Brother Anthony

In an age where we head to the gym with our headphones and electronic device- it's rather rare to see someone playing the accordion with hopes of inspiring you to get moving! In fact- I'm pretty sure it's unheard of- unless you've met "Brother Anthony".

So imagine my surprise when I ran into "Brother Anthony" in the lobby of the YMCA. I have never seen him before but have come to learn brother Anthony is there everyday! I wonder how we've never crossed paths because by all accounts- we are both there all the time! Well, I was excited that all changed in such a grand fashion!

I've come to learn Brother Anthony lives "up on the hill at the seminary". That's the La Salette Seminary in Altamont New York. He comes in everyday and heads to the hot tub to soak and then heads to the lobby to tell a joke or two, talk about his cat Tulip, drink some coffee and on occasion pull out his accordion and entertain those coming and going.

On this day- he was paying tribute to those in the military. He played each branch of the military's theme song. I pulled out my camera just in time to enjoy the Army Song. His mid-day crowd was rather thin, but the couple of people who were there enjoying his tunes showed their appreciation with a smile and encouragement to continue playing.

Gotta stop and enjoy the little things people- enjoy the song!

Would You Do This?

Travis Barker, the Drummer for Blink 182 has to bow out of the Australian leg of the band's latest tour. He refuses to fly after surviving a September 2008 plane crash. That crash claimed the lives of four people, including 2 of his best friends.

Barker and the late Adam Goldstein were the only survivors. Goldstein died in 2009 from "acute intoxication" from a combination of illegal and legal drugs.

Barker says he still hasn't gotten over that plane crash and he won't fly. I don't blame him. While some people think the way you get over a tragedy is to face your fears- others are of the mentality that he was lucky or even blessed to cheat death- why put yourself in that position if it's unnecessary. He is likely traumatized for life. I fall along the lines of... after that--  don't fly.

What do you think? Do you think he should fly and try and get over the fear or do you agree with his decision to have a stand in for that leg of the tour?

SNL: YOLO

"Some" ladies... (clearing of the throat to claify not this lady... of course) might say Adam Levine can even make a paper bag look good. Check him out in this SNL Digital Short called YOLO.

I love how he sings the funny song so well.  Cracks me up. Anyway- it's a funny, yet cautionary tale about living up your life.

It's not nearly as funny as Justin Timberlake's famous digital shorts- but it did put a smile on my face.

Viral Video: All I Want For Christmas Is You

If you had ANY doubt that Mariah Carey is THE diva- not an imitation- please refer to the above video! I can't lie- my smile grew more and more as I watched this. When she hit THAT note- you know- the one where most artist only hit it with some electronic help- yeah, THAT note- I literally gasped YEAH!

Jimmy Fallon came up with this great idea to find an artist who will come and sing one of their popular songs with the accompaniment of children's instruments! Really- he's so creative. In this instance he got Mariah to come sing her wildly popular hit "All I Want For Christmas Is You". On the instruments you will find The Roots and as backup singers Fallon and some children.

LOVE IT! This is my favorite Christmas song. What's yours? Don't you think this was a creative take on a segment by Fallon?

What I love probably even more- is the Mariah Super Fan who posted his reaction to this recording! LOL This is Jimmy Fallon's reaction to the super fan- too cute. If you'd like to watch his 3 minutes worth of freak out (which it's pretty spectacular) click HERE.

Update: Did Psy Perform at White House After All?

UPDATE: ABC News is reporting Psy did perform in front of President Obama last night. No video has surfaced just yet on the internet- but if you're interested to see what happened you may want to check in with the national morning news shows. They're sure to have the scoop. Why is this interesting? See below story written this weekend:

The show will go on- and President Obama is expected to be there- when South Korean Pop Star Psy will take the stage tonight at a White House Christmas Concert. We were all expecting to see video of Obama and the first lady doing the Gangnam Style dance but now that might not happen. New video is out from a previous performance where Psy is on an anti-American rant. Say it ain't so.

The Washington Post reports he said the following in a 2004 concert protesting the US- in South Korea. “Kill those f------ Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captive / Kill those f------- Yankees who ordered them to torture / Kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law, and fathers / Kill them all slowly and painfully,” 

This really stinks. Not since Ricky Martin's Livin' La Vida Loca has the world come together for a collective off beat shaking of the body! There are still several more hours for something to stop the show at the White House for Psy. He has apologized- but is that enough? Wow- the US  has helped him become a mega-star and now to see that he said those awful things- I'm sure a lot of people are feeling duped.

Viral Video- Come on SING!!

12-year-old Nicole Westbrook has burst onto the music scene with her new song "It's Thanksgiving". We can give thanks to Writer/Producer Patrice Wilson for this song. Don't know who he is? He's also the Writer/Producer responsible for another viral video--- "Friday".

In this new viral video (yep, it's already gone viral after just a couple days on YouTube) you can see Nicole singing into a drum stick. She's serving up a wonderful feast for all her friends... even though she admits she can't cook. It's a huge dance party too...  and where are the adults? LOL

Press play--- if you dare.