Show to Watch: 1 Girl 5 Gays

Greetings Live.Laugh.Love. Readers! 

First off, thanks so much for the recent Twitter follows, feedback, and support for our blog. Jackie and I are really proud of what we have so far, and we are continuing to find ways for improvement, brainstorming new ideas and stories to bring forth to you all! 

Reality TV may seem like it has run its course. Yet, reality programming continues to dominate television broadcasting and programming. Though honestly, Reality TV tends to be more of a construction of reality rather than reality itself. Luckily, MTV Canada has created a show that is both entertaining and refreshingly real. 

1 Girl 5 Gays is a half-hour program where MTV host, Aliya-Jasmine Sovani asks five gay men twenty questions about love and sex. The questions range from: 'Who Would You Do?', to turn-on's and/ or turn-off's, to dealing with death, and sex education - pretty much any topic you can imagine has graced this show.  

What makes 1 Girl 5 Gays one of my favorite shows is that it features real-everyday people, is unapologetic, offers unique perspectives, and ultimately talks about real life issues in a smart and funny way. Kudos to MTV Canada for creating this gem of a show. It truly makes me happy to see that shows where people engage in  intelligent, open, and entertaining conversation make it to air. 

The show was picked up in the US by LogoTV - where new episodes air Monday's at midnight/ 11 central. MTV Canada airs new episodes every Friday night at 11pm! 

1 Girl 5 Gays is also nominated for a 2011 NewNowNextAward in the 'TV You Betta Watch' category. It's real easy to vote; simply follow the link and vote for 1G5G! http://www.logotv.com/events/newnownext_awards/2011/categories/tv-you-better-watch/.

Also follow the show on Twitter - @1girl5gays

Are you a fan of the show?! Any other shows we should feature?! Leave a comment, or follow us on Twitter @sinemtekin @jackieopoku Whichever you choose, never forget to Live.Laugh.Love.

- Sinem Tekin

  

Music Spotlight: Jessie J

What's going on Live.Laugh.Love readers?! 


As you know, Jackie and I are always on the hunt for new music, and today we shine the spotlight on Jessie J. Some of you may already know about this insanely-talented, UK songstress! Well, if you don't - Jessie J, is definitely a British export you should get to know!


Real name, Jessica Cornish, this 22-year old from Essex, England, is all about empowerment and positivity - which, I must say is a breath of fresh air. Her first single, "Do It Like A Dude" may not have you initially convinced, but after surfing her YouTube channel, this girl can definitely sing! Not only are her vocals other-worldly, but she is also an incredible songwriter! At just 17, she wrote the emotional, vulnerable, and utterly beautiful song 'Big White Room'. What makes 'Big White Room' so moving, is that Jessie J wrote this song based on her experience of being hospitalized at 11-years old.  While in hospital, she shared a room with a young boy - who unfortunately passed away. Ultimately, Jessie states that "'Big White Room' is my comfort blanket, and I'm so happy that people can personalize the meaning of the song..." Have a listen, and let us know what you think: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKfzXq1gcG4&feature=relmfu


Before making it big, Jessie J spent the past few years songwriting for some heavy-hitters in the industry, like Chris Brown. However, her most notable songwriting mention, was contributing her own experiences to the hit song , "Party in the USA" performed by Miley Cyrus. In fact, Jessie J stated that she thought it was a joke, when she found out that the song reached number 1 on iTunes!


Lucky for us, Jessie J is no longer just a songwriter and YouTube sensation. She has scored a deal with Universal Music Group, and recently announced that her debut album, Who You Are, is to be released February 28 - a whole month early! 


Check out Jessie J's official website http://www.jessiejofficial.com/ 
Jessie J's YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/JessieJVEVO


Do you agree?! Any artists you would like to be featured on the blog? Leave a comment, or hit us up on twitter @jackieopoku and @sinemtekin

-Sinem Tekin

40th Annual Juno Awards

Environment Canada may have issued a major snowstorm to hit the Greater Toronto Area, but Canadian music lovers woke up yesterday morning to excitement to discover the nominees for this year's Juno Awards. Those of you unfamiliar with the Juno's, simply put, they are Canada's Music Awards. This year the Juno's celebrate their 40th anniversary. The awards show will be take place in Toronto, at the Air Canada Centre, Sunday March 27 on CTV. 

The list of nominees this year are quite diverse - some obvious, some surprises, and some snubs. However, Toronto-rapper Drake leads the pack with six nominations: Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, Single of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Rap Recording of the Year, and Juno Fan Choice Award. Drake is also hosting the festivities - seems only right seeing as the big show is in Toronto, no? 

Following with four nominations are: Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Hedley, Johnny Reid, and Justin Bieber. To celebrate 40 years, the Juno's have also decided to include a new category, Electronic Album of the Year. 

Aside from Drake, some of my personal favorite nominees include: Down With Webster  nominated for Group of the Year and Pop Album of the Year. Polaris-Prize winner Karkwa and Radio Radio both nominated for Francophone Album of the Year. Shad nominated for Rap Recording of the Year. All vying for Dance Recording of the Year are: Chromeo, Deadmau5, and Dragonnette (actually, this whole category is tough, as each of the nominees are pretty awesome). Lastly, Kardinal Offishall who is nominated for R&B/ Soul Recording of the Year - okay, since when is Kardinal an R&B artist... anyone?

Ultimately, despite some surprising choices, the overall list of nominees is impressive. As well, Down With Webster, Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Hedley, and Johnny Reid are the first set of performers announced to take the stage. Thus, to say the Juno's are going to be an entertaining show - is a safe bet. 

For the full list of nominees, head over to http://junoawards.ca/2011-juno-award-nominees/  

What do you think about this year's nominees? Who are some of your favourites? Will you watch the show? Let us know what you think! Leave a comment, or hit us up on twitter @jackieopoku and @sinemtekin

- Sinem Tekin

We're Back....

What's going on Live.Laugh.Love. readers?!?! 

Jackie and I realize that we have not been posting as regularly as we should, but we promise we have good reason!! We have been really busy attending various tapings, applying for grad school, and brainstorming stories and ideas to be featured on the blog! Stay tuned as we have some interesting artists to discuss - some you may or may not know, but should - and other cool places and people! 

Also, please feel free to hit us up with any cool artists and stories that we should be on the lookout for! Leave a comment on the blog, or hit us up on twitter @jackieopoku and @sinemtekin - and remember it may be winter, but never forget to Live.Laugh.Love.

- Sinem Tekin

Q and A with Veronica N.Davis -BLIND THIRST

Veronica N. Davis was born February 22, 1991, and is the youngest of four girls. She got started writing when she was 8 years old. She always knew she wanted to be a writer. She carried pen and paper with her everywhere she went. She wrote everything from poetry to fiction novels. She was born and raised in a small town 2 minutes outside of Chicago, Illinois, USA called Maywood. She is best known for her first novel BLIND THIRST [published Sept. 24, 2009].

Where did you get the inspiration?
I get it everywhere. Music, movies....I'm big fan of Linkin Park, Paramore, Evanescence. Ya know? The ones that really just...tell stories in their songs that can help mold a novel. It's a lot of them on my play-list for Blind Thirst. For the novel I'm working on now there's a lot of Robin Thicke, Lauryn Hill. When the genre changes, the artists change.

What should your audience except from the book?

A more realistic take on vampires. Hopefully they'll develop a connection to some (if not all) of the characters. Since it's my first novel, I'm hoping that people just enjoy it. Maybe they'll get a sense of how deep connections can go for family...for friends.

What is the difference between your book and the other vampire books out there?

I get that question a lot. I kind of answer it within other answers. One. It's more realistic. Two. It's written by a teen, therefore it is in the language of which a teen would use. Three. It's more comedy in it! There's some drama, but like...there are a lot of fun scenes I guess you can call them. Fun chapters.

How did the you start writing?

I started writing when I was 8 years old.  It was just something that kept me entertained. I always enjoyed creating a universe I could control. It played like a movie in my head and....I just....loved it.

What was the your favorite part of the book?
My favorite part of BLIND THIRST is actually the excerpt that is available on Xlibris. I guess that's why it's the excerpt, huh? Haha.

What was the hardest part to write in the book?
The ending because I was so sure I was writing a second one that I kept it open-ended....Turns out I'm not writing a second one. I figured I should put a conclusion on the net though. As a treat to my Team for all their hard work. But the end was so hard. But I've actually come to like the ending because since it IS open-ended, the reader gets to make their own assumptions. Which is pretty cool to me!

What did the you wish was different about the book?
Not a thing. It is what it is. It's written. I can't change it. So why would I want to? [smiles] It's my first novel. I know what I did wrong and what I did right....I wouldn't change a thing.

What are the your favorite authors/books?

My favorite authors are Dean Koontz and Nora Roberts/J.D Robb. I like pretty much all their books.

If the you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Hahaha. Oh my God. That's so random. That would definitely be the late singer Aaliyah though. Since I've already had dinner with Kat Graham. I absolutely love Aaliyah so...it would be her.

To order your copy , click below :















By: Jacqueline Opoku

O.U.C.H 2010 - DC Brings It Home

So You Think You Can Dance? ‘GeekFreaks’ Certainly Can!
‘GeekFreaks’, a dance group which is part of the Student Association at Durham College/UOIT’s (GTA) club H.E.R ‘Hip Hop in its Essence and Realness’, ended host university McMaster’s four year reign as Champions by winning O.U.C.H (Ontario Universities Competition for Hip Hop) on November 27, 2010. ‘GeekFreaks’ championship winning dance ‘Like a Boss’ combined old school tunes with current flavour to wow the capacity audience. In addition to winning the dance competition they also won ‘People’s Choice Award’ and ‘Best Mix’.

GeekFreaks’ 12 dancers - Majoire Santos; Jonny Wallace; Wayne Carrasco; Khaila Charr; Cindy Lam; Jason Cuison; JD Raymundo; Aaron Providence; Nakia LF; Fatima Mohammdi; Dominque Cole; and Peter Yoon brought the audience to their feet with their funky moves, smooth mixes and sly costumes. The group started in 2006 as friends practicing breakdancing, popping and locking and other moves. In 2008 they began to dance competitively all over the GTA and Durham Region. Only a year later they won their first competition at the biggest post-secondary dance competition in Ontario called the University Dance Challenge. They have won other competitions such as Humber Hype, Summer Jam and BAM. ‘GeekFreaks’ continued their success in various dance competitions and capped off an amazing 2010 with their impressive win at O.U.C.H.

As a Student Association club H.E.R. aim to inform and express the true essence of hip hop by holding events in the school community and would like to hold workshops and showcases to show that hip hop is more than just music – it is a positive lifestyle. As winners of O.U.C.H they now have the privilege of acting as hosts for the competition in 2011.

‘GeekFreaks’ can be contacted at:
geekfreakstv@gmail.com
www.geekfreakstv.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/geekfreakstv
www.twitter.com/geekfreakstv
www.youtube.com/geekfreakstv

By Jacqueline and Sinem

TAYLOR SWIFT AT MUCHMUSIC -TORONTO

She’s called the bestest, the greatest, the coolest because Taylor Swift is…fearless.

Taylor Swift came down to Toronto on Thursday November 4^th and what a memorable day it was. Taylor signed T-shirts, who just finished selling over 1 million of her title album “Speak Now” in its opening week, which hasn’t been done in the last 5 years than non other than lil Wayne. Fan of course camped all day outside for the chance to take and meet Taylor Swift.

She is called an artist, a role model, Grammy award winner, the greatest, the coolest, she is simply the best, she is Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift makes you believe that the only person that can make you happy is yourself. She has truly surprised me in her musical journey, her lyrics are advanced and mature and her songs are full with heartfelt emotions and full of great passion. She is able to connect with audiences in such a deep and intimate level and bare herself in such a truly genuine manner.

What I adore about Taylor is that she is a true artist, not afraid of following her beat of the drum, and doesn’t allow outside influences or pressures destroy what she believes in--­-she stays true to herself.  She is inspirational because she shows us her vulnerable side, creating songs that we can relate to, sharing a connection, and leaving us with an understanding that it’s ok to be you. An understanding that’s it ok to be different, unique, since she herself is too. She has all the traits of a great role model, good character, charm, sound mind and talent, all a refreshing change in the current music industry.

-By Jacqueline Opoku