Creation Entertainment offers a wide variety of SPN merchandise – shirts, posters, autographed pictures, [...]]]> There’s still one more week ’til Christmas. Looking for something for your Supernatural-obsessed friend or relative? You’re in luck, because this girl has a list of ideas for you and there’s still enough time to have them shipped before Christmas!

Creation Entertainment offers a wide variety of SPN merchandise – shirts, posters, autographed pictures, and shirts. They’re also the company that puts on the American conventions, so if you’re really feeling the holiday spirit, check out what conventions are coming up and buy your fangirl or boy a ticket. I bought their Winchester Bros. shirt at ChiCon 09 and absolutely love it. The sizes do run a little small, so order a size up if you do pick this up.

Amazon also features a lot of awesome merchandise (and at slightly better prices than Creation). There are a lot of fun tie-in books like Nevermore, John Winchester’s Journal and seasons 1 through 5 are now on DVD and Blu-ray. Check out the Supernatural calendars to have some pretty all year round. If you do pick up a calendar, be sure to mark January 28th on it – the end of Hellatus!

Remember that post I did on Harry Potter and the Totally Awesome Musical? Upon reading it, you might have caught just a little squee (okay, a lot) about the musical’s lead, Darren Criss. I kept watching A Very Potter Musical and his solo pieces and wondering why this incredibly [...]]]> Where my Gleeks at?

Remember that post I did on Harry Potter and the Totally Awesome Musical? Upon reading it, you might have caught just a little squee (okay, a lot) about the musical’s lead, Darren Criss. I kept watching A Very Potter Musical and his solo pieces and wondering why this incredibly talented (and incredibly cute) guy wasn’t a nationally known name.

Well, he is now.

If you’ve missed it (or live under a lichen-covered rock, whichever), Darren was added to the cast of Glee for a three-episode run. And it was an important run – Kurt was being bullied for being gay, and in steps Blaine (Darren Criss), an out and proud teenager, to hold his hand through the bullying, reminding him to take courage. (It’s a beautiful thing to see on American television – someone who’s LGBT, presented as a simply normal guy whose sexuality is an important part of him, but doesn’t define him. Glee not only broke that barrier, they ran through it with a monster truck.)

In his first episode, he covered Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream”, and did it so well that it instantly outsold Glee’s first season “Don’t Stop Believin’”.

It made such a splash that – hold on to your hats – he’s been added as a series regular for the already greenlit third season!

He seems to be a really great guy; he’s straight, but is thrilled to pieces to get the chance to play Blaine. He’s a brilliant musician – you ought to see the things he can do with a guitar – and his iTunes 5-song EP, “Human”, is beautiful. And he’s got a great sense of humor.

From a Vanity Fair interview:

Brett Berk: Darren! Great to talk to you. And congrats on earning the role of Blaine. All the kids on the show seem to have crazy stories about their auditions so why don’t you tell me yours?

Darren Criss: It’s not that crazy. Lea’s takes the cake. I heard that she was in an accident and had glass in her hair. I can make one up for you. I was fighting a bear in Canada. I was on the verge of death and looked him straight in the eye, and the bear took pity on me before I took my last breath. “Is there anything you want before you die I’m a bear of honor,” he asked. And I said, “I really want to go out for Glee.” And he said, “it just so happens I know the casting director, I’ll get you over there right now. But I’m going to kill you if you don’t get it.” So I went into the casting office, and I said, “I really want to do this part, and if I don’t get it, the bear’s going to kill me.” So they gave me this part. And the bear let me live. And now he’s a good friend of mine and a big fan of the show.

How can you not love that?

Next episode, Darren and his show choir do Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister”, a song that I hated on several levels – until he did it. And I’m not the only one saying it, either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkHBbeUN1tk

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Yeah, this article’s about Darren and his accomplishments, but I have two other Glee-related tidbits to toss in.

Crappy pic, but getting a picture of a picture sans scanner is NOT EASY.

I have a small Glee connection. I went to high school with the choreographer and co-producer of the show, Zach Woodlee. Lemme tell y’all about Zach: for starters, he was a Cheerio. You heard that right. He was also the Big Man on Campus – and the rare type who got there by being nice to every single person. There was no girl at that school, no matter what her age, who didn’t want him, and no guy that – well, they didn’t want the cheerleader part, but they sure as hell wanted the rest of it.

The reason I remember him so well is not that I was truly friends with him, per se, but – and this goes with the Glee bullying arc – I was being bullied like you wouldn’t believe, and he was one of only three people in the school that I can remember treating me like a human. I kept getting stuck in lines, or seeing him at drama auditions, and we’d talk a little, or he’d see me and wave in the halls – on days where I was getting spat on in the hallways.

So there. Glee’s choreographer is an awesome guy.  Not exactly explosive, but there you go.

(And Darren? If you actually read this – tell Zach some chick he won’t remember from high school says hi.)

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Now THIS is pure gossip. I believe it’s true, because I believe the person who told me – but in the end, it’s hearsay.

Apparently, Cory Monteith was not the original Finn, and Mark Salling was not the original Puck. They let the original Finn go and hired Cory, but found themselves with a problem – the guy they hired for Puck looked way too much like Cory Monteith, so they had to let HIM go too. Poor Original Puck! Not that I don’t like Mark Salling – I do – but you gotta feel for the guy.

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Anyhow,  Darren – congrats on being a series regular, and you’re totally awesome. And readers? I’d march out and snap up that EP, “Human”.  A taste:

She’s a singer-songwriter from [...]]]> Never heard of Marian Call? That’s okay – until a few weeks ago, neither had I, and then when I did… I haven’t stopped listening to her. If “Real Life Geek Girls That Rock” was a document I updated regularly, she’d be on it, and way up on the list.

She’s a singer-songwriter from Alaska, and almost all her music (if not all of it) is based on something – Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, et cetera, or just celebrating nerdhood. For instance – Firefly’s got “Good Old Girl” about Serenity herself, “It’s Good To Have Jayne On Your Side”, “It Was Good For You Too” (Saffron’s song), and “Vera Flew The Coop”, which gives Jayne’s beloved gun a backstory.

Her voice is nothing short of incredible. She’s not a Christina Aguilera, who certainly has chops, but who’s of the school of “belt EVERYTHING”; her voice is quiet and controlled, and the emotion comes through so much more easily. The few times that Marian Call belts, it means something. Her pitch is perfect, her range is fantastic, her voice is almost a little smoky, and her vibrato is something you’d expect to hear from a torch singer.

Here’s a few of her songs; enjoy!

This one, “I’ll Still Be A Geek When Nobody Thinks It’s Chic” is the quintessential geek girl anthem. You know that “California Gurls” takeoff that’s running around the web trying to be “geek girls are awesome”? Pfft. Forget that. Listen to this.

I’m better aquainted than a good girl ought to be
With Aragorn and Yo-Saf-Bridge and Worf and HAL and Han
But you don’t really know me and my culture don’t control me
So don’t you pigeon hole me ’cause my phaser’s set to stun!

I have been a nerd since long before I could have heard
That bookish girls should look and act a certain way
And I’ll still be a geek when I am utterly antique
Because I do not care what normal people say

This next one is my current favorite, and the title track from her album “Got To Fly”.

And my next favorite, “It Was Good For You Too”, a song dedicated to everyone’s favorite femme fatale thief.

Listen, love, buy. You won’t regret it.

Good? Okay. You may have heard about Adam Lambert in the past year or so, he was the runner up on season eight of American Idol (which, to be honest, I didn’t watch because I can’t stand [...]]]> What’s this? Something not about Supernatural? I’ll give you all a moment to get over the shock.

Good? Okay. You may have heard about Adam Lambert in the past year or so, he was the runner up on season eight of American Idol (which, to be honest, I didn’t watch because I can’t stand the show) or you’ve heard a few of his singles on the radio (“For Your Entertainment”, “Whataya Want From Me” and the newest, “If I Had You”). You might also know Adam from the big to do that was made when he kissed his keyboardist/bassist and got into a little dirty dancing with his dancers at the AMAs. I have no shame in admitting that’s what made me really pay attention to him and I’m glad that I did, because he is an incredibly talented singer and not too bad to look at either. I’ve gotten very into the fandom (or bandom, if you prefer) and follow every concert on LiveJournal, as well as following Adam and his bandmates and dancers on Twitter. Back in June, my best friend (Sulwen) who introduced me to Adam’s music (as well as Supernatural) and I went to his concert in Toledo. It was a fun experience, albeit very hard to see and also incredibly hot. I’m very short, so general admission crowds aren’t my friends. Not too long after that, Sulwen text messaged me around 3AM with “Hey, do you want to see Adam in Covington?”. Naturally, I sent back “YES!” as soon as I read her message. Here is my experience from that concert which happened on August 30th in Covington, Kentucky.

Sulwen and I decided that for this concert, we were going to get to the venue as early as we could so we could get up close to the stage. We arrived at the Madison around 9 in the morning and were 41st and 42nd in line. Talking to other Glamberts, we found out that a couple people had gotten to the venue at noon the previous day just so they could get up front and camped out overnight. That is some impressive dedication! Most people brought folding chairs, food, music and other things to pass the time. I brought some rainbow cupcakes with edible glitter frosting for anyone who wanted them. Almost everyone had a sign with them or were making signs because we had gotten wind of a possible protest that day. The Westboro Baptist Church had planned a protest at Adam’s concert in Springfield, MO but never showed. A group of fans who weren’t going to the concert showed up to counter-protest the WBC and their rampant stupidity. We were all ready and waiting for some of these homophobes to show up. Here you can see my (blue) and Sulwen’s (purple) double-sided signs, as well as one of my cupcakes:

Some of the fans busted out the sidewalk chalk and glitter to glam up the sidewalks of Covington as well.

We were on a busy street in Covington, so a lot of people slowed down to gawk at this huge line of mostly women that stretched from the Madison down the street and around the corner (the venue was sold out and holds about 1200 people). A few actually stopped to ask why we were all sitting out there and a few others gave us disapproving looks. The protestors, much like their WBC counterparts, never showed! It was incredible to see how many people had brought signs just at the rumor of a protest. My favorite that I remember seeing said “God loves glitter”. Fandom is awesome like that sometimes.

The line started moving a little closer around 5 that afternoon, everyone who brought chairs or coolers took them back to their cars and we all were eagerly counting down the hours until they opened the doors. Once we got in the doors, we hurried inside to the theatre so we could get up as close to the stage as possible. Sulwen and I were only three people from the stage – mission accomplished! It took a while for everyone to get inside and then there was a bit of a delay for Adam’s opening act, fellow American Idol contestant, Allison Iraheta. Allison had definitely improved since we saw her in Toledo, her voice sounded great and she really got into her songs. I’m always surprised that she’s only 18 years old because her voice sounds much more mature than that. There was a problem with her earpiece that we noticed, though the sound was just fine for the audience. She performed songs from her self-titled, debut album which included an acoustic version of one of my favorites, “No One Else” that made me choke up a bit and did a fantastic cover of Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker”. The girl is just an adorable little ball of energy and really fits in well with the rest of the Glam Nation Tour.

Another brief pause while we waited for Adam’s band set up. I was highly amused by the fact that they played Big & Rich’s “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” alongside Katy Perry’s “Peacock” and Shiny Toy Guns’ “Le Disko”. Actually, it sounded a lot like my own iPod had been plugged into their sound system. The concert opened with a remix version of Adam’s first single, “For Your Entertainment” and everyone (except for the husband in front of me who was obviously dragged there by his wife) sang along and danced. Adam came out in an outfit straight out of Velvet Goldmine and your eye was instantly drawn to him for the entire show. His opening medley consisted of “Voodoo”, “Down the Rabbit Hole” and “Ring of Fire” (which he had covered while on AI) and had some fantastic choreography. It felt very sexy and psychedelic, the three songs blended together flawlessly and were a fantastic starter for the fast-paced show. One of my favorite songs, “Fever” followed and there’s always a sexy bit of interaction between Adam and his bassist, Tommy Joe Ratliff (the one who he kissed at the AMAs) that ranges from full-on making out to a quick little lick to some playful touching and it’s always fun to see. We were treated to a little playful hip check before Adam joined his dancers down stage. From what I could tell, Adam was having sound problems with his earpiece like Allison had and this resulted in no kissing or licking during the song.

The dancers had a small interlude where they take over the stage while Adam did a quick costume change (a gorgeous long, black coat) for the next song, another favorite, “Sleepwalker”. The song is powerful and full of all that unrequited emotion after a breakup. It seems to be a favorite of Tommy’s as well because he almost always sings along and did so at this venue. Things slowed down a bit for the next couple of songs, acoustic versions of “Whataya Want From Me” and the uplifting “Aftermath”, with the emotional ballad, “Soaked” in between them. During these three songs, I could really see how much Adam appreciated the audience. He was visibly touched by the outcries of love and applause. The audience is a big part of how the show goes and Adam really feeds off the crowd’s energy. I’ve noticed in previous concerts when the audience wasn’t as into it as others were, there is a visible difference in Adam’s on stage behavior and the feel of the show. He wants you up and dancing and singing along. Our audience was definitely into it and having a good time. Though, I’m pretty sure that Sulwen and I were screaming our heads off enough to make up for at least ten other concert goers. More than a few times, I had some definite eye contact with Adam and that was pretty intense, let me tell you. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a concert were the performer did that and I really enjoyed it.

Things picked back up with “Sure Fire Winners” and “Strut” and continued through to “Music Again”. Adam took time out to introduce his fantastic band – Monte Pittman (guitar), Tommy (bass), Camila Grey (keyboard; also a member of Uh Huh Her with The L Word’s Leisha Hailey) and Logineu Parsons (drums), each one giving us a little taste of what they can do. Next were the dancer introductions – Sasha Mallory, Terrance D. Spencer, Taylor Green and Brooke Wendel (the tour’s choreographer), who showed off their stuff for everyone. Adam closed the show with his current single, “If I Had You” and made sure everyone was dancing along in the audience. However, that wasn’t quite the end! Adam returned to the stage for an encore – his cover of T. Rex’s “20th Century Boy”. There was an amusing little fight between Adam and Monte during the song and they kind’ve chased each other around the stage. Someone had also tossed a girl’s thong onto the stage, which Adam twirled around his finger before flinging it back into the audience, because – really? A girl’s thong? Regardless, this song is my favorite encore choice on the tour. Previously, Adam had been closing with either Gary Jules’ “Mad World” or Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” (both he performed on AI) or both. While I like both of those songs, “20th Century Boy” is just so much more fun and fits in better with the whole glam rock theme of the show.

I had such an amazing time and loved that I could spend my last day with my best friend like that, even if I got a parking ticket, sore feet and about two hours of sleep. If any of you get the chance to go to one of Adam’s concerts, I highly recommend it. He is so talented and you get totally carried away by the energy of the show. Check out the other concert vids on YouTube if you can’t go to an actual concert.

You can check out Adam Lambert – For Your Entertainment and Allison Iraheta – Just Like You on Amazon.

Concert picture credit: @MontegoBay61205, @SQUIRRELKE and @sassyretrochick. Vids: Glambert16 and 1877riley.

What was the first concert you ever went to? What was your favorite concert? And which concerts do you regret not going to?

My first, at least that I can remember, was New Kids on the Block. I won tickets off of the local pop station [...]]]> Because I need a break from redesigning my websites.

What was the first concert you ever went to? What was your favorite concert? And which concerts do you regret not going to?

My first, at least that I can remember, was New Kids on the Block. I won tickets off of the local pop station back when I was 11 or 12, and my mom took me. Row 27, haha!

My favorite was U2′s Popmart concert in ’97. It was flashy and over the top, but at the core of it all, the band played a hell of a show. U2 concerts aren’t just concerts; they’re religious experiences.

I really regret missing three concerts. One was the David Bowie/Nine Inch Nails tour in the mid-nineties. ARGH. Second would be Smashing Pumpkins/Garbage, again in the mid-nineties. And the third I even had tickets for. [headdesk] It was the Blockbuster RockFest in 1997, held at the Texas Motor Speedway. It was HUGE. And it was free. And I let my mother talk me out of it. This is the missed concert that makes me want to throw myself down on the floor and have a hissy fit. I missed Bush, the Wallflowers… Counting Crows, for god’s sake, singing “Daylight Fading” as the sun went down. [sob]