nothin but love for...

wendy williams

how you doin?

judge if you must, but i love this woman. her show, "the wendy williams show", airs on bet and i think it's great. it's a talk show, in the model of oprah, the view, and even ms. tyra (please stop trying to make smize happen). she has celebrity guests on and is hysterical and probing in interviews. most importantly, however, she has segments like "hot topics" and "ask wendy" where she interacts with the audience, both at home and in studio. watching wendy is like sitting down and talking with a friend about celebrities. there is nothing that feels forced or like she's trying too hard (guess maybe it's not like tyra after all). if you haven't checked it out, you should do it. i, for one, find her refreshing and hilarious.

in the news...orlando bloom has something in common with shakira, audrey hepburn, and mia farrow...he has just been named goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. if you're like me, you might wonder, what exactly does a goodwill ambassador do? well, according to the UNICEF website,

"fame has some clear benefits in certain roles with UNICEF. celebrities attract attention, so they are in a position to focus the world’s eyes on the needs of children, both in their own countries and by visiting field projects and emergency programmes abroad. they can make direct representations to those with the power to effect change. they can use their talents and fame to fundraise and advocate for children and support UNICEF’s mission to ensure every child’s right to health, education, equality and protection."

ok, i'll buy it. you know i'm all about helping the chilluns. orlando, while you're advocating, could you make some movies more like "elizabethtown" and less like "kingdom of heaven" (not a fan, friends).

and now for some of the happiest news i have heard in a while...the stars and producers are whispering about a possible glee tour! i know a LOT of people who would pay to go hear these talented kids sing choral-tastic versions of hit songs, so i really hope it happens. the songs of glee have already been downloaded over 1 million times on itunes alone since the show's debut. how could this not be a good idea?

finally, i leave you today with a double dose of fiyah, albeit different kinds.

first, mariah is preparing to release her third single and it happens to be my favorite song off the album. it's called "h.a.t.e.u." and if you can get past the silly title, it is an amazing, classic mariah song. now, there is a remix, featuring oj da juiceman, big boi, and gucci mane (i am a goon for a gucci remix), but i think the original version is so much better. don't get me wrong, i love them both, but i guess time will tell which mix becomes more popular.

h.a.t.e.u. remix
vs.
h.a.t.e.u. album version

lastly, the sorely underrated ms. katharine mcphee is preparing her sophomore album for a january release and the first single and video are out now. the song is called "had it all" and it's a pretty radical departure for kat, when compared to her debut (really, a song all about open toed shoes?). from the three songs i have heard, she appears to be moving into more of a pop singer-songwriter vibe that i am loving on her (think less rihanna and more sara bareilles). it just really works for her. take a look at the premiere of her new video below. oh, and what do you think of the new hair? personally, i love.

katharine mcphee - had it all

keep your eyes open,
b palma

it's been a long time...

shouldn't have left you, left you without a dope beat to step to (r.i.p. aaliyah)

so, i have not been faithful to the old blog. sorry bout that. i am now, however, as they say, back in the habit (hey whoopi). at any rate, it's time for an overhaul. i have changed the look of the blog and now (due to the pushing of some friends and much to the chagrin of others) have rededicated it to its original purpose.

so, now, consider this your home for all things regarding popular culture. i will post TONS of new music/music news/music videos, in addition to local celebrity sightings, reviews, and more.

for those who have already gone on to another website, come back! is that possible? to time travel speed? i will also be posting provoking quotes, articles, and the like to try and keep my 3 faithful readers' minds sharp.

for my comeback post, i give you a bit of news and a song that will be stuck in your head until the next time you hear "single ladies".

in the news, david archuleta is spending the next week in nashville, writing and "working on projects". methinks that's code for stalking taylor swift, but who can blame him? michelle, let's go find archie and switch him with aaron tedeschi. no one will ever know and it will be like the parent trap (i miss the old lindsay lohan).

now, for the sticky song, please welcome to the stage, miss allison iraheta. she caught my attention as the fourth-place finisher on american idol. her flaming locks were only a foretaste of her voice, which sounds like it's been soaked in aged whiskey (that's a compliment). her first single is wisely crafted by pop maestro, max martin, who is responsible for "since u been gone" and "baby...one more time", along with countless other hits. it's called "friday i'll be over u" (man, max martin hates the word 'you') and it sounds like pink, by way of 90's chick rock. this is one of the best "i-didn't-win-idol-but-i'm-going-to-be-more-successful-than-taylor-hicks" singles to come from seacrest central and i think it will be monstrously successful. it's, at least, my most-played song of the week and that is no small feat, my friends. take a listen below.

allison iraheta - friday i'll be over u

keep your eyes open,
b palma

Opportunities

What a month!  The Summer tour has been remarkably different than the Spring tour in pretty much every way.  It is not as organized, because it is our first one and school is not in session.  It is much more driving (we are usually in 2 different states each day).  The screenings are not as big as school ones because we are going to summer camps, churches, hair schools, etc.  Also, this little event called Lobby Days was smack dab in the middle of our second week of tour.  And when I say little, I of course mean that it was the 2 absolute most draining days I have experienced in 23 years. 

So, with all of this in mind, it's been strange to try and process my life.  I will be very happy to return home.  I miss my family and friends and it will be nice to try and find a bit of stability again (you know, like sleeping in the same place every night, having a bed, or not driving 4 hours to every next destination).  Also, I will be home in time for Fall and Winter, which are perfect in Tennessee, in my opinion.  However, this roadieship has been the single most amazing experience of my life.  I was talking to my good friend, Kristen the other day and she reminded me to enjoy every second of this experience because it will all be over in a month.  That is SUCH a strange thought.  It is pretty much all I have known for the entire duration of 2009.

I am dealing with a lot, personally.  I am ferociously wrestling with my personal demons, which seem to surface stronger and with greater clarity every day.  I would like to think this is a part of growth, though.  I look at my teammates and I am amazed.  I don't deserve these two amazing women in my life.  The three of us are so young and we have the weight of the world on our shoulders.  We are dealing with ridiculous things at home.  We deal with extremely high stress every day.  Oh, and we are attempting to change the world too.  

But...

We are also in love with life.  We spend much more time laughing, singing, dancing, swimming, reading, and learning than we do moping or being flustered.  I was doing my best to have a bit of personal meditation/prayer/retain-my-sanity time this morning and I heard these words in my head.  "Every day is a new opportunity to be a little better than you were the day before."  This is nothing earth-shattering or groundbreaking, but it really pierced my heart.  I just want to try and be better every single day.  I want to serve my incredible  teammates in every way I can.  I want to work on the worst parts of myself and make them not so awful.  I want to use each day as a chance to make someone's life a little better.

I guess we are a bit of a dichotomy.  Or maybe I just read too much into things.  Either way, I know that I am grateful for those people in my life who attempt to help me become better.  People like Kristen, who tell me to suck it up and enjoy all that I have.  People like Heather and Britta, who are brilliant examples of dealing with hardship and moving on.  People like my parents and siblings, who remind me constantly that I am loved and needed.

I guess if you have time, send some prayers and positive thoughts my way.  I need help mentally..and spiritually...and financially.

I love you all.  

Keep Your Eyes Open,

Brandon

The Ugly Truth

Greetings all,

I am writing my first blog post of Summer Tour.  It is hard to believe that the last time I blogged, it was on my couch at home and now I am in Ohio, on my way to Delaware with the team.  I am reunited with Heather again and joined by Britta, an amazing former roadie with an infectious spirit and a slight Boston accent.  Also, Brandon, one of the art department interns, has joined us for our ride from coast to coast.  We have already had so much fun, covered a LOT of ground, and seen people that I have missed dearly.  We have laughed, eaten too much fast food, and made new friends.  (I miss you, Team Canada).  Jason, one of the filmmakers, declared this as the Summer of Love Tour 09.  Interesting, to say the least...

Tour has started very strangely for me.  I was so excited and ready to get back on the road and in two short (loooong) days, I have already begun to see the ugliest parts of myself.  Tour has a tendency to bring that side out in you and you can either face it and deal with it, or ignore it and make your teammates hate you.  I was able to deal with it for the most part in the Spring, but it came at an even pace.  Experiencing this right from the beginning has been strange and such a challenge.  The main things I keep feeling bubble up are unreasonable pride and selfishness.  I guess we are all proud and selfish to a degree, but it has been intense enough to cause a fair amount of straight up bitter thoughts, for absolutely no reason.  I am not sure why this is all surfacing so fast, but I am trying my hardest to deal with it and not let it fester or hide.  I have every reason to be happy, excited, and full of life right now, but my soul just feels heavy and tired.  I am doing what I can to combat this.  Sorry if this is a bit gloomy, but I want to be transparent.  I hope this is one of those times where I am on the edge of a breakthrough and this is just the end of something I have to push through.  We will see.

In about a week, I will be in DC, talking with Senators and members of Congress, explaining to them why they should vote for the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009.  It's crazy how far we have come.  

With Hope,

Brandon

Coming Home

It has been a while since I have updated. Oops! I swear, I have a legitimate excuse. You see, I have been enjoying life! Oh, that's not good enough? Well, anyway...

Since we last met, I returned to San Diego for a lovely week of debriefing, beaching, partying, and horrendous goodbyes. Seriously, the bond between roadies is the strangest, strongest, most wonderful bond ever. I also came home. I wasn't sure what it would feel like to be back. I knew I wanted to get in my big, comfy bed. And I knew I couldn't wait to see family and friends who I had not seen in months. But, to be honest, I was a bit nervous. I was nervous that life had taken place, people had changed, and things were different. And they were. Kind of.

In many ways, lots of things happened at home while I was away. Relationships began and ended. New life was created. Some people passed on into their next life. Life has a tendency to happen at all times. But in some ways, nothing had changed. My friends still loved me and wanted to hear about what I had just done. My family was happy for me to be home. My dog still recognized me. It was a strange place to find myself in. But, I didn't mind at all. I still don't.

I am luckier than many people because I fell like I am exactly where I am supposed to be and this is the first time I have been able to say that with full confidence. I'm pretty sure that I will eventually end up in Nashville. When I am ready to settle down, I want it to be here. But for now, I am free to wander. Free to explore. Free to live. This is a strange and beautiful freedom. It is given, not earned. So, I am going to take it and run until I am positive that it has ended. Then, I'll probably run just a little bit longer.

Scientifically, the main keys to happiness are feeling loved and feeling like your life has meaning and purpose. Others say happiness is a choice. I suppose in all regards, I am happy. Life is definitely not easy. It is far from perfect. But I am happy. And that feels like home.

How Did This Happen?

Soooo...the last time I updated was the night before The Rescue.  So much has happened in the past two weeks that I have no clue how to condense it all, but I will sure try.  Buckle up cause it will be a long and bumpy ride, but I will reward you with hugs if you make it all the way to the end, read the whole thing, and leave me a comment.  :)

It all started at the phenomenal St. Paul Rescue event.  Big ups to Lindsay, Jenny, Erica, and the rest of the fantastic street team for the event.  It would NOT have been as successful without you fine people.  We arrived to set up for the event of a lifetime only to find that there was already an event on the capitol lawn until 2:00 pm.  Our event began at 3:00.  However, impossible is not a word in the vocabulary of Invisible Children and our superhuman volunteers pulled it off flawlessly.  The march was awe-inspiring and we definitely caught the attention of the city and its media outlets.  We were rescued 7 times by the Governor of Minnesota and 6 state reps.  It was one of the coolest moments of my life.  

Upon being rescued, Tessa, myself, and a crew of unbelievable Rescue Riders headed out to Chicago to wait with them to be rescued.  But a funny thing happened while we were there.  Every city around the world was being rescued...except for Chicago.  The team there was so insanely amazing, there should be books written about them.  Nelly, Austin, Sabrina, Domonique, Johannes, Claire, Tessa, and myself held down the fort until reinforcements arrived.  We found new shelter every night for hundreds of technically homeless Rescue Riders, provided food for them, shuttled them around the city, and found new places to wait when asked to leave by the Police.

Once more IC staff and Rescue Riders began to arrive, the fun really began.  Spirits rose, dance parties ensued, nobody slept.  However, the glaring fact stared us in the face every few minutes that we were still not rescued and we were really not leaving until that happened.  Once the filmmakers arrived, we decided that we would not settle for anyone except the Big O's...Oprah and the Obamas.  It sounded cool.  How epic would it be for the situation in Africa if someone that powerful addressed the situation?  The logistics of getting that done, however, were a bit of a nightmare.  

On Day 6, discouragement began to creep into the ranks.  We were wet, cold, beyond exhausted, and still waiting with very few leads to getting rescued.  So, naturally, we decided we had to sing and dance.  We choreographed a song and dance routine asking Oprah to come rescue us and performed it outside of her studios many times in a row (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MC0hBf6wtI&feature=related).  It was amazing that growing up in church choirs could help prepare me for helping orchestrate this. 

We performed it and it was amazing, but nothing happened.  We went back to the church and tried to think of a plan.  On the way back, a few of us stopped to eat at a Mexican restaurant and there was a small television on.  A commercial came on talking about Oprah's live taping the next morning.  We went immediately to Laren and told him what we saw.  The filmmakers and some staff members immediately went to work devising a plan and they came up with a doozy.  At about midnight, they announced that we would leave in 2 hours to go surround Oprah's studio quietly and peacefully.  We would hold up peace signs and make signs, saying "Oprah, we've met before.  We're Invisible Children.  Can we have 5 minutes?"  To my surprise, every person in the building erupted with applause, even though they were told they would be getting less than 2 hours of sleep.  The attitude and humility exhibited by these people was truly awe-inspring...and a little creepy.

So, we gathered in vans and shuttled down to the studio.  We stood for a few hours, wondering if each passing limo was Oprah.  We saw lots of limos, by the way.  What's up Chicago?  Share the wealth!  Eventually, there was a stir on one side of the building because Oprah's bff Gayle, arrived, wondering what exactly we were doing.  We explained and she seemed extremely impressed.  She said she would make sure Oprah saw us (really, she couldn't miss us) and then promptly returned with cupcakes.  Thank you, Gayle.  You're a good one.

Then, a few minutes later, the one and only Oprah arrived.  She slowed a bit, saw the signs and entered the garage.  We didn't cause a scene because we wanted to respect her and her influence.  While all of this was happening, one of our board members was invited inside by a security guard he had befriended earlier.  Basically, he was told that Oprah and her producers were interested.  After a few more minutes, she came out herself in her bright orange jumpsuit (girl, work!) and invited the filmmakers in.  They were escorted to a board room and within moments, Oprah Winfrey had cut the first segment of her show and dedicated ten minutes to Invisible Children and the Rescue.

The rest was like a dream.  We stood there as Oprah said "Everyone within the sound of my voice, go to invisiblechildren.com."  Most of the roadies were weeping.  I still cannot believe that because of persistence, willingness to dream, creativity, and hard work, we got one of the most powerful people on earth to dedicate her time and resources to this amazing cause.  Here is the clip of our segment (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2jFISVUXxc&feature=related).

This is absolutely the most incredible thing I have ever been a part of in my short life.  Our website crashed 5 minutes after this segment because so many people visited the website.  This is only the beginning.  This organization is exploding right now and the exciting thing about that is that it means awareness is finally being raised to the atrocities being committed against innocent people.  This war WILL end and I will get to say that I was a part of it.  Lobby Days is next in June and I will be there, ready to keep fighting.

After we were rescued, we all drove back to San Diego.  I got to spend a couple of amazing days with my team as we drive back.  They are truly three of my favorite people on the planet and it is going to be so strange not living in a van with them anymore.  As all of the other teams arrived, we began a week of work and debriefing.  We went to a Padres game, had a day at the beach, a bonfire, two massive parties, and shared laughs, tears, stories, and life lessons.

I have never encountered people like this and I am so excited to continue to work for this organization this summer.  It will be more hard work, but it is so worth it.  I have learned so much from this experience.  I could never type it all out.  God has been so gracious to me in these unique circumstances and has taught me remarkable things about acting out the love that I profess, even when I don't feel like it.  He taught me how to extend grace to others and receive it as well.  I have made friends for life and I have lived fully.

As this chapter ends, I am so looking forward to a few weeks of rest with family and friends to recharge for the 2-month summer tour.  I hope this is not a peak in my life, but only the beginning of great things; not so I will be known as great, but so that I can continue to strive towards the ultimate purpose of loving every single person with whom I come in contact.  The mission to spread light to a darkening world is difficult and not glamorous, but it is the only thing I feel equipped for and the only thing I want to do.

A wise man named Dr. Seuss once said, "Don't cry because it's over.  Smile because it happened."  Another wise man named Henry David Thoreau said, "Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes."

I think they are both right.  I will forever smile when I think about this experience and the friends I have spanning the globe, all trying their best to fight darkness with the light of decency, love, and justice.

With Hope,

Brandon

The End of a Chapter

I am sitting on a couch in Minnesota, eating dinner and finishing last minute preparations for what will inevitably be one of the biggest days of my life.  Tomorrow is The Rescue.  I will wake up in the morning and head to our site, set up a bunch of tables and tents and equipment and wait with thousands of others who have abducted themselves to be rescued.  Then, I will set out to be a Rescue Rider and wait with other cities to be rescued until every single city has been rescued.

The massive nature of this event is just now kind of hitting me...but not really.  I firmly believe with all of my heart that this event could be the catalyst to finally ending the longest-running war in Africa.  I believe that the impact of tens of thousands of people uniting all around the world for peace and justice will have a massive ripple effect on the world for generations to come.  And I get to be a part of this.  I am honored and humbled and overwhelmed.  

To think that this journey is drawing to a close is a strange sensation.  It is all I have known for the past four months.  I have completely devoted my entire life to this cause...and now it is nearing its end.  I have met so many incredible people that I could never do justice in trying to explain.  They have motivated, inspired, encouraged, refreshed, challenged, and most importantly, loved me, even though I was a stranger.  That kind of experience occurred over and over again in every new city.  And we went to a lot of cities!  What a beautiful chapter in the history of my life.

I have also become closer than I thought humanly possible to the three beautiful people I shared a van with.  Heather, Andre, and Tessa are and will forever be a part of my dysfunctional Middle America family.  I owe these three people more than I could ever give to them.  I cannot imagine how different life will be not spending 24 hours a day with them.  We'll see, I guess.

As this event is upon us, there are incredible hurdles being thrown our way.  Team Mexico is dealing with forces so much greater than us.  There is an epidemic of a form of flu that is killing people and all of Mexico City is being evacuated.  Needless to say, the Mexico City event has been cancelled.  Please keep them in your prayers.  Smaller things that still have major impact are also popping up, as they tend to do with events like these.  We all need your prayers and positive thoughts more than ever before.  This event is bigger than a nonprofit.  It is bigger than charity.  It is about the fact that if even one person is being enslaved, abducted, or massacred, then we all are.  This is about humanity.  

With Hope,

Brandon