Kara DioGuardi has a very impressive resume and certainly has the credentials to be a judge. She’s written songs for Kelly Clarkson, David Cook, Pussycat Dolls, Tom Jones, and Hannah Montana, just to name a few. The list of artists she’s written for and collaborated with is just way too long to list!

Learn more about Kara DioGuardi by visiting here MySpace page

I was turned onto the Black Eyed Peas when their single, Where is the love? first came out. Love the lyrics…

What’s wrong with the world, mama
People livin’ like they ain’t got no mamas
I think the whole world addicted to the drama
Only attracted to things that’ll bring you trauma
Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin’
In the USA, the big CIA
The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And when you hate then you’re bound to get irate, yeah
Madness is what you demonstrate
And that’s exactly how anger works and operates
Man, you gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love, y’all, y’all

(lyrics from Lyrics on Demand)

It was only a couple months ago that I was in the Gaslamp Quarter and took this picture during the construction of the Hard Rock, so I was pretty surprised to see it go up so fast!

The 12-story, 315,000-square-foot property features 420 suites, 40,000 square feet of unique indoor/outdoor meeting space, nightlife destinations created by Rande Gerber including the sultry lobby lounge, Sweetwater Saloon and rooftop respite, Moonstone, a Nobu restaurant by celebrated chef Nobu Matsuhisa, and the Hard Rock Hotel’s own signature comfort-chic coffee shop, Maryjane’s. Additionally, sweet-spot Pinkberry will offer its irresistible frozen yogurt served with the freshest toppings – a culinary concept with fanatics nationwide.

Check out the pictures from the opening below…

All the more reason for children to learn music at a young age!

I like what Tim Smith of Critical Mass has to say about this study:

“If only governments, local and federal, could ever fully grasp the significance of such findings. Maybe we could finally see the day when arts are as valued as sports, starting from the earliest school days. How promising that could make the prospect of all the next generations to come.”

Read more about the study over at Scientist Live…

Related Post:
Don’t Take Away the Music From the Children

“I can’t believe she would perform/ She hasn’t had a hit record in years,” he freestyled, sublimating the song’s true lyrics with his off-the-cuff rhymes. He then referred to last year’s VMA opener, Justin Timberlake, and rapped, “I gotta get my money right/ Or maybe I gotta get my skin white.” After the song died down, he joked — in a high-pitched voice — “That’s one angry black man.”

I used to admire Kanye West for the trials and tribulations on his journey to being a successful rap artist – including surviving a tragic car crash, but some of his actions as of late has caused me to think that perhaps he isn’t really all that humble. Well, I did like that statement he made about the president not liking black people, but other than that… Of course, that’s just my honest opinion. I know, I know, I shouldn’t be judging Kanye for speaking his mind…

I’m actually excited to see Britney Spears make a “comeback”. That woman has been to Hell and back. There are others who think she’s a “train wreck waiting to happen” and that’s just not fair. All that negativity is probably one of the reasons she had all those issues. I’m just for lifting up my fellow woman – not bringing her down.

Here’s a video of her rehearsing for tonight’s show…

I still haven’t quite pinpointed the allure of Justin Timberlake. Perhaps it’s his down-to-earth, boy-next-door look and attitude or maybe it’s the way he moves on the dance floor. All I know is that he makes grown women giddy with excitement whenever his songs comes on the radio. Yes, I would be talking about myself

Justin Timberlake is an artist in the purest sense of the word. You can tell that he loves what he does. Maybe it’s that passion that makes him so attractive… Check out this video clip of an interview with him and his team of “creative minds”.

Buy the album! FutureSex / LoveSounds

As much as I love the idea of being able to carry music in my pocket, I still prefer to listen to Cds. I don’t really know why – but I did come across this article over SFGate.com which talks about the quality of mp3s and how our brain processes this music that we listen to.

Here’s what Dr. Robert Sweetow of the UCSF audiology department says:

“Poorer-fidelity music stimulates the brain in different ways. With different neurons, perhaps lesser neurons, stimulated, there are fewer cortical neurons connected back to the limbic system, where the emotions are stored.”

This may be true for instrumental music, however, I do believe – as does Dr. Sweetow – that the words trigger our emotions, so whether or not the quality of the sound is good, we can still feel the essence of the music.

Well, no matter which way we look at it, mp3 music is here to stay…At least, for a little while. I wonder what’s next?

Read more of the article over at SFGate.com

This Los Angeles-based rock band formed back in 1996 and their first album, Hybrid Theory, was released in 2000 under the Warner Bros. label. The album was welcomed with open arms and did very well on the Billboard charts.

Linkin Park’s most recent album, Minutes to Midnight, was released earlier this year and has had equal, if not more success, than their two previous albums.

Personally, I don’t listen to a lot of metal or rock music – except for some of the old 80’s groups. However, I do like that Linkin Park’s songs have a message in them. For example, here’s a snippet of one of their songs, “What I’ve Done“:

In this farewell,
There’s no blood,
There’s no alibi.
‘Cause I’ve drawn regret,
From the truth,
Of a thousand lies.

Put to rest,
What you thought of me.
While I clean this slate,
With the hands,
Of uncertainty.

It only makes sense that Microsoft would make use of the music industry.  After all, we are all fueled and inspired by music.  It’s a win-win situation.  Musicians get a great deal of exposure while Microsoft users are exposed to different types of music. 

The Microsoft director of music marketing, Christina Calio, said in a statement, "We don’t want the same thing that is going out on MTV."

Tags: Microsoft, Ignition, music industry

Well, the feature was about music’s “secret money machine” – the secret being a website called Musictoday, a website that connects fans with their music heroes. You can sign up for fan clubs, shop for all types of music-related merchandise, and buy tickets to concerts.

I think it’s awesome that artists now have a medium by which to make more money. There used to be a time when music artists had to rely on a label to get the word out about their new CD, but now the internet has changed all that.
>>Buy John Legend’s music at Amazon.com