You know what’s really awesome? The Glee Cast sang a song from the season 1 finale for Glee Live tour (last month). It was actually the first time I heard this song too (at 3 Glee shows in NY), but the recording is even sicker (bows down to Lea Michele and her vocal runs). I normally don’t listen to songs before the episodes (spoilers are not my friend), but I couldn’t help myself this time. I only listened to “Faithfully” because I HAD to. Make sure you watch the Glee season finale this coming Tuesday June 8th (and buy this mini album then too)! “I’m still yooooooouuuuuuurrrrrssssss!!!!!!!…faithfully.” In other news: this is going to be the first summer without Glee. Remember how last summer was ONLY about “Don’t Stop Believin”? Well…this summer will be  about…Glee withdrawal..for sure.

Here’s the skinny. I saw Conan O’Brien on Wednesday June 2nd for his Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television tour at Radio City Music Hall in NY. I also happened to have bought one of those fancy shmancy packages where you get to meet him and go front row. A cute reception area with food (yes!) followed by sitting in on sound check with Conan and his band/crew/ladies (I always love these type of “behind the scenes” moments…I would). When I met him, it was basically all of us taking turns to have a 1 on 1. I talked to Conan about 1) having lots of siblings and a big family 2) my newborn nephew 3) “I can’t believe you’re, like, right there” (me freaking out just a bit haha). He was really nice either way. Then I got to take a picture with him. So then the whole “package” part was over (with 2 hours before the show) so I went over to the “Top of the Rock” across from Radio City Music Hall and basically saw the most amazing view of Manhattan ever. Eventually it was time for the show. Aaand to be continued.

Also this week (day after Conan), I had plans to see Nicki Minaj, Ludacris, and Drake (and B.oB. and Lloyd Banks). We had front row on the floor. What/where was it? It was called Hot Night 2010 and let’s just say I left the metropolitan NY area (and boy was it worth it). My friend and I were running late (mostly because of hideous traffic) and we arrived right in the middle of Nicki’s set. We saw her do about 3 songs (“Your Love,” “Bedrock,” and “My Chick Bad” later with Ludacris). She also came out during Drake’s set. I was glad I got to see at least some of Nicki (who I went to the concert for). Then eventually the concert was over and something crazy happened. As we’re walking to the car we see a crowd of people admiring a whole lot of buses (cha ching!) We immediately joined and discover a lot of Nicki’s insiders are walking about as well. I’m totally screaming “Nicki” as loud as I can like a crazy person. Somehow I ended up performing Nicki’s “My Chick Bad” verse for her hype men (insiders, entourage, Team Minaj, I Wanna Minaj). I was spot on. Then the lady asked me, “Do you have anything for her to sign?” I gave her my ticket. The lady disappeared into the night and I’m like, “Um…am I going to get that back? lol” She reappears with my ticket stub signed by the only and only Nicki Minaj. It’s a pretty awesome feeling. And I just felt the love from all the other Nicki fans around me. But let me just tell you. This wasn’t the end. We stuck around a little longer and behold: Nicki Minaj joins all of her fans (at least 3 dozen frantic people, myself included). Nicki was walking through signing anything and everything she could (everything from hands, to arms, to boobs, to tickets). She even snapped a few pictures with people (lucky bastards). My interaction besides video performance: I got her to sign my hand again and when she was signing. I told her, “Nicki I love you!!” She responded: “Thank you baby” in her cute Nicki Minaj voice. This night’s a wrap. Needless to say, but how awesome is it that Nicki came out to literally see EVERY fan that was waiting? Too awesome. Oh but I also saw Ludacris and Drake perform (caught some video too). Aaand to be continued.

To come: reviews/pictures/video from Glee x 3, Conan O’Brien, A Nicki Minaj Experience, and yes, Mo’nique and Taylor Swift since April.

In honor of Nicki Minaj:

IT’S BARBIE, BITCH!

(That’s just one of my Nicki faces with my signed ticket. *Faints*)

Here are the last bit of videos I have from my Glee adventure this weekend (I may or may not have seen them more than twice in two days…oops). As I’ve mentioned, I was in the front row pit for all of these videos, so they’re close up but the sound is just ok (and certainly doesn’t do enough justice). I hope it’s like being there / More review type stuff and pictures in a bit.

I recorded some videos from the show last night. Here’s the first one of Rachel and Kurt performing “Defying Gravity.” I also have “Like A Prayer” and some other random ones. I’ll post them all to my youtube/this site now and later.

I just have to write this before I traipse off to the city once again. I was front row pit at Radio City Music Hall in NYC last night for Glee Live (thanks to ticket brokers). I really had low expectations for this considering the crossover from TV to a live stage (“who can sing? who can’t?”), but holy crap was I wrong. I was expecting only a few numbers from the first half of the season. Wrong. They performed everything from “Like A Prayer” to “Bad Romance” to “Somebody to Love.” Rachel and Kurt put on a very harmonious performance of “Defying Gravity.” Rachel re-lived her show-stopping “Don’t Rain On My Parade.” She even wore the same outfit and even walked through the hall (just like in the show). It gets better. She walked right in front of me when going to go back on the stage. Not to mention so did Quinn, Tina, and Brittany (high fived them all except Rachel). As for Brittany, she was so nice and kept waving and smiling (at me . They performed “It’s My Life/Confessions,” “Halo/Walking on Sunshine,” Tina rocked it out with “True Colors” and even started crying (saw her wipe her tears even, gotcha!). Puck performed “Sweet Caroline” and “Lady is a Tramp.” Artie performed “Dancing with Myself.”Mercedes performed “Beautiful,” “Bust Your Windows,” and even performed “The Boy Is Mine” with Santana. Shuster even performed “Over The Rainbow” with Puck (with the Glee kids sitting/Rachel admiring with gazed eyes right behind them). This is obviously just the shorter review (and I will fill in the details). All I know is, I was so happy to see the ENTIRE Glee Club performing. Everything from promotional posters to appearances on Oprah made it seem like it wasn’t going to be the full crew, but it was, and that made it even better. These people are so effing talented. Seeing them live really showed me what stars these kids are (Brittany, you are one SICK dancer). Speaking of Brittany..she had a few speaking parts throughout the show just being plain old Brittany…it was perfect. But more perfect: the entire cast recreating moments that I have loved (many, many moments).

Not to mention a guest video (followed by a real) appearance by Shuster and Sue Sylvester. Shu was basically on the video pushing his kids to put on a great show. Sue was doing quite the opposite. She had Cheerios hand out barf bags before the show and later when she came out on stage, Sue said: “Why are you still here?!? What’s wrong with you?!” This reminds me, the show was very much trying to recreate moments from the show…and…well…it worked like a charm. Everything from bringing out a truck during Mercedes “Bust Your Windows” to exact outfits from the show. Pure heaven for any Gleek, that’s for sure. The cast was so cute and smiley at all times, with every smile and glance of the eyes driving Gleeks in the crowd stir-crazy (myself very much included). Saw Sue Sylvester leave in a cop car, Puck leave in his own van.

Let’s talk about the singing. It was fantastic. I’m really in it for the Rachel and Mercedes powerhouse vocals, but everyone ELSE was on point and entertaining too. Finn and Puck? Talented guys with great voices. Does TV-autotuning sometimes make us weary? Of course. But talent nonetheless. I’ve been reading about the possibility of a back up track and to be honest, there definitely was something. But from everything I could see (and I am really good at spotting lip syncers), they were mostly singing live (and sounding good too).

More to come. Here’s some pictures. I’ll fill in more soon.

The video is definitely doing a lot of right things, but I gotta say…little disappointed with how they used Nicki Minaj in it. First off, this song would suck if Nicki wasn’t laying it down. It’s a pretty silly song without Nicki. With Nicki, however, it really came together into an amazing track. But just look at how they shot her verse? The setting works but I feel like we miss all the good “Nicki” moments/it’s way too choppy for me. Check it out.

Jessica Simpson is featured in the new issue of Marie Claire and opted for the zero retouching and zero airbrush look…and it continues to work /I love it. The writer from Yahoo OMG! really nailed it with this, so I’m just gonna repeat what they said: To me, Jess looks far more beautiful when she’s snapped at the airport sans makeup, in casual jeans, and with her hair loose and wavy than when she’s all dolled up for a premiere in an uncomfortable-looking gown. Here’s some highlights from that interview and a few snapshots. I think Jessica looks great without makeup (and I’ve thought that since Newlyweds).

On not having anything to prove: I don’t have anything to prove anymore. What other people think of me is not my business.

On the media frenzy that was “mom jeans”: After everything I’ve gone through this past year with people just being fixed on me gaining some weight, that was really hard on me to be in the media all the time and to be … scrutinized like that. I was paranoid. Everywhere I would go, people would say, ‘Oh, you’re not that fat!’ That was a very difficult time for me.

On how her new show, The Price of Beauty, helped her: I really found confidence within myself. I do think we put too much pressure on women to be beautiful, and to be perfect. The show was my own search to find my own beauty within.

How she likes her hair: If I’m in a mood to go out and feel hot and sexy, I want long hair that I can feel on my back. But I also like bed head.

Vanessa Carlton - Rinse

Oldie.

Obviously you should listen to the entire song, but the last minute of this song is pure crack. Some of Mariah’s best. Obsessed with the choir noising in the back. And that long-ass note at the end..well there’s two..one is a crazy high note and the other is an even crazier high note (I can soooo do the less crazy but still crazy one..in the car). Start listening at 3:03 and go at least 30 seconds or the rest of the song. Amazing. BLAST IT!

Mariah Carey feat. Nicki Minaj - Up Out My Face

Mariah Carey feat. Nicki Minaj – Up Out My Face

Mariah Carey feat. Nicki Minaj - Up Out My Face

Mariah Carey feat. Nicki Minaj - Up Out My Face

Mariah Carey feat. Nicki Minaj - Up Out My Face

Boys Like Girls feat. Taylor Swift – Two Is Better Than One

Boys Like Girls feat. Taylor Swift - Two Is Better Than One

Boys Like Girls feat. Taylor Swift - Two Is Better Than One

Boys Like Girls feat. Taylor Swift - Two Is Better Than One