Awake-Live!

I'm so very excited! Josh Groban's tour dvd/cd Awake Live will be out 6 May 2008!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lots more info here.

The songs on the cd/dvd are:

Mai / February Song / In Her Eyes / So She Dances / Un Dia Llegara / Pearls / Weeping / Machine / Awake

DVD:
You Are Loved (Don't Give Up) / Mai / Un Dia Llegara / Un Giorno Per Noir / Now or Never / So She Dances / February Song / Alla Luce del Sole / Aurora (featuring Lucia Micarelli) / Kashmir (featuring Lucia Micarelli) / In Her Eyes / Pearls (featuring Angelique Kidjo) / L'Ultima Notte / Remember When It Rained / Lullaby / Weeping / Machine / Canto Alla Vita / You Raise Me Up / Awake

You can be an "internet-only" edition here. If you haven't purchased a fan club membership, you can do it now and, if you pay a little more, also get the special cd/dvd. It is definitely worth it!

I am sooooooooooooo excited!

Here is the cover. Josh is wearing one of the shirts he wore at the Seattle concert!

Excavating Stonehenge

This is fascinating. I love English history and Stonehenge is really a must-see (which I will hopefully see in person someday!).

AP: Archaeologists start Stonehenge dig---

LONDON - Some of England's most sacred soil was disturbed Monday for the first time in more than four decades as archaeologists worked to solve the enduring riddle of Stonehenge: When and why was the prehistoric monument built?

The excavation project, set to last until April 11, is designed to unearth materials that can be used to establish a firm date for when the first mysterious set of bluestones was put in place at Stonehenge, one of Britain's best known and least understood landmarks.

The World Heritage site, a favorite with visitors the world over, has become popular with Druids, neo-Pagans and New Agers who attach mystical significance to the strangely shaped circle of stones, but there remains great debate about the actual purpose of the structure.

The dig will be led by Timothy Darvill, a leading Stonehenge scholar from Bournemouth University, and Geoffrey Wainwright, president of the Society of Antiquaries. Both experts have worked to pinpoint the site in the Preseli Mountains in south Wales where the bluestones — the earliest of the large rocks erected at the site — came from. They will be able to compare the samples found in Wales to those at Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain.

"The excavation will date the arrival of the bluestones following their 153-mile journey from Preseli to Salisbury Plain and contribute to our definition of the society which undertook such an ambitious project," Wainright said. "We will be able to say not only why, but when the first stone monument was built."

Do read the rest!

Baseball is Back!

Today is Major League Baseball's Opening Day 2008!! I am a huge baseball fan and am so excited that the new season is finally here. My Seattle Mariners just won their first game of the season. Let's hope they are beginning as they mean to go on!


Who are you cheering for?


Go Mariners!

In related MLB news, the Yankees had to postpone their final opener at Yankee Stadium. Breaks my heart. I have long wanted to see a game in Yankee Stadium.

My Guilty Pleasure!

Recently I came across Showtime's The Tudors starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers on Comcast's "On Demand" and ended up watching all 10 (edited) episodes. I was hooked!

Tonight is the premiere of the second season. I don't get Showtime, so I will have to wait until the show is either on On Demand or comes out on dvd.

The Tudors isn't always historically accurate (JRM is younger than Henry VIII was supposed to be), but it is intriguing and interesting. While JRM doesn't look exactly like Henry, who was very handsome when he was younger, Jonathan has a certain sexy intensity that translates very well as royalty.


The rest of the cast---Henry Cavill, Callum Blue, Sam O'Neill, Jeremy Northam---are all fantastic, too. The costumes and sets are gorgeous.

You can create your own Tudors portrait and gallery here.

Do you watch The Tudors?

Baghdad Pups!

If you love dogs, you might want to support this program so that No Buddy Gets Left Behind! A worthy cause!

This is an effort:

by SPCA International (the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals International) to bring U.S. soldiers’ mascots and companion animals back from Iraq.

You can read some of the success stories at the website, read updates, watch videos, and donate!

My P&P the Musical Cast

Tomorrow is the last day to enter the Pride and Prejudice Musical at Jane Austen Today, so here are my picks (I'm not going to pick a whole cast and a couple are the same as Ms. Place's choices):

Josh Groban as Mr. Darcy: He isn't proud and aloof like Mr. Darcy, but Josh's Voice is the only one worthy of Mr. Darcy.


Emmy Rossum as Lizzie Bennet: She has a gorgeous voice and would be fantastic as Lizzie.


Michael Buble as Charles Bingley: His voice isn't as classic as Josh's, he can be adorably goofy, and I think he would be a great Bingley.


Carrie Underwood as Jane Bennet: Beautiful voice and beautiful girl. Perfectly suitable for Jane.


Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Mr. Wickham: He's super sexy and can sing, as he did in August Rush.


And then I think I would cast Britney Spears as Lydia Bennet, Jessica Simpson as Kitty Bennet, the beautiful Mandy Moore as Mary Bennet (even though Mary is plain---Mandy was super as Jame in A Walk to Remember).

I'll have to keep thinking (before tomorrow!).

Who would you cast?

Wednesday Hero

This Week's Hero Was Suggested by Kathi

Soldiers' Angels Living Legends Team
May No Soldier Go Unloved

Living Legends began in May 2005 with a very small team of seven dedicated angels. The team's mission was to let the families and friends of fallen heroes know that we were here to support them and to honor their loved one. At the same time, they had to make sure that they were sensitive to what the family was going through. While this team has grown tremendously, they have worked very hard to maintain that same level of dedication and sensitivity. This team is staffed with trained volunteers who carry out a very difficult mission for Soldiers' Angels. Due to their dedication, Soldiers' Angels is able to honor those heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation and to pay their respects and offer their deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones grieving the painful loss of their son or daughter; husband or wife; brother or sister; mom or dad; aunt or uncle; their friend.

For more information on the Soldiers' Angels Living Legends Team, you can visit their site.

TSometimes a hero is one who sacrifices everything in their life to help others. And sometimes a hero is one who sacrifices nothing more than their time.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

"Freedom Never Cries"

Go watch "Five for Fighting's" new video "Freedom Never Cries" and help Operation Home Front, which supports our marvelous troops and the fantastic families they leave behind as they go to preserve our freedom. The man behind the counter is a Medal of Honor winner.



John Ondrasik is awesome. But our military is even more awesome. Watch the ad at the end.

And today is National Medal of Honor Day. Go honor our brave men by reading their stories, praying for them, and supporting them. It is the least you can do.

Josh as Phantom?

Possibly?!?!

Happy Easter!

Luke 24:1-9:

1 But at daybreak on the first day of the week they took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb; 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 While they were puzzling over this, behold, two men in dazzling garments appeared to them. 5 They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. They said to them, "Why do you seek the living one among the dead? 6 He is not here, but he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified, and rise on the third day."

8 And they remembered his words.

9 Then they returned from the tomb and announced all these things to the eleven and to all the others.


Jesus Christ is Risen Today! Alleluia!
Happy Easter!

Items of Interest

As an Anglophile who particularly likes to study the Regency, I find this absolutely fascinating.

And what's going on at this opera?

This is the last time Easter will be this early until 2160. The last time it was earlier was 22 March 1818. During the Regency!

March Madness has begun!

Money can buy happiness, but only if you spend it on someone else!

No more History Channel. (Really, could they possibly show some interesting shows about the Regency???)

Gratitude

The Gratitude Campaign.

Watch the movie.

Learn the sign.

Show your gratitude to our troops.

God bless them.

Wednesday Hero

Spc. Monica Lin Brown
19 years old from Lake Jackson, Texas
4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team


Army Spc. Monica Lin Brown has done something only a very few female soldiers in American history have ever done. She's been awarded the Silver Star.

Brown saved the lives of fellow soldiers after a roadside bomb tore through a convoy of Humvees in the eastern Paktia province of Afghanistan in April 2007. "I did not really think about anything except for getting the guys to a safer location and getting them taken care of and getting them out of there."

"We stopped the convoy. I opened up my door and grabbed my aid bag," Brown said.

She started running toward the burning vehicle as insurgents opened fire. All five wounded soldiers had scrambled out.

"I assessed the patients to see how bad they were. We tried to move them to a safer location because we were still receiving incoming fire," Brown said. "So we dragged them for 100 or 200 meters, got them away from the Humvee a little bit," she said. "I was in a kind of a robot-mode, did not think about much but getting the guys taken care of."

For Brown, who knew all five wounded soldiers, it became a race to get them all to a safer location. Eventually, they moved the wounded some 500 yards away and treated them on site before putting them on a helicopter for evacuation.

"I did not really have time to be scared," Brown said. "Running back to the vehicle, I was nervous (since) I did not know how badly the guys were injured. That was scary."

The military said Brown's "bravery, unselfish actions and medical aid rendered under fire saved the lives of her comrades and represents the finest traditions of heroism in combat."

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Out on DVD: Atonement!

I finally saw Atonement about a month ago and thought it was very well done. The dvd is out today and I couldn't resist getting it.

Atonement was directed by Joe Wright, who directed my favorite version of Pride & Prejudice and starring Keira Knightley (from the same P&P) and James McAvoy. It is quite a tragic love/war story all about perceptions.

If you haven't heard about it, here is a short synopsis from Amazon.com:

the story centers around the love story of highborn Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) and housekeeper’s son Robbie Turner (James McAvoy, in a star-making turn), in England shortly before World War II. Despite their class differences, they are powerfully attracted to each other, and just as their relationship begins Robbie is tragically forced away due to false accusations from Cecilia’s younger sister Briony (Saoirse Ronan). She has a crush on Robbie, too, and after reading a private letter he sent to Cecilia, and then witnessing the first expression of their mutual love but mistaking it for mistreatment, her resentment grows until it leads to her telling the lie that will send Robbie away. Soon World War II breaks out; Robbie enlists and is posted to France, Cecilia is a nurse in London, and Briony, now age 18 and aware of what she has done, tries to atone for her actions--but none of them will be able to get back what they have lost.

This film is rated R.

After I saw the film I read the book by Ian McEwan and had an even deeper appreciation of the movie. It stayed very true to the novel and the casting was superb. The cinematography and musical score were gorgeous. I wish I could live in the house a part of the movie was filmed in!

Happy 27th!

glitter-graphics.com

Happy Birthday, Aj!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Josh Groban as Mr. Darcy!?!?

In my dreams! :) Over at one of my favorite blogs, Jane Austen Today, Ms. Place is having another fantastic contest: a Pride and Prejudice Musical Contest. This one is so clever and exciting!

Here is how to enter:

I have put together my ideal Pride and Prejudice musical cast. You can disagree with my choices. Just leave a comment suggesting other singer/s and in which role they should sing. You may make as many suggestions as you like, but all your nominees must be singers. At the end of two weeks (March 29), I shall place the names of everyone who left a suggestion in a hat and draw the winner.

Ms. Place has chosen my favorite, Josh Groban, as my favorite, Mr. Darcy, and Emmy Rossum, who was fabulous in The Phantom of the Opera, as Lizzie Bennet. Oh, and gorgeous Gerard Butler as Mr. Wickham! I can't argue with any of those choices! Use the above link to read the rest of Ms. Place's musical cast and enter your own! I know I plan to do so.

The winner gets a cd copy of "Pride and Prejudice, the Musical" by Rita Abrams and Josie Brown. You can listen to clips by visiting Ms. Place's post for the links.

I will post my cast here and in the comments on Ms. Place's post after I have thought about it for awhile.

Good luck!

Josh Groban as Mr. Darcy?!?! Oh la la!

Vote for the Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen!

The other day I mentioned the Jane Austen's Regency World Awards! Don't forget to vote. You have until 10 May.

I would highly recommend (reading!) voting for The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen. I got the opportunity to read it in November and give away 2 copies on this blog. It was absolutely fantastic (you can read my review here.).

Top Chef: Season 4!

Bravo's Top Chef series returns tonight with Season 4 in Chicago! I just got hooked on the show this summer, part way through Season 3, but I have watched a couple of marathons. It is quite exciting! Don't forget to watch!

HP and DH in 2 Films?!?!

Looks like it!!!

AP: Last 'Harry Potter' book becomes 2 films---

LOS ANGELES - Harry Potter was the center of seven novels, but he'll star in eight films. The final book in the wildly successful series will be made into two films, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

Producers are expected to announce Thursday that J.K. Rowling's last "Potter" installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," will be split into two parts on the big screen. The first film is slated for release in November 2010, with part two following in May 2011.

"It was born out of purely creative reasons," producer David Heyman told the Times. "Unlike every other book, you cannot remove elements of this book."

The two final "Potter" films will be shot concurrently, much like the blockbuster trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy novel "The Lord of the Rings."

Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! November 2010 and May 2011?!?! That's forever away!

Do you think Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows should be split into 2 movies or kept as 1?

They need to do it justice, which means including as much as possible, which means one movie would be super long (but that would be fine with me). I want to know more about how they plan to do it, at which part they plan to end movie 1?