Photo by Linda Nguyen (@L_Nuggie)

Alright, I know I promised a post-concert review in yesterday’s post, but after getting home and relaying the awesomeness of the evening to B-rad, it was pushing midnight and I was one tired (though happy) girl. I decided to sleep on it and return bright-eyed and bed-headed to gush about the evening.

But first, let me share a little gem from my subway ride, because I do love a good TTC tale. I was on the train heading to Queen, quite engrossed in my Metro crossword, when suddenly there was a woman sitting on my lap. Literally. I’m not totally clear on the details, but it seems that a somewhat elderly lady had gotten on the train with a friend, and when the train took off, she hadn’t quite made it to her seat and lost her balance. So there she was, sitting on my knee, holding on to a centre pole and trying to pull herself back up. With some help from another rider, we got her to her feet and into a seat where she said…nothing. Not “Thanks,” not “Hey, sorry about the mall Santa routine back there,” nothing. She didn’t even respond when I asked if she was okay. At first I thought, “Well, that’s odd…” but there are plenty of reasonable explanations for it, ranging from embarrassment to the fact that I’m a notoriously quiet talker. Bygones.

(more…)

I’ve just purchased a ticket for a concert this evening at Massey Hall. The artist? Adele. If you’re thinking, “who?” then you need to hit up iTunes right now friend, because there is a reason this girl snagged the Best New Artist award at this year’s Grammys. Trust.

I’ve been an Adele fan since I heard “Hometown Glory” on So You Think You Can Dance of all places (something about that moody piano intro gives me goosebumps every time…) so I couldn’t pass up the chance to see her at a venue like Massey. And while I’m hitting the concert solo this evening, which will be a new experience for me, it’s one that I’m definitely looking forward to.

Check back later this evening for thoughts on the show! In the meantime, check out this great interview with Adele from Tuesday’s Globe and Mail.

Update: Thoughts on the show are here!

Maybe I’ve been playing too much Rock Band lately, but when I came across this little challenge on Facebook to make my own album cover, I was all over it. So if you’re feeling the urge to be creative and have some time to kill, give this a try:

5 Steps to Make Your Own Album Cover:

1. Go to “Wikipedia” and click “Random Article” (or click here) The FIRST random Wikipedia article you get is the name of your new band. I was hoping for “Llama Face,” but no such luck.

2. Visit the Random Quotations page here. The last four to six words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album. Huzzah!

3. Go to Flickr and click on “explore the last seven days.” Need a shortcut? You can find it here. The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover. As a side note, if I ever do put out an album, this is actually how I will choose my cover art. Because it’s fantastically random. And we all know how much I love random awesomeness.

4. Use Photoshop (or a similar editing program) to put it all together!

5. E-mail your fabulous creations to alicia@aliciamcauley.ca and I’ll post my faves on this very site!

While everyone may be buzzing about The Oscars right now, I’ve always been more of a Grammy kind of girl. I love the performances, the acceptance speeches, the crazy collaborations… it’s just a great night for a music junkie like myself. And tonight’s 2009 Grammy Awards certainly did not disappoint. Here are my Top 5 highlights of the night:

5.  A very pregnant MIA
When you can rock a see-through top and dance around stage the day that you’re due to give birth… You get some serious respect. At the same time, though, her baby may be scarred for life after sharing a stage with a fugitive, an American Gangster, a closet bowling fanatic… and Kanye West. (I kid, I kid.)

4. Jennifer Hudson
What a year Jennifer Hudson has had. She snagged the first award of the night, her performance was simply beautiful. Understandably emotional, but she is one very strong woman. If you missed her tonight, you can check out the video here.

3. Kanye’s Mullet
I’m from Oshawa, so you’d think that a mullet would not surprise me very much, but you’d be wrong. I can handle the single glove, the high tops and even the crazy sunglasses, Kanye. It’s cool.  But the mullet is one trend I am begging you not to resurrect. Please. Think of the children.

2. Lil Wayne’s acceptance speech for Best Rap Album
I’ve been all about Lil Wayne all week, thanks to his fantastic interview with Katie Couric. At first I was thinking, “who are all these people?” but then I realized that Lil Wayne is just incredibly efficient. Rather than list of a bunch of random names, he could simply say “I’d like to thank these people right here.” My love of Lil Wayne now knows no bounds. And his performance? Excellent.

1. John Mayer’s live updates on Twitter
Okay, yes, I am biased. I think we all know the level of my appreciation for John Mayer. But I just think it’s so damn cool that in 2009, as I’m hanging out in flannel PJs, watching the Grammy Awards on TV, I’m also reading live Twitter updates from one of my favourite artists who happens to be at the very event I’m watching. (Props to BlackBerry, too. Sorry I was such a hater back in 2006.)

I also HAVE to mention how happy I am that Adele took home a few awards this year. Her album, 19, is phenomenal. If you haven’t heard it, head on over to her MySpace page and check it out. Brilliant!

Now, hit me… What were your favourite moments of the 2009 Grammy Awards?

Fact #9482156 about me: I am a huge John Mayer fan.

Now, I mean “fan” in the sense that I really enjoy his music and own every CD he’s released to date. I’m not lurking in the bushes outside his house, or hoping that he’ll let me have his baby. That falls under the category of “stalker of biblical proportions.” Plus, it’s just plain creepy. So take note, the Mayer Love is rooted firmly in music. The fact that I find him to be an attractive man is really just a bonus…

(more…)