I just installed the new Internet Explorer 7 update and it’s pretty cool. I know quite a few bloggers are dead-set on browsers like Fire Fox and Anti-Windows products but I like the new IE update so far.

I’ve tried some other browsers and I do like some of the features they offer (like the TABS on Fire Fox) but I’m just used to using IE and so the update(to me) is real nice. It’s what I’m used to, I guess.

Here’s a link to more info about the new features for anyone interested.

Also, these last few weeks, I’ve been dealing with an EXTREMELY SLOW server and all the issues that go along with it. I contacted my hosting company to tell them that my website is sometimes hard to even view and they said they’re supposed to be fixing the problem. I hope that’s soon.

Meanwhile, I’ve taken off some things on my Sidebar, like the Referral Tracker (as cool as that was, I think it was slowing things down). I also tried to clean up some of the crap along the side. It’s a mess over there.

I’m thinking that I might take off more …or perhaps make a new page with links to the Blogs I Read…but I’m not sure yet. I already took off the Top Ten posts…That was interesting but i’m not sure what it has to do with anything. Maybe it’s good enough how it is…who knows. I’ll try it like this for a while.

With any luck, removing some of these Plug-ins will speed up the load time. We shall see.

Well, I think I’ve finally figured out what cover song I’m going to audition with on April 1st. For the CBS audition I was told i needed to do 2 original songs and 1 cover. Figuring out what to play is a tough job in itself.

The original 2 songs are not set in stone yet…but I’ll probably end up doing one heavier raspy song on guitar and one mellower piano tune. I’m not so much worried about those as I am the cover mainly because they are original(they would never know if i were to flub up on those unless it’s a crazy pitchy mess up) but the cover is another story. So picking the perfect cover song that’s right for me has been weighing on me.

Originally, I was leaning on some sort of Beatle song but then yesterday I decided I’m going to try and do one of the hardest songs to play and sing by The Guess Who titled "Undun". Vocally, it’s really tough but if i can nail it, I’m hoping I’ll stand out. My guess is everyone and their mother is going to be doing a Beatle tune right?

Not only are the vocals for the song crazy-cool and hard, the guitar work is pretty snappy and not so easy. All this means is…I need to practice it over and over until I can do it in my sleep. I’ll most likely rent a rehearsal studio to practice singing it at full voice (it’s hard to be loud here in my apartment).

The next thing I need to figure out is what original tunes to try and WOW them with. Since the audition is at 10am I’ll most likely wake up at 6am that day just to give my throat some time to wake up an pump myself with a full tank of caffeine. 10am is not the best time to be singing but… no complaints from me…I’m just happy to get the chance to try no matter what time of day it is.

Well, last night’s American Idol was "ok"…my money’s still on the Chris(the bald guy). He seems a little uncomfortable on camera but I think after he finds a comfort zone he’s be the one to beat. So my top two picks are Chris and Katherine. What the hell was the deal with Bobby the Barry Manilow creepy guy? That’s about all the Idol thoughts i have for the moment.

I mentioned that i’m doing the music for an indie film. I’m about 90% done with it all…the dialog audio still needs to be tweaked and the levels still need to be mixed for 5.1 sound but here’s a couple clips from "Reel Guerrillas". Keep in mind that this is not the final edit or mix.

QuickTime Required For Viewing

1. Meeting The Man
2. The Store Robbery

The lead in this short is an actor named Joel Moore [click his name to see other things he’s been in]. He was also a guest on the TV Pilot I’ll be helping out with (They’re using a song of mine). Cool! More to come on this when it’s closer to being cooked.

I’m enjoying adding music to the scenes…it’s my 1st time ever doing anything like this but it’s really fun work. I’m actually quite amazed what music brings to the scenes. I don’t think there’s website for the film yet otherwise I’d link to that.

Anyway…this is what’s been on my plate these last few days.

Okay, I’ll admit it…I’m hooked on American Idol. After watching the gals last night, my top 3 female picks are Lisa, Katherine, and Paris.

MY TOP THREE PICKS PICTURED BELOW

I thought the Becky(the Twin) sure looked the part but she didn’t have the voice to match. I’m wondering if her looks will keep her in the competition for another week? She’s real easy on the eyes but I found myself fighting for the MUTE BUTTON when she sang.

If Stevie(the Opera singer) doesn’t get booted off, I’ll be shocked. I think her nerves really got to her and caused canine ears all over the world beg their masters for cotton balls. Those poor pups

[Okay, that was a little harsh]

Brenna is FOR SURE the most annoying. She has this Diva Attitude and doesn’t seem to have the voice to back it up. Maybe that’ll change down the road? Last season, Scott had that monster ego and it seemed to help keep him around for a while.

Kellie "My Daddy’s in Prison" Pickler, will most likely stick around for a while too. Do prisons let inmates watch A.I? If so, with all the people we have incarcerated here, she might win on those votes alone

"You get one phone call Mr. Pickler…make it count"

I thought Ayla, Mandisa, and Kinnik did just fine but their nerves got them in a few spots. Most of the performances were rather forgetful though.

I’m looking forward to the guys doing their thing tonight. I sure hope they pick better songs than last night’s. On with the show…

Today I got a call back to Audition for CBS’s Season 2 of ROCKSTAR! My Audition is April 1st at 10am. Of course, this does not mean I’ll get on the show but I’m still excited to get the chance to try.

I sent in a 4 minute DVD a few days ago and a very down to Earth fellow called me about an hour ago to set up the audition time and give me some info that I’ll need. I asked who the band was and they’re being secretive about it. Perhaps it’s not a band at all? We shall see.

I know by mentioning this, there’s a 101% "jinx factor" but…what can I say…I’m excited as hell…not to mention HOPEFUL. If I don’t get it, then I have fun trying right?

One thing, I’m certainly not afraid to look silly on camera…but I hope that won’t be the case

Off subject… Here’s a picture taken of me last night. I look rather scruffy and was not planning on getting more shots taken but I was helping a friend of mine try out his new camera lens. The good news? I didn’t break the camera but I’m so white, you might need sunglasses to view the picture for more than 30 seconds

Lastly, let me send out a "happy birthday" to my friend in Northern California. Happy Birthday Mike!

I just returned from Hockey Practice a little bit ago and now I sort of feel like I’ve been run over by a truck. Practices are sometimes more work than the actual games. Mainly, It’s because in a game, you get time to rest on the bench in-between shifts. Practice, is somewhat CONSTANT.

Enough about that, I’ve started doing the music for an Indie film and I’m really having fun with it. I sent over some ideas and the director really seemed to like it. He sent me a very nice email about. Made me feel good.

Interesting thing is…I really never realized how dry a movie or TV show is without music…and now, when I watch stuff I can’t help but get distracted by listening to the music. It’s sort of like when I was a Women’s Shoe Salesman for a short time at Nordstrom before packing up and heading to Hollywood(it’s OK to laugh now). Since that job, I ALWAYS look at people’s shoes. You can tell quite a bit about a person by their shoes.

Working at Nordstrom was a love/hate job…I loved some of the people I worked with but there is quite a bit of crap having to deal with customers… that just SUCKED. Not all the people shopping for their 300th pair of "Nine West" were evil but …let’s just say I have a new respect for people who sell shoes. The one nice thing about having had worked as a "shoe dog" is, most women have a shoe addiction which translated into 10% of whatever they purchased in the store went in my pocket. Thanks ladies

"No, your foot does not look big in these shoes…Yes, they run small"

How the hell did I go from Hockey to Music and now to Shoes?

Alrighty,…the dinner bell is ringing and my stomach is growling like a werewolf.

Damn, It’s always nice to get a song played on Adam Curry’s Podcast. Adam’s played "Upside Down" a few times and I’m grateful as hell.

Check out the podcast below: 

#337 Daily Source Code for Thursday February 16th 2006

Thanks Adam! AKA "The Podfather"

Feel free to drop him a comment. He’s got a great show.

Let’s see,…Today I’m feeling a little groggy but pumping myself with caffeine and slowly quirking up.

I’ll probably turn on the webcam while I’m doing some work this afternoon but I have a late lunch meeting at 4:30pm-ish in regards to the TV pilot show I’m working with…I’m really curious how that’s coming along. :)

I’m trying to get the next band rehearsal scheduled but getting 4 musicians all in the same room at the same time is a little tricky sometimes. I’m happy as hell as to how the songs are coming together though.

I’ve been watching American Idol and so far my money’s on the bald guy with the crazy-cool sideburns (you know, the guy who was stuck in the elevator)

I’m just glad the auditions are over and now I look forward to the real show starting. I’m also looking forward to CBS’s Season 2 of ROCKSTAR. Woo Hoo! I wonder what band will be seeking a new lead singer or if they’re just going to create a new format without the band. Many people have speculated that it’s going to be Van Halen but no one really knows for sure.

I spent some of today messing with this Stickam Video Cam thing on the blog. Talk about feeling like I’m on the show "Big Brother"…quite freaky but yet fun all at the same time.

I had the cam facing the wall most of the time but for a little while i was messing around on the piano and making noise. Also for a little while, I had some folks join me for chatting. The only trouble was…anyone who was reading the blog at that moment could only see and hear me having one-sided conversations. I think i solved that problem by adding little instructions just over the box.

"If the box below says "ONLINE" click it to enter the chat, if you like."

Otherwise, you can just listen to only half of the conversations. I’m really enjoying this new little tool though. p>

One thing I’ll say about adding the camera, it sky-rocketed my visits for the day. The counter is about to reset in 30 minutes (midnight EST) but as of now it says "Today’s Visitors: 755 " Now… if i could just figure out a way to convert those into CD sales I’ll be SET. [evil grin].

I’ll pop back on the cam tomorrow if I get some time and wave my arms around like a Muppet.

I just added a little Web Cam thing to the sidebar of this journal with a free cool new service called STICKAM. It also lets you upload photos, MP3’s and videos…quite a handy little blogging tool. I think the service is still in Beta Mode because it says the official launch date is 2.15.06 but I really like all the cool features. If you come on the blog and you see live video, you’ll be able to start a live chat.. I really need to mess with the settings more.

I had the live video and audio going for a while(bad hair day and all) but I started feeling a little freaky. Maybe I’ll get brave and do it more later but for now it can’t be that exciting to sit and watch me type emails and blogs I’d put myself to sleep if I had to watch myself do that.

Anyway…This STICKAM thing seems pretty NEATO.

Last night was the 1st rehearsal with the musicians and it seemed to go very well. They really bring quite a bit to the table and I’m really happy where the songs are heading. I can hardly wait to get back in the studio to record. It’s really fun to hear how the songs evolve.

The new piano/keyboard worked out perfectly!

I just walked in from the Guitar Center on Sunset Blvd.

In getting prepared for tomorrow and stepping back in the game of rehearsing and also getting ready for recording, a new toy like this is going ROCK!

My old piano? Nothing was wrong with it…it’s still great too but this one is portable and easily lugged around by one person. The handy padded case that holds all the wires and sustain pedal helps with that too. The old one took at least 2 people to carry and this one has the same brain as the other(with a few little extra goodies).

Please excuse the mess on the floor. Those are piles of contracts that never went through. The backside comes in handy for jotting down song ideas…they gotta be good for SOMETHING eh?

I have a birthday party I’m going to that starts at 4pm today but all I want to do is stay home and play with the new toy. I’ll go for a few hours…at least if I show up for a little bit, it’s better than not showing at all.

You guys would not believe the hassle the old heavy piano is/was to carry around. This case even has built in wheels on it. The old Piano memorial will be held in the next week or so when I put that sucker up for sale.