"A 'Movie' Worth Listening"
[Music || Shane Nicholson, "Day In The Sun"]
Tonight, it was Shane Nicholson at Borders @ Union Square! It was hot even though Shane had a cold. His music live was just as awesome as those 1:30 minute clips proved. Actually, it was even BETTER! The sucky thing was the audience turn-out sucked and there should've been massive promotion of the event. He was great! The night was also full of racy shots of his low-rise jeans creeping on the down low!

Zoraida and I became his best buds when we got a pic with him! I had my windshield wiper pose on! :( He looked stoned cuz he was sick, so hopefully he gets better. I hope to see him perform live again.. perhaps in LA? (I told him he should go to LA! Also, I asked him if he liked Delta Goodrem... he was iffy on that. :) Z asked if he liked Silverchair and he's friends with them!) He's an amazing singer, songwriter, and guitarist! AWESOME music, AWESOME show, AWESOME artist.

So... all in all, everybody go out and buy Shane Nicholson's album "It's A Movie" because it's ACE!

Sorry, ASU group members but I planned tonight for quite some time... so I couldn't devote tonight to helping you guys out. To compensate, I put in some hours at noon.

"Edf is too hood!"
[Music || Monica, "Ain't Gonna Cry No More"]
Shout out to Eric: Thanks for sending me Monica's album "After The Storm"! It rocks my socks though I would've never spent money on it. :-( J/k. New Monica!

Also, I didn't ditch class today for Corrs tickets (though I should've since we weren't doing much in there). I got back to my computer 20 minutes later and bought the "Best Available" tickets. That's 2nd Row, VIP, as close as you can get (besides 1st Row).. but the catch is, it's all the way to the Far right. Oh well, it's close and it's gonna be awesome!

I'm so excited.. I was listening to The Corrs' "MTV Unplugged" today and it rocked!

"'April Wilkner: The Next Top Role 'Model'"
[Music || Jessica Simpson, "Part Of Your World"]
Edited Version

Unedited/Writer's Cut Below
“April Wilkner: The Next Top Role ‘Model’”
By Kenneth Huang

Sex appeal. Intelligence. Determination. Twenty-three-year-old April Wilkner has it all and she strives to represent girls of all ethnicities once she makes it on her own to be the top Asian American model.

Strutting her confidence on the catwalk and working the camera lens into her submission, the radiant former businesswoman was not overlooked on her first professional modeling excursion on UPN’s second season of “America’s Next Top Model.” Of the 12 wannabe hopefuls, Wilkner was the most determined to win the competition using what’s in her head, working on the advice the judges gave her instead of solely relying on her physical attributes. For example, while the other girls slacked off for an acting presentation the following day, Wilkner studied the provided script all night and conjured herself to cry on cue, easily winning the mini contest. Although each week her stunning portfolio shots brought the judges, including supermodel Tyra Banks, to an eyegasm, the ever-professional Wilkner was criticized for her lack of a giddy and bubbling rah-rah personality. Wilkner fell short of the crown, lasting until episode before the season finale, and placed a respectable fourth.

Despite losing the competition, Wilkner accomplished something much greater; she became a role model for viewers of all ethnicities because she firmly stood her ground and never allowed the judges to pigeonhole her as “The Token Asian Girl.” Former supermodel and judge Janice Dickinson was appalled that the part Irish, German, Scottish, Welsh and half-Japanese American Wilkner would not simply categorize herself based on her facial features as an Asian model so it would be easier to market. Wilkner stayed true to all parts of herself and wanted to represent not only Asian American girls, but girls from all backgrounds as well.

Smart, headstrong, confident, and beautiful both inside and out, Wilkner is an inspiration to me. Typically, Asian parents tell their children the entertainment business is risky and they should stick to more solid job markets; it took guts for Wilkner to sideline her business career, reach for her goals, and make her modeling dreams a reality on her terms. Being the only contestant with Asian blood, she wasn’t intimidated by the big bosom blondes. Instead, as weeks gradually rolled by, Wilkner, with her stunning photos and fixated lust for the win, was viewed as the other contestants’ largest threat. Eventual “Top Model” winner Yoanna House went as far as to sharpen her claws and talk behind Wilkner’s back; House painted a distorted image of Wilkner to the behind-the-scenes cameras, inferring that the leading Wilkner only wanted to win the competition for the sake of not losing.

Wilkner didn’t let the judges or contestants’ views hold her down, a characteristic I highly admire in her. When I imagine myself possibly stepping into the entertainment business in the future, I want to embody Wilkner’s confidence and will. She showed me that no one is able to categorize me into something I don’t want to be. If I’m the minority in the field, it doesn’t mean I must conform and be pushed over. Instead, I should strut my beliefs and work it, even if close-minded people have a problem with that.

It doesn’t matter what your ethnicity is as long as you have a dream and a roaring fire in your belly for success. It may sound cliché, but I am going to step out and make it on my terms. Just like Wilkner, America’s next top role model.

"The Stepford Wives: Make one."
[Music || Tamyra Gray, "Raindrops Will Fall"]
The full trailer for "The Stepford Wives" looks good. From the get-go, this was already my most anticipated movie of the year. I can now sigh a breath of relief that the trailer did not disappoint. (The iffy teaser trailer is another story)

The release date scheduled right now is June 11.

Rumors had it that the movie was part musical... the trailer doesn't indicate it but who knows? Word has it there will be a soundtrack which includes songs from its stars Faith Hill and Bette Midler.

Watch the FULL trailer (at the bottom of the page)

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Roger Bart, Glenn Close, Faith Hill, Bette Midler, Christopher Walken, Mike White, Lisa Masters, Jon Lovitz
Official site (<-- has ugly wallpapers!)