MUSIC HISTORY NOVEMBER 5

1935 - Composer Nicholas Maw was born.
1960 - Johnny Horton was killed in an auto accident in Milano, Texas at the age of 33. He had the hit "Battle of New Orleans."
1977 - Ozzy Osbourne quit Black Sabbath only to rejoin a few weeks later. He later quit again to pursue a solo career. 
1995 - "The Wizard of Oz in Concert" took place for a Children's Defense Fund. The show featured Jackson Browne as the Scarecrow, Roger Daltrey as the Tin Man, Nathan Lane as the Cowardly Lion and Jewel as Dorothy.
1995 - Queen released their first studio album since the death of Freddie Mercury. Mercury died November 24, 1991 of AIDS.
1998 - Liam Gallagher of Oasis was arrested for allegedly attacking a photographer and damaging his camera equipment.
1998 - ODB, of Wu Tang Klan, was arrested for threatening to kill his former girlfriend. He was stopped while climbing over a security gate at the woman's place of employment.

SOUL FOOD

Barbara Ward-Finneran

Work hard. Expect and choose success - it will change everything. Creating a vision for the future that ultimately settles for nothing less then your best. Follow your heart's insatiable desire to dream big.  Make your spirit soar to dwell in the place where wishes come true.

Keep the promises that you make to yourself!

Photo Courtesy of Barbara Ward-Finneran and Drawn 2 Design, LLC

©  All Rights Reserved

BABY...BABY...BABY??!?!?!?!??

Poor little Justin Bieber, looks like a twenty year old single mother is accusing JB of fathering her child. Mariah Yeater is searching for her fifteen minutes of fame at the expense of Bieber and her son.

On the Today Show Bieber says, "I'd just like to say basically that none of those allegations are true," Bieber said. "I know that I'm going to be a target, but I'm never going to be a victim. It's crazy, because every night after the show I've gone right from the stage right to my car, so it's crazy that some people want to make up such false allegations. To set the record straight, none of it is true."

Mariah Yeater has filed a paternity suit, claiming the 17-year-old singer is the father of her infant baby. Yeater alleges she and Bieber had sex in the bathroom of the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Yeater should really think about this before it goes any further...she could end up in jail.

Sounds to me like Yeater needs a check up from the neck up! STAY TUNED!!

I AM #4

Marion Pellicano Ambrose
Ok, so I happened to catch "I Am # 4" on Showtime. I hadn't planned to, it came on after a movie my husband watched before he went to bed and I was too lazy to change the channel. It turns out that I loved it! Not your typical Sci-fi and the acting was actually very good! I was pleasantly surprised!

The story involves a highschool age boy called "John Smith',who is actually an Alien, one of only a handful of special children saved when their planet was destroyed by another alien race. Each child has a protector. The Darth Maul type bad guys are now tracking down and killing the now grown children in number order. The movie begins with the murder of # 3. You guessed it,John Smith is #4.

I won't tell you too much more; you need to see it for yourself. I will tell you that there's lots of action, a little romance, an unlikely friendship, some great special effects and an adorable Beatle (or is it a beagle?)

I can't wait to see what happens next and if John's new friend ever finds his father, but oops, I'm telling too much! Check it out for yourself; you'll be as hooked as I am!

THE X FACTOR - DAWN BOYLE

For a few weeks now I have been tuning in to watch this American Idol spin-off. First I want to let you all know, I hate American Idol. My husband  has religiously watched since season 1. I really never got into it. So what's the difference between the two? Why am I loving X so much?

Some of the differences I have noticed is that there is no age limit at X. I like that. I really enjoy the stories of the people who are my age and still chasing their dream...and for that 5 million dollar recording contract I am considering getting voice lessons and trying out next season. The mentoring I originally thought would bug the hell out of me, but it's hasn't. The way they put people together for the groups division is also pretty cool. Those girls (forget their name, think is has something to do with rain) are really awesome! 

Seems like Simon is taking happy pills and Paula maybe has stopped taking whatever she was on during her stint on Idol. Nicole (Pussycat Doll) is not too annoying and LA Reid is totally bad ass. I think he might be the most cool dude in America. I bet he is fun to hang out with.

HOLIDAY MUST HAVES... According to the kiddos

This past weekend my kids went through the Holiday Wish Catalogs. After many hours and circled toys - they broke it down to the following. These will be hot toys for the upcoming season. Get out now and start shopping before it's too late!

Animal Planet's Air Swimmers
LEGO Ninjago
Loopz Game
Scrabble Flash
Orbeez Maker
Sing a ma jigs
Fushigi Magic Gravity ball
Fijit Friends
Moshi Monsters
XBox 360 w/ Kinect Sensor

PARENTING 101 - By Deanna

Is It Time To Check Myself Into Reality TV Rehab?

Deanna Verbouwens

They say the first step is awareness, right?

I realized my addiction the other night, as I flipped through reality TV shows faster than... well, Bruce Jenner in the 1976 Olympics. (Now how apropos is that?!)

I was skipping between "Real Housewives of Whatever-City-Is-Filming Now," "Keeping up with the Kardashians," "Jersey Shore," and "Basketball Wives" - the big four of reality trainwreck TV shows. It’s entertaining (and definitely a guilty pleasure) but it’s also staged, edited and in some cases, just really bad.

I became a reality TV addict seven years ago when I was trying to escape the reality of being a new mom. I had the postpartum "baby blues," I was breastfeeding every two hours and I felt like a caged animal (it was February, and I only ventured out once a day to my mother’s for a few hours). I was sleep deprived and irrational. I couldn’t watch the news, crime dramas,or anything involving violating or harming children, parents or human beings in general. It was reality TV, with a few sitcoms thrown in for good measure, and that was it.

Here was my lineup:

• The Real World
• Road Rules (and all the challenges)
• Amazing Race
• Survivor
• The Nanny
• Wife Swap
• Jon & Kate Plus 8
• Apprentice
• Celebrity Apprentice
• Martha Stewart’s Apprentice
• The Biggest Loser
• Dancing With The Stars
• every Food Network Show
• Trading Spaces
• What Not To Wear
• Big Brother
• Blind Date
• The Osborne’s
• Project Runway
• Joe Millionaire
• The Hills

I even watched A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila and Bad Girls Club. Trust me, I had a problem.

See, for me, TV is an escape. I love watching it, in fact, I love it as much as I love to curl up with a good book. But back then, I didn’t have time for books. I couldn’t breast feed and read; I couldn’t read while I was cooking dinner or folding the laundry, and I couldn't completely escape the harsh realities of a newborn baby by absorbing myself in a book, because reading requires focus. I'd have to absorb and process, when all I really wanted to do is stare at the idiot box and not think about a damn thing.

So seven years later, I’m sitting on the couch flipping from reality TV show to reality TV show, when I realized that 80% of these “characters,” “cast members,” or “celebrities,” as they like to call themselves don’t have even a single redeeming quality.

I was disgusted by one episode where Theresa Giudice (from the Real Housewives of New Jersey franchise), behaves like a bratty sixteen year old and trash talks just about everyone, but like any good trainwreck, I continued to watch. The next day, I read that Kate Gosselin was trying to find another TV show to exploit herself and her children on. She said that doing any other job would be giving her children a mediocre life.

Really? So nurses, doctors, firemen, teachers, journalists, and bloggers are all mediocre? Okay, really?

Appalled by my addiction, the clouds parted and it became clear (although it's possibly the editing) that the large majority of the people on reality TV shows are basically living on another planet - they are mean, obnoxious and rude.

So I made a decision: I was going to detox from reality TV. I decided that I don’t need to clog my brain with these individuals and their insecurities, as I have enough of my own to sort out. No more Housewives, Jersey Shore, no more shows that require strangers to live in a home together. From now on, I'm only watching those that serve some sort of a purpose or warrant a prize: The Biggest Loser, Dancing with the Stars, Chopped, Project Runway.

You didn't think I was swearing off reality TV entirely, did you? I said I was detoxing, not going cold turkey!!

Find more from Deanna: www.theunnaturalmother.com

TOUGH LOVE WICKED RE-RUN

Tony Walker

OK so here is a very personal story. A wicked one at that...

A close family member has been dealing with a drug addiction for more than 20 years. Time & time again he's been in jail, through rehab, stolen things from various family members & friends, & has caused so much heartbreak & strife in our family. So many people have tried to help him by giving him money, talking to him, bailing him out of trouble, etc. 

Well last year he ended up in the hospital. All the drugs has beaten his body so bad that his heart was failing. Things did not look good for him at all. Originally the doctors didn't think he would live to see the end of the year! But he is still alive. The bright side to this was that it seemed to be the wake up call he needed. He immediately stopped doing drugs, was taking the prescribed medication, living right, exercising, and most of all he was reconnecting with his family. He was doing so well that his heart was improving. Finally after all these years it looked like we had our boy back.

Well sure enough last week he ended up in jail. Turns out he's been back on drugs for a couple of months now. If last year's event didn't scare him into stopping what will?? While his heart had improved my guess is that it's still not in great shape. The fear is that he will be dead very soon. This will tear up the family. So much pain and guilt. 

You wanna help because it really is a sickness but yet you have to draw the line & cut this person off otherwise he won't bottom out. But it is so much easier said than done. 

Have any of you ever been in this situation? How have you handled it? 

SOUL FOOD

Barbara Ward-Finneran

When you are closer to a goal it can seem more difficult then in the beginning. It is the courage to continue on that counts. The road to success is paved with challenges, sacrifice and perseverance. See the opportunity brought by the difficulties as motivation to encourage you to strive to achieve your greatest potential.

Keep the promises that you make to yourself!

©  All Rights Reserved

HOLIDAY MUST HAVES!!

This past weekend my kids went through the Holiday Wish Catalogs. After many hours and circled toys - they broke it down to the following. These will be hot toys for the upcoming season. Get out now and start shopping before it's too late!

Animal Planet's Air Swimmers

LEGO Ninjago

Loopz Game

Scrabble Flash

Orbeez Maker

Sing a ma jigs

Fushigi Magic Gravity ball

Fijit Friends

Moshi Monsters

XBox 360 w/ Kinect Sensor