The Chronicles of a Blawgirl » cool

Diversions: ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ video list never ends it goes on and on and on …

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:53:13 +0000

Since it was released in 1981, Journey’s power ballad “Don’t Stop Believing” hasn’t stopped making its way into the hearts and minds of believers the world around, karaoke bars and pop culture.

The song, with its opening piano riff that’s sure to draw gasps of recognition whenever its played (“Hey, that’s Journey!” see Family Guy video below), has appeared on shows like The Sopranos and in movies like The Wedding Singer.

The most recent television incarnation is in the new Fox show Glee, a show about a ragtag group of high schoolers in show choir. (Deep dark secret No. 2: The Blawgirl did show choir all four years of high school.)

After watching the pilot for the show and reminiscing about my own high school show choir in all its sequined glory, I decided to compile a list of my favorite videos that feature the memorable song.

Four chords, millions of songs!

If you learn the chord progression for “Don’t Stop Believing” you too can be a songwriter and make a bajillion songwriter dollars. Just kidding. It takes a lot more than four chords to write an enduring song. Or does it?

Because I’m Asian …

I had to include a karaoke version. So, here ya go.

Don’t stop your screaming

A parody from the College Humor.

Family Guy does Journey

Sing it Cleveland! Giggity!

PS22 Chorus living just to find emotion

I just love how these kids sing with such feeling.

Obama voters believe!

This is a video taken from the streets after Pres. Obama’s election in November. The optimism and the joy in this vid makes me smile.

Rock of Ages rocks the Tonys

The cast of the musical Rock of Ages performs during the 2009 Tony Awards.

Sing it with glee!

And here’s the scene from Glee that gave me gooselumps and had me missing sequins, pancake makeup, hairspray and painful character shoes.

Photo: photographer10 / Flickr

What made the Blawgirl get a little teary-eyed on Easter?

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:57:54 +0000

Susan Boyle of Britain’s Got Talent did. The 47-year-old singer, who says she’s never been kissed, impressed the three judges of the talent competition – including the ever-cynical Simon Cowell – after waddling onto the stage in an ivory granny dress and opaque grey tights and gyrating her hips just moments before her stunning performance.

Maybe it was Ms. Boyle’s song selection of “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables and the honesty of her performance, or maybe it was just my hope of seeing the underdog prove the cynics wrong, but the YouTube video had me cheering in front of my computer, and, yes, wiping away a tear or two.

I didn’t think I could be as surprised as I was when I first saw Paul Potts sing Nessun Dorma on the same show a couple years back, but Ms. Boyle, thanks for putting a smile on my face.

I hope your dreams come true!

Diversions: Love, hate, believe, feel, wish in 140 characters or less

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:01:40 +0000

By now, most of you have heard of Twitter, the micro-blogging service where you write what you’re doing in 140 characters or less. If not, you’ve been hiding with fellow luddites under a rock somewhere, or in North Korea, or under a rock somewhere in North Korea.

I, personally, am a fan of the site, and was delighted when I came across Twistori. The site pulls tweets, individual posts from Twitter, with the words love, hate, believe, feel and wish, and posts them in a beautiful stream of love, hate, beliefs, feelings and wishes. It’s Twitter as art (twart?).