Time to kick it up a notch Green Men!

I can't believe that this video has had over 88,000 views! It was shot last year. The green men were SUPER cool :).

Let's hope that today, they have they game (face?) on. No mercy!!!! See you all downtown tonight!

Watch the Green Men freak me out HERE!



THE CUP BELONGS IN CANADA!!!


Besos,

 CC.

Easy way to instantly kill your social life.

You couldn't pay me enough money to drive this car.
Hope the driver was a dude! LOL!!!

 Saw this on Broadway today. Awesome.

 

Oh those witty gardening company names! 'Pimp my Garden' is a close second. I always see the sign for "Pimp..." in a garden on Cornwall by Arbutus.   

Besos,

CC.

CANUCKS - Free Tune

Now while I'm not the biggest Canucks fan, I still believe with all my heart that the cup belongs here in CANADA!!!!

Today is a HUGE game. I'm putting out good vibes for the Canuckleheads. I might even watch the game due to the fact that every time I do, the Canucks win.

Local musician and overall AWESOME dude Bodhi Jones wrote a wicked 'Nucks song, which you download HERE for free (or by donation, after all, he's a struggling musician! Help a brutha out!). You have just ONE WEEK left to download the tune, before it's gone. GET ON IT!!!!

Over the weekend, I had a chance to hear Bodhi sing the tune, first hand. Wanna take a listen? Here it is!

THE CUP BELONGS IN CANADA!!!!!!

Besos,

CC.

Douche Maneuver

I've been known to have a bit of road rage every once in a while. Ok. Maybe a little more often than that.
But listen to this...

I was driving down 12th ave yesterday, heading out of town. There was this navy blue VW Jetta that cut me off, then decided to slow down. I threw my hands up in the air, in frustration. That's it. No swearing, honking, etc.

So I see the guy in the VW mimic me and throw his hands up in the air. Next thing I know, he throws some sort of food (an apple core?) at my car. I was all WTF!!! I immediately take down his license plate and pull out into the lane next to him, just in case he decides to throw something else at me.

I rolled down my window and yelled at him 'I can't believe you threw something at me! I'm reporting you to the cops'!!! Dude just laughed and then yelled at me 'it's biodegradable'!

WHA????

About five minutes later, dude drives past me and gives me the finger.

So yes, I actually have the guy's license plate, but I didn't end up doing anything with it. A part of me wants to report him to the police, who probably wouldn't do anything about it anyways. Another part of me says I should just let it go.

If you were in my position, and someone threw something at your car in a fit of rage, what would you do????

Besos,

CC.

Wanna come out and Party???

I want you to come out and party with me... and Bodhi Jones, Behind Sapphire, Nadia Von Hahn & Sweetheart. And hey! Why not win your piece of over $1000 worth prizes too? And while you're having fun and winning stuff, you'll be helping to change a man's life for the better.

You in? SI!!!!!

Check out the video below:

AndrewPalooza info :  http://andrewpalooza.eventbrite.com/

AndrewPalooza facebook schtuff: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=217344084961019&view=wall&notif_t=event_wall

Info about AMAZING ANDREW and what we're raising $$$ for : http://whatsforlunchbc.com/2011/04/23/helping-a-friend-liberation-treatment-fundraising/

I want to see you there!


Besos,

CC.

Airborne Toxic Event Show, And Other Schtuff

Last night, my friend KT & I checked out the Airborne Toxic event show at the Commodore.
Overall? It was AWESOME! I've been a huge fan of the band since their debut self titled album. Mikel Jollet (lead singer) was awesome (despite James Sutton insisting that he 'talk sings'. Ok, maybe it's true, but I still adore the group).

Besides running into some amazing people (Dale, Chris, Theresa, James, David) the night was a 10! Mikel Jollet and the band were SUPER into the show. The crowd was eating it up, and Mikel took to walking and singing in audience, not once, but a few times! After the encore, the band didn't want to leave the stage. I know I've been kinda hard on Vancouver concert crowds sometimes, but this crowd was A-W-E-S-O-M-E.

On a side note, I have a lot of respect for Mikel Jollet. I admire the fact that he's been very open about his struggle with Alopecia Areata and Vitiligo. Alopecia can cause you to lose your hair in patches and is usually triggered by stress. 

Vitiligo, on the other hand, is a skin depigmentation, where you develop white blotches. This can occur on any random part of your body, or it can cover your ENTIRE body and yes, they can grow and spread to new areas of your body. My mom suffers from a severe case of Vitiligo. It's always been a struggle for me to deal with people staring at her in a weird way, and sometimes even whispering. I've gotta be honest, I'm Latina, so I've told a few people off a few times (when I was young, of course) but as I grew older, my mother taught me to have patience and tolerance, and above all, to keep my cool.

I like the fact that someone like Mikel Jollet is open, honest and vocal about this incredibly rare skin disorder. So far, there is no real cure, but NO, it is NOT contagious. 

Next time you see someone with Vitiligo, walking along, please avoid staring and gawking. It not only hurts the person, but also, the people who love them.


Besos,

CC.

Love Vancouver...

Today, I checked out the 'Love Vancouver, Love your Planet ' Festival.  Love Vancouver, Love Your Planet coincides with UN World Environment Day and kicks off Canadian Environment Week (yup, that's this week, so tune up your bikes and leave your car at home, or just take a nice long walk.) 

The festival celebrates and encourages Vancouverites to build a more sustainable future for the city, by bringing communities together to share ideas and celebrate innovations. There was an eco-fair, art installations, musicians, food stalls, and activities for the family. It was only the first year of this event, so needless to say, there wasn't a whole lot to see and do, but give it a few years and this event will grow to be awesome. To be perfectly honest, I was more excited about being able to check out the Athletes Village for the very first time. Nice place!

The highlight of my day though, was picking up my brand new pair of Native shoes. Every time I wear a pair of my Natives, people stop and ask me about my shoes. What makes them so cool??? Well, these sneaks are made of this super light weight EVA-foam-injected material. They're uber durable (I tend to trip a lot and can be a little extra rough on my shoes), antimicrobial and odour resistant. Yes, your feet WILL sweat a bit, but they won't ever stink. Yay!... and ew. 

Basically, these sneaks are like crocks, but waaaaaaay cooler. Think of a lightweight pair of chucks...
And now you know!            

You can pick these up at El Kartel on Granville and Homewerx on Davie. OR, check out their site :)


To add to these shoes' coolness, they're also designed right here in VANCOUVER and have received some major love from 'The Oprah'. Pick up a pair before they become ridiculously trendy and EVERYONE and their dog has a pair. 

Besos,

CC.

Oldies But Goodies!

I was hanging out with Nat & Katie this weekend. We made our way over to the New Bohemian, and I have to say that their music is awesome!

So Katie mentioned that she checks out my blog for music suggestions, which made me feel both flattered and weird. Flattered because she actually took the time to read my words, and weird because I always imagine 1 or 2 people accidentally stumbling across my blog, saying 'WTF!!' and then going back to facebook, downloading, or searching for... stuff *wink, wink*.
Moving on...

Here are a few tunes inspired by Katie, and by this new musical movement of 'old style tunes' that seems to be popping up all over the place.  


Enjoy!!!!                                                                          


Kitty, Daisy & Lewis ~ Going up the Country (A sister, brother & sister trio from London, England. They formed back in 2000 (YES, 2000!) and have a wicked swing & rockabilly sound. I loooooooooove this music!). Apparently, their fans include Amy Winehouse, Ewan McGregor and Chris Martin from Coldplay.



Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings ~ How Long? (Sharon has the soul of James Brown. Seriously!!! This is the type of soul music we haven't had a chance to hear in a loooong time. Here's a live version of the same song that shows you this woman's true awesomeness. Sharon & The Dap Kings were here in Vancouver just this past Friday at the Malkin Bowl. If you were there, I'm jealous, but I'd love to hear a review.

The Heavy ~ How You Like Me Now?  (Holy crap! This dude's voice kicks ass!!! My buddy Jimmy invited me to go to this show with him last summer. I was all... nah. Gonna stay home and chill. IDIOT **said in the Napoleon Dynamite voice**).



Nina Simone ~ My Baby Just Cares For Me (Now this one is actually an oldie, but I love this song soooooo much, that I had to share it with you. It's a sweet, smooth jazzy tune and one of the best Nina Simone songs of all time, in my humble opinion. I hope you like it.)      


Erasure ~ Always **Warning! This music video REEKS of blue cheese** (Ok, so this is completely different from the last few tunes, but it IS an oldie. My friend Conners and I were trying to pick the cheesiest, funniest but at the same time, most awesome 80's tune we could come up with to play at a house party she was having. This song came up. Whether you want to or not, this song WILL make you smile...**This is also the Robot Unicorn Attack song. If you're a gamer, you know what I'm talking about** )
This is another Erasure tune that  I used to love as a kid. I was always mesmerized by the music video. Maybe it was a combo of seeing men dressed as women, or maybe it was because I loved ABBA so much (and still do! Don't judge...). You WILL be singing this song later today.... haaaaa haaaa!!!!

Lenny Kravitz ~ I Belong To You (So maybe you can't categorize this one as being an oldie, but it came up on my iPod while I was taking Maslow (my dog) for a walk. RANDOM FACT TIME: Lenny Kravitz wrote this song for his daughter Zoe when he finally realized that he couldn't be the 'party-all-the-time-rock-star'. She helped ground him and in a way, gave his life new meaning. This was his gift to her. The piano you hear in the background is a actual baby piano. You know, the tiny ones that you buy for babies to punch on? Yeah, well Lenny recorded himself playing Zoe's baby piano....... I bet you'll never listen to this song the same way again ;). This is also the music video where Lenny Kravitz debuted his new *gasp* dreadlock- free look. He's never gone back since.) 


Besos,

CC.

Two Door Cinema Club and a third nipple???

If the bands Phoenix and Vampire Weekend could somehow have a love child (impossible, I know... but let's pretend, si?!) the result would be Two Door Cinema Club. These boys are from Northern Ireland and have released a WICKED debut album called Tourist. I downloaded it off iTunes today and highly recommend you check them out.

I was also lucky enough to check out the guys when they were playing at The Venue back in April. Not only was the show sold out, it was also A-W-E-S-O-M-E! The only way I can describe their music is dancey (yeah, I made up the word ;) with a bit of punk, rock and pop mixed in. Me likey. When I interviewed the boys, we chatted about groupies, music and yes, a certain members' infamous third nipple. 

Enjoy!

Besos,


CC.

P.S: Do they not air the tv show 'Friends' in Northern Ireland? These guys had no idea what I was talking about. Awkward!

Some Vancouver Lovin' (Non-Canucks Related).

So I figure that since I'm one of the few people in this city NOT cheering for the Canucks, I can still extend Vancouver some lovin' by making this weeks 'Songs of the Week' vancouver-based (or BC-based) bands/singers only. Are you ready?


Mother Mother - In Your Arms Tonight. (So I know that they have a wicked new album called Eureka!, but this tune is from their older album. I'm still loving it.)


Hannah Georgas - The Beat Stuff. (This is the very first song I had a chance to hear from this UBER talented gal.  She was the opening act for Jeremy Fisher and they were playing in a church in Kitsilano - the name escapes me. I bought her EP right after the show, and have loved her music ever since.)






Said The Whale - The Light Is You. (Have you ever had a song that just made you feel happy EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU HEARD IT?  I love this song so much that I made it my customized ring tone for my sister. Very time she calls, I let the phone ring and ring so I can hear the song, causing me to miss her call almost every time. I can't tell you how much this annoys her. In a way, I feel as though this song belongs to me. Could it be because I forced the band to dedicate it to me (while chatting backstage) when they were playing at the Peak Performance Project (PPP) finale? Maybe. I wish this song was longer. Amazing music from genuinely awesome people. Enjoy!)
Oh! And they've won a Juno this year so now they're OFFICIALLY a big deal. :D  


Bodhi Jones - In A Minute. (From a happy song, to a heart breaking one. Bodhi is from Salt Spring Island and, in my humble opinion, has a very old soul. He's a well known busker here in Vancouver, and here's a song he wrote while in the PPP competition. He's got a haunting and sometimes heart wrenching voice. A talented guy who is an amazing songwriter. Oh Bodhi... stop writing songs that make me cry. Then again... please don't... Here's another great song from Bodhi. It's called 'The Sky Is Falling'.)    


We Are The City - Happy New Year. (A talented bunch of kids from Kelowna. Honestly? Their star is just STARTING to take off. As cliche as it sounds, keep an eye on these guys. They're gonna be very big, very soon. P.S: I have an incriminating pic of Andrew, the drummer. Should I put it up??? Only if Andrew never reads this...)


TV Heart Attack -  AO   (This is a catchy tune from a great rock group from Van. I've had the chance to see them live quite a few times and these guys are the perfect combination of singers & performers. You wanna see some rockers with the eyeliner and attitude with a wicked voice/sound to match? Check them out whenever you can. You won't be disappointed.) On a side note, I've had many a personal chat with lead singer Jason, so it always makes me laugh to see him go all 'rocker'. How can such a sweet guy be so bad ass on stage? ;)



LimbLifter - Tinfoil. (Funny story. So as a young teenager in Edmonton, I used to be obsessed with Age Of Electric. I went to see them perform live many, many times in E-town. One night during a show, the lead singer bent over the crowd and gave me his guitar pick. I like wanted to like die!!!! Like, Ohhhh my Gad!!! (as said by a teenage Carmen Cruz).
Then, When A of E broke up, The Dahle brothers went on to form Limblifter, yet another band I became obsessed with. So years later, when I was working at The PEAK here in Vancouver, I had the chance to meet Senor Ryan Dahle in person. Finally! And each time I met the guy, I was totally star struck. Last time I saw him was at Joe's Apartment on Granville street. It was after a massive radio station party and I had already had a couple of *ahem* adult beverages. (Note: I'm a total light weight. I rarely drink, just 2 beers can hit this prairie gal pretty hard. Sad, but true). Ryan and I were chatting and I was blubbering like a fool, telling him how much I admired him and I basically listed out his whole discography, right up to his new solo schtuff. The guy ended up buying me a beer and we continued to chat. I believe that at one point, I may or may not have started to sing his new tune to him, 'Chop, Chop'. After that I wandered away, feeling like a nerd. Ugh. Sometimes, I can be way to socially awkward. Sorry Ryan, and thanks for the sweeeeet LP!!!! Sorry we never got a chance to chat at the station chico :(.

Enough local lovin'? I thought so.

Besos,

CC.

Dear Lauryn Hill ~ Thanks but no thanks.

If you've never heard me mention this before, let me tell you now.... The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is one of my top 5 favourite albums of all time. Yes, it's a bold statement coming from a music junkie like me, but I'm sticking to it.


You know how a certain album or song can take you back to a certain time & place? Well one of the songs on this album does just that, every single time I hear it. It's called Ex-Factor .  If you can, listen to the song and picture this....

I was on a rickety old bus in Chile. It was a 6 hour bus ride from a small beach town called La Serena, back to Santiago (the capital of Chile). I was listening to my pink ipod mini (THIS exact one. Talk about old skool!). The song Ex-Factor came on, and I really concentrated on the words. Suddenly, I broke down and started to cry. I cried from the very depths of my being. I cried until I thought I might have FINALLY run out of tears and then I put the song on repeat a hundred times more, and continued to bawl (What can I say? Sometimes, us girls like to torture ourselves. I call it 'being an emotional cutter'. GAD!).  I had realized at that moment, that I was in a 4 year relationship with a boy, that was going nowhere. Sad :...( . Needless to say, it ended not long after I returned back home from Chile.

Soooooo Ms Lauryn Hill has finally decided to tour once again and grace the world with her mighty presence. She's actually coming here to Vancouver May 24rth & 25th to the Commodore Ballroom. Tickets are about $100 (if there are any left at this point). The moment I heard she was coming, I became a crazy teenager, jumping up and down in my living room, squealing and whipping my credit card out of my wallet, ready to pay whatever I needed to to get tiny hands on those tickets. Price was no option, after all, this woman's album help formed my fragile teenage mindset, back in the day. She was reading MY thoughts. She was singing MY words. I put my excitement out into the twitter world, and was met with great disappointment. I received so many tweets saying, 'Don't waste your time Carmen, or your money!' and, 'NO! The reviews have been AWFUL! Don't do it!!!'. NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Being the diehard Lauryn Hill fan that I am, I was convinced that this was impossible. They must be confused! They MUST!!! Maybe it's ANOTHER Lauryn Hill (I was in a major state of denial).  So this computer nerd headed straight for the internet to read concert reviews. Sure enough, my twitter friends were right. Review after review... they were all horrible.

Having been in the television and radio industry for many years, and having met many artists, actors and musicians in person, I can tell you that I've had my illusions (and my heart) broken, shattered, crushed and trampled MANY times. There's truly nothing worse than meeting a person/group that you've admired & respected for so many years and realizing that he/she/they are total, complete and utter losers. Tools. Jerks. Rude. It totally changes your perspective on that person/group and you just never look at them the same way again. Point in question, The Killers. I met (interviewed) them and I can tell you that I left feeling pretty crappy. You know what? I shouldn't say that. The drummer alone is a total douche bag. On the flip side of that, one of my favourite interviews was with Melissa Auf der Maur. One of the sweetest, coolest and most down-to-earth people you will ever meet, beautiful both inside & out.  She's sweet as pie I tell ya! It gave me a whole new appreciation of her as an artist and as a human being.

Now back to Ms. Lauryn Hill. I love her music waaaaay too much to have my illusions shattered. I don't think this heart of mine can handle it (dramatic *pause* but true)! I have too much respect for her. I don't want to stop loving this woman and her music. So I'm sadly going to have to sit this one out.

It's true what they say; Ignorance is bliss. This time, I'm hanging on to the bliss. I *heart* you Lauryn Hill. So thanks, but no thanks.

Besos,

CC.

A Personal Story

I'd like to tell you a story about a man I know.

Imagine this... you're 22 years old and live in Chile. You're newly married with a baby on the way. You're one of the leaders of a workers union party at your place of employment (this is how Chile is. It's an extremely politically motivated country). Next thing you know, the President of Chile (your country, your home) has been assassinated. The extreme right wing military has killed your president and taken over the entire country. It's a coup. The leader of the military imposes a dictatorship style regime and anyone that is left wing, or doesn't have the same beliefs as this 'new order' is now on a wanted list. Curfews have been imposed and if you're caught outside after this curfew, you're either arrested or killed. Loved ones are disappearing at an alarming rate, never to be seen again.

Now back to the 22 year old man. That's you. YOU are on that 'wanted list'. You find this out and take your new (and pregnant) bride and try to flee Chile. You get to the border of Argentina. As you try to cross, the border guard realizes that you are one of the 'wanted individuals'. He is required to arrest you immediately. You and your wife beg and plead for mercy. You don't want to go to jail, just for having different beliefs. Your wife needs you, and so does your baby. Lucky for you, the border guard takes pity on you and decides not to arrest you. He says that he can't let you and your wife cross, but he'll pretend that he never saw you. He turns you away. What to do next?

At this point, you're not too sure where to go. You find out that more and more people are disappearing. Some of them strangers. Some are coworkers, friends, or even family. They're being tossed in prison and no one knows what's being done to them there.

You decide to head back and try to find a place to hide. You can't go home, and you can't go to any of your family's homes either. That's the first place the military will look. Friends can't be 100% trusted at this point. Friends of 20 years are suddenly turning a former comrade in, in hopes of avoiding the wrath of the Chilean military.

So where do you end up? You and your pregnant wife end up staying in a shack at a graveyard. Your brother-in-law works there, carving tombstones, and is able to hide you. This is where you stay for a while. When you get desperately hungry, you end up killing a friends pet rabbit, the one you were in charge of taking care of, in order to eat.

The military are everywhere and eventually, it's your turn.

You're caught. By this time, your wife has had your baby, and you're torn away from them both. You end up in prison. Days turn to weeks, weeks to months. You hear screams and cries. You're scared. You're periodically dragged into a room and questioned about 'conspiracies'. You have absolutely no idea what these men in uniform are talking about. They don't believe you, so they torture you.

**For the respect of all those people who were imprisoned, I won't go into detail.**

Your wife comes to visit you as often as she is allowed and updates you on what's been happening; who has been imprisoned, who has 'disappeared' and who is dead. She tries to sneak in some food for you every once in a while, and on one particular visit, even notices some blood coming out of your ear. You never tell your wife what has happened to you in there. You can't. You won't.

You become pale, gaunt and feel as though you're losing your mind. You're starving and weigh less than 100 lbs. The torture continues.......

A year later, you are released from prison. Even though you're free, you'll never be the same.

Canada (amongst other countries) has intervened and is allowing Chileans to come into Canada with a political refugee status. You are one of the lucky people chosen. You go to Canada. You don't speak a single word of English. You end up working in the back of a Chinese restaurant, washing dishes, in what seems like a frozen wasteland where you understand no one. You're working and saving money to bring over your wife and new baby daughter. You're sleeping at the YMCA and taking English lessons. Eventually, you're able to bring your wife and daughter to start a new life in Canada. And life continues....

That man is my father, Ruben. He was tortured and suffered the unimaginable, all because of his beliefs. Thousands upon thousands of Chileans have either died or 'disappeared', never to be found. My father, and so many others experienced things we'll never have to go through. We're lucky. We don't really have to worry about that happening in Canada. And we each have a voice. A voice that we can use to stand up for, and express what we believe in. I'll be doing that today, May 2nd. I'll be going to vote. I hope you do too.

Besos,
CC.  


P.S: Here's a link to a song that Sting wrote about this Chilean tragedy. It's called, 'They Dance Alone'. In Chile, we have a traditional dance called the 'Cueca'. It's danced in pairs (man & woman). Sting sings about how the women, having lost their husbands, fathers and sons, now have to dance alone.

Canucks Craze

I'm not gonna lie to you. I don't like hockey. I'm a straight up soccer (futbol) fan. What can I say? I'm Latina and it's in my blood. Hockey? Not so much.

Now I know I'm going to get some hate for this, but it's gotta be said. Vancouver Canucks fans are fickle. If you're a 'hardcore Canucks fan', please disregard what I'm about to say because it does NOT apply to you.

To the rest, and you know who you are, what's the deal? People are always giving me shit for not jumping on the Canucks bandwagon. I'm not a bandwagon-jumper, you know what I mean? Yeah, I've lived in Vancouver for almost 4 years now, but I'm originally from Edmonton and if there's anyone I'll be cheering for, it's the Oilers (WIN OR LOSE). Canucks fans wrinkle their noses at me when I say this. As a joke I tell them, 'You know what? I should develop special sneakers with springs on the bottom of them to make band wagon jumping for Canucks fans MUCH easier (and safer for the ankles)".

Hockey fans for almost every other NHL team, are die-hards. They'll either sink or swim with their team. Canuck fans (*again, this is not directed towards the few hardcore Canuckleheads I know*) are so quick to turn their back on their team after a few crappy games. Fickle I tell ya. F-I-C-K-L-E.


So please, if you see me walking down the street, don't ask me where I'll be watching the next Canucks game, because I won't be watching it. I'll be watching some sweeeet HBO, or a movie, cooking show, or even reading a book instead. Don't hate the player, hate the game, or better yet, hate those bandwagon jumpers ;D.

On a side note, the Canucks green men are once again getting some well deserved international attention. I had a chance to meet/ interview them in the past. Cool guys. When they found out that I didn't like hockey, and disliked the Canucks even more, they decided to give me a 'penalty', green-men-style of course. I made this video last year and ever since the playoffs, it's been getting tons of views on a daily basis.  You cannot imagine the weird, crazy, funny and disturbing comments I've been getting on it. BUT, in defense of Vancouver and yes, even the Canuck fans, I've been deleting the NASTY hate comments.  FYI: NO, the guys DO NOT have a boner and NO I was not looking at their crotch the whole time. I'm a lady dammit! A freaking lady...

Besos,
CC.

A New Adventure!!!

Hello All!

So I wanted to let you know that I'm no longer at 100.5 The PEAK. I'm now in pursuit of a whole new adventure. While this is an exciting and scary time for me, I'd like to wish 100.5 The PEAK (and 93.7 JRFM) all the best, and to all my peeps, you'll be deeply and truly missed. Rest assured that I'll remain a faithful listener, after all, these are 2 BEST stations in BC! (Am I biased? Maybe... ;)

So what's in store for me next? More radio? A TV gig? Writing? Making plastic toys in a factory (BPA free, of course!)?

I'll keep you posted.

Above all else, I look forward to having you join me on my new journey. Twitter, facebook and message me whenever you like.

Besos!

CC. xoxox

Ta da! Songs Of The Week.

Here are my favourite songs of the moment. I'm obsessed... in a good way ;D


Small Sins ~ Why Don't You Believe Me?
A wicked group from Toronto. Formed in 2006 and Have this slightly retro sound. Wicked guitar. A great song to listen to while on a long drive.



Two Door Cinema Club ~ Something Good Can Work
These guys are from Northern Ireland. They're like this amazing blend of Keane, Muse and Phoenix. I think they almost sound like Phoenix's younger and peppy cousin. Wanna know why they originally formed their group? To get chicks. Straight up. At least they keep it real! They performed here in Vancouver at The Venue April 11th. I was lucky enough to chat with them and have a wicked video to post soon.

And speaking of Phoenix....


Phoenix ~ If I Ever Feel Better
Another perfect song to listen to on a long drive. Trust me on this one.


Santagold, Julian Casablancas & Pharrell ~ My Drive Thru
Originally written for a Converse commercial. Wanna get pumped up, or just dance? Listen.


Kid Cudi ft. Lady Gaga, Kanye West & Common ~ Poke Her Face


George Michael ~ Freedom
One of the sexiest music videos ever! From a time when the word 'supermodel' was used a bit more sparingly. These women were the real deal.


Ray LaMontagne ~ Old Before Your Time
When oh when will you come to Vancouver?!?!?!
Couldn't find a good, clear vid that does this song justice. One of the Best songs of the year, so far. My little brother & I can't stop listening to it. Listen to the words...



OutKast ~ Idlewild Blue (Don't Chu Worry 'Bout Me)
These guys are on my list of top 10 bands/groups/artists of all time. Freaking love them. When I checked out their website, there's still no word on the boys ever working together again. Why Outkast??? Why???

OutKast ~ Ms. Jackson
This song was written for Erykah Badhu's mom. André 3000 and Erykah were once a couple, and have a son together named Seven. The song talks about the problems that break-ups, separation, and divorce can have on a couple, and the animosity that a woman's mother can have for her daughter's former boyfriend or husband. Wicked Video.


Sorry... Just ONE MORE OutKast song I think you'll like....

OutKast (Off of 'The Love below" by André 3000) ~ My Favourite Things
Remember that song from 'The Sound of Music"? You know the one I'm talking about, '...raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens'. Yeah, well this is what it sounds like after André 3000 gets his hands on it. Love. (p.s: This is clearly not the actual music video, but at least you get to hear the song, nice and clear).

If you have any suggestions of some songs you think I might like/love, please send me an email.

Enjoy!

Besos, CC.

Carmen Cruz vs. Carmen Cruz Update!!!!

Since my last Carmen vs. Carmen update , here's what's happened so far...

I ventured onto Carmen Cruz's website **use caution when taking a look at this one. Not at work at not in front of the kiddies!!!**

Here's how the 'communications' unfolded (I'm in blue, she is in red):

On Mar 1, 2011

Hi Carmen!

My name is, yes, Carmen Cruz as well. I work on air at a radio station in Vancouver, Canada. I've spent years being teased about the fact that I share my name with the worlds most famous transsexual adult film star. You know what? I really and truly don't mind it. I have nothing but respect for who you are and what you do. It takes an amazing amount of courage and self awareness. Seriously, you've gotta have balls to be who you really are (no pun intended! :).

So I'd like to do an over the phone interview with you. I'd like to talk to you about who you are, and what it means to be the most well known transsexual adult star in the world. I also want to talk about what similarities we have, and above all, what music (songs, bands, albums, etc.) is your absolute favourite (I work in radio, so music is always a topic of conversation). This interview will air on our radio station (100.5 The PEAK) and it would also be posted on our Soundcloud account, as well as being posted on our station's facebook page, my facebook page, and my blog.

If this is something that you feel you would be interested in, please feel free to contact me at this email address at your convenience.

Muchas Gracias for your time and consideration.

Carmen Cruz

p.s: Now that you own the domain name, I'm screwed... ;)

Carmen Cruz
Afternoon Traffic/ On Air/ Fiery Latina
93.7 JRfm / 100.5 The PEAK


RESPONSE: March 2, 2011 Carmen Cruz ***********@aol.com

I think this is so funny. You sound pretty cool. I want to meet you. Maybe I should fly to Canada and do a face to face interview. That would be hotter. But if a phone interview would be fine too. Are you Mexican? I am

Sent from my iPhone


RESPONSE: March 2, 2011 Carmen Cruz ***********@aol.com

Sent from my iPhone



RESPONSE: March 2, 2011 Carmen Cruz ***********@aol.com










Sent from my iPhone



RESPONSE: March 2, 2011 Carmen Cruz ***********@aol.com










Sent from my iPhone



On March 2, 2011

Hola Carmen,

AWESOME!!! Thanks for getting back to me so quickly!
If I worked at a TV station, I'd definitely love to have you come down... but sadly it's just radio. I got the pics you sent me, which will be awesome for me to use (if that's ok with you, of course!).

Me? I'm Chilena. My mom & dad are from Chile and I'm the first one in my family to be born in Canada. Do you speak Spanish? We may have to show some of this off on the air when we chat :)

So I'm hoping that we can chat sometime next week. When are you free and what time??? I'll also need a contact number from you.

CoooooooOOOOOOOooooooo!!!!. I'm pretty pumped about this!!!

Let me know what works for you and I'll make it happen.

Gracias Chica!!!!

Carmen Cruz
Afternoon Traffic/ On Air/ Fiery Latina
93.7 JRfm / 100.5 The PEAK

So I haven't heard from Ms. Carmen Cruz since. I've emailed her a few times, trying to set an interview date, but.... nada. After she sent me a few pics of herself, that was it.
Am I giving up? Nah.

I'm going to keep trying to snag this interview. The AWESOMENESS potential of this interview is through the roof!

Wish me luck .

Besos,

CC.

A Flashback To The 80's/90's. AAAHHHHH!!!!

Hola!!!!

So I was lucky enough to spend some time with my sister/nephews on Salt Spring Island. Whenever I sit down with Val, after the boys have gone to bed, we always start chatting about the past. 'Hey Val, remember when you convinced me to pay you $1 for an earthworm?'.. OR 'Hey Carmen, remember when we entered that break dance competition?'... and the list goes on and on.

So Val and I put together a list of cool things that we remember from our childhood, and I'd like to share it with you. Hopefully, you're amused, appalled and above all, have a good laugh! Please feel free to send me any and all suggestions for my list.
Enjoy!

Back to the 80's/90's

TV Shows & Movies:

Small Wonder .... and look at her now!!! ;D
Zoobilee Zoo! (It scared the crap out of me, and yet I couldn't stop watching)
ALF
Diff'rent Strokes
Silver spoons
The Facts Of Life
Saved By The Bell
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Just The 10 Of Us
Perfect Strangers (According to my sister, I was in love with cousin Balki. I don't remember this...)
The Cosby Show
The Raccoons
Teddy Ruxpin
Fraggle Rock
The Smurfs! (and toooo many cartoons to name. I watched cartoons until...umm... I was much older. I might STILL watch some cartoons, and I'm ok with that ;)

The Goonies
Back to the Future
Gremlins
The Lost Boys
Sixteen Candles
The Breakfast Club
Ferris Buellers Day Off
Say Anything
Pretty in Pink
Reservoir Dogs
Jurassic Park (Scared the CRAP out of me. I scare easily.)
Edward Scissorhands
Boyz 'N The Hood
Pulp Fiction (Started my obsession with Quentin Tarantino Movies)
......Oh man..... I could be here ALL NIGHT!!!!

Gizmo's & Gadgets & Games:

Some of our favourites are listed on this website:
The rubix cube
Pacman/Pacwoman - Play here!
Duck hunt/ Super Mario Brothers/ Tetris (I actually managed to finish this one...on my hand held gameboy. NERD!!!!)
Donkey Kong (and Jr.)/ Q-bert/ Space Invaders/ Zelda... and soooo many more. Check out this site. Sweeeeet!
The GIANT Zach Morris cell phone


Clothing & Style:
MC Hammer Pants (Yeah, I wouldn't touch those)
Hypercolor t shirts (You can still find these on eBay. Joy?)
Shoulder Pads (WHY???)
Girls - Putting your hair up in a ponytail and shaving the bottom half of the back of your head. BOTH mys sister & I did this (Oh the SHAME!!!)
Bright pink lipstick and frost blue eyeshadow
Lee press on nails
Wearing your jeans backwards a la Kriss Kross
Wearing a dress with Doc Martens
Overalls
Giant Hoop earrings
Wearing your bra outside with a jacket over or wearing a mesh/see thru shirt (The latter is for the gents. **shudder**
2 words for ya: Neon and Spandex. YIKES!!!!!
'The Peacock'
Feathered Hair
Jelly shoes/sandals/ bracelets


Sayings:

• NOT!
• Grody
• Gag me with a spoon
• No duh
• Wicked
• Gotta motor
• That's my name , don't wear it out
• Where's the beef?
• You hoser!
  
• Psyche!

Songs:

Take On Me - Aha (I had the BIGGEST crush on the lead singer... and Patrick Swayze, Corey Haim and Joe McIntyre) ~ Not gonna lie, still think Joey is H-O-T!!!~
Tainted Love - Soft Cell
Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears
I Think We're Alone Now - Tiffany
Never Tear Us Apart - INXS (Filmed in Prague ~ Praha~ one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been to)
Right Stuff - New Kids On The Block
Waterfalls - TLC
Nothing Compares To You - Sinead O'Connor
Jeremy - Pearl Jam
Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) - C+C Music Factory
No Diggity - BLACKstreet
Even Better Than The Real Thing - U2 (Dear GAD I love this band!!!)
Sabotage - Beastie Boys
Killing Me Softly - The Fugees
Fade Out - Radiohead

Seriously??? I could be here all night. I'm stopping now.
ENJOY!!!!

Besos,

CC.

I'm A Collector, Not A Hoarder

So I've recently noticed that I'm collecting things. I'm not talking about clothes, shoes, scarves and purses (which yes, I'm thinking I have waaaaaaaay too much of), but there are also other little things. One of the weirdest ones, which is something I've done since I was a kid, is rocks. Yes. Rocks. As a kid, I'd collect them and hide them under my bed until, without me knowing, my mom would toss them out.
Even now, when I'm walking Maslow (my dog), my eyes are usually glued to the ground. Don't get me wrong, I don't just going around picking up rocks and stuffing them in my pockets. Nope, I look for cool/pretty/special ones. Even as I write this, I'm thinking to myself , 'Ummm...ok? Crazy?!?!', but seriously, I like cool looking rocks. Ok, so let's call them 'stones' so I don't feel like such a crazy person (not that it really makes a difference:P). Whenever I travel, I always take a stone from wherever I've been. Yes, I have a bit of a collection going....but whatever ;)

I'm also into collecting old furniture, like this sweet farmhouse window I picked up in Burnaby today. It has that old 'shabby chic' look and hooks on it so I can hang keys and random items on them. That sucker is going up in the entrance of my place.


I also collect meaningful quotes. I have post-its all over my place with cool/inspirational sayings. I know it sounds kinda hippy-dippy, but it's just a thing I like to do. I have this one quote on my fridge that means the most to me. It was given to me about 5 or 6 years ago by a very cool friend of mine named Matt. Even though Matt and I worked together very briefly (at Shaw TV in Edmonton...back in my TV days. He was visiting from another station for about a week.), the guy was just really sweet and really cool. I was sitting in the studio one day, paper editing a story for my editor, when Matt came in and gave me a quote that he'd written down on his hotel stationary. Funny thing is, I still have the quote, written on that small piece of paper that he gave me. It really means a lot to me, so I though I'd share it with you.

"The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours. It is an amazing journey - and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins." ~ Bob Moawad~

I hope this quote can inspire you or even just make you think. If you have any cool quotes that you think that I'd really like, let me know about them!

Big hugs to you Matty... wherever you are :)

Besos,

CC.

p.s: "Well behaved women rarely make history." ~ Laurel Thatcher Ulrich~ ;D

Carmen Cruz vs. Carmen Cruz?!?!?!

Yes. I'm totally aware of this. I've spent years being teased about this important fact. I've taken it all in stride...

I'm not the only Carmen Cruz out there. Some of you may know this and some may not. Sure there might be a Carmen Cruz who's a stay at home mom somewhere in the U.S.A, or a real estate agent in Uruguay. There might even be a 'Carmen Cruz' working in a laboratory somewhere, analyzing blood and urine samples. Who knows?! But no. I share my name with someone much more notable than that.

Carmen Cruz is also one of the most famous transsexual porn stars in the world. Lucky me. I'm not trying to insult Carmen #2. In fact, I commend and respect her. A super hot chick with a killer bod, junk in the trunk and.. a shlong. I know that the random public will look at a transsexual and laugh, point or worse, yell out horrible comments. Do you know that balls (no pun intended!) it takes to say to yourself, 'you know what? Despite being born in the body of a man, I feel and know that I am a woman. This is me' (or vice versa). That takes some serious courage, strength and the ability to really & TRULY know who you are. Not many people out there will ever reach that level of self awareness or even try to. Seriously.
AND Carmen #2 makes adult films. She does her thang in erotic movies. Ok. I'm totally cool with that. BUT - people thinking that I'm her (at times) can be a little more than frustrating. Yes, people have actually thought that little ol' me has a porn gig on the side... and a penis.

Even though I commend Carmen #2 for all she does, I am my very own Carmen and I'm incredibly proud of that.

So where am I going with all this? I've decided to try to contact Carmen #2 and interview her (over the phone). Why? Cause I wanna. I want to know what she's like and what she thinks of the fact that we have the same name, share a Latin background and yes, even what music she likes (hey! I work in radio! It's kinda mandatory). I'm sure she doesn't have the bam-chika-wa-wa porn style guitar music playing on her iPod while she's hitting the treadmill, right? My goal is to track her down and have a chat that I'll eventually be posting on my blog and you might even hear it on 100.5 The PEAK (my job). So how hard it is (hard. HA!) to get a hold of an uber famous porn star? I'm about to find out.

Wish me luck!!!

Besos,

CC.

P.S: For the record, I DO NOT have a penis. That is all...

Favourite Albums Of 2010

It's tough to narrow down my list for the best albums of 2010, but I think I've got it down.

Here goes (don't judge!) in no particular order:

God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise ~ Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs (Mind Blowing)

The Black Keys ~ Brothers (Ditto)

Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty ~ Big Boi (I miss OutKast. Seriously)

Body Talk ~ Robyn

Thank Me Later ~ Drake

The Suburbs ~ Arcade Fire

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy ~ Kanye West (I don't care that he's an egomaniac. The guy is brilliant.)

The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III) ~ Janelle Monae (Holy crap she's AWESOME!!! She's like a female version of OutKast.)

Sigh No More ~ Mumford & Sons (These guys can make a BANJO sound sexy! I mean..C'MON!!!)

Plastic Beach ~ Gorillaz

The Lady Killer ~ Cee Lo Green (Fuck you!!! And fuck her too!!!)

I could literally go on and on (LCD Soundsystem, Broken Bells, Eminem, Local Natives, Vampire Weekend, Crystal Castles....etc, etc.)

HONOURABLE MENTION: Universal Mind Control ~ Common (**Ok. So I know it came out in 2008, but I didn't really 'discover it' until 2010. Better late than never!**)

You should definitely check out any or all of these albums, if you haven't already. Please feel free to suggest any albums that I should be getting into.

Alright. Bedtime. Peace out.

Besos,

CC.

P.S: I'm kinda proud of myself that I finally updated my blog. Pathetic, but true...