S&G's Top 3

My favourite magazine is Toronto Life.  It's my favourite because I'm from Toronto so it seems that much more relevant than other mags, and it's my favourite because it's written in a style that I can easily digest, and it's my favourite because it's one of the only magazines that I can easily read cover to cover.  I just gobble it up.

Toronto Life has a feature that they use in every issue (I think...) where they have 3 different individuals speak about their favourite book, movie, or music; each one will discuss a different medium.  It might be an indie bookstore owner speaking of a book, or an indie record shop owner speaking about his new favourite album... you get the idea.  (They once had the owner of Videoflicks speaking about his latest fave movie... I friggin' love Videoflicks).

So - what is the point of all this?  Well, I'm going to do my own version of that feature... except I'm going to give my opinion on all 3 of those things.

Sugar & Gravy's Top 3  

1. MOVIE: I saw "50/50" this weekend.  All I can say is... "wow!"  It was one of the best movies I've seen in a while, and I've seen some good movies over the past few months ("Bridesmaids"... "Moneyball"...).  "50/50" was just totally different.  It was one of the most creative story lines I've ever seen, and the acting and writing were spot on.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt was totally charming as his character, and honest and raw, and he delivered every aspect of his character perfectly.  I laughed so many times throughout and I cried... oh how I cried!  I thought my t-shirt would be soaked in my tears at one point.  I just loved it!  Highly recommend.
   
2. BOOK: I haven't written about books in a while, have I?  Well, there's a good reason for that... I haven't been reading much.  Ugh, I'm so ashamed to say it, but it's true.  I don't know if it's being busy at work or lazy at home, or both!  Whatever it is, I want to break the habit and get back into reading, so I made some progress this weekend when I finished Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point.  This is the 3rd book I've read by Gladwell and, like the others, I loved it.  This particular book is about how an idea, once formed, gets to a point where it "tips" and then spreads like wildfire.  Why does that happen?  How can we take an idea and make it tip?  Gladwell suggests 3 factors that contribute to an idea's likeliness to tip: (1) The Law of the Few; (2) The Stickiness Factor; (3) The Power of Context.  You can say that Gladwell takes others ideas and makes them his own, but I don't see it that way.  I think he's just good at researching intensely on a topic and compiling that research and delivering it to the reader in a way that's easy to read and process and understand.  That on its own is a skill, and he does it again with this book.  I look forward to reading the last of his books that I haven't read: What the Dog Saw.  Have you read it?  What did you think?
   
3. MUSIC: For the past 2-3 weeks I have been listening to almost nothing but Beyonce's "4".  I honestly cannot stop listening to it.  I went from liking a few songs to loving a few songs and tolerating the rest of the album to loving all of it and then being OBSESSED (pun intended?) with a few songs.  My faves are "Love on Top", "I Care", and "Countdown", but "I Was Here" has grown on me a lot, and as I said, I really do love all of it at this point.  Beyonce delivered big time with a diverse album that shows her growth and creativity, showcases her talent, and reminds us again why she is one of the biggest players in the game.  Along with "21" and "The Suburbs", this is one of my fave albums of the past 2 years.

Thanks for stopping by, San Diego!

Videos that make me happy!

I just spent too much time going through videos I've favourited on YouTube and as a result would like to share...

Videos that make me happy! (just a few)

I love this guy. Not only is he skilled on the piano and geetar, but there are TWO of him, AND his accent (Norwegian?) is adorable on the English theme songs. Oh, and he has the cutest l'il smile!




I used to be OBSESSED with this video. I love Immi.

This is the first Adele-related thing I ever heard/saw and I fell in love the moment I heard/saw her.

Ill Cow

I can't stop listening to it. I think it might mean that I like "21" even better than "19", which I think is becoming truer by the day. It's an amazing album, and my favourite at this point is one that wasn't even on my list before... it's called "One and Only", and the lyrics are beautiful, but my favourite part is the end when it gets all gospel-y. I love it!!! Play count is at 20. I'm obsessed.



In other music news, I was walking to work today and was listening to "Hold It Against Me", which is Britney Spears' new track. I'm so used to downloading remixes of songs that I forgot that this version was the original. That's why I was so surprised when the song suddenly goes all dubstep and auto-tune on me! Brit? Is that really you, girl?



I'm not hating on the new style though... not at all. Unlike what some people are tweeting, auto-tune is not about making your voice better, it's about modifying it to a different style, a more computer-generated one. I don't think that's trying to get out of really using your voice; I think it's about making your voice work with the rest of the track's sound, and I think it's popular these days to be electronic, dubstep-heavy, etc. So good on ya, Brit! Get with the times!

Lastly, chill out to a sound totally different from both of those tracks... I sang it with the choir I'm in yesterday morning, and I just love it.



Have a great day!!!

21

Nearly done my first full listen of Adele's album "21". I know it seems like it's taken me forever to listen to it, but I've already found some faves that I've been playing on repeat.

Par exemple:

1. "Rolling in the Deep" - but we already knew this. Play count = 37.
2. "Rumour Has It" - so jazzy... Play count = 5 (in 3 days, let's remember).
3. "Don't You Remember"
   
4. "Set Fire to the Rain"
5. "He Won't Go"

It's a struggle not to list every single track. It's that good. One thing of many that I like about Adele is that on each album, if I'm not mistaken, she has sung 1 cover. On "19" it was "Make You Feel My Love", originally by Bob Dylan, and on "21" it's Lovesong, by The Cure. I think that's super sweet. She's paying homage to an artist that has inspired her, and I also feel like it says, "I'm good, but there are other people that are good", you know? Anyway...

Listening to Adele this morning at work made me think of something... Being a musician is an interesting profession, especially when you're a song writer. How bold is it to write about yourself and your experiences, and then release them to the world to love? Food for thought...

Well, alright!

First thing's first -- Adele's album has been released!!! Maybe not in North America yet, but all I care about is that there's a torrent available. Her new album (and sophomore, as they say) is called "21" and I'm 5 tracks in and already melting with awe, love, inspiration, emotion... the whole gamut. She is really bringing her "A" game with a new groove and sound, a little more jazziness, but also just the ballad-belting Adele Adkins that we fell in love with in "19". I can't wait to work my way through the rest.

Secondly -- I saw "The Kids Are All Right" yesterday and feel the need to speak on it.

I loved the movie. I really did. I thought it was funny, emotional, sweet, and honest. It was, and it also wasn't about the fact that Nic and Jules were lesbians. I mean, certainly that fact was unavoidable, but they didn't draw undue attention to it. They weren't a spectacle; they were a couple. And the drama that happened... I don't think it was dealt with in the wrong way. I thought it was real and honest and genuine. I loved it.

Here's what I will say about the fact that the main couple were lesbians...

When I used to meet on a regular basis with a LGBTQ university student-based discussion group, we used to talk about the portrayal (or lack thereof) of queer characters in the media. Often people would talk about wanting to see their lives within TV shows and movies and that it was hard to do that without queer characters.

Well, I've never had a problem relating to anyone, gay or straight, that seems at all like me on a show or in a movie. However, when I saw this movie, "The Kids Are All Right", I felt something different for the first time. I really felt more connected to the movie because of the fact that the main couple were lesbians. I really did. And the thing is that this movie is not my favourite movie - it doesn't rival "Apollo 13" or "Mean Girls" or "Good Will Hunting" - but it offered the portrayal of something more personal to me, and I felt it.

This doesn't mean that straight people or gay men shouldn't be able to see their relationships/experiences within the portrayal of a lesbian relationship, but it did mean that I took something personal out of it.

Bravo to Julianne Moore & Annette Bening for playing the shit out of those 2 characters. Especially Annette Bening. She deserves the Oscar nod because she brought such realness and rawness to the character of Nic. Well done!

ADELE IS BACK!!!

This just (or recently) in. Adele is coming back with a vengeance and it comes in the form of her sophomore album, entitled "21". Her first was called "19". Are these references to her age? I'm feeling rather old and uninteresting all of a sudden. Who cares?! Her first single, which premiered on "Ellen" (live performance below) is called "Rolling in the Deep" and it's stunning! I can't wait for it to come out.

I will say it now. I will see her on her next tour. She is an artist not to miss live. I hope she stops at Massey Hall again -- that was epic. If she goes to the Sound Academy I will cry, but I'll still drag my ass there... just for Adele.

Right As Gravy!

Two things on my mind:

#1: Adele - so soulful, great lyrics, and very groovy.



**That video sounds EXACTLY like her on her album!**

#2: The Greyhound Beheading, a.k.a. the news on everyone's lips (in fact, my girlfriend and I heard people recounting the story when we were out for breakfast this morning).

I find that so incredibly haunting - "He looked totally calm. He didn't say a word I don't think to anybody on the bus ... nothing. Just totally calm."

Terrifying.