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Greetings from webmistress Val!
Hello all! Here is the
archive page where my 1999-2001 "Keeping You Informed" columns and "artist/question of the week" items
are stored.
May-September 2001
| COMPUTER GAMES |
|
Some of you may wonder what it is I do between web
site updates. Well, between working -- Hey, I have a job! How else could
I afford to have the web site?? -- and playing tech guru to friends and
co-workers alike, I have a life. Well, actually, lives. Well,
actually simulated lives!
I play the computer game, The
Sims.
There's almost no way to explain "The Sims" without
sounding like a power-mad lunatic, but I'll try. This game lets the
player create and control simulated people (hence, the "Sims")
in a household. These people can be of various ages, races, and body
types. They interact with other people in the household and in the
neighborhood, adults and children. "Sims" are just like
"real" people: they can get jobs, in which they can advance
through study and acquiring skills, and they can fall in love and get
married, and even have children together--! And they can also lose those
jobs, fall out of love, and have their children, if they don't keep
their grades up, sent to military school (and out of the game!). They
can learn to cook or just order pizza (which is purposely overpriced at
$40 "simoleon" dollars, so maybe you'll make the Sims learn to
cook the comparatively cheaper $10 meal after all). They can hire a maid
($10/hour) to make the beds and clean the bathroom (there are eight
Motives to watch for in each Sim, which include Hygiene and Bladder--!).
And they can watch TV, paint pictures, or, ahem, play a computer game
(which I guess is for those post-modernism gamers out there ;>).
"The Sims" is the most popular PC game right now,
and has been since its release a year ago, selling millions of copies.
The publisher, Maxis, has already released not just one but two
"expansion packs," "Livin' Large," and "House
Party," which add more playability features to the game. For
example, your Sim can become a Rock Star or Psychic (like Miss Cleo!),
and also throw such an amazing rave, along with a dj scratching techno
music, and with a clothes trunk where guests can change into rave
costumes and dance on a colorful strobe-light dance floor, that a
certain TV celebrity shows up in a long black limousine.
And to make up for the lack of multiplayer capability (for the
moment...), you can make and upload into the game your own Sim people,
such as those that look like celebrities (see the fan web site, The Sims Resource). You can
make new outfits for them (see the fan web site, Marion Robertson's Fashions
for the Sims). You can change the look of the houses, creating your
own wallpaper and carpeting (see the fan web site, HomeSims.com). The possibilities are
endless, and that's what's most addictive about the game!
Find out more at the official web site for "The Sims," at http://thesims.ea.com/us/
Abacus Add-On Programs for "The Sims"
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January-May 2001
| MUSIC |
|
Don't tell me the Clintons didn't stay in step with pop
culture all the way to the end! During their last month in office, the
most popular songs were Destiny's
Child's "Independent Women Part 1" for Senator Hillary
Clinton and Shaggy's
"It Wasn't Me," which particularly describes former
President Bill Clinton, by fair means or foul--!
If you haven't yet heard this hilarious yet risque' gem of a song
about infidelity, which is a duet between singer/songwriter Shaggy and
singer Ricardo "RikRok" Ducent, or seen the Mission:
Impossible-like video, you're missing out on one of the best laughs this
year. The song is from Shaggy's newest CD, Hot
Shot (click over to hear song clips from the CD courtesy of
Amazon.com). See the Hot
Shot CD web page at Shaggy's official web site at ShaggyOnline.com, which has
song clips and includes the lyrics of each song. Hear a clip of "It Wasn't
Me" and read the lyrics,
or just watch the "It
Wasn't Me" music video (you'll need the RealPlayer).
As the story goes, "It Wasn't Me" wasn't slotted to be a
single. It began to get widespread radio airplay only after it became a
big hit in Hawaii during the summer of 2000, which was due to
a Hawaiian radio deejay independently liking and playing the song --
which he had gotten off Napster! A
radio deejay from Portland, Oregon saw the way the song was catching on
in Hawaii and decided to play it when he got home. The popularity of the
song was duplicated there, and word began to spread. In a matter of
weeks, the song was being added to radio station playlists all over the
country, and the rest is history. What a roundabout way to get a number one hit!
People think they've never heard of Shaggy before, but they've been
hearing him for years now, in his solo dance reggae hits "Oh
Carolina" and "Boombastic,"
and in his duet
with Maxi Priest, "That Girl," and his duet with Janet
Jackson, "Luv Me Luv Me," which was featured on the soundtrack
to "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" (click the links for
pages with song clips).
Read more about this Grammy-winning, talented artist, Shaggy. And fall
under his spell ;->!
"Mr.
Lover Lover: The Best of Shaggy, Volume 1" |
Fall 2000
| MUSIC |
|
Hey, now, it's all about KINA! If
you haven't yet heard the single, "Girl from the Gutter," or
seen the music video, you are missing something truly special.
Not willing to play it safe in this teen pop overdrive we're
currently living in, where it seems that you can't top the charts if
you're old enough to vote, Kina Cosper stands out singing her own words
to her own music in her own voice.
As Kina mentions on her official web site at http://www.4kina.com,she wrote the song,
"Girl from the Gutter," when she was "mad as hell." Kina explains: "It's about people thinking you're less than you are. You
know better, and you're gonna show them. It's funny how the people you
want to show matter so much in that moment. When I look back, they don't
matter at all. But I wrote 'Girl from the Gutter' in the moment."
Chorus to "Girl from the Gutter"
I hope your Hell is filled with magazines
And on every page you see a big picture of me
And under every picture a caption should read
Not bad for a girl from the gutter like me |
|
TELEVISION -- TO NETWORK OR NOT TO NETWORK? |
| So the new 2000-2001 season is continuing to
premiere this week on the three large networks CBS, NBC, and ABC, and
the mini-networks of Fox, the WB, and UPN.
TV critics have already weighed in with what they believe will be the
bright spots in the networks' spate of shows -- including advance kudos
to WB's "The Gilmore Girls" and NBC's "Ed" -- and
also what they see as the networks' blight spots, including ABC's "Madigan
Men" and NBC's "Tucker."
But keep in mind that various other series are starting up or
starting again, both those shows in syndication on local stations and
those shows on pay-cable stations, like USA, MTV, VH1, BET, Cartoon
Network, HBO, Lifetime, Disney Channel, Showtime, and the Food Network.
And there will be new specials, movies, and miniseries on public
television, AMC, and A&E.
So if none of the networks' offerings thrill you, flip on over to the
other channels on the dial. Watch an episode of "Any
Day Now" on Lifetime. Look for the new Star Trek series, "Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda"
on your local television stations. And you have to watch at least one
episode of the Food Network's "Iron
Chef" -- because you cannot be told what "Iron Chef"
is; you have to see it for yourself--!
But as you know, you can always make up your own mind...
Or just turn the box off and go read a book! |
UPDATE: By 2001, both the
"Tucker" and "Madigan Men" television programs had been
canceled by their respective networks--!
Weeks of August
13 2000 - Fall 2000
And I'm not promoting this
book just because I'm a close personal friend of the author -- I'm
making her pay me money!!
Seriously :>, here's a book
that's a behind-the-scenes look at the formation and development of
best-selling R&B/Pop vocal group, Destiny's Child, which tells
the story of the original foursome of LaTavia, LeToya, Kelly,
and (most assuredly the future solo performer) Beyonce.
 Artist
of the Week
|
Yes,
Yes, Yes, the Unauthorized Biography of Destiny's Child : A Tale of
Destiny, Fame and Fortune (The Story About the Original 4 Members)
(Collector's Edition)
|
Order the book, Yes,
Yes, Yes, the Unauthorized Biography of Destiny's Child : A Tale of
Destiny, Fame and Fortune, directly from Amazon.com
or contact the following:
AMBER BOOKS
1334 East Chandler Boulevard,
Suite 5-D67
Phoenix, AZ 85048
480-460-1660
Questions? E-mail Amber Books at amberbk@aol.com
See the official web site for
the group at:
http://www.destinyschild.com/
Destiny's
Child: The Complete Story |
|
All
things Destiny's
Child at Amazon.com |
Weeks of May
8 2000 - August 6 2000
Now I know
what you're thinking -- "Val has sold out! Val is
trivializing her own unique voice by even mentioning the
already overhyped World Wrestling Federation on her web page! Hah!
I'm leaving!!"
Hey, don't leave just yet! I'm really
interested in the WWF; I just love how almost every red-blooded man
in America has gotten totally caught up in this amazing soap opera,
"All My McMahons" :>!! It's not meant to be taken
seriously; it's downright hilarious!
Artist
of the Week
Weeks of March
5-May 7 2000
(Why so many weeks for Tina
Turner? Well, if you have to ask--! Yeah, you got it -- Val was
slacking again!)
Artist
of the Week
|
Twenty
Four Seven (2000)
featuring
the title track, "Whatever You Need," and "When the
Heartache is Over" |
"Simply
the best/Better than all the rest"
will always describe Tina Turner to me! A survivor in absolutely
every sense of the word, Tina could have given up at any point in her
life, and no one would have had a bad word to say, but she wouldn't,
she didn't, and it seems that she won't--! Now in her 60th year, Tina
will be strutting those infamous legs all over the US this year on
reportedly her final big arena tour. Don't miss her! |
Wildest
Dreams (1996) featuring "On Silent Wings (backing vocals by
Sting)," remake of John Waite's "Missing You," and tearin'-up-the-dance-floor
tune, "Thief of Hearts." |
|
Official
Tina Turner Site (www.tina-turner.com)
Tina
Turner at VH1.com, including the broadcast schedule of Tina's
"Behind the Music" episode and current
tour dates with her personally selected opening act Lionel
Richie (in the 1980s, Tina was Lionel's opening act, so Tina's just
returning the favor!)
All
things Tina
Turner at Amazon.com |
Weeks of January
9 2000 - February 27 2000
(Why so many weeks for Eiffel
65? Well, either Val let them be because the song "Blue" is
so cool -- and so's the video! -- and Eiffel 65's "Europop"
album is now nestled comfortably in the Billboard Top 10, or Val had
yet another heinous computer crash, you make the call--!)
Artist
of the Week
Weeks of December
5 1999 - January 2 2000
Artist for
December, 1999
|
Have
you seen "Weird Al" Yankovic lately? Well, if you
haven't, you
must be trying
really hard not to--!
Besides the AL-TV 2K
special which premiered on MTV on December 4, 1999, there was the
VH1 "Behind the Music" on Al which premiered during
the summer --
which was
rerun during "VH-AL," a day-long "all-AL, all-the-time"
sequence of shows
which premiered on December 23,
1999.
UPDATE: Through late 1999
to 2000, Al appeared on the talk shows The Movie Lounge, Roseanne, and Donny and
Marie, and hosted a week of episodes
for VH1's "The List," (each day wearing shirts of
increasingly incredulous hideousness!!!... But for Al, this is
probably a compliment--!), On the game show front, Al played on MTV's
webRIOT, and came reallllly close but ultimately did not "Win Ben
Stein's Money." On the shows, Al played for the homeless charity, Comic Relief.
SPECIAL UPDATE: In February 2001,
AL got a missus! Yes, a woman named Suzanne consented to become Mrs.
Yankovic. Yay, AL!!
Read more about "Weird
Al" (and get news, FAQ, the monthly "Ask Al" columns,
photos, and more!) at (where else?) www.weirdal.com. |
Weeks of October
31 - November 28 1999
(Geri again received so many
weeks...out of the sheer laziness of the webmistress to pick somebody else--!)
Artist
of the Week
|
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If you like the
"Schizophonic" album, you'll love Geri's new book, "If
Only." I'm almost finished reading it, and it's been a
blast to read so far--! Usually, I'd perk up an eyebrow at the nerve
of someone who's only 26-years-old writing their autobiography (!),
but Geri's managed to fit about 5-6 lifetimes into one -- and yet
technically she's just getting started! Geri's been a rave dance
queen, a glamour model, and a professional club dancer; survived a
breast cancer scare; grieved the death of her father; was a TV
celebrity in Turkey as a presenter on a "Let's Make A
Deal"-type show -- and this was all before she became a Spice
Girl! And speaking of the Spice Girls, didja know Geri met Victoria
pre-Spice when they were both auditioning for a film -- the film,
"Tank Girl?! (if you've ever seen "Tank Girl,"
which eventually starred Lori Petty, you know how crazy this
is!)" And you read about Geri's and Melanie Brown's close
friendship. "If Only" tells about all these things-- and more!
The reviewer of "If
Only" for the magazine, "Booklist,"claims that
"the superficiality of this book cannot be overstated." I
disagree; the impact and honesty of Geri's life as written in this
book shouldn't be so glibly underestimated. |
Weeks of August
30 - October 24, 1999
(Geri received so many weeks
because GIRL POWER RULES!!
Well, wait, though it does, I
really didn't mean for it to rule this long--! Geri was the
benefactor of so many weeks due to:
1) Syquest SparQ drive failure
-- do not buy these evil things from this bankrupt-and-bought-out-by-their-competitor
(Iomega)-company! They're awful -- when they no longer work, they
refuse to play their 1 GB disks and make it impossible for you to
access your web files!!! ...Okay, maybe that was just me... But I
dumped the Syquest SparQ drive and bought a product to replace it,
which led to --
2) Castlewood Orb troubles --
which I do fully recommend even if Castlewood doesn't mention that
the Orb will screw up and drop your files from its 2.2 GB disks -- forever!
-- if you have Hewlett-Packard scanners/printers and/or Iomega Zip
drives. Guess who is "fortunate" enough to have 2 out of
3?! True, the drivers I downloaded from Castlewood a couple of weeks
ago work with the H-P and Zip with no problems or consequences now,
but I'm still feeling the sting of having lost my web site files -- twice!
-- as well as my first few RollerCoaster Tycoon games, some stray
Afterlife games, the strongest Diablo warrior I'd ever
created, and all my SimCity 3000 cities!
But I'm not bitter!!!)
And now back to our regularly
scheduled programming...
Artist
of the Week
|
 |
Why did we write off Geri Halliwell
(that's "the artist formerly known as Ginger
Spice" to you) so quickly? Maybe Geri's initial single,
"Look at Me," from her solo album, "Schizophonic,"
wasn't a big splashy hit here is the U.S., but it was No. 2 in
England. And her second single, "Mi Chico Latino," has
recently hit No. 1 there! Take another "Look"...
Geri-Halliwell.com
is so ready for visitors! Go over and check out Geri's new single,
a remake of "It's
Raining Men," for the "Bridget
Jones's Diary" film soundtrack.
The "It's Raining
Men" music video is a fun dance romp inspired by memorable scenes
from the "Flashdance" and "Fame" films. Don't miss it!
And also get "It's
Raining Men" #1 and "It's
Raining Men" #2. |
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|
UPDATE: Geri is working on her second solo album. When the dust
settled on her first album, "Schizophonic," Geri found
herself with three No. 1 singles in the U.K.!
Meanwhile, the album of the
four remaining Spice Girls, "Forever,"
was released in the fall of 2000, which included tracks by hit producing team, Jimmy Jam and
Terry Lewis (who are best known for working with Janet Jackson). As
the solo projects of the other members have been mainly remakes of
other songs or tunes written by others, it begs the question if the
Spice Girls lost their main songwriter with the departure of Geri--?
Anyway, their album took a while due to distractions from --
well, you name it, they had it! For the most part, their own solo records
were not as successful as Geri's; Mel B/Scary Spice is separating from her
husband; Victoria/Posh Spice has become daily tabloid fodder with
bulimia rumors floating around; Mel C/Sporty Spice took on punk tunes
and endured heavy criticism for it (but did have a number of successful
solo singles in the U.K.); Emma/Baby Spice made a film, etc. In any case,
the album was released and it was not a blowout success in the USA, and a
whole new round of rumors began, especially when it sure sounded like
Sporty Spice had left the group... |
|
Geri's 2001 CD, "Scream
If You Wanna Go Faster"
|
Week of August
23, 1999
Artist
of the Week
|
 |
Have you heard the new Eric Benet
record yet?! This man's voice is delicious! His remake of
Toto's "Georgy Porgy" burned up the charts. Click over and
listen!
Also check out ericbenet.com
and don't miss the True
Eric Benet Fan Site!
UPDATE: Take Eric off your
"available bachelor" lists -- he popped the question to
Halle Berry and they're now married (no matter what a
certain tabloid may say!). Congrats all 'round -- and I'm
not upset. Why not? 'Cause I still have this picture --> :>! |
 |
Week of August
8 & 16, 1999
(Jennifer received two weeks
because during her original reign AOL's home page server met some
internet it didn't like and dumped all pages mentioning Jennifer and
began coughing out old pages mentioning Renee Swindle instead. That
AOL, whatta card!)
Artist
of the Week
Do you know me?
In the past year a young woman
from the southern part of the US burst onto the scene with a song
that had the whole world singin' and dancin'. It was an international
sensation and she capped it off by singing this hit song at the World
Music Awards in Monaco. You know who I mean -- Jennifer Paige
! (Who'd you think I meant, that Britney Spears person?!)
|
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Jennifer's big song was
"Crush" -- and you may not remember it at first, but listen
to a clip of the song at jenniferpaige.com.
You've heard it -- it was all over TV as well as the radio, in
various commercials and network spots. It's a great song and
Jennifer's a great vocalist. The future can only bring more great
things from her! |
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Jennifer Paige's 2001 CD, "Positively
Somewhere"
|
From August
8, 1999 http://www.usaweekend.com/celebs/whos_news:
I predict big things for
Jennifer Paige, whose first single, Crush, topped pop charts
worldwide. Is her second single, Sober, based on her life? Larry B.,
Lansing, Mich.
No. Paige, 25, didn't even write
Sober, a song about addictive love. Sometimes described as a '90s
Debbie Gibson, she had a solid upbringing in Atlanta with lots of
support for her musical interest. She began singing in coffeehouses
at age 8, favored music practice over other activities, and by 13 was
writing songs. She moved to Los Angeles two years ago at the
suggestion of singer and former Wings actress Crystal Bernard, who
heard Paige sing in Las Vegas. She's still getting established in the
music biz, but acting is on her mind, too.
Week of August
1, 1999
Artist
of the Week
Week of July 25, 1999
Artist
of the Week
Play Entertainment Trivia Blitz
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and different questions every week
(get it?).
Guess the answers to the questions below and then register to win the weekly
$250 drawing!
You are visitor
to this page since it was originally published on America
Online on August 2, 1999. Date of most current update: 12/15/02.
Web site created entirely by val@valsadie.com.
Copyright 1999-2002.
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