TV Writer's Strike Looming...Rock Star on the Horizon?

So, you're like me and you loved Rock Star and you miss Rock Star, right? Well, now might be as good a time as any to tell the executives at CBS that you want more Rock Star on your TV!

The Writer's Guild is preparing to go on strike, possibly as soon as Thursday. And if that is the case, there will be no one to write the episodes of Gray's Anatomy and Lost that viewers love so much, so television executives are looking at alternative ways to fill their time slots. What does that mean for the viewers? Lots of reality television. Networks could run out of new episodes of our favorite scripted dramas and comedies possibly as early as January. So...if you want CBS or one of the other networks to pick up Rock Star for a third season, LET THEM KNOW!

How do you do that? Check out The Big Letter Writing Campaign Thread at RockBandLounge.com for both snail mail and email addresses for the people to contact! And then send them a letter. And maybe send them another one tomorrow. And another on Wednesday. And...well...you get the picture.

Oh yeah, and while you're already at RockBandLounge.com, why don't you join us in our Rock Star: All Stars Game in order to relive great memories of why we love Rock Star so much in the first place.

More on Magical Realism

So a while back, I posted about magical realism in a novel I was reading, The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. I wasn't so sure about it at that point. However, I have since become a huge fan of the genre, at least in the way it was used in this particular novel. Now that I've finished reading it, I find that instead of these magical elements becoming a distraction from the very real events taking place in the novel, they seem to add even more emphasis to those events by being juxtaposed against them in their stark contrast. I'm not 100% sure that I will like every book I read that would fall into this category, but I am much more willing to give them a try after finishing THOTS and really reflecting on it.

Rock Star All Stars is Underway!

And they're off! The voting has begun in RockBandLounge.com's Rock Star: All Stars competition. Be sure to make your voice heard! You can vote before midnight eastern time tonight for your favorite All Star from both Season One and Season Two...

Click Here!

Remember that you'll need to register in order to vote, even if you are already a member of the RockBandLounge.com forum.

Don't let your favorite be the first to go!

Jeffrey Gaines - In Your Eyes

This song has been getting tons of airplay here in Dallas all of a sudden. I understand that this is not a new recording...it's been around several years already. But it has suddenly taken off here. I think it is a great cover of a classic Peter Gabriel tune. I'm not terribly fond of the video that they've put to the song, but I really love his voice and his take on the song. So...enjoy!

Jeffrey Gaines - In Your Eyes

ROCKBANDLOUNGE.com Rock Star: All Stars

Do you miss having Rock Star on your TV? I know I do. I miss seeing great performances of rock music, different takes on classic songs, the awesome House Band, and discovering up and coming talent. Well, we may not have Rock Star back on our TV's yet, but RockBandLounge.com has started up a new contest, Rock Star: All Stars. Nineteen of your favorite rockers from the two seasons will be competing against each other via YouTube for your votes! There is no prize for the winner, other than renewed devotion from their fans. But, the prize could wind up being for us, the Rock Star fans.

Part of the reason RockBandLounge.com has decided to stage this competition is in an effort to get US, the Rock Star fans, to once again make an effort to get Rock Star back on our TV's. We need to be sending letters and emails to CBS, demanding that they renew our favorite TV show! RockBandLounge.com is hoping that through this Rock Star: All Stars competition, it will once again renew the efforts of the fans in this letter-writing campaign. For more information on RockBandLounge.com's letter writing campaign, visit them at The Big Letter Writing Campaign Thread.

If you want to take part in RockBandLounge.com's Rock Star: All Star competition, take a look here. Please note that you will have to join as a member of the Rock Star: All Stars community in order to post or vote, even if you are already a member of the RockBandLounge.com forum.

Let's get more great rock music back on our TV's! Join the campaign!

Pretty Baby in the News!

Fort Worth Weekly has taken notice of Pretty Baby. Anthony Mariani writes: "Based on the two songs posted on www.myspace.com/prettybabyrocks, what “stuck” is decidedly weird but in a good, brave way: a lot of heavy beats juxtaposed with Zayra’s relentlessly feminine, crystalline, sing-talky vocals, plus some ominous, hip-hop-inflected industrial music and bursts of arena-rock." Read the full article at Fort Worth Weekly.

According to Mariani, Zayra Alvarez is joined by Fort Worth area songwriters Dave Karnes and Daniel Harville. Karnes has previously worked with Zac Maloy and many others in the jazz-rich North Texas area, and Harville is formerly of Sugarbomb.

Also, check out their music on MySpace or their Official Website to hear it for yourself.

Pretty Baby on MySpace!

Fort Worth band Pretty Baby, fronted by the incomparable Zayra Alvarez, has set up a MySpace page to let the world know about their music. Check it out at myspace.com/prettybabyrocks. Add them as a friend to stay up to date on what they are doing, and let your friends know about them!

Zayra gained fame as a contestant on the Tommy Lee reality based TV show, Rock Star: Supernova. She has also sung backing vocals on some of Blue October's music.

Their two new original songs, Violent Man and Feel Good can be found here, as well as on their official website, PrettyBabyMusic.com. Check in for more information as it comes!

Pretty Baby

Zayra Alvarez of Rock Star: Supernova fame has formed a new band. Pretty Baby has released a preview of a couple of their songs on their website. prettybabymusic.com doesn't have a lot on it yet, other than the two tracks. But I like what I hear so far! Definitely sounds like what you would expect from the MiZtreZZ...

Feline Intuition

I just sprained my ankle. I needed to use the restroom, and I didn't realize that my left leg was asleep to the point that I had little feeling in it...so I got up and tried to walk. Putting my weight on my right leg was fine. But as soon as I transferred my weight to my left leg, my ankle twisted beneath me and I heard something snap. Tears flooded my eyes and a string of sounds made their way from my lips. I'm not sure what language I was speaking, but I didn't understand any of it...all I knew was blinding pain.

I have two cats. Two very sweet cats who have a tendency to get in the way when I'm trying to walk or otherwise do anything whatsoever. You would think that it was more likely to be their fault, but this time, they were blame free. At the garbled whimpering screams coming from my mouth, they came running to help me. I assume that the noise I was making was similar to the sounds that they make when I accidentally step fully on one of their paws or a tail.

They followed me as I stumbled my way to the sofa. I stretched out across the length of the sofa and propped my ankle up on a couple of throw pillows. Within seconds, they had both jumped up on top of me. Great, I thought to myself, this is going to be like when I get menstrual cramps and they automatically know to curl up on my abdomen, or when I get a chest cough and they curl up on my chest. In moments, they'll be curled up on my seriously hurting ankle and I won't be able to get them off of it. I don't mind it at all when they curl up on my abdomen...they provide heat and pressure, right where I need it. It's hard to breathe when you've got a chest cough though, and a couple of loveable furry friends pressing down on your lungs. I didn't think that was what I needed to be doing to my ankle at the moment.

But I was pleasantly surprised. Instead of going to my ankle, they came up to my chest and started purring. It seems that more than anything, they just knew that I needed them to help me calm down.

The Blogosphere

So I've been looking around at other blogs today...and I've found a few that are just insanely interesting to me.

For instance...I have a thing about punctuation. Yes, I tend to overuse it. But I at least use it in places that it is somewhat appropriate. The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks tickles my funny bone. An entire blog, devoted to signs where people use punctuation that they really do not need to use. It is cracking me up, reading some of these signs. Makes you wonder how some people survive in life.

Another one that I've found is Notes from Inside My Head. I'm not sure what it is about this blog...I'm not a Mom, so I don't really relate to that, but I find her writing style to be infectious. So I'll go with that. She is fun to read. I think I may have to be sure my SIL sees her blog, because she is about to be a new Mom. I'm sure if you are a parent, this one is even funnier than if you aren't.

While visiting there, I discovered Rants and Raves, complete with more Mom stories, but also thoughts on the writing process and blogging in general. She's got a great sense of humor that shines through in all of her posts.

I'll fill you in on more sometime soon...when I'm bored and go blog hunting...