9-16-92

Today is a very special day. Some of you may not know why. I mean, it's just another day right? Not to me. For seven years, this day has meant more to me than other days. Here's why.

On this day (September 16th) eighteen years ago, a boy was born in Texas. He was just like any other child. His mother and father named him Nicholas. He had two older brothers to look after him, and a family that loved him. His father was a preacher and musician, so Nicholas was raised in good faith and music. By the time he was two, Nicholas was standing on a table outside his apartment and singing his heart out. Maybe he was born to be a performer. Music was just part of him.

In 2000, Nicholas was on Broadway. He was performing in show after show and he loved it. In 2003 he was in "Les Miserables" as Gavroche, and he said he would be back one day to play Marius. He started a singing career and formed a very successful band with his brothers. It seemed that everything was perfect, but it wasn't. Nicholas started to get very sick. He was losing weight, drinking way to much water, and he was really irritable. His parents took him to the doctor to find out what was wrong with him.

Nick Jonas was diagnosed with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes in November of 2005. He was 13 years old. He was scared; he wondered if he would die. He was kept in the hospital for a few days to make sure he was okay and so he could learn how to manage his blood sugar. The day he got out of the hospital, he played a show. That night he decided he wasn't going to let this disease slow him down.

Since being diagnosed, Nick has had multiple platinum albums and tours with his brothers, a solo project resulting in an album and his own tour, several movies, a T.V. show, and was Marius in the 2010 production of "Les Miserables" in London. He started a charity with his brothers and teamed up with Bayer to help kids. He hasn't let diabetes slow him down, and more importantly, he's encouraged kids all over the world to live their dreams. He has inspired more people than he knows. Earlier this month, Nick met a girl with Cerebral Palsy who underwent physical therapy to learn to walk. Her motivation for walking was simply to hug Nick. She wanted to be able to walk up to her hero.

I love this day because 18 years ago, a hero was born. An extremely talented, sweet boy who has changed millions of lives. I'm proud to call myself a fan of his. I'm proud to say I've been to 3 Jonas Brothers concerts and 1 Nick Jonas and the Administration show. I'm not gonna lie, I probably have 100 posters of him from those teen magazines, and a really old poster from "It's About Time" over my piano along with a very recent poster from Camp Rock 2. When things get frustrating or difficult, I think about everything Nick has overcome, and I push on.

What I really want to say is, Happy birthday Nick. You are truly amazing, and I'm so proud of you. Keep changing lives and making music. I love you.

-MMN

VMA's 2010 a.k.a. The year NOTHING happened.

So, as everyone knows, the MTV Video Music Awards were last night, and they were a little disappointing. There were no scandals, no fights. It was really quite boring. It was like a regular award show.

The show opened with Eminem and Rihanna singing "Love the Way You Lie", and ending their performance by giving each other a big hug. Eminem then had to leave because he has a performance in New York today. He won several awards, but wasn't there to accept them.

Justin Bieber pulled up and was chased to the stage by a pack of teenage girls. (Big Surprise) He performed "Baby" and "Somebody to Love". He attempted to play the drums and dropped his drum stick. A popular youtube web show "What The Buck" had a message for Justin: "Step away from the drums! You sir are no Nick Jonas." A statement I couldn't help but agree with. (You can watch his recap HERE) Justin won the "Best new artist" award and was all ready to accept it, but seemed to have some trouble finding the stage. He walked around for a minute looking all around him for the stairs, but he did finally make it up to accept his moon man.

New developments in the never ending Taylor Swift/Kanye West war have fans of Taylor out raged. Both stars had very different performances last night, starting with Taylor. Her performance went as well as can be expected. It was a slower ballad of a song off her new CD. The song "Still an Innocent" was very possibly directed at Kanye as a "forgiveness song" with lines like "Who you are is not what you did, you're still an innocent". Then Kanye took the stage suggesting we have "Toast to the scumbags". His song that was so NOT was Taylor was singing about started a whole new round of insults to Kanye. Will this constant battle ever end?

The big award of the night "Video of the Year" went to a rather interestingly dressed Lady GaGa. She was wearing a dress that looked to be made of meat, with a matching purse and hat. In the moments before the winner was announced, GaGa was looking ill and I was worried about her heart. When Cher (in a stranger outfit then GaGa's) announced that "Bad Romance" had won, GaGa took the stage with her head held high. She took her moon man and handed Cher her purse, starting her speech with "I never thought I would be asking Cher to hold my meat purse." She was crying and explaining that she was so scared she would let her fans down and she was so proud to have all her little monsters. Through all her tears of joy (and possibly fear) she managed to keep her promise to announce the title of her new album "Born This Way" and sing a very strong a capella performance of the title track. She proudly sang "I'm beautiful in my way, cuz God makes no mistakes. I'm on the right track, baby I was born this way."

On a more interesting note, Lady GaGa's dates (there were 4 of them!) were all lovely people affected by the Don't Ask, Don't Tell ruling in Cali. GaGa walked the carpet with David Hall, (former Air Force Sgt.) Mike Almy, (former Air Force Major) Stacy Vasquez, (former Army Sgt. First Class) and Katie Miller (former West Point cadet) around her.

In these few short paragraphs I have covered everything even close to a scandal. Congratulations Chelsea, you tamed the wild award show. Congratulations to all the winners.
My favorite part of the night was when GaGa sang "Born This Way". What was yours?

I'm out. <3 -MMN

I just love new artists...

So people, you may remember a post I did a while back about undiscovered talent. Well I am very happy to tell you guys that one of the people in that post (Jasontyler!!) has some new songs up on his myspace that are fantastic. Jason is in college for now but hoping to go out on tour to share his music with everyone. So, go listen to it, comment him and tell him what you think, and help promote him by passing it along to your friends.

(You can listen to his songs HERE and tweet him HERE)

I'm out guys. Peace and love. -MMN

Taylor, I'ma let you finish, but Eminem just stole all your nominations.

Yes folks, it's that time of year again. The MTV Video Music Awards are this Sunday and the nominations are a bit of a shocker. Let's jump in shall we?
(To see all the Nominees, performers, and presenters click HERE.)

The nominations include Katy Perry, Ke$ha, and Beyonce, no surprise there. Eminem is the leading male this year, his new video "Not Afraid" picked up 8 nominations, including "Video of the Year". Lady GaGa, however, is leading the pack with 11 nominations for her "Telephone" and "Bad Romance" videos. In a few circumstances both videos have been nominated for the same award. It's pretty safe to say that all three of these videos will come out with at least 1 award.

But wait a minute, something is missing. Two things actually, but what...? Oh yes, a rather tall, blonde girl and a rather short, young boy. Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber.

Taylor Swift, you know, that girl with so many Grammys she can break a few? That girl with the best selling album of 2009? That album that was released in 2008 and is STILL winning her new awards? Maybe you know her best from last years VMA's when Kanye West volunteered his opinion on her first (and last?) VMA award. Yes her. She has only 1 nomination this time around. Her video for "Fifteen" is up for "Female Video of the Year", the same award her "You Belong With Me" video was up for last year. Recipe for catastrophe? We'll see.

And Justin Bieber, the latest teen sensation, only picked up one nomination. For "Best New Artist" his video for "Baby" has been nominated. He has some tough competition, though. Other noms are Ke$ha, Nicki Minaj, Jason Derulo, and Broken Bells.

Besides the awards, there are all the performances. Some of this years performers are: Eminem, Kanye West, Usher, Paramore, Travie McCoy, Justin Bieber, Mary J. Blige, B.o.B, and Jason Derulo.

Are The Jonas Brothers Finally Fading?

Where are all my Fan-Girls suffering from OJD? (Obsessive Jonas Disorder) Yes, you know who you are. You are currently the minority of fan girls. Could it be that this "Jonas Obsession" is finally dying out? Can it be true that girls are taking down their hundreds of Jonas posters? Yes. It can be true. And what do you suppose these girls are replacing the Jonas Brothers with? None other then Usher's kid-off-the-Canadian-streets Justin Bieber.

Back in 2007, when the Jonas boys were putting out their second CD and becoming the most popular thing on the planet since NSYNC, no one thought they would last long. Just another boy band, they get their 15 minutes and then they go back to the obscurity they came from. When their 15 minutes were up and they were still the most popular thing on the planet, people began to worry. Many parents began asking questions like "Why are they still here?" and "Do we really have to go to a third concert?", and although they were complaining, we all knew that they were really thinking things like "Thank God it's not Eminem" and "I remember these days. I wonder where my record player is."

I remember standing in my kitchen one evening while my mom was reading me an article on the computer about how long the Jonas Brothers were supposed to have left in the spotlight. I believe the guess was until spring of 2008. Well he was...uhm...close? The fact of the matter is, The Jonas Brothers have been on borrowed time for the last two and a half years. It's sad that they must go. I really do have quite the attachment to them. (Not that I plan on getting rid of my posters or the several large tour books I have displayed around my room.)

In the last 5 years The Jonas Brothers have managed 4 albums, 2 TV movies, a Disney mini series, 2 concert movies, a spot in the second "Night at the Museum", their own TV series, several guest appearances on talk shows, (not to mention Nick pursuing his own solo career) and countless celebrity girlfriends. (They're only countless because so many of them were denied...Nick) And after all of that, all the fan loyalty, all the fights with the boys at school about whether they were gay or not, (admitting to a girlfriend could have helped you there Nick.) It's all over. Teenage girls everywhere are finally getting sick of them. Shocking I know, but to quote a Death Cab for Cutie song "Oh darling understand, That everything, everything ends."

Their recent TV series "JONAS" crashed and burned. At the end of it's first season the numbers were dismal. And what does Disney do when something is dismal? Put a smile on it so they can make more money. They created a spin-off series called "JONAS LA" and after the first episode premiere, Disney is still smelling smoke. Justin Bieber may be stealing all their viewers. I'm sure they are trying to come up with a way to get him his own Disney show.

So in the end, Justin Bieber trumps Jonas every time. Are you okay with it? Or are you beginning to long for the days when you couldn't walk out side your door with out seeing the face of Nick, Kevin or Joe?

American Idol Begins A New Chapter

American Idol is about to start it's 10th year on television and to celebrate they have released some information about this years audition. They have lowered the minimum auditioning age to 15 years old.

As time and music go on, artists are getting younger. American Idol changed the age requirements in order to have a wider range of talent. By allowing people 15 years of age to audition they have made it possible to "tap into" younger talent. Auditions kick off Saturday, July 19 in Nashville for ages 15 to 28. You can see a full list of audition stops here.

However, the present Idols are still hard at work getting ready for their summer tour kicking off July first. They began dress rehearsals yesterday (and no, Aaron Kelly is not taking his shirt off during "I'm a slave 4 U" or wrestling a python).

Life Goes On

You want to know what I love most about country Music? Carrie Underwood. However, That is not what I'm talking about today. You want to know what I love most about country Music stars? Their lives don't stop because their famous. They get married, they have kids, they record an album every now and then, but LIFE GOES ON.

Do you ever feel like everyone famous is just frozen in time forever? Maybe they are. I was watching the CMT Music Awards the other night, and I saw Hayden Panettiere sitting next to Carrie Underwood. I started thinking, Carrie is getting married. She won American Idol about 5 years ago. She's just going on with her life, but Hayden, Who was already sort of famous, started on a hit T.V. show as a main character at about the same time, and she's exactly the same. Don't get me wrong, I love Hayden Panettiere.

Then Blake Shelton got on stage and started talking about his new album, and then about his upcoming wedding to another of favorite country girls, Miranda Lambert. I must say, I cannot wait to see pictures. But it's just another example, if you're a country star, your life doesn't just stop because you're famous.

I don't know why. I really don't. It could be that country isn't as popular. It could be that the stars themselves are smarter. It could be that country stars are older. I don't know, but I wish that all famous persons could behave this way. Because whether you're getting married and going on with your life, or you're frozen under your stage light, life will go on, with or without you. Enjoy the ride.

You hear what I'm saying, but do you understand it?

Okay, so. If you're really smart and really famous and your brother is getting married and your other brother never really did much but look pretty, is it time to go out on your own? Nick Jonas seemed to think so. His new solo CD "Who I Am" is really good. It's very different then the poppy, energetic music that we're so used to hearing from him. My worry about this all-grown-up sound is that not only is the music different, the lyrics and themes of the songs are very serious. The first song "Rose Garden" starts "She was brought into this world by a beautiful mistake, when her mom was just a girl and her daddy didn't stay". The CD is full of songs with pretty powerful messages, but are his fans picking up on them? He is after all, only 17 years old. His target audience seems to be much older then the pre-teen, boy band obsessed fans he picked up with The Jonas Brothers. They may know all the words, but do they understand? And more importantly, does he care?

What do you do when you've already done everything?

So you're 5'10, 20 years old, long blond curly hair, a love for sparkly dresses, and rose to the top of the music world very quickly. Taylor Swift has already won the CMA "Entertainer of the Year", won at the VMA's, been publicly slammed by a fellow performer, won big at the Grammys, and broken an award. She has basically gotten an award on every award show ever created. Anyone open "Rolling Stone" lately? Her album "Fearless" from 2008 is still at the top of the top 40 albums. Now I love Taylor, but really how many times can you make that shocked "OMG-thankyousomuch-ThisIsSoUnexpected!" face? Especially if you have already won EVERYTHING. You would think she would have stopped being surprised. In fact, you would expect her to be getting bored by now. Between shattering boy's hearts and writing songs about it, her album went platinum. She has already hugged Faith Hill, sung with Miley Cyrus, dated a Jonas Brother, what else is there? What is she going to do next now that she has done everything? Will she be forced into obscurity because there is nothing more for her to do? Or will she just continue to bounce around the top of the top 40 until they invent something new for her to win? I'm not even sure if I should wish her luck or not because I just don't know what's left. What I do know: The first single off Taylor's new album is due out late summer. Until then she has a new movie opening tomorrow called Valentine's Day. I'll be seeing it, will you?

Talents Beyond Hollywood

So it's not news that there are plenty of talented people on the internet. Most of them on youtube and myspace slowly working up a fan base. We all see these people, some even like them, but how often do you, say, tell a friend? Or post a link on your social networking site? Not very often I'm guessing. I know there are a few people who are very serious about these "smaller" people, they have seen every video, heard every song, and even told all of their friends about these people so many times they groan when they hear someone's name, but this group of people is very small. So my goal is to introduce you to some of my favorite people from youtube and myspace. I am even going to step outside of music for a moment to tell you about a few actresses. Are you ready? They are.

Brittani Louise Taylor is an actress that lives in California. She has tons of friends who are actors as well. She has two youtube channel's one for her and one for her imaginary friend Rhonda. Rhonda is a life coach who may or may not be on an illegal substance, although I'm fairly certain she just acts like it. I love her because she always reminds people to be themselves. She is funny but has a good sense of life. Her youtube channels are here: www.youtube.com/brittanilouisetaylor and www.youtube.com/rhondaanthonytanner

Another actress I am a big fan of is Lawrasaur. She lives in Florida. Besides her youtube channel she has a facebook page called "Skinny is NOT Perfection" devoted to the idea that girls don't have to be super skinny to be beautiful. Her videos are full of inspiration and jokes. You can check her youtube here: www.youtube.com/lawrasaur

As always, musicians are my favorite topic. This next person can sing, write and play guitar. Jasontyler lives in Florida and his deep lyrics are inspiring for so many reasons. He is the singer for his own band. He uses myspace to show off his talent, which is abundant. He may be just a seventeen year old kid, but he has the skills to be a great musician. You can check out his myspace, as well as his band's here: www.myspace.com/jasontylerxx www.myspace.com/jaydenfl

Of course I must mention the lovely Sarah Daniels. This Lady GaGa lover who does covers of songs on her youtube was recently featured in a commercial for the Grammys. She works at Disney and Universal studios and names all of her instruments. She has a personality that is instantly lovable. You can see her sing here: www.youtube.com/officialsarahdaniels

Last but of course not least, is Lost Cassette Tapes. His name? Cameron Fox. His thing? MUSIC. He's a musician on myspace and youtube. He writes his songs whenever he's inspired and then records them to share with the world. You can check out his myspace and youtube accounts here: www.myspace.com/lostcassettetapes www.youtube.com/lostcassettetapes

So they're all very talented, yes. But the coolest thing about them is definitely that they are all just people. People doing what they love, and are good at. So it's up to you. Will they make it? No one knows. Are you going to help them try? I know I am. Tell your friends, your family, co workers, and random people you meet at the grocery store. Every time you listen to a song or watch a video and every time you tell someone about these people it helps. Please don't just think of them as singers or actresses, talk to them. Send them messages and comments, show them love. Thank you for reading and thank you for giving these people a chance. I hope you enjoy them. Remember, there's plenty more where they came from.

Pop Stars, Haters, and Justin Bieber.

Okay, so you may or may not know Justin Bieber is one of the most popular teen artists in the music world right now, and like many other stars before him, Justin has has haters. I know what you're thinking, "Oh haters, what else is new?" I thought the same thing when I saw the J-14 article on his "Nasty Haters". Now, of course, I was expecting the usual "his voice sucks" and "he sounds like a girl" like so many people say about anyone getting attention for their talent, but what I wasn't prepared for was the really very scary things people have to say, all sorts of death threats and rumors of things like Justin committing suicide. It really got me thinking about the reasons behind these people's hostility.

Now obviously, Justin isn't dead, and he didn't fake breaking his foot, but most importantly, in the middle of all the hate, he isn't fighting back. I'm sure the slams on his music, voice, and him himself get a little old, and certainly frustrating, but he never feels the need to stand up for himself. Really, why would you when you have so many adoring fans, hit songs, and you're currently living your dream every day.

So, why do people hate on Justin Bieber and other people like Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, and Taylor Swift? Because these people are doing something with their talents. People who haven't discovered their talent, and people who don't know how to follow their dreams choose to destroy people who can. It's not right, and they shouldn't do it. Hating isn't going to change anything. For example, Justin has millions of fans all over the world. Telling people you don't like him won't change that. Just guessing, but Justin doesn't probably doesn't like his haters much either, and he isn't telling the world that their voices are terrible.