Rediscovering Vancouver

by Carmen Cruz


Once spring and summer rolls around, it seems as though Vancouver is a whole new city. Maybe it's that new things seem to pop up out of nowhere or maybe you'll notice something that you'd never taken the time to appreciate... or maybe it's just spring/summer fever.


Examples of Vancouver Awesomeness:

I saw this in a tree just a few blocks from my place.















I don't know when or why someone decided to put these up, but I know I love it.



I saw this parked by my place the other day:


Aaaaaand....





















See? Even Vancouver graffiti is awesome!


What is this, a door for ANTS???







Nope. It's the home of the Nelson Gnome. (Nelson and Jervis)











And I saw this just yesterday.



















'Nuff said.

Besos,

CC.
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Songs Of The Week - Stevie Wonder, Spanky Wilson, Phoenix, Sia, Mos Def

by Carmen Cruz


Here's what I'm into...


Phoenix ~ If I Ever Feel Better - This is one of those songs I keep on repeat for a lot longer than I should. Love the lyrics to this tune.




Mos Def ~ The Embassy - Wicked (but short) tune. The song kicks in at 0:56






Stevie Wonder ~ As - Cause it's Stevie... and the LYRICS!!! For the love of Gad, the lyrics are so amazing. If you've never taken the time to listen to his album 'Songs In The Key Of Life', do it. It'll change your life.




Spanky Wilson ~ Sunshine Of Your Love - An awesome funk/soul cover of Cream's 1970 classic hit. **Here's the deal. This version is remixed my Tom Middleton. I can't for the life of me find a copy of this tune that I can buy. This annoys me to no end. If anyone out there knows how I can get my hands on a copy of this version of the tune, please let me know. It's driving me mad I tell you... MAD!!!!**




Sia ~ Day Too Soon - One of the most gifted singers on the planet... and SOOOOO quirky! At the last Sia concert I went to, she had a special 'knitting corner' for her fans to sit at and knit while they watched her perform. Oh! And on her twitter page, she states that - 'i am sia, I was born from the bumhole of a unicorn named steve'....
 Honestly, she's one of the most amazing singers I've ever had the chance to see live.
Here she is in all her glory: Live and Mindblowing!!







 Enjoy!

Besos,

CC.
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So tired of all these 'Sh*t people say' skits, but....

by Carmen Cruz


I recently had a friend send me a couple of these (overdone) 'Sh*t (insert whoever here) say' skits.
While I usually tend to roll my eyes when I see these vids, I actually didn't mind these two, only because they represent the two places I call home...

Sh*t Edmontonians Say




Sh*t Vancouver May Say Sometimes Or Whatever...





Ha........ ha.........

Besos,

CC.
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How do I get myself into these situations???

by Carmen Cruz


Honest to Gad, I have no idea how I get myself into these situations.

Imagine....
You're home feeling sick and kinda crusty. You open your bedroom door, and see this....




Yup, I had a crew in my place, shooting an episode of an upcoming series for Slice network. My tiny apartment is being used as a 'stand-in' apartment for one of the show's characters. Crazy huh?

Look for more show info to follow sometime within the next few months, including an interview with the show's host.







Besos,

CC.
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Weekend Shenangians

by Carmen Cruz


One thing that I adore about Vancouver is that there's no such thing as a boring weekend. There's always something to do, see or experience.

2 weekends ago, I paid my very first visit to the Railway Club. Can you believe it? I've lived in Vancouver for almost 5 years, and I'd never been to the Railway before. Weird. So the night of my visit was the same day that Adam Yauch (MCA ~ Beastie Boys) passed away from cancer. Fittingly, I  was going to a cancer fundraiser that night. The musical lineup featured some amazing local talent (not enough people are talking about the ska scene here in Van) and everyone ended up paying tribute to the Beastie's, in one way or another. Check out a small sample of local band Reggae On The Rocks' cover of 'You've Gotta Fight For You Right To Party'.


Cool, no?

Turns out the evening raised a good amount of cash for the cause.

:)

Besos,

CC.
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Weird Music News

by Carmen Cruz


Some of it is weird, some of it is gross, and some of it is just sad. Either way, inquiring minds wanna know, right?


 Weird/Gross/Disturbing
Some time tonight in, a painting by rocker Pete 'messed-up' Doherty and the late Amy Winehouse, is to go on sale at auction.  The painting is titled “Ladylike,” and is supposed to be an artistic depiction of Doherty’s one-time band The Libertines, alongside a small self-portrait of Amy Winehouse painted with her own blood (ew).
Wanna see? 















Let's take a closer look, shall we? Here's Amy's bloody self portrait. 




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The auction starts tonight at London’s Cob Gallery, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Amy Winehouse Foundation. The painting is expected to fetch around $129,000 smackers. 


Sad/Weird
 
 Hey! Remember that band called Limp Bizkit?!?!?! Yeah, most people just wanna forget about them, but uh-uh, Fred Durst will not have that. He will not have that at all. 
The band has just revealed the name of their NEW album (can you believe it?!?!). It's gonna be called... wait for it..... wait for it.....
'Stampede Of The Disco Elephants'. I know you're sitting on the edge of your seat right now, and I don't blame you. Ok, ok, sarcasm aside, Fred is pretty pumped about the album and says that you can expect some 'some crazy Limp Bizkit shit' (I believe the shit part)... I keed, I keed. Oh! And just a heads up, rumour has it that good ol' Fred has given drummer John Otto and DJ Lethal the kick to the curb. 
 
 
 
Just Plain Weird
Tom 'Couch-Hopping' Cruise has a brand new moving coming out called 'Rock Of Ages'. It's based on the broadway musical (wait a minute. Does this mean there's singing throughout most of the movie? Ugh..) with Tom playing 80's rocker Stacee Jaxx. The movie also stars Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Alec Baldwin. 
It's trailer time.




Recently, music producer Adam Anders has been going on and on about how "amazing" and "powerful" Tom's voice is. Is it possible the Tom Cruise is a triple threat? An actor, a singer AND a Scientologist? I don't believe it!
Don't ask me how, but I managed to track down a small sample of Tom Cruise actually doing some of his vocal exercises. Are you ready for this???
Rock of Ages hits theaters on June 1st. 

Enjoy!!! 

Besos, 

CC.
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Songs Of The Week!

by Carmen Cruz


Here's what I'm into.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor ~ Murder On The Dance Floor - Even though this song came out back in 2001, it still makes me wanna shake it, every single time I hear it.


Sophie Ellis Bextor - Murder on the Dancefloor by MovieFanQS



The Strokes ~ You Only Live Once - These dudes love to smoke ciggies. They love it so much, they made a video about it. This music vid features the band playing in an enclosed space as tobacco tar fills the room (implying that the room is their lungs). Julian Casablancas commented on the video saying, "People tell us all the time we're gonna die from smoking, but you only live once."


We Are The City ~ Happy New Year - 3 sweet guys from Kelowna. Very young and super talented :)


Ice Cube ~ Today Was A Good Day - Ice Cube's most sucessful and well known tune. This tune is ideal for walking down the street in slow-motion. Heck yeah. 


The XX ~ Crystalised- These guys/gals are brilliant! Is it just me, or do they look really young?




Enjoy!!!

Besos,

CC.
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Beastie Boys ~ RIP Adam Yauch

by Carmen Cruz


Today, Adam Yauch, founding member of the Beastie Boys, and one of the coolest Jewish rappers of all time, passed away. He had been battling cancer for 3 years and unfortunately lost the fight. He was only 47 years old.

Adam 'MCA' Yauch was so much more than just a talented and self-taught musician. He was funny, he was smart, and he was opinionated.
MCA will always remembered as an activist, humanitarian and above all, a visionary.





















Besos,

CC.
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I Loves Me My Shoes : Vancouver Edition

by Carmen Cruz


I've never been one to follow trends.
Harem pants? No thanks. Neon clothing? Uh-uh. Weaving feathers into your hair? Nah. I'll pass.
BUT~
There's one growing trend that I have to say is genuinely Vancouver, and I'm loving it! I have 2 words for you:

Native Shoes

Think of crocs - light weight and really comfortable, but kind of ghastly to look at, right?
Now, take away the ugliness and make them hip, colourful and even more light weight.
Ladies and gentlemen, you've now got yourself a pair of native shoes. They're cool, they're comfy, and they're designed right here in Vancouver. How awesome is that?

I own 3 pairs at the moment (Yup. I said 3) and I'm already planning on picking up yet another pair in a whole new style and colour. Are they addictive? Yes.




                       






 My Purple Jeffersons 
                                                                                                               My Loulou Pink Jericho's


                                                    My newest addition: Confetti Purple Jefferson
                  


They're kind of a big deal. People KNOW them. See below...





(Is it just me or did the host say Tommy Hill-Finger???)

Nowadays, I tend to see more and more Vancouverites sporting these über cool shoes. So to all the people who laughed at me when I bought my very first pair almost 2 years ago, and NOW own a pair of their own, all I have to say is... nice shoes. ;D

Besos,

CC.
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~ A WICKED New Tune ~

by Carmen Cruz


Soul singer Bobby Womack has just unveiled the title track to his new album 'The Bravest Man in  The Universe'. The album was co-produced by one of my favourite musically gifted people - Damon Albarn (aka: The dude from Blur and The Gorillaz, and overall very sexy beast ;).

Bobby Womack has been working hard on this new album, all the while battling colon cancer. Needless to say, he's one tough and talented man.

The new album comes out June 11th and also features musical       collaborations with Lana Del Rey.

Here's the title track.

It's freaking awesome.

That is all.



Enjoy!

Besos,

CC.
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Songs of The Week!!!

by Carmen Cruz


Man, my life has been Ka-Ray-Zee busy!!!... But no matter what I'm doing, I usually have at least one earbud in my ear, listening to tunes.

Here's what I'm into this week.

Lana Del Rey ~ Radio




Zero 7 ~ Swing - This is off their album called 'Yeah Ghost'. Freaking Brilliant!!!




Mase ft. Total ~ What You Want - This takes me back to when I used to sneak into a club called 'Kaos' with my friends back in Edmonton (yes, it was in West Edmonton Mall). I used to think going to this club was the coolest thing on the planet. I look back at it now and laugh, but hey! I have lot's of wicked memories there.
Thank GAD my friends are good at keeping secrets ;)




Joss Stone ~ Fell In Love With A Boy - A fantastic cover of the White Stripes' 'Fell In Love With A Girl'.




And speaking of the White Stripes...

The White Stripes ~ The Hardest Button To Button - Wicked video. Whenever I see it, I start to wonder how many drum kits and amps they had to buy/borrow/rent for this vid. Seriously.



Enjoy!

Besos,

CC.
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These made me laugh till I cried.

by Carmen Cruz


After watching these videos, I only had one question: "How did I NOT know about these?"

I laughed so hard that I cried... literally. While driving. With people in the car. They became very concerned and nervous (if you've ever been in a car with me, you'd understand).

Watch these in order.














Honest to Gad, even while I'm posting these, I'm laughing my ass off.

Enjoy!

Besos,


CC.
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I Know That Voice!!!!

by Carmen Cruz


It always surprises me when I see the actual people behind some of the cartoon world's most famous voices - like spongebob squarepants, Rocky and Bullwinkle, or even Marvin the Martian. Or what about the guy who does the 'Coming soon to a theater near you' voice? The voicing world has always been super competitive and above all, secretive - but not anymore...
I came across this trailer for an upcoming documentary that uncovers the history and technique behind some of the industry's biggest and most recognizable voices. It's appropriately called 'I Know That Voice'.
In a word.... AWESOME.



No release date yet, but if you're interested, you can 'Like' the doc's facebook page. Here, they'll keep you posted on when you can expect to see this on the big screen.

Enjoy!

Besos,


CC.
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**CASTING CALL** Female Extras in Vancouver

by Carmen Cruz


Hello All!       

A casting director friend is in need of some extra's so I thought I'd pass along the info to you. 

Check out the ad below:

Looking for WOMEN between the ages of 25 and 55 who are interested in being extras for an upcoming series that's set to be aired on a major Canadian Network.


Here's what you need to know:

~ We're looking for about 15 to 20 women who are willing to sit in a classroom type setting.
~ You will be required to sit in an auditorium and listen to an instructor. Your role is to sit and listen, nod, take notes, etc.
~ There are NO speaking roles
~You will be needed from 9am - 3pm on APRIL 17th. You will be needed for the ENTIRE 6 hours.
~You will be paid $10 PER HOUR for your participation, PLUS lunch will be provided.
~ You must be willing to sign a release allowing us to use your image in the upcoming series.
**IT IS NOT GUARANTEED THAT YOUR IMAGE WILL BE USED**

Anyone interested should respond to this ad with a clear photo of yourself (A professional headshot is NOT required).

More specifics will be sent to the successful candidates.

Again, please be aware that we will need you there for the ENTIRE shooting day (FROM 9AM - 3PM). If you are unable to participate for the ENTIRE time you are required, please do not apply.


*SERIOUS INQUIRIES ONLY** NO ONE UNDER THE AGE OF 20 PLEASE!!!**





Please email me if you'd like more info. (carmen@carmencruz.ca)


Besos,


CC.
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Anchorman 2 = YAAAAAYYY!!!

by Carmen Cruz


It's official, Anchorman 2 is coming soon!
This time around, the movie will revolve around a custody battle between Ron Burgundy (Will  Ferrell) and Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) over their child. So far, most of the original cast is scheduled to come back for round 2.


Ron Burgundy made an appearance on the Conan O'Brien show last month and made the announcement official.

Just in case you missed it, here's the video...






YAAAAAAY!!! I can't wait!!!!!                                                                                                

Besos,

CC.

P.S: San Diego is German for a 'whales vagina'.  ;D

SONGS OF THE WEEK. Wurd.

by Carmen Cruz


 Here's what I'm hooked on this week.

The Cardigans ~ Carnival - I may or may not have played this song for a solid 24 hours...




Gorillaz ft. Little Dragon ~ Empire Ants - At exactly 2:15, it changes into a completely different song... and it's wicked!




Grouplove ~ Tongue Tied




John Butler Trio - Zebra




Esthero - Country Livin' (The World I Know)




Enjoy!

Besos,

CC
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