
PYTKA, Production Agency


I find any of the beer commercials with the horses to be very hokey. Like watching America's Funniest Home Videos where they make up commentary for pets.

Heist - Coca-Cola
Wieden + Kennedy, Ad Company
Psyop, Production Company


This is a beautiful commercial -- reminded me of the fantasy land of Narnia or Pan's Labyrinth. Nice.

Magazine Buyer - Anheuser-Busch Bud Light
DDB Chicago, Ad Company
Tool of North America, Production Company


You know I love the inappropriate stuff. I found the Asian shop-owners... hilarious especially when she's waving that thing in the air. This commercial is this year's Swear Jar.

Tips - Career Builder
MJZ, Production Company


I also love these Career Builder commercials. They are some that many can empathize with... like those cute Dilbert comic strips.

Wedding - Sprint Nextel
O Positive, Production Company
Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Ad Company


Innocent enough, though I would've preferred a different stunt groom (this one's too smiley).

Anyways, my vote would go to Coca-COla Heist... or to the Sprint Nextel Wedding...

Which one would you choose?
(Leave a comment. *wink wink*)

[For a complete list of nominees, let me refer you to their official nominees page: http://cdn.emmys.tv/awards/2009ptemmys/61stemmys_nomswin.php]

GAY DAYS 2009: Kathy Griffin!

Howdy all,
I saw Kathy perform at Gay Days Orlando a couple years ago, and she was absolutely fabulous. I just didn't expect to see her at the parks again at this year's celebration...

... as one of Cinderella's evil step-sisters...
:)

... I know that it wasn't really Kathy, but you have to admit that there's quite a resemblance. I was showing these pictures to some other gays on the monorail, asking them "Who does this person look like?" and they all "recognized" her immediately then encouraged me to send these in.

So here they are, and it's all out of our love for you.

I'm looking forward to seeing Kathy in Orlando again this August!

Happy Pride!
~Cedric

[yes, I'm catching up with my posts!]

EVENT: Brevard 2-1-1's "An Evening of Mystery and Intrigue"

"An Evening of Mystery and Intrigue" was held on Saturday, June 13th, 2009. It was a benefit for Brevard 2-1-1, a not-for-profit organization serving Brevard Country that provides a telephone-based helpline offering crisis intervention and information & referral services. The company my friend Teresa works for had sponsored a table, and I joined them as her guest.

And I was very glad that I did...

"Who ordered the banana margarita?"...

This evening of mystery and intrigue started innocent enough. Teresa and I were one of the first to arrive, so we had an unhurried look around.


hors d'oeuvres: fruit, cheese & crackersThere were some pens and cards on the table for us to take notes on, and everyone at our table quickly got enthusiastic about our detective work.


The Artemis Detective Agency Team Members-----
And as the other guests filed in, we started to notice a few "stand-out" characters making the rounds. We were armed with pens, cards, and cameras, and started collecting information...

Shelly Rose and Bud Sebastian, tonight's entertainment.
They were singing partners who may be romantically involvement. We nicknamed Bud "RBT", or "Red Bow Tie", and one of our team members described him as "flirty obnoxious guy in tux". Shelly was a bit ditzy, easily-distracted, and enjoyed shadow puppets with the projector.

Shelly Rose and Bud Sebastian

Shirley Holmes, a detective from New York and tonight's security.
When asked for a picture with, she questioned our motives. (Me and Teresa... suspicious behavior?!... no...)

Me and Teresa with Shirley Holmes (center)

Mr. Charles Chaplin, Shelly and Bud's talent manager.
He didn't like being called Charlie. He was also critical of Shelly's dress/weight. We nicknamed him "Pink Tie Guy".

A Team Member with Mr. Charles Chaplin

Larry, a.k.a "Ponytail Guy".
We thought that he was a person of interest, but later concluded that he was just a "roadie", not directly involved with the evening's events.

Team Member Veronica scoping out Larry (left)

Maggie Sebastian, Bud's [loud] sister from St. Louis.
She was on an all-banana diet (a team member wrote down "YUM!"). She was on vacation (loved the hotel's brochures) but also was trying to get Bud to move back to St. Louis.

Maggie Sebastian

Waiter, our waiter, and despite my suspicions, just a waiter.
Just a waiter.

Curt, Shelly's jealous [ex-]boyfriend.
He and Shelly also had some sort of financial dealings between them.

Team Member Mark, Waiter (center), and Curt (right)

Doc, the piano man.
He claimed no involvement in tonight's events. I just wanted a picture of him.

Doc-----
As the evening (and dinner) went on, Bud and Shelly performing a few musical numbers and the rest of the players continued to assimilate -- Curt sat with our table and threw remarks at both Bud and Charlie... I mean Charles; and Maggie became increasingly anxious. Then something happened!...

[Sorry to be purposely vague. I don't like spoilings.]

Our resident detective Shirley Holmes called a stop in the action to gather evidence and write down clues.

Then, the events resumed.

Oh... and there was food. Let's not forget that this was also a dinner (and I need my food pics):

BeefRed Velvet Cake, CoffeePeople did more stuff and then something else may or may not have happened!!!
-----
Anyways, after all the mayhem, four of the players each gave an explanation of the evening's events then pointed a finger at one of the suspects. Of these stories, three were bogus and one was the truth. Each was then given a sign reading "_____ is guilty" and sent to a different corner of the room. Then it was up to the audience.

Everyone had to get up and walk over to the person he/she thought had the correct story and knew who did it.

I was surprised that our table had gone in different directions. And in the reveal, we found out that I chose wisely. "I solved the MurderWatch Mystery!".

-----
The performers were absolutely great -- they had hilarious, personable interactions with the all of the guests and they really used the entire room. The whole event was top notch and SO MUCH FUN! It was a good mix of dinner and drama, mystery and intrigue, songs and bad jokes... and all for a good cause.

Thank you, thank you, thank you again Teresa for inviting me.

:)

GAY DAYS 2009: Red Shirts - Top 10

***WOO!... It's Top 10 Time!!!***
(it's about time [this entry is Waaay ATF])

... (follow the link below to check out this year's finalists!) ...

Number #10
"OMGaga"
Where: in front of Cinderella's Castle
When: waiting for the 3:00pm parade
Comment: At the Gay Days expo, Cindy and I heard the Britney, Madonna, Beyonce, and Lady Gaga. This simple custom shirt embodied the gay boy. It also remnant of the OMG Shoes shirt from a couple years ago. Simple but effective and culturally relevant.

Number #9
"Dynamic Duo"
Where: Frontierland, between Pecos Bill's and Splash Mountain
When: morning
Comment: This shirt made it in the Top 10 because of the ambiguity of the "Duo" (Batman & Robin, the guy and my sister, or my sister's... girls). Also, the guy was very cheerful and really made the photo work.

Number #8
"Fierce"
Where: in the Castle hub
When: 9:20am, on the way back to the park gates to meet Cori and Marty
Comment: In a culture where we do appreciate the culturally relevant, let us not forget our "heritage". This shirt features the silhouette of the winner of Project Runway Season 4, Christian Soriano, and The catch-word of 2007. I"m glad that there are some of us who respect our "elders".

Number #7
"Ohana '09"
Where: in front of the Emporium on Main Street U.S.A
When: early morning
Comment: These shirts were a nice play on branding and slogan. There was a group of people wearing these shirts,

I think these are from the same people who brought us the "Incredi-bears" last year. They were out in large numbers, organized and happy. Parking's actually $11, but they were dead on with the "Scaring the straight person next to you...".

Number #6
"Miss Thing"
Where: Main Street U.S.A.
When: soon after Rope Drop
Comment: A couple years ago, a couple couples wearing "Thing 1"/"Thing 2" shirts made my honorable mention. Though coordinated, they didn't make my Top 10 because those are Universal Studios shirts... This year, I've gotta give these guys/ladies credit for not only being coordinated but sassy, with their addition of "Miss" to the shirts. It's evidence of how a simple change can make a big difference.

Number #5
"The Other Team"
Where: in line for Big Thunder Mountain
When: 10:50:02 AM
Comment: The lesbians cracked my Top 5! This was my sister's favorite lesbian shirt -- the clean design, the simple slogan, and the fact that the ladies wearing them were quite attractive. I told Cindy that she should create one of those shirts for next year except in baby-blue and have it read "The Other Team: Sorry Girls" Ha!.

Number #4
"May I Suggest The Sausage"
Where: just inside of the MK gates
When: at rope drop
Comment: Last year, I featured quite a number of inappropriate and/or food-related shirts. This one was one of the first red shirts we took a picture of, and it would've been too obvious and anti-climactic had this deemed our #1. It was a funny shirt, but also wearing an inappropriate food-related shirt, I wanted to err on the side of caution and not pose for this picture how my sister suggested. *stern eyes*. :P Bold, non-subtle, this shirt made my #4.

Number #3
"Bear School Musical"
Where: Frontierland
When: also while in line for Big Thunder Mountain
Comment: This shirt was colorful and had high construction value. The synergy of Disney brands was commendable -- the vintage Little John from Robin Hood, Baloo from Jungle Book, a very gay Winnie the Pooh... under the guise of a HSM-ish production. It was the cutest and most-playful of the bear shirts. [if they could've only added a "D"-word to their title, they could've had an incredibly subtle risque reference...]

Number #2
"Homo You Didn't"
Where: in front of Cinderella's Castle
When: 2:50pm-ish
Comment: When I was showing my friend Pom this year's red shirts, this was the one that caught her by surprise and was her instant favorite. Short, sweet, and clever... and you can totally hear a gay saying this. The fact that the letters were blinged out and the extra, subtle bejewelry were very nice touches.

And my pick for the Best Red Shirt of Gay Days 2009...

Number #1
"SMURFS!"
Where: in front of Splash Mountain then later in front of Cinderella's Castle
When: after riding Splash Mountain then later after the 3:00pm parade
Comment: Last year, the winner was a red "F*G" shirt flanked by three baby blue "F*GH*G"s. My sister left a comment that she'd need one blue shirt and a dozen red shirts. I guess that she kinda got her wish...

The moment we saw these guys, we knew that they were going to take the top spot. These shirts -- designed after a series of shirts featuring the bodies of Disney characters -- were very trendy and creative. The execution was incredible -- a lot of attention to detail (e.g. the rainbow lettering for "Earth Smurf", the blue kisses on "I Kissed A Smurf And I Liked It"); also, the back of their shirts provided more opportunity for personalization: "Pop A Smurf", "Donatella", "Not So Innocent".

The guys wearing the shirts also a strong factor because they were all well-groomed, friendly, and enthusiastic. They were also very quick to gather for pictures, like a group of high school cheerleaders.

Here's a list of the Smurf slogan we saw:

- I See Blue People
- I Kissed A Smurf And I Liked It
- Abercrombie & Smurf
- iSmurf
- Smurfer Dude
- Earth Smurf
- Smurf-fil-a
- I'm Bringing Smurfy Back
- Twitter My Smurf
- Have You Been Smurfed Today
- Rent-A-Smurf

And of their back:
- Johan
- Donatella
- Not So Innocent
- TEK
- ScoBo
- Scooter
- Edil
- Pop A Smurf

Great great job!

-----
*** Please leave a comment of what you think of this year's Top 10! :) ***
-----
You may also want to check out these related posts:

2009
    Gay Days 2009 Red Shirts - Preview
    Gay Days 2009 Red Shirts - Honorable Mentions

2008
    Gay Days 2008 Red Shirts - Preview
    Gay Days 2008 Red Shirts - Top 10

2007
    Gay Days 2007 - The Red Shirts

GAY DAYS 2009: Red Shirts - Honorable Mentions

At this year's Gay Days (2009!), I managed a lot of pictures of red shirts with my sister's further encouragement. We each have our favorites, and here are this year's honorable mentions...

Honorable Mentions:

"You + Me = Fail!"
Where: in the Castle hub
When: waiting for the 3:00pm parade

Comment: First of all Happy Birthday Aaron! Anyways, the shirt has one of those “let’s be honest” messages, and I totally subscribe. It’s like wearing a shirt that says, “Will you be my next ex-boyfriend.” This shirt would’ve made the Top 10 had it been executed better or more haphazardly gayer. Still, I seriously dig this shirt.
...
---------------
"He is Gay -->"
Where: at the entrance of Epcot Center
When: a couple monorail rides after the end of the 3:00pm parade

Comment: When I saw this shirt, I thought it was funny. When I saw the guy, I had to have a picture with. Very cute.
---------------
"Media Whore"
Where: in front of Cinderella's Castle
When: during a performance of the Dreams Come True stage show

Comment: I too am a media whore. I love seeing my picture in newspapers, magazines, and monthly nationwide emails (‘08 DLHM!). Anyways, I'll play Fairy Godmother to this princess and grant him some publicity.
---------------
"Gay Days '09 Anaheim"
Where: in line for Peter Pan's Flight
When: 9:10am, 2nd ride of the day

Comment: Yay, love from the West Coast. Well, here’s a shout-out from the East Coast! I actually recognized the wearer from D23's Flower and Fireworks Celebration the weekend before. Pretty awesome.
---------------
"I would Love a Gay Family"
Where: at the Gay Days Expo at the Royal Plaza Hotel
When: Friday, 10:00am-ish

Comment: This is the first animal-worn red shirt to make it onto any of my list; it was worn by a greyhound from a local greyhound rescue center. Hopefully the other dogs will take note and plan accordingly for next year.
---------------
"Want Woman"
Where: hub in front of Cinderella's Castle
When: on the way to meet Cori and Marty at the front of Magic Kingdom

Comment: A couple of lesbians wore this shirt, and it was instantly hilarious. This would've made Top 10 had I taken a picture of the actual shirts (I swiped the above picture from the Internets). I was still warming up to the shamelessness of it all, and we all seemed to be in a hurry.
---------------
"My Pecker Is Stuck"
Where: in the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad queue
When: 11:00am on the dot.

Comment: I do love the inappropriate shirts (check out the SILF from last year), and the guy wearing this shirt wore it boldly. He was also very photo-friendly -- well-groomed, sleeveless-approved, and fashionably accessorized.
---------------
"Get Plowed In Nebraska"
Where: in the Jungle Cruise queue
When: 9:45am, 3rd ride of the day

Comment: Another inappropriate shirt! (so cheeky!) Even though it features one of my friend's rival states, I love it. One of my co-workers didn't understand the shirt, and I decided halfway through my explanation it was better not to corrupt her precious mind.
---------------
"Thank You Disney For Being A Friend"
Where: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad queue
When: about the same as the other BTMR pictures

Comment: Here's a group entry. The front of the shirt reads "Thank you Disney for being a friend" and on the back, there was a different saucy saying from Golden Girls. It was a nice homage to Bea Arthur. A couple quotes are the following:

"Rose, I know this is a long shot, but did you take too much acid in the sixties?" - Dorothy Zbornak
"It's Miami in June. Only cats are wearing fur." - Dorothy Zbornak

The shirt's font was difficult to read, but their timeliness and creativity were still much appreciated.
---------------
"All Smart Bears Are Wearing Red"
Where: in the line to get into the 1:00pm Country Bear Jamboree
When: quarter-til

Comment: The shirt was cute, especially with the "think, think, think!" but the shirt was a bit too subtle -- it took me until I got home to realize that Pooh was wearing red. No worries for Pooh though, you'll see him again in my Top 10 on another Bear entry.
---------------
"Don't Poke The Bear/Cubby"
Where: looking back towards Tomorrowland
When: a little past 2:00pm, after MILF

Comment: Okay, another bear entry. They are a creative bunch who know how to operate an iron, and I do enjoy the homemades. Awww. I spotted this papa bear at the 1:00pm Country Bear Jamboree but had a better shot later on here.
---------------
"The Smart Ride"
Where: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!
When: 10:58:42am

Comment: No innuendo here. Just a good cause. This shirt was worn by my friend Michael C. (please sponsor!) who is participating in this charity bicycle ride benefiting the Broward House, a community-based organization that provides a full array of quality services to those living with and at risk for HIV and other health issues... something to truly be honorably mentioned.

FUNNY: 2009 White House Correspondents' Dinner - Wanda Sykes

Part 1:


Part 2:

JOURNAL : Album Cover

Here's a fun something I found on a friend's friend's Facebook page. It's called "Album Cover":

Step 1 - Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random”
or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

Step 2 - Go to "Random quotations"
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

Step 3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

Step 4 - Use Photoshop (or similar) to put it all together.

[There's a Step 5 in which you post the picture and tag 25 of your friends to make a cover of their own, but I'm not the type who likes to impose.]

-----
Anyways, it's completely random and totally fun. The first time I did this, I was part of a band named Pakistan Meteorology Department and whose first album was titled "I'm Just Wearing Better Shoes".


You really don't know what you'll get.

The associated picture is from Northern Star's Flickr page and is titled "Teru Bōzu".

[Note to Northern Star: I wanted to contact you to ask permission for use of your photo, but didn't know how best to contact you. I will remove it if you ask. The use here is strictly for entertainment purposes, and because the little voices in my head told me to.]

I really do love NS's description of the photo:

"teru bōzu (teru = shiny; bozu = buddhist priest) is a little traditional hand-made doll made of cloth that japanese farmers began hanging outside of their window by a string. this amulet is supposed to have magical powers to bring good weather and to stop or prevent a rainy day."

-----
Here's my latest album cover:

"Bitter In It" by Namida Namida Namida

Namida Namida Namida is actually a CD single by Japanese singer and voice actress Aya Hirano.
-----
Anyways, if you create an album cover of your own and want me to post it here, post a link to your album cover in the comments or for those who have my email, just send me a copy.

:)