VIDEO: Alicia Keys & Jack White Find "Another Way To Die"

Two of the most talented pop stars of our generation come together and magic is made. Exaggeration? Perhaps, but "Another Way To Die," the blues-rock theme for the new 007 film "Quantum Of Solace" is really thrilling. Redoing the classic theme as fuzzed-out guitars and a piano decoration while Jack White and Alicia Keys wail like blues divas at their finest is one way to get me to give a crap about the new film. I still don't care if I see it or not, but I may buy the single. Watch the desert-of-the-mind video below:

Reluctantly Enjoyed: Brandi Carlisle - "The Story"

Occasionally I rush to judgement on a song. Either I dislike the artist, so I don't give it chance; or at first glance it's doesn't seem like my kind of song. Sometimes, I judge too harshly and end up regretting it. Here is another song I Reluctantly Enjoyed.

I enjoy chick rock. I enjoy singer-songwriter chicks. I love Regina Spektor, Ingrid Michealsen and St. Vincent, like some of Feist's stuff and Reluctantly Enjoyed Cobie Callait's "Realize" So why didn't I like Brandi Carlisle?

Perhaps it was the over-hyped Grey's Anatomy music video for "The Story." I end up liking alot of the music they use on the show, but the idea of forcing us to connect a certain artist and song to a glorified commercial, instead of creating backdrops for the drama, seemed like an attempt to get veiwers to buy the soundtrack.

Maybe it was Brandi's interview as part of VH1's "You Oughta Know" series. She claimed that she wasn't dramatic, so she "allows my voice to be dramatic." Sister, if you have to tell me your voice is dramatic, it probably isn't. It's just weird.

Whatever reasons, I was underwhelmed. Until recently, when Vh1 put the video back in rotation (I don't know why) and my pop station at work upped the plays of the song. And this line just kept burning into my brain: "These stories don't mean anything when you've got no one to tell them to. Oh it's true, that I was made for you" That is why Brandi writes songs, and that is why I blog. I shouldn't have resisted the allure for so long, this song is genius. Listen here.

3.12 Live @ MCC Harrisburg

OK, back story: I met Deb at church shortly after I started attending MCC over the summer. She is super nice lady, and she complimented me on my glasses, which y'all should know is a easy way to get in my good graces! Turns out, she's a member of this really great trio called 3.12 and she invited me to one of their coffeehouse appearances a while back. I could only make it for a half-hour on my lunch break so when I heard of their Common Hope concert I knew I had to be there!

At the show Saturday night 3.12 really brought it all to the table: full band, two original songs and over a dozen covers of CCM, pop and Broadway tunes. Opening with a cover of Krystal Harris's "My Religion" before segueing into "Seasons Of Love" from Rent, Deb, David and Jason's polished and professional vocals were well-served by the addition of a band. Midway through the first set they really hit a high mark with a stunning version of Seal's "Love's Devine" featuring Jason on lead vocals over acoustic guitar and a tribal beat. The trio followed that with a southern gospel vamp on the modern standard "Bridge Over Troubled Water" before introducing their stellar band. A few songs later, including the original "Bold New Song," and the first set ended.

After the snack-filled intermission, during which time I picked a copy of 3.12's Christmas EP available at their website, the early highlights included a faithful cover of Sheryl Crow's "I Shall Believe" and hymn medley. The true standouts were a dramatic and moody piano ballad original "Not Afraid" and a really delightful variation on Avalon's massive 1998 hit "Testify to Love," which started with an acoustic guitar reminiscent of Wynonna's version for Touched By An Angel before veering into an arrangement similar to the hit version. Those two performances created a one-two punch that lead to the finale: my favorite gospel standard, "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" that truly exemplified 3.12's motto: "Healing Music For Wounded Souls." If you enjoy harmonious adult pop, you really should check out 3.12 at a coffeehouse near you.

Clay Aiken Comes Out!

It's what all the blogs have been buzzing about, ever since Perez Hilton leaked it earlier today: Clay Aiken, American Idol season two runner up, is People's cover boy, with his baby and his less-than-surprising admission. Clay Aiken is gay.

Many have assumed as much, but Clay himself has bull doggedly defended his right to keep the sexual part of his life a secret. While it may seem ridiculous to many that anyone would stay in the closet in this day and age of increased tolerance, I totally understand his hesitancy.

It was only a year and a half ago that I came out to my sister and some of my close friends. I was scared of what God thought, which is something a southern Christian like Clay would be worried about too. So many anxious thoughts: "Am I already going to hell, just pumping that gas?" "Even I think guys are hot but don't ever act on it, can I still go to heaven?" "What if I pretend to like girls and get married and everything, and finally tell myself the truth after it's too late? That would suck!" It takes a lot of soul searching to reconcile my truth with God's truth, and I think that's something Clay Aiken probably did.

The thing is, people have been assuming that Clay knew all along that he was gay, since the world kind of had him pegged from day one. And maybe he did, I don't know. But everyone in my circle knew before I did, back when I thought I was confused. And just because someone loves the theatre, disco, designer clothes and hair color; hates sports and outdoorsy things; and generally acts gay, doesn't mean they know they are. Their family might know it, but they won't pressure them to come out until they know it too. After all, my family loves me whether I'm gay, straight or a hot tranny mess. And I hope Clay has those kinds of friends and family in his life. He's gonna need them.

MAD TV: Ellen Kisses Girls, Likes It...

The folks at Mad TV don't always get their due. While SNL gets all the love, they quietly put out the best music video parodies. The Britney "Lick My Baby Back Behind" video is still genius! (I also dig the Dixie Chicks one.) This past weekend they outdid themselves, with a spot on parody of Ellen DeGeneres singing a parody of Katy Perry's #1 hit "I Kissed A Girl." Hilar!

Why I Love Fall...

Every third MySpace survey seems to ask "What is your favorite season?" and I always say "Fall!" Why? Well, let me tell you...

Fall is the time of year when you can curl up with a good book and a cup of hot cider or chocolate, while your hunky boyfriend wears half-zipped sweaters with nothing on underneath and bakes pumpkin-spice cookies. While the cookies cool off, the two of you take a walk in the sunny afternoon, leaves crunching under your feet as you laugh cause your scarf keeps tickling him when you kiss. In theory, this is what is great about fall.

In practice, none of that stuff has happened to me, so here is the real reasons I love fall:

FOOD! Besides the fresh pumpkin pies and apple-cranberry crisp that I always make for Thanksgiving, I also adore the local produce. "What?" you say, "Summer is the time to hit the farmer's market, not fall! Silly gay boy..." But in summer, do you have fresh pressed cider? What about huge apples and juicy pears, picked just hours before you arrived? And the beautiful pumpkins and gourds just waiting for you to take home and leave in a bowl to be decorative now, but you will really make into pumpkin pie later? Only you don't really, because seriously a can of Libby's is so much easier and smoother tasting? But the thought was there? Yeah, that's what I thought.

WEATHER! I hate to be hot, too bad I'm so smoking hawt that I raise the temperature of every room I'm in. Such a burden! But I'm not a big fan of freezing my nips off, either. So that leaves fall and spring weather to enjoy. But spring is so wet, and I can't wear canvas shoes for fear of soaked toes. Fall has the perfect temps, plus the gorgeous changing leaves in my favorite shades of orange, red and yellow. It's the only time of year I wish I was back in Potter County.

FASHION! (Put it all on me, don't you want to see these clothes on me?) Sorry, had a Montag Moment. I love fall because it's time for sweaters, sweater vests, light jackets, hoodies, scarves and hats. I hate shorts, I don't do ball caps and flip flops annoy me, so summer fashion is not my deal. And boots and heavy coats make my portly frame look even pudgier, so winter fashion is not for me, obvs! But fall is the time to throw a zip-up grey sweater over your polo and head out, or wrap a striped scarf around your neck for just a little warmth and a lot of style. And my wine-colored velveteen Dragonfly jacket with black hood (pictured at left) is fierceness personified. Ooh! I think I need this sweater right here.

So, that's why I love fall. Of course, if the opening scenario comes true, I'll like it even more...

The Killers Return With The Important Question: "Are We Human? Or Are We Dancer?"

This is from my pre-blog days, so y'all might not be aware: I fucking love The Killers' Hot Fuss. From, the dance-rock sound of "Somebody Told Me" to the brilliant synth masterpiece of "Mr. Brightside" with it's equally stunning video. So I am pleased to see the Vegas boys return to that New Wave-dusted sound after the disappointingly average heartland rocker Sam's Town. A new track is leaking on the web now, and it's a good one! "Human" sounds like the best track from the last disc, "Can You Read My Mind?" with a stronger eighties influence. It'll be gone really soon, I'm sure, so listen now while you can!

My Top Twenty: "Samson" - Regina Spektor

Song: "Samson"
Artist: Regina Spektor
Album: Begin To Hope
Year: 2006
Label: Sire
Highest Billboard Chart Position: Album Cut; Begin To Hope peaked at #19
Players: Regina Spektor - singer, songwriter, piano, co-producer; David Kahne - producer

Regina Spektor is probably crazy. She is most definitely Russian, quite probably lives in Brooklyn and is undoubtedly talented at songwriting.

I first learned of her existence through VH1, where I get a lot of my musical knowledge. "Fidelity" was a new video, and I was loving the black and white themed look, the oddly endearing vocals and the interviews in which she discussed being inspired by art and literature. I knew I needed to know this girl, find out what her music was all about. I bought Begin To Hope and have had it in heavy rotation on my car stereo ever since. It sits behind ABBA Gold and Relient K's Two Lefts Don't Make A Right... But Three Do as the longest continuous appearance in my car's CD wallet. Despite the obvious pop appeal of "Better" and "Fidelity," it was the gorgeous ballad "Samson" that had me hooked.

The lyrics of "Samson" owe a huge debt to Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" The genius re-writing of biblical story to tell a tale of heartbreak is very similar, I used both songs (the k.d. lang version of "Hallelujah") on Sweetest Downfall: A Broken Hearted Mix Tape. The mixtape's title comes from the line "You are my sweetest downfall/I loved you first" which opens the track over a simple piano. In the song, which also appears on Regina's out of print album Songs from 2002, Regina's strong voice weaves among the piano and a few strings, singing about Samson, whose hair she cut, who couldn't bring the columns down, remembering that "the history books forgot about us/and the Bible didn't mention us/not even once" Those lines stand in direct opposition to the grandiosity of "Us" a single from her major label debut Soviet Kitsch, in which she proclaims "they made a statue of us." This was a quieter love affair, one where Samson eats a slice of Wonder Bread and went back to bed.

The track was used in an episode of CSI:New York, and was an NPR "Song of The Day."

"The Remainder Of My Dreams"

In the world of music, dreams get their moment in the lyrical sun, not as much as love but more than dairy products. "Dream On" is one of the few Aerosmith songs I love, Disney has the market cornered with shit like "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes" and isn't every American Idol coronation song about dreams coming true? (Well, except "Inside Your Heaven," I have no idea what that is about, but it sounds dirty.)

We all have dreams. We all have goals, both impossible and attainable. But those who have given up, who no longer dream a little dream, those people make me sad. So, imagine the wheels that started turning when a box arrived at work yesterday.

This is a tiny box, just 7" x 11" x 4.5". Not nearly big enough to hold my dreams, but some sad stock room worker wrote "The Remainder Of My Dreams" on the side and mailed a scrub top to my store.

I understand the feeling of loss at working a crummy retail job instead of making your Broadway debut or becoming head chef at a 5-star restaurant. As a youth, I changed dream jobs like underwear. I wanted to be a fireman, then a pastor, then a missionary, then an actor, then a singer, then an author, then a director, then a fashion designer, then a bookstore owner. You won't find Assistant Manager listed there, that never entered my dreams.

But I still hold onto my dreams, I don't box them up and ship them postage due via UPS! I still want to start a family; to have six-pack abs; to write a novel; to write for Blender; to live in London; to sleep with Justin Timberlake; to be on Oprah discussing my novel, my love/hate relationship with Oxford commas, and sleeping with Justin. I doubt all of my dreams will come true, but a boy can still dream!

I'm sure I'm reading way too much into a note scrawled on the side of a cardboard box. Maybe so many of this person's dreams have come true, there is a only a tiny remainder. ("I already have twelve billion in savings, married a Backstreet Boy and just sold another screenplay. I just have to climb Everest and build a time machine, then all my dreams have come true.") Maybe it's a joke, one that I "had to be there" for. But it reminded me I still have a lot of dreams left to come true. Some day my prince will come, my ship will come in and I'll get a call from Oprah's people, but for now I'll just dream big.

Speaking of dreams, did I tell you I had one the other night where David Beckham wanted me to go down on him? And I turned him down, cause he has a wife and kids? Even in my dreams my morals get in the way! (He was fine as hell, though. As usual...)

Review: The Ting Tings - "We Started Nothing"

Think classic White Stripes with a chick singer. That raw, riveting bass 'n' drum kick, perfect for quick cuts in iPod commercials. With plenty of beats to spare, The Ting Tings don't really need anything else, right?

With various other alternative bands as influence, We Started Nothing reads like a greatest hits of college rock. Ripping off Nirvana for the guitar riff on the opening of the title track, Spoon for background vocals at the end of "That's Not My Name" and Chic (OK, not an alternative band!) for the beat on the VMA-nominated "Shut Up And Let Me Go" is a great way to keep me entertained, though. They should skip the attempts at slow jams like "Traffic Light" that quickly turn mawkish. But the album does have a couple of few funky-fresh tracks to throw on your next party play list.

Old-ish Product: Allison Moorer's "Mockingbird"

It seems I'm playing catch-up these days when it comes to cool new music. I heard a song about a mockingbird on the pop station at work over the weekend and I was instantly confused. "Why don't I know this song? This song is pretty damn cool." So I had to google that shit as soon as I got home.

I'm not sure this is the same song, I don't remember it having such a gospel-tinged country/jazz sound, but this title track off of Allison Moorer latest album a really nice classic Americana song, no relation to the Carly Simon song or the lullaby with the same name. The smooth sax solo is straight out of big sister Shelby Lynne's brillant Just A Little Lovin' disc, and the emotive vocals put Allison in the same league as the great American song-interpreters like Billie Holiday or Frank Sinatra.

Review: Cyndi Lauper - "Bring Ya To The Brink"

The last album I purchased by the irrepressible Ms. Cyndi Lauper was her heartbreakingly beautiful collection The Body Acoustic. So, what is the exact opposite? An electronic album, featuring some of the biggest names on the club scene behind the soundboard. Basement Jaxx, Kleerup and Dragonette all produced tracks, and the whole album was co-written by Cyndi herself.

With or without the big guns, Cyndi has created a diverse collection of club music. From the more mainstream club sounds of single "Into The Nightlife" to the urban-inspired "Lyfe" to the strange Latin fusion instrumentation of Basement Jaxx's "Rocking Chair" and the retro-disco of "Set Your Heart" Ms. Lauper creates an exciting blend of dance music.

Occasionally the beats swallow Cyndi's vocals, making it sound like a remix, not original techno music (notably "Grab A Hold.") It may not have the emotion-drenched lyrics of her hits like "Time After Time" but this a club friendly collection, perfect for getting asses on the floor.

New Ben Folds feat Regina Spektor - "You Don't Know Me"

Y'all know I love Regina Spektor, right? Begin To Hope is one of my favorite CDs and "Samson" is in my top 20 favorite songs of all time. So when I saw "You Don't Know Me" listed in a top 20 list at Fizzy Pop, I was all "New Regina Spektor! Why don't I know about this?" Turns out the song has been leaked for almost a month, and is even available on iTunes. Time to add the Soviet Kitsch-er to my Google Alerts!

"You Don't Know Me" is much more Ben than Regina, but I still like it. I've never been a big Ben Folds Five fan, so I don't know if this is Ben's usual sound, but it fits well with Regina Spektor's cutesy vibe. Despite the sweet sound, it's really a breakup song about a couple who don't really know each other. Sort of an "in love with love, not with me" song? Is that a song category? Anyway, here is the Regina-less video, directed and starring those obnoxious Adult Swim stars Tim & Eric:

Review: Santogold - "Santogold"

Despite her friendship with M.I.A. and the production by known M.I.A. associates like Diplo and Switch, there aren't that many similarities between Philly-based Santogold's sound and my girl Maya's. Which is just as well, since imitation is both the most sincere form of flattery AND pretty damn lazy.

Lead single (and Bud Light Lime jingle) "Creator" does have a M.I.A. vibe, with bizarre electronic noise and obnoxious vocals (that can only be described as the sound of dolphins being raped )opening the track. But the B-side, "L.E.S. Artistes" is a more subdued affair, which can only be classified as "indie rock" with a stunning bass line and soul-baring chorus. But the majority of Santogold's debut disc share more with Mark Ronson's retro-fetishing neo-soul (the two collaborated on a track for his 2007 album Version) and the B-52's breed of surf rock-inspired, party-friendly new wave. This is most evident on "Say Aha" with it's surf-rock-meets-dub guitars and hefty drum beat. Other standouts include "Lights Out" which features a bass line straight out of a John Hughes film soundtrack and "Anne" with it's conflicted spiritual chorus of "J-J-Jesus Pieces, rescue me, the more I try, the more it gets too complicated" and lo-fi electronic beat. A seriously thrilling debut!

Review: Katy Perry - "One Of The Boys"

At first glance, Katy Perry's One Of The Boys, with it's catchy choruses and snarky kiss-offs to ex boyfriends, seems like an power-pop version of Jagged Little Pill with an electronic sheen. Upon digging deeper, you find lyrics fixated on redefining gender roles, searching for spiritual answers and leaving a mark on the world. Plus catchy choruses and snarky kiss-offs...

But what about those gender-roles? Besides her hit "I Kissed A Girl" and it's exploration of girl-on-girl action, we find straight boys who act gay ("Ur So Gay") and "PMS like a bitch" ("Hot N Cold") tomboys who started "reading Seventeen and shaving my legs" to catch a man (the title song) all set to pop sounds that derives from the androgynous New Wave scene of the 1980s.

A former gospel singer, Katy does nod to her Evangelical heritage with a biblical reference in "Leaving My Fingerprints" and casts herself in the role of prodigal son on the lyrically sublime "Lost" which features my favorite lyric on the album: "Have you ever been so lost? Know the way and still so lost?" In that single moment, Katy places herself square in the shoes of the modern former churchgoer, who is confused about God, about her place in His plan. She wants to pray, but "am I just sending words into outer space?" We search for something to fill that void, but don't want the pain and guilt thrust upon us when we do seek a higher power.

Unfortunately, over production cause some of the songs to sink. "Lost" is a prime example, the lyrics are great, the melody serviceable, but the music bed is cluttered with too many instruments. Song doctors like Dr Luke, Max Martin and Dave Stewart produced and co-wrote a large portion of the album, creating hooky pop music that becomes somewhat repetitive in nature. However standouts like "Waking Up In Vegas" "I Kissed A Girl" and "Hot N Cold" make this a disc to pick up, and the breezy power-pop-meets-techno vibe makes it a serious party-starter.

VMA Breakdown: Snarking On Britney's Big Night!

Last night Britney won three MTV Video Music Awards, her first ever. Linkin Park, Chris Brown and Tokio Hotel also picked up moon men. But you know the awards always take a backseat to the performances, outfits and red carpet shenanigans.

Let's start with the arrivals. On any other award show, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus showing up together would be the biggest shocker. But no, Tokio Hotel shows up in a monster truck decorated with their own faces, T-Pain sets this circus down and Paramore shows up in little baby Smart Cars. Seriously, T-Pain on a elephant was far more insane than the Tokio Hotel stunt, no matter what MTV voters thought during the pre-show.Other than that, it was alot of the usual: Christina looked drag-y, Slipknot looked Slipknot-y and the the Jo Bros were super polite. They even told Sway to be safe in his helicopter overseeing the entrances. So cute!

But then the show starts! Britney and Superbad's Jonah Hill had a modestly humorous video bit, in which Jonah continually attempts to mack on the resurgent pop star. Then Britney walks out on stage, breezes through the teleprompted lines and opens the 25th Annual VMAs!

With that, Rihanna kicks off the show with a Thriller-inspired performance of current hit "Disturbia" with zombie dancers and a breakdown of The White Stripes' "Seven nation Army" and if I'm not mistaken, some "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of These)" synth lines. Despite the fact she can't really sing, she is truly a major pop force. This captivating performance was repeated when she guest on T.I's "Live Your Life" later in the evening.

Russell Brand made his entrance afterwards, being extremely funny in his opening monologue. He joked on his lack of US fame ("Without fame this haircut could look like mental illness." As if the two were mutually exclusive) and politics. The riff on Sarah Palin's daughter's baby daddy was priceless. "Use a condom or become a Republican." And I actually liked the Jo Bros/promise ring jokes. Mostly cause it gave Jordin Sparks a chance to call everybody a slut. Go girl!

During Jamie Foxx's obnoxious turn a presenter for the Best Female Video award, he made mention of giving it up for the ladies. Cut to a bored Zac Efron. Best camera cut all night!

Next The Jonas Brothers perform the follow-up single to "Burnin' Up" called "Lovebug." It's pretty awful, in that fake-Juno-soundtrack kind of way. But the screaming girls couldn't get enough!

The house band for this year's VMAs was DJ AM and Travis Barker. By house band, they mean maker of thirty-second snippets of music to play the commercials in and out. Katy Perry performed "Like A Virgin" with them and with two peels of her banana peel shoulder strap, she proved you don't need major stunts to create a fabulous performance. But alas, she only got a half-minute of screen time.

Yay! Zillion-time gold medalist (and male butterface) Micheal Phelps introducing his playlist king Lil' Wayne. Now, I'm not really a Lil' Wayne fan. But I've heard his Nina Simone sampling "Don't Get It" and was impressed. By the sample more than the song. So I was pleased to see brill pop diva Leona Lewis recreate Nina's legendary version of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" for Weezy's performance. But his ass hanging out of his britches was less legendary.

Ugh. The Pussycat Doll's "When I Grow Up" needs to go away now. It's not a song, it's a cacophony of horrible squelches and the fact that is was nominated, let alone won, is sad.

Ok, we have a couple of meh performances. Pink "rocked" her new single "So What" in a very safe rah-rah kind of way. Which is not to say I won't be love with this song at some point. It's just taking longer than usual for a Pink song to grow on me. But I don't know if it's her face, or her new hair, or what, but she looks weird. Oh, I got it! She looks like Jackie from Workout. Also, not a fan of this new T.I. joint "Whatever You Like" but I'm kinda feeling the Rihanna collabo, "Live Your Life." But as much as a love Paramore and "Misery Business" the way Russell totally telegraphed the big lame reveal during the performance was stupid.

But then we come to Christina Aguilera's performance! Her reworking of debut single "Genie In A Bottle", (which she was reportedly not satisfied with the original mix ten years ago) and the new single "Keeps Getting Better" both had a glossy euro-disco sound, similar to the Chris Brown/Ne-Yo/Rihanna sound we've been hearing lately. Actually, the new track sounds very much like UK sensation Sam Sparro's "Black And Gold" a major club hit across the pond. I'm very excited about this song, and I'm hoping the new version of "Genie" is the one slated to appear on Christina's greatest hits package coming out in November. I fucking love it!

Britney was so cool and sane in her first acceptance speech, and the I figured out why during the second one. She must have had a script, cause it was the same speech both times. But I'm just happy she's sane enough to remember to thank anybody! Welcome back Brit!

I hated Kid Rock's performance, except Lil' Wayne's killer outfit. I'm loving the vest!

Then Kanye closed the show! This new song, which surprisingly did not leak before his unveiling, was a strange funk-dirge with a killer drum line and old-school soul vocals vocoded over. It's called "Love Lockdown" and I'm think I love it.

So that was the VMAs! Maybe next year I'll get my act together and live-blog the thing. There is nothing better than snarking on shit as it goes down! But thanks to Rachel and Beth for live-texting with me. We snarked together from different zip codes.

From Frump To Fab In Under Four Years, Or; License To Thrill

I was a late bloomer, in more ways than one. I didn't get my driver's license until I was 21, I didn't come out of the closet (Well, officially. Everybody knew before I did...) until I was 23, I didn't go on a date until I was 24. Sad, right? Don't be sad for me, though. Everything in it's own time.

For example, I was reminded of just how much has changed for the better in the past four years. Besides getting a job that I excelled at, I learned how to be fabulous. Working out, eating just a little bit smarter and you drop fifty or so pounds. Realize that you can make people laugh, and you make more friends. Mix Goodwill finds and last-season looks from Marshall's and basics from Old Navy, Target or even (gasp!) Walmart with the occasional splurge (like a vest from Express or an amazing jacket by Dragonfly) and you have a look that makes salesgirls take note. Being fabulous is not as hard as it looks, but some people just have the extra something to pull it off effortlessly. Those people are me and Tyra Banks.

What prompted this strut down memory lane, this tale of my journey from Frump Boi to Fashion Star? Well, this:

This is what I looked like on my old Driver's License, in my jean jacket with a Family Guy pin on the lapel and in desperate need of a hair cut and better glasses. I tried, the sweater was from Target, my idea of the height of fashion at the time. It was better than the South Pole-wearing vanilla thug look I tried for a hot minute. A very sad little hot minute. Then I started watching "What Not To Wear" and paying attention to what made my body look good.

Today I had an interview with Barnes & Nobles, and of course I took care to wear the very best. My new Express sweater vest over a DKNY white button-down, black Old Navy pants and my Georgio Brutini shoes and black-and-white checkerboard socks. After the interview I had to renew my Driver's License. That is what fabulous looks like!

You can't really see any of the amazing clothes I'm wearing. But that's OK, you can see on my face just how fabulous I feel. And, kids, that's what fabulous is all about. If you feel it, you will rock your Walmart jeans and your SalvArm jacket. Your shoes may be worth five bucks, but you pair it with a million-dollar smile and you're golden. Oh, and my hair looks fierce! That helps...