HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Playlist Pick: Auld Lang Syne
Thankful For: Making it through 2008, and another year to accomplish goals and dreams.

Happy New Year to everyone, your friends, family, and loved ones. Another year has gone by, and I have so much to be thankful for. I made my national television debut this year, got to work with one of Hollywood's biggest directors, attend a film premiere, make wonderful new friends, have my first song on a motion picture soundtrack, have the love of family and friends, growing closer to my fiancee' and learning and loving through it all, another year of life...
So much to be thankful for!!!

A big wish to you and yours this year and the years to come!!!
Wonderful blessings to you...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Playlist Pick: Christmas In Hollis - Run D.M.C.
Thankful For: Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas to all!!!
Oh, and watch Fred Claus, it's a hilarious Holiday movie!!!

Pleurisy???

Playlist Pick: It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
Thankful For: Lungs and the ability to breathe

The last year and a half I've had some slight breathing problems. About a year or so ago, I went to see a doctor about it and he told me it was stress and to take it easy. Throughout this year here and there it's come up, but has gone away. This week, the last four days it's gotten worse, and this morning it was bad. I took off to see a really great doctor I met last year. It's hard to find doctors that really care, at least in my experience, and after an X-ray, and an EKG, we found out it was pleurisy.

It's quite interesting. Pleurisy is swelling (inflammation) of the thin layers of tissue (pleura) covering the lungs and the chest wall. He was very helpful in educating me on what it was, and prescribed me some antibiotics. Things should clear up in the next week or two, so that is my hope.

It's just hard to feel that I'm not able to take full deep breathes without some discomfort. From a 1 to 10, 10 being the worse, I'm at a 6 with discomfort, and that's a good thing. Like I said, I just want it to go away so I can get back to singing and doing what I love to do.

If you read this, say a prayer for me, and Happy Holidays to you...

Orlando Magic and J.J. Redick

Playlist Pick: Basketball - Kurtis Blow
Thankful For: Mercy, grace, and blessings

So, last night I had the opportunity to go to the Magic VS. Spurs game. It was really cool! Shout out and thanks to Lauren Williams from the Orlando Magic Organization, and Kane's Furniture for the tickets and meet and greet opportunity with J.J. Redick.

Orlando won the game beating the Spurs 90 to 78. Some really great plays, good food from Subway, great popcorn, and good times with one of my best friends since Jr. High.

After the game we got to meet J.J. Redick. I'm not a huge sports fan. I used to follow the Redskins when I lived up north in PG County, the Noles when my sister went to FSU, and the Magic when Shaq, Penny, and Nick Anderson were on the team. My buddy Nemo filled me in with the latest. J.J. Redick was a really nice guy, and Nemo told me he played for Duke, so I spent some time google-ing him today and finding more about him.

Overall, it was a really great evening, and I'm thankful that I had the chance to have that experience.

Happy Holidays and stay safe...

The Dark Knight round 2...

Playlist Pick: The Dark Knight Main Theme - Hans Zimmer
Thankful For: Our new dark cherry oak dining table... It's sick!!!

Just a quickie here... Over the Summer, my lovely fiancee' and I went to a midnight showing of The Dark Knight. I'm a huge superhero fan, and have always been a fan of the Batman films. Batman Begins was really great. Watching The Dark Knight, I thought it was incredibly long, and so very convoluted.

I actually went out and purchased the DVD when it came out last week or so, and wanted to give it another chance. Watching it for the 2nd and 3rd time, I've got a new perspective, and absolutely love the film. It kind of just chugs along and stays at a steady pace for me and there never really seems to be an incredible climactic moment, but it works for me, and I really enjoy the film and how it just keeps me there.

That's it for now, going to the S.H.O. Foundation's 1st Annual Charity Event this evening, then off to the Magic game I won tickets for tomorrow...

Rest in peace Heath Ledger...

Lighting strikes twice and I'm a WINNER!!!

Playlist Pick: Frosty the Snowman - Jimmy Durante
Thankful For: Family and loved ones...

It's Thursday December 11th, 2008. About two weeks ago I was at a Kane's furniture showroom. I was shopping around for a kitchen table. I browsed the store for about 30 minutes, couldn't find anything that caught my interest, so I headed for the front door.

On my way out I saw an Orlando Magic promotional drawing that Kane's was sponsoring. I walked by it, but then I thought to myself, "What the hell, you never know, I entered a contest this past summer and won, so why not just enter?" For a second I thought it was a gimmick like time share or something where they would just put me on a mailing list. I filled out the form, folded it, and dropped it in the slot.

About 15 or so years ago I remember entering a similar drawing at a KFC I believe. That's when Shaq, Penny Hardaway, and Nick Anderson were on the Magic roster. I was living with my grandparents at the time, and I left town for the summer to spend it in Nashville. I remember my grandmother calling me telling me that I had to call this number to claim this prize. She didn't tell me what the prize was for or anything. Back then, our area codes were not flooded, so we didn't have to dial them, just the 7 digits. My grandmother gave me the 7 digits, and I called using the 407 area code. I kept getting a wrong number, and my grandmother kept telling me these people kept calling and leaving messages for me to call and claim this prize before the deadline.

Long story short, because of the miscommunication, I found out later that I had won the KFC/Magic drawing and I had to call to claim the prize which was first class round-trip tickets to an away game, dinner with the team, 5 star hotel accommodations, and limo service to and from the game. I didn't call to meet the deadline to claim the prize because of the miscommunication, and it was given to an alternate. MAN, I WAS PISSED!!!! I remember how bummed I was. It was a Friday night when I found out, and I was out with some friends. I was so bummed :(

Fast forward to two days ago, I got a call from the Orlando Magic telling me that I had won the Kane's promotional drawing, and I won two tickets to next weeks game against the San Antonio Spurs, plus a meet and greet at the end of the game with one of the Magic players. How cool was that! I was so happy!!! I felt as if it were redemption from what I lost out on 15 or so years ago.

So, the moral of the story is, YOU NEVER KNOW UNLESS YOU TRY.
So when you are questioning taking a chance on something, take the chance. If fear keeps you from things you are working at attaining, don't let fear win. Take the chance, and give it a try, and if it doesn't work out, then try again, and again, and again, because eventually it will come through...

Happy holidays, be safe and well...

And the Nominees are...

Playlist Pick: Whatever You Like - T.I.
Thankful For: Living

Just a quick entry here... Thanks for all the encouraging and uplifting emails and messages I've received. I was very fortunate to be on a ballot with so many talented artists and writers. Here are the nominees for the category that I was on the ballot for:

Category 84

Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
(A Songwriter(s) award. For a song (melody & lyrics) written specifically for a motion picture, television or other visual media, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

• Down To Earth (From Wall-E)
  Peter Gabriel & Thomas Newman, songwriters (Peter Gabriel)
  Track from: Wall-E
  [Walt Disney Records/Pixar; Publishers: Walt Disney Music, Wonderland Music/Pixar Talking Pictures/Pixar Music]
• Ever Ever After (From Enchanted)
  Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz, songwriters (Carrie Underwood)
  Track from: Enchanted
  [Walt Disney Records; Publishers: Wonderland Music & Walt Disney Music]
• Say (From The Bucket List)
  John Mayer, songwriter (John Mayer)
  Track from: Continuum
  [Aware/Columbia; Publishers: Sony/ATV Tunes, Specific Harm Music]
• That's How You Know (From Enchanted)
  Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz, songwriters (Amy Adams)
  Track from: Enchanted
  [Walt Disney Records; Publishers: Wonderland Music & Walt Disney Music]
• Walk Hard (From Walk Hard — The Dewey Cox Story)
  Judd Apatow, Marshall Crenshaw, Jake Kasdan & John C. Reilly, songwriters (John C. Reilly)
  Track from: Walk Hard The Dewey Cox Story
  [Columbia; Publishers: Murder by Television/Apatow Music/Popular Misconception/New Columbia Pictures Music/Colpix Music]

Congrats to the nominees! Oh, check out my Playlist Pick of Whatever You Like by T.I. The track was co-written by my good friend David Siegel who played on a few tracks of my last album "What You Hide Is What You Find". Congrats to your success man! Have a great day and Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas to you all!!!

GRAMMY DAY!!!

Playlist Pick: Grammy Family - Kanye West
Thankful For: The opportunity to be so close to winning a Grammy!

It is Wednesday December 3rd, 2008 3:17PM Eastern Standard Time.
Today is the day that the nominees for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards are announced. The nominations will be posted on GRAMMY.com after the CBS special tonight dubbed, "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night," airing from 9–10 p.m.

This day is relatively special to me because I'm one of the fortunate ones on the Official Grammy Ballot. How did I get to be one of the artists on this prestigious document?

I'll nutshell it for you...

Over the summer, I wrote a song for a contest on MySpace. The contest was to write a theme song for the upcoming Luke Wilson film, "Henry Poole Is Here". From over 3,500 entries, my song was selected by Director Mark Pellington, Overture Films, Lakeshore Entertainment, and the MySpace Community. It was an amazing moment. I had never really won anything like this before. I think I won a set of steak knifes in a raffle at a Zayre's when I was in Jr. High. Anyway, from the win, I got to make a music video with the director from the film, Mark Pellington, attended the Hollywood Premiere of the film where my music video was debuted in front of 500 Hollywood Stars, Actors, Producers, Press, etc... It was so exciting. I then had an appearance on The Late Late Show w/ Craig Ferguson on CBS, my music video was widely featured on MySpace, and it will be included on the DVD release of the film. The theme song was also added to the Henry Poole Is Here Official Motion Picture Soundtrack, and was featured as the title track.

I was up late one night checking my MySpace inbox, and someone had sent me a message congratulating me for making the Grammy ballot for "Henry Poole Is Here". I remember running to my fiancee' and saying, "look at this, is this real, or some kind of spam thing?" The next day I confirmed the ballot inclusion with a friend who is a voting member of NARAS, and he sent me a copy of the offical ballot.

Since then, I've been sending positive thoughts out into the universe, and asking everyone to do the same. Since I was a child, from age 13, I knew music was my destiny, my career path for my life, and more so, something I knew I had to do and needed. I attended a concert by a singer named Russ Taff (who is actually a 3 time Grammy winner), and my life was changed. My father took my brother and I, and I was mesmerized by what I heard, what I saw. The sounds, the way they touched my soul and affected me. It was magical, and to this day still is. One of my favorite records by Russ Taff was called Medals. The songs and the sound of that record was created by a producer named Jack Joseph Puig (also a Grammy winner). As I grew up, I listened to many of his records he produced. He recently did one of John Mayer's records, and is currently working with one of my best friend's, Ashley Clark, and his brother's "The Clark Brothers," who won last year's Fox's "Next Great American Band".

So whichever way the cards fall tonight, whether I make it from ballot to nominee. It's been an amazing ride, and it's not over yet either. That's the great news of it all. I never thought I'd be this close to achieving a Grammy Award for something I created. I have friends that have won Grammys that I've held in my own hands, but this moment, this time, is so very beautiful and exciting for me.

Tonight one of my best friends is throwing a Grammy party for me, for the achievement of making it as far as I have, and if it's in the stars for me tonight, we will celebrate a nomination too.

Thank you all for your beautiful words of encouragement over the last few months.
I appreciate each and every one of you who have taken the time to reach out and express your thoughts to me.

Have a blessed and amazing day, don't EVER give up on your goals and aspirations, and may your wildest dreams come true...