The Feature Song of the Day = 'Big Jet Plane' by Angus and Julia Stone

Ok, so in lieu of clenching #1 on Triple J's Hottest 100 Countdown of 2010 on Australia Day (yesterday), I have dubbed today's featured song Big Jet Plane by Australian brother and sister folk-blues duo Angus and Julia Stone. Angus and Julia Stone are brother and sister, they have been active on the Australian music scene since 2006, and they originate out of Sydney, Australia (Northern Beaches region). This song also won the ARIA Awards for Album of the Year (Down The Way), Best Adult Alternative Album, and Single of the Year. The EP is also titled Big Jet Plane, and it was released in May of 2010, which incidentally can be purchased on Amazon and ITunes. Be sure to check it out, and also be sure to check out the Hottest 100 results for 2010, there are heaps of great songs and artists on the countdown that you may or may not have heard before...I will be featuring many of the songs from that countdown in the coming weeks on this vlog as well. Peace out.

A Brief Movie Review for 'The Extra Man' (2010)

Movie = The Extra Man (2010)

4/5 Stars ****

The Extra Man is definitely not your typical formula movie, and this is a good thing as it makes it much more interesting. Kevin Kline plays the role that I can't imagine too many others being able to pull off as well as Kline can. Paul Dano always does a good job, and his character is also not your average formula role. I was surprised to see Katie Holmes, I didn't think Tom let her out of the house these days, especially since he kept her from re-starring in 'The Dark Knight," but she is still acting apparently which is good to see. Check this one out when you get the chance.

Feature Song of the Day = 'Rubber Room' by Fantine

Today's feature song is Rubber Room by Russian-born indie-electro-soul-fusion singer Fantine. Fantine was born in Russia, and has since lived with her family in Perth-Australia, The Dominican Republic, and Russia, and according to wikipedia she claims all 3 countries as her home and she claims that this is partly what gives the different elements to her musical style. Fantine has worked as guest vocals with artists Space Invadas and Lupe Fiasco in the past and now Rubber Room is her first solo-single-release. She is said to be currently working on her first EP, which is titled Rubber Room and includes this song. Apparently the actual mustic video is not available on YouTube yet so you will have to watch the brief making of the video below, or head over to her Unearthed Page and listen to/download the free mp3 version HERE. Big ups yoself!

#29 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown: 'Our Lips Are Sealed' by The Go-Go's (1981)

Greetings 80's fans, we are now in the 20's range of the Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown! So, without delay, #29 of the countdown is Our Lips Are Sealed by all female American Rock-pop group The Go-Go's. The Go-Go's started out on the music scene back in 1978 in Los Angeles, California and they are hailed as the first all-female rock band who played all of their own instruments, wrote all of their own songs, and that produced top Billboard Hot 100 hits. When they made it big in the early 1980's the band consisted of members  Belinda Carlisle (vocals), Jane Wiedlin (guitar, vocals),  Kathy Valentine (bass), and Elissa Bello (drums). Their debut album titled Beauty and the Beat (released in July of 1981) peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart and it is considered by many to be one of the true cornerstone new wave albums that paved the way for the genre at that time. That very same album would reach double platinum status, making it one of the most successful debut albums of all time. Incidentally, Our Lips Are Sealed was the first track on that very album and in the year 2000 Rolling Stone magazine named it one of the 100 Greatest Pop Songs of All Time. Our Lips Are Sealed would peak at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, #10 on U.S. Billboard Club Play Singles chart, #2 on the ARIA Singles chart, and #47 on the UK Singles chart. No doubt The Go-Go's hit it big in the 80's, and thus I knew I had to include at least one of their songs on this countdown. Apparently this song was covered by the Duff sisters in 2004. Well there is #29, stay tuned for #28 and may the force be with you...

Mentionable Mashups: Party Ben - 'Boulevard of Flashing Lights'

Its been a while since I posted any mashups, and there are heaps of them out there, and some of them are quite brilliant too. This one is Boulevard of Flashing Lights by mashup artist/DJ Party Ben, and is a mashup of Kanye West, Green Day, and Oasis. Chickity check it! *To view the actual mashup-music-video to this song by Party Ben go to the  YouTube link HERE and sign in.

Brief Movie Review for 'Out of the Past' (1947)

 Out of the Past (1947)

3/5 Stars ***
Another Robert Mitchum movie, which includes Kirk Douglas as well as a few others. A story about Mitchum's character, who works as a sort of bounty-hunter who is hired by Kirk Douglas's wealthy and corrupt character to retrieve a very clever and sneeky beautiful old girlfriend of his. The story stays interesting throughout and it doesn't end exactly how you might expect, so check it out, its a good flick for a night in.

Feature Song of the Day = 'Till Im Gone' by Elke

Today's feature song is Till I'm Gone by 5-piece Australian indie-electro band Elke. I have posted songs by Elke (and by their side project band Dolphins)before on this vlog, but I will give a bit of info nonetheless...They are from Brisbane, Australia and they started out as a weekend recording band back in 2007, and band members first names are Zack, Joel, Dave, Jim, and Jesse . Till I'm Gone comes off of their Blue Dream Lover EP, which was their first body of work, and it was on ITunes store, but upon a current search it appears that ITunes (the US-store anyway) has taken this EP off their database?? If you want a little more info on the band you can check out their Myspace page HERE, and even find some free and legal mp3 downloads at their Unearthed page HERE.

Brief Book Review for 'Creating Money' (1988) (book by Author's Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer)

Book = Creating Money: Attracting Abundance (1988)

Authors = Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer

5/5 Stars ***** 

Ok, so I just finished reading this book, titled Creating Money by authors Sanaya Roman and Duance Packer for the 6th time!! I read somewhere that advertising company research over the years has revealed that if you are exposed to a commercial or an idea/set of ideas 5-6 times or more that the ideas and their underlying assumptions/suggestions start to absorb subconsciously in the viewer/reader. That is exactly why I have read this book for the 6th time (all in the last 2 years), as it really contains so many new beliefs about money and abundance and how all that works in life that I now choose to have as my own thoughts and beliefs. I am also writing this review in the hopes of inspiring at least a few of you to at least check the book out and thus have a real opportunity to change some things, as well as to shake loose some of the more unhappy rigid structures/patterns in your live's. Now, don't get me wrong here, this book isn't going to guarantee you will get rich or anything so common like that. What this book might do, and has done for me, is help you begin to think of money and material abundance as well as spiritual abundance in new ways that can help you to evolve out of your old life-long patterns/habits surrounding money and everyday living (particularly those that you would deep down love to change). So there is my sales-pitch if you can call it that, but I must say that this book is really just a beginning, as there is a lot of work to be done to re-program your own deep-seated beliefs and stubborn patterns, and it requires that you actually be open to new ideas and new possibilities instead of thinking that you already know it all. For me, it has been a long process, but I have started to see small changes here and there, and in real life, and in my own experience that is how it seems to work, small forward steps here and there that add up to larger changes over a period of time. So, with all of that said, I highly recommend this book to all of you who are open to expanding your reality and to opening up to new ideas. I believe that William Shakespeare said it best: "There are more things in heaven and earth...Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." -Hamlet Act 1, scene 5, 159–167

Click here to check out Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer's website for more information about them and their works.

#30 of VJ Samsonite's Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown: 'Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car' by Billy Ocean (1988)

Welcome back once again to the Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown (by VJ Samsonite). Today we are presenting #30, and the song is  Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car by British singer/performer Billy Ocean. Billy Ocean was born in Fyzabad, Trinidad in January of 1950, and moved with his family to Romford, Essex, England with his family at the age of 8. Now most of you will definitely remember this song from the late 1980's, and I specifically have a memory of drinking fruit punch Kool-Aid at a friends house and watching Billy Ocean's music video for this song on MTV, ahh..the memories. This song was a #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the Australian Charts, and the Hot R&B Songs chart. It would peak at #3 on the UK charts. One other interesting fact about this song that I had totally forgotten is that it was featured on the soundtrack of the 1988 teen adventure movie License to Drive, which featured 80's-duo Corey Haim and Corey Feldman, who were still basking in the success of the previous year's 1987 cult classic The Lost Boys. In fact, I think I even have a License to Drive keychain, and have no idea how I would ended up with it, but I figure I must have acquired it in a Disneyland trip that year, you know, when they were still doing Star Tours and Michael Jackson's 3D Captain EO...those were the days. In fact I wonder if I could even find a copy of License to Drive today, I bet it would be difficult to locate one. Well, enough reminiscing for now...stay tuned for #29! Apparently the original video is good, but YouTube has disabled embedding so this one will have to do.

Featured Song of the Day = 'First Base' by Convaire

Today's feature song is First Base, by Australian indie-electro-pop group Convaire. Convaire is a 4-piece band from Sydney, Australia which consists of John Towey (guitars), sisters Liz and Jane Slattery (keysboards) and Dan Talbot (bass guitar). First Base is a single, and it was released in December of 2010. According to their Unearthed Page HERE, they are set to release an EP in early 2011, and as a matter of fact they have the entire EP available as a free and legal download HERE, so be sure to check it out.  Also, be sure to check out their Myspace page HERE for more general band info.

Today's Featured Song = 'Fashion' by Grum

Today's featured song is Fashion, by UK electro-artist Grum. Grum (Graeme Shepard) has been active on the synth-electro music scene since 2007 and he originates out of Leeds, UK. Fashion comes off of his May 2010 debut album titled Heartbeats, which I would highly recommend checking out if you are into the synth-electro scene and are fond of artists like Cut Copy, Van She, The Presets, Miami Horror, and Tesla Boy.

Today's Featured Song = 'Faithful (Gloves China White Club Dub)' by World's End Press

Today's feature song is Faithful (Gloves China White Club Dub by Australian indie-electro band World's End Press. World's End Press originate out of Melbourne, Australia and Faithful (Gloves China White Club Dub) comes off of their October 2010 release EP titled Faithful, which incidentally can now be purchased on ITunes and Amazon. This group has a dance-electro sound that is refreshing and poppy. If you like what you hear, be sure to also visit their Myspace page HERE. Triple J Hottest 100 Vol 17

Renewable Energy Update: Did You Know You Can Get Free Solar on Your Home in Eight US States? (OR, CA,TX, MA, PA,CO, AZ, NJ)

There are now at least eight states in the US where you can get a free solar system to supply your home’s electricity at a lower rate than your utility does. The eight states of OR, CA,TX, MA, PA,CO, AZ, and NJ) now allow private companies to compete with their utilities that sell power by the kilowatt hour, through a “lease” or a power purchase agreement, or PPA. For more info check out the article HERE.